Travel Tips and Directions for La Paloma

What travel tips or favorite directions do you have for La Paloma? Title your reply "Travel Tips - La Paloma", or "Directions - La Paloma and Rosarito area" and they will be easy to separate and find.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBwf5Z4FfQo

Except for Pstreet1's relatively recent post about it being safe to go to Mexico in December, nothing else has been updated. Are the roads and turns the same as in 2004? And what about the "aggressive" driving advice - is that true or untrue?

Thanks, Pstreet1, for showing Americans that it's safe to go to Mexico!

Since they're offering as an inventory special for March, how to get there seems important. Should one fly in to San Diego or Tijuana? Should one rent a car or is there other transport? If one rents a car in Tijuana, what does one need to do that?

Should one exchange for pesos in Mexico? If so, how much cash should we have in hand? (In the States, I rarely carry cash.)

And if one is relatively fluent in Spanish, is that helpful? Are there places that are less touristy?

Thanks in advance for any tips or tricks!

This is a 10 minute promotional video on Baja (San Diego to Ensenada), and it is, I think, very well done. It has some great shots of the scenery, activities, and interviews with some winery owners and Americans living/visiting the area. Thought some considering the area might enjoy looking at it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdTvirZ52lk

Going to La Paloma in January and need to travel back and forth to tijuana for dental work. Flying into San Diego and crossing border on foot. Any tips from anyone who might know the cheapest way to get to the resort? Thanx for your help.

A taxi from the border to the Rosarito Beach Hotel, which is about a block from La Paloma is $20-$25.00 each way. There are buses which are less expensive, but of course, you are tied to their schedule, and they will not take you to the hotel or La Paloma; they will let you off at the gas station just off the toll road and then you walk through the station area and cross the road to La Paloma. In addition, there are "shared taxis," station wagons or vans that operate sort of like buses: they travel a set route between Tijuana and Rosarito and stop to pick up/let people off anywhere along the route. They are less than taxis, more than buses--but they also go much, much more frequently.

For convenience, renting a car is the way to go. It will be about $30.00 a day (less than a taxi to and from Tijuana), and of course, you choose the time you go and come. Driving is perfectly safe: 4 lane, concrete, divided toll road (about $1.25 each way.

I forgot to say that you'll need a taxi to get to the trolley stop from the airport; then, you'll take the trolley to the border, and crossing the border dragging your suitcase is a ways. Then, of course, you'll need to get to Rosarito.

Are you staying in Rosarito any length of time?

We are thinking about staying at La Paloma in early spring 2014. We will be traveling from Boise, Idaho USA. Is it better to fly into San Diego or into Tijuana. Is there transportation available to the resort from the Tijuana airport?

I suspect the prices to fly into San Diego will be much less than the price to fly into Tijuana. My recomendation is that you rent a car to enjoy the area fully. I think you'll regret not having a car because without it, you'll be pretty much limited to the tourist "alley," and that's definitely not the best Rosarito has to offer. If you'd like the emails I have prepared to send to visitors, send me an email at Pstreet1@aol.com and put Rosarito in the subject line so I don't delete you. I'll include restaurants I like/things to do/etc.
Pat

We live in northern California and are leaving Saturday to drive down to La Paloma. We were going to rent a car to save on putting wear and tear on ours, but can't find a car rental firm who will let us drive into Mexico. So then we looked at insuring our own car for Mexico and our own, State Farm, will not insure us. So we've been looking online to get car insurance and found a handful of companies that will insure our car. Does anyone have any recommendations? Has anyone else found this problem?

Thanks!
Tricia

Send me your email address, and I'll send you the emails I already have typed up for visitors to the area, including car rental and insurance information. If you give me your email address in a private message, I'll get the emails right back to you with restaurant suggestions, tourist activities, etc.
Pat

From the San Diego Reader, "Baja Is Back." Read the article and feel good about visiting Tijuana/Rosarito/Ensenada--and La Paloma. http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2013/jul/24/cover-baja-back/

I found a great site that really puts the perspective where it belongs on the safety of traveling to Mexico. Along the left-hand side are things to click on which bring up great graffics. This is guaranteed to calm any fears you have.

http://howsafeismexico.com/index.html

Could you send me information about renting cars in Tijuana? I am planning to stay at La Paloma Nov 12-12. We are planning to take the trolley from San Diego to the border and are debating a rental car or using a taxi. Thank you!

I've emailed you a ton of information. Hopefully, it will be helpful.

What do you know about the company 5 star transportation? We are considering using them to get from San Diego to the La Paloma resort. And we need good places to eat?!!

I don't know about the transportation, but the best places to eat are not readily accessible without a car. We live in Rosarito 6 mts. of the year, and I can recommend a number of places to eat/things to do/etc. If you'd like me to email you the emails I already have typed up about Rosarito and the area, give me your email address in a private message, and I'll send them to you.

Travel tips to La Paloma

Not sure if that was directed to me or not. If so, I'll need your email address to send them to you. You can send it to me a private message.

We just got back from Rosarito (La Paloma). One year ago when we booked Rosarito, we somehow got in touch with "pstreet". He/or she is all over this websight. He sent us about 30 pages of information.
, such as, driving in Mexico, where to eat, what to see and do, customs and courtesies and about what you need for money. We carried his info with us and glad we did. Pstreet is better than a travel book. Believe everything he says. The only thing I didn't know about was that it can take up to 3+ hours to pass thru customs when you go back to the US if you go thru Tijuanna. We decided to drive to Tecate, a 1 hour drive. It was an easy drive, a somewhat scenic drive, and it was exactly a 28 minute wait to cross the border. We crossed the border to the U S at 8:54am. We were really afraid to go to Mexico. Pstreet convinced me to drive. Almost chickened out at the last minute, but didn't. Drivnig is different, but easy in Mexico. If you drive, nobody does the speed limit except us. Be alert for people walking on the side of the road due to few sidewalks, watch for cows and be very alert for Stop (Alto) signs. People don't always stop, but they do slow down. I was very impressed at how well they took turns at the stop signs. Go enjoy Rosarito and don't forget to email ptreet and get his "Travel Bible". THANK YOU PSTREET.
Mike, Rogene & Billy

You are 100% welcome. I love it when people come back and say "Don't worry; go and enjoy!" Thanks for the good testimonial. (I'm female.)

Hey buddy! The wife and I met you and your family in the pool/hot tub at Coral Baja. How was your stay in Rosarito? Sounds like the driving in mexico went well!

Mario and Melissa

Just got back from Rosarito but before going I happened to see pstreet1@aol.com post offering information about Roasarito. She sent about 20 e-mails with various information, printed them all and took them with me. What a godsend! As we entered Rosarito I spotted Wal-Mart and turned off the highway to pick up grocery supplies. Leaving Wal-Mart I drove all the way through town to La Paloma. If it were not for Pat's guidance, my wife and sister-in-law would have insisted we leave ASAP after less than a day there. We have gone to Coral Baja in San Jose del Cabo and what they saw was not quite like Cabo which has more modern buildings. Convinced them to wait a few days before making their decision and after a few days they said it was okay to stay the rest of the week.

I highly recommend anyone going to La Paloma to ask Pat to send you the info. The Rosarito area has a lot to offer but if you don't know the area you may miss seeing what it has, because you'd probably only stay close to the resort. As for the restaurants and stores, they will quote the bill in pesos along with what it is in dollars and in most cases if you pay in dollars they will give you change in dollars. Also, don't be afraid to drink the water in restaurants as by law they have to give you distilled water and not tap water.

On the way back to San Diego, Pat suggested taking the Otay/Mesa border entry as the lines are shorter with less than a half hour to cross. My wife and sister-in-law said to go to Tijuana since it is a shorter drive. Well, it took almost an hour and a half! As bad as that was, it could have been worse as I've heard it can take upwards of 2 to 3 hours. One thing they marveled at were all the vendor carts straddling the lane lines (all four lanes!) as vehicles inched along towards the border. We soon discovered that if you look at or point at a vendor they come to your car, so we just looked straight ahead.

Once again, before heading to La Paloma I highly recommend sending an e-mail to pstreet1@aol.com. Pat and her husband Terry live just south of Rosarito six to 7 months a year. I think Pat is a one person Rosarito Chamber of Commerce and Visitors and Convention bureau!!!

Thank you Pat! You saved our vacation and we all had a wonderful time.

I'm so glad you had a good time, and I'm especially glad you came back to the forum to report on your trip. People need to know that Rosarito is a good vacation spot, not a terror filled nightmare.

Just a note about the vendors: they're all harmless and, generally, full of smiles. Just shake your head no; it's no problem. Since we have Sentri passes, we're normally not in the general crossing lanes, but when we are--with a visitor--we always buy churros and coffee while we're in line. We sometimes buy fruit; it's always fresh and good. We take a newspaper and one of us reads aloud to the driver and others in the car. That, in addition to just noting the happenings around us, eating, and general chatter makes the time go pretty quickly.

It is true that Otay is more miles (about 10) from Rosarito, but it takes the same amount of time to drive because it is all divided highway and there is less traffic and there are fewer stop signs. The crossing is clearly marked, and it is normally MUCH faster to cross there.

Hi Pat, I really made good use of the information you sent, so did my wife and sister-in-law. We all read and re-read it while at La Paloma figuring out where to go along with where to eat. Also, we really enjoyed the tacos at Yaqui (3 times) and agree it is the best. The line was real short when we got there (11 AM) but it was getting longer and longer while we ate.

By the way, is Splash in the process of building a new restaurant? Noticed a building about 200 feet past the turnout for the restaurant with a sign saying Splash. Also, is the new building being huilt behind Yaqui going to be the new Yaqui?

Once again, thank you for helping make our vacation a vacation to remember.

Jim Kawasaki

Yes, Splash! will be in a new building. Nicholas expects it to be ready to move into around December. He doesn't own the land where the current Splash! is, and he owns the land where the new one will be. Yaqui is building a new building. He's been working on it for at least two years, but it looks like he really will be finishing up soon. We talked to him about it at least a year ago, and he is so proud.

I forgot to say that Mexican lunch hour seems to begin around 1:00-1:30, so if you're earlier, you usually beat the crowd.

For those who do want my emails, would you please not wait until the last minute to ask. It takes me a while to send them (removing the "blue forwarding line," etc. takes about 30 minutes). I don't always have time the same day I get your request, and I feel bad when I don't get them to people who have asked for them, but when you ask Friday for a trip on Saturday, sometimes I just don't have time to do it--or I don't see the email. (It's always better to send me an email than to p.m. me on this site because I don't visit this site every day.) I love sharing information about Rosarito, so don't hesitate to ask, but do give me a little time.
Pat

Will a driver's licence be sufficient to go to Rosarito and back to the US?

Legally, a passport or passport card is required to re-enter the U.S. from Mexico. That has been the law since 2009.

However, many, many people go to Baja with only a birth certificate (must be certified, not a photo copy), and others do go with only a driver's license.

The chances are you will simply waved through, possibly with a lecture on the law. You need to know, though, that the law states a passport or passport card is required. If the border agent chooses to make life difficult for you, he/she can. I have an acquaintance who had a friend in her car who had only a driver's license because she had forgotten her passport and left it at home. They were detained 4 hours in the office and the woman had to pay a large fine, so it can happen, but I've never known (even second hand) anyone else it happened to.

Because you are an American citizen, you cannot be denied entry to the U.S.--but they don't have to make it easy for you.

For those of you who worry about safety in Mexico, I want to say that the American media does a great disservice to Mexico. The following post explains one of the problems: they recycle old news and run it as though it happened yesterday. This incident JUST happened--and the news article they ran was from 3 years ago. The story was posted today, November 22, 2014, 7 hours ago.


Adelle Cordero‎Expats Living in Mexico
7 hrs ·
I am a former US journalist and longtime resident of Mexico who hates the negativity and lack of objectivity about Mexico in the mainstream US news.
Day before yesterday, the Google News HOME PAGE showed a SHOCKING headline from Fox News Latino about a "Mass Slaying in Guadalajara". OMG, I thought and went in and read the story.
Upon very close inspection, I discovered this was a story from 2011 – over THREE YEARS AGO!! This story — which had no business being on that day's news home page — is the type of propaganda and news manipulation that riles people up and keeps them down on Mexico.
Mexico has its problems, as does the US, but a little objectivity and balance in the US news would be refreshing. I guess they just don't want their citizens (with their dollars) moving here.

Do we need power adapters or is the power the same as in the US?

No adapter needed - at least at the resort.

All plugsin Mexico are the same as the U.S.--no adapters needed anywhere.

is it ok to not have a car? wondering about flying in and taking a shuttle to the resort

Yes, you can get around without a car, if you don't mind taxis. Downtown is a short walk away, but most of the good restaurants are a drive. There was a couple there when we were in Nov and they were fine without.

I would suggest that when you want a taxis call the front desk and request that they get one for you. And if you find a driver you like, request him.

With 4 adults and luggage will a taxi from the boarder work? Do they use a lot of mini vans? If car rental is a value then what companies have the best rates into Mexico?

I sent you a private message--let me know if you want emails. (Incidentlly, the weather here is spectacular: right about 80 degrees, not a cloud in the sky.)

Hi Pat,
I'm going to take everyone's advice and ask you for your information on Rosarito and La Paloma. My husband and I are heading down from Vancouver, B.C. on March 12th. We are landing in San Diego at about 2:30 pm, and I am hesitant on reserving the shuttle which is around $130 pp one way to La Paloma. I would like your thoughts on this. We would like to golf while we are there so we are torn about renting a car. Those are the specific questions, but any other info would be greatly appreciated. My email is kgfran@hotmail.com

Kelly

I will be sending you my emails as soon as I finish typing here, so expect a full in box; they aren't repeats; all of them are different.

I NEVER advise people to use the shuttle; if you don't have a car, you are limiting yourselves to "tourist alley," and you won't get the best food, best atmosphere, or best prices there. You won't be able to go to Ensenada and take a whale watching trip; you won't be able to access wine country inexpensively; you won't be able to come and go as you wish, and if you go out in the evening, you'll need to have the restaurant call you a cab--which will involve waiting, sometimes for a long time. For golf, you simply must have a car. (I'll send an email on renting a car.) You cannot rent a car in Rosarito; there are none--and none means zero.

Emails will begin coming right away.
Pat

Just wanted to say that I'm heading for Italy, so no emails from March 10th until March 21st. If you are thinking you might like them, ask soon.
Pat

I will be visiting San Diego later this year and I am planning on going on down to La Paloma. I understand there are rental car companies in San Diego who will rent cars and they can be taken into Mexico. Can you verify this?

Tony

Absolutely there are. If you'd like my emails--rental cars, directions, restaurants, etc.--send me a private message with your email address.
Pat

Promotional video on Rosarito--nice pictures of some favorites: https://www.facebook.com/ROSARITOTV/videos/10153088589649506/?fref=nf

I'm happy to send the emails to anyone, but I can't stress enough that you need to ask before "leaving the next day." We travel a lot (April 15th off to Barcelona for 3 weeks), then to Texas, then probably back to Rosarito--I may not see your request or I may not have access to a computer that has my information on it. Right now, I have a broken shoulder, and I'm not on the computer as much as usual. Please ask before needing them immediately so I don't have to feel bad about disappointing you.

Also, for anyone worried about safety, you need to look at www.howsafeisMexico.com They do a better job of showing you with graphs/comparisons/maps than I can that it's safe to travel to Mexico. I can only say that we've owned our home there for 18 years and we've NEVER felt unsafe, nor have any of our many friends, quite a few of whom live there full time. It is safe to visit Rosarito!
Pat

In my emails about Rosarito, I've mentioned to some of you that there is entertainment you might like and told you about Alex and Miguel. Well, Alex and Miguel are currently in Rio playing at the games--and when they get back, you can wander in and enjoy for no cost if it's a regular night, or if it's a concert, for about $10.00 a person cover charge.

This video is from Rio. Alex and Miguel come on stage at 25.19 (just move the timer). After that, there's about 1 minute of messing with the sound system, and then, they do themselves proud!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6j5pIeyLZw

Several of you have asked that I send my emails, and I'm happy to do it, but I have to have your email address. When you ask on the board in a private message, please include your email address or you'll be wondering why you haven't heard from me. And again, please give me some time. We just got back from a cruise, and we'll be leaving again in about a week; when we're traveling, I may not have access to a computer to send the emails, so please ask more than a day or two before you plan to visit Rosarito.

I have a reservation for LaPaloma in August. Is it safe to drive there from Los Angeles area? Is it safe at the Resort and travel to Rosarita Beach.
Long Beach
donjkaiser@yahoo.com

We had no problems. Coming back took a long time and be sure to follow the signs exactly.

Beth,
When did you go?
Do you have any recommendations or suggestions for me?
Don

Mike, Rogene & Billy
Glad to hear you had no problems.
Any recommendations or suggestions for our trip?
How was the resort itself?
Thanks, Don

PStreet,
Wow! You are highly thought of.
I am going to LaPaloma in August.
Any recommendations you can give to me I would appreciate.
donjkaiser@yahoo.com
Thanks, Don

It was a couple years ago. We flew into San Diego and rented a car to drive down. We missed a sign coming back and ended up in the wrong line. It cost us an hour while our car was searched and passports taken for review.

Thank you very much for the information.
Hopefully, P Street will contact me.
Don

I've sent you about 30 emails on Rosarito and the area. Be sure to check your spam folder to be certain none of them went there. Because I send so many, that sometimes happens. Let me know if you have questions. Obviously, my email address is on the emails.
Pat

I need some travel tips and restaurant recommendations
Coming there in early November
Shelley Parker

Pstreet,

I sent you a private message. I've seen you're very active in the message boards for La Paloma. My husband and I live in Arizona and we're planning to go to La Paloma over the Thanksgiving weekend with another couple. I've never been to Mexico at all and neither have my friends. My husband has been to Rocky Point. Anyway, I was hoping you might be able to email me some recommendations (food, activities, etc.) as well as reassure us all that it's safe. Also, anything I should be aware of or do prior to leaving for the trip (obviously we all need our passports). I think I saw we need to fill out some kind of visitors form at the border. I think it's possible to do in advance. Is this recommended? How long do you think we will have to wait at the border? I put my email address in the private message.

You need to give me your email address. Just PM me. : )

Pstreet I would love to have info about driving Mexico, visiting La Paloma, and anything we could do with children 8 & 10. We plan on going the first week of April. We wanted to visit somewhere close for our children spring break, but now that we have plans wondering if there will be tons of spring breakers. I finally convinced my husband to drive in although he still has reservations. My email is laurad-w@sbcglobal.net

I am looking for RV parking for a friend that wants to be close to us at the resort? Help!

Sorry I didn't answer some posts. I've been traveling and busy so I just haven't been checking the forum. Emails work better because I (usually) see those. Since tourist season is about to go into full swing, I expect there will be more new visitors. I'll be glad to help, but once again, I'm traveling and I may miss posts.
Pat

We will be heading to Rosarito next February from Seattle...flying into San Diego Airport. Alamo Rental, as an example, will charge us an extra $245 for the week for "cross the border" insurance. Do you think it would make more sense for us to rent a car and pay for the insurance? Or should we simply hire transport to Rosarito from the airport and rely on cabs to go anywhere we might want/need to? Not sure how available or expensive cabs and all that might be. A car there would be nice for the freedom to go wherever whenever, but just not sure how necessary or what the trade-off would be financially.

I am going there next month.. and I'm actually getting a rental car through www.turo.com .. it is private people renting out their cars. You just have to find a person who will let you go across the border. I am getting a great little Yaris, for a week with premium insurance it was only 245.00.. of course everyone has different prices, but for me this was perfect and she is meeting me at the airport for pickup and dropoff. Depending on how driving/parking etc is, I may use a cab for some touring at the resort, but I'll see when I get there!!
M

Pat,
Would you mind sending me your travel tips? My wife and I will be visiting La Paloma in about 2 weeks. We need info on transportation (rental cars) and would love any info you can give us on local restaurants, activities, etc.
thank you!!!
DJ Ballingham
Ballinghambunch@gmail.com

Myself and others had a hard time finding the place using the GPS on our phone. Mexican addresses as listed for the resort get you kinda close, but no cigar. If you are going to the La Paloma resort where worldmark has some rooms, put in this address and it should get you right there. (PS: don't look for a Worldmark sign...there isn't one)

Carretera Libre Tijuana - Ensenada Km 28.2
Int. 295 Cond. La Paloma
Zip is 22710 City is Rosarito State is Baja California
Country is Mexico

I am taking the family down to Rosarito for Thanksgiving weekend. Has anyone traveled down there recently? The bus used to be the easiest way to get there, travel from San Diego directly to Rosarito, one price. They have since closed operations. Does anyone know the easiest/safest way to travel now the buses are not running? I won't drive down there. Thanks.

HI there... were you able to get a hold of Pat? We too are going in March 2020 and would love
more information. Does Pat still give out emails about the area? Thanks..Nancy

I am considering traveling to La Paloma the end of October and wondered if anyone has been there before and if they liked the resort and surrounding area? We have been to other areas of Mexico but never this far north. How does it compare with other resort destinations in Mexico?

We were there several years ago. The resort is very nice and quiet (at least when we were there). The staff is very nice, but not "in your face" (they are not WM employees). Very residential.

The area reminded us of Hayward, CA where we lived. Everyone speaks English and the area seemed very safe. We were there off season, so not many people/tourists. Very nice places to eat in town and the surrounding area.

I was at La Paloma a couple of weeks ago. I really liked it. It was definitely a cooler time of year when I was there, but the weather was never bad, just cool during the day, cold a couple of nights with high winds a couple of days. It was very easy to get to La Paloma. I just put La Paloma, Rosarito into Google Maps and the app directed me right there via the toll road. Be prepared for the resort to be directly on your right after you make a left off the exit from the toll road. There is a small sign that says La Paloma and a smaller sign referring to Worldmark where you park to check in. I had a 2-bedroom place with ocean view. It was very nice. Be sure to ask for the key to get to the little room right across the hall from your unit that has the washer/dryer - no coins needed. The heat worked well. I only turned it on in the bedroom, closed the door to keep it toastier on the coldest nights. One idiosyncratic thing was the shower. There was 1 red line on the right side of the dial where you need to put the arrow to get hot water and it took about 5+ minutes for the water to get warm in my unit. The restaurant at La Paloma had good breakfasts and lunches. The Italian place right near La Paloma was excellent. Tacos el Yacqui is a short walk away, just a street over from the main commercial strip. It lived up to its reputation as being among the best tacquerias I've ever been to. The main grocery store is a long 1/2 hour walk from La Paloma - I'd drive it next time. Smart & Final is a good bit closer and was fine for filling in other grocery needs. Lots of places to change money on the main commercial strip. Banks give the best rates. Be sure to bring your passport if you want to change money at a bank. Be prepared for a long wait getting back across the border to the U.S. My wait at about 8 am was well over an hour. According to the border waiting times sites I looked at, San Ysidro crossing had shorter wait times than Otai Mesa.