Ensenada Cruise Ship Day

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Had two guests invade Ensenada via Golden Princess cruise ship this week. I did not catch a good photo of the ship arriving in harbor from my perch on the hill of Punta Banda this morning due to fog.

I had never before met cruisers downtown, so I did not know the disembarque schedule other than an 08:00 ship arrival. At 08:20, my VIP guests had walked the plank and arrived at the guard entry to the cruiseport. Apparently the other passengers were sleeping or enjoying the ship’s donuts or getting on the cattle buses headed to La Bufadora.



We decided upon the closest breakfast restaurant to the ship which is Veleros at the Hotel Corona. Veleros is one of the few Ensenada breakfast shops that opens at 7AM and has indoor and outdoor dining available. A view of the marina is included at no extra charge.

Service was excellent as the team of waiters all pitch in on tables. Sweet rolls were brought to the table immediately with our coffee. And DE CAF was available, a true rarity in Mexico. My guests ordered an omelette with peppers and a cream sauce plus machaca with eggs.



Up next was getting Mexican Pesos for my guests. A “cambio” shop that I often use is El Gran Tipo, two blocks south of Corona Hotel and on same side of Blvd Costero(west/water). I use this cambio almost every time when returning from a San Diego shopping trip because it is on the southbound side of the street and parking in front or on the side street(Calle Diamante) is always available.



My guests, veteran visitors of Ensenada, had a definite plan for their tourist shopping today. First was Habanos Cigars, located at Blancarte and Costero. It was only 09:30, but, owner Martin, had his door open and with mop and bucket getting his shop ready for the day.

The interwebs are full of knockoff cigar ripoff stories in Mexico. But, my guest and two other cigar gurus assure me that Habanos is the real deal. Monte Cristo, Cohiba and all of the popular brands are available in what we think is Ensenada’s only cigar humidor.

Apparently, cigars are similar to wine. There are the usual suspects, but, part of the fun is discovering new labels, flavors and favorites that might not be so famous.



It was only 9:45 and we noticed that Ensenada was still a bit sleepy with many shops not yet open. My guests wandered into Cafe Torino, located on Lopez Mateos(First Street) across from Hotel El Cid, next to El Patio Bar. Daniel greeted us, indicated that they opened approx 1 year ago. I enjoyed my Italian roasted coffee. My guests also had a good time with their espresso and cappuccino.



There are two shops on Lopez Mateos in which I have spent money and also take guests. One is Bazar Ramirez and the other is La Herradura. Miguel’s La Herradura is your one stop shop for souvenirs. I have purchase molcajetes, sweaters, glasses, statues and other stocking stuffers here. The shop is located on Lopez Mateos, west/water side, between Riveroll and Macheros.

We navigated the gauntlet of vendors and peeked in a few more shops. The good news was that my guests had two bags full of their needed purchases, rendering them less vulnerable to the street stuff. They were also full of coffee and requested the nearest bathroom break.



We were at Av Miramar and near one of my favorite ‘Nada town bars, Tequila’s. Bathrooms at Tequila’s are clean and it’s fun sport bar with simple food and the BEST margaritas in Ensenada.

Owner, Louie Prieto, is a huge sports nut, especially LA Kings hockey and USC football. His TVs will be on for your major sporting event.

After our potty break, we settled into some Tecate beer nearing the noon hour.



Our last stop of the day was for birria at Birrieria La Guadalajara, on Macheros, one block up from McD’s. We ordered birria de chivo(goat) and tacos de chivo. The salsa is excellent here.

I ordered the small bowl of birria, which along with the chips, salsa and tortillas made a perfect light lunch. Could not believe it when I saw a big poster indicated La Guad’s location in El Valle de Guadalupe, “just passed the bridge”. I’ll have to find them up there on my next visit.

The birria(stew) is full of meat with strong broth. This goat flavor did not have a gamey finish at all. ILIKEY!



On cruise ship days and weekends, mariachis troll for pesos throughout Ensenada Centro. The mariachis that happened to be at La Guadalajara this Tuesday had remarkably strong voices. They jumped into my guests request for “Jalisco” with gusto.

After that entertaining lunch, I threw my VIPs back at the Golden Princess for a nap and an easy afternoon in perfect weather.

[Edited on 10-9-2013 by bajadock]

Good point Howodd,
There were more vendors on Lopez Mateos yesterday than tourists.

Yes, Dennis, these guys were worth the admission fee and played for approx 30 minutes for a handful of tables of guests.




Adding photo of Golden Princess leaving Ensenada, Sunday 6 Oct, headed back to Long Beach to pick up my VIP guests. Photo taken from my house.

Great Report

I counted 4 different cruise ships coming into the harbor this week instead of the standard 2.

Quote:

Originally posted by durrelllrobert I counted 4 different cruise ships coming into the harbor this week instead of the standard 2.