When you think of "Mexico," usually images of sandy beaches and endless ocean come to mind. Not modern architecture in the middle of wine country, right? When we weren't gorging ourselves on lobsters with Bryan and Adam, we found ourselves driving around Valle de Guadalupe, which is Mexico's wine country!

Only about a 2 hour drive from San Diego, wineries in Valle de Guadalupe have teamed up with creative chefs and architects to create their Ruta del Vino (wine route!). We didn't know this at the time though, and instead just found ourselves amazed at the hip(ster) Mexican oasis that is Encuentro Guadalupe Antiresort. It is stunning!

Encuentro is an "eco-hotel" that has modern yurt-like rooms nestled along a hill, overlooking the rolling greenery of the valley. Not pictured? The infinity pool behind it all. We didn't stay here, but trust us when we say we definitely want to go back for longer next time! Especially since it's so close to the border, more Californians should really hit up Mexico more often.

It wouldn't be wine country without some wine - and food. The tasting room is a bright, open room with gorgeous views and a calming atmosphere - which is perfect for happy hour at sunset. If you want more info on the wines in the region, we'll leave it to the professionals: WineMag has a great resource on the area.

Basically, we just really loved it here. Encuentro's wine is hyper-local and for sale only at the winery. Plus, in the summer they have a mini-Farmer's Market with samples of hand-made cheeses, olive oil, jams, and other treats.

Okay, and one more of those yurts because...seriously.

After visiting Encuentro, we got a little lost in the valley and were amazed at how green everything was! When we saw some coconuts at Cocos Locos, we obviously had to make a quick pit/photo stop.

Fresh coconuts cut with a machete? Yes, please.

Thanks to our favourite LA boys Bryan and Adam for coming along with us - you'll see more of them in some of our other California posts, but you can also follow them on Instagram here and here.

Thanks for reading! We were paid $0 for this blog post. If you loved it, consider sharing it with your friends (or visiting the local businesses!) <3

Hip(ster) Mexico