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Cabo Trip Report
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chicagoans
- Posts: 1586
- Joined: Thu Jan 18, 2007 2:51 pm
- Location: IL
Cabo Trip Report
<a href="http://travel.webshots.com/photo/217804 ... aNFc"><img src="http://inlinethumb11.webshots.com/46858 ... 425Q85.jpg" alt="000 Cabo March 2011"></a>
Back story:
I know some folks here have an opinion about all-inclusive resorts. Even though I’ve been to 3 different Club Meds and loved them, it’s been many years (before kids) and I too was skeptical of going to an a-i. But between work and DH’s ongoing battle against cancer, when he suggested we go to an a-i for Spring Break I was all over it.
We did this the easy way: booked through Costco Travel. Got direct flights from Chicago to Cabo; they took care of taxis to and from the resort.
We have 2 kids: DD is 14 and DS is 12. An a-i is GREAT for kids: both my kids met other really nice kids and had a great time with them; DH and I also met really lovely, fun people and had a blast; our kids could go off for lunch, smoothies, volleyball, etc. any time and be fine.
Royal Solaris:
We booked the Royal Solaris. After booking, I read some so-so reviews of the place, but I have to say we had a really nice stay there! We had a nice room with a balcony overlooking the pool (we could also see the ocean); 3 beds total (one was a Murphy) so everyone was happy.
Beach by resort:
<a href="http://travel.webshots.com/photo/269754 ... HbbR"><img src="http://inlinethumb58.webshots.com/46521 ... 425Q85.jpg" alt="012 Cabo beach"></a>
Pool in the morning:
<a href="http://travel.webshots.com/photo/289459 ... HFic"><img src="http://inlinethumb47.webshots.com/45678 ... 425Q85.jpg" alt="016 Morning Pool"></a>
Balcony view:
<a href="http://travel.webshots.com/photo/244632 ... fvOa"><img src="http://inlinethumb01.webshots.com/47296 ... 425Q85.jpg" alt="062 Balcony view"></a>
The people working at the resort were all very friendly and helpful – from the front desk staff to the entertainment folks to the wait staff, literally everyone greeted us with a smile. And it’s pretty cool to have someone materialize at your side every few minutes with a fresh margarita. I loved the lady who made omelets in the morning. She was always smiling and sang while flipping the eggs. (Wish I could remember her name.)
Saturday:
Travel day. Ran into friends at O’Hare who were on their way to STJ. (They were using my STJ books and of course had heard an earful about how much I love it there.) Love them – they brought back some Cruz Bay Grill Rub for me.
Easy travel, no delays. The Cabo airport had very long lines for immigration and customs, but everyone was in a good mood and it wasn’t really an issue.
OK… the whole timeshare sales pitch thing gets old. I felt like I was running the gauntlet when exiting the airport and I’m sure people thought I was a cranky b%tch; with my mean face on I just kept saying “NO!” Really… just respect my right to say no and stop following me!
Daily:
We played beach volleyball every day. It was great that we could jump into a game (or start one) any time, and the kids were fine jumping in any time without DH and I too. Having an open bar right near the beach was great; it got really hot but we could hydrate all day (water, smoothies, adult beverages.)
<a href="http://travel.webshots.com/photo/252252 ... VmOu"><img src="http://inlinethumb56.webshots.com/46007 ... 425Q85.jpg" alt="002 volleyball"></a>
<a href="http://travel.webshots.com/photo/263159 ... dvxD"><img src="http://inlinethumb58.webshots.com/47673 ... 425Q85.jpg" alt="030 Volleyball"></a>
My vertical leap is what, maybe 2 inches? Sheesh.
<a href="http://travel.webshots.com/photo/249338 ... DfzQ"><img src="http://inlinethumb21.webshots.com/47892 ... 425Q85.jpg" alt="033 Volleyball"></a>
We saw whales every day from the beach and from the balcony where we’d eat breakfast. Pretty cool. And please, no jokes about my volleyball picture and seeing whales on the beach…
Sunday and Monday:
We basically hung out by the pool and beach, playing volleyball, availing ourselves of the open bar (and open snack bar – awesome guacamole!) and relaxing. Ahhhh.
Monday we went to San Jose. Cute little town, but we didn’t do much there. Walked from San Jose to the Mega (like a Wal-Mart) to get more sunblock and then walked back to the resort.
Church in San Jose:
<a href="http://travel.webshots.com/photo/252522 ... vBRD"><img src="http://inlinethumb40.webshots.com/45095 ... 425Q85.jpg" alt="050 San Jose Church"></a>
Gotta love a place that has tequila tastings!
<a href="http://travel.webshots.com/photo/282142 ... CLlJ"><img src="http://inlinethumb62.webshots.com/46845 ... 425Q85.jpg" alt="047 Tequila Tasting"></a>
Tuesday:
Zipline! This was a blast. We booked through Wild Canyon ahead of time and it was great – the ride picked us up when expected and everyone was really friendly. We did 8 ziplines (the first is basically a test run so you can figure out what it’s like) of varying lengths and heights. We did some as singles, some as doubles, and one where all four of us went together.
In a small world moment, a kid in the family ahead of us was in DS’s cabin at summer camp last year. Funny!
All geared up:
<a href="http://travel.webshots.com/photo/241975 ... kODW"><img src="http://inlinethumb43.webshots.com/47338 ... 425Q85.jpg" alt="Zip 02"></a>
Zippin’:
<a href="http://travel.webshots.com/photo/231352 ... sFid"><img src="http://inlinethumb23.webshots.com/47894 ... 425Q85.jpg" alt="Zip 04"></a>
<a href="http://travel.webshots.com/photo/294287 ... CSiU"><img src="http://inlinethumb60.webshots.com/47483 ... 425Q85.jpg" alt="Zip 05"></a>
<a href="http://travel.webshots.com/photo/210645 ... ginP"><img src="http://inlinethumb02.webshots.com/16641 ... 425Q85.jpg" alt="Zip 07"></a>
Quad zip!
<a href="http://travel.webshots.com/photo/233024 ... Bpyc"><img src="http://inlinethumb25.webshots.com/45208 ... 425Q85.jpg" alt="Zip 36"></a>
Wednesday:
Beach, sun, volleyball. Ahhh. In the afternoon DD and I went horseback riding on the beach. We really enjoyed this. The water shown in this picture is a fresh water estuary near the beach. Lots of different kinds of birds here.
<a href="http://travel.webshots.com/photo/203319 ... HTEE"><img src="http://inlinethumb06.webshots.com/35077 ... 425Q85.jpg" alt="060 Horses"></a>
Thursday:
We were supposed to go kayaking, but had an issue with our reservation. This was about the only glitch on our trip. I had booked ahead of time through Viator (found them on the Lonely Planet web site so I thought they’d be good.) I had to confirm our ride in person with someone at the resort (why? I had already paid – why not just show up with a van like the zipline folks did?) So we confirmed on Monday for the transportation with Grayline (taxi.) Then on Thursday a.m. the Grayline rep met me in the lobby when we were waiting for the ride and said that the kayak folks had no record of us. Say what? I had my confirmation printed out and with me. They had us down for a sunset cruise (don’t know where they got that) and the kayak trip was full. We didn’t want a sunset cruise and we were pretty bummed out. But the Grayline gal was very helpful and booked us on a Friday a.m. kayak trip. Thank goodness we still had another day so we could go.
So Thursday was another easy beach, volleyball, and pool day.
DH and I got massages late in the afternoon in a little cabana by the beach. This was soooo wonderful – hearing the waves, feeling the breeze, and getting an excellent massage. Life is good.
Friday:
Kayak / snorkel trip. After Thursday’s mix up, we got to go kayaking Friday a.m. We kayaked in 3 bays and saw the “arch” (which is more like a cave this time of year as much of it is under water.) In another small world moment, 3 other people (a mom and 2 kids) in our group of 11 are from our home town! We live in a small town, so this was kind of funny. They know lots of our friends.
The kayaking was really fun. (Sadly no pics from that.) One of the highlights was seeing a whale in Chileno Bay. It was really close – maybe 50 feet away. Really fun to watch it from so close by.
We went snorkeling in Chileno Bay and I have to say it was really good! Plenty of different kinds of fish and the coral looked healthy. The only downside was that I got a big nasty jellyfish sting on my way back to the beach. It looked bad for about a week, but the pain really didn’t last for very long, so not really a problem.
Our kayak trip was with High Tide and the guides were great. Our driver and main guide was Rodrigo Alvarelios and he was extremely friendly and fun. He is from Argentina but has a clear love of Cabo and knows a lot about the area. After the kayaking he took our family and another couple on a tour of the Cactimundo Los Cabos Botanical Gardens (near San Jose.) This is a really neat spot and I recommend a visit there if you’re ever in the area.
I would highly recommend kayaking with High Tide, but don’t book through Viator.
Not my picture, but this is from the gardens:
Saturday:
Said goodbye to our new friends at the resort and headed home. Had to laugh when we landed and the flight attendant announced, “We’re not sure why you left Cabo to come here, but welcome to Chicago!”
Back story:
I know some folks here have an opinion about all-inclusive resorts. Even though I’ve been to 3 different Club Meds and loved them, it’s been many years (before kids) and I too was skeptical of going to an a-i. But between work and DH’s ongoing battle against cancer, when he suggested we go to an a-i for Spring Break I was all over it.
We did this the easy way: booked through Costco Travel. Got direct flights from Chicago to Cabo; they took care of taxis to and from the resort.
We have 2 kids: DD is 14 and DS is 12. An a-i is GREAT for kids: both my kids met other really nice kids and had a great time with them; DH and I also met really lovely, fun people and had a blast; our kids could go off for lunch, smoothies, volleyball, etc. any time and be fine.
Royal Solaris:
We booked the Royal Solaris. After booking, I read some so-so reviews of the place, but I have to say we had a really nice stay there! We had a nice room with a balcony overlooking the pool (we could also see the ocean); 3 beds total (one was a Murphy) so everyone was happy.
Beach by resort:
<a href="http://travel.webshots.com/photo/269754 ... HbbR"><img src="http://inlinethumb58.webshots.com/46521 ... 425Q85.jpg" alt="012 Cabo beach"></a>
Pool in the morning:
<a href="http://travel.webshots.com/photo/289459 ... HFic"><img src="http://inlinethumb47.webshots.com/45678 ... 425Q85.jpg" alt="016 Morning Pool"></a>
Balcony view:
<a href="http://travel.webshots.com/photo/244632 ... fvOa"><img src="http://inlinethumb01.webshots.com/47296 ... 425Q85.jpg" alt="062 Balcony view"></a>
The people working at the resort were all very friendly and helpful – from the front desk staff to the entertainment folks to the wait staff, literally everyone greeted us with a smile. And it’s pretty cool to have someone materialize at your side every few minutes with a fresh margarita. I loved the lady who made omelets in the morning. She was always smiling and sang while flipping the eggs. (Wish I could remember her name.)
Saturday:
Travel day. Ran into friends at O’Hare who were on their way to STJ. (They were using my STJ books and of course had heard an earful about how much I love it there.) Love them – they brought back some Cruz Bay Grill Rub for me.
Easy travel, no delays. The Cabo airport had very long lines for immigration and customs, but everyone was in a good mood and it wasn’t really an issue.
OK… the whole timeshare sales pitch thing gets old. I felt like I was running the gauntlet when exiting the airport and I’m sure people thought I was a cranky b%tch; with my mean face on I just kept saying “NO!” Really… just respect my right to say no and stop following me!
Daily:
We played beach volleyball every day. It was great that we could jump into a game (or start one) any time, and the kids were fine jumping in any time without DH and I too. Having an open bar right near the beach was great; it got really hot but we could hydrate all day (water, smoothies, adult beverages.)
<a href="http://travel.webshots.com/photo/252252 ... VmOu"><img src="http://inlinethumb56.webshots.com/46007 ... 425Q85.jpg" alt="002 volleyball"></a>
<a href="http://travel.webshots.com/photo/263159 ... dvxD"><img src="http://inlinethumb58.webshots.com/47673 ... 425Q85.jpg" alt="030 Volleyball"></a>
My vertical leap is what, maybe 2 inches? Sheesh.
<a href="http://travel.webshots.com/photo/249338 ... DfzQ"><img src="http://inlinethumb21.webshots.com/47892 ... 425Q85.jpg" alt="033 Volleyball"></a>
We saw whales every day from the beach and from the balcony where we’d eat breakfast. Pretty cool. And please, no jokes about my volleyball picture and seeing whales on the beach…
Sunday and Monday:
We basically hung out by the pool and beach, playing volleyball, availing ourselves of the open bar (and open snack bar – awesome guacamole!) and relaxing. Ahhhh.
Monday we went to San Jose. Cute little town, but we didn’t do much there. Walked from San Jose to the Mega (like a Wal-Mart) to get more sunblock and then walked back to the resort.
Church in San Jose:
<a href="http://travel.webshots.com/photo/252522 ... vBRD"><img src="http://inlinethumb40.webshots.com/45095 ... 425Q85.jpg" alt="050 San Jose Church"></a>
Gotta love a place that has tequila tastings!
<a href="http://travel.webshots.com/photo/282142 ... CLlJ"><img src="http://inlinethumb62.webshots.com/46845 ... 425Q85.jpg" alt="047 Tequila Tasting"></a>
Tuesday:
Zipline! This was a blast. We booked through Wild Canyon ahead of time and it was great – the ride picked us up when expected and everyone was really friendly. We did 8 ziplines (the first is basically a test run so you can figure out what it’s like) of varying lengths and heights. We did some as singles, some as doubles, and one where all four of us went together.
In a small world moment, a kid in the family ahead of us was in DS’s cabin at summer camp last year. Funny!
All geared up:
<a href="http://travel.webshots.com/photo/241975 ... kODW"><img src="http://inlinethumb43.webshots.com/47338 ... 425Q85.jpg" alt="Zip 02"></a>
Zippin’:
<a href="http://travel.webshots.com/photo/231352 ... sFid"><img src="http://inlinethumb23.webshots.com/47894 ... 425Q85.jpg" alt="Zip 04"></a>
<a href="http://travel.webshots.com/photo/294287 ... CSiU"><img src="http://inlinethumb60.webshots.com/47483 ... 425Q85.jpg" alt="Zip 05"></a>
<a href="http://travel.webshots.com/photo/210645 ... ginP"><img src="http://inlinethumb02.webshots.com/16641 ... 425Q85.jpg" alt="Zip 07"></a>
Quad zip!
<a href="http://travel.webshots.com/photo/233024 ... Bpyc"><img src="http://inlinethumb25.webshots.com/45208 ... 425Q85.jpg" alt="Zip 36"></a>
Wednesday:
Beach, sun, volleyball. Ahhh. In the afternoon DD and I went horseback riding on the beach. We really enjoyed this. The water shown in this picture is a fresh water estuary near the beach. Lots of different kinds of birds here.
<a href="http://travel.webshots.com/photo/203319 ... HTEE"><img src="http://inlinethumb06.webshots.com/35077 ... 425Q85.jpg" alt="060 Horses"></a>
Thursday:
We were supposed to go kayaking, but had an issue with our reservation. This was about the only glitch on our trip. I had booked ahead of time through Viator (found them on the Lonely Planet web site so I thought they’d be good.) I had to confirm our ride in person with someone at the resort (why? I had already paid – why not just show up with a van like the zipline folks did?) So we confirmed on Monday for the transportation with Grayline (taxi.) Then on Thursday a.m. the Grayline rep met me in the lobby when we were waiting for the ride and said that the kayak folks had no record of us. Say what? I had my confirmation printed out and with me. They had us down for a sunset cruise (don’t know where they got that) and the kayak trip was full. We didn’t want a sunset cruise and we were pretty bummed out. But the Grayline gal was very helpful and booked us on a Friday a.m. kayak trip. Thank goodness we still had another day so we could go.
So Thursday was another easy beach, volleyball, and pool day.
DH and I got massages late in the afternoon in a little cabana by the beach. This was soooo wonderful – hearing the waves, feeling the breeze, and getting an excellent massage. Life is good.
Friday:
Kayak / snorkel trip. After Thursday’s mix up, we got to go kayaking Friday a.m. We kayaked in 3 bays and saw the “arch” (which is more like a cave this time of year as much of it is under water.) In another small world moment, 3 other people (a mom and 2 kids) in our group of 11 are from our home town! We live in a small town, so this was kind of funny. They know lots of our friends.
The kayaking was really fun. (Sadly no pics from that.) One of the highlights was seeing a whale in Chileno Bay. It was really close – maybe 50 feet away. Really fun to watch it from so close by.
We went snorkeling in Chileno Bay and I have to say it was really good! Plenty of different kinds of fish and the coral looked healthy. The only downside was that I got a big nasty jellyfish sting on my way back to the beach. It looked bad for about a week, but the pain really didn’t last for very long, so not really a problem.
Our kayak trip was with High Tide and the guides were great. Our driver and main guide was Rodrigo Alvarelios and he was extremely friendly and fun. He is from Argentina but has a clear love of Cabo and knows a lot about the area. After the kayaking he took our family and another couple on a tour of the Cactimundo Los Cabos Botanical Gardens (near San Jose.) This is a really neat spot and I recommend a visit there if you’re ever in the area.
I would highly recommend kayaking with High Tide, but don’t book through Viator.
Not my picture, but this is from the gardens:
Saturday:
Said goodbye to our new friends at the resort and headed home. Had to laugh when we landed and the flight attendant announced, “We’re not sure why you left Cabo to come here, but welcome to Chicago!”
It sounds like a great trip. We went there for our honeymoon after our original plan was wiped out with a hurricane.
We loved Chileno Bay, we went on our own and were the only ones snorkeling the whole morning and I too was impressed with the fish/coral. Sorry about the sting!
I'm glad you guys were able to get away and relax in the sun!
We loved Chileno Bay, we went on our own and were the only ones snorkeling the whole morning and I too was impressed with the fish/coral. Sorry about the sting!
I'm glad you guys were able to get away and relax in the sun!
Thanks for sharing 
We have friends who went to Cabo last month and loved it so much they bought a time share. They're really into the time share thing and have 5 or 6 of them all over.
Great zip lining picture and I'm impressed that you play volleyball-I don't think my feet could leave the ground
Thanks again!
We have friends who went to Cabo last month and loved it so much they bought a time share. They're really into the time share thing and have 5 or 6 of them all over.
Great zip lining picture and I'm impressed that you play volleyball-I don't think my feet could leave the ground
Thanks again!
