TRAVEL

THEKINI TRAVELS: CABO SAN LUCAS

cabo-arch-mexico

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO - MAY 2017

Hola! As you know, we’re back from our beautiful, relaxing vacation in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. I wanted to recap our trip -- where we stayed, what we visited and what we ate! It was our first time traveling abroad together, and it was such an easy trip from Austin. We scored some cheap flights back in January from Houston. So, on Saturday morning, we headed to Houston before the sun was even up.

This was my first time traveling to Mexico, and only my second time outside of the United States. When we landed in Mexico, I was on complete #AirplaneMode. I made a mental note to do my best to unplug and just ENJOY the first vacation I’ve had since college Spring Break (I’m a crazy workaholic - did ya know?). Overall, I think it worked because everyone’s been asking for photos because I didn’t post that many during the trip.

We took a shuttle from the airport to our resort, and we were met with margaritas upon arrival. We stayed at Riu Santa Fe which is located in Cabo San Lucas. It’s not too far from the marina area in downtown, but still worth a cab ride and not just a beach walk. (More about that later!)

Check-in was really quick and simple, and we didn’t wait too long despite a long line when we first arrived. Our room was located on the first floor, which was very convenient.  There were five different restaurants on-site which was awesome.

I honestly don’t even know where to begin. The water was GORGEOUS. We woke up whenever we wanted and we scheduled time in the sauna/steam room then took a dip in the whirlpool at the spa to start our day. The first few days that we were in Cabo it was actually kind of chilly - the wind was INSANE. Apparently a storm missed us, but we got most of the wind. Honestly, can’t complain too much because we didn’t get any rain.

We were able to book all our excursions through an awesome guy named Carlos who pointed us in the direction of Cabo Adventures. Y’all - this company has it together. They promptly picked us up from our resort and took us to each adventure. We did ziplining and UTVing, Luxury Day Sailing and a Sunset Dinner.

One of our first days in Cabo, we took a LONG walk down to a seaside restaurant and bar called Mango Deck.

We'd heard the buzz about it around the pool at the resort, so we decided to make the walk. Bring shoes. As you may know, I'm from Florida, so I've had my fair share of beach walks and I know that often times places on the coast seem closer than they actually are in reality. However, that wasn't the problem. The walking distance was about one mile. The problem? We were basically walking on sandpaper. Exfoliation to the M-A-X. You can't really wear shoes either (unless they are tenny's I guess) because flipflops make it harder to walk. Anyway, we finally made our way there. And, WOW. What an experience! 

thekini-cabo-ocean

One afternoon, we took a cab to the downtown area.  Shopping was my first priority and then we went to the FAMOUS Cabo Wabo. The drinks were 2-for-1 and we didn't know that when we ordered. So, it was surprising when the waiter returned with more drinks than we expected. But, hey! It's vacation. We stumbled upon an amazing little taco shack called The Tortilla House. Y'all, I dreamed about those tortillas for many nights after we returned from our trip - which is saying something because the tortillas in Texas are top notch. The people of Mexico were very friendly and helpful. We wanted to enjoy the trip (and the FOOD) as much as possible. So, our next stop? More food. 

Cabo has so much to offer. However, the ocean isn't very swimable near the resort, so I really wanted to spend a day on the water. So, we booked a sail boat and traveled to a small bay where we got the chance to snorkel and see beautiful fish. The crew fed us an amazing lunch and kept our drinks full. We sailed back - legit sailing. You had to duck and balance the ship. It was awesome! Have you ever sailed? I get seasick, so I was a little nervous at first.

We did so many amazing things in Cabo. One of my favorite excursions was the Outdoor Adventure - which included traveling down the longest zipline in Mexico head first aka "Superman-style". Our guides were hilarious and they made everyone feel so comfortable. Only one person chickened out of the pendulum swing. I compiled a video with some of the best moments. Please enjoy my fear of heights!  

We had an amazing time in Cabo. If you have any travel questions, please let me know in the comments. I will likely be adding one more post on Cabo to detail more of our excursions and more about the resort - and lots and lots of pictures since I've made everyone wait until October. 

XO,

Kimberly

THEKINI TRAVELS: LONDON + VERONA

Buckingham Palace - London

Buckingham Palace - London

I was recently granted the opportunity to travel to Europe for work. The company I work for develops CGI animations for many top luxury and tech brands. Part of my team sits in Verona, Italy. So, I was lucky enough to travel to visit the team and learn more about the company and their capabilities.

If you'd asked me four years ago when I left college if I'd be traveling across the Atlantic for my job, I know I would laugh. Life has a funny way of sorting itself out, if you don't stand in the way. This was my very first time travelling abroad.

We [travelling with a colleague] landed in London early on a Sunday morning (and I don't think I picked my jaw up off the ground until I landed back in Austin seven days later). Everything was beautiful. Everyone was beautiful. You won't find this blog dedicated to fashion. I like pulling myself together, I enjoy shopping, but I don't consider myself ultra-fashionable in most uses of the term. These days I prefer comfort chic or is it athleisure? ;) 

The Brits were polished. Posh. And, in some cases grand. I immediately wanted to toss my carry-on bag in the nearest alleyway and have someone refine me. Every building was SO old. It felt magical. Truly magical. After checking into our hotel in Kensington, we took the Hop On/Hop Off bus to avoid going straight to sleep. It was a great way to play tourist and see most of the city. Take as many photos as possible. It helps relieve the travel blues when you do return home. While in London, I saw Tower Bridge, Big Ben, the London Eye, and tons of museums. Unfortunately, I didn't get to go into any of them. However, I did find out that all the museums are FREE! So, it's definitely at the top of my list when I return. 

THE CRAZIEST THING THAT HAPPENED ON MY FIRST DAY ABROAD WAS ALMOST GETTING RUN OVER BY A CAR BECAUSE MY BRAIN WAS PROGRAMMED TO LOOK THE "WRONG" DIRECTION. 

We were only in London for one day before we took another quick flight to Verona. Jetlag definitely set in on the second and third days. But, lucky for me, I was in ITALY. Home to some of the best espresso known to man, and I sure took advantage of that. Verona was honestly the most gorgeous, romantic place I've ever been. I felt like I was walking around in a fairytale.

Arena di Verona - Piazza Bra

Arena di Verona - Piazza Bra

It was interesting for me leaving an English speaking country the day before to enter a country that doesn't speak my native tongue. The people were so friendly, and listened through my very, broken basic Italian and would help in any way they could.

It was nice to have friends in Verona that could show us around the city, and take us to the most delicious restaurants. I had a wonderful time exploring. Honestly, I didn’t want to return home. I ate so much pasta. I got to go inside Arena di Verona located in Piazza Bra, visited the booths and carts in Piazza Erbe, Castel Vecchio, and Giulietta's Balcony! Every angle in Verona was picture perfect.

Amazingly, I was able to pack for my entire trip in a carry-on! I also carried a UA backpack for my laptop and things I needed to quickly access. I left enough room to stuff my cross-shoulder bag inside as well so I would still technically meet the two-bag requirement.

I HOPE YOU ENJOY THE PHOTOS. WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? WHAT'S YOUR NEXT TRIP? LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS BELOW.

P.S. - Please forgive that all these photos came from my phone! I promise to bring my DSLR on my next trip now that I have one international trip under my belt! I must also mention that I lost many of my photos from this trip when I got a new phone a couple weeks ago. My heart aches, but new memories can be made. 

XO,

Kimberly