We knew there was a heavy storm approaching San Diego - so we decided to batten the hatches, walk away from the sailboat and drive to Mexico.
I've always been curious about the historic Rosarito Beach Hotel in the town of Rosarito - and so we figured this would be a good weekend to visit this old Mexico hotel.
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| chaotic seas seen from our 8th floor room |
Rosarito is just 30 minutes south of the Mexican border. The hotel began as a hunting lodge in the 1930s - this was before there was any town in Rosarito. In fact - the hotel was the reason the town began. I'm a big fan of historic Mexico, so this was a fascinating place to visit. For our next trip we will likely be heading to southeast Asia. Coincidentally, a friend of mine has just mentioned they will be hosting a yoga retreat in Bali in April 2017.
From San Diego, I can sail back and forth to the Coronado Islands in one day - they're about 40 miles southwest from San Diego Bay. Here you can see the same islands about 10 miles northwest off the coast of the Rosarito Hotel.
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| looking north to the Islas Coronados |
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| traditional Mexican mural in the hotel lobby |
The lobby is filled with gorgeous, rich murals depicting rural life in Mexico.
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| waking up slowly in Mexico |
And as happens in Mexico, there was tequila, mariachi, coronas and there were no early mornings..
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| the game room leading out to the Rosarito pier |
Everything in the main hotel area is fascinating and has an ancient feel to it. All of the tile is original from the 1930s. Here's the original game room with table tennis and pool - leading out to the Rosarito pier.
If I ever get married, this is where it's going to happen. This is the original dining hall called 'Casa Blanca.' The room can hold maybe 50-70 people, the theme is white and you couldn't design a room closer to the waves.
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| the Casa Blanca dining room |
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| gale force winds and waves hitting the rock just north of Rosarito pier |
I managed a quick surf at this spot, just north of the pier on Friday afternoon. And that would be my last surf of the weekend. The glassy conditions soon turned to mayhem,
The storm arrived Saturday night and lasted till Monday. We had heavy winds, tossed seas and a downpour of rain.
As I was heading out the door on my way home, I turned and got this shot of a beautiful Mexican lady painted on glass above the main entrance.
Like most things at the Rosarito Hotel, she is timeless.
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| gorgeous stained glass window above the main lobby door |
