Taking BUDGET 5 day trip end of Sept, flying into SD and renting car, driving to Ensenada. No firm plans yet, hoping for your advice on finding hidden treasures - cheap but nice Ensenada area hotel, restaurants,must-see's etc. THANKS

Make sure you rent your car from a rental company that allows you to cross the border with it. Many rental companies have policies prohibiting you from taking their car into Mexico.

I agree with Suzie. We live in San Diego and take our car to Ensenada but I don't think you can take a rental to Mexico. Also, bear in mind, that when you cross the border back to USA, the wait could be 1 to 2 hrs depending on traffic (of course, this is mainly weekends and holidays).

We like to stay at this place. It's about $50 a night with auto club discount. It's probably not the cheapest you can find, but its nice & safe and a good central location without being right in the party-zone.

The restaurant and bar attached to the hotel are good, but too expensive.

http://elcid.baja.com/

scurry - just looked up the hotel. It looks decent. What is the beach like? We're taking our 17 and 15 yr. old sons to CA (1st time) and want to have as many new adventures and memorable experiences as possible. I really want to have them experience a different culture but am not sure if Ensanada will really do that. What do you think?

Whereas I wouldn't recommend Rosarita or Tijuana, I was really pleasantly surprised with Ensenada. It's a really pretty port city with a university campus and as long as you don't go on a weekend when the crazy crowds can show up, I think it would be fun for them.

I think your sons are probably old enough to see the poverty and more risque side of the mexican tourist trade.

I've never been to the beach in mexico but I know the Rosarita-to-Ensenada section is very popular with surfers.

Can't recommend the beautiful coastal views of the Baja toll road strongly enough -- there's three toll booths between the border and Ensenada and they each cost $2.15 going both ways. Well worth the price!

It probably takes 2 hours from San Diego to Ensenada. I wouldn't recommend doing it one day but driving down, staying the night & driving back the next morning is very do-able.

About 20 mins south of Rosarita is a little fishing village called Puerta Nuevo. Great lobster dinners there for about $15. Cheila's is our favorite.

consider the estero beach hotel (www.hotelesterobeach). nice spot with their own private beach and a great pool with a bar you can swim too. i've not stayed there, just visited for weddings, etc. it's south of town, but easy to get to.

head 30 mins south to La Bufadora (literally, the blow hole) where the surf rushes into underwater caves that force a geyser like spurt of agua. fairly entertaining. used to go camping down there when i was younger. it's since been a little more touristed, but a nice side trip either way.

I drove from Santa Ana, California to Ensenada on Aug.17th.
I love Ensenada but I would not describe it as "beautiful".
"Lizard" has a good idea with Estero Beach Hotel, half an hour south of Enesenada.
La Bufadora( the billowing scarf )is a long drive south, but worth the effort.

This is great info, thanks so much. In planning this West Coast trip we were originally planning on (I know this is quite a contrast) adding on either a side trip to Vegas for a few days or Baja. I have been recently hearing nothing particularly positive about Rosarita - Ensanada so the few things that have been mentioned here is very helpful. From reading here on Fodors I am concerned about the rental car issue, also our safety on the roads, and the lengthy border crossing spoken of by Fodorites.

Any suggestions for any marketplaces or the best way to really experience the local culture?

Do the same guidelines of not drinking the water, peeling fruits, boiling etc. all apply in Northern Baja just like the rest of Mexico - do we need to be just as careful?

We are going to be there right around New Years eve. Will it be swimming weather

Logan Dog - How far is La Bufadora from Estero Beach Hotel?

i didn't find the drive to la bufadora that long. make sure you plan to arrive at high tide. the toll road down to ensenada is no problem at all to drive. Puerta Nuevo is a fun place to stop for a lobster dinner (and the margaretta's of course). i think your boys will need wet suits to swim in the ocean (i'd also check the pollution level before diving in) so a hotel with a heated pool might be a good idea. you are not going to get much "culture" there. lots of american's on cruise ships probably and a lot of teenagers there to party. drinking age in california is 21, mexico is 18 so a lot go down to party.

Estero Beach Hotel is a very nice place with ocean view rooms and a good restaurant. It is a few miles off the main hiway.
La Bufadora can be spectacular when the conditions are right. In my experience a high tide can drown the hole. A medium tide and a good southerly swell can produce hundred foot blasts of water.
It should take forty minutes or so to get there from Estero Beach. The road passes through farmland and you can buy olives and olive oil from roadside stands.
The last five miles or so is exciting as the road climbs a large promitory with dramatic drop-offs ( a thousand feet or more) to the ocean.
Drive through the mass of vendors and pay a few pesos to park. Try some fish tacos or churros at one of the stands.

We did this just last week with our family for the first time. We rented a wonderful Mexican casa between Rosarito and Ensenada for 5 nights, wanting our children (ages 7 and 13) to experience a different culture as well. We mainly stayed at the beach and enjoyed the beautiful surf and sunsets, horses (rentals- $5/1/2 hour, but we didn't), and vendors who brought their wares to us(jewelry, hats, food). The water was very cold so a wetsuit would help. We enjoyed an afternoon in Ensenada, shopping and eating fish tacos at street-side cafes. Ensenada caters to the American tourists so Spanish was not necessary but we did need it in small stores near the house and with vendors at the beach. You cannot drink the water so be sure to buy water bottles before you leave San Diego, though you could buy them there. I was told to bring birth certificates and photo ids but was never asked for anything when we crossed back into the US. I still would bring them, especially for the children, just in case. It took one hour to cross back during midmorning last Thursday. It was a 4 hour wait last Sunday late in the afternoon according to a friend. The roads were good and seemed safe; the scenery was beautiful. We traveled with close friends who live in San Diego and spoke Spanish. I don't think we could have done this without them and been comfortable. I think staying at a nice hotel would be fine for a night or two. But don't miss San Diego -there is so much there to enjoy.

40 mins from estero to la bufadora?? although i haven't been down that way in over a year, i've made the trip many many times. really? 40 mins? sounds twice as long as i recall.

Definitely the Hotel Estero. The rooms are large and clean. Pay the extra few bucks for an ocean view. There's a restaurant at the resort that will prespare and serve your catch of the day. They serve a full menu all day as well. Try the flan. Heaven. The wine list ain't half bad either.

And you absolutely HAVE to have fish tacos. And then you have to FedEx some to me ;^)

LaBufadora comes complete with its own marketplace. It seemed to me the shops in the middle had the best prices.

Go. See. Do. Eat. Drink. You won't regret it.

I agree with going south to Ensenada rahter than staying in Rosarito. I also heartily agree with the recommendation to stop at Nuevo Puerto (Newport) for the lobster dinners (or lunch or brunch, or whenever).

The last time I checked, AVIS would let their cars into Mexico. If you do drive either a rental or private car into Mexico, it is essential that you purchase Mexican auto insurance (your US insurance is not recognized unless it is one of the few US companies licensed to sell Mexican insurance) Having an accident without it can spoil your whole month, whether you are at fault or not.

Here, here!
Buying Mexican auto insurance is essential,imo.
Hear!hear!