Recently I had the pleasure of taking an online photography course through City College here in San Diego covering the topic of Travel Photography. There was a lot to learn and a string of challenging assignments that all led to this moment: the “Final Project”. ;)

I wanted to combine what we’ve learned in class with a true traveler’s focus. To me, that meant coming up with a real trip to take and maybe even one that was out of the country. My wife, Kim, heartily approved. ;)

I’ve enjoyed itinerary planning and also the idea of travel blogging in this course, so the theme of providing my review of a cool destination was appealing.

Couldn't resist these 3 musical frogs!

 

Why Cabo?

Because of the due date and other factors, I decided not to go too far, but limited my idea generation to two areas: the Pacific Northwest and Mexico. I have a couple of friends in Seattle who recommended some islands to check out in the San Juans, but then the universe spoke to me via my email inbox: “Behold the Majesty of Cabo San Lucas!”

A lovely sunset on the Pacific Ocean side of Baja

Since visiting Puerto Vallarta last year, I’ve been on a few mailing lists that send travel deals periodically. The latest was a flight/hotel vacation to Cabo and the late April dates were perfect for the assignment. I’ve seen a lot of Instagram posts and other photos about Cabo, so I was both inspired and confident this was the right choice.

My daughter has been down to Cabo a few times with her rich friends and influencer groups, but I never got the “real story” other than a few IG posts from her - haha. 

Can't think of much better than hanging out on the water at sunset - wow!

Well, this was my chance and the idea of focusing on a few key events over 4 days in Cabo San Lucas (CSL) started to gel. 

I wanted to convey an upbeat and positive message for an audience that enjoys travel and seeks out new experiences. For that, I’ll want to ensure that I show the best images I can of the experiences we have. I wasn’t trying to chronicle everything we did from start to finish, but give folks a flavor of the region. 

Curios hanging in the lovely artisan shops of the Mi Casa restaurant (read on!)

 

The Trip Down

Most people fly to Mexico from San Diego’s Lindbergh airport near downtown. For this trip, we’ll be crossing at the CBX and flying out of Aeropuerto Internacional General Abelardo L. Rodríguez (or Tijuana International Airport). Neither Kim or I know much Spanish, but having been through this one before, know that most announcements, etc. are bilingual.

I booked the flight, transportation shuttle in Cabo, and the resort hotel, plus travelers insurance as part of a package deal. We flew in on Thursday, April 27 arriving mid-afternoon and stayed through Sunday, April 30th, leaving late morning. Four days and 3 nights, and it turned out to be a shorter-than-wanted trip!

 

Resort Life

We had a friend drop us at the CBX on the border, and after a quick passage, found our gate. The airport reminded me of some of the airports I flew through back in the ‘70s and ‘80s, but with some excellent upscale shops and places to eat.

After landing in Los Cabos (a town about 20 mi from CSL) and finding our shuttle, we pulled into the Villa del Palmar resort about 45 minutes later. Super-easy and everyone spoke excellent English, including the concierge assigned to help us get acclimated.

Early morning at the Villa del Palmar resort

Our room was a “junior suite”, which meant it had a little kitchen, living room, balcony and a nice bedroom with a queen bed. We didn’t exactly have a view of the Sea of Cortez, but if you leaned out enough, you could catch a glance!

Glass of wine beachside, anyone?

This outdoor chess set was a hit among the guests, especially the kids

View from our room if you leaned out off the balcony far enough!

The resort was really clean and featured several pools plus easy access to the beach. Our location overlooked the Sea of Cortez and an area at the end of Baja Peninsula called “Land’s End” - the subject of the next morning’s excursion!

Land's End, at dawn

I got up early every morning to see what the dawn would bring, and also shot at night to catch that flavor of the Resort.

Resort guests around a firepit, enjoying a warm and gorgeous night.

 

Excursions

Excursion #1: Waking early, we caught a cab for the north end of the CSL Marina to a place called simply “The Hike Spot”. This was a "secret" suggestion from the concierge at the resort. The excursion was a guided, “short but strenuous” hike up to a small mountain overlooking Land’s End and the entire bay of Cabo. Kim and I were excited to get some exercise, but frankly it was a bit more than we planned on! Switchbacks, rock scrambling, and plenty of hot sunshine was the order of the day.

Starting at 8am, the hike was led by a guy named Enrique who only asked for tips afterwards. It seems his main gig was boarding and training dogs. So, while we were waiting to begin, over 20 dogs were dropped off by their owners and ushered in through locked gates!

Totally non-descript "hidden" entrance to The Hike Spot - no sign!

During the pre-hike briefing and Cabo “history lesson”, Enrique explained that several of the dogs would be accompanying us up the trail to make sure any snakes would remain hidden - ha! To be honest, it made me feel better knowing they were “on the case”.

A large group ascends the trail in the morning!

The hike was absolutely worth it once we got to the top. We could see all of Cabo, the Sea of Cortez, Land’s End AND the Pacific ocean all at the same time. Very inspiring!

Cabo San Lucas bay viewed from the last mountaintop before Land's End

Looking down on Land's End. A lot of couples hiked up to enjoy the view together. These two were from Texas and let me take a "tourist shot" of them!

The Mexican flag, planted firmly on top of the mountain

Enrique on the far right, along with his son and friend. He does this strenuous hike twice a day, in addition to training dogs. What a guy!

Excursion #2: The second of two excursions we took was a sunset dinner cruise out to “The Arch” at Land’s End. When researching the trip, snagging some photos of this famous icon was numero uno on my list, and I wanted to make sure we were in an ideal spot. The cruise was on a double-decker catamaran-style boat. The captain was the epitome of cool.

Our captain for the sunset cruise

The upper deck was definitely the party deck, but I figured the cool photos would be easier to take on the first level.

Cruising out of the marina, we passed glass bottom boats, some really nice yachts and even a “pirate-themed” ship heading to Land’s End as well.

Next time we might try a glass bottom boat tour

Ahoy Matie! This was a party boat, but after dark we saw (from a distance) a swashbuckling swordfight show and fireworks

As it turns out, there were a LOT of boats out there for sunset, but it seemed like all the captains knew how to weave in and out so that no one boat dominated the scene for long.

The Arch at sunset - gorgeous!

As the sun started to sink pretty low, we headed out to the Pacific for a seaside view of some of the stunning resorts we looked down upon earlier in the day! 

Fabulous cliff-side resort on the Pacific coastline

Cabo San Lucas bay, returning after dark

 

In Town the Next Day

Saturday was reserved for a leisurely stroll around the Marina and through the older parts of Cabo. I was looking for some actual artisans and an authentic Mexican restaurant, while my wife had her sights set on finding some “knock-off” luxury brand purses - haha!

Picturesque walkway off one of the main streets near the Marina district

Tequila shop near the Marina district

Some parents were lining up their sons for a shot near the #Cabo sign

While Kim was shopping, I wandered past many small stores along the streets, and into a nearby marketplace with a lot of different vendors selling things to tourists.

One of many stores along the main streets

Huzzah! My luck held! I finally found a guy with a little shop where he hand-makes beaded animals, bowls and the like. He was very proud of the  more prominent pieces and the work was meticulously detailed. I ended up buying a small bowl from him, but not before asking politely if I could take his photo!

My new friend the artisan, working on applying beads to a duck!

I had heard from some folks at the Resort that “Mi Casa” was a terrific local restaurant chock full of artisan shops that we should check out. Leaving the purse shop, we caught an Uber to Mi Casa, and were not disappointed.

The famous Mi Casa restaurant - very local!

Loved the colors of this wall

Artistic delights awaited you in room after room

Room after room of art pieces almost overwhelmed us, then we managed to find the outdoor dining area proper. I was even more in love with this place! Again, lots of rooms, all with semi-outdoor seating and glorious murals and art on the walls.

Even the bar was chock full of art and curios for purchase

The restaurant itself was terraced, built into a hillside with many rooms in which to enjoy a meal or drinks, some easily large enough for weddings or quinceañeras

Clearly Mi Casa was a favorite of the locals and they were set up for anything, including tableside guacamole and drinks for a couple of thirsty tourists!

Kim enjoying the afternoon

The tableside guac was soooo delicious!

All Good Things…

… must come to an end. The trip home consisted of a shared shuttle to the airport (met some nice people from Calgary on the way), a flight aboard “Viva Aerobus”, walking across the CBX border crossing again and a very expensive Uber ride back to our San Diego home. The day was long-ish but straightforward and uneventful.

Both Kim and I came home tired, but content from the trip. And, now that we know the “lay of the land” so much better, we're eager to go back with friends. I learned that Cabo San Lucas is the gift that keeps on giving - we’ll be back soon!

A fun neon sign that is totally apropos!