In October I celebrated my 33rd birthday by taking a trip to Mexico. Unlike previous trips I had taken to Mexico, including getting married seven years ago, I wasn't planning for lazy moments sipping banana-rum-somethings by the pool. This time I was taking my five-year-old with me as my traveling companion.
While he's been a great this year as we ventured to Disney World (his first airplane ride) and to the Texas Hill Country (his first road trip), this trip would require a passport and me as his sole guardian while we were out of the country. The pressure was definitely on as I wondered if he would even enjoy it and hopefully, being it my birthday, would I enjoy it, too!
I can definitely say from this happy face we both had a wonderful time. It took very little work on my end and within a few hours from an Artic-feeling Texas, we were walking on the beach enjoying the weather, the sand and the hospitality of Los Cabos.
I'll definitely share some of the highlights, but here's the highlight reel of what we did and definitely our recommendations for an adventure in Los Cabos, Mexico with a five-year-old.
1. Enjoy a Special Dinner Together
Kicking off our first night in Cabo, we went for a "fancy" dinner at the beautiful Sheraton Hacienda del Mar Golf & Spa Resort restaurant, Tomatoes. I love to experience different cuisines and considering we were on the coast, we went for a seafood dinner on the beach. And while it wasn't with my husband, my pint-sized version was the perfect gentleman as he sat a little taller than normal as he felt the ambience had changed from our normal Chick-Fil-A.
There was no kids meal ordering though on this night. He was able to order off the adult menu and sipped his first Shirley Temple while I appreciated my margarita. There was something so cute about the two of us having "drinks" as we breathed in the ocean air and the sounds of the tide hitting the coarse sandy coast. It was about then the mariachi band came over and serenaded us with a fun and spirited song that my son couldn't have been more excited about. I was never so happy to pull out pesos for that tip (too bad it was too dark for a picture, but the memory is worth a thousand words for us!)
2. Explore the Water
While I'm not a real sports enthusiast, I'm still of the mindset you should try everything once even if mom didn't have the know how. So one day Baja Outback picked us up at the Sheraton Hacienda and took care of everything!
We were taken by van to a nearby beach with a safe surf and treated to a Cabo 4 Kids adventure complete with an afternoon of sandcastle building, boogie boarding, swimming, snorkeling and refreshments! All I had to do was watch, relax and take photos while my son had the time of his laugh doing everything her could imagine with a group of new friends! They brought EVERYTHING including life jackets, snorkels, boards and lunch! I couldn't suggest this enough, especially if you have several kids you want to keep happy (and worn out for a little afternoon siesta.)
3. Appreciate the Culture My birthday coincides with the Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) so during our trip we were able to see how they celebrate. And to make it even more of a treat my son, who is a student at a bilingual school in the U.S., had learned about the holiday at school before he left, so he knew about the altars and could also practice his Spanish-speaking skills.
Altar space at the Sheraton Hacienda
Altars along the Marina
Another friend of mine at OC Mom Blog actually got there a few days before me and took the kids Trick or Treating in Cabo, so we couldn't recommend more spending time in a new country during a holiday!
4. Kiss a Dolphin
We could have spent our whole vacation at the Sheraton Hacienda with all the fun activities on the property, I wanted us to venture into the city before we left and enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to swim with the dolphins with Cabo Dolphins.
I was able to schedule the experience with the hotel concierge and the van picked us up three hours later! The driver took us into town and while we picked up other passengers we had a little peek at the city and the other side of the ocean! About 45 minutes later we were dropped off at the Cabo Adventures headquarters to wait for our time to meet the dolphins.
I opted to not get in the water, so I could take photos from the deck a few steps away. The experience was about 30 minutes long and during that time my son was able to pet the dolphin, watch several tricks with the trainer and then snag a little kiss from the dolphin.
5. Discover the Marina
Just outside of Cabo Dolphins is the beautiful marina in Los Cabos. Full of amazing yachts and azure waters, the marina area was a perfect way for us to get a little last bit of Mexico before we said adios to our Mexican expedition. We walked along the edge of the water, enjoyed a little helado (ice cream), scooped up a few souvenirs for the family and his classmates for show and tell, and tasted one last bowl of Mexican fare before boarding our car to the airport.
Whether you go during the day or evening, there's tons to do including great shopping, dining and just people watching.
There's something special about having a vacation with just one of your children alone. We spent lots of time talking about what he was experiencing, enjoying things together and just letting my inner kid have a chance to come out and have fun building sand castles and being silly.
It felt good just to be without expectations.
And while the facial I had at the hotel spa was amazing (we'll talk about that soon), there was something so relaxing about just having fun with my son, especially in a beautiful and safe place as we stayed at the Sheraton Hacienda Los Cabos. I can only hope as my kids get older and my two-year-old turns five, I can continue this tradition of enjoying my children on a one-on-one basis. If time doesn't allow you the extravagance, consider just a date-night with your son and daughter to do something fun like the movies, a museum, bowling or just a nice dinner. You'll never regret it and they will definitely have a special memory with you as well.
