Comments by devl_dawgg

Great review. I always enjoy CC!

Thanks for a great review. I'm happy to see CC is continuing to improve. It's a great alternative to HK.

That sucks. I got stopped at the corner near BT five or six years ago. Pretty much the same scenario but they left me my cash. It certainly sobers you up quickly!

Don't rent a car. Traffic is horrible. HK is a 10 minute cab ride from the border. It looks like you're coming from Al. Suggest you fly into San Diego rather than Tijuana. Most TJ flights route you through Mexico City. IMHO, HK's hotel, Hotel Cascadas is decent enough if you get an upgraded room. The basic rooms are great if you're just going to Ariba but, I wouldn't want to spend a couple of nights in one. That said, I've stayed in San Diego and taken the trolley a few times and just spent the evening in TJ. The down side is that customs on the return trip can be a long wait. This article is a decent first timers guide. https://tuscl.net/article/60123. If you dig back through the Articles, you'll find several others.

Damn Ron, we may need to crown you "King of Zona Norte."

Another great review Ron! I find that I spend more time at the smaller clubs than HK as well.

@Jascoi- Recapping, Yes, they are working the bar as they would in HK. They can choose to spend their first hour there instead of LC. Fichas are the same price as HK.

I crossed twice last weekend and they filled out the Visa card on each visit. Kinda crazy, one guy fills it out and sends you to a second guy to stamp...Job security I guess...

@OPIllini96. Not sure when it reopened. I was there about four months ago and it was open then but, empty. The girl I was with said she only worked Friday through Sunday so it may be closed during the week? I've had the same experience as you. I first visited there 4 or 5 years ago and there were only two girls but, I had a good time. I enjoy dive bars and La Hacienda certainly fits the bill! They have done some work on the restrooms tho... The masero mentioned that they have a room for arriba that is free to use. I can't imagine what it's like....

Damn, I just found justinyoo's trip report from a month ago and he covered my sports bar question. Sorry for the repeat...

Ron, if you follow Mexican news you might want to subscribe tohttps://www.borderreport.com/. I find it interesting...

The wrist band gets you free entry to HK. That shouldn't be an issue on Mon/Tue. In my experience they only charge a cover on the weekend.

The $50 deposit is for the junk in the mini fridge and you pay that on check in and they will refund it at check-out. They sell VIP cards at Cascadas right next to the check-in desk. Yes, you'll get frisked each time you enter the hotel. There is an OXXO across the street from HK. I'd suggest that you go there and pick up water, liquor etc. Much cheaper than the mini fridge in Cascadas.

Trolley is definitely a low cost option ($2.50 each way.) I often take it from San Diego. Just beware that it does not run between about 1:40 AM and 4:30 AM. The border station near the trolley and jack In the Box is commonly called PedEast. There are a number of lots in the area.

Good info, thanks gents!

@ Founder... It was not my intention to drive folks to any of your competitors. If you feel like my question is out of bounds, please delete.

Scraped from the HK website a few minutes ago: Get Your $70 VIP Membership Card. Membership includes: A $95 value each visit! 70% Off Hotel Mon & Tues 20% Off Bottles Mon & Tues 20% Off in Hotel* 50% Off HK Surprise 20% off HK Souvenirs 20% Off Restaurante Azul, Dine in VIP Room Access Free: Limo Service Security Parking Personal Waiter First Drink Birthday Cake

RonJax recently submitted six reviews of TJ clubs with lots of great info. Check them out.

@RonJax The ice cream analogy is perfect. There are so many flavors in Zona Norte that you're sure to find one that satisfies! I'm in the same boat as you, I'm an east coast guy so only get the TJ a couple of times a year but, I don't think anyplace in the states compares when you consider value and variety. You're on the money about Global Entry. I almost feel guilty walking by hundreds of folks in the general public lanes to use the GE lane. Almost...

The last time I was at the Chicago Club there was a South American dancer with pretty impressive titties. Other than that, I'd suggest Gold Palace and some of the smaller bars in the alley on the back side of HK. Of course, they are going to be older and not nearly as pretty as the HK girls.

Damn, Sorry you lost some cash. I do the same thing, put some loose $20s and smaller bills in my front pocket with my phone. I guess I need to be more careful.

I'm interested in seeing what they are doing for renovations. When I was there a couple of weeks ago, the upper level was curtained off? I'm with RonJax, I do enjoy the local music. I assume that they let the girls into HK on the hour. There was a line of more than 20 just before 7:00 PM the last time I was there...

Follow-up- I met my Amiga in the Plaza by the arch. We had dinner and drinks and returned to Cascadas. We went to the reception desk and they gave her a wrist band like any other customer. She was free to come and go as she pleased. Again, I think the no-charge was related to her never having worked or the HK organization.

@RonJax. He came as far as the entrance to the hotel and handed the bucket off to me. The no charge may be because she never worked for any of the HK family of clubs?

It looks like you're going to be there on Monday/Tuesday at least. If so, it may make sense to get a HK VIP card which gets you 70% off of rooms Mon/Tue and 20% the rest of the week. The 70% discount brings the cost of a single room down to $25 which is less that the cost of the room for a 30 minute session. You can get the VIP card for $60 at the main entrance to HK. I also understand that you can buy them in the Cascadas lobby now a days... As RonJax said, no CC required for reservations. I think you can pay for the room with a CC but, I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with that. I just stick with cash.