Cousin HElloise goes to Capella Pedregal in CABO, MEXICO on Honeymoon.
Hello Fans of the Firestone Sisters,
I am the “slightly older” cousin of Mary and Lucy who recently were my beautiful bridesmaids glistening in matching silver sparkly dresses in the snow of Sun Valley, Idaho. At the rehearsal dinner, they praised me as their role model (yes, a few lies have been told) and they acknowledged I taught them every trick in the book to secure the best room possible when checking into a resort. (Mary was by my side at age 18 when we paid the lowest rate at a five star hotel in Portland, but somehow ended up in a beautiful suite while attending an Indy 500 race.)
After Lucy used all her varsity ice hockey skills to remove women nearly a foot taller out of her way to catch my bouquet, my husband and I were off on honeymoon. Our first mission upon arrival: to get upgraded. This is why I am called cousin HElloise. While I am very polite, I am a secret menace to all hotels and resorts until I have secured everything possible to optimize my stay.
The hotel suburban picked us up at the airport and drove us forty minutes to Cabo San Lucas. Though Capella is adjacent to the town, the resort can only be accessed through the privately owned Dos Mares tunnel, carved through a small mountain when the resort was developed. We came through the other side of the rock to the southern most tip of the Baja Peninsula and the expansive views of the Pacific Ocean where it merges with the Sea of Cortez.
The hotel manager welcomed us and showed us to the front desk in the outdoor lobby. They let us know they had a nice room for us over the pool. Once inside the room, I spied a guest tower closer to the beach and away from the swirling roar of blenders at the bar below. I inquired if we could look at a room there. Initially, I was encouraged to take the room we were being shown, but after further inquiry, I was informed there was a room in the adjacent tower in the process of being cleaned. I suggested to the woman from the front desk that perhaps my husband and I should have a drink at the bar while housekeeping finished cleaning so we could take a look. My husband hesitated and I whispered, “Trust me.” We followed HElloise Rule #1: Never take the first room you are shown.
After a bottle of Tattinger Rose champagne in Don Manuals outdoor bar, the room was ready for viewing. We were brought to a slightly larger room with an uninterrupted view to the ocean and the sound of waves crashing below. We took it. The bottle of “happy honeymoon” Gizeaux champagne sent from the hotel manager arrived moments later and was placed in the refrigerator.
The next twelve days and nights we spent mostly on property, lying poolside at the largest of the three infinity pools that seemingly flowed directly into the Pacific Ocean. Finding the perfect chaise for taking in the view and hiding from the wind can be competitive. Many guests placed their belongings on the chaises before they went to breakfast, which we were surprised to discover was accepted behavior.
By day two, I would discuss with my husband his preferred location for the day and then drop off our beach bag accordingly before my morning workout. We secured our “first class” lounges to spend the days watching for the spouts of Grey and Humpback whales with tourist boats chasing after them during the height of migration season. One humpback whale stuck his nose high in the air just thirty feet off shore. Fortunately, a large pair of binoculars can be located in every room.
The pool servers all had wonderful personalities and would bring us tastes of pina coladas and other drinks as well as fruit and sweet snacks. We worked our way through the poolside lunch menu and never really found a dish we loved. We had better luck with the drink menu. The blackberry mojitos were sensational and the Capella sling – vodka, cranberry juice and a splash of pomegranate liquor – was a nice, light drink.
Capella has three restaurants. The Beach Club is the most casual with all day dining service geared primarily for guests traveling with children.
Don Manuals also offers all day dining with a more sophisticated menu. Breakfast at Don Manuals, which is free with all rooms booked under “special packages,” is the best meal of the day. They use the highest quality of organic produce grown just for the hotel. You can order off the menu, but there is little you can’t find at the buffet displayed in the authentic Hacienda style kitchen called, “Su Cocina.” An egg chef and a juice bar attendant are always present in a room filled with berries, cheeses, fajitas and tamales. Ironically, “Huevos Divorciados” -- two eggs sunny side up with a thin layer of tortilla, black beans and salsa rojo -- was our newlywed favorite. I recommend adding a bit of salsa verde as well. Don Manual’s offers private dining on the beach upon request, but the weather was a bit windy during our stay.
El Farallon is the one restaurant worth visiting at Capella if you are not a guest of the hotel. A short walk up an outdoor staircase lined with tiki lights on the west side of the property, El Farrallon is placed into the cliffs with the Pacific crashing against the rocks below. We chose our dinner from the day’s catch laid out on mounds of ice at the entrance. Our selections were weighed and sent to be prepared on the open char grill. There is one ribeye steak offered on a heavy seafood menu. We enjoyed very well prepared Lobster dinners while looking down to the Pacific and across to the lights of the hotel.
Every room at Capella has an ocean view (with varying proximity), a private plunge pool and is impeccably put together in a modern, Mexican style. The spa is first class. After an excellent couples massage, we enjoyed the Jacuzzi and swimming pool with cascading waterfalls reserved solely for spa patrons. The gym was very clean, with reasonably new equipment and an ocean view. My husband and I give Capella five stars.
However, after a day visit to Cerritos beach for surfing, we wished we had booked a few nights at Hacienda Cerritos. Forty miles north of Cabo, the twelve-suite boutique hotel reminded us of old world Mexico and previously had been a private manor.
Sitting on top of a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean and world famous Cerritos beach, the property combines the beauty of stoned carved fireplaces, historic furniture with infinity pools and a rooftop helicopter pad. Hacienda Cerritos is the perfect location for a group of friends to take over for a long weekend party, perhaps a one-year anniversary celebration for me and my husband. I am sure Cousin HElloise can negotiate a good rate. Mary and Lucy -- get your matching surfboards ready!