Quartz Hotel & Spa

Quartz Hotel & Spa is the hotel inside the NewCity Medical Plaza in Zona Río, a few hundred meters from the San Ysidro crossing and across from the Pueblo Amigo plaza. The Abadi group runs it as a wellness hotel: a spa, morning yoga by the pool and “Care Rooms” for guests recovering from procedures in the clinics next door, which tells you who fills it on weekdays. On weekends it works just as well as a comfortable base for a Zona Río night out, with CECUT, Mercado Hidalgo and Plaza Río within walking distance.

What’s there

The hotel has about 155 rooms and suites: standard singles and doubles, Jacuzzi Pool Garden rooms, junior, master and presidential suites, plus the medical Care Rooms. Public spaces include Boka Restaurant, QBar and the Aqua Bar by the pool, the Senses Spa & Wellness Center and the Ada Center for activities, a Zen garden, a gym and event rooms used for weddings, quinceañeras and corporate meetings. The pool deck sits above the event space rather than in a garden, so think city hotel with a spa, not resort.

What to expect

Expect a quiet, orderly lobby with security at the entrance, a mixed crowd of medical travelers from San Diego and farther afield, business guests and weekend couples, and a staff used to English. Daily morning yoga runs by the pool, and the spa books massages and holistic sessions. Breakfast is an American-style spread, included when you book on the hotel’s own site. Beds run firm, which some guests love and some do not; ask for extra pillows if it matters to you.

Prices and entry

Rates vary by room type and season. Booking direct adds the complimentary breakfast and free date changes up to 24 hours before arrival. Parking is free for the first 24 hours of your stay and charged after that; airport transfers are available on request.

Getting there

Address: Paseo del Centenario 9580, Zona Urbana Río. The hotel puts the distance to the San Ysidro gateway at about 500 meters, which makes it one of the few Tijuana hotels you can realistically walk to from the pedestrian crossing; by car you leave the Vía Rápida within a couple of minutes of the port of entry. CECUT, Mercado Hidalgo and the Plaza Río mall are a 10-to-15-minute walk; Avenida Revolución is a short taxi ride.

Good to know

• Who it suits: medical travelers and their companions, business guests, and anyone who wants to walk back to the border without a car.
• Who it does not: travelers after a resort pool or a nightlife hotel; the bars here are for a nightcap, not a scene.
• Phone: 800 824 0000 from Mexico, 855 769 6970 from the U.S.; WhatsApp +52 664 176 7492.

See our guides to Zona Río and the calendar for what’s on nearby.