10 Tips for a Puerto Nuevo Lobster Run

“Three Lobsters for $16!”

My friend and I were wandering the dusty narrow streets of Puerto Nuevo hearing offers left and right from a score of men trying to lure us to their restaurants. $16 was the best offer we had heard so far. The clincher was not the included promise of beans, tortillas, chips, salsa, and tomato soup, but the one free margarita or cerveza to go along with the meal.

My friend and I used to go on an annual lobster run south of the border and taco runs more frequently until the drug violence and kidnappings reached a fever pitch in the late 90’s. Since that time, we had talked wistfully about returning but never did. Until last year, when we walked across the border to good Old Revolution for some tacos and beer and to see what had changed.

A lot.

There were fewer American tourists not of Mexican descent there than in the 90s. The restaurants and bars were relatively empty during our day trip. But the cheap beers and delicious tacos had remained the same. After this trip, we felt good about driving to Puerto Nuevo. It helped that each of us had coworkers recently visit with nothing but good things to say about their experience.

In the end, we were served more delicious lobster than we could possibly eat, ate fresh paletas for dessert, saw great sights new and old, and met many friendly people.

There are a number of things that you can do to help ensure that your trip is successful:

1. You need a passport or a PASS card to visit Mexico.

2. You need to buy Mexican insurance before you leave the United States and keep it in your car during your trip. You can purchase it online or at a few places in San Diego.

3. Drink bottled water – never tap water - or risk Montezuma’s revenge.

4. Check to see what your cell phone plan covers in Mexico. With my Verizon Unlimited Plan, I was surprised to hear that calls and data were covered in Mexico.

5. Map out your trip before you go to Mexico, making copies to keep in your car in case you lose cell service. We indicated our destination as Villa Ortega’s in Puerto Nuevo.

6. If you do use your phone, driving apps are great albeit a little tricky as the streets in Tijuana seemed purposefully confusing.  Waze did not work for me once across the border. However, Google Driving Directions did. It really was a lifesaver when we missed our first turnoff after crossing the border and found ourselves deep into Tijuana where I’m sure few Americans ever venture.

7. Take the toll road. It is faster, smoother, and feels safer.

8. Once in Puerto Nuevo, just know you will pay for parking. The streets are few and narrow and are a pain to drive.  Save yourself time and frustration and pay for parking in one of the first lots you see.

9. There are lots of lobster restaurants in town, all with different specials. Villa Ortega’s has multiple locations throughout the town as they claim to be the original. We ate at one of these.

10.. A second option on crossing the border on the way back is to cross at Otay Mesa. It usually can save you a bit of time.

Have fun!

5 Great Things To Do In Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park are amazing adjacent wilderness areas that are 100 miles closer to Los Angeles than Yosemite and a lot less crowded. Below are five great things to do when visiting these magnificent parks.

1. Visiting the biggest trees in the world. If you are traveling to these national parks, then you must visit the General Sherman Grove and/or the General Grant Grove. The trees a truly magnificent. While the General Sherman is the biggest tree, I enjoy visiting General Grant Grove’s more due to the stories attached to its various trees, especially the Fallen Monarch which had once served as saloon.

2. Hiking Morro Rock. It is a very short, strenuous, half-mile hike that has spectacular views of the Great Western Divide and sheer drop-offs on either side of the trail. There are 400 stairs on the trail. Think of it as a 20-minute Stairmaster. Huffing and puffing to the top, we all enjoyed it, even our teenage boys. It is not to be missed.

3. Drinking milkshakes and root beer floats at Lake Hume. Lake Hume is a gorgeous blue jewel surrounded by a pine forest with a back drop of snowcapped mountains. As if this is not a strong enough lure to entice you to visit the lake, there’s a very large Christian camp here with a host of facilities that includes a snack shop with great burgers and at least a dozen of flavors of ice cream for shakes, floats, and malts. The camp also has one of the best general stores in the two national parks, rents paddle boats and kayaks, and allows fishing with a permit.

4. Hiking to Topokah Falls. This is a 4.4-mile hike that follows the Marble Fork of the Kaweah River. Walking through that granite valley, my son said it was one of the most majestic things he’d ever seen. It is a leisurely hike, although you are in full sun for the last quarter mile to the base of the falls. Sunscreen, hat, and water are necessities.

5. Driving to Road’s End at the bottom of Kings Canyon. Kings Canyon is the deepest canyon in the United States. Yes, it is even deeper than the Grand Canyon. It is also one of the most remote wilderness areas in the world. This is because the road to the bottom of the canyon is closed from November through April. This means that nature can run amok for six months out of the year without human interference. When I told the ranger that I saw a bear in the parking lot, he said, “Oh yeah, they are all over the place down here,” and walked away. In Yosemite, bears cause mass hysteria with rangers following them and hordes of tourists trying to get their picture during the day or banging pots and screaming to scare them away at night. In the canyon, there are a number of great really short hikes to Zumwalt Meadows, Roaring River Falls, Grizzly Falls, and a beach just off the Road’s End parking lot. Also, at Cedar Grove Lodge in the canyon, you can eat a hot lunch and take a shower.

One thing that I have not done is visit Crystal Cave in Sequoia National Park located in the southern end of the park. I have heard good things about it, but have never made it there.

I hope these tips on where to go and what to see when you're in Sequoia and Kings Canyon entice you to go and stay longer than just one day to see the towering trees. These are beautiful areas, uniquely different from Yosemite, that take time to discover all their natural treasures.

Happy trails!

How To Backpack and Summit Southern California's Second Tallest Mountain - San Jacinto

First, mail in an application for a camping permit 8 weeks in advance to the Mount San Jacinto State Wilderness office at the link below. Sites are first come first serve, but you must have a permit to camp.  You can complete the application found on the link below and mail it in. Cost is $5 per person in group.

https://www.pstramway.com/wilderness-permits/

Once the permit has been approved, book your ticket on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway (or buy it when you arrive at the station). Fee $25.95 for adults.

https://www.pstramway.com/

Upon arrival, each vehicle pays $5 to park whether making a day trip or spending the night.

Take the tram to the top (8,516 feet). The station has food and drinks for sale and nice restrooms.  I emphasize nice restrooms because Round Valley only has vault toilets and no place to wash hands.

Leaving the tram station, check in at the ranger station at the base of the ramp to register your arrival.

From here, hike approximately 2.9 miles to Round Valley (9,100 feet).

At the old unmanned ranger station here, check the whiteboard to see which campsites are still available. Write your name next to the site with camping dates to claim it.  Then find the site, pitch camp, relax and go to bed. No campfires are allowed.

Some sites are a little off the beaten path, so it may take some time to find it. But the sites are beautiful.

Also, water is not always available at this location so please check the status with the ranger station near the tram before you head out.  If there is water running from the pipe, it must be treated before drinking.  

The next morning, head out early to San Jacinto peak. We left camp at 7:00 AM with day packs filled with water and trail food. There is no water from this point on.

First, hike 1 strenuous mile up to Wellmans Divide (9,700 feet) for an amazing view. We arrived at 8:20. Then hike 2.7 miles to the top of San Jacinto at 10,834 feet for even more spectacular views. We reached it at 10:20.

On the return, due to an knee problem with one of our party, we did not reach Round Valley until 1:00 PM.  After packing up camp, we left at 2:00 and reached the tram at 3:30.

Mount San Jacinto wilderness area is an amazing location. The top of the tram is about 30 degrees cooler than at the base of the tram. The day we went, it was 112 at the base and 85 at the top. The next day, 78 at the top and 110 at the base. You are surrounded by pine trees and lush meadows at the top, desert at the base. 

It is definitely a memorable trip. Hiking from the tram to San Jacinto and back is approximately 13 miles. It can be done in one day, but it makes for a very long day. I feel it is much better to break it up.

Hotel Review: Hyatt Ziva Cancun - Gorgeous location and layout – service mixed

5 stars for the designer of the Hyatt Ziva Cancun. The two beaches, gorgeous blue waters of the Caribbean Sea, beautiful layout of the pools, fire pits and buildings pleased the eye wherever a visitor looked. Having kayaks, paddle boards, bike rides and different classes, food and drinks, and shows included in the room price was also great.

Resort View

We upgraded to an oceanfront room in the club tower and that was a great decision. Amazing view of Cancun's hotel zone to the south with great snacks available in the lobby all day – from duck to octopus to steak to salmon to veggies and drinks, I can go on and on.  Those little appetizers were better than some of the meals we had. Just grab and go.

View from Room 302

Some shows were very entertaining, some not so much. The star show and Mexican shows were my favorites.

The spa services while pricey were very good. The specials change everyday. The best I saw was the two-for-one massage deal.

Performance During Mexican Show

It was disappointing that many activities/shows on the activity board changed or were cancelled. For example, the fire show became the break dance show, the ice show the circus show and spa theater was cancelled.

While I primarily had good staff interactions (staff at spa and restaurants), I also had many lukewarm ones and one bad one. The bad one I brought up to the Hyatt food and service manager but never heard anything more.

Overall, I had a great time.

Note: My wife and I used the 4 free hotel night certificate’s to book and pay for the Hyatt Ziva rooms that we earned through the Hyatt Visa Card by Chase. We paid an additional $40 a night for the room/tower upgrade ($10 per person per night).

Hotel Review: Hampton Inn Cancun - Great Staff – In Downtown Not in Beach Zone

Victor, David and the rest of the front desk staff were always friendly and helpful with suggestions on places to eat, things to do and making sure taxis were always available to take us to our early morning excursion meeting points.

The rooms were clean.  But they are too small for a rollaway bed.  When you have parents and two teenage boys, one boy will probably be sleeping on the floor by choice.  They did provide us with extra blankets and sheets and comforters for the floor but while rough, it never convinced the boys to share the bed.  It would have been great if the hotel had a small cot or something, especially if you brought Grandma along.

The breakfast was your basic free Hampton Inn breakfast: make your own waffle, toast, cereal, and fruit but they did include a couple of hot plates with potatoes and eggs.

The Hampton Inn is in a new shopping area called La Roca. The hotel is so new (three months old) most taxi drivers didn’t know where it was.  However, they all knew where La Roca was.  The shopping area has a brand new movie theater with first run movies (we watched Wonder Woman for 70 pesos = $4), good inexpensive restaurants from pizza to Mexican to Sushi to a TGI Fridays, and a Suprema grocery store and Sam’s Club all within a block of each other. 

View of La Roca from hotel

The only drawback of the Hampton Inn is that it is nowhere near beach or water access. If your dreams of Cancun are spending your days laying on a beach all day drinking Pina Coladas, this is not for you. But if you want a clean friendly hotel with free breakfast surrounded by good inexpensive food as a base for your excursions, I recommend the Hampton Inn.

The way we planned it was to stay here at the beginning of our trip and do our major excursions to Xcaret and Chichen Itza then move on to a beach hotel to drink those Pina Coladas.

Note: At the time of this review the Hampton Inn is the only Hilton property in Cancun.  It opened in April. So if you have a free weekend night certificate through the Hilton credit cards or points to use, you now have a place to stay in Cancun.

Cancun Part 2 - Using the Hotel Certificates

Now that we were armed with our points and certificates we booked the hotels first.  The reason being hotel nights can be canceled with no penalties up to 24 hours to a week before hand.  Airlines however tend to have "no cancellation" policies, so if the flights did not work we could always move the hotel days or even the vacation destination. 

First we booked, the Hyatt_Ziva for four nights.  This hotel looks amazing on the web site, has great reviews, and more importantly is all-inclusive so I do not have to worry about a massive food bill from feeding two teenage boys. Looking at the Hyatt website, the prices in June run $906 per night!

Hyatt Ziva from cancun.ziva.hyatt.com

Being so amazing, we were fortunate that we were able to book four nights that fit into our vacation plans.

The Hilton's reward_program is a little trickier.  As mentioned in last week's post, the certificate's have to be used with a category one 1-to-4 hotel and used on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday night.

In January 2017, when I first looked Hilton had no hotels in Cancun. Amazing, I know.

But on April 1, a Hampton_Inn opened in downtown Cancun.  Not only was it part of the Hilton family of hotels, it was a category 2 hotel.

Hampton Inn Cancun from hamptoninn3.hilton.com

I immediately called and booked three nights (Friday, Saturday and Sunday). I also used 23,000 points I already earned to book the fourth night - Monday night.

I could have booked the Ziva Monday through Thursday night and then the Hampton Inn the Friday night before we left if I wanted to only use certificates to book our stays, but for me, it was not worth the hassle to switch hotels. Even if I didn't have enough points, the Hampton Inn as of this writing was relatively inexpensive at $104.00 per night and I would have paid for the one night versus lugging our stuff between hotels on our last day.

So, while the Hampton Inn was not as an amazing deal as the Hyatt Ziva, I feel paying $200 for four nights in Cancun is still a deal. It even includes free breakfast.  Our plan is to do most of our traveling while we're at the Hampton Inn and laze around when we're at the Ziva.

Next week: booking the flights - patience