las gaviotas, where the locals stay

Las Gaviotas

if you're a soCal resident, specifically San Diego area you probably take a few trips past the border for a little beach getaway. in our recent trip to Pacific Beach, we took a three day weekend vacation in Mexico.. but probably not anywhere you've heard of. 

there is this hidden gem, unknown to almost anyone who hasn't lived in soCal called Las Gaviotas. South of Rosarito and north of Puerto Neuvo, this small community sits on the side of  a highway and next to one of the most incredible views of the Pacific I have seen. 

Las Gaviotas is located directly across from a small french café and the young woman who owns it bakes fresh croissants daily.. and believe me they are some of the best i've had. if you don't remember to bring coffee with you from the US, this is a great spot to run in each morning for your cup a joe. the ambiance is light-hearted and fun; the ceiling lights are comprised of upside down coffee kettles, the chair handles are oversized spoons and forks, and the white windows open outward so passerby's can appreciate a window of fresh pastries and small tables filled with happy customers. almost everyone there is staying in the Las Gaviotas community, so it's a great way to meet other people that likely live in nearby towns to you in California. 

next door to the café are two large pottery and small handmade goods stores. if only i could have brought back some of the sculptures they make.. absolutely stunning pieces. i fell in love with a couple clay fire pits, or as they call them, chimineas, and outdoor planters that sit on their side in a variety of colors. honestly if i lived in Cali, our car would have been stacked. however, i did snag handmade pots locally painted and assembled as a hanging structure. it was one of those love at first sight moments, i had to have it. 

along this road is also the White Horse Liquor and Market if you need to pickup some food, drinks, waters... although i would recommend bringing food from California with you. just make a pit stop somewhere before crossing the border. we picked up lots of waters since you cannot drink the tap water in Mexico, sodas and alcohol, avocados, bread, snacks, sliced cheese, salad, canned tuna, and some condiments. we mostly ate out, there are tons of great places in Rosarito for dinner! and the town is super cute. there are also a couple strip clubs that the guys went to, one is called Bada Bing. Rosarito is where you want to go for nightlife, bars, and shopping during the day. 

the next  closest town to visit is called Puerto Neuvo. it's about 20 minutes south of Las Gaviotas and is located on the water. Puerto Neuvo is filled with small shops where you can bargain, but make sure you bring cash! the ATM will charge you $30 to withdraw money if you wait to get money there. our first stop was this gallery on a side street. it's the only one and the owners are famous to making mixed media art, specifically pictures created from died straw. it's fascinating how they break the pieces into precise sizes to create an entire image. i have one from there of my favorite animal - a pig. there are other varieties of wall decor including velvet and watercolor paintings. this year we bought a painting of an elephant which now hangs in our living room. just be careful if you are traveling home by plane, how large the items you purchase are. it cost us a pretty penny to get this back to New York...

the staff and artists were very kind to us, and made our friends Mexican coffee as thanks for supporting them. now let me explain.. i did not have a clue what Mexican coffee was... I said yes, then watched a man light a glass on fire and pour Kaluah and Tequila in my coffee. it was the most amazing drink i've ever tasted. honestly i wish i could hire him as my personal barista. 

there is also something called Almond Tequila, and each family has their own 'recipe' so to speak. locals will kindly offer you a glass and option to buy a bottle - we bought a few... the shops are mostly 'gift shops' nothing fancy but they do have some beautiful one of a kind pieces and a lot of blankets. if you go down the the end, closer to the water, the prices get better. i bought our blanket for $8 which was the least expensive of all the stores we went to.

make sure you eat at one of the restaurants in Puerto Neuvo, i still dream about the tortillas they make there. the spanish dishes are unparalleled to anything you've ever tasted. if you don't eat meat, just order rice and beans. otherwise everything we ordered between 9 people was incredible and we all brought left overs to the house. i cannot remember the name of the place we specifically ate at, it is a red building on the bayside with two levels. try to eat upstairs anywhere you go on the water, the view is calming and peaceful to take in during a nice shopping break. 

cabs in Mexico were easy. the drivers will stop on the side of the highway outside the Las Gaviotas community. Rosarito and Puerto Neuvo also have plenty of taxi's driving around like NYC cabs to take you back . i wouldn't recommend driving places, it's much easier to take a service. 

in terms of the community itself, there is a small fitness center, a beautiful beach with a volleyball court, great surfing, and two nice pools. the pool area has a taco stand if you're there at lunch - again the food everywhere is mouth watering good. and all of the homes to rent are full of character both inside and out. each has it's own fascinating architecture with a balcony and views that could never get old. there's palm trees everywhere and kind people walking the cobblestone streets below. the three mornings we were there i walked the community just to take in the buildings after hitting up the french cafe across the highway. 

be sure to check out the sunset from the beach at least one of the nights you are there. it's easy to get caught out in town or at dinner during sunset but i promise you it's worth it. the colors you'll see, watching a burning sun slowly disappear below the ocean leaving an array of colors from yellow to orange to pinks and reds behind.. it's one of those sunsets where you don't even take the picture, you just sit on your new blanket, wrapped in a hoodie and appreciate something so beautiful. 

well on our last day we packed our things, all of our purchases and headed back toward California. now getting into Mexico... that was a breeze. seriously i was shocked at how quickly we got past border control. however going the other way, expect the trip to take at least another hour or longer than it did to get into Mexico. You will not travel through Tijuana back to the US, but if you'd like to see Tj as locals call it, be sure to do this during the day. on the road to boarder checkpoints there are sellers of literally everything: food, blankets, entertainment, animals (not kidding), anything you can think of. locals will offer car washes - just say no. it sounds mean but the rags are dirty and cheap and will scratch your car. 

with that said, be nice. be friendly and smile and politely decline. we kept the windows up most of the time and just shook our heads or said no thanks. this may be the norm for you where you live when salespeople try to sell you, but in NY, well we tend to 'ignore' which is considered rude everywhere but especially outside of Manhattan. so this tidbit about being polite to locals is essential. there will be families with kids to bribe you for money, whether you choose to give or not is up to you. 

we got to the border, handed the man our passports. he asked a few questions about our names and where we were from, coming from, why we were in Mexico. he asked what we were bringing home which i'm assuming is for tax reasons and so that nothing is brought back that could affect our ecosystem in America. he took a quick look in the back and we were on our way.