NeilGoBlue

I thought I'd do a mini-mini blog of my trip to Cabo that starts in 2 weeks.

I was reminded why I joined a destination club yesterday.

I had emailed Gabriel (the destination host) a list of activities, massages, golf tee times, etc.

I'm traveling with my parents, wife, 3 year old and 4 month old..

He called me on Tuesday to give me an update. I started asking questions regarding renting the van, the trip from the airport...

He said.. why don't I just rent the Suburban (for the same price as the minivan) for you, pick you up at the airport and drive you back to the house. When you leave, I'll drop you off at the airport and return the suburban.

All of sudden all my 'problems' went away.. driving and renting a vehicle in a foreign country.. trying to get to the house from the airport..worried about getting lost..etc..

DC4MS

I want to thank you for taking the time to do this as DC travel blogs are the feature members like reading the best, especially coming from a club member.

Question - Are you dealing with an A&K staff member or someone who came from Bellehavens or Crescendo?

Bourne

Looking forward to your blog.

For more reasons than one...golf...spa...3yr old...4 month old. only 5 months later in Sep.

The better half is a bit concerned about availability of pediatrician/hospital care for the new born in PVR/Punta Mita just in case. Insurance etc... Any input will be appreciated...

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The Nile is a river in Egypt......

3DH

Great idea, Neil -- thanks for doing this... if nothing else, it will be a great to show how a DC makes travel so effortless!

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"Boutique" is better! Another extremely satisfied LUSSO member!

Kagehitokiri

enjoy the trip neil

its a crescendo property. im sure its the same staff.

im curious how many A&K execs actually moved over though, besides the 1 mentioned in press release.

NeilGoBlue

It's actually the Bellehavens property. (I booked it months ago). The crescendo property is a couple blocks away. And yes it's the same destination host from the bellehaven's days.

If I read between the lines correctly, the old bellehavens concierge/customer service people are running the same department for AK..

NeilGoBlue

My 'great experience manager' is the same as it was under bellehavens and the destination host is the same.

NeilGoBlue

You bring up an excellent point. I will have the destination host brief me on what he reccomends in case of an emergency and will have that info at our finger tips.

BTW, if you travel a lot check out pinnacle care at PinnacleCare navigates the healthcare system for you to give you access to the best health care.
I've done a little research and will probably join next year..

Kagehitokiri

gotcha. i thought bellehavens had a cabo home, but halogen didnt list one, and i didnt check their own site.

retroryan

Just curious, did he rent the car in his name or your name? I didn't think someone else could rent a car for you? I thought you had to be there in person? I am new to DC's and naive to how luxury travel works

NeilGoBlue

I'm not sure.. he said he'd rent it with the AK card for 1 night and then when I got here.. he'd add me as a driver and switch it over to my credit card.. So, I guess he rents it in his name for the one day..

A couple thoughts..

This is what he does for a living... providing concierge (sp?) services.. he probably has a relationship with a local car rental place (not the aiport ones).

Kagehitokiri

i moved medical discussion which followed to Medical Travel Insurance, Etc

NeilGoBlue

The destination host, Gabriel, called last night to finalize the details of our trip.

Does anybody have any reccomendations? Golf Courses? Restaurants? Kid's activitties? Beaches?

LTTravel

The beaches in Cabo are on the Sea of Cortez. The Pacific Beaches are completely unswimmable as the water is way to rough. The water on the Sea of Cortez are also very rough and you must be careful. Medano Beach is the beach closest to town and the most swimmable. You can walk over the some beachfront restaurants and bars, like The Office. You can rent Jet Skis and take a boat over the Los Arcos and see the Arch, the sea lion colony, Lovers and Divorce Beach. The water drops off very fast so be careful with mediocre swimmers. The water is also colder than the Caribbean. There are also a few other beaches that are swimmable along the coast. Because of the depth of the water, it is best know for some of the best Marlin fishing in the world. If you want to surf there is surfing in front of the Cabo Surf Club which is a hotel closer to San Jose del Cabo. You can also go horseback riding on the beach or rent ATV's on the beach. There is a place where you can do Zip lines but I have never been.
I haven't golfed but I hear the Ocean Course at Cabo del Sol is good. The golf is on the very expensive side.
I was very disappointed with the restaurants in Cabo. I thought they were too expensive for mediocre food. Edith's is a popular spot and the same owner as The Office. You can often get some celebrity spotting there but the it is expensive and the food just OK. Mi Casa has Mexican food in an authentic but touristy building but we didn't like it much. Thought the food was too mushy and smelled too much of corn meal. If you get tired of the local stuff there is a Ruth's Chris at the Marina. Casiano's is a restaurant in San Jose del Cabo with an interesting tasting menu but definately not for kids. The restaurant at Palmilla and the Esperanza are very nice, but also very expensive for OK food. If you go out for breakfast or for gelato, Senor Sweets is in the Marina mall and we thought the best deal in town. If your kids are like ours they made us have lunch at The Hard Rock which was OK but not one of the better ones. At night their are numerous places to hang out for drinking, but they were not our speed. Squid Row for the younger crowd, The Zoo for slightly older and Cabo Wabo for all ages.
There is a Costco in Cabo with a good selection of foods and your card from the US is taken there. There is a Mega supermarket in San Jose del Cabo which also has a good selection. A Walmart just opened up close to town. I have not been yet but I presume that they also have a good selection.
The most interesting thing about Cabo is seeing mountains, ocean and desert in one place. It is quite beautiful. The weather is usually dry but gets humid in August and September. Hope some of this was useful and have fun.

NeilGoBlue

Thanks..I think you and I are aligned.. I have a tee time at the Ocean Course..$350 lol... never paid that much for golf. I also have reservations at palmilla..so we'll see.. We are really looking forward to ziplining...

3DH

Just to add to the mix... our group really enjoyed Mi Casa when we were there in December. (If you search, I am certain you will find the other thread questioning our quite unsophisticated taste in food, though... ) Even though we were all 40-something, we had a great time at the Giggling Marlin... I can even recommend a great tattoo studio, if you are interested (but, I am betting I am alone on that call! )

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"Boutique" is better! Another extremely satisfied LUSSO member!

Kagehitokiri

LTTravel, thoughts on "the restaurant" @ las ventanas?

horseback riding on the beach is always fun, did it on kauai.