12 minutes north of Las Gaviotas. Rosarito is justly famous as a Gourmet's Paradise. It boasts more than 85 quality restaurants that can satisfy just about any taste or craving. Experienced chefs laureate with countless first prize International trophies and can prepare you a meal that you will remember for years to come.

Almost a million lobsters are served in the Rosarito coastal area each year. "Puerto Nuevo-style" is now a world-famous synonym for the exquisite lobster offered in our local restaurants. But we're more than just another pretty lobster plate; more than just an endless variety of freshly caught, perfectly prepared seafood choices. From traditional Mexican cuisine that dates back to pre-Colombian cultures to the best Tacos you'll ever eat, Rosarito means great food every where you turn. Chinese, French, Continental, Cajun, it's all here. From Spanish tapas to sushi with a Mexican flair, you simply can't eat your way through Rosarito's affordable and exotic pleasures in a single trip that's one of the reasons people return again and again. 

SHOPPING

Duty-free gifts...leather...furniture...folk art! It's a bargain-hunter's dream come true. All the exotic and exciting items Mexico is famous for---at savings of up to 70% over stateside prices! And all without the hustle or hassles of other Mexican cities.

For shoppers, Rosarito is really Mexico made easy. There are only three traffic lights in the entire city, and almost everything of interest is walkable. You can shop in a real mercado on the main street for arts and crafts, leathers and silver. Guadalajara-cement statues, pottery, fountains, curios, rugs and blankets are in an interesting mix of roadside shops just south of town.

Rosarito's main street is also, by far, the best place in Baja California to buy handcrafted Mexican furniture. Southwestern, pigskin, wrought-iron, hacienda-style, willow, hand-carved and hand-painted furniture, plus custom pieces, are all made locally and can be shipped.

PUERTO NUEVO

5 minutes south of Las Gaviotas. Travel two miles south of Las Gaviotas and visit the world's most famous lobster village, Puerto Nuevo. Stroll down its main street exploring shops full of Mexican arts and crafts. Stop in at one of its restaurants and enjoy a whole Puerto Nuevo lobster served the way it's always been served sliced lengthwise and deep fried and served with beans, rice and handmade flour tortillas. Add a Mariachi band playing soulful music over your shoulder for a dinning experience you'll always remember!

PUERTO NUEVO was discovered years ago by the "let's go to Baja and raise hell" weekend surf crowd from southern California. The surf crowd still drops by, but they have upgraded from V.W.'s to BMW's, and they are a tad more refined than they used to be. Over the years, Puerto Nuevo has grown from one famous lobster restaurant to almost 30 at last count! This seaside village now attracts a broad section of visitors from all age groups.

Although big lobster dinners are no longer available for $6.00, you can still fill up on a great lobster meal for about $12.00. If you are only moderately hungry, splitting a full meal with a friend is a great way to go...just order extra flour tortillas! Each meal includes lobster (small, medium or large - your choice), rice, beans, tortillas, chips and salsa. Cold beer is available to cool off hungry hombres on those warm Baja afternoons, and tequila is never far away for those who just finished playing in the ocean!

Puerto Nuevo has grown up a lot in the last few years, and the village now includes bars, curious shops, and other stores. Strolling mariachis add a special Baja flavor to the restaurants and street corners. It's a great place to walk around to enjoy a unique piece of Baja culture!

For a unique trip back into the old Wild West, check out BAJA RANCHO LA MENTADA. This working cattle ranch in the hills southeast of Puerto Nuevo is a great place to re-live the cowboy days...without going all the way to Montana!

YOUR FIRST STOP IN TOWN

After you have pulled off the highway and driven under the Puerto Nuevo arches, grab a place to park on the right side of the road. Once parked, plan on spending a little time viewing the wares of the venders that run along the north side of the street. This will give you a chance to stretch your legs and get a lay of the land before deciding on which of the 20 restaurants you will stop at for a bit of grog and lobster!

Probably the biggest decision you will have to make in Puerto Nuevo is where to eat...there are literally too many choices! Here's the scoop...since most of the restaurants in the village offer similar menus and prices, when searching for the right restaurant your main goal is atmosphere. Looking for a little sun? There are several restaurants in the village that offer upstairs and outside dining, some with ocean views. Looking for a party atmosphere? The restaurants on the main street usually get the biggest crowds, and therefore more than their share of noise and adventure. Romance? Track down one of the more refined restaurants for a more relaxed and intimate meal.

As much as they can be fun to talk to, don't let the guys or gals in front of the restaurants scoop you into their restaurant with the promise of the 'best' lobster dinner in town. Keep walking until you find the place that meets your particular needs!

GALLERIES

3 minutes north of Las Gaviotas. In the last few years there has been a virtual explosion of galleries offering "serious art" in northern Baja. The artists were always there, they just lacked the money for canvas, paint and other supplies. They also lacked places to display and sell their work, not to mention encouragement and support from gallery owners who believed in them so that they could develop their talent.

One of the best galleries is the Giorgio Santini Gallery of Fine Art, www.giorgiosantini.com located south of Rosarito, with seven spectacular showrooms on four levels. There are three patios and a café, (where visitors can sip espresso, tea or wine and eat gourmet snacks while listening to strains of classical music) just north of the lobster town of Puerto Nuevo on the Free Road. Stop in and visit one, two or all of these galleries while you're in Baja. You will be amazed. You will be delighted. You will very likely find a remarkable piece of art that you cannot live without! And you will definitely be back for more!

GOLF

www.realdelmar.com.mx/golfclub.htm

www.golfsd.com/bajamar.html

From a land virtually devoid of golf courses only a few years ago, Mexico's Baja peninsula is now home to several courses not far from the U.S. border that are an easy drive for Southern California weekenders.

20 minutes north of Las Gaviotas. Only 13 miles south of the border on the Toll Road to Ensenada is Real Del Mar, an 18-hole, par 72, up-and-down hill course over three canyons that provide ocean views on 11 of its 18 holes. The course is short (6,460 championship), but the hills and the water hazards on six of the holes make it seem longer. Fees; $49.00 weekdays, $59.00 weekend. Bajamar, about 50 miles south of the border on the Ensenada Toll Road, 30 minutes south of Las Gaviotas, is a tough and challenging links type course. Three nine-hole courses combine for a Pebble beach-type environment, with four holes of the Oceano Course right along the cliff's edge over the pounding ocean. The original nine, the Vista Course, was designed by Percy Clifford and opened in 1976. The Lagos (Lakes) Course, designed by David Fleming, opened in 1991, while the Robert Von Hagge designed Oceano Course opened three years later. Green fees are $50.00 all week. 

CALAFIA

Five minutes north of Las Gaviotas. Calafia has become a Historical and Cultural Center and is the official headquarters of the Historical Society of Rosarito Beach as well as the Association of Writers of Tijuana and other Baja California organizations. It also houses an extension campus of the Mexican University, and features a Conference Center with an Oriental meditation pavilion in a garden overlooking the ocean. 

Calafia has replicas and artifacts from not only the mission days but also copies of Mesoamerican anthropological art including drawings of original cave paintings found in Baja.

There is a wedding chapel called "Cristo del Mar" (Christ of the Sea) at Calafia along with a reception area in a dramatic setting on the Punta Descanso bluff. 
The ship "Corona Aurora Galleon' has become part of an al fresco dance floor called the Club 1773, reflecting the year when Padre Palou helped establish the border. With terraced tables overlooking the crowded dance floor and the crashing surf, it is one of Baja's most romantic settings.

FOXPLORATION

www.foxploration.com

15 Minutes north of Las Gaviotas. Explore the Magic of Movie Making ... South of the Border! Remember James Cameron's Titanic? Did you know that almost all of it was filmed in Baja, just below Rosarito? Well ... it was. 

Fox Studios Baja opened Foxploration, a movie-making park conceived to offer the public an opportunity to go behind the scenes at a real working movie studio and to learn firsthand about the production process in an entertaining and interactive way. 

Entering Foxploration, you'll begin with a stroll down Canal Street, New York, an actual movie set depicting a typical lower Manhattan street. Behind the set is Cinemágico, which houses a variety of interactive exhibits, and gives you a chance to experience hands-on movie making. Titanic Expo. Actual props, sets and costumes from the blockbuster film are on display. You can take a guided tour, learning the history of the ship and the making of James Cameron's Titanic. Fox/JVC Presents is a state-of-the-art video screening room that allows you to view behind-the-scenes footage of recent Fox films. There is also an art gallery that features different artists every month, showcasing the cream of Baja California art. Nearby is Xavier's School for the Gifted, where kids of all ages can have fun with 50,000 specially designed foam balls. Dolly Plaza is the centerpiece of Foxploration; it features the original spectacular fountain from Hello Dolly. There is food and shopping too

LOCAL RECREATION

Cody Cromwell & Carson Byrne

ATV Rentals: Rosarito Beach Hotel, on the beach. Approx. $25.00 for _ hour

Horseback riding on the beach: Rosarito Beach Hotel, on the beach.

Fireworks on the beach: Rosarito Beach Hotel is where fireworks are done.

Fishing Village: This is quite an adventure, if you arrive about noon all of the local fisherman are just coming in to shore with all their fish. It is sold by the kilo and is always very good. Head north on the old road about 12 minutes from Las Gaviotas, look for the cement arches just south of the Fox Studio.

LAS GAVIOTAS: is known for its surfing beach. Be sure to bring your wet suit & surf board!

A new SURF SHOP is now open to serve surfers headed south of Rosarito Beach. INNER REEF SURF SHOP is located south of Rosarito Beach about 10 minutes, on the west side of the free highway (just north of Calafia) at Km. 34, or approximately 2 miles north of Las Gaviotas. Boards for sale and for rent, wax available, plus a good place to get information on the local breaks.

FRISBEE  12 minutes north of Las Gaviotas. Rosarito Beach has m-i-l-e-s of open beaches, perfect for brushing up on your Frisbee technique! (gotta work on that backside catch? This is the place!). Playing along the surf line can be a fun way to keep cool on hot days! Do not play Frisbee on the main highway through town. The local police do not think this is funny! ("But officer...we didn't even hit any cars!") Keep it on the beach! 

HORSEBACK RIDING 10 minutes north of Las Gaviotas. Horses are available for rent in front of the Rosarito Beach Hotel, as well as just south of town, right off of the free road. Bring a pocket of carrots. Some of these steeds look a bit hungry! Where else can you romp in the sand and surf on a horse for $10? 

KAYAK 12 minutes north of Las Gaviotas. Launching off the beach is usually no problem. Because most of Rosarito's coast is sandy beach, the scenery is predicable. Heading a bit south of town provides more diverse views, as the sand changes into low bluffs. Kayaks can often be rented in front of the Rosarito Beach Hotel, and the two small islands in front of the hotel make a fun kayak excursion (once you get out past the waves!)

SNORKELING - DIVING 15 minutes north of Las Gaviotas. The island directly in front of the Rosarito Beach hotel is a good snorkel and dive spot when the ocean surface is calm. This is usually during the summer months. Just north of Rosarito Beach, many dive clubs offer day trips to the Coronado Islands. These islands are an easy one-day jaunt on a dive boat out of San Diego, and the visibility and sea life is very good. 

HIKING Across the highway. There are several hiking options in the Rosarito Beach area. Of course hiking along the low bluffs and beaches south of town can be fun. But there are other inland options as well. There are several local residents from Las Gaviotas who hike the hills across the freeway from Las Gaviotas. Don’t venture out on your own! See if there is someone from Las Gaviotas who might be taking a local hike while you are there and ask if you can join them.

ROSARITO’S PAST

In centuries past, the California peninsula was inhabited by tribes of natives, notably the Pai Pai, Cochimi, Kiliwa, Cucupa and Kumiai. The Kumiai settled in the area we now know as Rosarito naming it UACUATAY (which translates to "the big house"). Traces of their everyday life such as arrowheads, stone kitchen utensils, mortars, etc., have been discovered. These artifacts provide a rich source of information regarding their lifestyles and the first stage in Rosarito's evolution. Today, in the area of San Jose de la Zorra just 30 kilometers east of La Mision Village, descendants of the Kumiai can still be found. 

The second stage in Rosarito's evolution, referred to as the "Misional", began with the arrival of the Spaniards in 1533. So named because it marked the establishment of missions throughout the peninsula and the evangelization of the native tribes, a total of 28 missions were founded by the Jesuit, Dominican and Franciscan monks in what we now know as Baja California. The Palou Frontier was established in 1773 as the dividing line between Nueva (new) or Alta (upper) California and Antigua (old) or Baja (lower) California. In 1788, the De Sales Frontier was established and the boundary between the two Californias was relocated to the site of the Rosarito Creek. 

The third stage in Rosarito's history began with the establishment of the big Ranchos. The property of El Rosarito Ranch, granted to Don Jose Manuel Machado on 1825, stands out as the first in the area. Subsequently his son, Joaquin Machado, applied for title to the land to then President Porfirio Diaz, and, on May 14th, 1885, title was granted and registered in la Ensenada de Todos los Santos, then capitol city of Baja California. May 14 is now recognized and celebrated as Rosarito's Foundation Day by the Historical Society of Rosarito. 

The fourth stage of Rosarito's history is known as the "Touristic". It began with the establishment of Rene's in 1925 and the Rosarito Beach Hotel in 1926. Rosarito has been visited by tourists since 1874 (Source: San Diego Union), attracted by hunting (dear, quail and rabbit) and fishing (lobster, abalone). 

The "Ejidal" and fifth stage in Rosarito's history began with the inception of Ejidos (common land for farming) when, on August 17, 1930, General Lazaro Cardenas, then President of Mexico, issued a resolution granting 4,671 hectares (over 10,000 acres) of land to a community of local farmers known as Ejido Mazatlan. 

The beginnings of urbanization in 1950 marks the sixth stage in Rosarito's development with the planning and construction of streets and city blocks. As land sales soared, coupled with the construction of small restaurants, some shops and two hotels, the city began to take shape. 

In the 1960's Rosarito entered the commercial/industrial era with the construction of a huge thermoelectric power plant and the later installation of Pemex, the Mexican Gas Company. 

This seventh stage in Rosarito's evolution was marked with further construction and the development of shopping centers as more restaurants and shops were established along the main street. This street has been renovated and enlarge to encompass four lanes and a lighted meridian strip and, in 1989, was officially designated Boulevard Benito Juarez. During the seventies and early eighties, Rosarito's growth was moderate but constant. The mid-eighties, however, were marked with the strong development of tourist related businesses of obviously considerable investment. Available hotel rooms in Rosarito are up from 350 to over 2000 now. 

In the early 1990's appreciable economic growth was achieved by the construction and completion of numerous hotels, condominiums and shopping centers. On December 1, 1995, Rosarito became the fifth Municipality (county) of the State of Baja California, this being the eight stage of the history of Rosarito.

Baja California Links:

(You can go toour LINKS section to find more information)

• www.bajamagic.com

• www.baja-web.com

• www.davidksbaja.com