Medano Beach is the party beach in San Lucas, loaded with a bunch of hotels that pump up the festive feelings as opposed to the natural, tranquil side of Los Cabos (Nikki Beach, for example). I found many of the bars along the beach to be less than authentic, and a walk along this area will no doubt result in numerous propositions: Jet skis, boat rides, sunglasses, hats, jewelry, whatever. It sort of goes with the territory, I guess.

Those touristic causalities aside, it truly is a beautiful beach, and I'd definitely recommend checking it out if only for that reason. And if you do want to do any watersports, you'll find a bunch of competing companies on Medano Beach, so haggle away (Medano Beach and the harbor area are the two places where you can bargain for services, whatever they may be).

I wasn't there to shop (although I did buy a pair of sunglasses for $10.... they saw me coming, squinting eyes and all), I was there to check out a restaurant I had heard good things about: The Hacienda Cocina y Cantina, located in the Hacienda Beach Club on the far south end of Medano Beach, within walking distance from the rest of the hotels on that strip and from downtown San Lucas.

It's the number one rated restaurant in San Lucas on TripAdvisor as of this posting, and it's not hard to see why. I would definitely recommend paying a visit when you're in town, even if it's only for a drink to check out the view (see photo). Ceviche and fish tacos was the direction I went, leaning back in the comfortable chairs and enjoying the shade of the small, circular hut that looks out over the ocean and the beach activity to the north. You can see the hills that line the channel, leading out towards the arch.

Some places with great views tend to offer mediocre food - they don't need a great menu to attract business - but I was happy to see that Cocina y Cantina lives up to all aspects of the hype. Good food, good views. Be sure to try the churros for dessert, and take a walk down Medano after to burn them off.

Photos:

Like a lot of people, I bought into some of the hype surrounding the Hotel California in Todos Santos. I had read and heard it might have something to do with the infamous rock song written by The Eagles, that the hotel might have inspired them to pen the lyrics. We drove up the western Pacific coast of the Baja California peninsula from San Lucas to Todos Santos, eager to see if we too could be inspired, but we eventually learned the truth: The entire myth surrounding the hotel is complete nonsense.

Don Henley told Rolling Stone that it was the band's "interpretation of the high life in Los Angeles" and later reiterated "it's basically a song about the dark underbelly of the American dream and about excess in America, which is something we knew a lot about."

Don Felder described how the lyrics were written: "Don Henley and Glenn wrote most of the words. All of us kind of drove into L.A. at night. Nobody was from California, and if you drive into L.A. at night... you can just see this glow on the horizon of lights, and the images that start running through your head of Hollywood and all the dreams that you have, and so it was kind of about that... what we started writing the song about. Coming into L.A.... and from that 'Life in the Fast Lane' came out of it, and 'Wasted Time' and a bunch of other songs."

And even more: In 1997, travel writer Joe Cummings became intrigued with the legend. He talked to everyone he could and decided that the stories just didn't seem right. He sent a fax to Don Henley and asked about the hotel in Todos Santos and the rumors that he and/or the band had been here and possibly even written the song here. To Joe's surprise, Don Henley immediately returned his fax and stated that "I can tell you unequivocally that neither myself nor any of the other band members have had any sort of association - business or pleasure - with that establishment." Based on his own research and this fax, Joe wrote "Hotel Where" which was later published in the March 2000 issue of El Calendario de Todos Santos, the local English language magazine.

Sweet, good to know now (and pretty cool assuming that fax is real... see photo below). This is a prime example of why one's travel plans, expectations, and anticipations should never revolve around a specific desire. Sometimes, things don't turn out as glamorous as you make them up to be in your head. Other times, as was my fate here, you buy into some sort of pop culture and it turns out to be nothing like it was built up to be (imagine that!).

The thing that annoys me is that I feel personally and purposely mislead - the hotel apparently made up the whole thingin an effort to increase business. Well, it worked. The hotel is a gigantic tourist trap, and to be extremely honest, I wondered what I was missing. It's not on the ocean (as the website would lead you to believe), and although it may have been cool back in the day, a tacky gift shop sits at street level beside the restaurant and lobby. Gift shops are about as far from inspiring as it gets for me.

Life went on, though - I've learned to bounce back. We followed a lead to a roadside fish taco stand called George's, which was excellent and served great fried fish tacos. From there we took a man's recommendation to head out of town a bit, head towards the beach via the dirt roads that cross through the cacti. We stumbled upon two beautiful beaches, one being a well-known surf spot called Playa Los Cerritos. It has a rather authentic feel despite a few small hotels nearby on the beach, and I think that is definitely aided by the fact that you have a 5-10 minute drive on a dirt road to get there. Lots of people come here to surf (or learn how) and the current was good for body surfing that day for us. Definitely worth a stop in as you cruise the western coast - it's located at kilometer 64 on carretera 19.

Photos:

The first thing you notice about the Grand Solmar Resort is the most obvious: It's been dropped into one hell of a setting.

You can see it in the photo below, its ridiculous location at the base of a rock structure, completely enveloped in privacy and tranquility. The lights of downtown Cabo San Lucas are only ten minutes away via foot, but there's no way you'd realize that on property at the Grand Solmar. It's in one of the most undeveloped spots left in San Lucas, and a stay there will reveal one of the best kept secrets about Cabo: It's absolutely gorgeous.

Sure, you hear it's a beautiful beach town, a place to party, but not many people talk about the fact that Cabo has some incredible, national-park worthy landscape (I will show you some photos next post). Albeit hot and dry most of the year, I had the opportunity to visit just after a rainfall (the area only averages about 12 days of rain a year). Talk about the element that brings life - the hills were lush, with the green, rustic look of the cacti now joined by green-leafed, red-flowered plants (and purple and yellow and orange). You can see some of what I'm talking about in the preview photo I recently posted of the oasis near Santiago, under an hour outside of San Jose del Cabo (notice how, in that post last year, I mentioned I didn't dance. Safe to say I've come around!).

And you can't forget the infamous arch of Los Cabos, which sits just around the corner from the Grand Solmar. Although you cannot see it from the resort because of the hills, you can walk over the rocks to both Playa del Amor and Divorce Beach (and in between is Lawyer's beach, because you can't go from love to divorce without one!). As you'll see from the photos of the resort below, it is the natural surroundings of the location that distinguishes it from the dozens of other luxury hotels in Cabo:

On Saturday, after checking out the infinity pools at the Grand Solmar, Cabo Adventuresinvited us over to take a dip in the dolphin tank. My thoughts on lobby-purchased excursions are split between my traveler and vacation mindsets. The former thinks that I better do my homework, that they should offer something that I couldn't pull off on my own for less money and more authenticity (the best example of this is snorkeling). The latter says to hell with it - it's a lot easier to just get picked up and dropped off out in front of the lobby - bring on the booze cruise.

We'll save that debate for another time - the fact is swimming with dolphins was an experience that truly made an impact on me. It's easy to become jaded when you hear about something over and over, or when you're used to living by the coast and seeing dolphins. But being in the pool with one was the real deal - an interaction that really, in all honesty, isn't biologically supposed to happen (we'll also save that debate for another time).

I encourage everyone to ask around your specific destination and make sure the company you go through has a good reputation, but in all likelihood I think you'll find the experience rewarding. There's a feeling of vulnerability in that the dolphin is infinitely more comfortable in the water than you, especially when you see how fast they move. I developed a real appreciation for the animal, smooth and silky but thick and tough at the same time. Just as you start to feel a bit intimidated, Flipper plants a fat one on the side of your face and turns his head for you to return the favor.

Pucker up for some photos:

I'm on the run in Los Cabos, about to make the drive up the coast to Todos Santos. Among other things, I'll be checking out the Hotel California, which is apparently one of three possible hotels to inspire the famous rock song.

I spent the weekend checking out the Grand Solmar Resort in Los Cabos. Things should calm down in the next day or two and I'll tell you a little more about it, but here's a glance at their two infinity pools. They did a really nice job - it's an absolutely gorgeous piece of property, over the hill from the harbor area of San Lucas. I'll talk more about all that soon - here are a few photos:

I'm headed to Los Cabos to check out the Grand Solmar Hotel in San Lucas, which is pinned against the cliffs near the infamous arch. It looks like a beautiful setting, sort of tucked away from the partying going on in nearby downtown. I'll be roaming around the area for about a week, finding tranquility but also getting into my fair share of late nights (come on, it's Cabo). I'm still working out the schedule beyond the weekend, but a trip up the coast to Todos Santos seems likely, including a stop at Hotel California, the hotel that inspired the classic rock song. We'll talk more about the details in the coming days.

For now, here's a preview shot of the Grand Solmar Hotel in Los Cabos:

I'll be the first person to admit that wine is a drink one would typically never associate with Mexico, not its consumption nor its production. Tequila and cerveza and mezcal, for sure, but not wine.

The stereotype is well-justified, backed up by historical evidence as well as current habits: According to Vinisfera.com, Mexicans drink about 500 ml of wine per person annually - the equivalent of a couple glasses per year. The purchase/production of Mexican wines is highly taxed by the government (as high as 40% in the past), which no doubt has driven the market to the abundance of beer and tequila options. In any case, most areas of Mexico don't have the climate to support a wine region, leaving a majority of the population indifferent toward and without connection to the bottles they see on the shelves.

One small region located outside of the Mexican mainland is working hard to change that perspective, an area known as the Valle de Guadalupe in Baja California that produces 80% of the country's wine (about 85 miles south of San Diego). What's amazing about that statistic is that while 90% of American wine is produced in California, Napa's contribution is only 4% of that 90%. That says a lot about how small the production of wine is in Mexico in general, compared to the United States, considering the Valle de Guadalupe and Napa Valley are approximately the same size. Napa has approx. 40,000 acres dedicated to wine making, whereas there are only 6,200 acres in all of Baja (including Valle de Guadalupe, San Vicente Valley, and Santo Tomas Valley).

That's the reality of it - the state of the union, if you will - but let's not dwell on numbers and history. What about the quality of the wine today? Forget the number of bottles produced - how does it taste? Pretty damn good, I must say, and others agree, sparking the emergence of the first 'vinotherapy' spa in Mexico, located in the Fiesta Americana Grand Los Cabos.

It's called the SOMMA WineSpa, the name a tribute to the Somma Lombardo Wine Region in Italy (and 'soma' with one 'm' is the Greek word for 'body'). The spa integrates both the health and celebratory concepts of wine into massage therapy. This includes the creation of their creams - research has revealed the grape to contain excellent exfoliating properties and powerful antioxidants seven times richer in phenols than Vitamin E.

The less scientifically inclined need only understand that a glass of wine is served to every guest after their wine-infused treatment, paired with daily custom appetizers from the chef to be enjoyed on the terrace or in the relaxation rooms. Other services include a private couple’s massage room with hot tub and steam room, Valle de Guadalupe wine tasting, reflexology massages in private beach cabanas, and the Barefoot Elegance Experience,which we discussed yesterday.

Wine spas can be found all over the world, but this is the first one to establish itself in Mexico. Although it opened about five years ago, Spa Manager Francisco Lugo believes it is now fully realizing its potential thanks to the increase in quality and popularity of Mexican wine.

“We want to show that we’re ready to offer this type of service, that our wines in Mexico are good enough,” he said. “Wine is a symbol of celebration, and we want our concept to speak to the same idea.”

The spa is open to guests of the resort and walk-ins alike. For more information, visit the Fiesta Americana Grand's website.