Tijuana, Mexico

Several items from Tour Gastronomic No. 5 at La Diferencia (under $25).

Checking in at the lobby of the 'Five Star' Grand Hotel Tijuana, all stereotypes and errant news about "dangerous" Mexico just fade. From the moment you are greeted in English by well groomed receptionists, you discover that differences are few between one side of the border and the next. The accents spoken and uniforms worn by hotel staff can easily be found in San Diego, Los Angeles or San Francisco. But what jumps out at you is the cost of things--and Tijuana wins for value! A spacious room with buffet breakfast and views of a country club golf course was offered at half the price of a comparable room in nearby Coronado Island or San Diego.

With the same great weather as its U.S. neighbor, Tijuana affords many vacation luxuries for Californians (and Americans) feeling the pinch of high cost housing, transportation and food. This renaissance city that has exceeded San Diego in population (near 1.5 million residents,) offers lower prices for tourists on nearly every count.

Some shoppers seek the silver crafted jewelry with semi-precious stones, duty free liquor or a tropical-themed stained glass window arrangement. But the top attraction worth the cost of a meal ticket is nouveau cuisine. Ranging from Mediterranean/Mexican fusion to Continental Mex, the difficult aspect of gourmet dining in Tijuana isn't the (affordable) cost, but the fact that you must leave it behind and return home at some point. During U.S. vacations, Americans often try to skimp on meals because gourmet dining isn't cheap―it can more than double the cost of a trip. So the secret recipe for Tijuana visits is that you can have your cake and also eat it. Now that's a twist of limón to squeeze atop your platter of duck tacos served at the famed La Querencia, the only Baja Med restaurant in the world. more..>
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