Questions and Comments for La Paloma

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My family stayed at La Paloma in 2007 and absolutely loved it. The grounds were beautiful; the beach was clean. The unit itself was quite nice, too. We were on the 3rd floor and could see the ocean from our balcony! We had a great time at the pool and at the beach. The kids loved horse back riding on the beach. We enjoyed a little shopping in Rosarito and Tijuana. We would like to go to La Paloma again, and my question is -- does anyone know of good restaurants in Rosarito? That was the one problem we had with our trip -- we did not choose restaurants well. The couple we tried were okay, but extremely expensive for what we received (tacos, canned soda, etc.) -- way more expensive than in the US. If I remember correctly, I think they charged us $5 for each can of soda for the kids!

Wow! You got taken big time. Send me an email at Pstreet1@aol.com with Rosarito or Worldmark in the subject line (so I won't delete you as junk) and I'll send you a long list of my favorite restaurants--and believe me, you won't find prices like that; you'll find great food at low prices.

We used to travel to La Paloma very frequently but we've not been there for about 5 or 6 years now. We did have one bad experience with a cop that cost us $100, and one bad experience coming back with a hostile driver ... but that was it in about 40 or 50 trips!
We are considering booking a trip for early February. We used to do this all the time but haven't done so in about 4 or 5 years and are wondering what the situation is now? It used to be that the trip over went pretty smoothly, touring around Rosarito was safe even in the evenings and coming back on a Monday morning required about a 4 hour wait to get through the border.
For this trip we would drive our own car over on a Saturday morning and come back through around noon the next day, Sunday. Any advice or cautions or encouragement, would be appreciated.

We live in Rosarito half the year. It's safe; don't fret--we wouldn't be here if it weren't. I have a ton of emails about restaurants, etc. already typed up. If you want me to email them to you, send me a PM and include your email address.

There is absolutely no question that noon Sunday is the worst possible time you could choose to re-enter the U.S. Everyone wants to sleep in, have a good breakfast and then head for the border; that results in long lines. Monday isn't nearly as bad as Sunday. However, the re-built border check point is definitely better than the old one was. It's also quicker to re-enter the U.S. if you use Otay Mesa to cross (though, of course, it takes extra time to drive there and then drive back on the U.S. side). If you really want to lessen your crossing time, drive to Tecate and cross there (but that's quite a way from even Otay Mesa).

Pat

Unfortunately, I've been really ill (ICU), and I think I received some requests for Rosarito information that I didn't answer. I'm o.k. now, and I'll be happy to send my emails to anyone who wants them. Just send me a private message with your email address here or send me an email, and I'll get them right out to you.
Pat

First of all, kudos to Pstreet, her recommendations and driving instructions led my family to a safe trip across the border. In fact Pat is so nice to have emailed me her tips and it is a good packet to have with you on your trip. If you are planning to drive to Rosarito(La Paloma) it is better to purchase 3rd party insurance on the internet at Elaguila.com.mx it ran about $10 a day. Dollars can be used on the autopista(freeway toll road) currently it is $1.80 each segment, the driving is like driving in downtown Los Angeles, speed is in km/hr, no problems La Paloma is great a short walk to the beach and about .5 mile walk on beach to Rosarito tourist section. Buffet breakfast on Sunday at Rosarito Beach Hotel is $15. Catholic Church is a short walk away Virgen del Fatima, English mass is at 0930 am and its a quaint little congregation. There is a pancake restaurant, and lots of good food to be had at El Nido, various taco stands on Benito Juarez blvd, Papas and Beer. My daughter, mom, and friend, all women were safe throughout the stay in Rosarito, policia is visible day and night we even walked around at 8pm to 9pm on Benito Juarez Blvd in Rosarito, just don't walk in dark places away from general public which is a safety tip for any city.

Just realized we were going to Rosarito Beach next week with the possibility of Spring Break crowds. Has anyone been there during this time? Should we change plans? We didn't want large crowds for our weekend away! HELP

You're right: you didn't choose well. It should have been much less expensive than in the U.S.

Additionally, I just want to say that the videos you are seeing on the clashes at the border are accurate: there is rock throwing; there is the firing of tear gas; there are people on the road. It's not the time to decide to visit.

I am traveling to La Paloma at the end of the month and have just been informed by the rental car company that they are not allowing their vehicles into Mexico. What is the best way to get there from San Diego. I had read somewhere that they had a shuttle service. Is that still the case?
Thanks for any assistance in this
Tammie

There are shuttle services, but I don't think the resort has any. They can probably put you in touch with one.

Although it was a couple years ago, our rental car company allowed us to take it into Mexico. The only problem we had was getting lost leaving Mexico.