The Brit and I decided to skip out on Thanksgiving and family obligations this year and take a restful, relaxing, romantic break. We both agreed that we wanted the type of vacation where we could just read and lay like broccoli in the sun with no distractions, no need to move, or even to sight see. The idea of an all-inclusive luxury vacation at the Pueblo Bonito Pacifica in Cabo San Lucas Mexico sounded perfect.
We chose this particular resort for several reasons: we wanted an adults only place as we really wanted to focus on resting and each other, without the noise and disturbance of children running around. Secondly, this hotel was a member of a group which offered restaurants in hotels across the resort with the all-inclusive price. This gave us a huge selection of where and what we wanted to eat. We could pay $30 each extra for the three premium restaurants which were a steakhouse, a gourmet Mexican restaurant and a seafood restaurant, but all the others were included. The other great thing was that this resort offered top shelf alcohol as part of the package. (Well top shelf meaning brands you mostly recognize.) For you wine drinkers, well, the wine isn’t great. There is nothing that I would recommend. The sparkling wine was palatable and easy to drink. It is even better with fruit juice in it.
We left at the crack of dawn on Thanksgiving day. Our flight was a very quick three and a half hours which made it even more of a perfect choice. The airport at Cabo San Lucas was modern and well-organized. We zipped through the customs and collected our baggage and we were on our way.
We were picked up by a private limousine service. Limousine service in this case was a big black SUV which was well equipped with water, sodas, and beers. Our transfer took a mere forty minutes. We drove through the desert and towns until we arrived at our beautiful resort.
The buildings were white and modern surrounded by colorful flowers and different water fountains and features. The entry way was something out of a fantasy. It was dominated by a blue fountain pool in the center of the lobby which bubbled and made a soothing sound. Huge windows overlooked the resort with the ocean in the near distance. There were mosaic tile trees on the walls that framed the scene and made the space even more beautiful, as though they were an exclamation point at the end of an exciting sentence.
After checking in, we made our way to our beautiful room which overlooked the ocean. We were on the bottom floor in the corner room, and our room was really close to the restaurants, pools and bars; yet far enough away where we didn’t seem to get any noise aside from the crashing waves. Perfect. Our room was clean and well equipped. The bed was comfortable and there were a nice choice of pillows and blankets. The floors and bathroom were all tile and stone. There was a huge shower which was more than large enough to share. There were many onyx fixtures that added warmth and style to the room. I really liked those.
There were a couple of different pools, both of them infinity pools. Loungers with pillows and towels were placed around each pool. There were umbrellas placed around, but there weren’t enough, so those were prime real estate. They did have cabanas for rent right on the beach, but they cost $50 per dollars per day and were not included in the “all-inclusive” price.
The Peninsula poolside cafe food wasn’t fabulous; it was edible, but the burgers and chicken were all overcooked. The Mexican food was indifferent. The salads weren’t anything to be excited over either. The good news is that it was delivered to our lounge chair. So was the alcohol. The staff was solicitous and prompt and they kept the drinks flowing; both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. The food didn’t seem so bad after several drinks.
The Brit comments: They served a pretty decent Gin and Tonic, as well as some very boozy frozen drinks. Unsurspringly, the Margaritas were excellent, but my British nature steered me towards regular orders of the G&T.
The main restaurant, Siempre, was great for breakfast. There was a huge buffet which included pretty much anything you could want. It had both American and Mexican style dishes and for the most part they were all tasty and looked very appetizing. I especially enjoyed the heaping portions of fresh fruit. Of course sparkling wine was available to enjoy. We took advantage of this option most days.
The Brit comments: The breakfast mimosas were not a significant source of vitamin-c, being heavy on the sparkling wine and light on the orange juice.
Lunch at Siempre was really not terribly special or impressive. I didn’t really feel like it was better than what was served at the pool. After trying it out and being underwhelmed we pretty much just stayed poolside and had our meals there while enjoying the sunshine reading our books.
Dinner however was a whole other story. The food really kicked it up a notch. The evening that we ate there the plates were beautifully presented and the food was tasty.
On the property they have a restaurant called Pescados (fish) that opens only in the evening and their specialty is of all things sushi. I know, it’s a weird one, but it was something we had to try. It was by far our favorite restaurant at our hotel. The sushi was fresh, plentiful and beautifully presented. We were both so impressed we ate there twice for an evening meal during our ten-day stay. It got a big thumbs up.
Even more of a bonus the restaurant was just steps from our room so we could walk out and get cocktails, wines, and snacks from there and bring it back to our room while we sat and enjoyed the ocean, moon, and romance. The only bummer is that the hotel doesn’t allow you to order bottles of wine, it is only served one glass at a time. That was ok for us since this restaurant was so close, but I think it would have been a bit more of a hassle had we been located elsewhere in the huge complex.
Other dining choices for us were at the sister property The Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach just a few minutes drive away via shuttle bus. We utilized these most nights. Our favorites were Zao Shen which served absolutely delicious Chinese food. We ate there a couple of times as it was so good. We also enjoyed “The Bistro” restaurant. The food there was good quality, and we did go back a couple of times. They had a beautiful outdoor terrace area where we could sit and enjoy our dinner and look out at the sunset. We also enjoyed the various bars and lounges that the Pueblo Bonito Sunset had to offer. (Note: We would not recommend you stay there. The hotel is placed on a cliff side which overlooks the ocean. That sounds wonderful except the complex is so humongous that you are walking up and down hills and small alley ways to get anywhere. They do have golf cart services to take you around but then its just hassle. We far preferred the serenity of the hotel we were staying in.)
Back at our hotel the Pueblo Bonito Pacifica, every night there was a pop up restaurant by the ocean with a different theme. They had discos, live bands and it all looked like a lot of fun for those who were there to party the night away.
During our stay there were several fun activities which we were invited to. There was a margarita making class (The Brit did this one of course), several nature hikes (That was way too much energy for us on this vacation), Water aerobics, Party pool side games and much more. There was also a beautiful spa area to pamper and spoil yourself into relaxation (for an extra fee). To be honest, we were so relaxed with the sun, the pool, the ocean, the food and well… the alcohol we didn’t have the energy to go to the spa! Can you believe it?
Our ten day break was perfect, and exactly what the doctor ordered for people with a hectic and busy life. After counting up what we had spent on tips while we were there we had only spent a whopping extra $200 the entire vacation. All inclusive for us was truly all inclusive. Just writing about this makes me want to get on a plane and go back tomorrow.
