Christmas in Cabo San Lucas
December in Mexico
Winter is the best time of year to hang out in this popular tourist destination. It’s quiet, months from dreaded Spring Break activity, and warm. There’s always something fun to do thanks to the industrious and aggressive salespeople who have thought of every way to get tourists to spend money. Activities you’d expect like whale watching, snorkel tours, and parasailing to the more creative oddities like camel rides, crocodile cage diving, and fish pedicures. (Fish pedicures?? This entails putting your feet in a fish tank and having lots of small fish eat dead skin off your feet.) Danny jumped at the chance to feed an enormous sea lion named Pancho, earning him the nickname “Crazy White Boy.”
Welcome Home
Grand Solmar Land’s End Resort and Spa has been our home away for years. This five star hotel is a relaxing half mile walk to the marina. A majority of the large, glitzy resorts are a 30 minute drive to town but we like to be in the middle of the action without sparing any luxury. If you can master the art of dodging the timeshare salespeople (and you probably can’t), it is perfection.
La Comida
Around lunchtime we like to walk into town looking for a spit piled high with grilled pork, the mark of tacos al pastor. There are several such spots in Cabo, but we ended up at Las Guacamayas more than once. The tacos are made with juicy grilled pork, onions, cilantro, and chunks of fresh pineapple. These tasty treasures will run you just over a dollar (you’ll want more than one) and they come with your share of spicy condiments.
Anyone who knows me knows that I am a sushi fanatic. One of the first things I do when planning to visit anywhere is find out where I can get my fix of sashimi. Here, Nicksan is the answer. It is the combination of high quality fish, precise use of accoutrements and presentation. It’ll cost you though, so it’s good to counterbalance with those street tacos the next day.
Life is a Caborey
When we inquired about the best boat tour, we were pointed to Caborey’s Premiere Sunset Dinner and Show. Our usual is the $15 on-the-spot speed boat, but we wanted a more formal affair this time. This 2 1/2 hour event would include a sunset cruise, open bar, three course dinner, and a floorshow.
The milieu was as you would expect: Those who scored tickets attending timeshare presentations, selfie-ers working on an enviable Instagram post, party animals pounding free drinks, and people on vacation just like us. A seasoned cover band played a set of classic rock as we zigzagged out to the famous El Arco and other rock formations like Neptune’s Finger, a Scooby Doo-shaped rock, and the Ventana, a window between the Pacific and the Sea of Cortez. Lover’s Beach is only accessible by boat and is one of Cabo’s best snorkeling spots. There aren’t many swimmer’s beaches in these parts. Red flags in the sand warn of rough, obstreperous waters. On the other side is its rocky counterpoint, Divorce Beach.
Danny and I are so taken with this spot, we decided long ago we would like our ashes scattered here, at the end of the Baja Peninsula.
The dinner and entertainment had its strengths (singing) and weaknesses (dancing) and then came the audience participation. As the microphone was passed around, we started planning an exit strategy. I would rather have a root canal than have someone make eye contact with me while singing. Fortunately, we were seated a few tables back and were spared any embarrassment.
Sometimes the cheesiest things are the most fun.
Saint Luke’s Cape
Say what you will about the booze cruises, fancy resorts, pharmacies selling Viagra over the counter. Maybe Cabo doesn’t always show Mexico’s most authentic self. If I had a peso for every time we were offered weed or “yayo” (Danny knew from Scarface this meant cocaine) or heard a whistle and knew that tequila was being poured down someone’s throat, I could afford to eat at Nicksan every night. But we love it here.
