Mexico Road Trip: Glamping in Baja Wine Country

A slower-paced, lower-alcohol approach to Valle de Guadalupe

It’s hard to wrap my mind around the fact that our quiet San Diego neighborhood is 20-minutes from the Mexico border. Since moving here, I’ve felt compelled to take advantage of the potential for adventure.

Before making our way across, we waited a year for our Global Entry approvals so that we could skip the dreaded reentry line — peak times can reach 8 hours. We received the cards in time for my birthday and walked across the pedestrian bridge to explore Tijuana on a food tour.

When it came time to plan our anniversary weekend a few months later, I felt ready to up the ante and drive across the border to visit Valle de Guadalupe, an up-and-coming wine-growing region in Baja. Years ago I read a glowing article about it in Sunset magazine, and it happens to be less than a two-hour drive from San Diego.

Getting There

We drove the 18 miles from our house to the border, stopping for a final top-up charge in the border town of Las Americas. (Driving an electric vehicle in unknown territory made me nervous.) Then we sailed into Mexico so easily that we wondered if we’d done something wrong. Within a few minutes we were out of Tijuana and driving high along the coast with the endless Pacific Ocean plunging to our right.

The return journey was just as peaceful… except for a brief shared panic attack while trying to figure out the correct Global Entry exit to re-enter the United States.

Glamping

To keep things interesting — and prove to myself that I’m still a laidback backpacker at heart, despite the mortgage and SUV — I booked a glamping stay at Pangea Valle. It was about a third of the price of a nice hotel. We stayed in a photogenic little A-frame structure on a small compound decorated with cacti and succulents. There was a tiny blue pool in the center and sandy-colored mountains and bird song in the distance. We had to walk a few yards from our doorstep to use the shared bathroom with a shower and an open-air sink. The property also includes three traditional rooms with private bathrooms and a couple yurts for the most adventurous.

Eating and Drinking

Food and alcohol are the only two attractions in Valle, but my husband and I only enjoy those in moderation these days. We ended up sharing one tasting flight at each winery and taking our sweet time. While we met other travelers who were on a mission to cram as many wineries as possible into one weekend, we only visited four over three days. We stretched out our visits by contemplating the views (Las Nubes had the most impressive), taking advantage of complimentary car charging, ordering snacks (like fresh green aguas frescas and a half dozen oysters accented with edible flowers at Conchas de Piedra), or accepting offers for olive oil tastings.

Michelin-starred restaurants abound In Valle de Guadalupe. We made a dinner reservation for Fauna, where the people-watching in the communal dining room was wickedly good. We enjoyed more casual meals at food trucks, including the seafood stand Mariscos El Guero in the nearby beach town of Ensenada, where we shared a divine shrimp tostada and giant raw clams.

Our last morning we stopped at the cozy, semi-hidden bakery Casa del Pan Alvéolo for a cappuccino and fresh cinnamon rolls to go.

Shopping

We took one bottle of wine home (made in our wedding year) from our favorite winery, Vinícola Tres Mujeres, where the pioneering founder and winemaker Evette Vaillard served us a private tasting in the prettiest wine cave.

But we were most excited about shopping for food. We stopped at nondescript stands and the little shop Tienda de Quesos y Vinos Los Globos to stock up on local olives, olive oil, chili oil (the jar only lasted a week — salsa macha is my new obsession), tapenades, Mexican cheeses, and fresh bread.

We piled it all in the backseat and shared it with my in-laws back home, who flew in from New York to watch our kids during our getaway.

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Lodging

• Pangea Valle. Starts at $60/night

Wineries

• Vinícola Tres Mujeres - An intimate experience at a storybook-esque winery founded by three women. Book via Whatsapp.

• Las Nubes Bodegas y Viñedos - Around the corner from Pangea Valle

• Vena Cava - Known for natural wines. Excellent food truck and nice picnic area

• Vinos Lechuza - Woman-owned with a casual vibe and respected wines

Food

• Fauna - A world-class dining experience to stretch the palate

• Mariscos El Güero - Unassuming Ensenada seafood stand with friendly service

• Conchas de Piedra - Sleek oyster bar with a pastoral view and free EV charging

• Troika - Food truck at Vena Cava winery serving restaurant-quality food

• Deckman’s - Watch chefs work the outdoor kitchen in the middle of this fine dining restaurant.

• La Cocina de Doña Esthela - Wildly successful complex full of tourist families filling up on traditional breakfasts

• Casa del Pan Alvéolo - Homey café and bakery selling just-baked bread and boxes of sweet rolls

Shopping

• Tienda de Quesos y Vinos Los Globos - Stock up on local delicacies at this rustic shop with a nice cheese selection.

Tip: If driving, bring small U.S. bills (or pesos) for highway tolls and prepare for rough dirt roads in the valley.