I am in love. In love with a city that’s at the tippy tip of the Baja Peninsula, nestled between the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific Ocean. A city with ubiquitous sunny skies, temps in the 80s, and people who are just as cheery as the weather. Cabo San Lucas marks my first international trip since becoming Kristi Krass (minus our Barcelona honeymoon where I still had my Kristi Redick passport), my first-ever  trip to Mexico and a fabulously memorable Thanksgiving with the Krass clan.

View from our patio

Jeff’s parents came up with an ingenious idea for the holiday: Let’s get the six of us together to spend Thanksgiving in a beautiful, non-Michigan locale. They landed on Cabo and the family shipped in from Detroit, Chicago and Portland to spend six days in paradise. We stayed at Pueblo Bonito Rose hotel, right on the sea and a short walk from the bustling downtown and marina. We ended up getting three days of inclusive meals and drinks at the resort, and spent the other days sampling the local cuisine. Some awesome restaurants: the outdoorsy, lantern-filled Edith’s with high-end Mexican food, the slick new American-vibe Bar Esquina co-owned by a young Boston man, and the locals-only, hole-in-the-wall El Pollo de Oro with the best chicken fajitas I’ve ever tasted (its translation, “the golden chicken,” turns out to be quite appropriate!).

Of course, we bar-hopped as well: the requisite Cabo Wabo, where a magician dazzled our table with 30 minutes of card tricks; the pinup-themed Happy Endings with the coldest beers in the city; the eight-seat “smallest bar in the world” Slim’s Elbow Room, where we shot tequila with fellow Michiganders who had a creepy amount of connections to us (Michigan State, VeeV, Traverse City, same hotel…); and more.

While food and drink added to the experience, the headliner was definitely the beach. Our hotel had a monster-sized pool next to the sea, so we hopped in and out all day. Jeff, Rob and Amy paddle-boarded; the six of us took a four-hour private snorkeling (my first time!) and sunset cruise with Cabo Sailing; we played beach volleyball; and we bought Ray-ban knockoffs from beach peddlers. We also kept busy off the beach: The guys golfed at Palmilla; the girls got massages; we played bingo and music trivia; and Chris and I held baby lions.

Bottom line: It was extremely hard coming home on Sunday, especially once the airline offered us an expenses-paid night and $650 to stay until Monday. But, it was great seeing Cooper again (thanks Lindsay and Daniel for making him part of your Thanksgiving!) and we’re so thankful Bob and Chris planned such an amazing experience. We will be back!

The Pueblo Bonito Rose Resort & Spa: Our home for six days

Grabbing some frozen margaritas upon our arrival

Jeff’s and my patio, which was sandwiched between the rest of the family’s

First order of business: Go for a dip in the pool

Second order of business: Grab dinner at Edith’s (delicious!)

Early morning golf at Palmilla Golf Club

Sweet little lion cubs!

The tequila shots begin…

We Krasses felt right at home at Happy Endings

Cool guys in Happy Endings

AMAZING dinner at local joint El Pollo de Oro

Totally mystified by a card magician at Cabo Wabo

The must-have Lions ponchos for the Thanksgiving day game

Ready for Thanksgiving dinner at the hotel

Our hotel’s idea of Thanksgiving decorations was a little…off. (Eggs?)

Big turkey day party at the hotel

Flamingos roaming free at the sister hotel next door

Setting out on our snorkel/sunset sail

My first time snorkeling! So much fun.

Double rainbows after the rain

Amazing sunset on the Pacific Ocean

Amy and Rob enjoying the sunset portion of our sail

Pirate ship! (Not a real one, I’m sure.)

Awesome sail with Cabo Sailing (and Ramon and Clement)

Relaxing in front of our hotel at the beach

Can’t beat the views

Amy and Rob paddle-boarding in the Sea of Cortez

One of the many persistent beach peddlers – selling odd fruits and veggies?

Our Michigan friends at the “smallest bar in the world”

I’ll miss you, Cabo!