San Jose del Cabo, MX

Note: This trip was arranged and planned in its entirety just two months before it occurred, and all bookings were made through Expedia. Not a paid endorsement, but it could be!

We wanted to do something pretty big to celebrate 20 years together and 5 years of marriage, so we asked ourselves, “Where is a tropical space that is fairly safe during what is typically peak hurricane season?” Our answer was to go west and check out Los Cabos, Mexico!

Let’s start with a brief geography lesson: Los Cabos is a Mexican municipality in a region also known as Baja California Sur, and is comprised of the cities of Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo.

Why am I telling you this?

This is important to note because Cabo San Lucas has a completely different vibe, personality, and feel than San Jose del Cabo and we did not explore that part of the peninsula. However, while San Jose del Cabo is missing the “night life”, it more than made up for it in its incredible beauty, serenity, and connection to the locals.

The beach at dusk… no filters needed.

Let’s cover the logistics first: as stated above, we booked everything through Expedia which included the all-inclusive resort with ocean-view room, transportation, and flights for two (~$3,000). Our flights in were Atlanta to Los Angeles to Cabo, and outbound was Cabo to Mexico City to Atlanta. Flights were Delta and Aeromexico (a Delta partner). The resort was the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos and transportation to/from the airport was Gray Line Los Cabos ($75-100). We had no complaints about the services and for our money we found it to be worth every penny!

View from the resort lobby… absolutely breathtaking!

The Hyatt Ziva does not have lobby doors, its entrance is a grand stairway to the spacious open lobby and this view of their main pool and the ocean. There are concierges for your bags and a lobby mini-bar set up with a bartender for drinks (alcoholic and non) to get your day started! This resort has six full restaurants, four bars, additional pool-side bars not to mention their daily activities and nightly live entertainment! The rooms are spacious, clean and comfortable and have one of the best bathroom layouts we’ve ever experienced (Google search “wet bathroom design” and you’ll see!)

This was our first resort trip but will DEFINITELY not be our last! We enjoyed the variety and selection of foods which ranged from French cuisine to Japanese and (of course) classic Mexican foods. And for the Hyatt Ziva, all inclusive does mean all inclusive. Every bar, restaurant, and snack pop up, including the 24-hour coffee shop, was included (the only exception being the tequila tasting but we decided to splurge a little on that)! Considering cost, value, quality and experience - the Hyatt Ziva receives our Webb-Standard seal of approval! This resort atmosphere is good for couples and families, but honestly, I’d say you should leave the kids at home for this one!

But this would not be a true Webb-style adventure if we didn’t go off the beaten path and venture out! Because Cabo is literally surrounded by the ocean, it prides itself on amazingly fresh seafood and it shows up in the local cuisine and a special hybrid of taco and sushi spots. We ventured to Lateral and Claro Fish Jr. which both came highly recommended by the locals. Lateral features a robust list of tacos and fresh-but-simple drinks. Claro has a menu that is part-Mexican food classics and part sushi-adventure! Both restaurants are a short walk from the resort and both are making everything absolutely fresh rich in flavor! Also noteworthy is the local grocery store”La Comer” which has fresh pressed juices, pastries, hot foods and hand made tortillas. They also have a liquor selection, clothes, appliances and furniture!

Confession time: this trip warranted at LEAST one more day to bask in all that Cabo has to offer so we recommend a minimum four-night stay. There are also plenty of other resorts and hotels in the area, so look around to make sure you’re getting the amenities you want i.e. adult-only v kid-friendly, all-inclusive or standard, etc. The good news is now that we have become acquainted, our next trip will allow us to dive deeper into this gorgeous area!