In the three short years Z and I have been together, we’ve managed to squeeze in a lot of traveling, which I’m eternally grateful about. One trip we hadn’t yet done, though, was a just-the-two-us adventure to the beach. We’ve been to a few beaches together, but in Florida and South Carolina, typically with family. So for Christmas, Zac surprised me with a fully booked trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Side note: I’ve never in my life had a trip completely planned for me and given to me as a present, and I didn’t realize until it happened that it’s a gift I’ve been wanting my entire life. As a control freak who plans practically everything, the feeling of my husband booking flights and hotel without running anything by me was freeing as hell.

When Zac gave me this gift, March seemed like forever away but of course, we all know the bitch that is time and suddenly our Cabo trip was on the horizon. So we packed up, barely made it out of Dallas because of crazy storms the day/night we flew out, and had an amazing long weekend by the beach. Here are all the details I have to offer to from where we stayed, what we ate, and a few items I brought that I strongly recommend to anyone reading this who has their own beach/poolside trip planned for this spring or summer!

flora farms

We got into Cabo and got our rental car (which, looking back, was unnecessary. We had plans of exploring the area a lot more than we ended up doing, which is why we got a car in the first place. We definitely didn’t need it and would’ve gotten around just fine with Ubers or car rides provided by the hotel itself, so keep that in mind!), and decided that we might as well make our first stop at the famed Flora Farms since it was somewhat close to the airport. Zac had made us a reservation weeks earlier, so we headed that way, getting a little more than turned around via the route Google Maps had spit at us. For some reason (call it a bad connection), it decided to take us down dirt backroads with so many dips and bumps, we weren’t sure the car was going to make it. We laughed it off for the first few minutes until we realized it wasn’t bringing us back out onto any normal roads where there was light and life. Cars and trucks kept passing us in the darkness, most of which had one headlight out, which prompted me to make a joke about the Cartel but we weren’t laughing as we realized the map had us driving on private drives to peoples’ homes on their property. Without getting into any major detail, let’s just say both myself and Zac weren’t chill. Did I have visions of us being executed on these dirt roads in the middle of a foreign country? Absolutely. They don’t call me why-do-you-always-jump-to-the-worst-conclusion-possible for nothing!

The good news is, we finally found our way back to the main roads unscathed and ended up at our destination, Flora Farms. For those who are unfamiliar, Flora Farms is a 25-acre organic working farm in San Jose Del Cabo that features a massive restaurant, bar, and grocery, and is home to many small retail boutiques and a spa. It even has vacation rentals so you can stay there your entire trip if you want. The property really is stunning and very well done, but we went at nighttime so we didn’t get to see nearly as much as we wanted.

My general review is that I see the appeal, for sure, but it was a little too bougie for us. The food was good but very salty and the surroundings were gorgeous, but to be blunt, it was a lot of privileged white people in their polo shirts, khaki shorts, and Zimmerman dresses acting like they owned the place (i.e. Highland Park Village in Mexico, if you will). And yes, I understand the irony in that I’m also a privileged white person but you get what I’m saying. Zac and I love balancing our lives between high brow and low brow, and there was no low brow to be seen within the 25-acres. We felt out of place in our plane clothes and were seated at the literal end of the restaurant in the very corner (I’m sure it had nothing to do with our appearance but then again…?).

So would I recommend stopping by Flora Farms? Yes, I would! But maybe wait until the end of your vacation instead of starting out with it because it’s definitely more of a last-on-the-list stop when you’re sort of vacation-tired and ready to go home, but wanting one more cute, bougie kind of day.

the cape, a thompson hotel

Zac booked us three nights at The Cape, which is a Thompson Hotel, which is owned by Hyatt Hotels. Thompson Hotels are luxury hotels that usually boast incredible in-house culinary establishments and have a sleek, modern vibe to them. Or, in their words:

“With urban destinations that guide global conversations and resorts deeply rooted in the local scene, Thompson Hotels offer the best of culture, collected and curated right within our walls. Explore our portfolio of iconic hotels and resorts that impart an authentic experience made by and of each destination.”

In other words, they’re nice as hell, so I was super excited upon learning Zac had booked us here for the weekend. Whitney and her husband have actually stayed there a handful of times and always raved about its beauty, the service, and the location, so I was familiar with the name and had been wanting to visit for a long time!

The general vibe at The Cape was sleek and modern. I personally love more character and color when it comes to my hotel stays, but I admit the neutral and blue shades within our room were very calming and mirrored our immediate scenery. The bathroom was beautiful with a walk-in shower complete with two shower heads (one being a rainfall shower head, my dream) and an elegant soaking tub placed between the shower and the bed. Yes, you read that right.

Bizarre but beautiful. We didn’t use the tub but it was there if wanted to, and that’s what counts, ya know?

The balcony (as pictured above) was truly the best part. I’m not sure anything beats waking up every morning to the sound of the ocean crashing gently onto the shore and being able to see it all from your balcony. Plus, the swing sofa was everything. I could’ve stayed there the entire trip and been just fine. Every morning, we ordered breakfast to the room and enjoyed it on the balcony as we watched surfers trying to catch waves and Humpback whales breaching while boats sped to try and watch the action up close. It was beyond picturesque in every way imaginable!

The pool and beach scene at the hotel were equally as amazing with an incredibly accommodating staff who spent the weekend getting to know the guests by name. All three days we were there, we spent them at the pool and were taken care of from the moment we sat down until we left. My drink of choice the entire weekend was a spicy pineapple margarita. Pineapple is my favorite margarita flavor, and The Cape’s take on it was perfect. The swim-up bar was a little too convenient, and I couldn’t tell you how many of these fabulous cocktails I had if I tried. The pool staff also handed out a delicious midday snack on Saturday that was a pineapple pop with lime juice and tajin. Writing that just now made me salivate, omg.

My only gripe with The Cape over the weekend was that their rooftop was closed for weddings the entire time we were there, so we couldn’t go up and take in the views and enjoy dinner or drinks which sucked. I’d heard great things about being on the rooftop so it was a bit of a letdown. I mean, I get why people get married at this hotel, but DAMN. That was a miss, for sure. A wonderful thing about staying at The Cape, though, is their beach access. In just a few steps, you’re on the (very coarse, rough) sands of Cabo and can enjoy the water and waves up close and personal. They also have a gorgeous fire pit that overlooks the beach if you’re wanting a cozy vibe at night.

the food

The Cape hotel offers several dining options: The Rooftop (which we didn’t get to partake in), The Ledge (the casual all-day spot for breakfast, lunch, or dinner), Point Break (the pool’s terrace and swim-up bar), and Manta (their fine dining restaurant).

The Ledge is what we had for breakfast all three mornings, and it was just okay. The coffee was incredible, but the food was fine? Maybe we just didn’t order the right stuff, but we weren’t blown away with the flavors of any dish we got except for their take on French toast, which was fucking incredible and came with roasted bananas, almonds, caramel sauce, raspberries, and charred vanilla whipped cream.

Of course, we ordered several things from Point Break (the poolside bar) every day and everything we had was delicious. The biggest standout was their burger that came loaded with onion marmalade, aged cheddar, mushrooms, dijon, lettuce, pickles, tomato all on a brioche bun. The fries were also incredible and served with a dijonnaise dipping sauce I will dream about. I have no picture to offer—I was too busy eating.

But the star of all our dining experiences was Manta, The Cape’s fine dining restaurant. The food is a mix of Mexican, Peruvian, and Japanese and every single bite was out of this world good. We opted for the Chef’s Tasting Menu so we truly sat back, relaxed, and relinquished control to the chef. Flavors popped and sang in your mouth, and forced you to close your eyes in order to focus on what was happening. Everything was so incredibly fresh with perfect complimentary sauces to accompany the main act. We had everything from tuna and octopus to clam and suckling pig. We ended with a coconut milk tres leches cake with black cherry ice cream, and the most incredible mango sorbet to cleanse our palettes. It was beautiful and beyond delicious.

I would recommend going to Manta while you’re in Cabo, even if you’re not staying at The Cape. A reservation there is worth it because it’s truly amazing quality food.

some other things

While we stayed in bathing suits most of the time during our trip, we stayed cute and these pictures are evidence of that. FWIW, the hat I wore is from a popular custom hat store in Cabo called Corazón Playero. My friend actually got it for me on a previous trip to Cabo and gifted it to me from my bachelorette party last year, so of course I had to bring it!

For sizing purposes, I am 5’4”, a 29/8 jean, and 34DDD bra. Click on the pictures to get links to specific products and check out my sizing details here:

Blue and black bikinis: Medium bottom, medium CURVE top

Black one-piece: Size 8

Black beach pants: Medium

White sarong wrap: M/L