This was our first time staying at Casa Mediodia. I stumbled across it on accident when searching for a B&B, last-minute for the Memorial Day weekend. I was surprised to see all the wonderful reviews as everything else I had found had average reviews and none of those had rooms to rent. I sent an email to Irene and she quickly responded with what she had available and the rates. Once the room was paid for via PayPal, Irene sent a very detailed map on how to travel to the place. Being familiar with Ensenada already, it did not seem to complicated to locate.
Now the last 3 km is dirt but it is well-maintained road with some minor ruts towards the end. There should not be any concern for a vehicle as long as you travel within a reasonable speed. The B&B was very easy to spot as is made up of approximately 4, very colorful structures. Once we figured out where to park (there are a couple of driveways), we were greeted on the patio by Irene. She gave us a walk around the property to explain all the amenities.
Being familiar with the area, we were a little concerned about food for dinner as there are not too many options at La Bufadora and we did not want to drive back to Ensenada at night. To our surprise, Irene mentioned that dinner is available for a nominal fee and she has a menu with things available during the day if you choose to stay put for lunch.
We chose a room that faced the sunset, with a nice balcony to relax on. The room was small but very comfortable with a private toilet and shower. It also had a small TV with DVD and VHS players as well as several blankets that you can use to wrap yourself up in when you watch the sunset.
Now I must say all the meals were amazing! During our two-night stay we dined on a Mediterranean whitefish with a crab pasta. We had chicken mole, a very amazing egg scramble with a huge selection of fruits for breakfast and some wonderful coffee and juices. We requested a midday snack of guacamole and chips as well as chicken quesadillas. Both were prepared promptly and tasted very good. After our meals in the evening, Irene and Bruce as well as the guests enjoyed great conversation and listened to Bruce play an Indian flute and tell stories while we took in the sunset.
At night it was incredibly quiet, almost hard to get used to as there were no sounds. The bluff that they are located on has almost no traffic as there are very few homes in the area and they are spread apart. But this amazing silence worked perfectly to allow us to decompress during our stay.
We filled our days with some walks along the bluffs and even made the trek down to a very secluded beach. The beach did take some physical effort as you needed to use a rope to descend approximately 70 feet. We did see another cove that had a pathway to it but it did not have a sand beach to relax on but the waters appeared very clear. One thing we found also very relaxing to do was to watch was a small commercial tuna operation. We were entertained with the fishermen tending to their nets and gathering tuna. We could watch this from the bluffs. One thing to note is that the property sits on a hillside and that each structure is at a different level. If you are needing a wheelchair or have difficulty walking on uneven surfaces, this would be a difficult place to get around in my opinion.
Nearby is the tourist site of La Bufadora, which is worth seeing at least once, as it is supposedly one of the largest blowholes in the world. For us, the sheer number of vendors that you are approached by takes away some of the appeal so we decided not to drive there (you could walk there too) and just stay at the B&B to just take in the relaxing atmosphere during our stay. Now Bruce and Irene mention that there are other services available as in a wonderful masseuse that lives in the area as well as an individual who can aura readings or something of that nature. The B&B has what can be best described as a small clubhouse, containing hundreds of LPs, DVDs and VHS as well as telescopes and binoculars, games and there is a bocce ball court outside. There are also kayaks, boogie boards and bicycles to rent at a very nominal rate so if you wish your stay to be a little bit more physical, there are many options. WiFi is free during the morning hours and a charge or approximately $5 for a full day (usage limited).
We've traveled many times to Rosarito and Ensenada and stayed in the larger hotels but this B&B is now our default place to stay as we found it just an amazing escape. I highly recommend staying there. read more