Things To Do in Rosarito Beach

The dozen or so blocks north of the Rosarito Beach Hotel abound with the stores typical of Mexican border towns: curio shops, cigar and licores (liquor) stores, and farmacias (where drugs like Viagra, Retin-A, Prozac, and many more are available at low cost and without a prescription). More interesting is Rosarito's traditional carved wooden furniture -- plentiful downtown along Bulevar Benito Juárez -- and pottery, best purchased at stands along the old highway, south of town. A reliable but more expensive furniture shop is Casa Neri (formerly Casa La Carreta), Km 29.5, on the old road south of Rosarito (tel. 619/308-7991 in the U.S., or 661/612-0502; www.casaneri.com), where you can see plentiful examples of the best workmanship -- chests, tables, chairs, headboards, cabinets, and cradles -- and nearly 40 years of family-run custom furniture.

The most popular spot in town is Papas & Beer (tel. 661/612-0444; www.papasandbeer.com) on Rosarito Beach. It's a relaxed, bikini-and-board-shorts type club on the beach with blaring hip-hop music and umbrellas in the sand, just a block north of the Rosarito Beach Hotel. Even for those young in spirit only, it's great fun, with open-air tables and a bar surrounding a sand volleyball court. It's open daily all year long from 11am to 3am. Or choose from several other adjacent clubs, each offering booming music, spirited dancing, and all-night-long energy. Cover charges vary depending on the season, the crowd, and the mood of the staff. The Salon Méxicano (tel. 661/612-0144), in the Rosarito Beach Hotel, attracts a slightly more mature crowd, with a Mexican fiesta every Friday and Saturday night and karaoke on the nights you're lucky enough to catch it. The Fiesta Mexicana features folkloric dance performances, mariachis, and a buffet-style Mexican dinner.