Hello friends! I hope you’re enjoying the holiday season and staying warm (although it is still about 65 degrees and sunny in LA)! This time of year, you can usually find me trying to sneak off to a log cabin in the snow and hitting the slopes, but we decided to switch it up a bit this Winter and head South – Los Cabos, Mexico to be exact. For our family, it is a time of celebration – not only because it’s almost Christmas (woo!), but Gavin’s mom retired earlier this year, celebrated her birthday last week, and his brother’s is coming up next week. Family is so important to Gavin and I and family trips are our absolute favorite! To find out some great places to stay and things to do in Cabo as well as allllll the fun photos we took while we were there, keep reading!

Day 1

We flew into Los Cabos from LA on Thursday morning, and even though we had a two hour flight delay and spent an hour and a half in customs, we arrived early enough to hit the pool before getting ready for dinner. I love that the flight is only 2.5 hours from LA. Gavin’s mom worked for Hilton for many many years, so we stayed at the Hilton Los Cabos which is the most stunning hotel if I do say so myself. We had gorgeous rooms overlooking the ocean and since Los Cabos is on a peninsula, we were able to rise with the sun each morning as well as enjoying the sunset each evening. That night for dinner, we ate at one of the hotel restaurants called El Meson. I got the poke which had Ahí grade tuna, citrus ginger and soy marinade, and seaweed and was pleasantly surprised. After a delicious dinner and a few too many margaritas, we went to bed.

Day 2

On Friday, we had plans to hit downtown Cabo and have lunch at Mango Deck. Mango Deck is a great place to visit if you’re looking for a party; there’s drinking contests and a DJ involved. While we were there, the craziest thing happened though – it hailed. It was somehow 72 degrees and hailing; I’ve never seen anything like it. We were sitting outside under some umbrellas and had to quickly find refuge inside.

That day we had some massages booked, so unfortunately we had to cut Mango Deck short. To be honest with you though, after a couple michiladas and some tacos a massage doesn’t sound half bad. We booked our massages at Eden Spa which was about a 6 minute walk from Mango Deck. If you’re looking for a high-end spa experience, this is not the place, but if you’re looking for a 90 minute deep tissue massage for $50, Eden’s is where it’s at.

After our massages, we were hungry again and found a local place called La Ricazon that had such good food and an amazing mariachi band that happily took requests. I was ready for some enchiladas and that’s exactly what I got, however, Gavin’s brother said the Red Snapper was super good and really fresh! They also had the best spicy salsa I had the entire trip, however, you have to ask them to make it, it’s not on the menu. We were dropped off in town by our hotel shuttle driver, but we decided to take the bus on the way back. To our surprise, public transportation was the way to go. It’s only $2/person one way and so much easier than a taxi. The buses are is great condition as well.

 

Day 3

Saturday, we decided to hang out at the hotel and relax. We had a fun dinner planned that night, so a day by the pool was just what we needed. Each day we ate the incredible breakfast buffet – my go-to was the chilequiles, fresh fruit with tajin, and their home-made green juice, but they had anything you could ever want.

If you wake up fairly early, you can go down to the pool and stake out chairs that will give you front of the pool access along with the most gorgeous ocean view. At the pool, waiters come by and you can order from their bar menu. I loved the nachos, but Gavin’s mom swears by the tacos. The pool also has a swim-up bar, so that’s a lot of fun too.

After a nice relaxing day, we took some family photos and had a driver pick us up and take us to dinner at Flora Farms (very Malibu-wines-ish if you’re from LA). I definitely recommend this restaurant for multiple reasons: it’s fresh farm-to-table food, they have live music, and the atmosphere is to-die-for. They also have a wine cellar in one of the shops on property! Honestly the cutest restaurant we went to. I ordered the Zucchini Alfredo, but everything looked really yummy. Next time we come, I would like to go for brunch. As a tip – book in advance, reservations fill up quickly.

Outfit details: Top | Jeans | Belt | Shoes (sold out but found a lightly used pair for $100!)

Day 4

On our last full day, we decided to head back down to Downtown Cabo and hit the flea market for some souvenirs and bartering which was super fun. The flea market itself was a little hard to find, but once we were there it was flea market heaven. Gavin’s brother got a traditional Mexican blanket for $10 and we got two hand-made salsa dishes for about $20.

For lunch, a local pointed us towards a restaurant called Barracrudas. This was my absolute favorite restaurant we ate at. You can get 3 tacos (fish, chicken, or beef) stuffed to the brim, a margarita, and a shot of tequila for $10, and the fish tacos were the best I’ve ever had. Not only was the food good, but the service was top-notch. Our waiter even let us take home our shot glasses! Honestly, the people of Mexico are so nice and really know hospitality.

In efforts to save a little more money, we stopped at a liquor store before heading back to the hotel. We went to an Oxxo and got two cases of Dos Equis, a bottle of El Jimador, and some chaser for $30 – easily half of what it would cost in the US. We felt fairly accomplished after all of our cheap finds, so we hitched a ride back to the hotel on the bus.

Dinner that evening was at The Market at Quivira. I unfortunately didn’t take any photos while we were there, but we went to El Iltaliano and I got the gnocchi. I had been eating so much Mexican food, that I needed a change. The gnocchi was so fresh and I thought they had really good portion sizes. And the best part was that it was like an upscale food court that had something for everyone: Deli, Mexican, Italian, Asian, vegetarian, crepes & dessert.

Day 5

On our last day, we decided to get breakfast and chill at the beach. We spent the morning swimming in the ocean and even saw a school of dolphins swim by. After a pina colada at the beach bar, it was time to shower and pack. Although I didn’t want to leave, I truly believe that the Hilton Los Cabos is Heaven and you can best believe I will be back!

Next time you are planning a family trip or a romantic getaway, I highly suggest keeping Los Cabos in mind. And if you’ve been and have any recommendations to add to this long post – leave them in the comments below – like I said, I’ll be back!!