Cabo, Mexico

Updated: Sep 15, 2023

Our itinerary

Well in true Stegall fashion it wouldn’t be a trip if we didn't have some hiccups along the way. As we all know more and more people are getting vaccinated + starting to travel again, which is incredible but does cause longer lines for checking bags & security at the airport. After waiting for about 30 minutes for an Uber to come pick us up, we finally made it to the airport & thought we were in the clear. Sadly we were mistaken. As we walked up to the kiosk to check our bag in, the attendant quickly stopped us & pointed us in the direction of a very long line of people waiting to check their bags at the kiosk. We quickly ran to get in the line & panic started to set in. Once we finally made it to the front & back to a kiosk we were informed that bg checked had just closed for our flight. As the same attendant reached between Alec & I to hit the start over button with a smirk on her face & shouted “next” very loudly in our ears, she pointed us in the direction of the customer service line to try & get on another flight.

If you’ve ever seen Zootopia, you will 1000% get this reference, if not check out the video below! As we waited in the customer service line very impatiently we were kicking ourselves for not arriving sooner. In our defense, in the past year we’ve been able to arrive, check a bag, & get through security in a matter of 30 minutes tops. However, we forgot about the spring break rush + normal hustle & bustle of LAX. When I say the Lord was looking down at us laughing his head off, I kid you not. Once we finally made it to the front of the customer service line we were greeted by a super sweet American Airlines worker who just happened to move at the pace of molasses. After 45 minutes of calling, typing, questioning, & glaring we finally got new tickets on a flight that left around 11am instead of the one we missed at 8:30am. So in the grand scheme of things, really not the big of a deal & just a great story to laugh at & remind ourselves to leave for the airport with ample amount of time!

Day 1:

Once we finally arrived (late but due to our own poor planning) we went through customs, grabbed our checked bag, then went through the declaration checkpoint. All of that only took about 20-30 minutes tops then we went to check in with Amstar which is the free shuttle service included with our resort. We waited for about 10 minutes then hopped in a brand new Tesla to catch a ride to our resort. The Secrets resort is about 35 minutes from the airport but felt like so much longer! We couldn’t wait to arrive in paradise & spend a week at our romantic, all inclusive resort & see some of our dearest friends, Garrett & Ellie.

We arrived at the resort around 3 pm & immediately headed for check in at the hotel lobby. After waiting for about 10 minutes, with drinks in hand of course, we were guided to the check in center which took about 15 minutes total. We had to sign some paperwork + schedule our Covid test for later in the week, which is currently required if traveling internationally. Once we finished all of that, we headed up to our room, dropped our bags off, changed as fast as we could, & went straight to the pool. Alec and I hung out there for a bit dreaming about our week in paradise before wandering around the resort. After we got the lay of the land, we headed back to our room to get ready for dinner. We decided to go to Portofino, which is their Italian restaurant, and it was truly amazing. I ordered chicken parm & Alec had Osso-buco lamb. It seriously had some of the best food & views ever. After enjoying our delicious apps, dinners, & wine we decided to hit the hay early to help prep for the rest of the week.

Day 2:

Monday morning we all got up nice & early to head to the “breakfast buffet” at the Market Cafe. I say that with quotes because it is meant to be buffet style but of course with Covid & the safety of all, that wasn’t feasible at this time. They did have glass dividers up between the server/food & the guests so, they would fill your plate for you then pass it under the opening at the bottom of the partition. There were lines in the morning around the buffet most days depending on how early/late it was but they did move pretty quickly. Once we finished up at breakfast we headed to grab chairs at the pool. Highly recommend getting up & doing this as early in the morning as possible because all the good spots get taking early, per usual. We got lucky & found a spot right on the edge of the pool & super close to the swim up bar too! After laying out, playing cards, swimming around, & relaxing our hearts out, before we knew it we had been there from 10:30am-4pm. Quite the day but if you like reality tv at all you know Monday, March 15 was the bachelor finale for Matt’s season. Ellie and I couldn’t bear to miss it so we all packed up & headed back to our rooms to rinse off super quickly before it started at 5pm. We met in the Moore’s room & had ourselves a fun room service dinner while streaming the show. After it was over we headed to the Rendezvous bar for a quick nightcap before calling it a night.

Day 3:

Tuesday morning was a week after our 2nd year wedding anniversary but that was the day we were “celebrating” it in Cabo. We started off with breakfast in bed followed by a Relaxing Couples Spa Massage at the Secrets Spa. The spa was located on the opposite side of the resort from our room, so of course we were a little late (seems to be a recurring theme). After we checked in, filled out some paperwork, & changed we were brought to a hidden oasis. We started by doing 5 minutes in the sauna room, which was long enough for me. Then we headed to the steam room but literally walked in and walked right out. The eucalyptus + lavender scent they wee blasting through those vents in there burnt our eyes so bad we couldn’t even open them lol. Luckily there was no judgement so we just moved on to the next step in the process to relax us before our massage began. We then proceeded to the jacuzzi pool which had 5 different stations to choice from. There were these waterfalls that massaged your shoulders and back. There were these jacuzzi chairs and 2 different types of lounges with massaging jets. Alec and I had way too much fun swimming around the heated pool testing out all the different “relaxation tools”. After about 20 minutes we went back to the locker rooms to change & head to our couples massage. The room was playing super relaxing music we both nearly fell asleep. When our hour was up we left the spa feeling super rejuvenated & peaceful.

Afterwards we headed to grab some of the best quesadillas we’ve ever had from the Seaside grill, which was right next to the swim up bar + pool. Once we devoured the dillas & lathered up in sunscreen, we enjoyed a wonderful afternoon at the pool + in the hottub. The pool water was pretty refreshing but once you got in it was totally fine. Around 4:30pm we decided that was enough sun for the day so we all headed back to our hotel rooms to get ready for dinner. Before going to eat we did walk down to the resort’s beach access area to take some pics & watch the beautiful sunset. After we swang on the bar swings overlooking the beach & reminiscing on the day, we headed to dinner at El Patio, the mexican food restaurant. Since Secrets is an all inclusive we had to indulge ourselves in apps, dinner, and desserts again which was so worth it. I ordered the chicken mole enchilada plate which was delicious & Alec loved what he had to eat too! After devouring our dinner, we walked over to the firepit to finish off our drinks & play piccolo! We did get a little loud & rowdy playing the game and were nicely asked to quiet down. This is just a friendly reminder that it’s an older adult resort that wants to be chill & peaceful, not party central. We still had a wonderful time just a disclaimer in case you are looking for diff vibes.

Day 4:

Wednesday morning was St. Patrick’s day so we thought it would be fun to go off of the resort & explore downtown Cabo San Lucas. After enjoying coffee from Coco Cafe & grabbing a bite to eat from the Market Cafe, we hopped in an Uber to head downtown. Before leaving the resort we did talk extensively with the concierge and asked about our options for getting downtown + the safety of it. They highly recommend Ubering, it was only $15-$18 for a 40 minute drive which was way cheaper than a taxi or shuttle. So once we all finished up breakfast & got ready for the day, we walked to the front gate of the resort “checked out” and headed to downtown Cabo! As soon as we got there we headed for the beach. The water was a little warmer here plus the view of The Arch + Lovers Beach was gorgeous! Once we walked past all the people on the beach selling knick knacks + souvenirs, (pro tip, if you say “no” they have to leave you alone) we made it back to the street where all the restaurants were. We wanted to go to The Office but it was already at capacity, so we ended up at Mango Deck instead. Luckily we got a table on the deck portion of the restaurant which was perfect + had tons of shade! Downstairs was a little wilder of a crowd + not as good of a view. We also highly recommend getting downtown earlier rather than later if you are going during peak season (i.e. spring break, summer, holidays, etc.). With Covid restrictions & spring breakers, it filled up way earlier than normal so we were glad we got there when we did, which was around 11:45am.

After enjoying some delicious quesadillas, drinks, guac, tacos, & shots we decided to hit up one more place before heading back to our resort. The Office was still very crowded & more of a restaurant rather than a bar, so we walked right next door to Billygan’s. Again another gorgeous view, great shade, & wonderful service. Once we wrapped up we called for an Uber back to our resort around 4:30pm and made it back a little after 5pm. We all went back to our rooms to change + freshen up before heading to dinner. After much compilations we decided to eat at Oceana, which is their seafood steakhouse restaurant overlooking the infinity pool + beach. By far the most beautiful spot on the resort & incredible food. Everyone ordered steak + all the fixings and devoured every last bite! Clearly we had had a jam packed day full of adventure & amazing food, so after dinner we were exhausted. So we said our goodnights and went back to our rooms to catch some z’s before our next big day.

Day 5:

Thursday morning was an earlier morning for us all because we had our snorkeling excursion which left from the pier in downtown Cabo. So we got up, grabbed some coffee + breaky, and headed for the lobby around 9am. We hopped on a bus with some other couples who were also on the snorkeling excursion & headed for the pier. As we learned from the day before it is about a 45 minute drive from our resort which wasn’t bad at all. We all preferred riding in the bus over an Uber due to frequent stops, bumpy roads, and car sickness. Once we finally made it to the pier the bus drive walked us over to the boat where we were welcomed warmly. Our bus was the first to arrive so we picked the best spots to sit for the ride & waited for everyone else to get there. The boat left the dock around 10:30 & headed straight for The Arch + Lover’s Beach. We stopped there for a bit to grab pictures and listen to some fun facts about the area before heading to the snorkeling stop. Along the way we got to see tons of whales breaching (jumping out of the water) which was the coolest thing ever. We basically got a free whale watching tour with our snorkeling package lol! We got to the snorkeling spot around 11:45am & everyone suited up & shipped out. As many of you probably already know I have a HUGE fear of sharks, so I don’t love snorkeling but I love Alec enough to tolerate it because I know how much he enjoys it. Typically I let him jump in first, swim around a bit, then he’ll let me know how it is (water temp, water clearness, current, etc.). We clearly have a system down now but when he never swam back to the boat to grab me I knew that meant this was not a snorkeling adventure for me. Shortly after everyone got in it seemed like everyone got out, except Alec of course. He was the first one in & last one out! As people were getting back on the boat they were complaining about how freezing the water was + how the seagulls were basically attacking them because the fish were so close to the top of the water. When Alec finally got back on the boat he also said how strong the current was, he even had to hold on to the snorkeling guide’s kayak for safety at one point. So all in all if you snorkel in Cabo be prepared for chillier water + strong currents.

Now that everyone was done with the snorkeling activity the “buffet” lunch was served + the bar on the boat opened up. They started playing bangers while everyone ate, drank, & danced the afternoon away. Once we made it back to the pier we tipped the crew and headed for Señor Frog, which was located right by the dock. We got a table very quickly & enjoyed some drinks before heading back to the resort in an Uber, since we decided to stay in downtown Cabo after the excursion. When we got back it was time to nap & rally! We all got ready & then headed to Himitsu, the hibachi restaurant for dinner. We all got the soup + teriyaki chicken & they even surprised us with a “happy anniversary” dessert platter before we left. After dinner was done we were all so tired we could barely keep our eyes open, so we said goodnight & headed to our rooms for bed.

Day 6:

Alec & I enjoyed some room service breakfast, which was delicious as always, except this time was even better. It st. Lucia the resort had these hash brown triangles. When we woke up Friday morning we couldn’t believe it was our last full day on vacay. We had all already had such a wonderful time & didn’t want to leave paradise but of course made the most of our last day. After all sleeping in a bit & taking a slower start to the morning, we enjoyed room service breakfast before hitting the pool. Every time we ordered room service for breakfast it was amazing but Friday was extra special because we got hash brown triangles!! This was my favorite thing in St. Lucia & I was so happy our resort in Cabo had them too. Once we made it to the pool & lathered up in sunscreen, I noticed our iPad had mysteriously been put in the beach bag. Friday also happened to be the start of March Madness so you know Alec was streaming the games all day long & strangely made a lot of new bball loving friends too ;) Around lunch time we ordered our favorite quesadillas with guac + pico one more time because why not, then headed back to our room to get our passports/papers for our Covid test that we had scheduled the day we arrived. Through the grapevine we heard you can ask to swab yourself, which was highly recommended, otherwise the test was excruciatingly painful. So we walked over to the testing area, filled out some paperwork, asked the nurse to self swab, and went on our merry way. We had to come back an hour & a half later for the results (which were negative) so we were in the clear to head home the next morning.

After we spent all morning & afternoon at the pool & hot tub, we headed back to our rooms to freshen up before our last dinner. Alec & I got ready quickly & actually headed down to the swing bar overlooking the beach to watch one last sunset in Cabo before heading back to CA! Since we all loved Portofino (where we ate night one) so much we decided to go back one last time. This time I ordered the chicken alfredo & Alec got steak (surprise, surprise). It was the perfect end to an incredible week in paradise celebrating our 2nd year anniversary with our dear friends!

Day 7:

Saturday morning was a sad today because it meant it was time to pack up, travel all day, & head back to reality. Since we went to bed pretty early the night before, Alec and I got up first thing & packed our bags before heading down to breakfast. Once we all got to the Market Cafe, we ate + set up our Verifly apps (something required by American Airlines to travel back into the U.S. due to Covid). After we finished setting all of that up, we headed back to our rooms to pack a few final things before saying our goodbyes. Once we were ready we walked to the hotel lobby to checkout before hopping in the complimentary shuttle service back to the airport.

Our flight left at 12:40pm so our shuttle was scheduled (by the resort) to leave at 9:50am. We thought it might be pushing it a bit but trusted the resort had done this plenty of times & knew what they were doing. We arrived at the airport around 10:30 (it was about a 30 minute drive from our resort to the airport). Once we arrived we realized how much of a mistake we had truly made. There were SO many people running around this airport standing in lines with no end sight + tons of confusion. After finally finding our way to the American Airlines line panic started to set in. Due to all the Covid rules & restrictions we weren’t able to check in for our flight & get our boarding pass + seat until we went through this line to confirm our negative Covid test basically. Knowing there was truly nothing we could do we stood in the line with our passports, negative Covid tests, claims papers, + another Covid form for about an hour & a half making little to no progress in getting to the front. Inevitably we started making friends with the people around us all worrying about making our flights & questioning what the heck was going on. There was a man coming around shouting flight numbers that were about to take off & pulling them to the front to ensure they didn’t miss their flight. This gave us a lot of hope that we would be totally fine & just needed to keep being patient, no good comes from being rude or getting upset. Around noon one of the AA workers made a grave mistake and called for a flight number & suddenly everyone rushed the counter like we had just won a huge football game or something. Not wanting to “lose” our spot in line we joined the crowd & finally made it to the roped off line area (this was a huge deal). Come to find out there were about 5 flights leaving from Cabo through AA all around the same time, hence all the people. The Arizona flight left first so they had first come first serve, then DFW, then LAX.

Around 12:35 we FINALLY made it to the ticket counter, along with our new found LAX line friends all on our same flight. As we start the check in process we can tell something is wrong. Turns out since they were helping all the other AA flights that left before us, they forgot about the LAX one & didn’t have it delayed so it was already gone by the time we made it to the counter. Now in a panic we start to figure out our other options, knowing good & well we aren’t staying in a foreign country one more night. They first try to transfer us to a LAX flight through Alaska Airlines, but it books up. Next they try Delta, same thing. Finally they set us up on a United flight taking off in about an hour & a half. We quickly rush all the way to the other end of the check in area to the United ticket counter to check our bag & get our tickets. Luckily AA covered the cost of the flight however we did still have to pay the International bag fee ($35). Once our bag was checked we sprinted for the security line & quickly grabbed Sbarro before heading to our gate. It was quite the whirlwind of a day but we were just so thankful we were able to get on another flight to LAX & spend a blissful week in paradise. So in conclusion Alec and I have learned we DO NOT have good luck traveling together (it’s gonna be a long lifetime of adventure for us) but at least we have each other!

Where to stay

We stayed at the Secrets Puerto Los Cabos & absolutely fell in love with the resort. From the second we got off the plane and into our complimentary shuttle service, we were impressed. All of the staff was so warm & welcoming + everything was felt super sanitized and safe.

Health/Wellness:

Once we got out of the car the staff took our luggage & sanitized it while we went through the check in process. They also had hand sanitizing stations everywhere & all the staff wore masks 24/7. The guests were required to wear masks in common areas like the bars, lobby, breakfast buffet area, when walking through the restaurants to be seated & when walking around the resort. I will say not everyone wore masks when walking around the resort or around the pool area at all but it wasn’t super crowded so we were able to keep our distance from others easily. At the resort they also offered indoor + outdoor dining at all restaurants to help with spacing & everyone’s comfortability. No reservations were required at the restaurants except for the hibachi one, but only if you wanted “the show”. If you are fine just eating the food & not watching them prepare it in front of you, you can eat there without reservations. Definitely be sure & check the restaurant schedules though, as they are not open every night so you have to plan accordingly. In our hotel rooms everything that is high touch (remote, shampoo bottles, room service tablet, etc.) was also thoroughly sanitized as well wrapped in plastic to ensure it was properly sanitized.

Tipping:

In regards to tipping it is not necessary but we would bring cash down to the pool each day to tip the servers who would bring us food & drinks throughout the day. As well as tipping the shuttle & golf cart drivers, masseuses, room service deliverers, and excursion staff members.

Activities & Shows:

Throughout the day there were also tons of activities to participate in including water aerobics, cycling in the pool, abs by the pool, ping pong tournaments, etc. We participated in some of these throughout the week & always had the best time. The staff was so fun & made everyone feel included.

Every night there was some sort of activity or show (be sure to check the schedule board in the lobby for all the info) but most nights we were so tired we didn’t attend. We did however watch the acrobatic show one night & it was amazing.

Room Service:

The room service menu was incredible & having the tablet made it super easy + convenient for ordering. Fair warning though, after placing your order it does take about an hour for it to arrive. Depending on the time of day you order they either leave it in the cubby door located outside your door or knock & bring it in.

For cleaning there is a switch you turn on or off by the door if you’d like the house keepers to come in make the bed, give fresh linens, or restock items.

Excursions:

Typically Alec & I also like to book excursions ahead of time, which we still highly recommend. However, we booked our couples massage prior to arrival which I wish we wouldn’t have. When we checked in they gave us a coupon to use at the spa but since we already booked & paid for ours we couldn’t use it. Not a huge deal but in hindsight would have been nice to save a little extra. We are glad that we booked the snorkeling excursion in advance though because it was already booked up when we arrived.

Packages:

Since we were celebrating our 2 year wedding anniversary we received the Honeymoon or Anniversary packages which was absolutely free. Basically it just gets you a couple of sweet, romantic perks + a cute welcome sign on your hotel room door & makes your stay even more special.

The vibe:

Like I mentioned before this resort is def not for the wild & rowdy crowd. We were told at lot more couples in their twenties go to their sister resort, Breathless. So if you’re looking more for that kind of speed I highly rec trying that instead! They too have tons of locations & gorgeous resorts.

We highly recommend this resort & chain if you feel well, safe, & ready to travel outside of the U.S. again!

We stayed in the Junior Suite Garden View Room which had a partial ocean view + tropical garden view.

Other places to stay

Breathless resorts & spa

Hilton los cabos beach & golf resort

Where to eat

Breakfast

Coco cafe

Market cafe

Brunch/Lunch

Barefoot grill

Market cafe

Seaside grill

Dinner

El patio (mexican)

Himitsu (hibachi)

Oceana (seafood)

Portofino (italian)

Seaside grill (pool-side grill)

Drinks

Barracuda (beach bar)

Desires music lounge

Manatees (swim up pool bar)

Rendezvous (lobby bar)

What to do

Excursions included on site

Exciting activities:

Beach and pool volleyball
Bike tours to the marina
Championship golf course
Lessons and classes: cooking, Spanish, massages lessons, dance and painting (finger painting)
Rifle shooting and archery tournaments
Soccer
Water aerobics and water polo
Wine and tequila tasting
World-Class Spa*
Yoga and pilates

Dazzling entertainment:

Big screen movies on the beach

Cabo Art Walk – The resort’s Entertainment Team gives a tour of the art galleries and downtown San Jose del Cabo (November-June, every Thursday)
Manager’s cocktail party
Theme nights: Casino, Beach Party, Karaoke, Mexican, International Show & Tropical Night

Luxurious pools: