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! 

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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

It's Not Even My Birthday

birthday-freebies

I celebrated my 28th birthday on April 29th. So, I'm a little late getting this up. BUT! Today IS Kyle's birthday, and I thought I’d curate a few things you have to do on or before your birthday! Truth to told, I spend so much time thinking of all these grand birthday ideas, then in classic Kimberly fashion, I wait until the last minute to decide on a plan. Ugh! Maybe one year, I’ll plan a really big party for myself. Although, truly all I want for my birthday is to spend time with people I love + people that love me. Lucky for me, I was pleasantly surprised with just that -- a table full of my friends at Italic for dinner. Dinner was so yummy!

It was the best part of my day! :)

However, scoring some free goodies on your CAKE DAY can’t hurt either, which is why I present the list below. It’s sure to make your day extra special. 

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  • Sephora Birthday Gift - Be part of the Beauty Rewards program. Then, anytime during the month of your birthday you can claim your birthday gift. There were two options this year. Either a Tarte or Caudlie set - and an option for gents by Jack Black (online only). I chose the Tarte set which includes a mini Taretist Creamy Matte Lip Paint in “Birthday Suit” + a mini Amazonian Clay 12-HR Blush in “Paaarty”.

  • Ulta Birthday Gift - To receive Ulta’s birthday gift, you must be signed up for their loyalty/reward program. Then, wait until you get the email from them to claim your gift in-store. This actually annoyed me a little because I stopped in to pick up some other items, and couldn’t claim my gift because I hadn’t gotten the email. I’m still looking for that email, Ulta. :/

  • Rewards Programs - You know all those rewards programs you sign up for with some bogus email address. Am I the only one with an email address specifically for promos?! :) Well, your birthday is usually the time to cash in on birthday offers. So, be on the lookout for text messages or notifications from all the programs you participate in.

  • Starbucks - If you’re waiting to register a gift card as part of their Rewards program, WHY?! Now, in my opinion, Starbucks isn’t the best coffee. (I’m a total coffee snob!) But, I still go regularly, and I’m not above getting a free drink or food item on my birthday! :)

  • Alamo Drafthouse - Austinites, sign up for the Alamo Victory Program. You get a free ticket on your birthday, and even more awesome rewards the more you visit!

  • Check Your Email - Payless, Panera, MyoMassage, CheapoAir, Tiny Prints ….the list goes on. All these companies sent me birthday coupons, deals, and offers. So, search “birthday” in your inbox, and don’t miss out on all the awesome birthday-inspired deals.

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What do you prefer - a quite lowkey birthday OR do you celebrate the entire month?!
Haha! Also, comment if you know of any other birthday freebies. 

stay tuned... next post, I'm sharing
my trip to CABO! 

XO, Kimberly