Cabo San Lucas, Mexico is an incredibly popular tourist destination for Americans. The fun and friendly Mexican atmosphere combined with beautiful blue waters, incredible offshore fishing and a desert climate, all make it the ultimate oceanside getaway.
I decided to take my husband, Ryan, to Cabo to celebrate his 40th birthday. One of his bucket list items was to go offshore fishing in Cabo, and another was to go on a relaxing vacation and basically be waited on hand and foot. So you can imagine my level of excitement when I figured out a way to accomplish both of those things all wrapped up in a kid-free trip to Cabo San Lucas. Here’s the story of our adventure.
The drive from the airport to our home for the next 4 days, The Resort at Pedregal, was about 40 minutes long. We sat comfortably in the Mercedes-Benz SUV sent by the resort to transport us from the airport and made small talk with our friendly driver. He was proud of his home and talked about the area, the beaches and even what his favorite food is (sushi). We were getting close to Cabo San Lucas when suddenly I could see it – El Arco de Cabo San Lucas (The Arch of Cabo San Lucas). It’s practically Cabo’s poster child; it’s signature landmark. There it was at the tip of this city that we were now upon after having driven through an almost 100% rural area between there and the airport. The final minutes of our drive took us through downtown Cabo San Lucas. It’s just as you might imagine. English signage, American fast food restaurants mixed in with little taquerias, small shops, the marina, and bars… plenty of bars. We made our way down the private drive that led to a massive gate with the words “The Resort at Pedregal” on it. We had arrived.
Look, I’ve been to some beautiful hotels. I’ve been greeted by immaculate landscaping, perfectly cut grass, lovely flowers, golf course views and much more. But never have I ever entered a property through a tunnel. Yep. This place has its own private tunnel – Dos Mares Tunnel – and you have to go through it just to get to the main property of the resort.
Before we started through the tunnel, the gate attendant took our arrival drink order. “Hibiscus water or margaritas, Señor?” he asked Ryan. We both giggled a bit at the generous, yet humorous to us, offering of hibiscus water. Would someone really choose hibiscus water over a margarita as their welcome drink in Mexico? Then Ryan said, “Margaritas, please.” Somebody on the other side of that tunnel whipped up some delicious margaritas super quick, because they were there waiting for us on a tray being held by a smiling man when we pulled up on the other side of the tunnel a quick 2.5 minutes later. They grabbed the bags, and we grabbed the drinks, and were immediately greeted by our personal concierge, Gino.
Gino and I had exchanged multiple emails before the trip where he had answered questions and made reservations for us. (Travel Tip: Don’t be shy. Go ahead and utilize the concierge services at your hotel. Ask for information, request dinner reservations, get massages scheduled, etc. That’s what they’re there for.) He kindly welcomed us and escorted us over to the front lobby to get checked in.
Now, this is not your typical hotel lobby. Not even close. First of all, its open air (as in, not enclosed inside a building). It’s beautiful, it’s breezy, and it has the best damn view of any lobby I’ve ever been in in my life. That view? The Pacific Ocean, of course. The furniture is beautiful. The accessories are beautiful. And the pergola shadows are cast over everything creating unique natural lighting stripes all around.
Because our room (which was upgraded by the hotel, oh so kindly) wasn’t quite ready yet, we strolled down to Crudo, the poolside bar, for some bites and a drink. Ryan and I shared some delicious shrimp tacos and finished up our welcome margaritas, and before we knew it, our room was ready. So off we went on a golf cart ride to our suite. And boy were we in for a treat.
Room 620… well, it’s not a room. It’s not even a suite. It’s more like a super nice and spacious apartment with gorgeous views of the Pacific Ocean. With 2 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, a full kitchen, a laundry room, 2 dining tables (one inside and one on the balcony), 2 balconies, a private plunge pool, and a couch that could probably seat 32 if you squeezed in a bit, it was like a little palace. It was most certainly larger than and much nicer than the first house we ever bought. And it was all a complete surprise. I mean, we were already stoked about our regular sized room with a private plunge pool (every single room at the resort has a private plunge pool, by the way). So when we walked into this… into Palace 620… we were in awe. And we may or may not have done a little happy dance after the staff members left us.
That plunge pool I mentioned previously, well, it was calling our names. We had several hours before our dinner reservation, so we decided to go for a dip. And when our daily delivery of chips, guacamole, salsa and beers (yes – you get all of that every. damn. day.) arrived, the gentleman kindly brought it out to the pool where we were relaxing. Look, maybe it’s because we’re Texans and absolutely love guacamole. But when a hotel delivers chips, guac and Coronitas to you in your plunge pool on the balcony of your gorgeous hotel room every day, you celebrate. We literally tossed our arms in the air and said a big, friendly, “Hey!” to this dude as he walked into the room with our tray of treats. I wonder if that’s how all of the guests greet him?
Later it was time for our dinner at the hotel’s gorgeous cliffside restaurant, El Farallon. We opted to call for a golf cart ride so that I didn’t have to make the walk in my heels. So the nice gal zoomed us over near the entrance of the restaurant in a matter of minutes. The view from the moment you enter the completely outdoors restaurant is nothing short of amazing. Have you ever eaten a meal on the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean crashing into rocks beneath you? Yeah, I hadn’t either. And, yes. It’s as beautiful as it sounds.
We were first brought to the restaurant’s champagne bar where they offer 3 ounce glasses, 6 ounce glasses and full bottles of a large variety of champagnes – a champs lover’s paradise, for sure. So we sat and enjoyed a glass each while we watched the ocean. I’m a mom of two young children. I don’t just sit and watch anything. This was quite a treat.
After our bubbly was gone, we headed over to the menu area. They explained our options – choose a starter, an entree and two sides – and we put our orders in. We were seated at a great table (they all have an excellent view) and were happy to see live musicians playing over in the corner. The dinner was absolutely delicious. Every single thing we ate tasted fresh and so good. They ended our already awesome meal with a special birthday dessert and song for Ryan. By the time we were done we were absolutely stuffed and very happy. Drinks and more live music followed dinner down at the other restaurant, Don Manuel’s, before we headed back to Palace 620 for some rest.
Mornings at The Resort at Pedregal always included a look outside at the unforgettable ocean views, and then a delicious breakfast at Don Manuel’s. Their breakfast buffet included fresh fruit, cereal, pastries, grilled veggies, tamales and customizable eggs – huevos rancheros, chilaquiles, omelettes, etc. It was perfection, and I always ate a bit too much.
The other routine activity at The Resort for me was lounging by the pool. As I mentioned earlier, I don’t just lounge around often as the mom of a 7-year-old and 4-year-old. So when given the opportunity to lounge by a pool with an ocean view while nice fellas bring me drinks and snacks, I took it. I sat, I worked a little, I drank some, I ate fries, and I read a book – a real book, y’all. In my life, if I’m reading, it’s either a children’s book to my kiddos, Instagram posts, or my own writing that I’m currently working on. But very rarely at this time in my life am I reading a book for fun. At first it felt weird – all of it. I was just sitting there doing whatever I wanted. Was this really happening? It sure was. And I got comfortable with it real quick.
If you’d like to work a little activity into your stay at The Resort, you can utilize their gym or even go for a nice long walk on the beach. They also have an amazing spa called Luna Y Mar and a charming boutique called Almarte. Plus, your personal concierge can get you booked on a sunset cruise, a fishing trip or even a sightseeing adventure. We chose a Mexican wine tasting as our fun add-on activity together. It was held over at Don Manuel’s in a private room. The sommelier, Hugo, did a fantastic job teaching us about Mexican wines and regions. And the experience included a delicious cheese board for two. If you love wine, I highly recommend the wine tasting. With the wines you taste plus the cheese board plus the interesting wine education and fun, you truly get a great value.
I can’t end our little story without mentioning one more incredible dining experience. The concierge kindly helped reserve Ryan for a fishing trip on which he ended up catching a lot of tuna. They sent a small ice chest with him so that he could bring some fresh fish back to The Resort to be prepared for us. And that, they did. The sashimi they made from Ryan’s catch was absolutely divine. And the tuna tacos were amazing, as well. This was all served at Don Manuel’s with a view of the ocean, and later, more live music. I must admit that as we stuffed our happy selves with one last dinner I felt a bit sad. Our trip was ending the next morning, and I knew that I would miss this special place very much.
After one last breakfast at Don Manuel’s on our final morning in Cabo, we met our driver and our personal concierge, Gino, at the front drive. They sent us off with cookies, smiles and friendly waves as we drove out of sight through the tunnel.
But the excellent service didn’t end there. We were pleasantly surprised by some airport assistance. Our driver pulled up to the airport where a final helpful Resort staff member got us quickly through the luggage check-in line and literally walked us all the way to security.
Look, there’s a reason why Travel and Leisure rated The Resort at Pedregal the # 1 Resort Hotel in Los Cabos and the # 32 Best Hotel in the World in 2018. With it’s secluded vibe down at the tip of Cabo San Lucas, top notch service, plunge pools in every room and delicious food at one of its 3 restaurants, you are sure to feel like royalty during your stay. And don’t forget to schedule some relaxation time in your private plunge pool between 4 and 5pm when your very own tray of treats will be delivered daily.
Bienvenido al paraiso.
Photos taken by Britney Crosson. Thank you to the staff of The Resort at Pedregal.
