Flora Farms, Capella Pedregal, Avalon Salon, California Ranch Market & the unforgettable Hacienda Beach Club

For the last dinner before my family left Cabo, I made a reservation at Flora Farms. Their restaurant/patio area is huge and we weren't scheduled until 8pm, so when we got there a little after 7 I thought it'd be no problem to get seated fairly quickly. Wrong! Word has definitely spread about this gem tucked into the mountains of San Jose del Cabo. It was packed! Even the bar had no available seats to pass the time. Luckily, after walking around the farm a bit, we found a sofa and chairs outside the bar area and sipped $20 freshly squeezed juices and margaritas.

The special of the day was a fried chicken family style with the typical southern comforts- collard greens, mashed potatoes, biscuits, and slaw...oh and carrot cake as dessert which we ended up forgetting to take home:(. My mom ordered the special knowing we'd probably take 1/2 her food, my brother got the double cut lamb chop, and I got a salad with grilled snapper. (I know, I know, but I haven't been eating my usual truckload of vegetables and this is a FARM so...).

As always, the dishes were full of freshly grown and picked flavor, and we devoured every single
morsel of food.


Pictured is one of the farm dogs named "flor" or "flower"...fitting, huh? LOL.





















After my family left, I needed to relax and recharge to fully absorb my new life in Cabo now that the bit of vacation mindset had vanished. Naturally, I called Capella Pedregal Hotel to schedule a manicure. Capella is owned by a Mexican family and is one of the most exclusive and luxurious hotels in Cabo. Overlooking the Pacific Ocean just past the marina, it is nestled in the mountains- literally as there's a tunnel you go through before arriving at the main entrance- with a grandeur that is unparalleled.

It was on my urgent list of places to visit and out of all the other fine hotels and resorts with a spa on grounds, this one had the most impressive and comprehensive menu of services.

If you can't experience Capella as a hotel guest, I urge you to book something at the spa to get hours of pampering at this wonderful place.

Once you valet, you're escorted down to the Auriga Spa, checked in, and taken on a tour of the locker room, co-ed relaxation pools, and then given a little quiet time before your specialist greets you.

I got there right at my appointment time so enjoyed the jacuzzi, steam room, ice room, and shower after my nails were done. But you can allow time before yours to get all these "necessities" in:).

The Auriga Spa reminded me a lot of the spa at La Amada Resort in Cancun- where I spent a month of vacation post Ironman Cozumel in 2010 as my dad was living there. It's from a Spanish company and the concept and design is very similar.

At Auriga everything is based on the phases of the moon and aligning the customer with that energy. All of their products are organic when possible and as my manicurist explained, the scrubs she used on my hands and arms were by a company (can't believe I forgot the name!) whose founder was in a terrible accident and he was completely restored by some Asian healers so his products were made in honor of them. In the locker, you have chlorophyl water and "digestive" teas, hors deouvres, and fresh fruit.

The manicure was fabulous, and the young lady, Paola from Guadalajara, became an instant friend. I will be back at some point for a pedicure when the time to unwind is loud and clear.

Continuing on the beauty theme:)...my grand aunt booked me a haircut and highlights yesterday because when she saw me at dinner the other night she gasped "sweetheart you are a natural blonde, you can't have that almost black hair with green lines from all that swimming you do!". I love her honesty and sassiness.

I've noticed more and more as the days in Cabo pass, that I'm actually living in SoCal, so it was no surprise to walk into Avalon full of young, hip Americans, and have them rival my favorite salon in Beverly Hills: Fringe.

Jessica did a fantastic job with my broom like, crayola disaster hair. She informed me that ketchup or tomato sauce/paste takes out the green from pools, and I was skeptical at first but she was right!!

Avalon is right in the heart of Cabo, and even if you weren't planning on getting your hair done here, you might as well look fabulous!

In the evening, I joined my great aunt and her husband for a movie and dinner. That's how I roll on a Friday night;)

We went to see Maleficent starring Angelina Jolie and it was awesome! I love her, and Sleeping Beauty is one of my favorite Disney movies. They did a great job in adding to, or clearing up, the story, and using modern film technology to bring this fascinating fairy tale to life.

We then took a short trip to the California Organic Market- where you can find all the essential "Whole Foods" items albeit a very marked up price. I only grabbed some baked Kettle Chips, but spotted Tamari sauce, organic milk and yogurt, Amy's frozen foods, some favorite cereals, etc.

With no rush we drove a few blocks down to the Hacienda Beach Club for dinner. It is one of the oldest hotels in Cabo right next to the Marina past Medano Beach. The ocean is calm more often than not and they had looong bouey lines for swimming that immediately caught my eye (I'm going today of course). The Hacienda lives up to its name with Spanish influences and a spread that differentiates it from the other hotels in Cabo.

The view from the dining area is UNREAL, and for some reason their varied and chef quality cuisine has maintained extremely reasonable prices compared to the competition. It was clear I had a new place on my list of musts for when friends and family are in town.

Today, I'm feeling wiped out from the last couple weeks and the solid training I've managed. Instead of doing a long ride today, I'm leaving that for tomorrow and heading to the Saturday Organic Market in San Jose for its last weekend until November. I went last week and the vendors have already started to fade out, however I did find some raw coconut butter, awesome body cream from Baja Body Deli, and organic pork and chicken tamales- making sure to jot down the lady's number as she still makes and delivers to locals year round. 

IT LIVES ON!! And I'm off to Cabo San Lucas!!

Rather than start a whole new personal blog, I thought it best to dig up and dust off the one that already holds so many wonderful experiences and memories, and keep adding to the journey!

If you follow me on any form of social media, you'll know I moved away from my first love, Encinitas, to the chaos and claustrophobia of LA- jk it's not that bad....ok maybe it is- to find a job; and after months of no luck in getting hired because I'm technically a foreigner, I hit a hard wall of frustration...and to be honest, depression.

I believe in living your best life and doing everything, and I mean EVERYTHING it takes to be happy- which I define as loving your present moment. Regardless of beliefs/religion, nearly all of us can agree that our thoughts have enormous power to attract what we seek, or don't seek. Your dreams will literally manifest into your reality.

That said, I couldn't sit around and envision what I wanted, and expect it to fall from the sky. But in firmly believing that something positive and significant would stem from my immigration issue and inability to get hired in the US (I applied to some jobs in cities that I now look back and laugh- I would never live there!), there's not a drop of doubt that it led to the actions, and reactions from others that paved the way for the move to Cabo.

People have asked if I regret moving to LA, and if I would've have been better off staying where I was happy in San Diego. No. I learned so much and had tremendous personal and spiritual growth from my time in LA. It taught me what I value, and made me realize that what we often think is a problem or disadvantage, turns out to be our greatest asset and the key to unlocking the door to our purpose in life.

On a lighter note, it forced the break on triathlon that I wanted and needed, and allowed me to have some fun like a regular 26yr old. I think I took from that city as much as it could offer some one like me- ran in most of the incredible trails, swam in nearly all the pools, went out to some fabulous restaurants, bars/clubs, did the whole epic gym fitness classes, got the Hollywood beauty and shopping pampering, and unleashed plenty of road rage in the endless traffic.

So on to explain how the Cabo lightbulb went off... My mom and I were in Pebble Beach a couple of months ago, having dessert and a drink at a packed bar during the annual celebrity golf tournament. An older gentleman next to me started to make conversation- haha- and when he asked "what do you do?"...well let's just say that's a question that cracks me up inside. I mean how can you put into a bar-quick-response "well I used to be an athlete, with a part time job, which I don't want to turn full time because it's not what I'm interested in nor skilled at and there's no room for growth in it, and then I hurt my low back which prevented me from getting my athlete visa...and trying to find a full time job is pretty much impossible because I'm Mexican, and let's not even get started on explaining immigration-law!"

I just kept it at "I'm in between jobs, and having a really hard time because I'm a Mexican Citizen". Long story short, he learned that I studied marketing and my family has been in real estate a long time, which I love but could never practice in the States, and he very simply asked "well why don't you move to Cabo?!" Click!..and he gave me the name of the top agency there. All along, the only option in my mind had been Mexico City- it's where all my extended family lives and obviously where all the major companies and jobs are. But I feared moving to Mexico City like I can't explain! If LA beat me up, Mexico City is LA on steroids.

The tremendous development in Cabo was nothing new to me, but what I hadn't realized is that I'd basically be moving to an extension of SoCal- it's safe, comfortable, and paradise for someone who adores nature and open spaces. The company I'll be working for, Snell Real Estate, is almost entirely comprised of Americans, and we deal nearly everything in English with foreign buyers/sellers.

In hindsight, I now know that subconsciously every time I'd go to a job interview I was terrified at what would happen if they hired me. Partly generational, partly conditional, I have no clue how to handle a 9-5 desk job, and if there's one thing I loath about our society is the idealization of a suit and tie, all day clock-in that yields 2 weeks a year of vacation and an inability to really enjoy life until retirement. If you work a 9-5 but you're in something that is absolutely your passion and gives you motivation and satisfaction more often than not- then that's fantastic. After years spent as an athlete with a remote part time job, I am accustomed to setting my own schedule, and since childhood have been highly driven with a strong work ethic. Thus my ideal job gives me ample room for growth/success based on my own effort, and allows me to control my own time: real estate.

Wasting no time, my mom and I visited Cabo late March and I met with the folks at Snell, signed with them, and in one day, literally the first showing I found my condo! This is where the manifestation of your dreams goes from truth to down right freaky....How is it that with two days left in Cabo, and just 3 potential residences to look at, the first one is ocean front condominiums sharing property with a five start resort, and a Mexican replica of my favorite place in Kona- the Mauna Lani grounds. Not only that, but the Italian lady that owns this condo needed a long term rental and so I got an unheard of price for this gem. Looking at the desert mountain back ground, with a single low traffic highway separating it from the gorgeous blue ocean waters, I couldn't help but sit down and say "thank you, universe for bringing me my little piece of Hawaii to Mexico".

My lease is only good until January that the Italian lady returns so at that point my carriage turns into a pumpkin, lol. However, again, there's never any use worrying, because I'll either find another long term rental in that same place, or life will have an even better option for me lined up!;)

I sold my car the day after returning from Cabo, and in two weeks packed up my furniture into a storage unit in San Diego, and flew to TX for the few weeks before the final move to Mexico. The stone carved plan is to earn my way back to the US with my tourist visa, and eventually buy a vacation house in Encinitas so I can split my time as I please.

Now in TX, months removed from triathlon, stressed and de-stressed, I've gotten back on the saddle literally and figuratively, and will try to race Cozumel 70.3 in September. There's still a delusional thought that I can do another Ironman, and hopefully return to Kona. But this time I won't be doing it for myself. If I can get my back to allow me to race another Ironman, I will be raising money for youth triathlon in Mexico, and local kids in Cabo.

First things first- getting settled into a "new" country and focusing on my career, and personal life. Then whatever travels and enjoyment I seek will come naturally. If I can offer up one advice it's to not fight or resist obstacles. You're faced with them for a reason. Let them teach you and upgrade you. When you're in sync with your purpose and living a life of significance, everything flows with beautiful harmony.

......
P.S. there's a lot of entertaining steps for this move that I can't wait to share with ya'll: getting a car in/to Cabo, getting a Mexican license, switching phones/what to do with my data plans, how do you live without Whole Foods?!, figuring out the banking situation....8 days till my family and I go down there to figure all this out, and then they leave me there on the tip of the Baja Peninsula!!!!!