We started off our trip flying directly from London Heathrow to Mexico City with British Airways. After the long flight time of 11 hours we were pleased to of pre-booked a taxi that was waiting for us. A quick 30 minutes later we were at our amazing boutique hotel Casa9 in Condesa. As it was 9pm we decided to dump our bags and head straight out to a local gin bar to make the most of the Friday night. We had been recommended Gin Gin Bar and when we got there it was a lively, industrial space with a great choice of gins and small bites to eat. We enjoyed a cocktail and tacos here and made our way back to the hotel to get some sleep for a full day of being a tourist on the Saturday.
With the time difference (-6 hours to the UK) we woke up a little early so decided to make a full day of it and head out to walk around the streets after breakfast at our hotel. One thing to bear in mind if travelling over a weekend is that nothing seemed to open until around 10am so it was very quiet before this. We walked from the Condesa area, past the Frida Kahlo mural, to the House of Tiles and Catedral Metropolitana on Zocalo square. From there we went past the Palacio de Bellas Artes to the La Ciudadela market where we had a look around, took lots of photos and bought some souvenirs. After that we walked up to the area of Juarez and stopped for some lunch at Don Ignacio by Plaza de la Republica. Here we tried Olla coffee (a Mexican coffee with cinnamon and raw dark sugar in a clay pot). At that point our feet were starting to ache so we jumped in an UBER back to our hotel (perfectly safe in Mexico city) and after a quick breather went to Chapultepec park. Here we decided to venture up to the castle (Castillo de Chapultepec) which was really worth seeing and spent an hour enjoying the views of Mexico City. For the afternoon we jumped in another Uber to the Polanco district as I had to see the Mexico Mi Amor sign at Tane Jewellery store. We then stopped at a little café called Maque. This is definitely the 'posh' area of the city and lots of people recommended this area but we were glad we actually decided to stay in the Condesa area as it was a little more quirky and felt like it had more history.
That evening we went to the Roma district and had a couple of drinks at Departamento bar before heading down to Mercado Roma which boasts lots of pop up food outlets where we tucked into pulled pork tacos. For dessert we had some consuelos (a churro ice cream sandwich) at Churreria El Moro – amazing!
The next morning it was time to catch our 2 hour flight with the airline Volaris to Los Cabos on the Mexican Pacific coast. Once we landed we picked up our rental car with Hertz which was a really smooth process and drove around an hour up the Baja Mexican Coast to a town called Todos Santos otherwise known as a ‘magic town’ meaning all development, shops and restaurants are completely local and authentic. No supermarkets or chains have moved into this area which is really rare. The roads to the hotel were quiet and it was a really easy journey. We arrived at our boutique hotel Hotel San Cristobal where we were staying for the first 3 nights. It had a very homely, stylish and quirky vibe here. The first evening whilst we were here we sat near the outside fire with blankets (it was a little chilly with the sea breeze) and watched whales swim by just off the shore which was magical. It’s migrations season in February and around our hotel were hump back whales so it was amazing watching them breach, blow and flick their tails out of the water. We of course ordered the guacamole and ceviche off the menu which was to die for and washed it down with Margaritas.
Day one at Todos Santos started off a little cloudy so we seized the opportunity to visit the town where we indulged in some fresh fish and prawn tacos at Taqueria el Parguito – a little shack by the side of the road where we were directed to for the best fish tacos in the area at very affordable prices – it did not disappoint, costing £5 for enough tacos for 2 of us. Nearby there were a number of local artisan shops full of hand painted crockery, patterned hand woven blankets and macramé wall decorations. This brought on a need for a coffee stop at Caffé Todos Santos, an Italian escape in the middle of town. We arrived back to the hotel in time to watch the local fisherman haul in their catch of the day, which they do by driving their fishing boats straight onto the beach, where they prepare and sell the fish to local restaurants straight away.
For dinner that evening we went to a farm to table restaurant (10 minute drive from our hotel) called Rancho Hierbabuena. We arrived before sunset which gave us time to wander through the beautiful gardens where they grow much of their produce, which we would highly recommend.
The following morning we visited Baja Beans café, a small batch brewers serving Mexican grown beans, before driving to Cerritos beach to watch the surfers brave the waves. As it warmed up we drove 90 minutes up the coast to Playa Balandra, just north of La Paz, which is large shallow bay where you can walk through the multicoloured water surrounded by black rock cliffs which is great for a paddle and to enjoy the scenery.
After our 3 night stay at Hotel San Cristobal we drove back down to coast to San Jose del Cabo, where we checked into the Viceroy Hotel. This modern white and chic hotel was completely different in feel and in a much busier area. Our last two days here were spent chilling by the beach and amongst the hotel’s many pools.
On our first evening here we walked along the beach to The Shore Bar, which had a nautical Miami vibe, for a sundowner before settling in for dinner at Casa Calavera – a Dia de los Muertos (day of the dead) themed beachside restaurant which brought a modern twist to traditional Mexican dishes.
The following morning we decided to have breakfast at the hotel where I chose to have the Japanese fluffy pancakes which were delicious.
For our last night in Mexico we went to Flora Farms for a guided tour to see and experience just a little of the huge organic working farm. We’ve heard that the farm to table food here is amazing and family friendly but we had booked at Acre just up the road because it’s somewhere I had wanted to go to for a long time. Acre was an absolute dream – it’s in a jungle environment, beautiful décor – tiled floors and cactus’ everywhere. The meal was our favourite of the holiday and the service was excellent.
We woke up the next morning and started the long journey back home. We flew back via Mexico City as we had booked with British Airways however there are now direct flights to and from Los Cabos with Tui from London Gatwick. We had a fantastic time and would highly recommend all the areas above if visiting Mexico. We managed to fit everything into 8 days and because we did so much it felt like longer but there is still so much to see on our future adventures to Mexico!!
As always on our travel blog we like to show you three venues that are perfect for a destination wedding in Mexico:
The perfect venue for a rustic, organic style wedding within beautiful grounds.
Here you can dine within a mango orchard on a patterned tiled floor. Perfect for that boho wedding style.
Those looking for a stylish sea side wedding then this is the place for you.
I hope you enjoyed reading and if you have any questions on our Mexico vacation or a destination wedding in Mexico then please shout!
Holly x