A Wine Lover’s Heaven in Mexico
April 15, 2024
VIP Vacations’ President, Jennifer Doncsecz, talks about her delightful experience at El Cielo Winery in Guadalupe Valley.
The El Cielo Winery and resort is located less than 2 hours south of the San Diego Airport. It is in the glorious region of Guadalupe Valley, home to Mexico’s wine trails in Baja California. Often referred to as Mexico’s, Napa Valley, the beautiful wine route in the Guadalupe Valley hosts dozens of renowned wineries. El Cielo is especially unique because of its beautiful resort, wedding chapel, restaurants, as well as amazing wine! El Cielo translates in English as “Heaven” which appropriately describes the location.
The Resort
Mountains cradle this boutique hotel and winery, which sits on 79 acres adorned with olive trees, sparkling lakes, and sprawling vineyards. The villas are Tuscan architectural in design and unique to the area. Every villa features stunning views of the lakes, mountains and vineyard. The winery and tasting complex is hacienda inspired and designed from the natural rock found when constructing the winery complex. There are 56 suites positioned within 2,350-square-foot villas. The villas feature 3 bedrooms with individual access. Along with private terraces, each are equipped with living rooms with sofa beds, Nespresso coffee machines and smart TVs. Some of the larger villas have dining rooms, kitchens and wraparound terraces. Guests staying here can enjoy the walking trail on the resort grounds, or use the included bicycles to tour the vineyards. There is a large outdoor pool and firepits to soak in the views with a glass of wine in hand. Additionally, the resort is the only 5 star accommodation in the area.
The Winery
The El Cielo winery produces 15 different varieties of wines, many of which have won international awards. Wine lovers can partake in El Cielo’s wine numerous seminars. In fact, there is a wine-blending course, where guests can create their own bottle of wine with a personalized label. El Cielo’s has a commitment to producing high quality wines and they avoid the use of pesticides. Therefore, this has resulted in the winery utilizing hawks and falcons (and trained Falconer’s) to deter crows and other small animals from ruining the vines. Guests can also meet the Falconer’s and see the birds in action during their stay. It truly is a wine lover’s heaven!
The Food
The resorts two restaurants feature Baja-Yucatan farm to table cuisine and include wine tastings from the El Cielo winery. Charcuterie boards are available to purchase. Guests can picnic on the grounds or take a motorized cart tour along with a sommelier guide who highlights the different varietals of grapes. Their Latitude32 restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Additionally, the Polaris restaurant is open for only breakfast and dinner. El Cielo can also arrange transportation to other local wineries and to the San Diego or Tijuana airports.
Having stayed at El Cielo two times, I can honestly say that I have been to heaven and back and can’t wait to return again! If you are looking to excite the wine lover in you, please reach out today!