In this episode we hear a recap of Helen's vacation to Mexico City and Cabo San Lucas. She shares her travel tips for those destinations (see show notes below!) and we discuss generally whether we prefer city or beach vacations and share our ideal trip planning tips.

Mexico City

When we went:

• Late August/Early September - this is rainy season, which means the mornings are sunny and warm but you’ll get afternoon showers.However,this also means it’s off season for tourism so things will be less crowded and you’ll get a more local experience.

Where we stayed:

• ULIV Cibeles in Roma Norte

• Affordable apartment with hotel service

• Spacious and clean

• Great location

Where we ate and drank:

• Pujol (Michelin star restaurant in Polanco) *correction it was $600 total, not per person!

• Menu:

• Contramar - nicer seafood place in Roma Norte

• Very popular so try to book a table in advance

• Recommend the tuna tostadas and the octopus

• Quesadillas Elenita - this is the street stand where I got the delicious blue corn huitlacoche quesadilla for chance

• In the Roma Norte neighborhood

• Comal Oculto - little place with communal table on the street near Chapultepec park

• Everything is amazing but definitely order the cafe de olla (coffee with cinnamon and sugar), anything with the mole negro, and the gordita with chamorro

• Muncher - Shipping Crates turned into food stalls

• Ate Sir Lox Taqueria 

• Recommend all the michelada with chamoy and ajonjolí and the cochinita taco

• Churreria El Moro - churros and don’t forget to get hot chocolate too!

• Tortas al Fuego in Cuauhtémoc - Hipódromo

• Order the arrachera torta con queso

• The chilaquiles torta was also very good

• Tierra Seca - mezcal bar in Roma Norte 

• They can recommend mezcals to sip on but also make amazing cocktails - there was one with chocolate that we loved

• If the owner’s girlfriend is there, she does tarot and palm readings!

• NIV Wine Bar - great small bites and natural wines

• Caracol de Mar - incredible restaurant in Centro Historico

• This was one of our favorite spots

• Recommend the aquachile, tamal, and when in season, the chiles en nogada

• Long Story Short - fun little bar with great food and drinks

What we did:

• Walked around Chapultepec Park and Castle

• Boated at Xochimilco: Ancient canal system where you can rent boats, drink micheladas, and see beautiful flowers. 

• *Make sure you go to the Embarcadero Nativitas, where there is an official tourism office and prices are fixed at reasonable rates

• Have a michelada with Chamoy (tastes similar to tamarind but is in fact made of other ingredients) and ajonjolí (sesame seeds)

• Took at Cooking Class with Chef Jose Ramon Gomez at Mexican Cooking Classes by MFT

• Casa Azul - Friday Kahlo’s house and now museum

• Definitely book your tickets at least a few weeks in advance and check out the market in Coyoacan after!

• Visited the Biblioteca Vasconcelos near the Centro Historico

• This is an amazing library with beautiful tall stacks - definitely worth a visit!

Cabo San Lucas

When we went:

• Late August/Early September - it was definitely hot and humid but it was not crowded at all, which is a plus! Lots of sun and no rain while we were there.

Where we Stayed:

• Very pricey but the service and details were incredible

• Beautiful pools, nice gym, great workout classes

• Access to a private section of the beach with free activities

• Great restaurants, although the food and drinks were very expensive

• Would recommend stopping and grabbing some drinks at a supermarket so you don’t have to pay the steep prices for alcohol on the resort

• Wonderful spa experience

• Super relaxing overall and would recommend if you are willing to spend the money

Where we Ate:

• Mother Flower - restaurant in Cabo San Lucas

• We only went off the resort once and this is where we ate

• It was soooo good! Recommend the carnitas tacos, shrimp tacos, grilled oysters, and quasabirria