Greetings friends! How is summer going for everyone? I’m sure just like me, so many of you have already been on your summer vacations or are preparing to head out on some seasonal adventures.
I have just returned from a whirlwind six-day trip in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. I had not been to Cabo in 15 years and WOW has it changed….for the better too. We had an absolutely amazing time hanging out with our friends and can’t believe it has taken us so long to get back there.
The Cabo airport, which used to be less than desirable, is now beautiful and easy to navigate. Honestly, I was stunned at all the changes. In fact, I feel the whole area has received a modern face-lift. Even Costco has come to Cabo San Lucas. It’s a great place to stop and stock up as you head to your hotel…they even sample liquor there and will mix you a nice little cocktail while you shop. I think I had three. What can I say, other than my first vacation cocktail was at Costco. Kind of funny really.
We stayed high above the Pacific at the amazing Montecristo Villas during our stay. I can’t recommend this place enough. It’s perfect for families and you have your own private infinity pool right in your hotel room, along with the use of the resorts many other pools and facilities.
We were able to hang out all day at the resort and then ventured into town in the evening for some great food. Overall it was complete relaxation and I’m so happy our friends got us to make the trek down there.
Here is my youngest already in our room’s private pool at 7 am. The weather was so warm and beautiful it really didn’t matter what time you decided to jump in.
Here is our Cabo crew enjoying dinner at Salvatore’s. Who knew they had such amazing Italian food in Cabo San Lucas!
Check out Salvatore’s mile high lasagna made with Italian sausage, five cheeses, baby spinach and fresh pasta sheets. I believe the price was about $18, well worth it since it could have easily fed our table of eight. Well, we would have all been able to have several bites. You can enjoy the leftovers the next day poolside, assuming you have a microwave.
Cabo San Lucas boasts some of the best deep sea fishing in the world and the boys caught a Marlin. They partially hooked a huge shark too, but it let go of the bait and swam off. Needless to say my oldest son was thrilled with his catch.
The best part, we got to enjoy some of the fresh fish the same day it was caught. They make things so easy in Mexico.
We took the whole Marlin to a processing plant right after it was caught. They removed the fish bill for us, as my son is going to have it mounted for his room. It was wrapped up and kept refrigerated until we picked it up on the last day of our trip. They also gave us five pounds of the fresh fish to take to a restaurant and have it prepared for that night for dinner. The rest was smoked and vacuum packed into small packages for us to take home and enjoy all year. I can’t tell you how amazing the fresh and smoked fish turned out. In fact, my son said it was his favorite meal in Cabo.
The Marlin was dropped off at Frank’s Place (it’s next door to the Hard Rock Cafe) and we returned later to an amazing dinner. They started us off with Marlin Fish Tacos alongside three special sauces they prepared to enjoy. Delicious. We devoured them.
Then the Marlin was cooked on a grill over mesquite wood with an array of vegetables. Five more different, specialty sauces were made to drizzle over the fish. My faves were a mango-jalapeno salsa and a premium tequila-butter and garlic sauce….amazing.
Here is a picture of the smoked Marlin we brought home. I made a smoked fish tray for the Fourth of July…this stuff is just unreal.
I’ve heard that Marlin can often be tough and leathery and it might be true for some of the huge Marlin that are caught…likely in the 200-pound range. However, this one was about 100-pounds and still young, which made a big difference in the tenderness of the meat. Overall it was perfect and I’m so excited I have a freezer full to enjoy all year.
One of our favorite dinner’s was at the Hacienda Hotel at the Hacienda Cocina y Cantina. This is a shot of my Hibiscus Margarita. The setting and the food was breathtaking.
There was no shortage of amazing drinks in Cabo San Lucas. This strawberry-mango margarita was no exception.
Here is a view from our resort area looking down onto the beach. We had such perfect weather. I want to go back.
As mentioned, we had lots and lots of resort pools to choose from. Most of the time we stayed at the pool in our hotel room, but we did take advantage of the Montecristo Spa Pool after our morning massages. The view was breathtaking.
Before we left for vacation we had our wine club pick-up party. It was so great to see so many of you. We feasted on Pulled Pork Sliders and these amazing cupcakes as well as a bunch of other things. I hope you are enjoying your wine.
Fourth of July was yesterday. I made these simple Patriotic Fruit Skewers with a tangy cheesecake sauce for dipping. This is so simple to throw together for parties.
And it wouldn’t be a good 4th celebration without s’mores around a fire pit. My favorite combo is Ritz crackers, marshmallow and peanut butter cups. Try it, you’ll never go back to the traditional version.
And a shot from the Sky Pool at the Montecristo Resort with another unstoppable view of the ocean. Sigh, I’m already counting down the days until my next vacation. Are you heading out this summer? Tell us where you’re going so we can live vicariously through each other.
Things I’ve seen around the web this week:
Healthy kid dessert year-round.
I need this salsa in my life.
This will be breakfast.
All-American dessert.
Great for a kid’s party.
Awesome summer entertaining idea.
Pasta salad yum.
Dip love.
Baked bean brilliance.
Must try brownies.
Rice I want.
Surprise cake.
Ummm…yes.
That is all friends, until next time. See other editions of Bites of Life.
Five Years Ago: London Broil with a Sesame-Soy-Brown Sugar Marinade
Six Years Ago: Breakfast Bruschetta with Strawberries and Tangy Cream
