Why Cabo is a Great WKND Getaway

You all know I love to travel! My best friend Jen and I decided one Tuesday afternoon that we needed a mini vacation, a sort of quick and inexpensive getaway. She lives in Seattle. We had already arranged with our jobs to have Thursday-Friday off. The only requirements we put on ourselves were that there had to be a beach and a party scene involved. We wanted to spin a globe and end up wherever our fingers landed, but you know – the way our corporate jobs are set up, we needed to be gone no more than 3 days. When you’re a working professional who also happens to be a wanderlust, capitalizing on your weekends off is key when traveling. You shouldn’t have to take several days out of your Paid Time Off (PTO) each time you want to go somewhere. I like to try and save my PTO for longer and more extensive vacations.

I’m still adjusting to traveling from the West Coast. I’m so used to traveling in and out of Atlanta to certain tropical destinations due to the proximity. Moving to Las Vegas has encouraged me to see other destinations that perhaps I would not have visited as quickly coming from Atlanta.

Still not too sure where we wanted to go, we called one of our favorite last minute travel agents and told her our budget and requirements. Southern California/Baja, Cabo and Cancun were all of the fairly close destinations we could go to in a quick few days. Cabo seemed like the logical choice since neither of us had visited that particular city in Mexico before. We booked on a Wednesday afternoon and I left Thursday late morning for Cabo. Jen actually left around 1am Thursday morning! Imagine booking on a Wednesday afternoon and flying out at midnight. We are wanderlusts like that…and completely #AboutThatPullUpLife.

I slept the majority of the flight, but I woke up as the plane started its descent into Cabo. Flying into Cabo was beautiful. It reminded me of a rain forest. Although I was initially disappointed that I didn’t see the beach flying in, I was Moore than satisfied with the lush, rolling and seemingly never-ending forest view I appeared to be landing directly into.

Jen and I were so excited to start this excursion in a new city with one another. We excitedly kiki’d it up when we finally saw one another in the Cabo airport. We were ready to get to the All-Inclusive we’d booked (and completely paid for) last minute. After visiting the airport bar and chatting it up with locals (totally trying to let them know we knew Moore than Hola and De Nada in Spanish!) our booked hotel had a shuttle pick us up from the airport. As we approached the general proximity where the All-Inclusive was, the scenery became resort after resort and American after American walking up and down the sidewalks…I think deep down we knew where this was headed, but being the optimistic people that we are, we ignored the familiar American vibes and were still hoping for the best. Many hotels and resorts are in an area of Cabo known as the Corridor.

We pulled up and after checking into our large oceanview suite, we asked the front desk to switch our room to one with a better view of the ocean. They were so friendly and showed us 3 Moore room options. After settling on one, we stood on the balcony watching the waves crash against the rocky shoreline and wondering if we could possibly enjoy our time in Cabo if we were to stay at the resort. We decided to explore. We went to the beach, a hotel bar and then a hotel restaurant to eat. As we sat down to force ourselves to eat American food in Mexico, we looked at one another and lightly giggled. The hotel was very beautiful and the people were nice and welcoming. We were just looking for…a different experience. Although nothing was verbally said, the decision had been made in that moment. It had been a little over 2 hours since we had first arrived.

We decided to go to the front lobby to ask how much a one-way taxi to the local city center would cost. We had told one another if we could make it to the city center, we’d figure it out from there. While waiting for the taxi, we were feverishly researching places we could reserve on AirBnb while using the All-Inclusive wifi…ya know, since we’d already paid for it. As the taxi pulled up, we used the Spanish we knew to negotiate a reasonable cost.

I recently came across a post that stated: A tourist gets ripped off. A traveler haggles. And still gets ripped off.

As we settled into the worn Mexican taxi, we took in the beautiful scenery Cabo boasts. The small-town living, roaring waves and perfect amount of sun is enough to make any trip, regardless of how it starts off, worth it. It’s a must-see. We later laughed and laughed about having not one but TWO places to stay in while visiting Cabo.

We took the local cab directly into the heart of Cabo. We were able to locate an Airbnb in a beautiful, hillside community known as Pedgreal. This particular area of Cabo gives you countryside vibes that overlook the lovely meeting of The Sea of Cortez and Pacific Ocean also known as Land’s End. After a little bit of confusion by the taxi driver on where to drop us off – we arrived. The flat was nestled off of the main road onto a small cul-de-sac behind a small standalone real estate agency. When we arrived, I saw a small, one-level, semi-outside building. It had about 8-10 separate units. A local woman greeted us at the front and after taking copies of what seemed to be our entire life (passport, DL, CC, social security -kidding on the last one! Just wanted to make sure you were still with me), she allowed us to officially check-in.

The unit was a small flat with one bathroom, one tv, one bed and a sliding door to the most quaint and beautiful outdoor courtyard with a small pool that was designed with blue marble slab and sparkling with small pieces of stained glass of burgundy, silver, white and other colors I cannot recall. I wish I’d taken a picture of the pool. Someone designed it with love in mind. I’m convinced. A beautiful turquoise wall surrounding the courtyard lended privacy for the residents. I met some very cool people from Quebec in that courtyard.

The flat was owned by an older, local married couple. They worked hand-in-hand with one another to oversee the units’ daily operations including personally cooking breakfasts for all of the guests. The husband drove Jen and I back to the airport once our vacation was over. He talked to me about how he lived in Las Vegas for 10 years then moved to Cabo to purchase real estate that he now keeps rented out. He said he and his wife fell in love with Cabo when they’d first visited almost 25 years ago and were enamored with its natural beauty, food and locals. After selling their telecommunications company in Las Vegas, they moved to Cabo. They say they’ll never return to the states to live. I learned a lot from him during that car ride about real estate, taking calculated risks and being flexible according to life’s ‘surprises.’

The unit was within walking distance of everything we wanted, including the beach and party scene. We partied with locals that night and ate authentic street tacos at 2am on the cobblestone streets of Cabo. The next day we enjoyed the beach and met other American travelers looking to have an authentic and adventurous time. I always meet the coolest people while on vacation. After partying at a local, day, beachside restaurant, we went back and napped for a few hours, woke up at midnight and went out again. Repeat. You get the idea.

We spent 3 days on the beach, mingling with the locals and meeting tourists and travelers alike from all over the world. We took a glass-bottom-boat tour out to El Arco where the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez meet. What a beautiful site. There’s something about coming face-to-face with nature that rebalances your spirit. The glass-bottomed-boat allowed us to see the colorful array of sealife that swam up to greet us at the surface. Words cannot really articulate the beauty of El Arco, the waves and colorful sealife.

After the boat tour, we decided to explore the beach. Somehow, in the midst of exploration, we ended up at a taco beach shop eating and drinking everything they had on the menu, which was only about 7 items. They were the most refreshing tropical drinks and fresh fish tacos we had experienced. For all of my fellow taco-lovers, the simplicity of the authentic Mexican taco is pretty cool when you think about how dynamic the taste is…but #foodiethoughts.

Many specific details surrounding the vacation, I can’t actually document because What Happens in Cabo Stays in Cabo! Cabo exceeded our expectations and I would suggest anyone looking for a good time to visit with friends. Embrace Cabo for all of its old, rustic, Mexican charm. You can spend your days enjoying the cool ocean breezes. Cabo’s nighttime, black skies have stars so bright, they look like bulbs. Cabo’s city-center streets are mostly cobblestone so if you’re looking to wear heels on vacation, Cabo may not be the location to do so.

I hope to visit Cabo again soon for a quick getaway. It is affordable and a quick travel destination, especially from the West Coast. For those of you who have been to Cancun, Cabo has an entirely different vibe from Cancun. Cabo feels like an old Mexican small town by the ocean that was able to maintain its charm. Cabo also has a ton of cool wildlife for people who enjoy that aspect of the tropics. I’m definitely one of those people. See the picture of me below holding my new little friend. Until the next adventure…

I hope you enjoy my picture recap of Cabo San Lucas!

In the spirit of living a Lifestyle of Moore,

Ashley