After staying at the Capella Ixtapa in early 2010, we became brand loyal customers. The stay and the staff were so nice that we decided to give the other Mexican Capella porperty a shot.
We stayed at the lovely Capella Pedregal. These are pictures from our room at sunset....
*sigh*
The highlight reel:
1. The Fishing
Generally on beach vacations we live by the creed "Why do something when you can do nothing!" We prefer no timeline, no rushing to activities, sleeping late, eating and.....recovering from eating (see #2)
However, we broke our own rule as Kyle booked a marlin fishing excursion on Thursday. We went out for a full day (which was really only 2 hours more than the half day for $50 more).
Recap: the first 30 minutes and the last 30 minutes were exciting.
8:30 to 2:30....nothing but the hum of a boat engine, some good iTunes, and a box lunch. There were a few whales in the distance and it was a nice boat ride. I kept doing the head bob. I'd like to blame it on the Dramamine. I felt drugged for the first 3 hours of the trip.
But I'm glad I could stand by my man and support his fishing habit. I did catch 2 big bolita fish. Check me out!
They were....AHEM.....bigger than Kyle's fish.
Man, those fish take a lot of muscle to reel in. I can appreciate the sport of fishing after having to reel in a 12 pounder. I can't imagine a 150 lb marlin would've been easy to drag in. I might have even let Kyle stuff it and hang it in our house somewhere (ummmm...that's a big maybe) because that would've been quite a battle fought.
We did see one marlin...
....do you see that little fin in the middle-left of the picture? That's as close as we got. He didn't want to bite our bait.
2. The Food
So the measure of a good hotel is the food. Capella Pedregal did not disappoint there. Friday morning we gorged ourselves on breakfast. A hallmark of Bethancourt travel (at least these Bethancourts) is to never say no to a good buffet. And if the buffet is "included" with the price of admission...well, bring it, amigo. And bring it, they did. All 6 plates, 2 fresh squeezed OJs, and a coffee, we were THOSE people. A little embarrassed at the end when it took 2 waiters to clear our table (insert sheepish grins here)....
hee hee hee...but we didn't eat again till dinner....our point, exactly!
3. The Five O'clock Guac Delivery
While we're talking food....this is one of my fave things about this place. In Cabo AND Ixtapa they bring you complimentary guacamole and beer at 5 PM every day. A nice hors d'oeuvres while you're relaxing and preparing for a late dinner out.
4. The Facial
The facial is the new massage, in my book. Why? Because with a facial they usually give a little attention to your neck and shoulders, a little attention to your legs, and a little to your arms and hands. That's all I really need. Then I get the benefit of having my facial pores squeezed to death and refreshing potions slathered all over my face which, to me, is more relaxing than a full body massage. And the spa was delightful. I steamed myself like a raw veggie in the steam room. Mmmmm.....
5. The Fiesta
Thursday night is "Fiesta Night" at a lively little joint called The Office in downtown Cabo. Definitely would recommend this restaurant for the fun atmosphere and food. All the tables were set up on the sandy beach so you could feel the sand squishing in your toes. There were mariachis, some folk dancing, silly party games. I told Kyle the games (think dancing contest, pinata whacking, birthday and anniversary recognition) were kinda like being on a cruise ship but you can go back to your nice hotel and not worry about seeing these crazy people the next day.
I am still amazed--how is it that 60 year old women have the energy to take tequila shots, dance with reckless abandon on stage, and then keep dancing all night long with various and sundry waiters?
Oh, riiiiiight....they don't have small children at home that have sucked the energy out of them. They have their life back. 30 more years to go....not that I would be doing those things....but I might have the energy to think about it at least. We had some good laughs watching the older ladies. And the food was actually good...
In summary, Kyle and I enjoyed both trips a lot. We decided there was more to do in Cabo since you can walk to town and go to different restaurants and such. It is definitely much more "commercialized" than Ixtapa, which is a sleepy little gem of a town. Ixtapa is definitely more romantic and secluded but there's not much of a beach either since it's on the rocky Pacific side of Mexico.
So hard to choose a favorite but I don't think you'd be disappointed in either one if you're looking for a sunny/warm/beachy trip.
Here's a link to the rest of the pictures...
1 comment:
Take me there now! Looks awesome, and definitely different from Ixtapa. Thanks for checking it out for us. :-)
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