I’ve enjoyed every Mexican location I’ve gone to and was especially excited to visit Los Cabos. I had heard it was very different than most as it’s a playground of the rich and famous.
The Los Cabos Tourism Board helped me arrange stays at three completely different hotels and my friend Lynn and I headed to Mexico for what turned out to be a trip full of bad and good, but much more of the latter.
Hilton Los Cabos
We were welcomed at the Hilton Los Cabos with Pomegranate Margaritas to enjoy as we received our room keys. It was hard not to linger a bit longer to enjoy the view of the infinity Pool and the beach, but we decided we were ready for dinner after a long day of travel.
I certainly didn’t expect to find one of the best Italian restaurants I’d ever eaten at in Mexico, but Fenicia at Hilton Los Cabos fit the bill. From the “Mozzarella Menu” to the pasta with lamb ragu, it was a delicious dinner in a comfortable setting.
We were up early the next day to watch a beautiful sunrise from our balcony before breakfast at El Meson and our Taste of Los Cabos tour. Mauro, our tour guide, was a biologist who used to work with dolphins. He told us about the land and ocean life as we spent the day seeing the sites.
The highlight was a boat ride to the Cabo San Lucas Arch. The water was a bit too choppy to spend too much time out there, but it was a beautiful setting. We also enjoyed the Glass Blowing Factory
After lunch in San Jose del Cabo at El Herradero, we walked around the quaint town for a bit before heading back to the hotel and enjoying the infinity pool (with a few more of those pomegranate martinis and a tasty veggie pizza). We decided to make it an early night because we had another full day ahead of us.
I spent the morning touring the hotel with the manager, Rossy. After seeing the spa I regretted not having time to go there, but I vowed to come back.
Hotel El Ganzo
Our next stop was Hotel El Ganzo in a brand new area on the peninsula called Puerto Los Cabos. A number of major hotels are in the works, but the area is rather quiet in the meantime.
El Ganzo was nothing like the Hilton. It’s a small, artsy boutique hotel with resident musicians and even a recording studio. I was in awe of the rooftop pool, bar, Jacuzzi and view from there and it turned out I wasn’t the only one. Charlie Sheen is a frequent guest.
We had a scenic lunch at Downstairs at El Ganzo, where I ate a wonderful veggie sandwich that included pumpkin and asparagus, while sipping some sauvignon blanc.
Our next stop on the tour was one I wished I had skipped, as a microphone fell on my foot in the recording studio causing a major injury that kept me wheelchair bound the next few days. Though I had to cancel a few plans (swimming with dolphins and an outside restaurant), I made the best of it on one of El Ganzo’s beds on the beach.
We also got to see one of the resident performers at El Ganzo’s Downstairs. Lynn also took full advantage of the Jacuzzi on our patio, which was just in front of the marina, while I mostly rested.
Capella Pedregal
After two days at Hotel El Ganzo, we went to the total opposite of Los Cabos for our longest and most awaited stay at Capella Pedregal. I had heard amazing things about the resort and it definitely lived up to it, starting with a grand entrance through its own tunnel!
They pampered us from the moment we arrived with massages in their amazing spa and that was pretty much how we were treated throughout.
We each had our own room, with an infinity plunge pool on the balcony and bathrooms big enough for a tub, shower and couch! I also loved the special touches here, like the delivery of guacamole, chips and Coronas every afternoon.
We managed to check out all of the food venues at Capella Pedregal (when not enjoying Watermelon Mojitos at the pool). Despite the fact that Lynn and I are both allergic to seafood and couldn’t enjoy the full menu, we were so glad we experienced El Farallon, which has an ultra-romantic setting on the side of the mountain.
Dinner on the first night (and breakfast everyday) was at Don Manuel’s and we were able to really experience the cooking of Chef Yvan Mucharraz when he gave us a tamale making lesson on our final day, followed by our own private tasting dinner.
I don’t have any doubt that I’ll be returning to Los Cabos in the near future as it offers as much – or as little – as you want in a getaway in the setting of paradise.
After many years as one of the top tennis writers in the country, Marcia Frost now devoting most of her time to travel writing, with a focus on food, wine and spirits. She has her own blog at WineAndSpiritsTravel.com and does weekly columns for Inspirato on Sonoma and Paris (two locations she visits often). Marcia also freelances for many other outlets, including Yahoo!; AOL; Michigan Avenue; Rum Bum; Los Angeles Confidential; Travel, Food & Drink; and Air Tran’s Go! Magazine. She has been contributing to Girls’ Getaway since 2010. For more information on Marcia, visit her website MarciaFrost.com.