Ensenada: Salty Air, Sea Breeze, and Making Memories
Oh Ensenada, you do it to me every time! With each visit, I begin to fall more and more for you. As I mentioned previously, we ventured down to the Hotel Coral y Marina for the Conchas y Vino Nuevo festival. Prior to spending the afternoon walking up and down tasting and sipping away at all of the booths of the event, we checked into the hotel for the night. As soon as we pulled up to the parking lot, it was as if I was back to being 12 years old, and paying a visit to this beautiful hotel for the first time. A little blast into my past. I grew up on the water..I sailed many summers away in Newport Harbor, and my parents also owned a yacht that stayed in the marina of the Hotel Coral & Marina. I have many fond memories of our stay then, and could not wait to visit with my little family of my own. Fast forward about 17 years or so.
Here I am standing at the check-in counter, the sun is shining through the windows, little Camila is on my hip, and Giovanni is tugging at my arm to take him out to the pool already. So towards the pool we go. If you have visited the hotel, you may know that just a few feet from that pool is a park with brightly colored slides, that most definitely any four year old will not be able to dismiss from their memory.
After a few ups and down on the slides, and teeters on the see saw I distracted Giovanni to looking out at all of the gorgeous yachts in the marina. He promptly asked if we could go on every single one, and I said that it was better if we just looked and enjoyed from where we were standing.
It was such a great feeling to be able to leave the festival, and just be steps from where we would stay for the night. We knew that we had dinner plans at Manzanilla, so we decided to head up to the room to let the kids relax, while the adults took in the views from the balcony.
Oh yes, dinner at Manzanilla. One of our favorite restaurants in the area, that always leaves me yearning for the delicious creations of Chef Benito Molina. His wife Solange is always there to greet us, and is always so accommodating.
We still managed to have plenty of room left after the festival. Being so close to the abundance of fresh seafood, you can't help but indulge. I mean look at the crust on that piece of Jurel pictured right there! Giovanni and Camila spilt their tomato and olive spaghetti dish. The hostess even made sure that they gave us a kids sized portion. It may not seem like much, but details such as these truly make it all the better. Our bellies were full of oysters, tiradito, and more, and most of all our hearts happy from yet another memorable evening in Ensenada.
Another fun side trip with the littles, is to the city's black market. I love to show my kids where their food comes from. Giovanni is finally at that age where he understands it all. Walking up and down the boardwalk isn't a bad way to spend the day either. Don't forget to stop for some fish tacos!
Thank you Ensenada for showing me your beauty every time we come. We had a wonderful stay at the Hotel Coral y Marina, and we honestly can't wait to make a return trip. Enjoying our cups of coffee on the balcony before heading out for the day, made it too easy not to miss it!
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Hotel Coral y Marina | MAP Carretera Tijuana-Ensenada Km. 103 #3421 22860 Ensenada, B.C. Mexico
Manzanilla Restaurant | MAP Blvd. Teniente Azueta #139, Centro 22800 Ensenada, B.C. Mexico +52 646 175 7073