California and Cabo!

We had the most fun week in California and Cabo! Bob had been in San Jose the week before for work, so he hopped on a quick flight to LAX on the morning of June 12th, and we ladies met him via a 7am flight from RDU to LAX. Both flights went smoothly, and since Bob arrived an hour before we did, he picked up the rental car (a very comfortable Tahoe!) and circled back to get us at the terminal. We hit the road and headed south, straight to the Ambrosinis' house! After a nice tour for Bob and Erin who had not been to that house before, we got into our Airbnb early, unpacked, and got some groceries. Our rental was in the vicinity of their house, but was in a newer section of the neighborhood, about a 10-minute drive from them. It was a 3-bedroom townhouse and was very quiet and comfortable! After that, we had planned to all meet up at the Lagoon pool near our house, but it was closed due to broken glass, so we went to the Rienda Plunge pool instead and had a really nice time there. We swam for a couple of hours, then everybody got showers and we all met up for a really delicious dinner at Coyote Grill in Laguna Beach. After dinner (and watching part of a World Cup game), we ventured down lots of steps to Table Rock Beach, which was definitely worth the steps! It was beautiful! In the time that we were there, we witnessed 2 wedding proposals and a graduation photo shoot. After that, we all headed home and slept great after a very long day.

Saturday, we got up and Bob, Erin, and I took a nice walk around the neighborhood where we spotted 2 Basset Hounds. We all then ventured to Target in San Clemente for a few "essentials" (aka things we forgot), then met up with Dale, Cole, and Vinny at the beach for some Bear Roast Coffee, a walk down the pier, and then a half mile walk south and back on the Beach Trail where we met 3 more Basset Hounds (totaling 5 Bassets that day)! It was really fun, and the beach was hopping on a Saturday morning. 

We then met Maria and Cooper (who were at a football uniform fitting) at Los Molinos Beer nearby for lunch, which was really delicious. We enjoyed the food and a fun Uno game there! After lunch, we met back up at South Swell ice cream on the main drag in San Clemente (after a parking challenge) and had some amazing ice cream creations! 

We window shopped for awhile after, then most of the guys headed back to the house while the girls and Cooper continued shopping for awhile longer. We met back up at their house, dropped off the girls for some hangout and pet time while Bob and I got showers. Dale and Maria made a super yummy dinner at their house - smashburgers, green beans, salad, and watermelon! Yum! We watched the Knicks win the NBA championship (love the early game times on the west coast!) and played a little hacky sack. 

Sunday, we visited Holy Trinity church, the closest church to their house. It was very nice. 

We then picked up some food for lunch from Albertson's nearby and met everyone at the Lagoon pool for a few hours. The weather there just can't be beat! Then it was time for showers and mini golf at the brand-new Salty Turf near their house. The course (one of two that they have) was beautiful, challenging, and lots of fun! 

Dale and Maria picked up pizzas from the place in their neighborhood, and we had dinner at our place and watched the Hurricanes win the Stanley Cup! What a big sports weekend! We fit in a few rounds of Pit during the hockey intermissions. Then we said goodbye to the cousins and packed up for our early morning on Friday. 

Friday, we hit the road to LAX and had a smooth flight to Cabo after a short delay due to a maintenance issue. We enjoyed some time in the United lounge while we waited. The Cabo airport is maybe about the size of Raleigh, and after a quick run through the arrivals to dodge sales pitches, we met our prearranged car and rode about 30 minutes to our resort, the Casa Maat at the JW Marriott. It was a little east of town, which was very nice and quieter than the places in town probably were. We got quickly checked in and unpacked in our rooms. The resort was so quiet, peaceful, and beautiful! Bob and I went straight to the pool and partook in snacks and drinks while the kids relaxed in their room. We met back up for dinner, which was salad, chicken tortilla soup, and chicken with mole sauce, rice, and fried plantains. The chicken was incredible! Oh, can't forget the tres leches cake for dessert! Yum! 

Tuesday morning, we got up, had breakfast, and Erin and I did a salsa dance class at the fitness center while Bob worked out. We then set up camp at the pool and enjoyed the view for awhile. 

The kids got beef tostadas and chicken tacos for lunch while Bob and I snacked on the complimentary ceviche and guacamole, yum! We headed up for showers and went to a cooking class at 4pm at the neighboring property where we made a fried crab and jicama salad. It was fun and easy! 

We then lounged for awhile and went to dinner, which this night was salad, tomato soup with mini grilled cheese, grilled fish with risotto, and Anna's favorite item of the week: coffee-flavored creme brulee! Each dinner night had a theme from "Around the World", and we enjoyed trying to figure out which country each one was (this night was the most perplexing). Wednesday morning, Bob and I worked out and we spent the midday portion at our pool (repeat lunch from Tuesday) until the winds got too high and they had to take the umbrellas down. So, we decided to check out the pools next door, which were great! We liked the narrow infinity pool with beach view, the swim-up bar pool, and the large family pool with a hot tub and volleyball net. 

We played volleyball for awhile. They also had an adult-only pool with hot tub and a kids' pool and splash pad. None of the pools were very crowded and were lots of fun! We showered and did a few photos before dinner. Tonight was a different salad, corn chowder, beef ribs with mashed potatoes, and sweet potato pie. It was so good! Thursday was yoga class for Erin and me while Bob worked out, breakfast, and a final day at the pools. Lunch was the same as the previous two days (they had a big lunch menu, but the kids stuck with the same things each day).

 Tuesday's ceviche was tuna, Wednesday's was white fish, and Thursday's was shrimp. They also had amazing petit fours each morning before lunch. Mid-afternoon, we went back to the neighbor pools for more swim-up bar and volleyball time. Our final dinner was black bean soup and our choice between fish, pork, and birria tacos with toppings, and flan for dessert. They were all amazing!

Friday, we packed up and met our driver at 8:30am to head to the airport. The Cabo security was speedy and we actually managed to get on a half-full 10am flight to Houston (scheduled for 11:30am). There were no other connections from Houston to Raleigh, so we just had extra time for immigration/customs and lunch. We ended up having more extra time in Houston due to storms, but it only held us up for a little over an hour. We made it home around 12:30am and were happily reunited with Finley, who did very well with Camden, Kellie, and Emilie all week.

So, it was a fantastic trip with lots of sun, family time, and checking out a new place! We really enjoyed both parts of the trip and found the resort in Cabo to be wonderfully quiet and clean with delicious food and outstanding service. Success! We'd go back to Cabo and would want to explore more of the area.