Pink Mission

The Calafia Hotel is built next to a 18th century Franciscan mission on cliffs overlooking the ocean, where dolphins surf the waves.

In Baja California, just south of Tijuana it's the sort of hotel that you stayed in when you were roughing it but decided to indulge for a night and pay more than $20 for a room. It's clean, simple and a little rundown. But it serves the best margaritas in the world made by the sweetest barman you've ever met. Breakfasts are also good.

It's also about 45 minutes from the notorious Mexico/US frontier, where border policemen ask you take off your sunglasses so they can see your face and then to, "pop the trunk".

Mexican tourism has suffered of late - swine flu, the drug wars, the economic crisis, poorest borders and a giant fence built to stop illegal immigrants getting into the land of milk and honey.

So what you to do increase tourism? Paint a formerly pristine white hotel bright pink and blue? Well, some of the walls at least.

And that's what the Calafia has done.

But never mind, if you ignore the multi-storey condominium block next door, it's still a gorgeous place to stay. Just don't take out your map on the way there in case the locals think you're a tourist.