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My first winter vacation in at least a decade was to Los Cabos, Mexico last month. It’s my new favourite Mexican locale.
We’ve been to Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, Acapulco and the Mayan Riviera, and with the first three overrun with cartel violence, we’re not likely to return. The Mayan is still a possibility, but Cabo still tops the list.
When we first arrived at our hotel, the small but charming Posada Real, my wife’s first reaction was, “How did you choose this place?”
By the time we left, both our reactions were… “We’re so glad we did.” We’re already looking to next winter, thanks to an Idaho couple we befriended.
I went looking for the cheapest all-inclusive I could find, knowing that one of the reasons we go anywhere is to experience the “where” in anywhere. So despite having paid for all-inclusive, it wasn’t a hardship to skip the odd hotel meal and explore.
We had steak, we had authentic Mexican — both at the hotel and elsewhere — and some of the best shrimp at El Toro Guero, a $7 cab ride away.
Where we were, you can’t swim in the ocean. You have to go to other beaches for that. Our hotel’s pool was all we needed, though. Clean water without a hint of chlorine and margaritas at the swim up bar. What more do you need?
My wife Sandy and I on an ATV romp through a dry river bed north of San José del Cabo. Yeah, we’re badass. (Kelly Taylor / Free Press)
If there’s one thing my Cabo experience shows it’s this: a good number of Canadian businesses could do a far better job of expressing appreciation for the business.
It’s not that servers were falling over themselves to be ingratiating, which can be grating. But there was a sincerity that’s often lacking when the bill is simply dropped on the table, no matter how many hearts are drawn on the receipt.
If I had one suggestion for training serving staff, it’s this: staff don’t need to hover endlessly, but when they’re with the customer, they should be with the customer. Listen. Engage. If you have to talk to a colleague, wait until after you’ve completed with a customer.
Tipping here goes a long way, but remember, anything that seems really cheap to you after exchange… also seems cheap to them before exchange. Fifty pesos (about $3.85) isn’t worth any more to the server just because there’s a zero before the decimal.
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I also noticed the time-share business is still a going concern. I’ve always had my doubts about time shares. When we attended presentations elsewhere, it always seemed that by the time the dust settled — monthly maintenance fees, week-of-use fees, flights to and from — you were paying as much to use the fraction of the property you already own… as you would for a vacation package. And that’s without considering the monthly payment on the loan to own the time share.
A Facebook acquaintance of mine in Brandon says she feels she gets good value from hers, which she negotiated down in purchase price. Let me know if you have similar positive vibes about time shares.
Some years, our winters don’t seem as bad as they once were, but still, there’s nothing quite like leaving the parka behind and basking in the sun.
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