Four Days in “Paradise”

The southernmost region of the Baja California Peninsula, commonly known as Los Cabos, is known to the locals as Paradise--at least, that’s what they told us. Sara and I recently celebrated our one-year wedding anniversary at this locale, and indeed, it has a lot going for it: good weather, luxurious resorts, and beautiful beaches--if only you could get in the water!

The lobby of our hotel

But I’ll get back to that. First, a little about where we stayed: Secrets Marquis Los Cabos. We had stayed at a Secrets resort before (Secrets Capri Riviera Cancun) and had had a mostly positive experience, so we were optimistic about this one, and were not disappointed.

Among the architectural features of this resort were the huge, open-air archway that served as the lobby, and the so-called infinity pool, by which we spent most of our time lounging on deck chairs, and which might have been designed such that, when observed from this vantage, almost appeared to be part of the ocean. The staff was incredibly nice, and we never had to wait too long for someone to come by and offer us a drink or some food.

The "infinity" pool

Speaking of, the food, while not spectacular, was not bad. Breakfast was the typical fare (bacon, eggs, etc.) plus refried beans and chilaquiles, which I helped myself to copiously. There was a limited menu for lunch and dinner every day, and sometimes a special/fancy dinner menu was available. There was supposedly a dress code for dinner that prohibited shorts and flip-flops (which I was unprepared for, as I had packed nothing else to wear), which apparently was not enforced, because they still let me eat. Whew.

The resort had several activities planned throughout each day--poorly attended, from what I could tell. They ranged from games (like beach volleyball) to entertainment (usually a singer/guitarist). Only twice did we participate; once for a short massage lesson, and once for Mexican Night, which featured a "traditional Mexican" dinner with "traditional Mexican" dancing. (Just how "traditional" or "Mexican" the dancing was, I’m not sure--there were elaborate costumes and a lot of hollering--but it was entertaining.)

The Arch is to Cabo what The Eiffel Tower is to Paris:
It's what everyone has to have their picture
taken in front of to prove they were there.

Only once did we venture off-campus for a short day trip to Cabo San Lucas. It was not off to the best start--the van was half an hour late, and our names were not on the list, although the driver let us board anyway--but turned out to be a fun little excursion. We were dropped at the marina, where we rode a glass-bottom boat to Land’s End, the very tip of the peninsula, home to the famous Arch (El Arco) and a swath of lovely beach.

After frolicking about on the beach for a bit, we rode the boat back to the marina and explored the city. Among its attractions (in fact, probably the most noteworthy thing we saw there) was the Cabo Wabo Cantina, founded by none other than Sammy "I Can't Drive 55" Hagar. It mostly had the appearance of a typical cantina, other than being decorated with lots of pictures of Sammy in his various bands and other Red Rocker memorabilia, which alone made it worth the visit.

Sign outside the Cabo Wabo

Apart from this little adventure, a visit to the spa for massages, and lazing about by the pool, our main recreational activity was walking along the surprisingly deserted beach. As I have said, swimming was discouraged, due to the strong riptides, but I at least would have expected to see people out sunbathing, picnicking, or just generally cavorting. Nope. We generally had the gorgeous seaside all to ourselves.

Turned out there were a few beaches at which it was safe to swim, including a tiny one called Melia within walking distance of our hotel. I had entertained thoughts of swimming there, but was ultimately deterred by the cold water temperature and windy conditions, which made the sea uncomfortably rough. Thus, we contented ourselves with the simple enjoyment of casting our eyes upon this remarkable seascape while strolling through the refreshing surf.

All in all, quite a pleasant little jaunt. I would highly recommend the place, especially if you’re the kind who prefers looking at the beach to getting in the water. Paradise? Maybe not exactly… but pretty darn close.