Cabo is Wonderful!!! Part One

The desert has never been my "thing", but since being with R, I have discovered both at Big Bend National Park in Texas and at Cabo in the Baja--that the desert can be spectacular!


We recently went to Cabo for a 3 night, 4 day trip. I had never been too excited about traveling to Mexico, as my only experiences were at the Mexican Border Towns. And to me they were just dusty places where everyone was trying to sell you something. . . usually something I did not need.


The charter flight was from Dallas/Fort Worth airport, so we ended up staying the night before to catch a 9 am flight directly to Los Cabos. We stayed at a hotel near the airport where we could leave our car there for the duration of our trip. So we saved the parking fees and had the hotel shuttle drop us directly at the gate. It certainly helped make the EARLY morning much easier for us as we do not function well before our mandatory two cups of coffee.


The flight itself was on AeroMexico and was smooth. And quick, as it was only 2 1/2 hours. After looking at the map, I realized that Cabo was closer to Texas than Las Vegas or anywhere in Florida.


Landing at the Cabo Airport was an eyeopener. After we landed, our pilot turned the plane around and we taxied down the runway again, this time from the opposite way we arrived. We deplaned the old way, down steps to the tarmac. I felt like a "movie star" in an old Hollywood movie reel.


The Cabo Airport is small. . .really only one terminal, but tourism now has about 8 different airlines arriving there. Customs was a breeze being such a small place. Certainly not like the experience we had arriving in London Heathrow! I found this small airport very friendly and easy to use.


After landing we checked out the price of the buses and taxis as there was not a shuttle by the hotel. Yikes, a taxi ride to the hotel would be about $35-40 one way. And the bus was not a great option, as it would make too many stops. We just wanted to get to the resort and start relaxing.


R. went to use the phone. We quickly learned that you need a phone card and even then it is confusing unless you speak fluent Spanish. After talking with some of the people at the airport, we hooked up with Dollar Car Rental. They made us a great deal on the rental. . .including all insurance.


After renting the car and getting ourselves organized, we were approached by a representative from the Fiesta Americana Vacation Club. If we would agree to take a time share tour, then they would pay for the entire car rental. And give us a couple other perks. Well, since we are travel agents, we really wanted to explore other resorts, so we said sure. We made an appointment for 8:00 am the next day to meet the rep; a great breakfast that morning was also included. It was a great move for us as they did come through and paid for the rental as promised.

Cabo is not just one area, but encompasses the town of San Jose del Cabo (nearest to the airport), the Tourist Corridor (where most of the hotels are located) and the popular Cabo San Lucas, which is more trendy.

Our hotel was just outside the charming, more family oriented town of San Jose del Cabo, but officially in the Tourist Corridor. We chose it because it was all-inclusive and the price seemed reasonable. It was also part of the Best Western Hotel Chain, so we thought it would be more friendly to Americans.