Christmas in Cabo San Lucas. Eat your hearts out those of you stuck in the northern and Eastern states and especially Canada. It’s been cool lately about 75-78 degrees. We are considering breaking out our sweaters.
But I digress.
I like the touristy sort of place that Cabo is. Now don’t get me wrong tourist traps are not my favorite places, especially when they pretend they are something other than a tourist trap. But Cabo KNOWS what it is and gets on with it. It doesn’t pretend to be a quaint Mexican fishing village. It is Full Blown Tourism. It has an honesty about it that places like Los Barriles don’t have.
The Los Barrilisenos, and this includes the resident Gringos, pretend LB is a quaint Mexican fishing village when in fact it has more in common with San Diego and Cabo than your average small Mexican fishing village.
I was having Sunday brunch at Senor Sweets Bistro at the Marina eating my Eggs Benedict. While watching the crowds and other patrons it became obvious that on this day at least we Norteamericano tourists were outnumbered ten to one by the Mexican Families and Latino tourists doing just what we were doing; Having Brunch and then shopping.
The Puerto Paraiso shopping center resembles the Duty Free Shops of Hong Kong’s new airport more than anything else with products like Mont Blanc, Bulgari, Rolex and stores like The Body Shop, Tommy Bahama, l’Occidental (and others). Hotel rooms go for $600 to $1000 and up per night and I am told by a reliable source the hotels are full.
The shops were also full and people were buying. Most customers were Mexicans or their Latin American cousins given the types of Spanish I heard being spoken.
After agonizing over a $130 dollar shirt at Tommy Bahama and a great Hat at Cabo Hats I stumbled upon Ruths Chris Steak House, one of my favorite Steakhouses. I told my friend Cecilia (my very good friend and traveling companion) I wanted the $73 Dollar Cowboy Ribeye for Christmas. I am not sure how she will wrap that though.
As you exit the Puerto Paraiso on the harbor side there is a great view of the homes of the Pedregal neighborhood in the hills above Cabo where homes go for as much as Eight Million dollars. The views must be spectacular. New Car Dealers from Mercedes, to Audi to BMW to Cadillac, Chevy and all the rest are selling a lot of cars if what is on the roads is any indication.
Cabo was hit by Hurricane Odile in 2014 devastating most of the hotels, shops and other businesses. According to one local newspaper every single hotel sustained serious damage. Now all but three of those hotels are completely fixed, back in business and full. New construction is booming. Tourist numbers are way up. Restaurants are fuller than ever as some hotels have abandoned the “All Inclusive” plans that included all your meals with your room.
Yes Cabo has arrived. Sammy Hagar of Van Halen lives here part time and owns his own chain of Bar/Restaurants called Cabo-Wabo, rock stars and media types appear regularly, Guy Fieri zooms down to review the funky fish houses on the waterfront and Wal Mart Heiresses are buying Luxury Hillside Homes.
Cabo is no longer the funky little town with dirt streets and palapa bars…but neither is Puerto Vallarta, at least not since John Huston made Night of the Iguana there in 1964 with Ava Gardner and Richard Burton.
You can have a good time here. There is great food, fine dining, wonderful (and some expensive) shopping, fantastic weather and a lot of friendly people.
Cabo is brash, young and full of energy. It can be loud and a bit raucous. But it is unashamed in its naked brazenness to capture your Pesos or Dollars. There is an honesty about Cabo. Cabo knows what it is and is true to itself.
And that is what I like about it.
