Mark & Sandra

We're glad you made it! 3.20.08

Come meet us for an evening drink. Location will be Bar Salón at 8:30pm in the Riu Santa Fe.

Rehearsal Dinner 3.21.08

We will be delighted to have you at our rehearsal dinner. We have reservations at Pancho’s on Friday evening at 7:00pm. Transportation has been arranged with Enrique, he will be waiting for us at 6:20 pm in the lobby of the Riu Santa Fe.

Glass Bottom Boat 3.22.08

Please e-mail us by 3.15.08 and let us know if you would like to meet Mark at the marina for a glass bottom tour at 11:00 am. We need to confirm reservations. The tour will last about 45 minutes, it will take you around the Sea of Cortez and you will see the famous “Lovers Beach”

Playa del Amor (Love Beach) or Playa del Amante (Lover’s Beach)
Once known as Playa de Doña Chepa, Lover’s Beach is another must, but to get to this hidden cove you’ll need some kind of floating transportation. Easiest is to hire a water taxi at the marina. The captain will take you on an informative tour of the diving areas around the arch (El Arco), point out Lover’s Beach, then go around the popular point for a wonderful view of the dramatic area where the Sea of Cortez meets the Pacific Ocean.

If you would like to wonder around Cabo and feel like trying some authentic tacos, there are a couple of taquerias that have been highly recommended.

TACO BELLES Taquería Rossy The chairs are plastic; so are the blue-and-white-checked tablecloths. Both locals and snowbirds perch here for succulent, lightly battered shrimp and scallops folded inside handmade flour or corn tortillas. The salad bar is loaded with a multitude of salsas, roasted chiles, lime wedges, and other fixin’s, but all you really need is a bottle of hot sauce and a Corona. Manuel Doblado and Hwy. 1, San José; 52-624/142-6755; lunch for two $10.

Carnitas El Michoacáno Around the corner from Rossy’s, this humble taquería specializes in juicy pork tacos. Atkins dieters ask for puro carne; others go whole hog with gorgeously greasy costillas (ribs). Calle Pescador y Panga, San José; 52-624/146-9848; lunch for two $12.

Riu Santa Fe Restaurants information

Please note:
Reservations for dining in the á la carte restaurants are required and should be made every morning at the front desk:

“La Baja California” – Main Restaurant with non smoking section and terrace

“Carusso” – Italian cuisine, both the hearty sauces of the south of Italy, as well as the more delicate dishes typical of Northern Italy, have made that country’s cuisine a favorite of millions throughout the world At the Italian Restaurant guests have unlimited access to al of these delightful tastes and aromas of pizzas, pastas, and more.

“Zashila” Asian cuisine combines easily with main ingredients from other parts of the world to create what has been called Fusion Cuisine. However, the delightful dishes from any of the Asian countries can stand on their own as incredibly delicious as well as healthy additions to your diet. Enjoy dishes from all of Asia at this unique specialty restaurant.

“Torote” – Grill Steakhouse, just the aroma of grilling meats will make your mouth water. The grill at the Riu Sante Fe Steakhouse is set up for beef, veal, lamb, duck, shrimp and even vegetables that take on a special flavor when grilled. All you need to do is tell the chef what you want and how you want it prepared and it will be ready for you in a jiffy, just as you ordered.

“La Misión” – Mexican, once you taste the truly Mexican dishes offered at this restaurant, prepared by native-born chefs, you will never want to go back to the fast-food, allegedly Mexican, restaurants found in other countries. Guests will be astonished by the richness of genuine Mexican cuisine and the helpful staff at the Riu Sante Fe will advise you as to the level of spiciness involved in every dish.

“La Monumental” – lounge bar with terrace

Dress code applies. Long pants and collared shirts for gentlemen.

Snack bars – Seven bars including a swim-up bar

What to do in Cabo?

Festivals

On March 19, the feast of San José is celebrated in San José del Cabo with several dances and an enormous fair is organized, where visitors can admire popular handicrafts from the peninsula’s main sites.

Historical Interests

Wandering through its picturesque streets, visiting the church of the San José Mission founded in 1730, browsing through fashion shops and buying black coral handicrafts are just some of the activities available in the city. Twenty minutes away from San José del Cabo, nearly the village of Santiago, lies a desert with marine fossils, proving that this area was under water hundreds of years ago.

Beaches

Los Cabos’ main attraction is its natural surroundings, resulting from the warm Sea of Cortés meeting the colder Pacific Ocean. Its beaches offer incredible landscapes as well as facilities for all kinds of water sports. Some of the best include Playa Azul, excellent for surfing, El Chileno, Palmilla, El Médano, Cabo Real and Playa del Amor. It is also internationally renowned for its sports fishing.

Cuisine

As for food is concerned, the Los Cabos Tourist Corridor offers everything from simple to gourmet food as well as a wide range of seafood.

Eco Tourism

In wintertime, the western beaches of Cabo San Lucas are ideal for watching the arrival of whales in the Pacific, after they have swum thousands of miles.

Night Life

Los Cabos boasts a variety of nightlife, particularly in La Concepción, north of the Marina. Popular venues include Squid Roe, a dance club, and Kokomo’s, a contemporary music bar on the Boulevard Marina.

After dark, Cabo goes loco. Marina Boulevard is lined with harmlessly rowdy joints. At El Squid Roe (Blvd. Lázaro Cárdenas at Zaragoza; 52-624/143-0655), the beer is cold, the music deafening, and the bar stages mock bullfights. Try Nowhere Bar (52-624/143-4493) and Margarita Villa (52-624/143-1740). Or be the only norteño waltzing to banda at El Parthenon (4.5 Km Carretera Transpeninsular; 52-624/144-4475), a dance club resembling the original in Greece, Doric columns and all. Friday-night concerts by unplugged-guitar groups in San José‘s town square are a mellow alternative.

Fishing

More than a half a century ago, legendary anglers like John Wayne and Ernest Hemingway were lured to Cabo for wrestling matches with the Big Three: black marlin, blue marlin, and sailfish. Today, the big-game fishing is still considered some of the world’s best, with several professional contests held annually. Captain Tony Berkowitz of San Lucas Yachts (52-624/147-5679; from $500 for four people) can arrange charters. Picante Bluewater Sportsfishing (52-624/143-2474; day charter from $955 for five people) and Pisces Sportfishing & Luxury Yacht Charters (52-624/143-1288 or 619/819-7983; day charter from $320 for four people) also have English-speaking captains and tournament-caliber gear.

Golf

In just a few years, Los Cabos has become a major golf destination in Latin America. Los Cabos hosts the PGA Senior Slam and has earned its place in the international golf community.

Its 207 holes designed by personalities such as Jack Nicklaus, Roy Dye and Robert Trent II, the sea horizon and the desert landscape make this destination unique.

Sailing:

Cabo San Lucas Marina has 288 berths for sailing enthusiasts. Sailboat trips are available to the famous natural stone arch separating the Gulf of California or Sea of Cortés from the Pacific Ocean.

Snorkel & Scuba:

Diving enthusiasts continue to be fascinated by the mysterious cascades of sand that pour endlessly into the bottom of the sea, the beautiful black coral gardens and the rich marine fauna of the region.

DIVING About 1 1/2 hours northeast of San José, Cabo Pulmo shelters the only coral reef system in the Sea of Cortés. Stretching a mile offshore, this national marine park teems with parrot fish, moray eels, manta rays, and giant coral heads. Vista Sea Sport (Buena Vista; 52-624/141-0031; two-hour trips $35 per person) takes you snorkeling among sea turtles or diving under the reef of El Bajo de los Morros.

Water Sports:

Side Trips

EAST CAPE When cruise ships swarm Cabo, it’s time to hit the dirt road. Rent a soft-top Jeep for a day to explore the East Cape.

Just north of San José, Highway 1 rises in altitude as it enters the Sierra de Laguna foothills. Off the peninsula tip, the Sonoran Desert gets serious—you’re leaving irrigated golf course greens behind for sandy arroyos and fragrant sagebrush. Caracara hawks circle stands of ocotillo and mesquite. Buzzards colonize giant cardon cacti. Water seeps down from the mountains through San Jorge Canyon, surfacing at streams and waterfalls outside the ranching town of Santiago. Desert guide Marco Hernández of Nómadas de Baja (52-624/146-9612; www.nomadasdebaja.com) has access to the private Santa Rita cattle ranch’s hot sulfur springs, which cascade into pools around smooth granite boulders.

Stop at Palomar Restaurant (Misioneros de 1930; no phone; lunch for two $20) for specialties like garlicky octopus and chicken tostadas. On Saturdays, detour through the flyspeck village of Caduaño to see if there’s an impromptu horse race on the main drag. When you turn east toward La Ribera and Punta Colorado, the terrain suddenly becomes elemental: blue water, sandy scrub. A herd of cattle blocking the road is a major event. Beyond lie the fishing villages of Buena Vista and Los Barriles, as well as Cabo Pulmo and Los Frailes, remote bays on the Sea of Cortés where BajaWild (52-624/142-5300; www.bajawild.com; from $95 for a daylong trip) conducts guided kayaking trips.

The place to stay is Rancho Leonero (Buena Vista; 800/646-2252; www.rancholeonero.com; doubles from $115, including all meals). Think macho at John and Jennifer Ireland’s 350-acre ranch. This low-key hideout once attracted the likes of Errol Flynn and Bing Crosby, who landed on the private airstrip ready to fish, drink, and dabble in R&R not endorsed by Hollywood’s then prudish production code. World-class fishing in the Sea of Cortés remains the focus here, although downing tequila shots in the bar runs a close second. The 18 thatched-roof bungalows are boot-camp basic—fans, stall showers, zero-thread-count sheets. There are also 16 simple guest rooms. What else? A wide-open sea out front and ceviche at dinner that was swimming in it just hours ago.

TODOS SANTOS Here’s proof that time warps do exist. Straddling the Tropic of Cancer, this colonial-era burg remains blissfully free of franchises—a wide spot in the road where the siesta is still taken seriously. Todos Santos’s unpaved streets are lined with 19th-century brick-and-adobe haciendas, some adapted as galleries by Anglo artists who gravitated here for the tropical climate and low rent. The plaza is anchored by the humble Misión del Pilar church and Teatro Marqués de León, a movie hall straight out of Cinema Paradiso. Share carne asada and papas rellenas with the surf crowd at Tacos Chilako’s, a six-stool stand at the corner of Calle Benito Juárez and Calle Hidalgo.

Todos Santos has thriving design and food scenes. Angelina Cimono sells her stylish raku-fired clay sculptures at Galería de Todos Santos (Corner of Calles Topete and Legaspi; 52-612/145-0500). Barbara Fleming has amassed an extensive collection of hand-embroidered Guatemalan and Mexican textiles and antiques at her boutique, Mangos (Calle Centenario; no phone).

Chiles get top billing at the restaurant Los Adobes de Todos Santos (Calle Hidalgo; 52-612/145-0203; dinner for two $50). Oaxacan specialties—like mole poblano chicken—are served on a rustic garden terrace. For a refried-bean hiatus, locals flock to Café Santa-Fe (4 Calle Centenario; 52-612/145-0340; dinner for two $50), Ezio and Paula Colombo’s candlelit, whitewashed dining room in a historic adobe. The restaurant’s northern Italian cooking (fresh shrimp-and-octopus frito mixto with arugula and lime) adapts nicely to the tropical setting.

At the playful 11-room Hotel California (Calle Benito Juárez; 52-612/145-0525; hotelcaliforniareservations@hotmail.com; doubles from $125) the décor crosses gypsy caravan style with desert “sheik.” At the hotel’s La Coronela Restaurante, the chef may be Belgian but the margaritas are pure Baja. The Todos Santos Inn (33 Calle Legaspi; 52-612/145-0040; www.todossantosinn.com; doubles from $95), in a converted sugar baron’s hacienda, evokes the era of señoritas in lace mantillas—and gun-toting banditos. (Check out the bullet holes in the lobby’s faded frescoes.) Six rooms have a spartan aesthetic: thick plaster walls, net-draped four-posters, whirling fans, a cool courtyard garden of hibiscus and bubbling fountains. Ask for an air-conditioned garden suite near the new pool. An artsy crowd gathers in La Copa Wine Bar.

Where to Shop

World-class stores are not Los Cabos’ strong point. Shops selling finely crafted Mexican silver are the exception—but skip the plated trinkets hawked by street vendors. Sculptor Sergio Bustamente (27B Blvd. Marina, Plaza Bonita, Cabo San Lucas; 52-624/143-2708) creates wacky armadillo pins and zodiac charms. Mexico City’s Tane has an outpost at Las Ventanas (Km 19.5 Carretera Transpeninsular; 52-624/144-0300); the sterling cutlery is used in the hotel’s La Cava wine cellar. Joyería Brilanti (8 Calle Centenario, Todos Santos; 52-612/145-0726) is owned by José Brilanti, whose mother, Ana, created a fan-shaped necklace for Eleanor Roosevelt. His hand-wrought necklaces and bracelets are based on her designs. Grandsons José and Rafael create their own Aztec-influenced bangles in a satellite shop across the street (Calle Centenario, Todos Santos; 52-612/145-0799). Another of the clan’s enterprises is found on a San José side street: Ofelia’s Fine Silver (8 Calle Hidalgo; 52-624/142-4717), which carries turquoise-studded pitchers and intricately tooled jewelry by major metalsmiths.

Margaritaville

According to legend, the margarita was invented in Tijuana, but Los Cabos has its own potent version. According to David Halliburton Jr., owner of the Hotel Twin Dolphin, the key ingredient is Damiana, a liqueur made from a Sonoran Desert herb that is an aphrodisiac (the distinctive Venus-shaped Damiana bottle adorns many a Cabo cantina). Dolphin bartenders Roberto and Chino rim their margaritas with finely ground sea salt. Hand over your car keys to the front desk—you won’t be driving after drinking these Jacuzzi-sized beverages. Find a more classic version of the Los Cabos margarita at the Todos Santos Inn’s La Copa Wine Bar (33 Calle Legaspi, Todos Santos; 52-612/145-0040) and at the inventive San José restaurant El Chilar (1400 Calle Benito Juarez; 52-624/142-2544).