Travel to Cabo San Lucas, a Mexican Oasis of Sand and Sun
For western Canadians, Mexico is one of the most popular sun destinations. It is a quick and easy flight, often direct, and it is relatively inexpensive. My first Mexico trip was courtesy of a very good, long-time friend who earned a free trip through her workplace. Lucky for me she had no significant other at the time and asked if I would like to join her. It was an offer too good to pass up so in February of 2013 we travelled to an all-inclusive resort in Cabo San Lucas.
Where To Stay in Cabo San Lucas
All-inclusive resorts are an easy way to plan and pay for a vacation. Almost everything is included; accommodations, airport transfers, meals, drinks, entertainment, and some activities. You can add on tips and extra excursions, and come and go from the resort on your own as much as you want. They add a certain degree of security and are especially good for people who haven’t travelled much to other countries. All-inclusives are not for everybody, and only available in some countries, but Mexico does them very well.
We stayed at the beautiful Riu Santa Fe, an adobe style resort with about 1200 rooms. It has multiple pools; we didn’t see them all but I believe there were at least eight. Some had swim-up bars and one or two catered more to young children. There were six restaurants and multiple bar areas. The beach area was very nice, but the water was too rough to swim there.
What To Do in Cabo San Lucas
We alternated our days between relaxing at the resort and going out to see the sites in the area. One day we took the glass bottomed boat out to El Arco, the identifiable rock formation that is at the southern-most tip of the Baja peninsula. The glass bottomed boat itself was just a typical boat with a fairly small plexiglass window in the bottom. The boat dropped us at the beach on the Sea of Cortez side of the peninsula, known as Lovers Beach. We were able to take a dip in the water there. From there we could also walk over to the Pacific Ocean side of the peninsula where the water was much more rough. That is known as Divorce Beach.
On another day we walked along the beach into the town of Cabo San Lucas. It was a fairly long walk to go there and back, but we stopped in the town for some very inexpensive refreshments. We did do a bit of souvenir shopping but found that the stores all sold similar items and the salespeople were a little aggressive. We had a couple of quick stops at Cabo Wabo, the restaurant and bar owned by Sammy Hagar, and also at the Giggling Marlin, where you could get hung upside down to drink a shot.
On another occasion we chose to take the Mexican bus to the quaint town of San Jose del Cabo. This was a bit of an adventure for us because we didn’t really speak any Spanish and none of the people on the bus appeared to speak any English. However we somehow got off at the correct stop and headed for the town square. There was a beautiful church in the square and the whole place has a much more traditional Mexican vibe. We somehow found a tiny little rooftop bar called Shooters, owned by a Canadian, and then made our way back again on the bus.
My favourite excursion on this trip was the tequila tasting and camel riding tour we took with Cabo Adventures. It began with a walk through a desert area where we learned a bit about the plants in the area. Then we had a traditional meal before embarking on a camel ride along the beach, and ended by tasting some tequila. Riding a camel felt much like riding a horse but a just a little higher up and more of a side to side motion.
Next Time I Travel to Cabo San Lucas
I am not one to travel to the same destination over and over again, but I can see myself traveling to other areas of Mexico next time. Cabo San Lucas has a much drier climate than some areas of Mexico on the eastern side of the country. While there are travel advisories for some parts of the country, there are still many areas which cater more to tourists that are considered relatively safe.
Photos from Pexels.com
