What a fun few days down in Mexico! And such a needed break from the stress of decision-making. I just left all that behind and enjoyed the rough and tumble of Valle de Guadalupe.

Both Betsy and I had been to the valley in the past, she more times than I have, and more recently. It was first for June. And in the 5 years since I was there, was dumbfounded by the proliferation of vineyards and upscale restaurants. But although the progress has been rapid, the surrounding infrastructure hasn’t kept up.

We had booked 3 nights at Luna del Valle, a small - not a resort, not an hotel, not an airbnb but something in between. Several self-contained cottages with a pool and palapa. No cooking facilities but a fridge and coffee maker in the room. But it was completely adequate. We knew we would be eating out but brought snack-type food as well.

Day 1

Tuesday morning, I left Sherman Oaks around 7:30 and did the LA traffic thing down to Orange County, picked up June in Newport then down to Dana Point to Betsy’s. From there, a direct shot through San Diego to the Tijuana Border Crossing and down the highway to Puerto Nuevo, our first stop for lunch.

Although barely an hour south of San Diego, we definitely were in Mexico! It smells different, the attitudes are different…Covid protocols in place all along the way. Lunch at a large restaurant right on the beach with a view that stretched for miles both ways. A good break before turning inland to Valle de Guadalupe.

Finding places in the valley is a challenge! Even Lucy (my GPS) had a hard time, sometimes as there are roads there that Google doesn’t know about! And the physical map that we did have, was not up-to-date, so there were some missteps along the way. And the roads, except for the two main ones, are dirt - or as we were politely corrected, “rustic”. But most of the places are signposted by the establishments. Our place, we discovered accidently over the next few days, has several ways of accessing it!

We arrived just after 3 and settled in before deciding where to go for dinner. We settled on Salvia Blanca, which came with high recommendations. The setting is spectacular but the service not so! Despite it being a winery, it took half an hour to get a bottle of wine served at the table, despite numerous wait staff standing around! The food was so-so but for me, the location and setting made up for it. But I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone, other than just to enjoy the ambience.

Day 2

I was awake before the others the next day, watching and listening to the day break. The stillness was broken by crowing roosters in the distance and an occasional dog bark. The air was heavy with moisture as the sun tried to break through the low overhead. Slowly, the world started to wake up, and there were voices in the distance and a car starting up and heading down one of the rustic roads to work. Probably in one of the many vineyards.

One of the highlights was a visit to the Wine Museum, a spectacular building that houses a wonderful history of wine, not just in the Valley but around the world and its progression to to Baja California. Although all the displays are in Spanish, we were provided with folders in English that guided us through. A fascinating look at a culture and industry that has exploded since the 1970s and even more so since the early 2000s.

And it’s interesting to see the small, original towns retaining that off-the-beaten track feel, pretty much as they were back in the 70’s when I first drove through the area. The roads are still bumpy and dusty. Dogs loose everywhere. Laid-back people roaming around. But go a mile or so out of town and the new vineyards and wine tasting facilities bring you right into now.

I love the architecture that is prevalent. It probably has a name…But all are constructed to take in the views, which, everywhere you look, are spectacular. Wide expanses of hills covered in vines with a backdrop of low mountains. All the facilities are open-air, which in this day and age, is perfect.

Our second day lunch was at Finca Altozano, a spectacular setting, good food and excellent service. The restaurant has its own large vegetable garden. You could almost reach over the railing from the dining area and pick your own carrots! They also have a lot of very healthy looking goats which Betsy said are “meat goats.”

After lunch, we did a wine tasting at Casa Magoni, a wine Betsy knew. Our young server, Gladys, all of 21, was very knowledgeable and took us through a flight as we sat under and enormous tree. After that, it was time to navigate our way home to relax by the pool. Only to discover other guests there playing loud music! Very annoying when people are so inconsiderate of others. Oh well…

Day 3

Our third day lunch was my favorite! We had heard of Deckman’s and how wonderful it is but also how difficult it is to get a reservation. But I persevered and scored an early one (11:45) outside. We thought we gave ourselves enough to time to get there, but this was one of the times, our navigation skills went out the window and we saw roads we weren’t planning on seeing! But we made it and were surprised that the place was not booked out and I needn’t have been stressed about running late!

The place lived up to its reputation. Spectacular food, excellent service, everything you can ask for in a restaurant. And the setting, of course, is exceptional. The cooking is all done outside on wood-fired stoves and ovens with different areas blasting heat as the chefs flip pans and sear fish. Amazing!

Wine tasting that afternoon was at Sol yBarro, a winery I had been to 5 years earlier. It hasn’t changed and compared to the new wineries, seems quite quaint! It’s very small compared to the others we visited but definitely worth it.

Day 4

Next morning, we packed up and planned our return route. We’d read a review on a small restaurant for breakfast and headed over there only to discover it had been discovered and was jam packed, with people waiting in the parking lot! Not for us! So we asked Lucy for places and proceeded to take some interesting “rustic” roads all over the place and very luckily, after being directed by “the captain” landed at the 8A Restaurante Campestre. It’s set in a small enclave which seems like it could be a time-share situation, but the food was excellent as was the service. We were treated to cafe de olla, a traditional Mexican spiced coffee and traditional Mexican breakfast which kept us going on the drive north.

The border crossing took 3 1/2 hours, inching forward in stinky Tijuana, then a pit stop on the US side then north to Dana Point to drop Betsy. By this time June and I were getting a bit peckish, so stopped at a fast food place for a snack and blow me down, I got food poisoning! We always hear, “Don’t eat the food in Mexico” and here I was, a week eating Mexican, I am barely back in the States and I get the tourista! That night I spent hugging the toilet and next day mostly asleep. Fortunately, it blew through fast and I’m completely over it and looking ahead to my next moves.