Reflections: Cabo

Cabo's landscape was different from any of the other beachy/resort destinations I have been to over the years. I loved seeing a different part of Mexico and being farther from home. It made it seem more like an adventure and a nice getaway.

The second day in Cabo was full from start to finish. It was the only day that all 5 of us were there together so we tried to squeeze in as many activities as we could. Mark was leaving the next day and would be taking the rental car with him so we also wanted to maximize the opportunity to travel outside of the resort.

We stayed at the Playa Grande Resort while in Cabo San Lucas. The resort is quite expansive and is made up of various sections that have different features and perks. We stayed in The Ridge which is way up above the main level of the resort and beachfront. While most of the property had a view of the ocean, we had a view of the Sea of Cortez from our room. And the pools up at our level had views of both.

Morning view from our balcony

Some other photos around the main pool area of The Ridge (or some views from there), which is where we spent most of our time.

We could see a large pool close by where you could go to swim with dolphins from our pool

The infinity pool at The Ridge had pretty spectacular views

The domed part of the building below is the lobby. The tall buildings to the left are the main part of the resort and are on the beach overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

The orange/yellow walkway you see below is how we walked to the main part of the hotel from The Ridge

We headed out to the beach in the morning for a walk

This is a shot of the section of our hotel that was right on the ocean

Waves like I have never seen

The waves are so powerful and the tide comes in so quickly that there are "guards" keeping crazy tourists like us off of the beaches. There really was very little beach activity/sunbathing on the sand because of this.

Amazing rocks down the beach towards "Lands End" (more to come on this)...

And this shows the scale...

After our walk on the beach, we toured the newest resort in the area, Grand Solmar, which was right down the beach from ours. This hotel was spectacular and amazing to explore.

Interesting landscaping

Instead of returning to our resort by way of the beach, we walked back to Playa Grande by road. I, of course, snapped some pictures along the way.

View from the street level of some of the rooms in our section of The Ridge

The front of our resort

We took advantage of having a rental car for the last time before Mark left to drive about 15 minutes away to eat lunch at a small roadside taco stand.

This watermelon slushie was one of the best drinks I have ever had! The make your own tacos were pretty delish as well.

After lunch, we relaxed by the pool for a bit before getting ready and walking down to the dock behind our resort for a dinner cruise on the Sunrider. At first I was disappointed to not have more time at the pool and that combined with an especially bad headache, which I never get, made me question whether I was up for the cruise. Crazy, I know! When am I ever NOT up for a boat ride?! Fortunately, I rallied and pushed through the pain because the sights we saw were absolutely breathtaking and I ended up feeling better as the night went on.

Some pictures of the marina before leaving the dock

All of us enjoying a drink on the top deck before leaving the Marina

The "Capitan"

View of the back of our resort from the Marina

Venturing out on the Sea of Cortez

We rode along the shoreline to see Lover's Beach and the infamous arch...

The infamous arch, also know as El Arco de Cabo San Lucas, or Lands End

This distinctive rock is on the extreme southern tip of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula and is at the point where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez.

Here's a map for reference...

Seeing something this spectacular in person was overwhelming. I may be more sensitive than most, but the beauty of God's creation is amazing and it brought tears to my eyes. I was so thankful that my headache had subsided and I was able to enjoy every moment of our ride by the arch.

I look like I was relaxing, but I was actually leaning against the boat to keep from falling over because the water was so rough.

Thankful I wasn't the only photographer on our trip!

This area is a popular spot for sea lions. I could hear them some mornings from our room.

We turned the corner around Lands End and went out into the Pacific Ocean and up the coast. This gave us a great view of our resort from the other side (and the beach where we had just walked that morning). The water was really rough so we were rocking and rolling at this point. We ended up turning around and heading back to the Sea because of it but at least we got a quick view of the land from that side.

The arch from the Pacific side...

We were out from Lands End at this point (below)...the Pacific is on the left of the rocks and the Sea of Cortez is off to the right...

The "Capitan" trusted me to take the helm

The girls on the top deck

We made our way back into the Sea of Cortez where the water was calmer so that we could have dinner and see the sights on the other shore as we idled back in towards the marina.

Skiing on the Sea (with our hotel is the background) looked awesome except for the fact that the water was probably freezing!

After seeing all of the sights from the water and enjoying a nice Mexican buffet dinner, there was entertainment on the lower deck at sunset before pulling back into the marina. They called all newlyweds, married couples with anniversaries, and people with birthdays to the stage/deck to take part in the entertaining show. Even though my birthday was the next day, I, of course, hid and wanted no part in being embarrassed in front of tons of people that I didn't know. I passed on being in the spotlight.