Cabo

When Julie and I visited Los Cabos thirty years ago, the third world airport was like something out of an adventure movie.  Long stretches of the coastal highway had to be manned by orange-vested workers who limited traffic to one direction at a time because one lane had crumbled off the cliff on the ocean side.  Our hotel was almost nice, but the carpet stopped a foot from the wall.

Having undergone nearly constant modernization and upgrading over the past few years, accelerated by the major spruce up for the arrival of President Obama and other world leaders for the prestigious G20 Conference in June of 2012, everything from the airport to harbor cantinas to paving and meridian vegetation of highways to shopping malls to world class resorts makes Los Cabos attractive to visitors from all over the world.

The crew aboard Island Princess seemed unanimous in their opinion that Cabo was the best port of our Panama Canal cruise, and passengers who wandered off the ship without shore excursions in the various ports would probably agree. 

Cabo San Lucas has become something of a second home for many Southern Californians, including avid cruisers who don't like to fly and now have favorite haunts at the harbor, other travelers who appreciate relatively easy flights to all-inclusive resorts, and many who literally have purchased second homes, with either exclusive use or time shares.  We took advantage of our port day to visit our friends Mike and Linda at their second home of Hacienda Encantada.

Mike and Linda were spending Teacher of the Year Linda's Spring Break with their adult sons, Chris and Greg, in Cabo.

 

We enjoyed a great resort day hanging out at their pools.  Linda and Julie soaked in the views from lounge chairs or over the infinity pool edge while the boys bellied up to the pool bars drinking cervezas and, in the case of Greg, any fruit-flavored concoctions the bartender wanted to try out.  Nachos and tacos served at the bar were delicious, and the company was terrific.  The day epitomized what vacationers imagine Mexican beach resorts to be, and it is good to remember that a vacation should always include time to simply unwind and soak in the experience of relaxing.