The Wondrous Evolution of Baja’s Luxury Getaway, La Villa De Valle

When I first spied the Villa del Valle Tuscan manors came to mind. At least fantasies of them. I’ve never seen that part of the Italy. However, the two regions have been linked through their similar latitude, common soil minerality, and climate. All that flew from my mind as I admired the classic contours of the Villa and discovered that this luxury getaway is completely unique. It’s a private refuge, a six-room BnB that’s evolved through the talent and vision of owners, Phil and Eileen Gregory.

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The Guadalupe Valle has been praised in cover stories and guidebooks for more than a decade. Its wines have garnered glowing reviews and awards. Many tasting rooms are architectural wonders and several restaurants recently received well-deserved Michelin stars. The kindness of the people, the beauty of the countryside, excellent grape and olive harvests, locally grown meats, and seafood have led to an enduring excellence. Bus tours from Ensenada, the San Diego or Tijuana Airports, disgorge hungry and thirsty visitors ready to indulge in it all.

But a luxury getaway at Villa del Valle is a feast of quieter joys within easy reach of the more notorious options. Enter the towering hand-carved wooden doors into spacious and colorful rooms full of personally selected artwork. A gracious portico beckons you out to enjoy the sunsets. A path leads past boulders to a shimmering pool, and beyond, into the Vena Sculpture Park trail.

What makes the Villa del Valle truly special is the Gregory’s commitment to scale-of-place and the local community. A timeless, family pride flows from the vineyard staff to the chefs in the kitchen. None of this happened overnight.

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Over twenty years ago, Eileen and Phil Gregory bought 70 acres in the middle of the then-sleepy Baja Norte region. Eventually, they opened the hotel, positioning it to take advantage of the ever-shifting light, views of sheltering hills, and sleepy vineyards. Today the entry road sweeps past the vineyards, the renowned Troika outdoor cafe, and the Vena Cava tasting room. The lane curves past the arches where barn owls nest and ends at a path to the house overseeing it all.

In the before times, business kept the Gregorys flying between Los Angeles, Amsterdam, and New York until life took a sharp turn after the 911 terrorist attacks. Phil was already commiserating with Baja winemakers when Eileen, plugging away in her Los Angeles office, developed a plan for moving to Mexico.

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“Eileen was reading and talking to people. ‘Do you know much about natural wines? Do you know much about orange wines?’ Of course, when Eileen says, “Do you know…” it means we’re going to make it part of our environment,” says Phil Gregory. Her idea was prescient as natural wines have become vastly popular in recent years.

This luxury getaway has many perks for guests. The first thing I noticed when stepping into the house was the smell of freshly baked cookies. They were waiting in the sitting room and whetted my appetite for the exclusive dinners now available when you stay. (Much more on that coming.) Everywhere I turned there was something more to savor from the artwork to the honor system, alcove bar.

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Walking out across the wide entry patio I strolled easily to the cafe and Phil Gregory’s tasting room which features the small-batch wines he’s pioneered for decades and serves with local brews. The building and grounds make use of recycled materials in enlightened ways. Retired pangas, gathered from Baja fishermen, are upside down on the roof. Wine barrel hoops form patterns in the concrete floor and recessed lenses from an eyeglass factory send rays through the cool, interior shadows. The Troika menu offers small plates in an open-air setting. Items on the exceptional menu include agua chile, octopus tostadas, suckling pig tacos, craft beer, and Vena Cava vintages. Ducks and geese float in the reflecting pool next to a sitting area shaded by a latticework of recycled hoses. The mix of old and new materials fit into the Gregory’s philosophy, as Eileen puts it, “We try to make another life for all the things that we use here.”

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Don’t let the simple grace deceive you. There’s a sophisticated process behind all the Gregory’s create. “Eileen was very important to the change in the region from a very, very sleepy wine area to becoming something more alive.” Phil’s adventurous winemaking skills led to renowned organic and natural wines. They gathered contemporary Mexican artwork and Eileen placed pieces throughout the house. Photography and paintings from Phil Gregory’s studio grace walls as well. Mexican carvings fill galleries and rooms and punctuate a sloping sculpture garden.

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Since 2018 Eileen has worked with Mexico City curator, Pablo León de la Barra, curator of MOLA and Director of the Museum of Modern Art in Sao Paolo, Brazil, who has organized exhibitions for the Guggenheim UBS MAP Global Art Initiative. Together they found three Mexican artists and tasked them with creating something from materials already on-site.

The results make this luxury getaway an exhilarating experience. One of the newest, a line of wind vanes, Veletas al Viento by Betsabee Romero, shifts in the wind. The cut-out metal figures were familiar. I grew up seeing them on signs along Southern California freeways. The ‘watch-out-for-people crossing’ signs show a family running across the highway but here, Betsabee’s vanes don’t point North or South. They point yes or no.

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Pier Camila recently installed a tall rainbow out of rebar. Tanya Candiani took several boats, upturned them then added wires to form an ‘ionic harp.’ The wind filtering through the metal coils turns them into an instrument. Also, each artist agreed to teach a local workshop either online or in person. It’s another reflection of the Gregory’s community roots and their desire to give back to the valley that has embraced them.

The sculpture garden is open to the public from a trail near the tasting room. Villa guests can stroll at will. There’s a small corral and fences that keep a family of friendly, rescued donkeys close to home. In the Gregory’s early Baja years the area had few fences. Phil Gregory notes the differences, “There was an unspoken rule that you couldn’t just drive across someone’s ranch, but you could ride a horse wherever you wanted. In those days it was much more relaxed. There were fewer people and lots of ranchers. No fences per se. Now there are gates, with padlocks and fences.”

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As a guest at La Villa del Valle, I realized what an oasis it is; a warm and gracious luxury getaway a short ride from more frenzied Valle trends and just two hours from San Diego. Find out more about the Villa Del Valle https://lavilladelvalle.com/