Ever been to Rosarito Beach in Mexico?

gypsyuma_IHB

gypsyuma_IHB

New member
We have reservations for New Years Eve in our timeshare down there. This will be our first time ever driving into Mexico. Our timeshare website has issued a travel advisory. Is there something we need to worry about?



Do we need our passports if we are driving into Mexico, or is that only for air travel?



Any other advise?
 
I made that drive once... and once was enough. Make sure you get insurance, make sure you drive the least flashy vehicle you own, and make sure you have enough gas for the trip down without stopping. Also, the line to get back into the US is possibly the worst traffic jam I have ever been involved in... 5 lanes wide and 5 miles of sit-and-wait traffic. So make sure you fill up just before you get back into the outskirts of Tijuana. I'd also advise either a set of run-flat tires or a few cans of fix-a-flat in the trunk... Mexican speed bumps are usually coffee cans buried in a thin layer of asphalt.
 
I believe that you actually do need passports now, but who knows once you get down there if they are really enforcing the new law. Anyway, you actually might want to rent a car and pay the extra insurance in case of problems, unless like Nude says, you have an older car that you don't care about very much. I really wouldn't want to break down there though. I'm hoping more people who have gone recently will add their voice here. My family enjoys going down there but it's been a few years, the recent news isn't so encouraging. Overall, you are taking more chances than a trip in he states, but there is also a certain degree of hype in the recent news. Not much help, I know.
 
My husband listens to the Mexican news almost daily so I asked him for his take. From news reports the violence has subsided some. But he says he would not take the kids and I driving through the border towns right now. We have a friend that goes down there frequently. He hasn't had any problems but he drives a beat up old pick up truck when he goes. Families driving nice cars down there are a target and have been victimized.



If you do go, do not and I mean absolutely do not, drive in Mexico without Mexican car insurance. They love to catch Americans driving down there without car insurance. You will either end up in jail or have to pay some huge bribe to let you go.
 
Baja was an extension of Southern California to me when I was a kid. My family owned a house a few miles farther south than Rosarito. When I was 18, I starting going down there by myself with my friends. Even then, 10-12 years ago, I made sure that we had at least one guy with us at all times. When driving on the "Old Road" (as my dad calls it), it was not uncommon to be pulled over by Federales with huge guns for car searches (obviously, "no drugs" was another rule). I always purchased Mexican car insurance and required all of my friends to do the same. You can literally drive through places on the U.S. side of the border to get the insurance.



I love Baja and have many wonderful childhood memories from family vacations there. I'm comfortable driving down there and I don't need maps. However, I have not been in the past five years and I would not feel safe driving myself or my loved ones down there today. It really makes me sad to say that.



If you do drive down there, note that you have to know exactly what lane(s) to be in after you cross the border to wind your way to the coast. If you drive, get exact directions (i.e., "be in the 3rd lane from the left when you xyz...").
 
<blockquote>Ever been to Rosarito Beach in Mexico?</blockquote>


Yes, and if I felt the need to leave the country for a short time for a vacation I would make plans to go to Vancouver.



Then again, I'm a sucker for those whole "rule of law" and "taken before a magistrate in a reasonable time" things.
 
[quote author="EvaLSeraphim" date=1258560260]<blockquote>Ever been to Rosarito Beach in Mexico?</blockquote>


Yes, and if I felt the need to leave the country for a short time for a vacation I would make plans to go to Vancouver.



Then again, I'm a sucker for those whole "rule of law" and "taken before a magistrate in a reasonable time" things.</blockquote>


Victoria around Christmas is lovely. Afternoon Tea at the Fairmont Empress overlooking the harbor was like time-travel.
 
You all have been living in Irvine for way too long. Bunch of pansies. And to my NW friend, you just lost your man card. Not only are you afraid of Baja, but you mention your tea time (that ain't even golf related), so you totally deserve to lose your man card. I love the talk of the "old" road vs. the "new" road... LOL, that was so 30 years ago. Everyone takes the "new" road. If you take the "old" road then you are lost. I've actually been lost on the "old" road and never had a problem. Seriously, if you live in SoCal you know several people who have been to Baja several times, so do you know anyone... ever who has had a problem? Anyone? Just one... I know I'm shooting in the dark here, but if problems were so wide spread we would know someone who has had a problem. We know someone who has been in a retail store in Irvine that has been jacked, so someone here must know someone who has had to pay off the Mexican authorities or been in jail, right? Anyone been carjacked in LA? Well... you have just as high a chance to get jacked in someway in Baja as you do getting carjacked in LA.



Yes, you need a passport. I will ask my Mexican (yes, I can call him Mexican because he is and proud of it) neighbor if there are any problems for gringos down there. He has a nice ocean view place right above the Lazy-Boy founders. Go there, enjoy the culture, have some lobster, eat off a taco stand, but don't buy the "multa" the chef will sell you. Chill, have a good time at the beach, take an ATV through the sand and para-sail if the weather permits. Do not listen to the sissies of IHB and live a little. Bring cash, just in case you are the 1 in 1,000,000,000 who gets F'd with. Then if you do go to jail, ask them for internet access and PM me, and I will see what I can do with my connections. Laugh you sissies, but I have a long story of how I was at a party in Mexicali that had a policia escort for the kegs of beer.
 
[quote author="graphrix" date=1258564870]You all have been living in Irvine for way too long. Bunch of pansies. And to my NW friend, you just lost your man card. Not only are you afraid of Baja, but you mention your tea time (that ain't even golf related), so you totally deserve to lose your man card. I love the talk of the "old" road vs. the "new" road... LOL, that was so 30 years ago. Everyone takes the "new" road. If you take the "old" road then you are lost. I've actually been lost on the "old" road and never had a problem. Seriously, if you live in SoCal you know several people who have been to Baja several times, so do you know anyone... ever who has had a problem? Anyone? Just one... I know I'm shooting in the dark here, but if problems were so wide spread we would know someone who has had a problem. We know someone who has been in a retail store in Irvine that has been jacked, so someone here must know someone who has had to pay off the Mexican authorities or been in jail, right? Anyone been carjacked in LA? Well... you have just as high a chance to get jacked in someway in Baja as you do getting carjacked in LA.



Yes, you need a passport. I will ask my Mexican (yes, I can call him Mexican because he is and proud of it) neighbor if there are any problems for gringos down there. He has a nice ocean view place right above the Lazy-Boy founders. Go there, enjoy the culture, have some lobster, eat off a taco stand, but don't buy the "multa" the chef will sell you. Chill, have a good time at the beach, take an ATV through the sand and para-sail if the weather permits. Do not listen to the sissies of IHB and live a little. Bring cash, just in case you are the 1 in 1,000,000,000 who gets F'd with. Then if you do go to jail, ask them for internet access and PM me, and I will see what I can do with my connections. Laugh you sissies, but I have a long story of how I was at a party in Mexicali that had a policia escort for the kegs of beer.</blockquote>


My future wife wanted to go, so I went. You want to pull my man card, Mr. MyLittlePony? You better bring a flash light, some friends, and some dinner because it's going to get dark, you're going to need help, and I'm going to get hungry. I drove to Ensenada when I was 18 with three friends, in a used Caprice, with nothing more than $23 and a carton of smokes between us. I went back to Tijuana two months later and got blind drunk with a girl I met in Huntington Beach that morning, and I worked shrimp boats in Mazatlan that fall for room and board and booze. We spent our honeymoon in PV and Cabo and had a great time.



However, back when I was 18-19 people weren't <a href="http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_970.html">getting kidnapped in Mexico City</a>, nor were there <a href="http://wcbstv.com/national/tijuana.mexico.gunfight.2.709600.html">running gun battles between drug gangs</a> in the border towns, or <a href="http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/02/01/20090201algodones0201.html">police detaining octogenarians for taking pictures</a>. When we went on our honeymoon, we took a cruise ship and stayed with our groups and guides. What I was willing to risk at 19 becomes impossible to risk at 39. Is Mexico a wonderful country with rich history, great beaches, and a wonderful culture... certainly. Is it run by corrupt politicians, patrolled by corrupt cops, and overrun by human traffickers, drug lords, and violent criminals? You'd have to ignore current events to think otherwise. The problem may not be as bad in Rosarito, but the problem is getting there and back, isn't it?
 
A good buddy of mine is Mexican, has family there, speaks perfect Spanish, has been south of the border dozens of times, with Rosarito being one of his favorite hang outs. For him a trip to Mexico used to require less thought than a trip to Vegas for most people in SoCal. He would always fly instead of drive, as driving was never worth the risk. Sure, you probably get there fine. But if you're that 1 in a 100 it'll ruin your trip. And today, with all that's going on there, he won't even fly to Mexico without a special occasion. Another friend has a horror story of going on a fishing trip down there, getting stopped and extorted several times to the point he was hocking things to get back home.
 
Almost all the negative comments are from people that hardly if ever go down to Rosarito.

Or they mention a "Friends" bad experience. What a bunch of wimps.



Its been about a year since we went as a group. We have a friend that owns a home south of Rosarito

in a gated community.

Normally 4 of us go down together for golf and fun 2-3 times a year. Great golf course Real Del Mar.

Right off the tollroad before you hit Rosarito



And yes you need a Passport or Passport Card these days. Since June this year I think.



Favorite restaurant in Rosarito is El Nido. Some of the best Quail and Red Wine I have ever had.

Look for a Mexican wine called LA CETTO. Really an excellent Cabernet.

<a href="http://elnidorosarito.net/">http://elnidorosarito.net/</a>



Get mexican car insurance in San Diego.

Travel in the daytime.

Check to see if your cell phone is going to work in Mexico.

And have a good time.



Try and come back as early in the day as possible to avoid the crowd going home.

Yes the line can get terrible at the boarder.



But dont live in fear. Its more dangerous to walk around parts of Santa Ana at night.



Its a short drive and a great place to enjoy a short vacation for a good price.
 
Wow.... the wide gap between responses is dizzying. Problem is:



My 18 month old doesn't have a passport.



And my husband gives paranoid and overreact new meaning.



And the only car I have is a 2007 Honda Oddysey - no piece of shite in sight.



If anything did happen, and I let it slip I had been warned.......



You guys have me worried.
 
[quote author="graphrix" date=1258564870] Seriously, if you live in SoCal you know several people who have been to Baja several times, so do you know anyone... ever who has had a problem? Anyone? Just one... .</blockquote>


I didn't know this girl personally, but I know people who knew her family.



<a href="http://legacy.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050831/news_2m31jail.html">Woman's death in Ensenada jail is probed</a>
 
It's a dangerous place. Don't go there. An acquaintance who currently lives in the most dangerous part of Santa Ana said she will never visit Rosarito again.



Of course, prior to her trip. She was very brave and said, "Heck, nothing is going to happen to me." Well, what she'd witnessed, changed her mind. =)
 
[quote author="gypsyuma" date=1258605402]Wow.... the wide gap between responses is dizzying. Problem is:



My 18 month old doesn't have a passport.



<strong>And my husband gives paranoid and overreact new meaning.</strong>



And the only car I have is a 2007 Honda Oddysey - no piece of shite in sight.



If anything did happen, and I let it slip I had been warned.......



You guys have me worried.</blockquote>


Yes, you'd be in serious trouble with him if anything happened. I have to say that my husband and his family would say, "Just go". Me, not so much.
 
[quote author="graphrix" date=1258564870] I love the talk of the "old" road vs. the "new" road... LOL, that was so 30 years ago. Everyone takes the "new" road. If you take the "old" road then you are lost. I've actually been lost on the "old" road and never had a problem. </blockquote>


Many of the communities are off the old road. Everyone does not take the new/toll road when traveling only .5 to 2 miles between Puerto Nuevo and the communities a few miles farther south, or, between Puerto Nuevo and Rosarito. The Federale checkpoints were sometimes located on these stretches of the old road. I'm not a sissy. I just don't feel comfortable taking young family members to Baja right now.
 
Thanks for the input. I cancelled the reservation. It would be different if it was just grown-ups, but with the kids.......nah.
 
G-ma, Have you ever been to Coronado island in San Diego? I think it would be a great alternative to Rosarito. It's a beautiful place especially during the holidays. The Hotel Del Coronado constructs a big ocean front outdoor ice skating rink and they have a host of activities for kids including sleigh rides around the island. The Del is pricey but it worth the splurg to stay in this hotel at least once in your lifetime. I could go on and on about things to do in San Diego. If your interested, I'll elaborate.



I check the Del's <a href="http://www.hoteldel.com/holidays.aspx">website</a> . Best part is the have seperate News Years Eve parties for kids and teens.
 
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