Hola, chicos! Wow, it’s been a while since we’ve sat down to reflect on our latest Cabo adventures.
The rainy season has officially ended and we’ve entered into the high season — cool mornings, warm days, and breezy nights. Needless to say, we’ve been taking full advantage of being able to get out and about without sweating through our clothes. Throw in busy Q4 work weeks, never-ending COVID, a Thanksgiving staycation, Christmas and an epic week-long trip with friends, and all of a sudden… Happy New Year, aaand it’s February!
Before we jump into what we’re doing now, we want to recap our fourteen days of fun we shared with our family this past fall. If you remember from one of our first blog posts, the Turner and Daly clan have been coming down to Cabo for many years. Usually, right around Halloween, the group rolls down from Kansas City and Lake Of the Ozarks to vacation at Club Cascadas de Baja.
2020 definitely brought its obstacles, but one way or another, the entire family was able to make the annual trip happen. We felt very blessed to see some familiar faces, share a few hugs and be in our happy place all together.
The Calm Before The Squad
Kyle’s parents, Kristen and Jeff, come down a week earlier than the rest to get in a little R&R before the rest of the crew arrives.
The past two years, they have stayed with us for a night before checking into their Perlita at the club. We don’t get to “host” too often, especially with the year that was 2020, so we were very excited to have guests at our house. A cheeseboard, delicious steak dinner on the patio and great conversation were a few of the highlights. After not seeing them for an entire year, there were lots of great stories to catch up on!
The first few evenings we got to spend time together over a few dinners out on the town. First up was dinner at Cascadas featuring a delicious seafood dinner on the beach. The next evening we ventured over to Metate to explore their new evening Farmer’s Market. We had a great time wandering the property visiting all of the local vendors before sitting down for a tasty meal. We also made our way to Outpost, taking down a few smoked “OP Burgers” paired with hibiscus mezcalitas on their rooftop.
Then Leigh’s mom Pam arrived to join the party! It was her first time back in Cabo since pre-pandemic life in February. We were excited to have her here to have some fun and get in bonding time with the rest of the family.
Sharing Cascadas with a newcomer is always a treat. The boutique resort is one of a kind, with unique hand-paved pathways winding through tall palm trees and greenery to each individual unit. Lay under your palapa on the beach and waive a little blue flag to order your next 2x1 margarita, then enjoy a candlelit dinner in the sand under the stars… it’s really a magical place to experience and we were so excited to share it with Pam!
Let the party begin
This year, we had a group of 13: Jeff, Kristen, Pam, Bob, Kelly, Amy, John, Patrick, Emma, Sam & Natalie (and us!). The rest of the group arrived and the party commenced. Lots of lounging on the beach, flowing Pacificos, and more fun dinners out on the town.
Now living here for a little over a year, we’ve compiled quite the list of our favorite restaurants, things to do, sights to see & more. Our concierge service was in full force, packing all the fun we could into the week. If you’re coming to Cabo, you know who to reach out to for recommendations (shameless plug… check out our Instagram @HolaCabo!). On our evenings out we dined at Casa Martin, Italian Job, La Pintada, & El Huerto Farm to Table.
Our first group dinner out at Casa Martin downtown
Halloween On The Water
For the past few years, we have rented a catamaran through Cabo Blue to go out on the Sea of Cortez for a day. This year, it happened to fall on Halloween so we decided to get a little festive. We surprised the group with a few crazy masks to wear for our annual photoshoot in front of El Arco. A few great shots and one spilled Tequila Sunrise later, we were cruising on our way to Chileno Bay for some snorkeling.
In the cove, we got off the boat for some snorkeling and paddle-boarding. The warm water is full of beautiful fish and coral. We even found a piece of coral that was broken off that we got to bring back on board.
The best part of the day was the surprise appearance by the humpback whales. Usually, whales do not appear in Cabo until mid-December so this was a fun treat for everyone to experience.
Our fun Saturday ended with a Shrimp Boil, pink tacos, and a few cervezas at Sancho’s on the marina. They even surprised us with Halloween themed funfetti cupcakes at the table!
DIA DE LOS MUERTOS
In Mexico, instead of focusing on the tricks and the treats of Halloween, they celebrate the lives of loved ones who have passed, on their own holiday of Dia De Los Muertos. The two holidays are actually completely independent of each other. “Day of The Dead” occurs November 1st and into the 2nd, usually with parades, food, bright colors, altars & music. We spent the evening back at Metate where they had created Baja’s largest altar, a beautiful display of gifts, candles and photos. Usually an altar is created to honor a loved one, filling the space with all of their favorite things, to honor their life and memory. While it’s a happy (vs scary) holiday, the full moon definitely gave the evening a spooktacular vibe over dinner.
OUT ON THE WATER
You can take the boy out of the Lake, but you can’t take the Lake out of the boy… is that how it goes? Kyle grew up with his cousins wakeboarding, so they were extremely pumped to get out on the water together one early morning for some fun.
It was special to have the gals along, too. Emma, Patrick’s fiance, and Natalie, Sam’s girlfriend, joined along for the ride. While it was an earlier morning than normal, we knew we had to get up to get the quiet and glass-like water before all the other boats and jet skis hit the sea. Mimosas on the boat were good motivation for the 6am wakeup call for the ladies.
The boys also got a second morning out on the water to go deep sea fishing. They caught an epic sunrise and a few fish along the way. Lorenzo even came along! The dorado that were caught got brought back to Cascadas for a “you hook it, we cook it” style dinner. The restaurant cooks up the fish a few different ways (grilled, blackened & fried) for the group to enjoy.
QUALITY TIME
One of the best parts of our family trips is the quality time we get to spend with each other. With a tiring and stressful year of COVID, it was much needed for everyone. On this trip, there is no urgency to be somewhere or get something done. We love the laidback atmosphere on the beach and late night evenings on the Perla patio with the people we love (and don’t get to see often enough!).
This year we celebrated two birthdays, Kristen and Sam’s, which added to the fun at our dinners (like lots of tiramasu, flan, & very loud nice and embarassing versions of Feliz Cumpleanos!). There was no shortage of laughs and good conversation.
It feels a bit lonely when everyone heads back to the States, and weird when we’re still here, but we’re left with amazing memories to last us until the next time. Cheers to a great vacation and we’re already counting down the days until Cabo 2021!
Gotta love a good Coronavirus pinata!
