Bowtied Christian Guest Post
Below is a Guest Post from Bowtied Christian recapping his trip from Cabo.
It is unedited.
BowTied Christian:
Like many of you, I got into this game for the sole purpose of being able to travel. After a little less than a year of churning and without gift card prepayment, I was able to take my family of 5 on our first vacation. I’ll preface this by saying we were very out of practice with international travel, and my experiences will likely reflect that. Hopefully, my mistakes can help others avoid similar pitfalls.
We have gone on trips, but it was always to visit family, mostly my wife’s family. Every summer for the past 10 years we have gone to visit her parents in Vermont. Don’t get me wrong, it is a great place in the summer and I highly recommend New England and the northeast in July and August, but it was still what I call a visit and NOT a vacation. IYKYK.
How we decided where to go:
Once you are no longer paying for travel in the traditional sense, you have the freedom to adjust the way you think about it and the decisions that you can make. This year, we wanted to do something different and with all of the points I had been accumulating, we wanted to stay somewhere nicer and get a better room than we normally would pay for. I refused to use Amex points for recreation until I max out my Schwab transfer, but I had a good amount Chase points and Citi points, so I started looking for the best yields.
We knew we wanted to go to the beach on a direct flight and preferably to a Latin country because my wife is a fluent Spanish speaker. I was hoping for Mexico because I hadn’t been since 2003 and she hadn’t been in a long time either. At first we were targeting the Caribbean, but my wife was worried it was going to be miserably hot. Someone in the Bum Slack group recommended that Cabo was better for this time of year so we pivoted. I wish I could remember who so that I could give proper credit. My apologies to whoever it was. Many thanks and much love to the Bum community!
Booking the Trip
I visited the Chase travel portal and narrowed our options based on point redemption values, accommodations for a family of five for a week, and minimal to no out-of-pocket costs for the room. “We” ultimately chose the Hilton Vacation Club Cabo Azul in San José del Cabo. My wife selected it for its aesthetic and family-friendly vibe. I reserved an ocean-view suite with separate bedrooms, a kitchenette, and a sleeper sofa. We opted against an all-inclusive resort because we wanted to explore the area and don’t drink enough to justify the extra cost. Our goal was a nice place to return to without feeling obligated to stay there most of the trip to justify the expense. There is no all-inclusive option at Cabo Azul if you prefer to go that route.
Arrival
We booked our flights on the Citi travel site using Thank You points and flew into Los Cabos International Airport (SJD) in San Jose del Cabo. Getting through customs was very easy, but there was a literal line of timeshare vultures -at least fifteen deep- waiting right outside the doors ready to ambush you when you come out. They were masquerading as tour guides while pretending to be affiliated with your shuttle company. We did not expect this. It is probably common knowledge, but we missed this key detail when we were doing online research of all the places that we wanted to visit and all of the things that we wanted to do in Cabo. It starts off with an ice breaker asking you about your shuttle service and handing you off to another guy who seemingly knows about your ride, but is actually a scheduler with no affiliation at all. He provides you with helpful local information about activities and a map showing you where everything is. Our guy was very friendly and informative. We knew we still needed to iron out some plans and had read horror stories online about online booking and prepayment beforehand only to get scammed out of the activity so we were waiting to do business and negotiate activities in person when we arrived. Because of this we were willing to listen to what he had to say and much of the information was helpful. So helpful that I was actually considering tipping him when we were finished. The first visible clue that we were being played was when my actual driver from the shuttle service called me about when we would be coming out of the airport. At that moment, I realized there was no connection. A few moments later the scheduler dropped his pitch take us to another resort the following day for breakfast and a 90 minute tour where they hope you will purchase a time share. Our scheduler came clean and explained that this is how they get their commission. I leveraged the driver’s call to facilitate our departure and thanked him for the info.
Transportation
Cabs are supposedly expensive and Uber is very cheap, but I read online that they can’t pick you up from the airport. Shuttle service seemed like the best way to go to ensure that you have a large enough vehicle for luggage, especially with a group our size. The cheapest I could find online at the time was $65. The driver’s are required to wait under the canopy in the picture above. The drive to Cabo Azul is only 15-20 minutes from the airport, but they took us the long way almost doubling the length of the trip. At first I thought that the short route was through the impoverished areas that many tourists like to avoid, but when we left to return home at the end of the week, our awesome Uber driver got us there in no time without going through any unsightly areas. More on him later. In hindsight, I assume this is so we didn’t feel like we being screwed on the price for such a short trip.
Our Accommodations
Cabo is very safe and secure. This was very apparent upon arrival to the resort as they confirm your reservation when you get out of the shuttle and every time you walk onto the property. Gotta keep that riff raff out!
The Lobby
As you can see, the lobby was beautiful and everything at the resort is open air except your room. At check-in you get hit with the resort fee which was expected, but the near 30% taxes added onto it were not. I did manage to get the $50 Hilton credit from the ABP paying the resort fee so that helped a little. The whole aesthetic of the resort was unreal. It felt like something out of a movie and the attention to detail was quite impressive. Like everything, the pictures do NOT do it justice.
The staff was available, but not overbearing or pestering you for tips. We did have to meet with a concierge who was trying to sell us activities like the time share vultures, but his prices were double what we had seen and he was very low pressure. Seemed like more of a formality for him than anything and it wasn’t very time consuming either. He seemed to understand that we just want to get to our room. Cabo Azul had the nicest accommodations I have ever “paid” to stay at and the best room. We had two separate bedrooms and bathrooms so that my wife and I could have some privacy and the kids had their own separate room for when we wanted to stay up after they went to bed.
The Pools
There were four different pools and they were extremely clean, including the hot tubs. There was one adults only pool, two family pools and a secluded kids pool that was locked for security with a splash pad and a water slide that my kids loved.
At night there we large torches lit out front adding to the surreal nature of the place. One drawback was the feeling that we were getting different treatment based on where we were staying.
Samba- Our breakfast spot everyday
The very first morning we had breakfast at Samba at the Grand Mayan Vidanta right next door to our hotel. It was an upscale all you can eat buffet and because we came between 7 and 8, we got the “early bird special” which was 25% off the bill. It was also the first time we learned that it pays to be early in Cabo. This was the best value considering the food quality and the price of the whole trip. The entire staff was very attentive, gracious and super accommodating to my kids. We went every day we were there and cultivated great relationships with some of the staff members. You know, the benefits of being a regular and speaking the language. One of the them even loaned us his very nice fishing pole for my 9 year old to use on his birthday.
The Grand Mayan Vidanta had a unique aesthetic and after our first breakfast we started exploring the resort. We barely made it to the end of the walkway in the picture above before we were chased down by, you guessed it, another time share peddler. We finally had to rudely walk away from her while she was still following us all of the way to the edge of the property.
The next day we went to the grocery store to get some snacks and things for the kids etc… and yet again we were confronted by another time share peddler affiliated with the same company as the lady at the hotel. We tried dropping her name saying that we had already spoke to her in an attempt to easily get rid of him. No luck. He even tried to offer better deals than her in an attempt to snipe her scheduling commission. A cutthroat bunch those time share folks are.
Our Uber driver Gilberto
Early in the trip we hired an awesome and informative driver named Gilberto who was super friendly and guided us to some of the best local spots. With no language barrier, we exchanged numbers and hired him off of the app for most of our rides the rest of the trip. This was a win win for everyone. We paid less for each ride and he made more than what Uber pays him. Having the opportunity to cultivate a relationship with multiple trips across several days we were able to learn more about the area and save a ton of money on our final trip to the airport.
Favorite spots to check out
Flora Farms
This was a beautiful organic farm with a farm to table restaurant called Flora’s Field Kitchen. It is on the Michelin guide and has earned a green star. The farm also featured outstanding homemade ice cream, a juice bar, plenty of areas for the kids to play. We did lunch instead of dinner and the service and the food did not disappoint. It was a true oasis in the desert.
Illios
My wife and I celebrated our anniversary here. We sat on the deck in the picture below. Every aspect of the aesthetic, the meal and the service was excellent. I had to go all of the way to Mexico to get the best greek food that I have ever had. Highly recommend if you like this type of food.
La Ricazon
Excellent seafood. All of the food was great. Guacamole made at your table. Best yellow fin I have ever had, but the drinks were very overpriced.
Palmilla Beach
If you are coming from the east coast or central time zone, you will be hours ahead of everyone in Cabo, even if you “sleep in.” We got the last available palapa just bumbling around that morning without even rushing. Pays to be early again.
Playa El Chileno aka Chileno Bay public beach
My kids really loved this beach. The rocks in the picture above have all kinds of sea life like hermit crabs that my 9 year old was catching and playing with. Renting or bringing an umbrella is a must as there is no cover from the sun. Expect to pay about $20 and it is worth it. This is the one time that my wife’s Spanish didn’t help and we were not able to negotiate the price. They do run out of umbrellas so once again, it pays to be early. Don’t bother paying for snorkeling. Just go buy some cheap gear at Walmart and go to this beach. The snorkeling boats just come here and anchor close enough for you to swim to them. You have the time freedom of not having to be on their schedule and can come and go when you want instead of when they are available. The equipment for three of us was cheaper than the cheapest price for one person going on a snorkeling tour and you can take it back with you if you want.
For bums considering the trip
Los Cabos is loaded with tourist traps and rackets like the timeshare schedulers and many locals are peddling activities in hopes of a commission. San Jose was slower paced and much more cultural with an art district, better restaurants and a town square that is very active at night with vendors and families out enjoying themselves. Definitely better for families and more mature visitors.
Cabo San Lucas had much more of a Spring Break vibe with a bunch of bars and touristy shops selling cheap crap. Probably the place to go if you are younger and single perhaps. We did not spend much time there except for the glass bottom/clear boat tour to the arch which is definitely worth checking out. Our Uber driver set us up with a boat tour for the best price we could find. Apparently he took little to no commission because the contact at the dock was visibly surprised at the price we got and alluded to it when my wife was paying.
Safety
Without having visited Mexico for many years and it being a third world narco-state, I was a little concerned for the safety of my family. We never felt unsafe anywhere the whole week. Gilberto said that the Narcos keep everything in check and there is hardly any crime.
The Positives for Bums:
Hilton Vacation clubs do count towards the Amex Biz Plat hotel credit. I would love to know if there is a way to pay resort fees with points other than with the statement credit as I didn’t see an option when I booked it through Chase travel.
Citi Strata Premier coded much better than Amex Personal Gold for restaurants and grocery stores. Maybe Amex is just slow to code some of the MCC’s on my statements, but I don’t think so. I am an amateur compared to Bum and was unable to fully cover the trip in points, but $2K out of pocket wasn’t too bad considering the scope of the trip.
I actually churned everyday while I was down there in the quest for GCPP and had to capitalize on the Synchrony benefit not knowing when or if it might go away. I expected a horrendous cell phone bill as I never switched to an international plan before leaving, but ATT never hit me with it.
Things I learned the hard way:
Cabo is not like the Mexico I remember. Restaurants and attractions were just as expensive, if not more than in the US. My wife managed to get us some better deals on attractions and get local info that helped us avoid the rip-offs, but it took some work.
Uber credits from Fluz and Amex do not transfer from $ into pesos despite some sources online. Save them for usage back home. Shop your Way came through with a 10% statement credit which was nice and and the international fees were not bad at all.
When you get through customs, be ready to walk right past the timeshare gauntlet. Say you own a house there. That supposedly gets them to leave you alone.
In conclusion
Los Cabos is beautiful and vibrant with amazing beaches and cool spots to eat and explore the various cultural aspects of Mexico. Cabo Azul is definitely worth considering depending on your preferences. The Mexican people are so friendly, generous and welcoming if you are respectful and just try to speak the language. Muchas gracias to Bum and everyone in the bum community. You helped me take my family on a vacation that wouldn’t have been possible without you. Can’t wait for the next trip!
Disclaimer: None of this is to be deemed legal or financial advice of any kind.