Rancho Tecate — Local services in Baja California

My husband and I recently visited the Rancho Tecate Inn by using our RCI freebie certificate (got it from a Wyndham vacation rentals presentation). We stayed for 3 nights in early April over the weekend. Weather was perfect! Since then, we've been singing the praises of this resort to all our friends and family. We were in need of an affordable getaway to feel refreshed. The team at the Rancho Tecate resort delivered. We can't wait to return!

This was our first visit to Mexico in about 7 years. I traveled to Baja very regularly in my childhood and in college years, as my husband did. But up until this trip, we were skeptical due to safety concerns. I am so glad we returned. Tecate and inland Baja is completely different from Tijuana. Safer, less traffic, better main highway without tolls, fewer tourist traps, and most important, INCREDIBLE food and wine at a bargain!

We arrived at this beautiful Ranch only 2 hours after leaving work on Friday in north county San Diego. We crossed the border in Tecate which is a huge time saver over Otay and TJ. The Inn is located on a 500 hectare Ranch, that is fully gated and secure with round the clock guards at the entrance. The Ranch is home to the Inn, a winery, restaurant, bar, equestrian center, pool and jacuzzi, natural lake, and a private gated community with huge mansions in the hills. It has a cowboy vibe with dirt roads, but immaculately maintained grounds in traditional Mexican style.

The food and wine was a great value and very nicely presented. The rooms were very clean, with comfy soft beds. We had a regular room, but it was still big and had a very nice private patio with a waterfall! Our bathroom was fully upgraded with a rain shower.

Above all, the best part of Rancho Tecate was the service! They really went the extra mile to make us feel well taken care of. Carlos was our resort point of contact for the weekend (he has very good English and our Spanish is muy malo). He is incredible and made us feel so special.

Over the weekend we went on a romantic horseback ride on the ranch, vegged by the pool in a cabana, and explored the wine country in the nearby Valle de Guadalupe (45 min drive south on highway 3).

The horseback ride was much more than we expected. They pair you with horses based on your riding experience, and take you into the hills with a guide for a wine and cheese picnic. But it's more than a picnic. They set up an incredible full table and tufted chairs at the most scenic spot on the property! The hills were very green and the wildflowers were blooming. So epic!

Lounging by the pool was great. Geraniums were springing up from around each cabana, which rented for $15 daily. You could smell the freesia blooming on the nearby pergola covering the special event area. So relaxing! We ordered a bottle of local white wine chilled perfectly and aquas frescas poolside, and it was less than $20 USD with tip.

The Valle de Guadalupe was our only excursion, and was beyond all expectations. Drive was very easy and lovely. Road is really nice. We visited the wine museum first, had a latte, and planned our stops. We chose Deckman's, Lechuza, and las Nubes. I recommend all 3 heartily. Deckman's was my best meal in years, north or south of the border. Lechuza's wine, atmosphere, and service was awesome. And the views of the valley at las Nubes was a great end to our day.

All in all, a great stay. We can't wait to return and bring our family. I'd recommend this resort to all. Grab your passports and head...

I booked my stay with Snaptravel,which I later learned, not to do. I arrived at the hotel on a Saturday night, did the check in and was then taken to the room.* Tip: It gets really really cold there, so take a warm jacket😉. Two hours later the electricity goes outand with it the AC/heater unit, and so I call the front desk and they tell me that it's got to do something with the electric company,funny because there's light in the hallway and other rooms,but not mine. It takes them 3 hrs to solve the issue,which was to reset the circuit breaker. Next morning I check in with the front desk to see if I could go hike on the grounds and or use the jacuzzi,they said it was "unavailable", "all we have is the restaurant and the rooms". Would the website have mentioned the amenities were not available,I would've not stayed there.Monday morning a water line broke,so there was no water in the building I was staying in. I asked to see if I could be put in another room so that my lady and I could shower and get ready and they declined. They said there was no water in the entire hotel. I was pretty upset at this point because now I would have to check into another hotel to shower,so I asked for a one night refund. When I initially asked ,they told me that because I didn't book with themy directly I would have to petition that refund with Snaptravel. So then I asked them if they could give me a written statement( just like the snaptravel website asks to do) stating that they would reimburse me for the one night, and they reluctantly did. Did I get reimbursed by Snaptravel?- NO Lesson of the story: Don't stay at this hotel. Another tip: The amenities are most of the time either not available,not working,there's not an attendant,etc. So don't book a hotel because of the amenities they offer. If you're looking for something in particular,do...

Speaking in regards to my experience as a property owner here, currently making payments on time and all, but things started off great as they were trying to sell us land and promised things we later found out to be a lie. There is no one who takes ownership or responsibility as a manager. I’ve been trying to solve an issue for 3 weeks now and keep getting the runaround with our sales agent and haven’t had any luck getting a call back from her manager or the their manager. Literally no one is taking responsibility and we feel completely tricked into a situation we were once happy and proud of. This place needs a lot of work before I would suggest others to start investing. It could be really great here...