What’s So Special About Off-Season Travel?

By Kathryn Lynden | Travelog Well, I just returned from Cabo san Lucas, Mexico and what is so amazing about off-season travel is the access to everything. No Line at Customs To start there are no lines at Customs, you walk right through. Access to Everything Second, you can actually wake up in the morning and figure out what you may want to do that day! Everything is available to you from fishing expeditions, to zip lines, to horseback riding on the beach, to surf lessons and boat rides to picnic on secluded beaches. No need to decide beforehand, just call the day of and off you go! Local Host Spends Time with You The Concierge Team at Palmilla Retreat, Paul & Evelyn, had time to spend with us. He offered to take us to a local restaurant for dinner. I mean local. We agreed! I had never been in Los Cabo during a storm and that night it decided to rain -- sideways, with the winds whipping. Paul arrived to pick us up and I asked him if the restaurant had an inside area. He looked at me funny and said, “Of course not.” I ran back into my [...]

“It’s a wonderful dream, isn’t it?”

By Bill Bisanz | Los Cabos, Mexico Those were the words my companion uttered from the edge of the infinity pool at Las Ventanas mere hours after we arrived in Cabo. I followed her gaze past the white sand beach and into the glistening Sea of Cortez in time to catch a glimpse of a glossy blue whale breach and slip back into the ocean. It is wonderful, but it’s not a dream, I thought. Then I pinched her just to prove it. Paul picked us up at the airport and kept a running commentary on the landscape and history of this end of the Baja peninsula. He included restaurant and club recommendations and when he delivered us down the majestic drive-way to the stone gates of Las Ventanas, unloaded our luggage, and explained that our rental car would shortly arrive at our villa, my hard-to-impress friend winked and smiled at me. She was pleased, and over the course of the next hour, from the fresh limeade we were offered as we stepped across the threshold of the incredible resort, to the personal butler who guided us on a tour of the pools, restaurants, and spa as we made our [...]

From Art Crawls to Whale Watching

By Marie McKay | Los Cabos, Mexico Marie and her husband Randy are fractional owners in Elite's Palmilla Retreat Family is so important to both Randy and I. Like many others, we tend to get so wrapped up in our own lives that we lose track of the people that are dearest to us. That's why we invite family and friends to join us on vacation in Cabo. I just love waking up in the morning knowing that everyone is there. Randy likes to get up around 5:30 every morning, and walk up the hill near our house, with a chair and a cup of coffee and watch the sun rise. I like to sip coffee with my sisters a little later in the morning. At some point in the day we hop in our golf cart and make our way to the private Beach Club that we have privileged access to. We've made friends with most of the staff like Charlie, who works at the beach. He sets us up with paddle-boarding, sailing, snorkeling, any kind of water sport on the calmest bay in all of Cabo. Another one of our favorite things is to take Yoga classes at [...]

The Ultimate Place to Play, Discover or Recharge

By Adrienne Clairmont | Los Cabos Ceviche. Deep-sea fishing. Horseback Riding. Jet skiing. Turquoise Jewelry. Amazing sunsets. Desert forest. Tequila. Golf.  Nightclubs. When asked what my favorite things about Los Cabos, Mexico are, I found myself struggling to narrow down the options to a concise list. Every time I visit Los Cabos, I find myself discovering new favorites, often in places I thought I had exhausted. Offering a myriad of entertainment options, Los Cabos is the perfect destination no matter how you are looking to spend your vacation. For fishing enthusiasts, charter an expedition into the Pacific and spend the day deep-sea fishing. We wound up in the battle of our lives and after almost three hours, pulled a four hundred pound Marlin out of the water. If you prefer to stay firmly on dry land, Los Cabos offers some of the world’s best golf courses, including Cabo Real, Cabo del Sol, and Campestre. In downtown Cabo, take a stroll along the Marina and stop at one of the many restaurants for some fresh ceviche and lobster tacos. Down the street from the Giggling Marlin, one of Cabo’s wildest nightclubs, is one of my favorite restaurants- El Coral. Solomon, the [...]

Taking it All In

By Jacob Semling | Los Cabos Posted 11/10/2011 I was lucky enough to visit Elite's Cabo homes for my first ever trip out of the country!  Having travelled during the Minnesota winter, the first thing I noticed upon stepping out off the plane was the warm sea air. My first couple nights were at Palmilla Retreat.  It was a very comfortable and luxurious stay.  The highlight was being able to take advantage of the guest membership at Club 96!  All of our guests at Palmilla Retreat receive free access to this wonderful resort with an infinity pool, lap pool and of course a hot tub.  After eating lunch poolside with my colleagues, we spent time on the private beach.  It was a blast! The next several nights were spent at Las Mananitas Penthouse.  My favorite memory would have to be enjoying an authentic Mexican meal that was prepared by a fantastic cook, the mother of our Cabo Concierge.  We dined at sunset on the terrace while overlooking the resort pools, the sandy beach and the pristine ocean. Lastly, I stayed at Casa Celina, which is located in the world-class resort at Las Ventanas.  As we got out of our car [...]

A Relaxed Pulse on Life

By Laurie Flum | Los Cabos As I walked along the beach in complete awe of the calming waves and soft sands, I glanced back over my shoulder and found my footprints following me. At that moment I had a sense of accomplishment, not for the footprints that I saw in the sand but for what each step meant to my life. My husband, children, our home, my 25+ year career with EDH....many things that were behind me....well done. It teased me to think of what is still ahead. Something about the wonderful views (all you need to do is look around), great food at Zippers and the local relaxed pulse on life allowed me to relax, reflect and rejuvenate in a way going to the cabin or Wisconsin Dells just never allowed. Don't get me wrong, all of the family trips to the cabin every summer were great and Wisconsin Dells is the capital of water fun, but combine them and that's an Elite Destination vacation. Paul Thrane took such good care of me. His concierge style put me to ease the minute I met him. I even talked him into teaching me to boogie board.....well at least trying [...]