Cabo at Christmastime
This past week, I tagged along with my boyfriend and his family on their annual trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. It was my first vacation since starting my job five months ago, and it was also my first time visiting Mexico!
I finally got myself a new phone right before the trip, so I spent a lot of my time happily snapping away since I have enough storage on my phone to keep more than 800 photos on it, haha. All of the images featured in this post were taken with my iPhone (I did not bring my regular camera with me because my carry-on suitcase space was very valuable).
Included in this post is an overview of where we stayed, where we ate, what we did, and what I wore!
View during breakfast at La Nao
WHERE WE STAYED
Our home for the week was the Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach Resort, which is about 15-20 minutes from downtown Cabo San Lucas. It boasts a beautiful golf course, a spa, and pretty much every amenity you could want. It feels like a city in itself! We didn't leave the resort the whole week except for the couple of times we went to dinner at the sister resort downtown.
We spent our first night split between different rooms (my boyfriend's parents in a room, grandparents in a room, and us in a room), but then we were upgraded to a 3-bedroom penthouse for the remainder of the week because two of our individual rooms were on the first floor and it didn't have a view of the ocean. Each bedroom had its own bathroom, and we also had a shared living space and kitchen.
The resort includes a multitude of buildings, pools, and places to eat. There's also a large expanse of beach available for lounging (but not swimming, as the waves/rip currents are strong). Most places were easy to walk to from our building, but the resort is situated on a hill so there are a lot of stairs to contend with. Luckily, they have a great golf cart shuttle system to get you around if you need a break!
Inside the Market at Quivira
Pueblo Bonito Los Cabos
WHERE & WHAT WE ATE
During our stay, we had the all-inclusive meal plan. It's steep at $75 per person per day, but it includes food and most alcohol, so it is worth it if you plan to drink a few or have nice dinners. (Some of the fancier plates had additional charges.) Drinks with two shots cost around $20 each without the plan!
Since we were a big group, we made reservations for all of our dinners out. We also tipped a small amount at the end of our meals in U.S. dollars; there was no need for pesos!
The Market at Quivira / I'd describe this like an upscale food court. There's a variety of cuisine to choose from: American, Mexican, Italian as well as other goodies like desserts, coffee, and ice cream. I highly recommend the crepes and ice cream, and my boyfriend's parents ate a carrot cake pretty much every day.
La Nao / We ate breakfast (or brunch usually) here most mornings and sat outside over the lower pool. We often saw whales in the distance! Their Sunday brunch is not to be missed.
Zao Shen / We had our first and last meals at this restaurant featuring Asian-fushion cuisine. Our favorites included the broccoli side dish (SO good), szechuan noodles, orange chicken, and fried rice. Ask for the Asian tacos—they're lettuce wraps!
Cibola at Montecristo / It's pretty much a fancy sports bar. I recommend the missionary salad and braised short ribs. The regular steaks also had high remarks (some with an additional charge), but the real standout was the shrimp tacos. Everyone in my group was obsessed with them! (I'm not much of a shrimp fan...)
Cilantro's / This restaurant is on the Los Cabos property, right on the beach near downtown Cabo. We ate here twice during the trip. I had the veggie lasagna one night and skirt steak the second, and both were excellent! They have a great steak and shrimp special that was a popular option in my group ($15 additional charge). My boyfriend had the chicken parmesan the first night and opted for the Cilantro's chicken the next night. Ask for Raul to be your server, and have him make you Spanish coffees tableside!
The Bistro / Located just below the lobby, this restaurant is open 24 hours and offers a variety of cuisine. My spaghetti was good but I think I enjoyed my boyfriend's nachos more. ;) They will also make Spanish coffees tableside!
Manila Bar / We loved this spot by the lower pool for late afternoon snacks and drinks. I always got a strawberry margarita with Don Julio (they will use a cheap alcohol if you don't ask for it). Their chips and guac, nachos, and chicken quesadillas are all great!
Room service pizza / I can't remember the proper name of the pizza delivery service, but we had it at least three times during our stay! It was the perfect late-night snack (or early morning snack if you prefer cold pizza, haha).
Lobby Bar / We stopped here for late-night drinks since they're open until 1 am. I ordered a strawberry margarita the first time I went in and got the most delicious drink with mint included. I thought maybe it was a mojito, so I ordered that the next time, but it definitely wasn't...so try ordering a strawberry margarita if you go. ;)
View of lower pool
WHAT WE DID
Since we were staying at essentially an all-inclusive resort, my main goal was to do nothing all week. That goal was pretty much accomplished! All of the vacations I've had so far in my life have been pretty much go-go-go with lots of things to do and see, and I was so looking forward to not having anything planned.
When we weren't eating, I was pretty much either napping or hanging out on the beach (or napping on the beach, let's be honest). I did spend some time in the hot tub on our balcony, and we did do yoga one morning. The R&R was definitely maximized as much as possible! ;)
The others traveling with us spent a day golfing and also spent some time wandering downtown Cabo (but from what we've heard, they mostly just drank a lot...downtown is a lot like Key West, Florida, in the bar department!).
WHAT I WORE
I packed my clothes and shoes in one carry-on bag, and I brought my Longchamp 'Le Pliage Neo' tote to hold my in-flight necessities and valuables. Because we were flying from cold weather to warm weather and back, I also brought along a packable puffer coat that could be stuffed into its own bag when not being worn.
I brought 17 items and put together 11 outfits during the week-long trip as seen in my Stylebook screenshots below. The items don't include my PJs/loungewear, workout clothes/sneakers, and swimsuits (I brought three suits but only wore two of them). The weather was warm during the day and cool at night, so I often changed outfits and was definitely glad to have a pair of pants! I actually probably should have brought a second pair since I wore them almost every night plus on both travel days. I was also very happy to have my linen sweater!
I don't feel like I did too bad with the packing. I could have cut out a dress, and I didn't really need the wedge sandals (I brought them for a more dressed-up dinner that didn't end up happening). I didn't have room for my straw hat or a swimsuit coverup, so if I tag along next time I hope to fit those in!
If you're in the mood to shop or heading somewhere warm soon, in the widget below are either the exact items I wore or items that are very similar. :)
