Best Western El Cid

The place

Best Western El Cid stands on Avenida López Mateos, the street locals call Calle Primera, in downtown Ensenada, between Blancarte and Alvarado and next door to El Rey Sol restaurant. It opened in 1972 and keeps its Mexican colonial architecture, with tiles, blown glass and work by artists and artisans from across the country. According to the hotel, the Guadalupe Valley is about 20 minutes away. For wine travelers, the hotel offers its guests two tours of the wine route. The shared tour includes transportation and a guided visit led by a winemaker, and the hotel website lists stops at the Entre Santos, El Cielo and Shedeh wineries, the Museum of the Vine and Wine and a cheese tasting. The family tour goes to three places on the route that guests choose, whether wineries, attractions or restaurants. Rooms range from singles and doubles to a junior suite and a jacuzzi suite, all with a kitchenette, refrigerator, air conditioning, heating, Wi-Fi and a view of the bay or the pool. There is a restaurant, a bar, a gym, a pool and parking, a spa with massages and wine therapy, and the hotel is pet friendly. It works for travelers who want to sleep downtown, walk to the restaurants on Calle Primera and head up to the valley on a tour without driving. It also suits families traveling with a pet.