Ensenada: February, 2006

Some people believe Ensenada is Spanish for "stay on the ship."

When you're on a three day weekend cruise on either Royal Caribbean Monarch of the Seas or Carnival Paradise, Ensenada is your only port, so you might want to check it out for yourself before accepting this translation.

Regular shuttle busses take passengers from the ship to downtown Ensenada for a nominal fee, but you can walk there in fifteen minutes. The stroll takes you past begging street urchins, bussed in from outlying villages by ruthless organizers who essentially act as pimps.  You'll also pass vendors hawking cheap sunglasses and other wares. Once you reach the downtown area, you'll find that while it may not be a charming Mexican village, it is much cleaner than it used to be. By noon, the streets are teeming with tourists buying sombreros, Cuban cigars and Hussong's tee shirts.

When we walk into town, our primary destination is usually Papas & Beer, a wild cantina where unsuspecting patrons are turned into human blenders by waiters who pour tequila drinks in them and shake them up. It's not unusual for some girls who've downed a few too many tequillas to end up dancing provocatively on tables. Going to a Mexican cantina like this, where the minimum drinking age is 18, has become something of a right of passage for some.

As you may guess, downtown Ensenada is not everyone's cup of tea. Many like to take a tour bus out to La Bufadora, a rare blowhole that shoots sea waves high into the air along a beautful stretch of craggy coastline.

The 45 minute drive out there is bumpy and not exactly the Loire Valley, but you do see how Mexicans really live, which should make you appreciate living in the USA. Once at La Bufadora, you find an extensive flea market lining the path to the blowhole. I personally like to have some tortilla chips and drinks at the rooftop bar of Havana Banana, which commands a gorgeous coastal view.

I consider the best excursion in Ensenada to be the winery tour. Surprisingly, east of Ensenada you'll find a couple of beautiful wineries that produce very good vintages.

The drive is certainly better than the trek to La Bufadora, and the wineries themselves are lovely.

My favorite, LA CETTO WINERY, has a bullring which, when we saw it on a previous cruise in September of 2001, was dramatically crowned in bougainvillea.

Muy bonita.


The cruise ships keep adding more excursions to make this port more appealing, like a new ATV and Wine Country Tour.

While you can certainly have a fun time staying on the ship to enjoy the pools and other onboard activities with Ensenada as a back drop, you might want to sample Ensenada before writing it off.