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Archive for the ‘San Jose del Cabo’ Category

At the end of May I got to go to Los Cabos for 4 days.  It was a wonderful working vacation for me.  I saw some beautiful properties that I genuinely enjoyed.  I met many warm and genuine people and had some great food (though maybe too much red snapper).  I stayed in a lovely casita at the Marqus Los Cabos, which included a plunge pool and amenity breakfasts every morning while watching the sun come up and listening to the ocean roaring right outside my patio door. 

I sailed on the New Zealand version of the America’s Cup Yacht Race boat.  Had a wonderful swedish massage at the Esperanza Spa  from Ulma.  Looked a horse in the eye and declined the ride.  Walked along the beach and had a good “wetting down” from a stray wave.  Experienced a cooking class with a Michelin-starred chef.  Drank such a great margarita (Las Ventanas al Paraiso’s  ”Welcoming Margarita”) that I was inspired to go to Bed Bath and Beyond when I returned to Seattle and purchase a soda siphon in order to make them myself.  And I might add, while not as perfect as Las Ventana’s Welcoming Margaritas, mine were plenty yummy. 

Without a doubt one of the best meals (and there were many delightful meals from many hotels and restaurants, but this one stood out in my memory) while there was at One and Only Parmilla.  We took a tour of the villa accommodations there at One andOnly Parmilla, then a golf cart ride to the restaurant, Agua Restaurant.  Our hosts included the One and OnlyParmilla, Cecilia Aragon-Bryant (Director of Public Relations),  the Los Cabos Visitor and Convention Bureau and Terramar Destinations, who provided our guide, Rico, for the evening.  The menu included a canape, 4 course dinner and dessert, provided by the Executive Chef, Larbi Dahrouch. 

The Thursday night Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo also stands out as a superb event to enjoy with the only cost being that of the delightful art one might feel inclined to purchase.  Our guide, Rico, led us up and down the hilly streets, and in and out of galleries too numerous to mention.  Wine, canapes, a delicious vanilla liqueur, margaritas all accompanied us on our rounds of the galleries.  See my Thursday Night Art Walk article at National Romance Travel Examiner for a more complete description.

I would go to Los Cabos again immediately if I could.  I fell in love with the place, the people, the food and the ambiance.  i really would like to stay at Las Ventanas al Paraiso or One and Only Parmilla each at least for a week!  Oh yes, the trip I went on was sponsored by the Los Cabos Visitor and Convention Bureau.  I appreciated everything they did to help me understand that the novel H1N1 virus was not in residence in Los Cabos!

I wrote several articles about this lovely trip in my National Romance Travel Examiner column  at Examiner.com.  Here are some of the links, I hope you read and enjoy them:

Sailing with the Cabo Adventures America’s Cup Yacht Race experience

Marquis Los Cabos – a resort for all senses

Marquis Los Cabos casita 704

An invitation to romance at Las Ventanas al Paraiso part 1

Las Ventanas – part 2 – more than a resort

There are more but that is for another posting……

Transportation  -  How am I going to get around the area?  This is always an interesting question.  I hate driving in foreign countries.  I prefer taxis or public transportation.  Taxis are not the way to go, though, here in Los Cabos.  Taxis cost about $40 to get between San Lucas and San Jose.  No way, baby.  But the buses are not so bad, inexpensive and relatively frequent.  There is a four-lane highway connecting the two cities and a new toll road from the airport to the Corridor.  However, it bypasses San Jose del Cabo and that would not be my intent.  So I guess I had better plan on renting a car whether I like that aspect or not. 

Lodging is, of course, a consideration.  “The Corridor” contains the resorts, a half-dozen or so championship style golf courses and the absolutely incredible beaches.  But I am not sure I want to stay in a resort.  There are about 85,000 people in residence in Los Cabos, with just over 10,000 rooms for visitors.  Most guests stay only 3-5 nights in Los Cabos.  That fits my itinerary well.  There are some boutique hotels in the Corridor as well and even some private villas.  I wonder what a villa for a 5 day stay will cost….I need to put that on my list of things to find out if I am going to seriously consider this area as my destination. 

Cabo San Lucas lies at the end of Los Cabos at “Lands End” about 20 miles southwest of San Jose del Cabo.  It is here you will find the El Arco (The Arch),  the area’s signature landmark.  It is here the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortes meet.  The resort development there consists of three distinct areas:  Playa Medano (high rise hotels and condos), Downtown/Marina (budget hotels and commercial development), and Playa Solmar (high rise hotels and condos).  There is a mix of rowdy bars and hip nightclubs, a fairly large choice in the restaurants and dining cuisines and shopping – home of the Puerto Paraiso mall.  

Recap:  So I will shop, hopefully get to visit some of the locals and get to know them, take the whale watching boat trip on one of the days I am there, visit the architecture and culture of San Jose and San Lucas, take a day to visit and photograph the estuary, its inhabitants  and the fresh water lagoon, and at least one day I will lay in the sun on a secluded beach and get warm all the way through to my core.  I can rent a car to get around and I would like to stay in a private villa instead of a resort. So as the last step in looking at Los Cabos, how will I get there and what are its strongest selling points? 

Getting There  -  Los Cabos International Airport receives more than 200 flights each week.  There are three terminals.  There is the main terminal on the northern end of the airport, the Charter terminal on the southern end  and a third for private jets.  The Charter terminal is where Delta Airline and Alaska Airlines call home (as well as a number of the charter planes).  Airlines with regular service to Los Cabos include Aerocalifornia, Aeromexico, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, America West/US Airways, Continental, Delta, Frontier, Mexicana and United.  There are also several seasonal charter services.  Non-stop service or a convenient connection is available from Seattle. 

 Documentation Requirements  -  I, naturally, have a passport.  Passport are going to be required in just a short time so anyone who does not have one should get one ASAP or do not plan to travel until they do.  Right now as I write this, US citizens need proof of citizenship: either a valid passport, or original birth certificate (with the raised stamp) and a photo ID.  A Mexican Tourist Permit is also required and issued free of charge upon arrival, after proof of citizenship is shown, or may be provided by the airlines in advance.  I will need to keep this with me at all times and needs to be returned to an immigration official at the time of my departure.  I will not have any children accompanying me but as an FYI for anyone who does, children under the age of 18 who are traveling alone or with only one parent need notarized consent from the non-traveling parent(s). 

The Up Side Tips: 

ü      The time zone is Mountain Standard Time. 

ü      Phone calls to Los Cabos from the US , I must dial 011-52-624 and the seven digit local number.

ü      Tipping is like in the US: 15-20% of the bill at the restaurants.  I found out I should look at my hotel bill carefully as many hotels impose a 10%-15% service charge for non food and beverage gratuities.  If my bill does not include this, porters should be tipped $1-$2 per bag and hotel maids $1-$2 per day. 

ü      It is still best to drink bottled water, although all hotels either purify their water or serve purified water. 

ü      Most people who work in the resorts speak English so I should not have any major language barrier  issues. 

ü      The electricity is 120 cycles/60 volts, the same as in the US.  I will not have to pack a converter going here. 

ü      And the biggest Up-Side selling point:  the sun shines more than 300 days a year in Los Cabos with an average temperature of 82 degrees Fahrenheit.  I really like that!   

I am including the main tourist website here in case anyone wants to go check it out:  www.visitloscabos.org 

So I have exhausted the research on Los Cabos.  Sweet dreams of Los Cabos, Mexico. 

Eco-tourism/adventures is next on my list of interests: 

Los Cabos has biodiversity.  Although it would seem that man-made resorts overpower all else in the area, there are rugged deserts, unique flora and fauna, and the mountains.  It is also the migratory home and birthing place for hundreds of whales.  There are scientific studies that declare that 90% of the migrating whales travel south to Los Cabos.  From December through March a whale watching excursion is a must-do activity.  My plan is to visit Mexico in late January or early February so that fits in well with my itinerary. 

So what does Los Cabos hold for me at the cultural level? 

Historically, Los Cabos itself was founded as a resort in the 1950s.  For a lot of years it was a watering hole for the very rich, including yacht owners and movie stars, as well as a small number of fishermen and hunters.  Over  a period of 2 decades (the 1980s and the 1990s), as air service into Mexico expanded, new resorts opened and the infrastructure improved.  Now there are 3 developed areas of Los Cabos.  The one most likely to attract me for its culture is San Jose del Cabo, the historic center.   

San Jose del Cabo features a low-key village atmosphere, according to the Mexican Tourism Board.  It is considered a tranquil, tropical, traditional colonial village which was founded in 1730 by Jesuit missionaries.  The colonial style is evident in the Municipal Palace, near Plaza Mijares.  The Plaza is the scene on Sundays where local artists sell their works such as paintings, sculpture and crafts between 10AM and 2PM.  Facing the palace is a long, narrow fountain which is lit by colorful lights in the evenings.  There is a newly renovated “zocalo”, with its shaded courtyard and white gilded bandstand.  And there is a Catholic church called Parroquia de San Jose that was built in 1940 on the site of the original 18^th century mission.  Just east of downtown is a placid freshwater lagoon, the Estero del San Jose.  Centuries ago roving pirates and treasure-laden galleons replenished their water supplies from this lagoon.  There is a 125 acre estuary  & game reserve that nearly 100 species of birds call home.  The town is ideal for unique shopping, leisurely walking, varied dining and getting to know the local people.  Commercialism and the nightlife is low key.  I like getting to know local people and how they live.  That makes a place more “real” to me. 

The first destination in Mexico that I am going to explore is Los Cabos (The Capes).  It is frequently called “Land’s End”  because it is located on the southernmost tip of the Baja Peninsula, about 1000 miles south of San Diego.  The Sea of Cortes borders Los Cabos on the east and the Pacific Ocean lies to the west.  Los Cabos is interesting to me because it has luxury resorts, villas,  golf, spas, dining and shopping.  This is one of the most well-known Mexican resorts on the West Coast of Mexico.  It actually extends from San Jose del Cabo to Cabo San Lucas.  The 20-mile long Tourist Corridor is made up of mostly beachfront luxury resorts and world-class championship golf courses.  Los Cabos’ most famous landmark is one of Mexico’s top natural wonders:  El Arco.  This is a dramatic rock that sits where the Sea of Cortes meets the Pacific Ocean.  The Sierra de la Laguna Mountains lie beyond the towns and while sand beaches line its shores.    It has almost perfect weather with sunshine for most of the year, with an average temperature of 82 degrees.  They say that temperatures can reach into the 90s in late summer but that it has very low humidity and great ocean breezes which keep it pleasant during that time.  As I look out of my windows in Seattle, and it is cold, gray and rainy, warm sunshine and 80-degree weather have a strong appeal. 

But what do I want to do and what do I want to see and what will I want to come back and write about for you?  I am interested in the culture of Mexico, in eco-tourism adventures, and then shopping.  And then there is my need for rest and relaxation, so a day in a spa could be very satisfying.  I also want to warm my inner core to allow me to get through the balance of my winter as well, until it once again becomes warm and sunny here in Seattle.   Next I will explore what I want on a vacation versus what Los Cabos can offer.