We’reeeee back, & we’ve got a major case of the post-vacay blues over here. You spend months planning the most awesome vacay, then you have the most awesome vacay, & within a snap of the finger your home again with nothing to plan, no beach to hit, & about 9000 emails to respond to. Atleast today I get to relive my trip through this post.
I’ve never been to Cabo & pre-trip I asked you guys what we needed to do/see/eat, to my surprise- there were not a whole lot of suggestions. After I went, I totally got why, the only thing you should do in Cabo is nothing. Relaxation is what it’s all about, so for the first time ever, I went on a trip without creating my typical OCD style spreadsheet.
That being said, we had a really unreal trip & came home with a handful of recs to share with you guys for your next trip to Cabo. No need to follow it like a brochure, because honestly, if all you do is sit on the beach & sip spicy margs… you will still have had an epic Cabo experience. When in Cabo, you really can’t lose.
Ready for a huge photo dump + a total trip recap? K, let’s do this…
[ photos by Zack Dowdy ]
First thing to know about Cabo is the difference between Los Cabos, San Jose Del Cabo & Cabo San Lucas.
Los Cabos is the whole encompassing area of Cabo. San Jose Del Cabo & Cabo San Lucas are in Los Cabos).
San Jose Del Cabo is about 25 minutes from the airport & it’s where the resorts are. Cabo San Lucas is about 45 minutes from the airport & it’s where the partying goes down (think Cabo Wabo).
We opted for the Puerto Los Cabos/San Jose Del Cabo area since we are no longer in college & two margaritas is considered a raging time for us. It’s totally up to you & what experience you’re looking to have, but note that you can easily take a taxi to fromSan Jose Del Cabo to Cabo San Lucas to see what that’s all about. Honestly, an hour or two in Cabo San Lucas was good enough for us.
[ sidebar: bring american money!! Everyone takes it, the ATM’s charge a huge fee, & working out pesos is pretty complicated! This was our first mistake, but the hotel quickly clued us in. ]
Now… for our hotels!
HOTEL EL GANZO
For our first two days in Cabo, we stayed at Hotel El Ganzo & let me tell you… this place is a total MIND BLOW.
It’s not the typical hotel you’d expect to find in Mexico as it’s a very modern boutique hotel that is all about diversity, sustainability, artistry, & creativity. Right up my alley. The decor is incredibly Pinterest-worthy, the service is unbelievable (go find Alex, he is the most magical human you will ever meet), & the surroundings will blow your mind.
It overlooks the marina & has it’s own private beach club that you get to by water taxi. Pretty much no need to ever leave El Ganzo.
Another feature I LOVE about Hotel El Ganzo is their “Artists in Residence” program. The invite artists to come stay at the hotel in exchange for a piece of art somewhere on the property. It’s so fun to walk the grounds & find all of the beautiful, sometimes hidden, works of art. We personally loved the “simply living” piece above the waterfall done by former NBA player, Desmond Mason & the huge stormtrooper by the rooftop pool.
They also work with musicians as well where they invite them to come record in their underground studio & then perform on the rooftop for the guests. We were lucky enough to be here for the private show put on by Hello Seahorse & loved that the television in our room streamed the “El Ganzo Sessions” recorded in the studio.
The rooftop pool was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. We hit up the jacuzzi every morning at 7am & it was def. a trip highlight. Plus, there is a bomb swim up sushi bar!!
Scenes from the front of the hotel, love those vintage Land Rovers!
left: some major chair-inspo! I was so obsessed w/ these chairs that I literally took 900 photos of them. One day, I will have to have them made for my house! | right: more artwork at the El Ganzo beach club.
CASA DEL MAR
After two fabulous days at El Ganzo, we made the switch to Casa Del Mar & wowwwww— this resort is beyond stunning.
It’s a completely different experience, but equally as magical.
Casa Del mar is an oceanfront boutique resort & with all of that Hacienda-like charm you’d expect to find in Mexico. The grounds are covered in fuchsia hibiscus, the pools are perfection, & our room was literally sitting on top of the ocean. Falling asleep to the waves was pretty much the most relaxing thing ever!!
Oh, & the entire bathroom was marble, & we all know how I feel about marble (loveeee!).
Arriving in our room we were greeted with this siesta spread of tequila, handmade jerky, fruity macarons, grilled pineapple, & a whole bunch of other goodies.
At Casa Del Mar, the food was AMAZING.
On our first night we sat down to a group dinner with some really amazing people from the press in Mexico & were served cactus salads, filets w/ a special black mole sauce (took 8 days to make), & the best cabernet I’ve ever tasted from Baja California. This night was another great highlight from the trip.
I spent probably 50% of our trip taking baths, & this view from the tub was beyond breathtaking.
The spa at Casa Del Mar can NOT be missed! We had Balinese couples massages that incorporated lymphatic drainage + hot stones and finished it off in the spa jacuzzi with cucumbers on our eyes.
Ahhh…. such bliss.
If there is one thing Zack & I are really good at it when vacationing, it’s eating. WE LOVE TO EAT when travelling. Some of our favorites in Mexico were:
Don Sanchez: we went here for dinner, per recommendation of our hotel, & so glad we got to try this yummy restaurant. They divided there menus into three: farm to table vegetarian, ocean to table fish, & steak- so there is something for everyone. We got some AMAZING spicy jalapeno margaritas (must try!), tamarindo (new favorite seasoning) braised short ribs, & crispy hibiscus enchiladas. Drooling.
Ganzo de Playa Beach Club: we had lunch on the beach here & it was everything. We got fish tacos, chips/salsa/guac, & the most unreal grilled pineapple creation. I don’t know what was in it, but it was one of the best things I have ever tasted. They also had a grilled watermelon I saw someone order that I am def. getting next time we go!
Tapanco at Casa Del Mar: as mentioned above, the food here is on point!
Edith’s Cabo: OKAY, so Edith’s may very well be my favorite restaurant I’ve ever been to. Their famous caeser salad is made at your table & it’s so so so cool to watch them whip up- plus, it’s the best caesar salad I have ever tried. We also got the Wally’s special which is a combo of shrimp, lobster tail, & filet. For dessert, it’s all about the bananas flambé (also prepared at your table). I do suggest making a reservation day one of your trip, it’s the most popular restaurant in Cabo San Lucas, so getting a table last minute can be rough.
Las Ventanas al Paraiso: This was actually the resort right next to Casa Del Mar & we had breakfast here the last day of our trip. The service was perfect, although one thing I noticed in Mexico, service is ALWAYS on point. I was so happy to find a delicious lox & bagel situation on the menu, which is my favorite food ever, so I was pretty pleased. The danishes, fresh smoothies, & pool/ocean view are also noteworthy here.
lunch vibes at Ganzo de Playa Beach Club.
If staying in Los Cabos & going to Edith’s, I suggest taking a taxi to the flea market in Cabo San Lucas to do some shopping & then hop on a water taxi to take you to the restaurant. We didn’t plan on doing this, but the walk was to long & to make our reservation a kind American tourist recommended this. It ended up being on of our favorite parts of the trip!
The amazingly traditional decor at Edith’s.
a basket of delish CARBS at Las Ventanas al Paraiso (need to work out, stat!).
If there is one thing to put on your Cabo to-do list, it’s to visit Flora Farms.
We were lucky enough to get a private tour of the property (thanks Cecilia!!), & the whole time all I could think about was throwing my passport in the ocean & moving here. It was that beautiful, & then some.
It’s a 10 acre organic farm that has a restaurant, shopping, an organic grocery store, & so much more.
Zack & I love gardening, but with the drought here in Califoria we have given up that hobby, so we really enjoyed learning about all of the organic produce/pesticide free farming/etc. The food was, as you can imagine, beyond fresh & delicious.
If you do go (which you really should) be sure to visit all the dogs on the property (we loved ‘Guapo’), grab some gluten free chocolate chip cookies to go, order the ‘Carrot Farmarita’ + the ‘Hibiscus Mezcal’, visit the beauty store, & obviously- have breakfast or lunch at The Flora Farm Bar!!!
so charming! I was thinking the whole time how much this place reminded me of Sonoma, which was spot on since the owner is originally from Sonoma! Very much a wine country feel here.
ice cream game strong at Flora Farms!
The Carrot Farmarita & the Hibiscus Mezcal were insaneeee.
The amazing Cecilia- who we owe a huge thank you to for such an amazing experience!!!
Okay, that’s all she wrote… for today!
Tomorrow I will be sharing all of my Cabo looks & then we have another Cabo surprise coming in the next few weeks- so stay tuned! Now onto researching where we are going next, cause I’ve been bit by the travel bug. Any suggestions? LMK. x, E
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