We will be in Carlsbad in April, then down to Cabo San Lucas for a week. Where should I buy wine in Carlsbad and how much can I bring to Mexico?
First time in Cabo: Anything I shouldn't (or should) miss?

You should miss Cabo.

Carlsbad is in north county San Diego. I can help if you are willing to travel about 20 minutes south. I don't know the specifics about transporting wine to Mexico. We have brought several bottles of wine in our suitcase without a problem.

Where are you staying in Cabo? Will you have a car? James Molesworth was just in Cabo. Check out his blog. My personal favorites for Mexican food in Cabo San Lucas are Mi Casa and La Fonda. Enjoy your trip.

Carlsbad is in north county San Diego. I can help if you are willing to travel about 20 minutes south. I don't know the specifics about transporting wine to Mexico. We have brought several bottles of wine in our suitcase without a problem.

Where are you staying in Cabo? Will you have a car? James Molesworth was just in Cabo. Check out his blog. My personal favorites for Mexican food in Cabo San Lucas are Mi Casa and La Fonda. Enjoy your trip.[/quote]
Thanks RGBS, I will have a car in SD county an probably stay at Terrasol in Cabo.

Can't help with Carlsbad, nor bringing wine into Mexico, though do what you have to, as wine prices in Cabo are outrageous - I want to say my client paid over USD$200 for Far Niente cab somewhere...

Here're a couple thoughts on Cabo - not sure if you have read about it but here's a little background - the Los Cabos area, for tourists anyway, is the strip of seacoast between two towns, San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas. San Jose is the sleepier, more Mexican feeling town, and is closer to the airport. Cabo San Lucas itself is the party town, where Sammy Hagar has Cabo Wabo, and there are a ton of other nightlife options.

Los Cabos is definitely a sun-'n-fun, as opposed to a cultural, destination, so the daytime focus is on activities like golf, whale watching (you should still catch the whales, I think they leave at end of March), deep sea fishing, pool-sitting, etc. One thing you might be interested in is checking out a town called Todos Santos, about an hour off the strip. It's a more or less authentic artists' colony and real Mexican town that doesn't feel as touristy as the strip.

One restaurant in CSL that I like is Edith's; I recommend one of the house specialty combo plates. The restaurant is a touch touristy but it's good with good service. It's open air; they have fire pits and heaters and bring you blankets if it's chilly.

In San Jose, there are a number of decent restaurants that aren't spectacular but have good authentic Mexican food in a good atmosphere - I ate at Damiana's this time but there are several others that are good too - Morgan's, Morgan's Encore, etc. San Jose has a nice relaxed feel and a town square to wander around. The shopping is mostly tchotchkes, but you might find some of the art interesting. There's jewelry, mostly running to traditional Mexican silver - but I don't know much about quality, pricing, etc.

If you want some fine dining, I can recommend the restaurant at Esperanza Resort, where I stayed this time. It ain't cheap but it's good. If you go, I had the best margarita I've ever had there. Another couple that would be good are the two restaurants at One and Only Palmilla resort; Aqua is the upper-mid range and feels Mexican, while "C" is Charlie Trotter's outpost and is quite trendy (and expensive) - has a great wine cellar and you can get a chefs table in the kitchen. BTW, both these hotels are great.

The overall feel of Los Cabos is very casual. Everything except the resorts may seem a little "down at the heels" but Cabo can be a great destination to relax and kick back in.

One tip - don't cut it short when going back to the airport. Plan on arriving AT the airport two hours before your flight at least - this last time I didn't make my flight after getting there about 1hr 15 mins in advance. The lines move very slowly since they hand check all your bags before you get to the check in counter.

I think you are allowed 300 ml per person going into Mexico, 4 bottles. You will probably want to confirm this with a government site online. Easier to get through without inspection if the wine carrier is inside a piece of luggage.

When you arrive at the airport, you will be beseiged by people trying to make an appointment with you for a timeshare presentation. I ask for two free rounds at El Dorado in exchange for my time and they will scatter as it is now a private golf course.

I second the recs of Mi Casa and Edith's. Go early to Edith's so you can enjoy the view while the sun is still up as it is just a dark black hole at night.

For wine, there is a new Costco with a decent wine selection. The place we usually stay does not have good wine glasses so I tend to bring wine glasses and the last trip I bought some stemless glassware at Costco for about $32 for 8. Nothing worse than trying to drink wine from a thick "wine" glass, could not smell a damn thing. Try thinking of the thick blue rimmed marqerita glasses in the shape of a wine glass. If you are staying at a place with a kitchen, this is also a good place to pick up some things as the quality of beef, fish, and poultry is similar to that of the states.

There is a new water park that allows you to swim with the dolphins. Have not been but saw pics of the people who sat next to me on the return flight. They enjoyed the experience.

I enjoyed El Squid Roe the most for night life. If you go to the Giggling Marlin, do not let your partner go in a dress and go on stage as they will try to hang her upside down, like a Marlin, and take pics of same.

There is a new mall and some of the restaurants along the harbor are nice, but touristy. I have enjoyed some of the boiled shrimp places in downtown and always game to try out the backsteet taquieras.

The undertow is tremendous in some areas.

We have a family beach house in Carlsbad. If you're looking for great Mexican food, try Fidel's in town.

Wine Street
6986 El Camino Real
Carlsbad, CA 92009

winestreet.com

Also, the Costco in Carlsbad is worth a wine forage.

quote:

Originally posted by Darlene:
We have a family beach house in Carlsbad. If you're looking for great Mexican food, try Fidel's in town.

Not what I would choose......

Fidel's is pretty bad. Las Olas is better. Carlsbad is pretty much a dining wasteland.