Ensenada gets a bad rap!

I feel like I am the only one that thinks Ensenada is a great place. Granted, it might not be the best "walk-about" port, but there are some fantastic tours that Carnival offers. I have taken many of Carnival's tours in the Caribbean, Mexican Riviera and Baja. The tours in Ensenada are better than many of the others I've taken. Yes, there are a lot of pushy vendors in Ensenada but I have pushed my way through many vendor cities in other countries as well. In Ensenada I have taken the Cheese tour, Wine Tour, LaBufadora and Horseback Riding (on my list of all-time favorites). I've loved them all.

I think maybe the key is getting away from the downtown area. Anyone else agree?

We like the tourist area. Ensenada isn't a town built for American tourists. Some of Ave Lopez has been (kind of) brought up to American standards. But it's not the Cabo Marina.

Unfortunately the cheese tour wasn't offered on our cruise in December.

Ensenada is to the west coast what Nassau is to the east coast. Frequent cruisers have been to these ports SO many times that they just hate and are sick of them.

We live in the Atlanta area and our last cruise was a Pacific Coastal on Princess which included Ensenada. I hadn't been there in 18 years and absolutely LOVED it. Did the La Bufadora and City tour through the cruise line, and enjoyed a wonderful day enjoying the dramatic views along the coast line on our way to La Bufadora as our tour guide informed us about the area, followed by a bit of culture and history at Riviera del Pacifico, and finished the tour with some shopping.

Ensenada is not the most beautiful port of call, or the one with the most offerings, but it definitely gets worse reviews than it deserves. I wouldn't go there on an extended vacation, but for a day trip it was a very enjoyable place!

I feel like I am the only one that thinks Ensenada is a great place. Granted, it might not be the best "walk-about" port, but there are some fantastic tours that Carnival offers. I have taken many of Carnival's tours in the Caribbean, Mexican Riviera and Baja. The tours in Ensenada are better than many of the others I've taken. Yes, there are a lot of pushy vendors in Ensenada but I have pushed my way through many vendor cities in other countries as well. In Ensenada I have taken the Cheese tour, Wine Tour, LaBufadora and Horseback Riding (on my list of all-time favorites). I've loved them all.

 

I think maybe the key is getting away from the downtown area. Anyone else agree?

So, we have been to Ensenada before and enjoyed the Princess wine tour including LA Cetto winery and one other winery and then spent some time downtown. We enjoyed the winery tour but not so much downtown.

Which leads me to next week; we are going on another 4 day get away on Princess and a day in Ensenada. So, I did some investigating and found a private excursion to the Guadalupe wine region that apparently has over one hundred,mainly boutique, wineries. We will be visiting 3 boutique wineries and stopping for lunch at a local restaurant that the executive chef/owner was just on the Top Chef show as a celebrity judge. While significantly more expensive than the ship excursion, this is a private tour in a 4 wheel drive land rover, as we will be going on dirt roads to reach the wineries. This is an all day tour, so there will be plenty of time to spend tasting wine.

Will provide an update once we return from the cruise next Friday.

Doug

Doug 52 - I am doing a private Guadalupe Valley tour in March - please let me know how the wineries are. I am hearing very good things about the wines from that region

Doug 52 - I am doing a private Guadalupe Valley tour in March - please let me know how the wineries are. I am hearing very good things about the wines from that region

I will. I was very surprised when I started reading up on the Guadalupe Valley and the Wineries in that area. I contacted both the Baja Valley Girl wine tour and the Baja Test Kitchen for their private tours. Both groups were very responsive, and we ended up going forward with Baja Test Kitchen.

One of the reasons we chose BTK is that they have tours that start at the border in San Diego, you park your car at the border, and they take you to the Guadalupe Valley from there. Since we live in So Ca, this is a possibility for the future to do with local friends.

Will report back next week-end.

Doug

Thanks Doug be interested in your report after you get back we are booked with the Valley Girl group for our 4 day Princess getaway in March. 3 boutique wineries and then back to the ship. Would also be interested if the wineries you end up going to offer plans to ship purchased wines back to the states

Thanks Doug be interested in your report after you get back we are booked with the Valley Girl group for our 4 day Princess getaway in March. 3 boutique wineries and then back to the ship. Would also be interested if the wineries you end up going to offer plans to ship purchased wines back to the states

I will ask them about shipping to the states. I do know that at least one of the wineries we are visiting is also visited by Valley Girl, Vena Cava. Interesting looking winery, looks like an upside down boat. The other two wineries are Pijoan and Las Nubes.

We will just be carrying on the wine we buy to the ship since we will be driving back from the port versus flying.

Doug

The tasting room at Vena Cava was actually made from portions of an old boat. Yes we are going there and then 2 different places. Really looking forward to it the area reminds me of the Amador County region of California which started with really raw reds and over time has gotten more and more refined

Glad to hear that I'm not alone in my appreciation of the area. I am saddened to find that they don't offer the cheese tour any more. (It was at Cava de Marcelo and Rancho La Campana) I guess it was too long of a trip for Carnival guests.

The tasting room at Vena Cava was actually made from portions of an old boat. Yes we are going there and then 2 different places. Really looking forward to it the area reminds me of the Amador County region of California which started with really raw reds and over time has gotten more and more refined

Haven't been to Amador County, but many times over the years to Paso Robles, which has also developed significantly since we first went there many years ago.

The other AVA that is coming on that you may have visited living in No Ca is Lake County. The Derononcourt Lake County wine is less than half the price of his Napa Cabernet yet is an outstanding wine.

Anyway, I digress. I am especially interested in Vena Cava and the quality of these boutique Guadalupe Valley wines. Also, when I was working with Ava at Valley Girl tours, she was also going to take us to a local cooper that makes his own Tequila for a tasting in addition to the three wineries.

Doug

Glad to hear that I'm not alone in my appreciation of the area. I am saddened to find that they don't offer the cheese tour any more. (It was at Cava de Marcelo and Rancho La Campana) I guess it was too long of a trip for Carnival guests.

amsred, sorry that memoak and I sort of hijacked your thread, but I do think these private tours to get outside of the tourist area can really add to the enjoyment of the Ensenada port. I am not familiar with a cheese tour, but we will be enjoying cheese with our private tour tastings in the Guadalupe Valley.

Doug

Thanks Doug be interested in your report after you get back we are booked with the Valley Girl group for our 4 day Princess getaway in March. 3 boutique wineries and then back to the ship. Would also be interested if the wineries you end up going to offer plans to ship purchased wines back to the states

Back from a fantastic tour with Baja Test Kitchen. We visited three wineries-Pijoan, Las Nubes, and Vena Cava. They were all very good, boutique style wineries with a nice assortment of wines to taste. We had 5 to 7 wines at each location. One white, one rose, and the rest various reds and a sparkling wine at Vena Cava. Pijoan and Las Nubes are very scenic, high up with a nice view of the Guadalupe Valley. Vena Cava also has a nice view, but their tasting is in their very unique winery.

As to your question on shipping to the states, all three wineries gave me their distributers business card that is in the states. Did not appear that any of them were prepared to ship themselves. We brought almost a case back with us on the ship however.

Our other significant stop was Finca Altozano for lunch. The best meal I have had in many months! We had several small plates including mushrooms, roasted brussel sprouts and a sauteed octopus dish that was unbelievable. We then had a lambstew dish that you made into tacos and a duck breast mole to finish it off between the three of us. All together about $50. This restaurant is owned by an executive chef that also owns several restaurants in San Diego and I just saw the owner last week on the show "Top Chef" as a celebrity judge.

I know you are booked with Valley Girl, but here are a few points to consider based on our experience:

-He offers an all day tour- picked us up at 9:15, we returned to the port at 4 pm

-His vehicle is a land rover to handle the dirt roads we had to traverse to reach all three wineries and the restaurant. He also pointed out to us the dificulty to reach these wineries if it has been raining and the mud you get on these roads. His landrover has a setting that raises his vehicle letting him go where others can not.

-The wineries were all excellent and the stop for lunch was an unexpected bonus. Our guide, the owner of Baja Test Kitchen, is a personal friend of Vena Cava's owners(they did his wedding) and of the chef of the restaurant we visited.

This tour goes way beyond the ship's wine tours and I highly recommend Baja Test Kitchen as an alternative. It was the highlight of our cruise.

Doug

I feel like I am the only one that thinks Ensenada is a great place... In Ensenada I have taken the Cheese tour, Wine Tour, LaBufadora and Horseback Riding (on my list of all-time favorites). I've loved them all.

 

I think maybe the key is getting away from the downtown area. Anyone else agree?

You are not alone. The whole northern baja border region gets a bad rap - especially Tijuana. If you spend a bit of time in the area, you'll find everything you could at ever want from any perspective. I am happy to live so close to a great destination. I always feel that those people that don't cross the border from San Diego are missing out on 1/2 of what the region has to offer.

We like the tourist area. Ensenada isn't a town built for American tourists. Some of Ave Lopez has been (kind of) brought up to American standards. But it's not the Cabo Marina...

It just depends what you are looking for in terms of "standards". Some places may look externally different than what we see at some suburban mall in the US, but that doesn't mean the standards are necessarily low.

The good news about travel is that their is usually something for everyone.

@doug52 I have a news and information blog about Valle de Guadalupe ( thevalledeguadalupe.blogspot.com ). With your permission, I would like to re-post your report about your trip to the Valle.

If you have any questions you can email me @ sdclark5 at g mail d ot co m

Doug 52 - thanks for your update we are really looking forward the the wineries - out tour is also in that type of vehicle and is I believe from 10:30 returning to ship around 3:30. If the wines are as good as you say we will have to look up their distributors when we get back. I was only hoping for shipping as we are flying back to Oakland from LAX.

Those who don't get to know Ensenada miss out.

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I’m sure it’s be asked, search for a good answer, but nothing precisely. How enjoyable would walking into downtown be, how far, safe, and easy to find, or any chance of getting lost? How easy to locate the shuttles or buses that take you to the blow hole, and how often do they leave? The ship tour leaves at 1;30 I like to be there earlier. Thanks in advance for ant help.

I often take the 3 or 4 day cruises out of LA. Ensenada isn't a fantastic port, but I do like to take a walk downtown. I always just walk it - I need the exercise and it's only about a mile! - but the shuttles are very close.

I've done the blowhole twice, but never on an official ship excursion, I just go out to where the taxi stand is and get a taxi to take me and my friends out there. For $50 -60 you can get a taxi for the whole day and go wherever you want. So I've been to the ziplines at Las Canadas (that's the most fun thing to do in Ensenada - I've been twice, and once went ATVing after the ziplines!) Last cruise I went with some other geocachers (google it if you don't know what that is) and we got a taxi to drive us all over the rutted dirt roads in the hills looking for caches - and we went to the blowhole too.

I like flexibility so I prefer taxis to the official excursions. Also a lot cheaper!

@doug52 I have a news and information blog about Valle de Guadalupe ( thevalledeguadalupe.blogspot.com ). With your permission, I would like to re-post your report about your trip to the Valle.

 

If you have any questions you can email me @ sdclark5 at g mail d ot co m

SdClark, please feel free to post my report. We loved our day in the Guadalupe Valley.

Doug

Doug 52 - thanks for your update we are really looking forward the the wineries - out tour is also in that type of vehicle and is I believe from 10:30 returning to ship around 3:30. If the wines are as good as you say we will have to look up their distributors when we get back. I was only hoping for shipping as we are flying back to Oakland from LAX.

Good, the vehicle on these dirt roads could be very important if it is raining. Don't want to miss the ship due to getting stuck.

So, we had an excellent day touring an up and coming wine district. But, I don't want to mislead you, the wines we had were all easy to drink and had some complexity and not overly fruity. Most of them were in the $20 per bottle range and I thought they represented a good value for their price. They were better wines than we have had when we visited the Temecula Wine Region but not quite as good as Paso Robles. However, this wine region is still very young, and similar to a Paso of 15 years ago.

What really impressed me was the ambiance of these boutique wineries, the generosity and friendliness of the staff, the ability to sit and enjoy the views of the valley and not be part of a large bus crowd from the ship and finally the lunch stop. Finca Altozano is an outstanding restaurant, I would highly recommend it to anyone.

And, a large part of our enjoyment came from our private tour guide, that knows the area, knows the wineries personally, and provided us with a leisurely wine tasting experience over 7.5 hours. Chris, at Baja Test Kitchen, lives locally in Ensenada, speaks Spanish fluently, but went to college in the States and also has offices in San Diego.

Doug

I often take the 3 or 4 day cruises out of LA. Ensenada isn't a fantastic port, but I do like to take a walk downtown. I always just walk it - I need the exercise and it's only about a mile! - but the shuttles are very close.

 

I've done the blowhole twice, but never on an official ship excursion, I just go out to where the taxi stand is and get a taxi to take me and my friends out there. For $50 -60 you can get a taxi for the whole day and go wherever you want. So I've been to the ziplines at Las Canadas (that's the most fun thing to do in Ensenada - I've been twice, and once went ATVing after the ziplines!) Last cruise I went with some other geocachers (google it if you don't know what that is) and we got a taxi to drive us all over the rutted dirt roads in the hills looking for caches - and we went to the blowhole too.

 

I like flexibility so I prefer taxis to the official excursions. Also a lot cheaper!

Question about Las Canadas.... I am travelling with a group of ladies in our late 40's.... most of us have a little middle age pudge and 2 are very concerned with the size limits stated on the Las Cadanas website. Do you recall there being any average size women (size 14) doing the tour? The site states,

"There is no weight limit to take the Canopy Tour as long as you can fit the safety harness. Max Waist Belt: 48 inches. (122 cms) / Max. Leg Loop 26 inches. (66 cms)"

I've personally ziplined many times and have never given a second thought to the leg loop or belt size, but that leg loop worries me as I measured the top of my thigh towards my hip and it's 25.5"!!!

Thoughts?!?!

You are not alone. The whole northern baja border region gets a bad rap - especially Tijuana. If you spend a bit of time in the area, you'll find everything you could at ever want from any perspective. I am happy to live so close to a great destination. I always feel that those people that don't cross the border from San Diego are missing out on 1/2 of what the region has to offer.

 

 

 

It just depends what you are looking for in terms of "standards". Some places may look externally different than what we see at some suburban mall in the US, but that doesn't mean the standards are necessarily low.

 

The good news about travel is that their is usually something for everyone.

Should have qualified 'standards'. Ave Lopez/Ave Primera has flat sidewalks with no holes and cut outs for wheels devices.

We used to drive down to Rosarito when the DDs were babies. Stopped when it the mayor of TJ said it was dangerous.

@QTPieRye : Well, I'm in my mid-50s and I'm about a size 12, and I had no problems with the ziplines at Las Canadas. The people there are very accommodating, I don't think you'll have any trouble at all! It's really fun!