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.
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.
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!
