Cabo: Part 3

After doing nothing the day before, we woke up Monday morning with plans to head out. We first poured ourselves some cereal and sat down to check in on some emails from work (Boeing pretty much forgets how to run when I'm out of the office...). We then put on our suits and headed to the beach!

There's a private beach just a short walk from the condo, so we went to check it out. We found a grass hut to sit under and relaxed and enjoyed ourselves. We had brought our snorkeling gear along, however it was low tide so it wasn't the best time. Another condo owner said it would be better to come at 8am (still a little early for vacation world). We gave it a shot anyways, and lucked out to see some puffer fish. They sure are pretty, all black with little white polka dots.

Misiones Beach

Once we had our beach fill, we moved on to the pool. Unfortunately the pool gets shaded in the afternoon, but we still had fun in the water and people watching everyone at the swim up bar.

pictures from the earlier in the week,
when we were there it was packed

It started to get a little cold, so we left the pool and got ourselves cleaned up at the condo. We then walked to the reception desk to ask about some activities. We checked out all the companies that provide snorkel boat tours (the one thing I really wanted to do), but they were all so expensive. We figured we could do our own tour by driving to each of the beaches ourselves. We did make reservations for the Mona Lisa restaurant for the next night though.

Next we wanted to check out a resort down the beach a ways, so we hopped in the Jeep and drove out there. The Hacienda Encantada. We were nervous that we may have to listen to a sales pitch on a time share just to get to see the place, but we lucked out and weren't pressured at all. We pulled up to the front and the valet took our car to park for us. Then Hugo led us to a golf cart and gave us a guided tour of the grounds. He was a new employee, only been there a week or two, but had worked at many other resorts in Cabo. He said this was by far his favorite. It sure was pretty. Up above they have a restaurant that has a great view and looks over Land's End. Next we drove down the the pool/beach area...infinity pools, swim up bar, and canopy beds right in the sand to relax in, so pretty.

just like Universal Studios!

view of one of their pools

restaurant with a view

swim up bar

infinity into the ocean

 

 

We thanked Hugo for the tour, and got our car back from the valet. Maybe someday we'll get a chance to stay there, but for now it's a little pricey.

On the way back to the condo we stopped at Mercado Carmela again to stock up on some more lard-filled tortillas and delicious guac. We would be making our own tacos at home that night. We fired up the BBQ on the balcony, and grilled up the steak we had gotten at Costco. They weren't the most authentic, but they were still delicious.

loaded with guac, salsa, and hot sauce

The condo also had quite the eclectic DVD collection. Since none of them looked good to me, I let Clint be in charge of picking what we watched each night. This night he picked All the Pretty Horses. What a strange movie. I fell asleep for a good portion in the beginning, but woke up and was still able to follow along...guess it was pretty slow. After the movie, we called it a night.

The next morning Clint had to get on a telecon meeting for work, so I slept in. Once he was done, I made us some more breakfast burritos...I could eat those tortillas everyday!

Clint had heard about an area called Cabo Pulmo from a friend of his, so we decided to make the drive out there and check it out. Along the way we stopped at Zippers so Clint could check out the surf boards.

checking out the surf shop

rooster in the road

Back on the road, we headed towards Pulmo. Once you get past San Jose, you turn onto the dirt road and drive out to the ocean. We definitely underestimated how long it would take to make the drive, especially on the bumpiest dirt road ever. We weren't moving very fast, and then came up to another car parked along side of the road. We asked how much further we had. He laughed and said 30 miles. This did not make me a happy camper. I didn't want to spend my day being jostled around in a Jeep, plus we had dinner reservations to make it back for. We still continued to see if maybe we could make it. At least the drive was pretty. We got to check out some of the homes out there in the boonies right on the water. 

house right on the water

 

where are we?

donkeys hanging out on the beach

It became pretty obvious we weren't gonna make it, and I really wanted to go somewhere to snorkel. We turned the car around, and made the bumpy drive back. We did stop once along the beach just to enjoy it, I mean we did drive all the way out there.

Clint and his Jeep

we spotted a whale! pulled out the
binoculars but he didn't surface again

Back in town, we headed to Chileno beach, known as a good snorkel spot. The beach was pretty crowded, but we found a place to set our stuff down and took turns snorkeling. There were quite a few fish out, and I was shocked at how shallow they were swimming and how they didn't seem to care that you were so close. A few almost swam right into my goggles! I was a much happier camper now being in the water instead of stuck in the car.

Chileno Bay Beach

Baywatch

After the beach we got back to the condo to get ourselves cleaned up for our fancy dinner out, and walked to the restaurant. The sun was just about to set, so we had timed our reservation perfectly. This place was absolutely beautiful. The tables are all staggered on tiers that head down right to the water. From any seat in the place you can see the gorgeous Cabo view of Land's End, and there was even a cruise ship out there all lit up. 

view from our table

We started with a couple cocktails, and ordered our meals. We decided to go with sword fish (the catch of the day) prepared two different ways so we could share and try each. They also recommended the ceviche duo (ahi tuna and sword fish), so we ordered that to start.

A man then came up to take our photos. He said at the end of the night he would share the ones he took with us on his laptop, then we could decide if we wanted to purchase them. He had us doing all sorts of poses...standard, prom, silhouettes, kissing...I now know how my friends that get engagement photos taken feel, awkward. He did end up with some good ones though, so we ended up purchasing a CD full of photos from him. 

Prom 2012

so cheesy, not sure why
I'm even sharing this one

view of whole restaurant, that's us on the left

paparazzi

After the photo session, our food started to arrive. We were first served an amuse bouche of beets, pear, and pumpkin. They then served the ceviche which was amazing, I could have eaten another order of that and called it good. The fish is so fresh in Cabo, so it was a special treat. Then our main courses came. One sword fish was served pan fried with veggies and a side of polenta, while the other fish was cooked wrapped in a banana leaf then inside a crust. The server had to break open the shell, peel open the banana leaf, then added an olive oil like dressing to the top...so fancy. Both our meals were delicious. We topped it all off with a dessert trio of fruits, raspberry sorbet, and an almond panna cotta.

amuse bouche

ceviche

cracking open the crust

sword fish, potato, and couscous

veggies, sword fish, and polenta

 

berries, sorbet, and panna cotta

The whole experience was great. Our table was secluded from the other diners, and the view was amazing. We even had our own little fire pit and a sarape to put on if you got chilly. The food was delicious, and I would definitely recommend the place to anyone visiting Cabo.

me in my itchy sarape

Back at the condo, Clint picked out the Great Escape with Steve McQueen for us to watch. What a long and old movie! It was alright, but I fell asleep again for the middle. When I woke up they were still planning their escape, so I hadn't missed much. 

So far we had really been enjoying our trip and were looking forward to the next couple of days before we had to head home.

Cabo: Part 2

The next morning we decided to do some exploring. We hopped in the Jeep and headed out to San Jose, the town just east of Cabo. Along the way, we pulled off the freeway a couple times to check out some beaches and other resorts. It was another beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky.

over looking the Cabo Surf Hotel

We eventually made our way to San Jose and found a place to park to do some looking around. We came across a rooftop bar called Shooters and stopped in for some drinks. The Civil War game (OSU vs. U of O) was on, and there were some Beaver fans at the table next to us. I tried to be friendly and said we were rooting for them even though we were Huskies (everyone hates the Ducks), but they just turned their noses to us, so I guess I hate all of Oregon now.

ahhh, Mexico

We saw on our map that there was a place called Baja Brewing Co. We thought that'd be a fun place to check out, so we walked along the under construction streets to find it. It was a little dead in there (maybe too early for their crowd) and were greeted by the American owner. Him and some friends thought Cabo needed a place with good beer and pizza, who could argue with that?! We sampled a few of their beers that are brewed there in Baja and ordered a pesto shrimp wood fired pizza to share. The beers were alright, maybe a little flat. Then our pizza came, which was delicious. We each had a piece before Clint noticed a little friend crawling on a shrimp. A little tiny wormy bug, disgusting. The owner came by and apologized and took our pizza off the bill, and offered us to order another one. We didn't want to take our chances, which was a shame since it looked and tasted so good!

watch your step

beer tasting

womp womp :(

Unfulfilled, we walked back to the car and stopped at a little place off the street for some tacos (I guess we should know better than to try to eat pizza in Mexico). They ended up being delicious and bug free!

Clint reading the Gringo Gazette

We then drove back to the condo, and walked around to check out the grounds. We came across the Mona Lisa restaurant, and were blown away by the views! We decided then that we must eat dinner here before we left, especially since it was so close. 

sunset with the restaurant off to the left

Back at the condo, it was cocktail hour so we made ourselves some margaritas and had some chips and guac. We then thought it'd be fun to go into town for the night. We had the guard at the front gate call a taxi for us, and we headed to Squid Roe. The town sure changes from day to night. The streets were filled with people bar hopping and living it up. We had a fun night and made it home later safe and sound.

me trying to get a photo while Clint makes
sure we're not getting ripped off with the bill

The next day was uneventful, like really. I'm embarrassed to even say we didn't step foot outside the condo! We slept in, stayed in our pj's all day, and were glued to the couch as we had a Breaking Bad marathon. We finished every episode on Netflix and thought at least now we wouldn't be tempted to stay inside and watch anymore for the rest of the trip. I only got stir crazy a couple times (couldn't we have at least made it 10 feet to lay by the pool?), but I have to admit, it was kinda fun being a couch potato all day and not having to feel guilty about it.

Cabo: Part 1

Oh Mexico, I miss you already!

On Thanksgiving day, Clint and I got up bright and early to head to the airport for our flight to Cabo. We decided to take advantage of the days off from work to get away from the icky rainy dreary weather in Seattle.

After a quick 4 hour flight (with a stop in San Diego where I thought Clint might flee the airport to be in his hometown), we arrived in Cabo, made it through Customs with a green light, rented a Jeep, and made our way to the condo. Once we got there, vacation was really setting in. The condo was better than we expected, the weather was perfect, and we had a whole week ahead of us to just relax and enjoy ourselves.

The owner of the condo had left me and Clint (or my husband) a welcome note with beer in the fridge. We cracked those open right away and enjoyed the sunset view from the balcony.

Once we were settled, we ventured out to get food and drinks for the week. It was great having our own car. Being just outside of Cabo we really couldn't walk anywhere, but with a car we were 5 minutes away from everything.

We found a little market down the street that the condo owners had suggested to pick up some homemade guacamole and tortillas which were delicious. We even went back for more later in the week. We also got a few things for breakfast and snacks, then headed to Costco for more essentials...beer, tequila, jumbo size hot sauce, and a 50 gallon tub of ice cream.

At this point we were starving (where are your samples, Mexican Costco?), so we grabbed something for dinner. We opted for the already prepared meatloaf and mashed potatoes since it was Thanksgiving and all, but looking back we should have gone with those chicken bakes that were calling my name. We got back to the condo, unloaded our goods, and sat down for a not so traditional (and not so good) Thanksgiving feast...oh well.

After a tiring day of travel, we curled up on the couch with our tub of ice cream and watched a couple episodes of Breaking Bad. Thank goodness for wifi and streaming Netflix!

loves his ice cream

After a great night's sleep (seriously the most comfortable bed I've slept in on vacation), we got up and made breakfast burritos. We took our time getting ready for the day, then headed into town. I had done some research to find out if anywhere would have the Apple Cup game playing, and found a couple bars downtown that would accommodate us.

Good morning Cabo!

self portrait before heading out

We drove into town, found some sketchy parking where we gave the "parking attendant" $5 (he was probably just some guy walking by), and found Tango Tango. It's a sports bar by the marina that specializes in cheap American food, but we were there for the carne asada tacos. We watched the beginning of the game and ate our lunch. When the Cougars pulled ahead 10-7, we decided to do some exploring and find another bar.

Apple Cup feast

We walked through town, being harassed to buy Mexican trinkets and prescription pills, and passing by some popular spring break drinking holes. We eventually landed at Happy Ending for some more Corona and hopefully to catch some more of the game.

pharmacies everywhere

Sammy's place

drinks at Happy Ending

Unfortunately they didn't have the channel the game was on, so we finished our drinks and headed to Desperado, one of the bars I found that would most likely have it on. We lucked out when we saw that they were playing it on every tv in the place, and there were about 10 other people there all wearing purple. We were also happy to see that we pulled ahead by 18 points! But that was the only high point...from there things just got worse and we drowned our sorrows with more cervezas. But who cares about a stupid game? We were in Mexico and you live in Pullman, gross.

As we made our way back to the car, we took a walk through the marina. The sun was setting, so everything looked so pretty. There are a few fun restaurants right on the water, but we were holding out for all-you-can-eat fish night at our condo's pool bar.

Unfortunately for Clint, there was only one person
in the place...and he was not topless.

pretty marina at sunset

ginormous lobsters

Back at the condo, we headed down to the pool for dinner. Twice a week, the bartender Pepe has dinner prepared. Fridays are fish night, where they prepare catch-of-the day fish tacos. So for only $8, we had all you can eat ahi tuna appetizers, fish tacos, crab legs, and beans and rice. Not too bad. The only catch is there are a lot of retired folks living there, so their idea of a fun Friday night is to talk the ears off of newcomers. Clint and I got stuck in some conversations before we could go back up to our room, but at least the food was delicious.

so many kitty friends around the property

mow!

After dinner we called it a night and headed back to the condo.

Mexican livin'

Clint and I just got back from a week long vacay in Cabo, and it was amazing. This trip felt a little different than others...almost like we were living there. There was no rush. We did what we wanted and didn't stress about always having to be doing something (alright, maybe I did a few times). We had plenty of time to just relax, and since we'd been before we didn't really have any sights we just had to see or activities scheduled. We had also rented a car for the week and were staying in a fully equipped condo (which was amazing), so we had everything we needed and access to go get the things we didn't.

We found this condo at Misiones del Cabo on VRBO, and contacted the owner. It sounded perfect for us, and was even cheaper than staying in a hotel. We had our own kitchen, laundry, balcony with a BBQ (which had great views of the arch at Land's End), Dish Network, wifi, and the grounds were beautiful. We had a pool with swim up bar right out our front door, and just a short walk to the private beach. I'd definitely recommend it, and we'll most likely be back.

view from bedroom

Land's End

view of the pool from our front door

panoramic view of the condo - plus Clint

comfiest bed ever

cute tiled bath with huge shower

balcony off bedroom

balcony off living room

  I'll be posting more about our trip, but first I need to sort through pictures!

Friday Night Book Club

My friends Dan and Hilarie recently moved to West Seattle after Dan got a job with Starbucks corporate downtown, and I couldn't be more excited! Now that we're neighbors, Hilarie and I are already planning on how much fun we're going to have (Grey's Anatomy parties, dog walks, brunches, oh I can't wait). It will be nice to have someone to explore the "new" neighborhood with me.

A few Fridays ago, I met up with Hilarie and her friends Lindsey and Abbey at a bar called Shadow Land for happy hour. The food was not only delicious, but these girls are hilarious. They had me laughing till it hurt all night.

me, Abbey, Lindsey, and Hilarie

We decided to make this a reoccurring event, perhaps a book club...where books and intellectual conversation are replaced with cocktails and chick flicks with shirtless men (we went back to Hilarie's and watched Magic Mike).

Can't wait for the next one!