Every year, Brian and I make time to attend business conferences and events to improve our skills, move our business forward, and network with other like-minded professionals. I also invest in mastermind groups and programs to share ideas with and benefit from the lessons others have learned.
We spent this past week at CaboPress, a WordPress mastermind retreat that provides business learning, masterminding, and networking at a stunning, all-inclusive, beachfront resort in Cabo San Lucas. Plus, it’s hosted by my close friend Chris Lema, and I pretty much never turn down an opportunity to hang out with Chris.
Earlier this summer, our family spent a week at a beach house in Oceanside, California with the Lema family. Our kids had so much fun playing together, that when CaboPress came around and we learned the whole Lema family would be there, we knew we had to bring our kids too! Lucky Ducks! I never got to go to Mexico when I was a kid!
Our first order of business was getting passports for Brian and the kids, and new carry-on suitcases for all of us. Next, we needed activities for the plane ride to keep the kids busy. And finally, we had to deal with independent study paperwork because the kids were going to miss a week of school.
Grand Fiesta Americana Los Cabos
CaboPress was held at the Grand Fiesta Americana Los Cabos, a luxurious, all-inclusive, Spanish Colonial, beachfront resort. From the turquoise sea to the brown dessert mountains, the resort offers breathtaking views of Baja California in all directions.
The spacious, open-air lobby is impressive and inviting at the same time, and as a central point of the hotel, The Lobby Bar was a perfect spot for our retreat group to meet up before events and activities. And thank goodness there were lots of ceiling fans, because it was hot, like crazy, super, grossly hot. So hot and muggy, that half the time, I felt like taking a shower was pointless.
Let’s just say that it was a good thing our mastermind sessions took place in a semi-private, gorgeous, infinity-edge pool that overlooked the white sand beach and sparkling ocean water, and that with our all-inclusive wrist bands, we could get cold drinks and sorbet delivered right to the pool all day long.
Big thanks for Chris for letting me share some of the CaboPress photos (in the gallery below and the pirate cruise gallery, along with my photos) taken by Brian Richards at rzen.net.
All Inclusive Dining & Restaurants
This is the first time we have ever done the whole “all-inclusive thing” on vacation. We’re not big drinkers, we don’t eat a ton, and my youngest is fairly picky, so it just never really made sense. But on this trip, the all-inclusive wristband was included in our retreat investment.
If I had to guess, our wrist bands probably balanced out those belonging to the heavy drinkers, but we did order our fair share of ice cream, sorbet, cookies, and french fries in the pool! In fact, one afternoon my kids ordered ice cream five times in a row from — and the resort staff was always gracious and happy to bring us anything we wanted.
The best thing about the wristbands was that they worked anywhere in the resort, so we never once had to worry about taking out our wallets to pay for any meals or snacks the entire time we were there. It even worked in the Coffee Corner, the on-site cafe and coffee shop that had frozen yogurt and toppings, a variety of baked goods and desserts, sandwiches, coffees, smoothies, and more — and it was air-conditioned.
When we first arrived at the resort, we were starving and it was lunchtime, so head headed to the pool and grab a bite to eat at The Grill, a quick, poolside dining option with kid-friendly hot dogs, hamburgers, grilled chicken, and more traditional fare.
The Peninsula and La Cevicheria are the two restaurants we ate at the most, and both had great service and awesome food. The Peninsula is very close to the hotel’s beautiful private beach and features Mediterranean cuisine during the day and Asian cuisine at night. La Cevicheria has a beautiful view of the ocean and features delicious fish and seafood dishes, plus cold beer and tropical drinks.
Every morning, we enjoyed an expansive breakfast buffet on the terrace at Viña del Mar. With made-to-order omelets and savory breakfast options, waffles, fresh fruit and veggies, cereals, oatmeals, yogurts, a variety of pastries, bagels, breads, and doughnuts, coffee, juice, and more, it was a great way to fill up and start the day!
Pools And Our Suite
Grand Fiesta Americana Los Cabos amenities include eight restaurants, five bars (including a cigar bar and a swim-up pool bar), and indoor and outdoor pools, plus a kids’ club, a spa, and a fitness center. There’s beach access, a golf course, and free parking.
While we were in Cabo for a business retreat, the business sessions and group experiences took place only from breakfast through lunch, and then again from dinner through the evenings — and those were all held either in the pool or at a restaurant. That meant everyone had the afternoons available to do anything they wanted. I am so glad we didn’t bring any work with us and just got to play!
We spend our afternoons with our kiddos and often the Lema family, relaxing in the pools with cold drinks (again, it was so hot), visiting the Coffee Corner for frozen yogurt, or hanging out in our air-conditioned suite that we kept freezing cold. And speaking of our suite… it was incredible! We shared a beautiful suite with the Lema family that included:
- A kitchen and dining area
- Living room / family room
- Two master bedrooms overlooking the resort grounds and ocean, with private bathroom and super comfy beds
- A third bedroom with two beds and a bathroom that all four kids shared
- A huge balcony with lounge chairs, a table and chairs for outdoor dining, and a large hot tub
Activities
Our trip was mostly spent masterminding and talking business — but we did have a chance to do some playing and relaxing too. One afternoon, Brian and I were even able to sneak away for a decadent couples massage right on the sandy beach. The Somma Wine Spa was pure heaven and listening to the waves crash on the beach and the birds in the sky while we enjoyed our massages was unforgettable.
I think the last time was splurged for a couples massage was in 1999 on our honeymoon!
The Grand Fiesta Americana Los Cabos is a just quick drive from Cabo San Lucas, and CaboPress included two trips into town. One night we had dinner at the resort, one night we had an amazing group dinner at Ruth’s Chris (yum, sweet potato casserole) and then walked around town with the kiddos browsing shops, and on the last night, we went on a sunset dinner cruise aboard a pirate ship!
Everyone, especially the kids, was pretty excited to take a Los Cabos Pirate Ship Dinner Cruise and check out Land’s End, Lovers Beach, and the famous Arch of Cabo San Lucas! Our dinner cruise was the Yo Ho Ho Sunset Dinner on the Cabo Legend Pirate Ship, which included:
- A barbecue dinner with ribs, chicken, corn, and more
- Cocktails and mocktails
- A “real” costumed pirate crew
- Swords and pirate accessories for photos
- Games, music, entertainment, and dancing
The Cabo Legend is a wooden pirate ship complete with a pirate crew telling tall tales of Cabo’s pirate history and secrets. Watching the sunset with the wind ripping through the sails, chowing down on authentic barbecue, and enjoying drinks from the open bar made for an awesome evening, but the Cabo Legend Pirate Crew made it a night to remember with an entertaining pirate show, chats, dancing, music, and a friendly pirate competition among guests.
Plus, the sunset dinner cruise included a trip to the famous Cabo Arch, locally known as El Arco, which was simply spectacular set against the golden sunset. The entire grouping of rocks, including the Cabo Arch, is known as Land’s End. It is the extreme southern end of Mexico’s Baja California Sur Peninsula where the Pacific Ocean meets the Gulf of California (or Sea of Cortez).
Overall, this was an incredible trip and I would definitely recommend the Grand Fiesta Americana Los Cabos to anyone looking for a luxury resort near Cabo San Lucas with impeccable service.
