Luxury in Mexico, very small kids optional

Sun setting over pool, sea and cacti.

Perhaps one of the most beautiful resorts in Cabo San Lucas,  Capella Pedregal was a real treat.  The property covers 24 acres of mountain and oceanfront property.  The grounds are spectacular…blending into the desert surroundings there is not one detail that was missed.

At night the resort glows with incredible lighting and beautiful sunsets over the Pacific Ocean.  The resort has four swimming pools – two are only for adults.  There are deluxe rooms, villas and casitas.  Two onsite restaurants, a fitness center, library and spa, as well as a delightful gift shop with one of a kind art, clothing and crafts from all over Mexico.

Location and details

850 square feel of space. Beautiful hand made furniture and wood beamed ceilings.

The resort sits on the southernmost tip of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula at the point where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez.  You can only reach the resort through Dos Mares – a tunnel that separates the town of Cabo from the Pacific Ocean.  A quick walk will have you downtown enjoying the restaurants, shopping and all the activities Cabo has to offer.  Los Cabos International airport is about 22 miles away and the hotel will arrange for your transportation.

The 44 bedrooms in the hotel have private patios, amazing views of the Pacific ocean and plunge pools.  The rooms are custom made with handcrafted details and over 820 feet of space.  One to four bedroom villas and casitas are also available.

Highlights of staying here

Homemade guacamole and beer delivered to your room every afternoon at 4:00 p.m. The staff is unbelievably accommodating and friendly.  They were my favorite part of the trip.  Don’t miss a treatment in the Auriga Spa.  Whale watching in the spring was amazing – we saw an incredible amount of whales while just relaxing by the pool.

Private plunge pools outside each room.

Dinner at El Farallon where the waves literally crash on the seawall next to you.  The food in all of the onsite restaurants was delicious and fresh.  You can’t go wrong getting to know the lovely people who work at this resort – they will make your stay memorable.

Good to Know

I love finding places to go with my family but Capella would not be good for the littlest travelers.  Yes, there is a Kids Club  (free August – September otherwise $50 per day) but the beach is not for swimming or wading, pool and spa are quiet and rejuvenating. Additionally, each room has a plunge pool, lots of places where little kids could get into trouble.  This is a great place once your children are older or teenagers.

Written by Mari Chazen

Property
El Moro is a small hotel in La Paz with an interesting white Moorish design, fountains, a shady pavilion to read in, a pool and two hot tubs. We liked this place a lot even though it’s a tiny bit shabby around the edges. It was quiet, relaxed and unpretentious and has a great location right along the Malecon, La Paz’s famous pedestrian walkway along the sea.

Location
La Paz is a 2-hour drive north of Los Cabos and a world away. La Paz felt like the “real Mexico” to us and is a popular vacation spot for mainland middle class Mexicans who take the ferry over. Club El Moro is located directly across the street from the Malecon, a pleasant 7-mile walkway along the Sea of Cortez.

Walk a block to the right along the Malecon and you’ll find a really high-quality playground with great sunset views and a coconut drink stand. Walk about 15 minutes to the left and you’ll be downtown with your choice of loads of seafood restaurants and a few cafes.

Sleeps
2-4 in the standard rooms. 4 in the studio and suites with kitchenette. We stayed in the 2 bedroom unit with a full kitchen which sleeps 5 plus an extra one or two on the futon bed in the living room. It was perfect for 4 adults and 2 young kids. No elevator so beware of the third floor rooms if you don’t like stairs.

Highlights
The pool was great and our kids loved running across the little bridge and playing hide and seek around the small grounds. Through the front desk, we signed up for a day tour of Island Espiritu (a protected area with a coral reef, manta rays and a sea lion colony) which was absolutely gorgeous! They even found flippers small enough for my 4-year-old and we all snorkeled and swam with the sea lions. Beautiful! Other highlights include the outdoor and indoor markets, fruit smoothies and bakeries.

Good to know
Free bottled water! The hotel’s restaurant is open only for breakfast and lunch and offers free coffee and internet. The service was slow but we loved our red enchiladas and the kids swooned over their tropical fruit and yogurt plates. We went out for lunch every day (amazing and cheap fish tacos just a few blocks away!) and cooked our own dinners as restaurants begin to serve dinner around 8pm which is well after the “crazy hour” where our kids melt down and should not be seen in public.

Contact
http://www.clubelmoro.com/

Written by Jenny Jensen

Property
This 5-star hotel has a fun pirate ship restaurant jutting out into the pool. The rooms are beautiful and super comfy. Even the smallest room (Deluxe Studio) has a balcony, flat screen TV, DVD player and stocked kitchenette. The hotel has direct beach access and a view of the famous Arcos rock formation.

Location
Cabo San Lucas is located on the beautiful though pricey southern tip of the Baja California peninsula of Mexico. Beaches are white sand and sunsets and breathtaking. The waves were too rough for kids to swim in, but we had fun wading and playing in the sand on the few occasions when we could drag the kids away from the very cool pool.

Sleeps
4 in the studio and up to 10 in the 3 bedroom suite (1 and 2 bedroom suites are also available).

Highlights
Lunch is served on the pirate ship until 5:30 so we had an early dinner- yummy and reasonably priced Mexican food for adults and American style kid-pleasers. The fish tacos and Cabo pizza with squid and scallops were delicious. The front desk were so helpful when my sister’s baby had a 10 PM screaming earache. They had a doctor in the room within 20 minutes who diagnosed an ear infection, helped them find the only pharmacy in town open that late and gave them a discount on the extra night stay when the doctor said they should wait 24 hrs to fly.

Good to know
A wonderful full breakfast buffet for 2 is included in the room rate but you have to pay for the kids- make sure you check your bill. We were charged the adult rate for the kids breakfast but luckily caught it at check out (the difference was $42 to $7, whew!). Check out Travelocity before booking at the resort’s website- we got a great deal!

Contact
http://www.villagroupresorts.com/resorts/villa-del-arco-los-cabos

Written by Jenny Jensen