Our family planned months ago to spend Thanksgiving in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, with hubby’s parents, brother, sister in law, niece and nephew.  We do not get to spend nearly enough time with these relatives as they all live in different states.  Given the current situation, we almost canceled our trip.  However, we made a game time decision to go and I am so glad we did.  We traveled very safely and stayed outside with just our group the entire trip.  I don’t think I’ve ever had such a relaxing vacation.  We read, surfed, fished, swam, watched football and just enjoyed being together.

I packed late the night before we left since I hadn’t let myself get excited enough to plan ahead.  I really didn’t think we’d end up going.  My trusty packing cubes kept our clothes organized and maximized space in our suitcases.  I did not discover these until last summer when we did our big Europe trip.  I have no idea how I survived forty years of travel without them.  My zipper bags are also necessities when traveling.  That First Aid kit has been everywhere with me for years.  It has saved the day on multiple occasions.

We wore masks AND shields while flying and in the airports.  Honestly, it’s second nature by now and we don’t even realize we’re wearing them most of the time.  We flew Delta (always, but ESPECIALLY now) and felt that the airline did an excellent job keeping passengers safe.

We stayed at Esperanza, which exceeded all of our expectations.  Our first two days were spent lounging by the many pools and checking out all of the areas of the resort.  Mother Nature was putting on quite a show while we were in Cabo!  Not only were the temperatures incredibly comfortable, but the humidity was super low.  We were able to leave our enormous sliding doors to our rooms open the entire time, which was extra wonderful given the Covid situation.

I have never been to Cabo during summer, so I can’t say how hot and sticky things get, but November was a fabulous time to visit.  BONUS:  the humpback whales had just arrived to the area and we saw them almost every day.

Pools at Esperanza

Bodie was, of course, desperate to go fishing, so the gentlemen in our group woke up super early one morning and headed to the marina in search of a captain with an open charter.  They were successful and came home with dinner!  I think Bodie’s favorite part of the fishing excursion was meeting this bold sea lion who jumped onto the back of the boat!

Fishing in Cabo

While the boys were fishing, the girls enjoyed sleeping in, smoothies and poolside massages.  It’s a miracle we ever left this place!

The chef at one of the restaurants on property prepared the fish the guys brought back.  I don’t eat seafood (I know, I know), but everyone else said it was delicious.  Bodie was quite proud of himself.

Although the pools and grounds at Esperanza are stunning, the beach is not great for swimming.  It’s extremely rocky and the waves crash into the rocks fiercely at times.  The kids were eager to have a beach day at least once during our stay, so we ventured down to Mike Doyle’s surf school at the suggestion of the concierge.  This was about a fifteen minute taxi ride.  The surf school required reservations while we were there, but I am not certain that’s always the case.  The surf school is located in the Cabo Surf Hotel, which was a fun spot to spend the afternoon.  All of the kids popped right up on their boards!

I did not do a very good job taking pictures of our wonderful meals, but rest assured they were fabulous.  So were the drinks.  I am so incredibly thankful for our days in the sun with family.

These pictures were taken on our last night.  We all look so happy and relaxed!  The sunset our final evening was the perfect ending to a magical trip.

We laid low for a few days upon our return out of an abundance of caution.  The kids did e-learning until I felt confident that we were in the clear.  That being said, the resort did an incredible job making sure social distancing was possible.  Masks are worn by the staff 24/7 and guests are encouraged to wear one in the VERY few situations where social distancing isn’t possible (walking past tables in a restaurant, for example).  Delta is still keeping plenty of seats empty on flights, so we were never really close to people while flying.  The gates and terminals did not seem crowded and masks are required everywhere in the airports and on the planes.  I am happy to say that I did not see a single person not following the rules.

Hopefully Covid is a thing of the past before too long and we can spend more time with family.  Not having any family in South Carolina means that we travel frequently to see our loved ones.