WPIC Goes to Los Cabos!

By: Tracey Manailescu

I can’t believe that it is over already…I am seriously having withdrawal symptoms over this absolutely incredible FAM trip to Los Cabos.

I am not quite sure of how to express my gratitude to Araceli Lopez Dacosta, of the Mexico Tourism Board, who set us up with the wonderful Luis Palacios and Sabel Carreon, of the Los Cabos Tourism Board. This has been a dream of mine for five years now, and it finally happened!  It’s not often a dream lives up to the hype, but this experience went above and beyond my imagination.

*Disclaimer: You should already know that Danielle and I are truly in love with Mexico. It all started with our very first trip, when our mother took us to Puerto Vallarta, when we were 17 and 13 years of age. We nearly gave her a heart attack with all of the adventures we put her through, but it sure set the love of Mexico in us in motion (I won’t go into details). Since then we have been to Acapulco, Mexico City, Hidalgo, Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya, Cozumel, Riviera Nayarit, Isla Mujeres, Matamoros, Durango, Tequila, Guadalajara, and now Los Cabos! With 31 states, there are so many more places to see.

This FAM truly would not have been even half as great as it was without the DMC company, Corporate Travel Alliance. Sergio Cantu, (and our driver Daniel,) took such great care of us. Sergio, every one of us on the FAM agreed that your professionalism, warmth and humour cannot be beat! Thank you, thank you, thank you! We will recommend your company over and over.

It all started when we transferred to our first host hotel, the beautiful Marquis Los Cabos. We went to our individual rooms and our group met up for a cocktail at the bar before we were given a site visit, and a gorgeous dinner on the beach complete with our own bar and a DJ. I had the best sleep here! The sounds of the waves crashing against the cliffs lulled me to sleep perfectly.  There were so many special touches, intricate wood workings and designs around this property, that I still feel that I needed more time to explore it.

The next morning we were taken to Esperanza an Auberge Resort for a fabulous breakfast and a site inspection. This resort is beyond beautiful!  The scenery and the locations for wedding ceremonies and receptions are absolutely breath-taking. US President, Barrack Obama, stayed here in 2012 for the G20 summit. The luxurious suite he stayed in has a private walk to the beach, and a BBQ for entertaining.

“Los Cabos is truly a unique place! I’m not just saying that because I just came from there, but rather, because I truly believe it. Where else can you look to the right for a gorgeous view of the Pacific Ocean or the Sea of Cortez with their bustling waves and then to the left for the serene desert full of mountains and cacti? It’s really a location that has a bit of everything for everyone. From surfing and fishing to dune buggies and camel rides, it’s the picturesque backdrop for stunning weddings while offering various adventures of a lifetime. Top it all off with exceptional service and food, and you’ve got a paradise in Los Cabos!” Cristalyne Seegobin Gulati of Cristalyne Celebrations

We then headed over to Casa Dorada, Los Cabos Resort & Spa. Located directly on Medano Beach (which is arguably the best swimmable beach in Cabo), it is the perfect spot for larger wedding groups with or without families. You can easily walk to bars, restaurants and nightlife. This resort is lively, it has huge suites, and has a great vibe.

We were then whisked away to The Cape a Thompson Hotel for a site inspection and lunch. The Cape has one of the hottest spots for  rooftop patios in all of Cabo! The Cape also has the greatest view of the infamous Cabo Arch. A very modern and clean lined resort.

We then were taken to the beautiful Marina of Cabo San Lucas for free time (aka shopping!) at Puerto Paraiso Shopping Mall and Luxury Avenue.

“I first fell in love with Cabo, because of it’s people’s hospitality and customer service. The beautiful and scenic properties are just the icing of the cake. From airport transfers, to camel rides and excellent service of wedding sales coordinator during our site visit is what makes this trip unforgettable.” -Sheryl Rinaldi of Bella Chic Events

We ended Day 2 at the incredible Sheraton Grand Los Cabos. We were all blown away with Jose Pineda, who showed us the property and wined and dined us for dinner. We seriously didn’t want to leave here. Jose you are incredible!  You are so knowledgeable, welcoming, and full of goodness. It was an absolute pleasure to meet you! The resort is decorated with terracotta colours and stunning locations for wedding photos. There is even a chapel onsite!

Day 3 started off by checking out of our hotel, and checking into Dreams Los Cabos Suites Golf Resort & Spa where we had a breakfast meeting and site visit of the property. My favourite things about this venue were the café for iced coffees and smoothies in the morning and their incredible pool! Our experience was made even better when we received a special delivery from the Mexico Tourism Board.  Thanks Araceli!

We then proceeded on to the absolute, hands-down highlight of the entire week…camel riding! Alan (our super awesome guide) and the entire team of Cabo Adventures at Rancho San Cristobal, you really, really wowed us! We had our own bus whisk us away to get our special headgear on, and then we set off for a walk with our camels along the Pacific Ocean. After the camel ride we had a tequila & mescal tasting, along with a fab lunch with Mexican cuisine. We were shown how to make our own corn tortillas, too.  I will never forget this incredible opportunity.

We went straight from our camel ride to the beautiful Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach.  Thank goodness they let us use their spa so we could get showered and changed for the afternoon’s site visits. We were able to see the beautiful blessed Chapel, lovers meadow and sky pool. We had an amazing and warm welcome along with cocktails and tons of hors d’ouevres on the patio at La Nao before touring the property. We then moved over to the adults-only stunning Pueblo Bonito Pacifica Hotel to see their new rooms, and enjoyed a super fun and delicious dinner complete with a flutist.  We had way too much fun getting to know Marisol and Maira. You ladies seriously rock!

“I am truly grateful to have had the opportunity to attend the WPIC Fam trip to Cabo hosted by the Los Cabos Tourism Board. I have travelled to Mexico on a regular basis for destination weddings with my client’s; but had never had the opportunity to visit or explore Cabo prior to this trip; and I am so grateful I did! Cabo is AMAZING! It has so many options to offer to my destination wedding clients with some of the most beautiful resorts I have ever visited,  the long expansive beaches, to the gorgeous marina area off Luxury Avenue and the very happening nightlife scene.  A true highlight of this trip was making the connection with vendors and the different resorts to better understand the area so I can better serve my destination clients with everything that Cabo has to offer.” -Monica Caesar of Aisle Plan Your Day

Day 4 began and we were off to luxurious Secrets Puerto Los Cabos for breakfast and a site inspection. Let me just throw in that this resort had tipping included, free WI-FI, and long distance calls to Canada, US and Mexico.

Can I just stop here and say how fab it was that each morning we were given breakfast at a different resort? Sheer brilliance to be able to experience different surroundings in the daylight with totally different styles and food choices available. I seriously appreciated this unique touch.

We then headed off to Mar Adentro for a quick site inspection. I wish that we had more time to view this property, as it was simply breath-taking. The rooftop terrace is incredible and would make for a stunning wedding reception. It was like stepping into the future with clean lines, modern amenities and furniture, and it felt so serene. I would have loved to have viewed the bar and restaurant areas to make a complete impression. We were able to view two rooms that were completely over the top and right out of a dream.

“It was so nice to be able to share the warmth and hospitality of Mexico with our Destination Wedding Planners. Getting out and experiencing Mexico is guaranteed to make anyone fall in love with the country and Los Cabos is an incredible destination with so much to offer. Where else can you go fishing in the morning, a camel ride through the desert in the afternoon and enjoy an art show in the town square in the evening?! I just loved our time there!” -Danielle Andrews, Co-founder of WPIC Inc.

We then went to One & Only Palmilla, which was the perfect way to end our site inspections.  It will stay on my mind for years with it’s understated elegance. Just my type! G.O.R.G.E.O.U.S in a natural sort of way. The simple, yet impactful details of just about everything stole my heart. The doors, the grounds, the spa, the men’s grooming station, the coconut margaritas, the best darned octopus salad I have ever had, etc. Did I mention the staff? Arianna was classy, charming and still real all at the same time. There is a beautiful chapel onsite, too. Yes, I was impressed!

The much anticipated farewell dinner at Flora Farms ended our scheduled events of the evening. We were all excited to finally be able to visit this highly talked about venue. It was the perfect way to end the FAM with it’s laid back and family-friendly vibe. We got to explore the ceremony & reception sites before the sun set, and then we had food, food and more food (locally grown) and served family-style on picnic tables under the stars. A band was playing, wine and cocktails were flowing and the friendships that we made all made for a really special time. A giant screen was off to the side showing “The Wizard of Oz” and fish and turtles were in the pond. Perfection.

When we returned to our host hotel, we ended up at the disco where Chelsea and I may have taken over the stage for a bit, until some others arrived and we went into downtown Cabo for the nightlife and bar hopped. There are so many great clubs all within walking distance of each other.

Cabo seriously has something for everyone. It stole our hearts.

Monica- You are just so full of warmth and fun. We are so very, very lucky to have you apart of the WPIC team. You made everyone feel welcomed and a part of the group because you truly care. You have such an incredible gift for being the person who brings people together.

Jag- You are just so good at what you do. We hear so many wonderful things about you from people that have worked with you on South Asian Weddings, time and time again. It was great to see you open up and speak from the heart this week.  It was a different side of you, and I loved seeing the more vulnerable side!

Chelsea –Resting “B” face aside, you are funny, charming, and deserve every happiness that you have worked so hard for you and your son. We are so proud of you and your much-deserved travel awards and accomplishments. It’s seriously time to learn some more Spanish though 😉

Sheryl- You are so full of kindness and quirkiness.  We adore you and always have. You pour your heart and soul into your events, and your love of Mexico has always been recognized. Your demonstration of the many uses of a sarong will never be forgotten, lol!

Amanda- Your humbleness, sense of humor (humour)  and inability to see how very talented you are baffles me. It’s time to show off your skills and wow the world.  Send us the blogs, ASAP! You are our honorable Canadian after this FAM!  It was so good to get to know you and your sassy, smart self better.

May- The sweetheart of the FAM. You are just adorable! You are brave, extremely creative and confident. You have so much to offer, especially in Dubai. Show them what they are missing and knock their socks off. Congrats on your recent destination wedding awards! I hope you never lose your kind and gentle heart.

Kim- We are so happy to have you come along into the WPIC world! You put people at ease, and can talk to anyone. We can’t wait to see where this career takes you as we know you will excel in it and no one will stop you. I enjoyed all of our conversations and your up for anything personality. You wear your heart on your sleeve and it is so refreshing!

Cristalyne- I take great pride in reading people. We hired you at WPIC this year for a reason, and I simply adore you! You are such a funny, confident and amazing woman. I am so glad that we got to get to know you better in this setting, because you are amazing!

The next morning we had to say goodbye to everyone, and with each bus departure my stomach seriously hurt more and more from missing all of you. It was such an incredible group, and I will be forever grateful for the experience.

Thank you, Cabo!