through customs and retrieving our luggage. Before we reach the destination given to me by the resort to obtain our shuttle, we have to weave our way through a maze of people offering god knows what. It’s confusing and rather intimidating as some people are pretty aggressive, but we find the driver of our shuttle and settle in for a ride that reveals the countryside and non-touristy part of the city. The drive passes quickly. I feel the tightness in my shoulders begin to give way on the ride, but the minute our shuttle pulls through the security gates of our resort in beautiful Cabo San Lucas, I feel my entire being start to relax.
Passing security where they ask my name and make sure we are on the list of check-in’s, our shuttle comes to a huge resort entrance. To my surprise, instead of pulling in, we continue past. Looking out the window, I see huge homes set in semi-circular patterns high up in the mountains and a large number of southwest-looking brightly colored buildings below. Lodging spreads out over what looks like many acres. Continuing, we capture sight of lush flower gardens, welcoming pools, a large fountain, and golf carts moving all throughout the property, driven by hatted men dressed in light khaki colored clothes, clearly transporting guests to and fro.
As our shuttle continues down a long road, I see ahead of us, at ocean level, another large resort. It sits alone at the bottom of the mountain and it’s easy to tell even from this distance how amazing it’s going to be. Cabanas garnish the ocean’s edge where blue ocean water laps the sandy shore. Excitement builds and my foot starts tapping in my impatience to arrive.
From the moment we walk through the glass doors of the lobby to check into our room, our mouths are agape in wonder. The pictures I’d seen of the resort definitely did not do justice. The lavish, yet tastefully adorned lobby is shaped in a circle, with an opening between eleven and one o’clock that reveals a breathing taking view of the ocean – its beauty as far as the eye can see. The white caps of the water keep winking in and out of view, and the smell of sea and salt is potent in the air. The lobby emits an appeasing aroma of lavender and something else I can’t place. The combination is divine and I can’t help but take a deep breath, close my eyes, and imagine the stress of the previous day rolling off of me in waves and evaporating into thin air.
I feel a small twinge of sadness when I overhear the cute couple clearly in love checking into their room before us say they are here on their honeymoon. Knowing I’m supposed to be here on mine as well makes my eyes sting with unshed tears. I sniff and clear my throat hoping the action brushes the impulse away. As if she knows my thoughts, Katie catches my eye and smiles widely. The wonder and excitement of the few days we have together clear on her face. I can’t help but smile back, feeling thankful for the distraction. Looking forward to spending some time in an amazing place with my favorite person, makes the sadness fade away.
As soon as we get to our room we make a joke about the huge king size bed. Unfortunately, they were unable to switch us to a double, but it’s okay, the bed is massive and we will easily be swallowed up into it with plenty of room on either side of us. I still tease Katie that I’d like to be the small spoon and she the big one.
After we finish checking out the room, oohing and aahing at our ocean view, the towels folded into perfect fish, the plush robes in our closet and the multitude of toiletries available for our use, we immediately dig our swimsuits out of our luggage. Not even taking time to unpack anything else, we excitedly change, grab magazines, our kindles and sunblock, and get our booties to the pool.
A couple hours later, I’m lounging next to Katie, sucking down my third, or maybe it’s my fourth, margarita. Happily feeling the buzz of alcohol, especially since I’m