My boyfriend and I recently took a gorgeous trip to Los Cabo, Mexico for our anniversary and can I just say, Cabo Mexico was more gorgeous than I remember from the last time I was here via cruise. We had an amazing friend that recommended this all inclusive resort via Costco called Secrets in Puerto Los Cabo and mentioned that Memorial weekend was a great time to go in terms of weather. Surprisingly in Southern California the weather has been nothing be dreary and cold (with sometimes cases of hard drizzling in the mornings), especially since it’s May already. We were definitely hoping for much better weather in Mexico! Not to mention work has been nothing but hectic and would love some time off doing nothing but relax. Best of all, Secret’s Resort was an adult only resort, which was a HUGE plus for me.

I planned this trip a year in advance to give myself the best time frame to pay for the trip and allow myself to save up more PTO at work so that I can take days off without no pay. Since this trip was recommended with the use of Costco, I looked into it. All inclusive resorts includes all the food, alcohol, drinks (juices, tea, coffee and water) and even amazing things like 24 hour room service– only thing you pay for is whether you feel like tipping. Anyways, the greatest thing about the Costco vacation trip was that it allowed monthly payments to be setup so that you don’t have to pay a lump sum. You do have to put down deposit though, approximately $500 then pay the rest in installments. The total ended up being $2100 for two people that included flight, shuttle (to and from resort) and hotel for 5 days, 4 nights.

Everything was booked easily and smoothly, we picked a flight time that worked best that wasn’t too early or too late so that we didn’t hit traffic going to LAX. I picked an afternoon flight of 12:30PM on a Thursday and a departure flight of 5:00PM to get the maximum time in Cabo without coming home too late (also ideal because coming home on a holiday like Memorial day usually means no traffic at the time of landing).

Since we had so much free time, I also wanted to plan some activities to do over the weekend. Puerto Los Cabo is about 30 minutes away from Cabo San Lucas (where all activity companies like jet skiing and parasailing are located). I had booked some activities to do on Saturday months in advance thinking it was much safer that way, fearing booking the day of wouldn’t guarantee us a spot. I ended up booking a glass boat tour of The Arch of Cabo San Lucas (gorgeous tour btw with Baja Sports) in the morning and parasailing with Cabo Expedition ($106.00) in the afternoon. Lesson learned: Always book activities when you get to your resort as they have stations/companies that resorts have partnered with. I booked early through Tripadvisor and ended up losing money and the trip. I originally booked a $30.00 boat tour with Tio Sports (that didn’t include shuttle service), but because we needed a shuttle to get to Cabo San Lucas we ended up having to double book with another company, Baja Watersport that provided shuttle service from our resort to Cabo San Lucas ($60.00 round trip for 2 people). More details later about the actual tour!

Now, how we got to LAX, I’ve taken many methods that included shuttle companies that come pick you up at home, I’ve Uber’ed/Lyfted and last but not least, parked at the parking lots at LAX. So far, the latter was the most affordable if you know which parking structure to find for a good rate. Shuttle companies like Supershuttle can work if you don’t want to risk your car being parked in a busy area and also don’t mind paying $52.00 for shared ride ($104.00 round trip), that means the shuttle will make other stops along the way so you have to plan accordingly (aka more time to get to LAX), unless you plan to pay $105.00 for non-stop ride ($210.00 round trip). Uber/Lyfting is also costly too– usually morning-afternoon/peak time at night pick-ups are usually $80.00+ a trip ($160.00 roundtrip). For the last option, it can be costly OR pretty affordable depending on which parking lot company you go with. An awesome benefit for lots that aren’t directly across the terminals are relatively cheap AND they provide free shuttle service that runs every 10-15 minutes. You can find cheap ones that have only outside lots for roughly $6-10 a day, although I definitely prefer structure parking lots that have shaded parking for long hauls. We found Airport Spectrum that usually charges $15.00 a day, but due to holiday weekend it was $16.80 a day, for 5 days it ended up being $84.00 total, pretty worth it for the amount of days.

The flight was roughly 2 hours give or take, with only an hour difference so there wasn’t too much of a jetlag. Only thing that was lowkey bothersome was how humid it was in Mexico. LOL. We landed around 4:00PM got our hotel shuttle situated and was taken to our resort by 6:00PM (just in time for dinner)! We were shown to our room… My goodness how gorgeous the view was! We were given a complimentary upgrade to an ocean view on the fifth floor. Blue skies and ocean with bright green grass of the golf course greeted us, it was such a gorgeous sight. The bed was a king size, we had our own jacuzzi bath tub and standup shower as well. The place was clean and tidy, the fridge was stocked and a/c was on. Although only minor gripe was that the fridge didn’t seem to work 100%, barely kept our drinks cold, rather was lukewarm, but wasn’t a deal breaker. We left our stuff and began to check around the resort to find many delicious looking (and fancy; also includes dress code) restaurants that were part of the package.

Restaurants that we ended up trying:
Market Café (International Buffet) – Probably one of my favorite casual restaurants that provided breakfast (7:30AM-11:30AM), lunch and dinner (6:00PM-9:00PM). Dress code is causal of sleeved shirts (for men), sandals, khakis shorts are allowed, no tanks for men and no flip flops. We had them once for dinner and the rest were all breakfast meals. I had their pork ribs that were so tender and impressed that wasn’t too saucy, perfect ratio rather. Loved their sweet potato mash as a side, as well as their steamed vegetables. They had plenty of other dishes like fish fillets, shrimp cocktail, salad bar, fruit bar, bread bar, dessert table, etc. Each night has different dishes, so definitely worth checking out!

My fave meal with Market Cafe is breakfast, they have an omelette station where I can custom order my egg white vegetarian omelette. The egg white are freshly cracked and separated in front of you and the vegetable also freshly cooked as well. It’s delicious and ingredients tastes amazing! They have a waffle and pancake section, charcuterie section, drink section that included 2 kinds of milk and leche de soya, juices, fruits, bread, breakfast potatoes, hash browns cooked with bell peppers and onions (one of my favorite sides), etc. Staff are friendly and always on point when clearing dishes and making sure your cup is always filled with a drink.

El Patio (Mexican) –  The view of the center tree at the patio center is so pretty and relaxing. Must be nice to eat underneath it. The place looks even more gorgeous at night when the lights in the water lights up. Dress code is causal elegance! (No tanks and flip flops)

We ordered beef rib, stuffed chili relleno, tacos, and a watermelon salad. First three dishes are recommended, I wasn’t a huge fan of the watermelon salad. It was only 3 cubes of watermelon the size of a silver dollar. Their. Beef. Rib. Is. Amazing. DROOL. The meat was so flavorful, juicy and tender. It wasn’t overdone in spices, the side vegetables of asparagus, carrots and sweet potato mash was wonderful. The meat just melted in my mouth when I ate it. We loved our meal here!

Himitsu (Japanese/Chinese) – We loved the atmosphere here with the water fountain running in the center and foliage of greens all around. It complemented well with the dark wood of the patio.

We ordered the seaweed salad, sushi rolls, curry sea bass, and orange chicken. I LOVED the seaweed salad, the blend of actual mixed greens with the seaweed was definitely new and I really enjoyed the combo. The light drizzle of miso dressing added a real nice light sweet and savoriness to the salad.  The orange chicken dish was tasty, it wasn’t fried and deeply battered. It was again, in really ratio of meat and sauce that wasn’t overwhelming. The chicken pieces were meaty pieces and loved the bell pepper slices that was cooked with it.

Barefoot Grill (Casual Eats) – We grabbed a to-go dish of chicken that came with a side of fries. It wasn’t the best, the chicken drums were definitely small and too fried and oily in my opinion, but I was too hungry to argue. Just unfortunate I ended up being very bloated from this dish.

BARracuda (Bar) – It gorgeous bar located right by the beach, wonderful view and great place to hangout if you want some place quiet (during the day). The swing seats (instead of regular bar stools) were definitely playful and loved how fun and tropical it made the bar feel.

Coco Cafe (Café) – This is a coffee café that we frequented because it was open 24 hours. They have lovely unsweetened iced tea with different options of cookies, pastries and tarts. I usually like to grab an iced tea with their cranberry, whole wheat and chocolate chip cookies. I really enjoy their baked goods because they aren’t terribly sweet. The cookies were light in flavor and taste and didn’t make me feel heavy and groggy like I just ate a bag of sugar. Great place to grab a snack if you aren’t too hungry but still want munch on something.

Oceana (Seafood) – The view is GORGEOUS, Oceana is built with two infinity pools around it that gazes out to the ocean so it looks like one whole piece. You can also see the sunset if you decide to eat in the patio (although very sunny since there’s no umbrella). They mostly do seafood dishes, but they do have others like beef and chicken for those that do not eat seafood.

We ordered the shrimp skewer, salad greens, tuna tartare, seared ahi tuna, shrimp and steak and creme brulee for dessert. This restaurant was probably ended up being my least favorite. All the dishes lacked flavor and was very bland and basic, nothing stood out in particular and was surprised that I wasn’t impressed with this restaurant as I was with the others. The portions were also very small hence why we ordered two appetizers each because their entrees were tiny (steak was the size of a small plam). But the staff was still very attentive and provided great service.

There was only two restaurants that we didn’t try, Portofino (Italian) and Seaside Grill (Seafood). There are so many great options here at Secrets Resort for everyone of different tastes! They also provide free activities like archery tournaments, rifle shooting, bicycle tours, beach walks, water volleyball, etc. so you always have something to do to keep yourself busy. 🙂 We had a wonderful time the 5 days we were there, especially so in lounging by the pool, where they provide towels and waiter service. I highly recommend this resort for anyone that’s looking for a quiet place to getaway and spend some relaxing time to rejuvenate.

And don’t worry, majority of the staff and most people at Cabo San Lucas speaks English and also takes USD (so you don’t have to actually exchange money if you don’t want to). Currently: 18 pesos = $1.00 USD.

Video: Water Adventures

Rating: ★★★★★
Address:
Av. Paseo de los Pescadores S/N
23400 San José del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico