Getting away to Mexico with its balmy climate and beautiful beaches—mmm! An absolutely delicious thought during the cold winter days in the USA or Canada. Over Christmas vacation, it sounded perfect, yet we wondered about the travel time to Mexico…until we discovered Rosarito Beach. That made our week of renewal easy and relaxing because Rosarito is only an hour below the Mexican border!

Located in Baja, Mexico, south of San Diego, Rosarito Beach has been a favorite of movie stars since the 1930’s. And with good reason. Their favorite hotel has been The Rosarito Beach Hotel with its beautiful views, comfortable rooms, and excellent dining. The hotel has been so popular with travelers that they recently built a tower annex where every room has an ocean view. That is where we rented our Grand Suite, complete with a handy mini-kitchen.

When we arrived, the first thing we noticed was the friendliness and capabilities of the hotel staff. Our check in went quickly, complete with all the information we needed for dining, the spa, the restaurant and bar, and free Wi-Fi. A special turkey dinner was offered on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and we learned how to reserve. Once done, a bellman guided us to our room which was more than we had hoped. The view of the ocean was nearly identical to the one on the hotel’s website! We were indeed blessed.

We unpacked, took a relaxing shower, and headed back to the lobby to explore. Our assumption had been that we would encounter primarily other Americans, but there were guests from around the world—Europe, Asia, and other North and South American countries. We made a game of trying to decipher languages.

One look at the menu in the Mexican-Mediterranean blended restaurant convinced us to eat dinner right in the hotel. The food was beautifully prepared and delicious. In fact, we returned for breakfast and ordered a Mexican favorite, Huevos Rancheros. They were the most delicious we had ever eaten! Plus, a plaque on the wall informed us that we were sitting at Zsa Zsa Gabor’s favorite table. We concurred, although what may have been a straight view of the beach in her days was now a view of the hotel garden.

The outdoor swimming pool and hot tubs are beautiful, surrounded by quality lounge chairs and plenty of space for sunning. Although the big pool was a bit cool for us over Christmas, the hot tubs were perfect. The only downside was that some families seemed not to monitor their younger children in the hot tubs, despite the signs with age limits of 16. We finally told those kids they could either settle down or go to a different hot tub. For the rest of our week, they were well behaved whenever we encountered them.

Our suite was designed to reflect the local environment. The balcony doors opened wide, offering a beautiful view day and night. The sound of waves hitting the beach was relaxing. During the night, we left the curtains open so that we could watch the waves come in whenever we woke up. We had brought sleep masks for personal blackout, when wanted. The floor was of stone, with borders of pebbles beautifully blended. Our walls were colorfully painted and a circle of subdued lights framed the nook behind the bed. Any time of day or night, all was very quiet (except when we could hear the maids’ carts late each morning, which was no problem).

The hotel fronts right on the sandy beach and provides easy access for walking or jogging. At times, locals offer horseback rides. Some ATVs were for rent as well, from independent providers.

The Rosarito Beach Hotel is rated at 3 stars and yet we put it at the top end of 3 stars. When our week ended, we were very sad to leave. Some menu items had to wait to be tried on our next visit. Robert Redford has been a recent guest, enjoying the penthouse while making the movie, ‘Lost at Sea’; the Hollywood link continues.