Santuario Diegueño

The place

Santuario Diegueño is a 26-room boutique hotel in the Esteban Cantú neighborhood of Tecate, a few minutes from the border crossing. Its name honors the Kumeyaay, whom the missionaries of San Diego called Diegueños, and the hotel describes itself as sitting at the north gate of the Baja wine route. The architecture is neo-vernacular, with stone walls, gardens of native plants, and a collection of Mexican art set along its hallways and paths. The wine is at the table. Asao, the restaurant, has large windows and a wide terrace, cooks with local seasonal produce, and keeps a wine list made up only of Mexican wines. The hotel also has a bar, a pool, a gym, in-room massages, and tours, and its Peregrinos hall, with movable walls, hosts weddings and meetings for up to 630 guests. For travelers crossing at Tecate on their way to the wine valleys, it is a place to spend the night in town before heading south on Highway 3, or to have dinner with Mexican wine without leaving the hotel. It also suits groups looking for a wedding venue with rooms on site.