Raise your hand if you’ve ever wanted to go to Mexico! You can bet our hands flew up when asked, and what better way to start a vacation than in the country of sun, guacamole and Cerveza! Cabo San Lucas was the place to be and we decided that ringing in 2015 on the beach was exactly what we wanted to do.

Cabo San Lucas is often the hot-spot for celebrity spotting (not that we actually saw any….sigh no Angelina) but this certainly was not the main draw-card for our choice to visit.  We had seen amazing pictures, heard great things, and knew it was a must visit even with the short amount of time we had available.  With only 2 nights planned, we made the most of the scenery, the food, the cocktails and the culture.  The Bahia Hotel Beach Club was our choice of hotel and we certainly chose right.  It was boutique, close to the beach, had great food and drinks and wonderful service – we couldn’t fault it, it was perfect.  See our review of this hotel.

CABO SAN LUCAS DAY 1

Our first point of call was, of course, the hotel, but more importantly (yep, you guessed it) where to go for dinner and beer.  We took a stroll down towards the beachfront for an inquisitive look-see and were drawn to the colourful façade (and convertible Kombi) of Mango Deck Restaurant, Bar and Beach Club.  This is a ‘crazy place’ during Spring Break (YouTube it, if you’re not at work!) but fortunately, on that night it was less Beach Club and more of a fun restaurant.  Moosh had been dying to try the guacamole and tortillas, she is but a simple girl.  Imagine the best you’ve ever had….well, this was better, tears of joy better!  The guacamole was made by our waiter in front of us and we eagerly watched to see what secrets went into said ‘perfect guacamole’.  Ultimately it was just the love put into it!  We ordered a Mexican feast to share and wow-o-wow it was super delicious and definitely set the bar for what was to come, plus the beers were cold and priced to please.  

Bellies full of goodness, we set off down the beach front and stumbled upon an outdoor bar on the beach, Baja Cantina.  A novelty bar, adorned with swings as seats to three sides.  Picture it – swinging gently, sand on your feet, cocktail in hand, friends by your side, how awesome is that?  The evening weather was calm, we were reunited with our besties and the cocktails were going down rather agreeably.  Cabo had already begun to exceed our expectations and we hadn’t even really got out and explored.

What a true delight to wake up and step outside the hotel room door, smell the sea breeze, see dozens of palm trees and more excitingly the pool, quietly waiting and begging us to take a dip.  But the pool would have to wait….for now.  We had organized a whale watching tour with Whale Watch Cabo and were due to set off from the Marina.  Arriving with plenty of time for breakfast we thought we could squeeze in a quickie, but how wrong we were.  We found a restaurant with an inviting outdoor area and, as there were no other patrons, we assumed our food would arrive rápido.  However, I guess Mexican time is somewhat slower paced than what we are used to.  Our food was still nowhere to be seen after 40 minutes, so we tried to cancel our order.  But we were hungry and so our waiter offered a solution.  The solution?  We left the restaurant, boarded our tour boat, and somewhere between the safety induction speech and the starting of the engines the waiter brought our food to the boat.  Unconventionally (and rather comically looking back now) we paid for breakfast pulling pesos from beneath our life jackets and attempted a rápido feasting of Huevos Rancheros.  We set out on time with a small group (nothing worse than a discounted tour on an overcrowded boat) and the team was led by marine biologists who are very supportive of whale conservation and research.  Many tour boats get too close to the whales, invading their space and this actually scares them away.  It was wonderful that our Captain held back to a distance that still provided great views but respected the whales and their environment.  The photographer took some great shots and she was quite generous to email the photos through to us.  We were fortunate to see some Gray Whales breaching, it truly is a sight to behold.  The tour took us past El Arco (a.k.a Lovers Arch, Golden Arch) and stopped for a photo opportunity of what truly is a remarkable rock formation.  As an added bonus the area is frequented by sea lions, adorably chubby and noisy, and there were plenty of them basking in the gorgeous Mexican sun.  Fantastic experience, fantastic tour.  We would 110% recommend Whale Watch Cabo and will definitely use them again.

We walked back to our hotel along the beach (approx. 20 to 30-minute walk depending on which part of the Marina) and geared up for a big NYE night of celebrations to bring in 2015.  We had pre-booked a dinner package on the beach at The Office and boy-o-boy what a fantastic choice!  The tables were dressed very colourfully and fairy lights adorned the surroundings, providing a majestically Mexican atmosphere.  We saw a stage in our zone and were unaware of what was to come, but we knew we were in the right spot as the adjoining restaurants on the beach had no colour, no vibrancy, and only a small band or DJ set-up.  The food was good overall, and watching the waiter hand whisk a Caesar dressing from scratch at the table was an unexpected delight.  Drinks were an additional cost to the dinner package, but the Margarita’s were strong, delightful and worth every Peso!  We spent the last hours of 2014 enjoying a magical evening of entertainment. The stage now came into its own boasting performances such as Mariachi bands, traditional dancing, Lucha Libre wrestling, break dancing, dancing competitions for some adults and kids from the crowd, and of course a DJ to spin the night home.  You know you have picked the hot-spot when everyone else at the other restaurants are looking over at your zone, your stage and you dancing!  Beachside fireworks were launched right on cue only metres from the gathering crowds (safety regulations followed to the letter….hrmmm….maybe not so much?!?)  Sure it was an expensive evening, but what NYE isn’t?  We had a fun and fantastically unforgettable night at The Office, there was no place we would have rather gone.

CABO SAN LUCAS DAY 2

New Year’s Day, Hangover, Pool time.  What better way to cure self-inflicted ailment than to spend time at the pool, relax and get back on it!  Without a care in the world we laughed, we ate, we drank.  The friendly staff took care of us with a variety of cocktails and pizzas, whilst the tortilla chips and guacamole orders kept flowing.  Thankyou Bahia Hotel Beach Club!  

We took a walk through the backstreets of Cabo to get a feel for the humble dwellings, the culture and livelihood of the locals, away from the glitz of the resorts and tourist traps (or perhaps we just get lost?).  Our next mission was to find the Mecca of Rock ‘n’ Roll and Mezcal, with no trip to Cabo San Lucas complete without a duty call to Cabo Wabo, founded by Sammy Hagar.  Cabo Wabo is adorned with Rock ‘n’ Roll history, photos and memorabilia.  The quality Tequila and Mezcal they serve will give even those opposed to Agave liquor an appreciation for superior smoothness.  After a couple of drinks, we made our way back to the hotel, to eat some more, drink some more (it was a holiday after all!) and to collect our luggage.  We thanked Cabo for the memories and bid farewell to 2014, the New Year had started with a bang.  

Time for Mexico City.

Follow in our footsteps and use our 1 night Cabo San Lucas Itinerary.

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