Earlier this month, Andrew and I spent a week in Cabo with both of his sisters and their spouses! Talk about an amazing vacation. It was the epitome of relaxation, sun and water. It was the first time the three of us have ever really ‘hung out’ without being surrounded by children, and I think all of us were overdue for a TRUE (aka kid-free) vacation!
I know we were! After throwing two parties in one week, hosting my parents and buying our new car (!!!), we then had to drive eight hours down to DC to drop Maelle off with Nana and Grandpa. We arrived at midnight, and slept only four hours before we left for the airport. After saying a tearful (mine!) goodbye to our girl, we were on our way to Cabo!
Abigail is an incredible trip planner, and not only did she arrange our stay at Hacienda del Mar, she even managed to get us all on the flight from Dallas to Cabo together. The excitement was palpable.
Last year, Carolyn and Ben invited us to join them on a trip to celebrate their 10-year anniversary. They’d reached out to Abigail to help them plan something, and it turned into a group trip when Abigail’s in-laws offered us all their three-bedroom timeshare here.
The ocean was absolutely breathtaking. The water is a beautiful blue and the waves are big and loud and wonderful to watch. I was so disappointed I couldn’t go in! The resort is located at the very tip of the Baja California Sur peninsula of Mexico (I had to look at a map!), and the way the beach drops off where the waves crash makes it unsafe to swim. So, we spent all week poolside!
We had a variety of pools and bars from which to choose, and we hopped around to take advantage of different views and happy hours each day. The members’ pool featured a half-price lunch menu and swim-up bar (so fun!), so we enjoyed eating there a few times during the week.
Meanwhile, Maelle was living her best life with Nana and Grandpa in Virginia, and even celebrated her (real) birthday with them! She visited baby Jack for his first birthday party, saw both Bamma and Grandpa Jimmy, went on a shopping spree at Old Navy and hit up a local splash pad with Nana.
I, on the other hand, spent most of my time lying in the shade reading my book. I did work out at the resort gym a couple times, and even enjoyed a fun drink out of a coconut!
Abigail made dinner reservations for each night during our stay, which made everything so easy–no debates about where to go! The resort has multiple restaurants, and one of them does a themed buffet each night in the open-air patio near the lobby. Mexican night is by far the most exciting, with a mariachi band, streamers hanging from string lights above the patio and giant vats of guacamole.
I made an ‘appetizer’ plate of vegetables (above), and then sampled all the authentic Mexican dishes, including mole, beans, and enchiladas. We hit the buffet a couple more times during our stay, once for Italian night, and once for Market night (various grilled meats, ceviches and paella).
That evening, we all walked down on the beach and started taking pictures. Unbeknownst to us girls, a wave came crashing up just as we smiled for our photo!
One special night we all took a taxi to Edith’s, an upscale Mexican place in Cabo San Lucas, where they make table-side Caesar salad! Did you know the Caesar salad was actually invented in Mexico?! Marvin told me that, and it made me so curious to find out the story. It might have been our most delicious meal of the trip, AND we ended it with table-side Bananas Foster for dessert!
One evening of the trip was designated ‘date night,’ so we each made our own plans for dinner. Abigail and Marvin went to a fancy restaurant on a cliff, Carolyn and Ben stayed in and got room service, and we went on a pirate ship! Yes, you read that right–we ended up on a pirate cruise out to see the famous Arch of Cabo San Lucas.
A pirate ship may not have been my first choice in how to get there, but it certainly was the most fun! The crew was dressed in costume, handing out drinks and dishing out food (not too bad, surprisingly) and after dinner there was a bit of a ‘show’ with sword fights and other shenanigans. I don’t think I’ve enjoyed that much silliness in a LONG time.
Check out our view for our last day of vacation:
The infinity pool overlooking the ocean is an amazing view. Water + water = Holly’s a happy girl.
We snapped a photo on our balcony just before we left for the airport. We were all sad to leave paradise, but ready to see our kiddos again. I think we all left wanting to do another trip together in the future. Personally, it made me realize how important it is to get away as a couple, if only for a few days.
The best part: We won’t have to wait long to see each other again; our annual family vacation to Deep Creek Lake is only a week away!
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