It was my very first time in Ensenada, and my very first winery in Mexico. And I can surely say that it was indeed the highlight of the weekend. From the moment you step upon their dirt parking lot, to every step climbing up to the restaurant, and overlooking the meadows, it was absolutely beautiful. The architecture of this place is magnificent. They have two stories to venture through, and I suppose a cave, but we didn't get a chance to go inside. Surprisingly it was not busy at all, and our large group were seated immediately. We decided to get a bunch of tapas and entrees to share, along with two recommended bottles of wine. One white and one red, which were both tasty. Bone Marrow + Grasshopper Sauce Roasted Bone Marrow spread over on bread is always delicious! And just in case you're wondering, yes there's real grasshopper in the sauce, and we all ate grasshopper for the first time. It was basically like a spicy marmalade spread. Duck Breast + Orange Sauce & Burnt Onion Duck meat was tender and sauce paired well. Green Catch of the Day Ceviche + Persian Cucumber & Avocado The ceviche was delicioussss. A simple concoction that looked and tasted great with tortilla chips. Potato Gnocchi +Suckling Pig Sauce, Padua, Zucchini This was also yummy. Chewy, tender. Dates + Goat Cheese & Honey This was a very delicious pairing of fruit, cheese and honey. Fried Churros con Dulce de Leche This was probably the best churros I've ever had in my life. It was extremely soft, warm, and melts in your mouth! Overall, I would definitely come here again, and next time, I'm heading to the raw oyster bar! read more

The peak of our trip! We loved this winery venue by far! From the architecture building to the views of the valleys! Definitely one of the most beautiful buildings in Valle de Guadalupe! Wines are delicious! But the winner for me was the SANGRIA! Super fresh and delicious. The whole ambiance was spectacular! Highly recommend you to come here, so you can see for yourself! read more

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Complicated review... Pros: The location, architect, views & staff five stars ***** it is truly breathtaking & so unique. Very sexy & The pool is gorgeous!! The rooms are small & don't feel worth the price of $450. A night . Cons: no restaurant on the grounds.they say they have a "lighter menu" but the have vey little. Just toast, bad chips, check mix . NO HOT FOOD, due to no kitchen. And ran out of most request. There is no Refrigerator in the rooms. Bring snacks, drinks & cooler. Make reservations at the restaurants nearby that are absolutely fantastic! we came for our wedding anniversary and went to dinner at Fauna it was absolutely five stars***** I hope the Manager will contact us and adjust our bill or give us a discount to come back when they're up and running. I told the front desk that they need to let the guests know before they come. I hope this helps future romantic guest. read more

I have this former colleague-forever friend (yes, those things can be possible) who is even more social than me and knows everybody. And that somebody also include one of the co-owners of the Encuentro winery or Encuentro Guadalupe antiresort, on the way from Tecate to Ensenada, middle of somewhere but really feeling like you are nowhere close from normal life. I heard about this place, half winery, half farm-to-table-high end restaurant, with a touch of 'glamping resort' because I had seen the pictures in some glossy mags about how the rich and famous travel. No worries, if I could go and spend the day, you can do it too. Because you really don't need to fork the $400 per minimalist-repurposed materials-beauty meets form factor cute boxes on the rocks. You can just go for the drinks and the food and you make a nice day trip from San Diego. Looks like crossing from Tecate is the easiest and fastest way, at least on the way back. Encuentro used to be called Endemico, and I am glad they changed the name, as it denotes something negative. Something that neither the environment, not the fertile nature nor the grapes are. Wine is abundant and the fruits from the land too. The winery includes 11 acres of mountain vineyards, you will enjoy a wine tasting bar open to the public from 11 am every day and an underground cellar, for which you need to make a group reservation. The vineyards produce Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Blanc and Nebiolo, among other varietals. This is a very peaceful place to be and extremely photogenic, showing all the splendor of the Guadalupe Valley, making great panoramas. Just watch out with the traffic...not the best drivers around there! read more

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I just LOVE the architecture here!! The estate is gorgeous, and the rooms look cute from a distance. We only came here for wine tasting and we had 3 wines. The first one was our favorite, but they didn't have anymore for us to buy! What a tease! The views from this place is also gorgeous. read more

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If Han Solo was going to go on a quickie vacation with Princess Leia and didn't feel like flying, this is where he would go. No brainer whatsoever. This is pretty much the coolest thing you can do that you can drive to I reckon. About an hour south of the border, this 22 pod resort overlooking this valley of wine grapes awaits. I KNOW. Complete surprise of the century. We drove down from San Diego, via LA, and arrived at the resort around 10:30 am. Kim tried to finesse us into the pool while we waited for our room, to no avail. A little strange given the fact the joint was pretty empty, but these guys were sticklers for the rules and somewhat donkeys, but the lobby area is pretty cool so we opted for breakfast. Delicious breakfast, overlooking the Valley. This place is a vineyard too by the way, but I don't know too much about wine, so that whole wine tasting game is mostly lost on me. Kim negotiated getting to the pool at 1, and you get driven to the Pod/Pool area, way above the lobby. Fucking great, the pool is magic. Cold water magic, but still magic. We chilled there until our room was ready, we had pod cinco(5) and it is a cool room. clean, comfy, sexy and smart. The design of this place will blow your mind. Trust. Pretty good water pressure, towels were ok, but there is surround sound in the rooms and patios with Chiminayas. We changed for dinner and left the resort to peep a vineyard (Vena Cava) and dinner ( Corazon La Tierra) which was top level. When we came back we went to the room and sat at our outside area and looked up and you can see every star in the galaxy. The next day we had coffee by the pool, took a jacuzzi, then went down the road for some delicious pescado and camarones tacos in a local spot. It was a great 4th of July. read more

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We stayed at the hotel and ate at the restaurant Toba. The hotel really undersells Toba and the pool area. This made the experience for us. The food and atmosphere at Toba is fantastic. Get the mezze at lunch or dinner, eat breakfast there. It was soo good. The view from the pool area is stunning and is a great place to hang during the warmer months. The scenery of the property is lovely and rustic/natural. The paths are all dirt which we enjoyed. The hotel room is on the smaller side, and we weren't there much so didn't mind. The view from the room was stunning. The hotel should have some of the amenities of the rooms worked out given the price point - hot water stopped working during most showers, wear and tear of furniture. The bed was comfy and the room was clean. The staff were very helpful and enjoyed staying there. read more

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This spot is good to get away from the everyday COVId Vibes plaguing us. Isolated Pods on a mountainside with Good Vegetarian Food options is not something you find everywhere. A couple days of hiking, meditating, and good food can repair all souls read more

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Food, drinks and service were excellent here. Views are breathtaking. We didn't stay in the rooms but they look nice (probably the priciest place to stay in the valley). Food and drinks at the hotel are affordable though. We had the shrimp ceviche which came with jicama, black salsa and chips. So good. Also tried the Barbados taco. Also tasty. Sangria was a good size. Hubby had a margarita. We enjoyed all of it. Would definitely go back. Only drawback is that it is overlooking the highway. Most places in the region are more tucked away and remote, but this one is right off the main highway. Not sure why yelp says it's closed. It's open!! read more

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This was our second night in the valle and we chose this place based on the location, architecture and vibe. We showed up at 10 am so we could leave our bags and meet our driver for the day. When we returned at 5:30 pm. We were quickly checked in and off to our Alien pod. We got Pod 1, if you can get that one I would suggest it, noone under you and a nice view to the southwest looking out of valle. The pods are clean and well kept, the bed is comfortable. We got into our room around 6:30 and turned around to head back to the lobby for dinner. Dinner was a bit of a circus, not sure if it was due to our wine tasting all day long, or just that this hotel can be a bit "trendy" and lots of flashy people around. I was not a hug fan of our dinner in the main restaurant, next time I will eat all meals by the pool. At night there are some fire wranglers, they wander the trails and monitor the firepits. They will stoke your fire for you if you for some reason you can't do it yourself. Next morning we had breakfast by the pool. Lawrence the porter is a very hard worker and is a big asset to the property. Only complaints were: The concierge my wife worked with the week before was flaky and never returned any requests for anything. read more

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Just a heads-up, this will be quite a long review! 1. Ambiance - absolutely stunning! When you drive up to this hotel, you are in awe. It's a stand alone hotel that's in the hills. The architecture is modern and is so beautiful. You see these little pods on the top of the hill, and the main lobby which has huge glass windows! There's some grapevines, as well. :) 2. Staff - I had the opportunity to work with Teresa Landa, the Experience Manager, and I absolutely LOVE her! I truly believe she MUST be the hotel manager, because she helped us plan and coordinate all our travel plans and itinerary! She is knowledgeable and SO friendly and sweet. I LOVE TERESA. Definitely ask for her & work with her because she will make your experience SO AWESOME. ... Her manager, Mayra, on the other hand is a complete BITCH to work with. This leads us to #3 of the review, "Service." 3. Service (Hotel Stay) - When we checked into the hotel, we had to work with MAYRA, who's NOT personable or friendly. I asked myself, "Does she even like her job? Why's she here in this beautiful place ruining guests experiences?" We booked the 2 DOUBLE BED room, which easily fits 4 ladies. We sent with THREE GIRLS, and they demanded that we pay over $70USD for the third person. We told her, there wasn't anything in fine print that stated you have to pay for an additional individual, especially since we're under the impression that 2 DOUBLE BEDS could easily fit 4 girls. She was SO FREAKIN' RUDE, and made us feel like we were idiots throughout the process. I get that you're running a business and you only allocate 2 adults to a room, but don't degrade us or make us feel stupid for not putting in your HOTEL'S FINE PRINT or confirmation that each person is an additional charge. She was so nasty. THIS HOTEL NEEDS TO REPLACE MAYRA. She's NOT a good hotel manager. She was a main aspect of why this hotel lost so many stars! 4. Rooms - For the price that you're paying, I expected more ... WAY MORE. The towels we received were stained. The blankets are slightly yellow, and there's water spot stains on the corner of the mirrors. I definitely thought it would be a lot cleaner. There's no fridge, FYI. The back patio area is absolutely stunning though!! The fire-pit can be turned on before 9:30PM. At night, sit outside, look at the stars & get warmth from the fire-pit. It's so beautiful! 5. Hotel Amenities - Each guest gets a complimentary wine tasting & Continental breakfast each morning (fruit, toast, yogurt & granola). We ordered Huevos Rancheros, Chilaquiles, and the French Toast. The French Toast is SOOOO good. & the Carnitas was BOMB too! The pool is BEAUTIFUL. Infinity pool with beautiful views. You can definitely go instagram happy at the pool! Overall, this experience was OK. I HATED working with MAYRA. If it weren't for her, this place would get 4 stars!!!!! easily. I would recommend coming here if you ask for Teresa. read more

The food is awesome but service was the best thanks to our server Gerardo who took the time to explain the menu and concept of the restaurant and hotel. We found out many celebrities stay here as well. If you stop by order the octopus and oysters! read more

Encuentro Guadalupe - The view! - Vacation Rentals Near Me - Ensenada, BCN

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I've stayed here twice. I loved it so much the first time that, when my husband asked me if I wanted to try another place, I said no. What I love most, is the seclusion of each individual room/pod. I've never seen anything like it. Every little unit is built into the hillside, far enough removed from your neighbor that it almost makes you feel alone. I love that All the rooms have chimineas to burn firewood. So at night, you can engage in Joshua Tree like star gazing, with a wonderful heat emitting from The chiminea. The staff is absolutely wonderful. Hearts all over the service crew. The pool is incredible. It's an infinity pool that overlooks the valley. The view is breathtaking. Annnnnnd they have a hot tub. Also, the food at the restaurant is great. There is sooo much good food in the Valle, but if you don't feel like driving or going out after a long day of wine tasting, this is a great alternative. Lastly, get the sangria not the wine. read more

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What an absolutely fantastic place. This is my first trip to this valley. The Valle de Guadalupe. It's full of wonder, freedom, incredible architecture, fantastic food and some very good wines. It is safe and the roads are very well-kept. I was completely blown away by the place.This winery, restaurants, hotel is absolutely breathtaking. The modern architecture combined with the natural habitat with big boulders really gives you a full feeling of happiness. I met the winemaker, Alex, a gentleman and he actually gave me a tasting from the barrel of two different wines, a Pinot Noir and a Malbec. Both were absolutely delicious and of very high-quality. This is a location you did not want to miss on your trip to the valley. read more

Encuentro Guadalupe - Nice!! - Vacation Rentals Near Me - Ensenada, BCN

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On 4/29/2017 my beautiful fiancé and I declared our love for eachother in matrimony at Rancho El Campanario in Valle de Guadalupe. Having frequent the area we decided to go and stay our two day (29th, 30th) weekend at El Encuentro Guadalupe Winery and Hotel. We arrived from a late night of being with family and celebrating to Encuentro at 430ish in the morning to find the front gate by the road CLOSED!!!! In disbelief I went out of my truck in the pitch black darkness calling for anyone that would hopefully/should come out and hear me, I mean it is and states it's a Hotel. We even came a month previous to ensure that our reservations were secure and to not encounter any issues prior to our arrival. We even mentioned and explained we would be checking in late because it is the our wedding day. The lady at the front desk said with confidence,"no worries we are a hotel, someone will be here to assist you". Back to the night of the 29th, no one was at the front gate at all, I went to the shack and the mini office that's right near the entrance and again disappointed cause no one was there! I walked all the way to the winery tasting room continuously calling for someone anyone with no answer by encuentro employees. It was late, cold, and if you have been to the area at night the wind blows strong at night in addition to the pitch darkness I was walking in with only my cellphone to help me. I even went further as to the check in area and restaurant is located where I was for sure someone definitely should have been and still, no one. At this point I gave up, I went back out all the way to the main gate with my wife to tell her the bad news, that no one was there! Frustrated and tired, we did the only thing we could, we phoned a family member and stayed with them ON OUR DAMN WEDDING NIGHT! and I blame it all on Encuentro. We will never be able to relive the first night of being together as newlyweds we were robbed of that special moment in our lives! The next day around 12 we arrived to encuentro and described to the lady at the front desk our situation (who in fact was the same lady from the month prior who ensured our reservations was set and established). After all the explanation we told her her only response was,"sorry, someone should have been in there well look into it". Feeling it might possibly be taken care of we were taken to our room not convinced that she was sincere in her apology on behalf of the winery. We spoke with the bell hop who took us to our room explained to them the situation and he was in disbelief, he was very apologetic and said he would make sure we get spoken to and that he would look into it. I wish I could remember his name because the morning of the 1st while having breakfast before leaving he again came and spoke with us saying the manager has heard of our situation and would like to speak with us. The manager arrived and said the lady at the front desk DID NOT explain to him our situation of absolutely no one hearing us, not of the gate being closed, not of both the shack and mini office being empty or of me having to walk all the wait to the check in restaurant area to find no one. It wasn't until the bell hop he heard that there was an issue. Now he explained his apologies said he would reimburse us for our night stolen from us, as well as a free night and offered free dinner. After discussing with my wife what we would like to do after breakfast we went down to accept his offer explained to us at breakfast. He said, "I apologize I misunderstood what the General Manager wanted me to offer you". The heck!! The GM said they would either reimburse us for the night lost, or stay an extra night since we weren't able to the first night. We told him that's not what he offered to us and he again apologized. So for me and my wife not ever in our lives being able to replace or relive our newlywed night together all we get as an apology from encuentro was a free dinner??? How does that make the situation better? Very disappointed had a lot of high hopes for encuentro if only the staff were on board. read more

We stayed here last night, I must say that the wife and I were so very excited and wanted to like this place. This place delivers in its blending into the natural landscape and is quite unique. With that said, our stay on a Monday night during the low season was $400.00 USD. We were glad to get a room, however the issue lies in that with that price point we would like to have hot water. We had to make 2 separate service calls due to this, they never came after the first call and the second call was made 2 hours later. The technician was very nice and informed us that the initial service request was not conveyed to him by the front desk. We thought he problem was fixed and this morning the hot water ran out after 90ish seconds. I have had to shower that quickly before, it was called boot camp! All in all they staff was friendly and attentive, but needless to say we will not be staying again. read more

I love it here! Had an extremely memorable experience & so worth the money we paid for. Stayed for one night but it was sooooo amazingly worthwhile. Excellent view and the ambience was simply marvelous. Would definitely come here again! read more

Encuentro Guadalupe - Lobby sign - Vacation Rentals Near Me - Ensenada, BCN

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We came here for breakfast and were not disappointed. We were seated outside and enjoyed a view of the beautiful Valle de Guadalupe. We enjoyed delicious chilaquiles, fresh fruit and local wine. The service was good, all of the food and drinks were wonderful. The atmosphere was casual and modern. The venue offers eco friendly lodging. The rooms are tucked into the hills and the view from your room is breathtaking. I will definitely return during another visit to wine country. read more

Encuentro Guadalupe - Vacation Rentals Near Me - Ensenada, BCN

My significant other and I decided to stay at encuentro for his birthday. We have been at the bar/ restaurant before and enjoyed ourselves. But to be honest when we stayed at the hotel we were very disappointed. We stayed mid December and the weather was pretty chilly at night. The bungalow we stayed in had the smallest portable heater that really did not give off any heat. Thank god for the two extra blankets they had because we probably would have freeze, take it that it was 38/40degrees. It was literally so cold the walls had condensation dripping and the head bored as well. While we showered the hot water turned off after 5 min. The music and stereo did not work and there was no tv in the room. You have to take a bus to get to your room, understandable because it's a safety issue, but was annoying to go back and forth on this bus. For the price you pay for these bungalows, you would think they would reach your expectations. Definitely was not worth the pretty penny we payed for that weekend. 2 stars for the view and customer service but as for the hotel we would not recommend it. read more

Encuentro Guadalupe - Vacation Rentals Near Me - Ensenada, BCN

Encuentro Guadalupe...Nice place, nice view, interesting rentals, bad wine! Don't ever order the sangrias or the Uriel wine. Ask them to taste it and even the staff will make a face, yuk! Oh yes, the music sucked! Place some latin jazz not thump thump thump hypnotizing techno music ! You think we are teens on meth? Not. Service was slow and not clear because it took a while for someone who speaks english to assist us. And they still could not get the order correct. But when it came to the bill, they were quick. That's tells you something. Jorge on Crossing South TV Program, you got the best treatment. Not us. read more

Its open came here on January 1. Food is excellently, service is slow. Don't go off the main driveway or you will get stuck after the rain. Views 5 stars Architecture: 5 stars Food: 4 stars Wine: 5 stars Service: 3 stars read more

Best cheese plate we've ever had! The beer was cold & the views were beyond amazing! We even enjoyed a cool (albeit short) impromptu tour of the wine cellar from Jose in the tasting room. The service at the upstairs bar could have been a bit faster when we first arrived, but once they took our order everything was so good that I still give it 5 stars! read more

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Beautiful hotel with great service. Not sure what happened to the other reviewers but our experience was awesome. We had a delicious dinner with fresh ceviche and yellowtail paired with local wine and sangria. Enjoyed a fire on our private patio. Had delicious breakfast by the pool, and we were even allowed to bring our dog for a minimal charge. Can't wait to come back! read more

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Regard the restaurant, nice view, but terrible service empty place it was probably 3 couples, in the whole restaurant that waitress never come back an offer another glass of water and i have to wait an hour to get my food. . read more

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Our Trip to Encuentro was a bit of a horror story. If you are not a seasoned traveler in Mexico, I'd steer clear of this establishment. My wife and I (as well as another couple with whom we were traveling) booked a two night stay through Encuentro's website. We showed up on the day and they would not honor the reservation. This obviously turned in to a long-winded debate because here we were in a foreign country with no where to stay. They admitted to receiving and accepting our reservation, but they had increased the rates (more than two-fold) since we had made our reservation and now there was no vacancy. One has to assume they deleted our reservation in order to book someone else at the higher rate. When we came to the realization that they weren't going to help us with our current problem, we asked for them to book us again in the future at the original rate (at the time we still wanted to stay there). We expected some form of compensation because we took time off of work and spent loads of money getting out to Mexico and again we had no where to stay. They were unsympathetic and would not meet any of our requests. In summation, if you fell in love with the design of this hotel via the images you found online like we did, just remember there are other fish in the sea. They do bad business and therefore, are not to be trusted. Play it safe and go elsewhere. read more

Overall this is a very good place. The hotel itself is unique and if I had to rate the hotel it would be 3 starts. The reason for that is because I think it is a little overpriced for what you get. The restaurant we tried some wine and appetizers and one entree and we thought it was good. I will give 5 star for the wine and 4 stars for the food. The view is fantastic, the staff is friendly and I would come back here. read more

Absolutely beautiful place! I've never seen anything like this. The hotel is so unique, I really want to stay here. The Sangria is refreshing and delightful. And the views from up here are breathtaking. The bathrooms have cool revolving doors and they're very clean. This is a must for anyone visiting the wineries in Ensenada. I do suggest not wearing heals to the ladies, the down hill exit is a little steep. read more

Encuentro Guadalupe - The breathtaking view. - Vacation Rentals Near Me - Ensenada, BCN

The location of this gourmet restaurant/hôtel/winery is absolutely breathtaking. We stopped by to have lunch with my family of 13, cousins, siblings etc. we loved the food, the view and the warm, friendly and efficient service provided by our waitress, all hell broke loose however when my mom's meal was brought to our table, it was under cooked so we kindly asked another waitress who was passing by if she could take it back and ask the chef to cook it a little longer, to our surprise it turned out she wasn't a waitress and was instead some sort of robot manager of some sort who immidialaty spat out a very annoying rehearsed speech on how our satisfaction was her priority we told her all was great and that it wasn't that much of a deal it was just that my mother prefers meat well cooked. She took the plate back and we thought that was the end of it except she found our waitress and completely assaulted her in front of every one. We couldn't hear what it was being said but the expression in the poor girls face left no place for doubts. Our meal was absolutely ruined when we saw the way the manager publicly humiliated the waitress when it was obviously not her fault. For this reason I would not be returning to this place. It is a shame to have people like this manager dealing with clients satisfaction as she made us feel very awkward. Excellente nourriture, service impeccable, cadre idyllique mais la responsable est une véritable tortionnaire qui a agressé et humilié publiquement notre serveuse car la cuisson de notre viande n'étais pas tel que on l'avais demandé. On a été choqué et dégoûté par son comportement quand je l'ai confronté elle a sortie un speech tout copié de quelque part qui nous a donné l'impression de parler avec un robot. Vraiment dommage car le cadre est extraordinaire. read more

Encuentro Guadalupe - Encuentro Guadalupe - Vacation Rentals Near Me - Ensenada, BCN

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had an amazing stay here in december. the staff all spoke english and were quick with any request we had. loved the speakers in the ceiling of the rooms that i could use with my iphone. the private balcony with fireplaces were amazing. the pool / jacuzzi area is gorgeous. food was great and the raw bar was playing some of my favorites (toro y moi). def worth the price! read more

One word-HORRIBLE. I traveled a lot and i do understand the importance of having a great experience. The manager and staff have no idea what customer service is,I am not sure why the manager is a manager. TERRIBLE service. Super overpriced hotel. My expirience was very very bad. Had my reservation, made it months in advanced, got to the hotel and they said - i did not have a reservation. They made me pay 100 more on top of the 600 dlls I already paid for 1 room for 4 people. Yes!! 600 +100- ONLY FOR ONE NIGHT. I have asked to water and they said no, because each room only gets 2 bottles of water and they count them every night.... JOKE. DO NOT STAY HERE. Thanks read more

We have since been back to Encuentro and I would like to update my review. We just had coffee as well as a cheese board out on the deck and it was amazing. The homemade jams and the toast were also great as well! Wilbur (our server) was AMAZING and went above-and-beyond in order to take care of us. To be clear, I never like leaving a terrible review like my previous one, but I felt like the message had to be voiced. Well done (Wilbur and Encuentro) and we will definitely be back. read more

Enjoying a great weekend at the vineros en Ensenada with My Lve and his cousins Gustavo and Yadria. Enjoying a cheese plater and aguachile. Sat at the bar received Excellent service. Delicious appetizers to go with our refreshing drinks! read more

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What should've been a lovely experience turned into a nightmare. Our room had an issue with electronic keys, every time we left, keys would deactivate. This happened multiple times, once when we were wet at night in the cold. It took over 20 minutes of shivering before someone came to let us in. Our roller blind did not work and we had a large east facing window so were woken up at 6am by blinding light. The stereo system in the room did not work. We arrived before check in and were told we could take a shuttle up to the breakfast area and order breakfast. After 2 hours the shuttle never arrived. So we walked up the steep cliff ourselves and upon arrival we were told they were not serving any food. We were also told we would be contacted when room was ready at or before 3. At 3:30 with still no word, we walked back down to check. Rooms were ready, we were just not informed. We explained the difficulties we had had at check-out and were told we would get a credit for a free night. We explained we would prefer a refund or partial refund and were told we would get it but needed to email the manager. Two of us spent 1 month emailing with an unresponsive manager who refused to do anything (even give us the credit we were promised) and finally stopped responding. read more

Like nothing you've ever experienced before! It's luxury but discretely tucked right into the hillside. The food and local wines have been astounding! I have Been so impressed with the beautifully crafted and gourmet foods. Every meal in Baja Wine Country is a true culinary experience ! This is why Baja wine country is such a hidden gem! read more

We stayed here in 2013 when it was Endemico and had such a great time we booked a room at Encuentro for 2015 a year in advance. Encuentro was an entirely different experience. When we got to Mexico, they pretended they didn't have our reservation. Then they said they had it but were renovating the hotel and we couldn't stay. This wasn't true either because people who stayed there in January have reviewed the hotel on Trip Advisor. Basically, they cancelled our reservation without telling us so they could book it to other travelers at a higher rate. We were nice about it and tried to book another stay at the same rate but the hotel wanted twice as much. When we asked for a discount because of the money we'd already spent to take time off work and travel to Mexico for no reason, they said they'd get back to us but never did. It's terrifying to be stranded in a foreign country. Even though our reservations were confirmed, they had no problem lying to us and pretending they never got them. If you want to be sure you'll have a place to sleep when you get there, stay somewhere else. read more

I should start out by saying that we're not demanding gringo jerks who loudly pester waitstaff in English and get mad when it takes more than 5 seconds for someone to bring us water. Every person I dined with at this restaurant speaks good Spanish and is patient with or even prefers the slower pace of service in some countries - between the 4 of us we have lived in around 15 different countries for years at a stretch. We made a reservation for the restaurant at Encuentro Guadalupe based on reputation: many people in the Valle told us it was good. They had an opening at 8:30 and we were pleased to get it. We arrived and were seated. Then, we sat. For a really long time. It had been a long drive and we were all thirsty, but no one came. In reality it was probably only 15 minutes, but I went to the bar and asked if we could get water while we waited. The bartender said "sure" and then - and this is a crucial action that would define the rest of our evening at this place - continued to do nothing. No water, no nothing. Our waiter came and we thought it better to order everything at once since he told us the kitchen closed at 9. He took our drink and food orders and then vanished for another 20 minutes. At this point I should mention that they seemed busy, and indeed they mentioned later they had been busy that day. So, understandable why it was taking them so long to do some things. The waiter brought us our waters and wine. But he had forgotten one of the waters, so he left again... for another 15 minutes. He brought some appetizers, but neglected to bring any silverware. So he left again, for another 15 minutes. Two of us had ordered a carrot soup, which was served out of a sort of coffee carafe, and was stone cold. This was rectified, with the usual very very long wait. I had the grilled oysters, which had been grilled at some point in the distant past, and retained a nice grilled flavor but none of the heat that is usually the byproduct of having been cooked. What I'm trying to say is that they were cold. A deal of time later and our food arrived. One of us got the lamb sliders. One of them was cooked medium or so, and looked good, the other was burnt to a crisp and resembled a hockey puck in both flavor and looks. One of us ordered a beet salad which just turned out to be a mound of beets with dressing. One of us ordered the fish of the day which was excellent and cooked perfectly. I ordered the smoked quail gnocchi which contained few gnocchi, a lot of delicious garden tomatoes, and several pieces of delicious smoked quail which was completely cold in the middle, in contrast to the rest of my dish which contained the aforementioned gnocchi, which were hot, and the tomatoes, some of which were lukewarm and some of which were hot. When they brought all these entrees, they neglected yet again to bring us silverware, and the very long wait for these necessary implements of dining probably was a factor in some of the temperature issues we had. I asked to speak to the manager and explained the problem, told him that we just wanted the bill and to leave. That took a long time too. We go the check and put a credit card into the sleeve, and it. Just. Sat. There. For another epic period of time. So I took it up to the cashier. At this point I was pretty depressed: I'm on vacation, I love the Valle, and this place was making me think I had offended some Dining God. I put my head in my hands while waiting for the manager to run the card. In English he said "Hey, man, relax". Like I was stressing HIM out. I bit back a strong retort that would have probably been something along the lines of "I was relaxed before I wandered into this fortress of ineptitude, you arrogant jackhole." Finally, we left. We stiffed the waiter on the tip because he didn't deserve one. The manager explained that they removed my cold gnocchi from the bill - like he was doing me a HUGE favor. Throughout the process, the closest we ever came to an apology was an explanation that "we are really busy". At no point did anyone say anything like "oh hey sorry I brought you all this food to eat but no forks," or "oh hey sorry i brought you out waters but then stopped to chat at the bar with the other waiters who have been standing around doing nothing and also chatting at the bar while you sit and stare longingly at the water in my hand that, by the way, is going to be served to you at room temperature in the plastic bottle in this very elegant restaurant." I think you can give this place a miss (or if you do happen to end up there, maybe try burning it down?), given the massive amount of other amazing places to eat in the Valle de Guadalupe. read more

This might be a bias review since Encuentro Guadalupe is our neighbor and we've been going since they opened up. That said, I have seen vast improvements over time in their service and menu. Yes in the beginning the service was shoddy and slow and the food so so. But I was just there recently and it is much better. First the room, we were fortunate to get a room comped (after all, we live next door, I have the same view, why pay $$ when I can see the view for free), but since it was comped, we enjoyed it. Small but comfy rooms, comfortable beds, nice bathroom, I liked the music system where you can plug your own iPhone in and hear your own music, I even like the lights, cool deck with small fireplace and of course the view. The pool and jacuzzi looked great, but it was too chilly to swim. And the view from the backside is just as impressive. As I said I recently ate there and the service was superb. They have upgraded the decor, the servers were prompt, polite and attentive and more of them. The food is good, our favorites is the green ceviche and the steaks. The sangrias are good and as always, a big plus for me is their selection of local craft beers, some even on tap. I would say that if you could afford it, stay 2+ nights, I never understand staying in a nice hotel for just one night, especially when there is so much too see in the beautiful Guadalupe valley. If you go, tell them Lucas from next door says HI! read more