Cabo 2025
Bethany and I were feeling really down last November (for some reason) and we felt desperately in need of something to look forward to. So for her birthday weekend, we tried to make it happen within our means.
I started this draft shortly after we got home, and have since been unable to finish it. But I felt like sharing the photos and partial stories, so here they are. I may come back and finish the story in the future, but feel free to ask me about it to get the full story!
Our goals:
- Leave the U.S.
- Go someplace warm
- Someplace safe and welcoming for LGBTQIA+ folk
- Don’t spend too much time/money
We didn’t take a ton of photos. We’ve been trying to be more present and less in our phones, so we don’t have many pics this time. We enjoyed ourselves much more though. (even more validation of my decision to delete most of my social media)
Departure/Arrival
Slight Detour at SJD
When we arrived at the SJD airport, we were duped by people who seemed like official airport personnel posing as our travel company for our hotel shuttle. They asked us which taxi service we were using and escorted us to an “information desk” to get set up. Instead, some asshole salesman just wasted our time showing us a map and circling things we should do and things we should avoid. The things we should do were things he’d get commission for, and the things we should avoid are his competition, surprisingly enough.
For anyone traveling there: Once you grab your bags from the baggage claim, everyone after customs is to be met with extreme skepticism. They’re all “marketing” people who will say anything they can to trick you into booking stuff with them. Just put on blinders and ignore everyone until you get outside and only jump into transportation you’ve already reserved. (They’ll know your name and have it on a printed list before you walk up and just check you off)
These people didn’t get anything out of us, but they wasted a good 20 minutes of our lives and we probably could’ve taken an earlier shuttle and had more time at our resort.
Arrival at the Resort
That night, we hit the sushi place that was only a hundred feet from the ocean because we thought they’d have decent gluten free options. They only had a few, sadly, but Bethany was satisfied with what she got.
After that, we indulged in margaritas and dangled our feet in the warm water of the pool while we sang along to the music played at the nearby bar. It was everything we really wanted that night after a long day traveling.
Day 1: Enduring a Timeshare Pitch for a Free Cruise
“It’s not a timeshare, it’s a membership!” Sure thing, bud. 😉
Our sales guy seemed to know within the first few minutes that we weren’t buying shit, so we mostly just got a tour of the Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach resort, which is a little more scenic and isolated than Rosé. This is where people can rent AirBnB cabins with their friends if going with a big group, but honestly we liked Rosé so much more. It felt like it was closer to activities and easier to get around on foot without relying on golf carts and taxis and shuttles to get around. The place was almost entirely old folks, until we got away from our sales guy and found our way up to the Sky Pool.
The Sky Pool was awesome. It’s at the top of the mountain, has an infinity pool style lookout, and includes a swim-up bar that’s included in our package. It was a great reward for a long tour listening to a sales guy think we’re bad at math. After a few margaritas we went to one of the restaurants at Sunset Beach for lunch before heading back to Rosé.
We changed and got out of our hotel just in time for our free Sunset Booze Cruise. It was basically a party boat with an open bar and party music. We saw whales and the famous arch. Then, as the sun went down we danced and partied with locals and other tourists. A pair of cute local women danced with us and we had one of those nice dance floor stranger bonding things for an hour or so. It was a great time.
Days 2-3: Just Chilling, Wandering
For the other two days, we chilled, just impulsively doing whatever we felt like. This mostly meant relaxing at the beach, reading books, swimming in the ocean (in February!), and eating at the various restaurants in the resort family. Our all-inclusive package covered all the other locations within the Pueblo Bonito brand.
On one of the days, while we were floating around the pool in a “borrowed” floaty toy, a pool volleyball game spontaneously broke out. Bethany and I joined one of the teams and several other guests joined in and we had a lot of fun!
We wandered around Cabo a little bit, perusing the many pharmacies and tourist-centric souvenir shops. We didn’t spend as much time on this as we hoped, but we knew we’d come back and do more of that next time.
Traveling While Trans in 2025
Most of what I experienced once we arrived in Mexico was complete neutrality, which was perfect. Not a single member of hotel personnel, bartenders, waitstaff, boat crew, or random street vendors gave me a second look or messed up my pronouns. I only heard one or two masculine-coded words directed towards me the entire trip. So it was better than my experience in the U.S.
The only weird treatment I received was from American tourists who were guests at the resorts we visited. Most of the guests at our hotel seemed to be a generation above or below us. Lots of retirees and grandparents with their grandkids. The kids were all super cool.
- Old white dudes in the men’s restroom staring at me. Like stopping what they’re doing and just agape until I leave the restroom. Mind you, this is the restroom they would likely say is “the right one” for me to use.
- Outside of restrooms, I just got a few less obvious stares by the pool and at restaurants.
Even though these people were probably from places in the U.S. where I’d normally be openly harassed, I suspect being on “neutral” turf outside of their home territory reduced their vitriol. Or I was just lucky. 🤷 I’ll take either, so being in Cabo still amounted to feeling more comfortable than I do in my home country right now.
Costs of the Trip
For anyone interested in the economics, I don’t often see people share real numbers but I’m always curious. Here was ours:
| Expense | Amount |
|---|---|
| All-Inclusive Resort Package w/ Pueblo Bonito Rosé | $1975 ($658 per night) |
| Round-trip Flights from SFO to Cabo (Alaska) | $1,176 ($588 each) |
| Checked Bags | $140 ($35 each per trip) |
| Airport Shuttles | $120 ($30 each per trip) |
| Combined Taxes and Fees at Check Out | $18 |
| Total | $3429 |
We booked in November during their Black Friday sale, which seems like an ideal time to do so. 👍
Some charges specific to us:
| Expense | Amount |
|---|---|
| Dog Sitters | ~$300 |
| A few top-shelf cocktails | $51 |
| Shopping (Cute Sunwear) | $200 |
| Total optional expenses | $551 |
We Had an Amazing Time
Within only 3 days, we felt so relieved and refreshed from the escape, the sunshine, and not thinking about money for a few days. We would love to return next time the world and the Winter season is beating us down, and we highly recommend it for others too. Perhaps a group trip sometime?