¡Hola amigos!  Mexico is seriously one of my favorite countries.  I’ve been to Acapulco, Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Cabo, Tulum, … I just love it!  Although, I have to say Cabo is by far the best.  If you are considering traveling to Mexico, be advised that there is currently a travel warning for U.S. Citizens.  I assumed this would be because of Zika (can you tell where my head’s at??? haha – baby, baby, baby), but no… it’s because of the drug cartels fighting over territory.  Cabo is listed as “exercise caution”… so it’s fine.  🙂  If you have trips planned to Acapulco or Puerto Vallarta – change your trip to Cabo ASAP.  I felt 100% safe the entire time and we walked to and from the downtown area daily.

Where to Stay

My husband and I own a two bedroom timeshare at Grand Solmar.  Our timeshare also allows us to stay at Solmar and Playa Grande, where we stayed last year.  Grand Solmar is much, much nicer.  In the very near future, we will also be able to stay at Rancho San Lucas – Grand Solmar’s newest property.  I can’t wait.  I’m not much help in the “hotel” department here.  But I do know that you can rent a week here from timeshare owners.  They are sometimes listed on VRBO.com, Booking.com, etc.  Grand Solmar is amazing and I would highly recommend staying here if you can find a good deal.

The only down side to staying at this resort is that you cannot go in the ocean.  I don’t mind though because the infinity pools are incredible.

This resort is the southern most hotel on Land’s End (near the famous El Arco).  It’s right where the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific Ocean meet, making the waters treacherous.  You could definitely get sucked in.  There are staff members walking the beach preventing guests from getting too close to the water.  The beach has the softest sand.  I suffer from calf and foot problems, so I find it extremely difficult to walk the beach.  Many people walk it though.  It is absolutely stunning and I go out there at least one time per trip.

Where to Eat

Captain Tony’s – We ate at this Mexican/seafood restaurant on Saturday night.  They had the best cover band playing top 40 type of music.  They were excellent.  The atmosphere was lively and the food was delicious.  I had the coconut shrimp with mango dipping sauce.  It was to.die.for.  Omg.  I labeled it the best coconut shrimp I’ve ever had.

Solomon’s Landing – We went to this Mexican/sushi restaurant on Wednesday night.  They had a live band playing nice jazz and salsa music in the background.  There was a couple that would get up and dance impressively to the salsa music. (I was jealous of their moves.)  The atmosphere here was a little more upscale than Captain Tony’s, but still casual as it is right on the marina (next door to Captain Tony’s).  I fell for the coconut shrimp trap again.  This time it was prepared with an apple compote on top of the shrimp, which sounded interesting to me.  They were really good, but Captain Tony’s just really killed this dish – yum.  We also ordered table side guac, calamari, and crab cakes… all delish.

Quick Tip!  Order the combination fajitas.  For some reason, they are several dollars cheaper than ordering all chicken, beef, or shrimp.  The presentation was also very nice.

Abolengo – This restaurant looks and feels like a sports bar you’d find in Chicago.  My husband and I were drawn to this place last year.  We ordered late night snacks and remembered the nachos to be incredible.  We figured it would be a great place to watch Sunday night football, so we went and ordered the nachos again.  They were LOADED and just as awesome as we remembered.  The cocktails were super delicious as well.

After we consumed our meal, my husband’s brother joined us.  The waiter said – you should order the tacos.  Um… tacos weren’t on the menu we were given.  For some reason, he was offered a secret verbal menu.  Haha.  Well, after he consumed his meal, their cousin showed up.  The waiter says to him, “you should order the fajitas!”  Um, what?!  That wasn’t on the menu or offered up verbally before.  Another new item!  He said, “Ok, I’ll have that!”  They came out looking and smelling incredible.  If you go here – 100% hands down get the fajitas and the nachos.

Quick Tip!  Tell them you don’t see anything you like on the menu and ask what else they have.  You will be offered a secret verbal menu!

El Farallon – This is my absolute favorite restaurant to dine at in Cabo.  This fine dining, open air restaurant is tucked into the cliffs and overlooks the crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean. You MUST make a reservation in advance and I recommend going around sunset for a stunning backdrop to your dining experience.

I love how unique the set up of this restaurant is.  When you first walk in, your are greeted by a host.  They walk you to your first stop, the champagne bar.  They have several different selections of fine champagne.  If you aren’t interested, there is a nice place to sit before moving along to the next stop.  When it’s your turn again, the host then walks you to a clear display case.  In this case you will find all of the fresh steaks and locally caught seafood selections for the evening.  Here you select your main dish and state how you’d like for it to be prepared.  When everyone in your party has finished making their selections, there is one more station to order from.  This final station lists all the mouth watering side dishes offered for the evening.  Each person selects two.

After you go through this uniquely fun process, the host finally takes you to your table.  There is a live musician playing in the background and the atmosphere is beyond romantic.  Included in your dining experience are a selection of breads, three appetizers per person, soup, and dessert.  The cocktail menu is fabulous as well.  I recommend the guava margarita.  Expect to pay over $100 per person.

Quick Tip!  Make a reservation before you head to Cabo.

Romeo & Julieta’s –  This is a super cute Italian restaurant that is affiliated with our timeshare.  It has been suggested to me numerous times and we were finally able to squeeze it in on the final night of our trip.  The tables are situated in a courtyard that makes you feel like you are in the heart of Italy.  They also had a live musician playing in the background to provide an even better ambiance.  The menu has traditional Italian cuisine, although I ordered sea bass with vegetable risotto.  I heard from one of my best friends that the lasagna is “the bomb.”  My mom, who is a huge tiramisu fan, rated their tiramisu as a 10 out of 10.  We were all very satisfied with our meals.

Quick Tip!  Expect your dinner to be served at a leisurely pace.

Things to Do

Sunset Cruise – Our timeshare gives us free tickets to do this sunset cruise for attending the timeshare meeting.  What I love about this tour is that they play fantastic music (there is a DJ) and they take you around the famous El Arco.

What I don’t love about this cruise is that it is essentially a booze cruise and some people just go buck wild.  The first time I went on this, we were able to secure a nice table on the first level of the boat.  This time, we arrived to the pier late and therefore were unable to get a table.  We were forced to stand/share seating upstairs where the crazy partying is taking place.  We didn’t love that. Eventually we were able to find seating on the first floor, but get there early to secure a table.  You won’t regret it.  If you aren’t able to get this tour for free or for a significant discount by negotiating, they are currently offering 10% off through their website with code WEBSAVE01 and 20% off through their instagram account with code INSTA20.

Quick Tip!  Get to the pier at 4 pm (they suggest 4:30).  There is a bar and seating to entertain you before you have to line up to get on the boat.  Make sure to get a table on the first level and stay down there until you eat dinner.  Head to the upper deck after you eat to join the party!

Flora Farm – Spend the day at Flora Farm!  We didn’t get the chance to do this, but I will definitely be doing this next time we are in Cabo.  Flora Farm is a 10 acre organic farm.  I would suggest scheduling a tour of the farm before dining at Flora Field Kitchen, the onsite restaurant.  The farm tour takes 30 minutes.  Like I said, I haven’t done this, but I would schedule a tour of the farm, grab a drink at the Farm Bar, and then have diner at Field Kitchen.

Quick Tip!  Book your tour and make a dinner reservation before you get to Cabo!  

Other Fun Ideas – Cabo has lots of fun things to do, however I cannot recommend specific companies because I didn’t get a chance to do these things.  Activities that caught my eye include horseback riding on the beach, ATV riding, deep water fishing, relaxing at the spa, kayaking, and whale watching tours.  Note: We were able to see lots of whales from our resort, so you may not want to book a whale watching tour until after you’ve been there for a few days.  Considering we saw about 50 of them, we didn’t feel it was necessary to do this.

Have you ever been to Cabo?  I would love to know what you love to do!  Leave me a comment below.

XO, Lauren