Cabo, Kids, and… COVID?!

Are you wondering what it’s like to travel to Mexico during the COVID pandemic? Well, lemme tell ya.

In mid-July of 2021, my husband, 3 year old, 9 month old baby and I said ‘adios’ to the daily grind for a few days. We jumped on a plane and escaped to Cabo to soak up some sun, sand, and sweat (sweat from traveling with the two kids, not the heat).

Man were we excited to finally have our Mexico trip that had been postponed so many times.

As far as beach vacations go, our Cabo trip to Garza Blanca resort had some pros and cons. I’ll give you some insight to help plan your next trip.

The Airport

If you haven’t heard yet, airports are bustling right now. And depending on the airport, not all of the restaurants are open, so lines are long and options are limited.

That’s not a good combo when traveling with kids. Bring plenty of food, takeout or room service from the hotel before checkout, or get in line right away at the airport after security.

Getting There

I reserved an airport shuttle in advance to ensure we would have car seats available and wouldn’t have to wait long. Well. That backfired. We waited at least 45 minutes if not longer out in the heat. Four hangry travelers (Four Hangry Travelers – sounds like a British pub, ya?) anxious to get to the hotel and have some fun.

Finally, our “reserved” shuttle arrived.

With car seats do you think? Nope. So then we waited 10 more minutes for a different shuttle to bring them. And was the car seat set up correctly? Uhh nope. Nothing about it was safe.

Bear in mind they confirmed everything with us the day before our arrival.. eh, that was pointless though.

They were barely on time on the way back to the airport. The car seats were a bit better and our driver was super friendly. I still would not recommend Cabo Airport Shuttle.

*Travel tip*: It might be worth it to just bring and check your own car seats if you don’t like surprises. Especially unsafe ones.

Where We Stayed

Now onto the hotel – Garza Blanca. We scored an awesome deal through Expedia. So we thought, ‘why not try a new, modern looking place?’ With a balcony and ocean view too?! Right up our alley.

If only it were. There was no view whatsoever. The room decor was modern but a bit tacky with its glitz and glam, lacking even a glimmer of Mexican charm. We might as well have been in Anywhere, USA.

The staff did go out of their way to finally move us to a fabulous room near the top floor on the hotel’s oceanside. The view was the best part of our trip, as we like to eat a lot of meals out on our balcony (it’s just more relaxing when you have the two little ones).

Gracias Garza!

Fun in the Sun

Both kiddos loved swimming in the pool. There was a safe children’s area where the water was only a few inches deep (but no barrier to the 3-4 foot section). The staff came by a couple times in our 3 days with little finger foods. Nothing to really write home (or blog) about, but a nice gesture.

We really only went there to get away from home and have fun swimming and playing with the kids. That’s why I don’t have any Cabo activity recommendations for downtown and food.

I know next time we will get out to “El Arco“. And Lover’s Beach by the Arch is considered one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

But this was just a “lay-low, relax at the hotel” kind of trip, so we did just that.

The Beach

The under-current in Cabo is so rough that it’s not swimmable (we knew this going into the trip, but a bummer nevertheless). It would have been nice to be able to get into the ocean water more (and not just my phone I mean). But we did get lucky with an impromptu personal dolphin show right from our beach!

Jameson and I loved collecting seashells on the beach. But don’t try to go there and do the same, because we got them all!!!

*Travel tip*: There’s no such thing as a relaxing beach resort vacation when you have a 3 year old and 9 month old. I think I had one short nap and read two short chapters of my book, if that. Big shocker, I know.

But at least hubby and I enjoyed the beautiful views, relaxing to those calming ocean sounds. Ahhhh….

The Eats

Our included buffet breakfast was yummy. I mean, I’m talking like 8 stations in separate rooms with most of it fresh and made to order (waffles, pancakes, smoothies, omellettes – omelettes? ommelettes? How the heck do you spell ommelete??? Ok, I think it’s omelette. Right?)

Anyway, they had anything and everything you could think of. And we’ve been to our fair share of impressive buffet breakfasts at luxury Euro hotels. I think I gained 5 pounds in 3 days in Cabo, and that’s from breakfast alone.

On our last night we ate at the only place we could get reservations – Hiroshi’s. The place was pretty dead at 6pm, along with some other restaurants at that time. No more reservations available? Puh-lease. Sensing some anti-baby vibes maybe?

Well. It couldn’t have worked out better. We were practically right on the beach hearing the intense ocean waves (no pic sorry, remember – no working phone still).

From sushi to scallops – it all was amazing. But the popcorn shrimp and shrimp fried rice were our faves. I know they sound like children’s menu food (actually, the fried rice was meant for Jameson), but they were so delicious.

We would have gone there every night if that wasn’t our last. Can I just say “straight addicting”?

COVID Testing

Right now, the US requires a negative test for 2 years and older before re-entering from an international destination. Our hotel did the testing for about $100 for 3 of us. That amount was given back to us in hotel credits.

I don’t know about other hotels in Cabo, but Garza Blanca hotel offers a free 14-day stay if you happen to test positive. So rest assured. And no, I was not hoping for a positive test, albeit tempting.

I’d recommend booking your COVID test on the earlier end of the 72-hour period, just in case there is a delay. We had no delay though. Results were ready within 24 hours.

Getting Home

There are a few apps to download to supposedly make for a smoother process at the airports. Being the well-prepared mom that I am, I did all that I could beforehand. But it really didn’t matter after my phone broke from the huge wave (it didn’t even get that wet, I swear!).

I tried saving questionnaires on my tablet but when we arrived at the airport, I wasn’t sure what was what, and most people were filling out paper forms, so I just went that route.

The airport staff in Cabo was helpful. They were in line making sure everyone had the right documents filled out before getting to the counter. Thank goodness, because everyone was scrambling!

The airport was busy, but security was breezy. Unlike the food court. The lines were insane and it took about an hour to get food. Jameson and I ran to our terminal as everyone boarded the buses that take you right out to the tarmac.

We climbed the stairs to the plane juggling carry-ons, diaper backpack, a stroller, a purse, a baby, a hangry 3 year old, a red-faced husband wondering where I’ve been, our boarding passes, passports, and in the other hand… a bowl of mac and cheese and two plates of pizza. After giving birth 9 months ago with no epidural, this was a walk in the park.

The flight was short and sweet (nothing like this blog post – sorry!). Jameson stayed busy playing. Elle had fun trading off in our laps and eventually getting a decent nap on Dada going there and back. Way to go Dada! (BTW, check out my Instagram Reels for some quick travel and flying tips, like how to help baby sleep on the plane).

Adios Cabo!

I now know that I prefer resorts with more activities for all of us, until both kiddos can really enjoy it, or at least until the baby isn’t hungry for sand.

Post update: since Jeff put in a mini sandbox in our backyard, our baby is no longer interested in eating it. It just took a couple times of playing in it to teach her. I’d rather that than be shoveling it out of her mouth on the beaches of Mexico. Babies’ poop woes can be challenging enough as it is!