La Pacifica Los Cabos by Hilton Club

La Pacifica Los Cabos by Hilton Club is on the white sand beaches directly on the ocean in its own perfect location you will love.

Video by Hilton Grand Vacations

Day One Travel & Arrival

Traveling to Mexico for most of us means a flight. Luckily, there are more than 40 direct flights most days from the United States. My own flight was even a direct flight from my local airport without any change or layover.

Los Cabos Details

Los Cabos is a city in Baja California, Mexico. Los Cabos is a resort town along the Pacific Ocean. It is located at the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. It includes the two towns of Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo.

Cabo San Lucas is a city located in Baja, California Sur, Mexico. It is known as the gateway to the Sea of Cortez. In addition to being a tourist destination, Cabo San Lucas also serves as an important port. The city is known for its beautiful beaches, warm weather, and great surfing conditions.

San Jose del Cabo is a beautiful place to be. There are many restaurants and shops downtown. You can go swimming or surfing here. There are also many hotels and resorts nearby.

There are still cobblestone streets and a central square in the middle of town. People gather in the evenings when it is cool. Many of the old buildings have been turned into restaurants, art galleries, and shops selling everything from jewelry, to silver, and souvenirs.

Art galleries stay open late during the summer months. Artists sell their work in local stores. People buy paintings and sculptures from them.

The town has resisted the addition of large shopping malls and chain stores. There is also some Colonial Era Architecture as well, but this style has more in common with Colonial Towns to the North of the United States rather than the Centre and South of Mexico. The main example of Colonial Architecture is the Town’s Parish Church. It was part of the Estero De Las Palmas De San Jose del Cabo Mission, founded In 1730.

The façade is marked with a mural depicting the martyrdom and death of founder Nicolás Tamayo, who was killed by the local Perico people. The Patron saint of the town is St. Joseph, whose feast day falls on 19 March. Another significant event is the feast of the Virgin Mary of the Pillar on 12 Oct. Important landmarks in the town include the municipal hall (Palacio Municipal) built in 1981 and the cultural center or Casa de Culture, housed in a 19th-century building.

My flight into this historic seaside area was about 7 hours. You are not only crossing the entire North American continent but also going from one side of our nation to the far side of another. I landed at Los Cabos Airport without any issues. Since my flight was a direct flight from the East Coast, there was no small puddle jumper plane that involved someone transporting their family chicken. While laughable stereotype material from 1980s movies, that might actually happen now in the USA if someone said the chicken was their emotional support animal. Strange days.

The flight was pretty good and only got interesting with the turbulence that was light a few times. From the airport to the resort, it was about 25 minutes travel time. I used a car service to take me from the airport to the resort. I will do it, but I am not huge for renting vehicles outside of the United States. The majority of the time there are no issues at all, but when they start outside of the country, they can be expensive, so I just avoid it.

Also, it is not that expensive to have a service take you to and from the airport here. Especially when you book it ahead and plan well.

Most resorts offer some sort of transport, but my guess is that since it is not mentioned by the resort, the distance was just a little too far for it to make sense to offer daily by resort staff. This is also a popular tourist area, and they likely found that most people preferred to rent a car to see the sights.

Understanding the Area

Cabo San Lucas’ economy depends mainly on tourism. There are many tourists who come from the US and Canada. Many people return year after year.

Most of the two million visitors come by air to Los Cabos Airport. Cruise ships dock at the marina. There are 248 cruise ships visiting the area. High-end hotels attract celebrities.

El Arco is an arched rock formation in the middle of the ocean. There are many boats that go there to see the beautiful view. Tourists also take boat trips to the San Jose estuary and the coral reef of Cabo Pulmo. Whale watching takes place during the winter months when whales come to mate.

Fishing is a popular sport throughout the world. Fish are caught by hooking them up or using nets. Some fish are kept alive after being caught, while others are released back into the water.

There are four main golf courses designed by the likes of Pete Dye and Jack Nicklaus. Activities for tourists include snorkel, diving, dune buggy rides, camel rides, ziplining, surfing (especially at Acapulco beach), jet skis, kayaking, sailing and hang gliding.

There are many things to do in this city, but you should avoid going off the beaten path. You’ll be missing out on some great experiences if you do.

Clams, marlin, snails, tuna, and sharks are the most important products of the region. Damiana is a locally produced liquor made with herbs. Salt is the main product exported by Miraflores in the region.

The reason for the 2 million plus visitors that come through the airport every year here was in front of me now. The amazingly clear water here and the white sand beaches. Coming from the East Coast near the ocean, I am used to water you can not really see through. Here you can see straight down. I am told the reason for the increased visibility is that there is less silt runoff from the local rivers and waterways.

For my room, I chose a Studio King with a full ocean view. The room was a large size at 549 sq ft and was well appointed.

Villa Amenities

After checking in and getting my items stowed away. I wanted to grab something to eat and a drink or three. I like to have a few drinks after a flight. It is a habit but also my way of dealing with the air travel side effects.

Dining on-site is extensive and wonderful. You have many options to choose from. I made a b-line for the Enclave Beach Club and its drinks and snacks first thing. The food was good, and the drinks were great. I felt a bit like that Greek myth where a God had put me into a spell and placed me in a perfect location with drinks and food. The purpose of this deception was to take my mind off my task at hand.

The wonderful thing was that this was my task at hand. Just relaxed and enjoyed myself. I had already saved a small fortune over booking directions. The room rates here are over $500 a day if you do not book through Tzort, so my room rate made it feel like I had just partied with Parris Hilton and she had comped my stay. Sometimes I am amazed still when I see the normal rates people pay and what you can get through Tzort.

Day Two In The Mexican Sun

Make sure you use sunscreen, I told myself as I woke. The few hours I was under partial cover near the pool yesterday already had my skin glowing. So I broke out some SPF 30 and coated myself as if I was going into a toxic environment instead of the ideal beach location. But you have to remember the sun is stronger here. I think it is stronger than it is in Hawaii too.

I know that the sun is just part of the reason this resort demands the rates that it does. The location here is impossibly beautiful. The combination of the design of the resort, the perfect white sand, and the water is almost too much to imagine. I can see people flying in here from Los Angeles, or New York, just for short getaways like I was on. An escape from their everyday routines. For me, this was something I have done now a few hundred times, mostly because of my travel writing. These short 3-4 day trips are amazing to break up what I do for the rest of my life.

During my regular work week, I work on websites and also provide SEO services to companies. Some of this requires writing, and in other cases, it requires web design or programming. I can see how one could make a living these days, traveling more and working remotely. I wish this had been a reality when I was a younger man. But I am grateful that I get this opportunity now for certain.

Here I am writing pool and oceanside while I sip on a margarita that has freshly squeezed juice and local tequila in it. A freshly made margarita is just ten times better than those made with any kind of mix. You get a fuller taste and a cleaner finish from something that is fully handmade and fresh. When combined with local seafood that tastes like it was just out of the sea, and is well prepared, I am in heaven at the moment.

I do not know about you but often on vacations, I have a moment of clarity about my life. I feel that I can just think better away from my stress of the everyday. There is no deadline for me to worry about, and no household chores to accomplish. Just go with the flow and try to find some fun things to do.

There is something special about a swim-up bar on a hot day. The surrounding people were lovely looking. I was more of the pale giant poolside than I was the city dweller who had escaped the bounds of the big city prison to enjoy the fun in the sun. I had a few ladies strike up a conversation either out of pity (hey look at the big guy all alone) or out of some odd affinity for someone completely apart from their daily lives.

I live in Virginia Beach, Virginia and while it is not a country, it is also not a major city. In just minutes I can be at the beach or to farm fields. I think that is something that I carry with me in my look. The kind of rough-around-the-edges thing, I suppose.

I am overthinking this for sure, but it makes me ponder part of Kipling’s If – If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch.

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

If all men count on you, but none too much;

I can walk with Kings or the Uber wealthy, yet I do not get stuck in my head as much as some. I also do not let the opinions of others impact me as much. By that, I do not mean that I am a loud obnoxious wrecking ball in social situations. Despite my height and size, I tend to move not unnoticed but a tad under the radar. It serves me well to stay at a 5-star resort like this. I imagine people might say that I am down to Earth. Or well-grounded as an individual.

I think I am just well-traveled and I understand despite what people bring to the party, most people are essentially the same. When we travel, we want the best we can afford, and we all want to relax. This resort is just at a level that is very impressive and might be too much for some. Even when you pay much less than the typical $500 a day for the room here because you booked with TZort, just keep the price range in mind when you interact with others.

Or now is not the time to wear sox with your sandals down from the room. The resort does have some upscale restaurants on site where to feel comfortable you may want to dress business casual for your meal. Though most here would be fine with traditional summer clothing for most meals, just not pool wear.

I think Vela, which is the on-site Italian restaurant, might be the restaurant for slacks for the guys with dinner. Although they do have some poolside seating if you can’t make yourself wear a button-up shirt and some slacks. I completely understand.

This resort is one of those where you will probably run into someone famous or at least well-known at. Do not be a selfie with a famous person, guy, or gal. Now if you make friends with someone and spend some time with them, then sure take a photo together. But that is a different thing than just wandering up and asking for a photo when someone is on vacation.

A quick personal story on meeting someone famous. Without name-dropping, I can share that I was on vacation overseas and I ran into one of my personal favorite actors. He was on the down low just unplugging from the world and somewhere that I think he hoped no one would recognize him. At first, I pretended like I did not know him from Adam. I just was nice and talked about little things drinking next to him at the bar. Then when some fans spotted him, I offered to find him an alternative spot to get away from the crowd.

The next thing I know, I am drinking in a small private bar with just a few locals and this famous actor. I confessed that I knew who he was and that I was a fan. He complimented me on playing it cool. Then shared a story that his father was an actor as well. I knew this, but I let him share his story because it was fascinating. Essentially, he was just explaining he understood the feeling of meeting someone from a film. His father was one of the actors in the film the Ten Commandments. A movie that I had seen at least 100 times over the years.

In time I did geek out and asked about an acting method of sorts with him. Which lead to an amazing conversation all of its own. Long story short, if you do meet someone, it is OK to geek out a little but let them breathe and feel normal. You may just get an opportunity to make a friend, and you will also allow them a great vacation.

After some drinks and the amazing Italian food, it was time for bed.

Day Three Getting Moving

Today I woke ready to take on the World. I felt like someone had plugged me into an electrical outlet and parts of me that needed a recharge for months were again at full charge.

I had arranged to attend a morning water Yoga class. I thought that staying in the correct posture supported by the water would be easier than poolside on a mat. I was correct in my assumption, but just barely.

Funny side note. Make sure to free your body of any “extra air” before a pool Yoga session. Yoga gets your body into many odd positions and if you are in possession of extra body pressure, it is likely to come out. It reminds me of going skiing at altitude. When you get to 10,000 feet, the air pressure seems to find every bit of air inside of you and get it out. It is just in the open air at a ski resort. You can not give this natural process away quite like you will if your lower body is below the water line in a pool. Enough Said?

I am not much of a Yoga man, and pool Yoga helped, but I will not be signing up for extended hot Yoga sessions anywhere, anytime soon.

The session was a good way to start the day and stretch, that is for sure. The resort also has a fitness center but I avoid those normally these days, so when on vacation it is not time to make an exception to that general rule. If you are working towards a fitness goal though, you can certainly work out here and get your exercise in.

I finally was able to pull myself away from the resort to see some of the surrounding areas.

I went to see the Arch of Cabo San Lucas

The distinctive landmark of Cabo is the rugged toffee-colored arch rock formation that erupts out of the sea at the tip. The arch of Cabo San Lucas is a distinctive rock formation at the southern tip of Cabo San Lucas, which is itself the extreme southern end of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula. The arch is locally known as “El Arco,” which means “the arch” in Spanish, or “Land’s End.”

After the water visit to the arch, I headed back toward town and went to the art gallery.

The Old Town Gallery

This is not the location to get cheap street art. It is a top-tier gallery for world-class artists. But close to the gallery and in the town square and shopping areas, you can find very talented local artists and street painters.

I had a speed painting done by a local artist of two lobsters here on the trip and for $40 I have something unique to frame and hang on a wall at home, not a bad deal. I paint myself and sell prints that were cheap but this was an original done in another artist’s own style. Well worth the money, and to watch a painter who can speed paint like this for someone like myself who tinkers away at a painting for weeks on and off was fun.

After a day of site seeing and some beach-going, I headed back to the resort for a few meals at the resort’s restaurants. I wanted to try them all before I left the resort.

Lena, which was more local food and traditional Mexican dishes, I think was my favorite during the trip.

If you want to save a small fortune on this resort, make certain to book through Tzort.