A Taste of Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico

Just an hour and half south of the San Diego is a wine, culinary and getaway sanctuary. I spent a quick 24 hours getting a small taste of all that Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico has to offer.

Our driver took us to our first stop at Adobe Guadalupe. Reservations are a must for their private cellar and I highly recommend this. Their wines are phenomenal. We were all pleasantly surprised and everyone purchased several bottles on our way out. The property is gorgeous, surrounded by vineyards, stables and roaming horses. There are actually six rooms at the Hacienda on the hill where you can stay and dine in the evening al fresco at El Jardin.

Our next stop was lunch at Finca Altozano by renowned Chef Javier Plascencia. It's set on beautiful outdoor patio with ceiling fans that attempted to cool us from the unexpected heat wave, which drove temperatures above 100 degrees. Every single thing we had was absolutely divine and I could not get enough of the warm, fresh baked bread.

Since Monte Xanic was closed to a private function, our next stop was the new 360 degree tasting room at Torres Alegre y Familia. It could have been the heat getting to me and the fact that the tasting room was probably hotter than it was outside because of the glass, but my experience here was something left to be desired. We struggled to get through the tasting and quickly jumped in our air conditioned vehicle waiting for us outside.

Arriving at Bruma was a welcome oasis. This very quaint hotel currently only has five rooms and makes you feel like you're staying at someone's personal home. When we arrived we couldn't find a soul in sight and found our way to the only two free rooms in the property and plopped down our luggage. This is definitely part of the relaxed and non-invasive vibe you will get staying here. Built with natural rock and materials, large glass sliding doors to your own personal sitting areas overlooking the vineyards, large trees or picnic tables; it truly is unique.

Since our room's air conditioning was broken (apparently it happens frequently in rooms 1 & 2, so try to avoid those if you're going down there in the summer), we quickly changed into our bathing suits, helped ourselves to some Coronas from the "honor-bar" coolers located throughout the property, and found the swimming pool, where we found our first two humans. Ultimate privacy and relaxation.

That evening we tried their new restaurant on the hill, Fauna, which had opened days prior to our arrival and it was incredible! Outdoor setting, communal picnic tables, delicious cocktails and unique, beautiful dishes. A must try is the tamahawk steak, where you pick your own cut! This is the kind of place where the chef is driving you back to your room that evening in his car, telling you about his life story.

In the morning, we woke up to the smell of fresh banana muffins baking in the kitchen next to our room. Walked out our sliding glass doors and enjoyed coffee, chilaquiles rojos and verdes, beans and fresh fruit on a dreamy picnic table.

This was truly a unique and beautiful experience, leaving me with a thirst for more. I hope that while Valle de Guadalupe continues to grow and gain popularity, that the rustic charm remains.