Laredo, Texas

If you're travelling towards the Gulf of Mexico, the best spot to start a tour of the Rio Grande Valley is in Laredo, south of San Antonio. A busy bridge connects the US to Mexico at the bottom of Convent Avenue, where there is a major Border Patrol presence. Laredo has garnered a violent reputation in recent years as battles between Mexican drug cartels have escalated. Its main square is focused around the pretty St Augustin Cathedral, which has a modernist mural of the crucifixion inside and a stone grotto outside. Also on the main square, the historic and sprawling three-star La Posada Hotel at 1000 Zaragoza St (Tel:956/722-1701, Web: www.laposadahotel.com ; Price: $101-130), has comfortable rooms. There is a lobby bar favored by cocktail-drinking businessmen conducting cross-border deals and two courtyard pools. El Mason at 908 Grant St is a popular place to eat nearby, though you have to look hard to find the door. It has a daily menu and $5 meals.