Travel
Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California, Mexico
Directions
It’s time to renew your passports! Valle de Guadalupe is just 1.5 hours south of the US-Mexico border. You have a few options to get there. When making your choice, just keep in mind that there are no Ubers/Lyfts or taxis in the location, so let that inform your decision!
Coming from Los Angeles
The best way to get to Valle de Guadalupe is to drive down. It is about a 3.5 hour drive from Los Angeles and is a very safe and easy drive the whole way. We recommend crossing the border and taking the picturesque toll (cuota) road along the coast via MEX 1. The toll road is quite seamless, and to pay the toll, you’ll need approximately 200 pesos (about USD $12). Once you reach Ensenada, you’ll enter Valle de Guadalupe via MEX 4. You can find the route pathed out here.
Coming from the Bay Area
If you’re open to it, we recommend driving down to Valle de Guadalupe so you’ll have a car to get around! (See driving/car rentals below.) It’s about an 8 to 9 hour drive total, but you can break up the road trip and make stops along the way. The last time we made the drive to Valle de Guadalupe, we stopped at some wineries in Paso Robles and spent the night in Los Angeles before heading down to Mexico the following day. The bulk of our guest list is coming from the Bay, so consider grouping up and caravanning down together! You’ll follow the same route as the one recommended for the folks coming from Los Angeles.
If you’d rather fly, see the instructions for Coming from Elsewhere.
Coming from Elsewhere
The best way to get to Valle de Guadalupe is to fly into San Diego or Tijuana. From there, rent a car or hire a driver to take you to Valle de Guadalupe. Once you’re on the 5 and ready to cross the border, you’ll follow the same route as the one recommended for the folks coming from Los Angeles. See the details below on Driving/Car Rentals.
A note on crossing the border: Driving into Mexico is super straightforward. If you’re driving in on Friday, 5/10 to attend the welcome dinner, please plan to cross the border no later than 2:30 PM. The San Ysidro/Tijuana border is heavily trafficked on Friday, so it might take awhile to get across. For your trip home (or to the airport), we recommend getting Global Entry to use the Sentri Lanes for a quick return at the San Ysidro/Tijuana border. (You can only use the Global Entry/Sentri lanes with your own car, not a rental or hired driver, and everyone in the car must have Global Entry.) If you plan to use Global Entry with your own car, make sure to register your car to your Global Entry account. If you don’t have Global Entry, consider returning through the Tecate Border or Otay Mesa Border and check the Border Wait Time website to see how long the wait is.
Driving, Renting a Car & Hiring a Driver
Whether you choose to drive your own car, rent a car, or hire a driver to take you around, here’s some information for you to know.
Car Insurance in Mexico
You will need to purchase car insurance specifically for Mexico whether you are driving your own car or renting a car. We suggest looking into Baja Bound or Geico to find the policy that works best for you!
Rental Car
Not all rental car companies will let you take your rental car to Mexico, so make note of that when booking your car! Avis does allow you to drive to Mexico as long as you purchase coverage for Mexico specifically. (See the instructions under Car Insurance in Mexico.) If you choose to rent a car instead of driving your own, please note that you cannot use Global Entry/Sentri lanes to return to the US. See the details in Road Safety for what type of car to rent.
Electrical Vehicle Charging
There are several electric vehicle charging stations throughout Valle de Guadalupe including the Bruma and Encuentro resorts.
Hiring a Driver from the Airport
You can hire a driver to take you from the San Diego airport, Tijuana airport, or the border crossing to your hotel. You can book this directly with Five Star Tours. The price depends on how many are in your group, what car you want to be picked up in, and what location you’re being picked up from. If you walk across the border and head to the resort from the Tijuana side, these prices are cheaper. Renting a car is the more affordable option unless you’re traveling with a large group and can share the cost.
General pricing is as follows from the San Diego Airport:
4-person car: $475 each way
10-person van: $700 each way
Hiring a Driver in the Valle
If you don’t have a car in the Valle, you’ll need to hire a driver. There are two driver services that our wedding planner has recommended to us. You can contact them via phone or WhatsApp!
Spanish Speaking Only
Abel from Trans-Turismo +52 646-113-7907
Spanish Speaking & English Speaking
Joel from Paragon +52 646-276-0714
Road Safety
Generally speaking, the roads are safe and easy to drive around the Valle. If you drive to Mexico using our suggested route, you’ll be on well paved two-lane roads the whole way through. However, many of the roads leading up to restaurants, wineries, or places to stay are on dirt roads. If you’re anxious about driving on dirt roads, we recommend driving/renting a SUV.
Where to Stay
We recommend booking your accommodations as soon as possible. Please take a look at the options below and let us know if you need additional recommendations!
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Bruma Casa 8/Casa Montaña
Our ceremony and reception will be held at Bruma Wine Garden. If you’d like to stay at their luxurious bed and breakfasts on the Bruma properties, you’ve got a few options! Casa 8 has 8 rooms (3 suites, 3 king singles, and 2 doubles) and houses a total of 16 people. They are the level of the vineyards, and the rooms are independent. Prices range from $500-$1000 a night. Casa Montaña has 2 villas with 4 rooms each (2 suites, 1 single, and 1 double) and houses a total of 16 people. Prices range from $500–$800 a night. To book either, contact +52 646 116 8031 through WhatsApp.
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Encuentro Guadalupe
Encuentro is about 10 minutes away from Bruma Wine Garden. They have 20 suites that range in price from $300–$500 a night. You can book directly on their website.
There are a few other houses and suites on the Encuentro property that you can book separately (see Casa Gracia, Vila Gracia, and Villa Garven). -
Casa Gracia (on Encuentro Property)
Casa Gracia is built on the same grounds as Encuentro, which is 10 minutes away from Bruma Wine Garden. It has 6 bedrooms and sleeps 12. It is booked for the bridal party, but feel free to look at pictures on their Instagram!
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Villa Gracia (on Encuentro Property)
Villa Gracia is built on the same grounds as Encuentro, which is 10 minutes away from Bruma Wine Garden. It has 5 bedrooms and sleeps 10. Each bedroom has its own private outdoor access and full bath. It’s essentially 5 hotel rooms with a shared common space to use. Prices range from $400–$500 a night. To book, contact +52 1 664 188 5548 through WhatsApp or book through their website.
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Villa Garven (on Encuentro Property)
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Hacienda Guadalupe
Hacienda Guadalupe is about 14 minutes away from Bruma Wine Garden. They have 16 rooms that range in price from $200–$300 a night. You can book directly on their website.
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Maglén Resort
Maglén Resort is about 20 minutes away from Bruma Wine Garden. They have 60 rooms that range in price from $100–$200 a night. You can book directly on their website.
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Airbnb
There are many Airbnb options in the area. We recommend finding Bruma on a map and booking as nearby as possible. Prices will range depending on what you’re looking for. You can find affordable homes that fit 4 for under $200 a night (such as Casa Santiago, where Derrick & I [& Jared] stayed when we visited Valle De Guadalupe for the first time).
What to Do
Here are a few guides on how to make the most of your trip to Baja California!
Sample Itinerary & Map
We’ve built a 5-day sample itinerary and map based off our previous trips for those driving down from the Bay Area to Valle de Guadalupe. Feel free to use this as a starting point and guide for your trip!
Condé Nast Traveler
Your Mexico trip is just a drive across the border! Follow this 3-day sample itinerary from Condé Nast that starts off at the San Ysidro United States/Mexico border crossing.