The Residence Inn Real del Mar hotel in Baja, Mexico (only 20 miles south of San Diego) was a very nice
surprise! We had been booked for Hawaii for April, but with all the rain, we cancelled at the last minute. Since it was Spring Break, we decided to drive until we "hit sun". We had read reviews of this property, so we gave it a try. Beautiful location above the highway, overlooking the ocean and golfcourse. Pool was limited, but adequate for our children (age 9). Restaurant on site was great and drive to Puerto Nuevo for lobster-$10 for a full dinner that was fantastic! Rosarito was crazy with Spring Break kids, but we had plenty to do around the area for a couple of days. Fellow travelers said the golf course was great ($55 with cart) and there is a beautiful tennis area on site. Great getaway!

This place has alot of potential! The grounds are beautiful and the golf is cheap and nice and there is a fancy restaurant (not for kids) the people are very nice too... but there is so much bird poop everywhere we could not go out on our balcony the window in the bedroom was covered in bird poop and so were the walkways...they were nesting on the balcony...it really ruined the beautiful ocean view!!! There are ways to get rid of the birds I don't know why they have not. The rooms were nice except for the dirty carpet.

Our family intially rolled the dice deciding wheter or not to stay at this property. To our surprise our room were spacious, clean, bright with an accomadting view of the golf course and ocean. What more could you ask for.
To top it off there are several interesting towns (within 1 hour driving) if your are willing to some day traveling.
Our most interesting and fullfilling venture was Puerto Nuevo. Lobster on top of lobster and more lobster. Check this...1 whole lobster, all the rice, all the beans, all the fresh tortillas, all the salad you can eat for $9.00. I forgot to include the 2 complimentary magaritas. If you are in the area, this is a must do.
I suggest the smaller outdoor resturants. It gives you the real baja atmosphere.
We we arrived back to the hotel happy hour was still on with spirits and light snacks. Overall we were definetly impressed with our 2 day stay at the Marriott Residence Inn / Baja
Have Fun!

Wow... We loved it. We had a hectic day in Tijuana (rental car mix up) and had to take a taxi from the Tijuana airport, but once we arrived at the hotel... we were in PARADISE! Gosh, it is so beautiful. We arrived on a January evening, it was one of those Santa Ana winds day and the temp was still in the 70's with a slight breeze...

It was just enchanting... we arrived... the place had lovely lighting and a beautiful onsite chapel, our room was a beautiful one bedroom apartment on the side of a mountain over looking the ocean and views towards San Diego. (and a full moon)

Although Marriott had not told the hotel about our pre-paid reservation, the staff was still incredibly friendly and took us at our word. They gave us our key and that was it... the next morning I asked if they had heard from Marriott... and they replied... No worries... I am sure all will be fine.

We then went in and had breakfast... eggs, bacon, juice and toast... a terrific way to start out the day.

Anyway, the hotel sits in a master-planned community with a housing development, golf course and a couple of tourist type shops.

I am telling you... we loved our visit so much to this hotel, we actually pondered the thought of how lovely it would be to have one of the homes nearby.

The hotel is away from Tijuana and although off the beaten path, I would choose to stay here any day of the week... and yes, true it is a bit more expensive then other lodging in town, but trust me... well worth every penny.

We were there for only a weekend... but the memory will last a lifetime. Truly lovely!!!

So yes, I give it 5 stars... FRIENDLY staff which spoke perfect english.. mi espanol es muy malo :0)
told us about the area things to do, fix a terrific FREE breakfast each morning and the setting and grounds are truly world class! Just a PERFECT weekend get away and yet so close to the states. Hard to believe that you are only about 10 miles to California. (lovely)