My recent “spring break” in Cabo was nothing like the ones I experienced in my college years. Instead of staying at a resort in Cabo San Lucas for non-stop drinking and frequent visits to Mango Deck and Squid Roe, a couple friends and I opted for a beautiful airbnb in a relaxed, less touristy neighborhood in La Playita near San Jose del Cabo.
The airbnb was perfect - it’s one of the few adobe earth buildings in Los Cabos, which kept the space cool, and is a restored design concept house. It had beautiful furniture, working wifi, a huge kitchen and an outdoor shower. It was also walking distance to the beach and some great local spots, like El Marinero Borracho.
EL MARINO BORRACHO
Also known as The Drunken Sailor. This local spot was within walking distance of our airbnb. We decided to eat there for dinner on our last night and it was SO good, we came back and ate there for our last meal before our flight. We ate on the rooftop patio and had shrimp enchiladas (both times), shrimp tacos, passionfruit margaritas and flan. Everything was amazing (especially the enchiladas and flan!!!) and I honestly wish we ate there every day of our trip.
ACRE BAJA
Just breathtaking. Acre Baja is a little oasis in San Jose del Cabo, accessible by a car drive on dirt roads to what felt like the middle of nowhere. It’s a hotel and restaurant property with lush greenery of every type and size of palm tree you can imagine. The food was incredible and so were the drinks. We each had Perla De La Baja, which had mezcal, tequila, pineapple, lime, passionfruit and honey.
Brock and I were originally going to stay there, but with Austie joining us, we wouldn’t be able to all fit in their treehouse rooms. Instead, we came for dinner and again the next day for drinks and pool time. I can’t wait to go back and spend a night or two there to really enjoy the property.
FLORA FARMS
Flora Farms is a farm to table restaurant that serves handmade food from ingredients they make, raise and grow. They have tons of land occupied by little shops, farming areas, gardens and of course, their restaurant. The food was a bit pricey, but delicious and of large portions. While it was beautiful, it was a bit jarring to see a space full of middle aged white people when we were used to seeing more locals than tourists. It was cool to experience, but felt a bit too perfect and manufactured.
MÁS MÁS MÁS
Most of our trip was spent exploring and relaxing. With the exception of our Acre and Flora Farms reservations, we really didn’t have anything pre-planned.
DAY 1:
Ate and enjoyed rooftop view at Hotel El Ganzo
Checked into airbnb
Walked to a nearby beach to layout
Went to dinner at La Lupita Tacos & Mezcal, which came highly recommended. Personally, I’m pretty sure I got sick from the food here and it was my least favorite spots to eat at
Walked around the town. The day we got there happened to be the last night of the Festival de San Jose, an annual event of multiple days of music, parades, street food, drink, dancing and performances. It was so fun to see all of the locals out and celebrating. We ordered a bag of 10 street churros for about $2.50 and saw the churros get made right in front of our eyes. They were the best I’ve ever tasted.
DAY 2:
Ate huevos rancheros for breakfast at George’s in La Marina Inn
Went to Palmilla Playa, a beautiful beach surrounded by ocean-front luxury homes and hotels
Went into town and ate at Lolita Cafe, where we ate good food and drank delicious hibiscus water with fruit
Got matcha at Coffee Lab Cabo
Went to the market for food and snacks for the airbnb
Had dinner at Acre Baja
DAY 3
Made eggs and avocado for breakfast at the airbnb
Had lunch at Flora Farms then walked back over to Acre Baja to see the animals and lay by the pool
Got fresh coconuts and watched the sunset at Playa Costa Azul to celebrate our last night
Had a couple drinks at the airbnb before walking over to El Marino Borracho for an amazing (and super cheap) dinner
DAY 4
Made eggs and smoothies to eat on our outdoor patio
Walked over to a nearby beach and jumped into the ocean for a last swim
Had lunch at El Marino Borracho (again) before our flight
What started as a random trip booked turned into a much needed getaway that I see myself doing over and over again. The flights were reasonable and only a bit over 2 hours each way and transportation was super easy as Ubers were pretty accessible and very cheap - just make sure to tip well!!!. It was so nice to be away from the craziness of stereotypical Cabo and closer to neighborhood spots and hidden gems. While Americans love to warn one another about the dangers of Mexico and its people, we experienced just the opposite and met kind and friendly locals who welcomed us into their beautiful town. I can’t wait to go back.
