Cruisy Cabo

I once had a lady poo in the aisle, a passenger turn blue in front of me and a real creep ask for “something sweet” while eyeing me hungrily. But there have also been so many moments in my life where I have stared out a bus window or boarded a plane and thought, “as if I get paid for this?” and the last year that I spent working as an Executive Flight Attendant on private business jets was no different. One of the best trips that we got to take was to Cabo, a sunny little resort town on the tip of the California Baja Peninsula in Mexico – a gorgeous place to kick back and relax on the beach, cruise aquamarine waters on a catamaran and eat freshly caught seafood.

Arriving in Mexico with the coastal breeze brushing past my face and the ocean glistening in the distance I had one of these moments, and it’s maybe for that reason that Los Cabos San Lucas is one of my favourite places to seek the sun, finish a book and fall asleep in a hammock.

need to know Mexico

the Weather – I was in Cabo during November and December where the heat hit a sunny 30+ degrees and the sun shone fierce in a cloudless sky. Since Cabo is a tropical desert climate, it stays sunny year round except for the rainy season which falls from July to September, bringing warm thunderstorms (more in Los Cabos San Jose than in Los Cabos San Lucas) to shore.

the Stay – the first week that I spent in Mexico I stayed at the Barcelo Grand Faro in San Jose which was a nice small resort with lots of couples and families. They had a pretty property that wasn’t overwhelming, but they also offered less than average food and were a fifty dollar cab ride from the party in San Lucas. I’d recommend this hotel for travellers who are looking for a true all-inclusive and who aren’t really keen to leave the resort. (Which I don’t recommend at all!)

Learning our lesson and hoping to save a little money, the second time that we went to Cabo we stayed in San Lucas at the Hotel Riu Palace. www.palacecabosanlucas.riu.com a massive resort with great food, a pristine beach and I could walk the beach in to town and back without worrying about an expensive taxi.

Both resorts were all-inclusive.

the Food – Mexican food is one of my favourite cuisines and authentic dishes made with authentic produce really let the flavours get spicy. Guacamole made from ripe avocados, fresh salsa made to order at the table and endless fajhitas made with sizzling steak and spicy chicken are some of my favourites. Make sure to try the Chicken Mole, chicken covered in chocolate and chilli pepper sauce, stuffed jalapenos with chorizo or queso and dip, and carnitas, which are little flat tacos filled with chicken, beef or pork.

Mexican beer is famous internationally; Corona’s and Sol have a presence on beer shelves around the world. When in Mexico, drink these beers for dirt cheap along with all the poolside favourites; Pina Coladas, an ice cold Margarita and Sex on the Beach are easy tropical drinks.

the Spots – Next to Cancun, Cabo is probably the most popular destination for American Spring Break and because of this shining attribute, the bar scene is wild. El Squid Roe is a non-stop, three floored bar with dancing platforms, neon lights and converted red British buses for seating. There’s no dress code, no rules, and no morals here, the party goes all night and the drinks come in super-sizes. www.elsquidroe.com

Señor Frogs is another bar in San Lucas that refuses to go unnoticed and if you’ve been to other countries in the Caribbean you probably know what to expect here. The chain is famous for its wild atmosphere with bright coloured drinks and bright coloured bikinis, Señor Frogs is a spring-breakers dream and full of debauchery. You will have fun here. www.senorfrogs.com

One of my favourite places to have sundowners in the world, The Office on Medano Beach is a unique and clever restaurant that serves stellar seafood dishes by the shore, seating in the sand and has a Mariachi Band to serenade you.

The Pink Kitty Nightclub, The Mandala Food & Wine Club and Mango Deck on Medano Beach are all also worth mentioning.

the Experience – there are a lot of water activities to do in Cabo, you can water ski and rent a stand up paddle board or you can go scuba diving and rip around on a sea do. But when I was there I knew that I would have time and wanted do something meaningful, so I set up a meeting with Lupe Hernandes ahead of time and volunteered in a spaghetti kitchen instead.

The experience was special and if you get a chance to go, I absolutely recommend catching up with Lupe.

Keep in mind: leaving the resort for a few evenings and hanging out in the real Cabo was an eye-opening experience but returning to the wasted all-you-can-eat buffet every night was hard on my heart. I could only imagine what some of the employees of the resort must have felt like every night, seeing so much food go to waste and then returning home to the ghetto.

the Messy Details – the aeropuerto internacional de los cabos is about a twenty minute drive from the airport to Los Cabos San Jose and is a 40 minute drive to San Lucas, so if you’re like me and anxious to get out of long sleeve clothing when you could be tanning, you might want to change at the airport before you jump in a taxi. You  should also arrange an airport pick up from your resort or be ready to pay about 100$ USD to get to where you are going.

I felt very safe in Cabo because they were always people partying longer and harder than me and because the city brings so much money in from tourism that they are pretty keen to keep the tourists coming. Violence wasn’t an issue when I was there, unless you count drunk idiots stumbling around and going back to my resort by myself, I always felt safe.