As you may have read in my previous post, the only way to survive the 6-month stretch that is winter in Canada is to leave in February, which is just when you slink into the depths of depression.

This is why on a freezing Thursday morning in February, during a snowstorm, we found ourselves sitting patiently for two hours – on the runway – in an Air Canada Rouge flight, praying that we would be able to take off.

The de-icing crew had been at it for well over an hour, but finally, finally, the captain announced that we really would be taking off, and he’d be flying us far, far away from all this white stuff.

The whole plane breathed a sign of relief as we took off. According to the cabin crew, the flights scheduled for later that day would definitely be cancelled.

Five hours later, we approached the arid deserts of the Baja peninsula, and touched down in Cabo San Lucas.

The whole plane broke into applause as we landed. By now most of the passengers had changed out of their dreadful Canadian winter clothes into short pants and t-shirts and flip flops.

As we all stepped off the plane, everyone closed their eyes and took a deep breath of warm air, and stretched out their arms to feel sun – actual sun – something none of us had felt for five long, cold months.

On the bus to the hotel, the conductor started passing around cold Coronas for the 20 minute drive from the airport to the hotel strip.

Our hotel, the Royal Solaris, is a bit older than some of the shiny new hotels on the strip, but it was still great, with a lovely pool overlooking the ocean, a swim-up bar in the pool, and a sandy beachfront where every morning and evening, we could see watch the whales jumping and frolicking off shore.

This was our first time trying an all inclusive resort, with free flowing drinks, food, and entertainment. A whole week of sun, swimming, all the Mexican food you could eat, and all the cold beer you could drink? I could get used to this!

Another plus of Royal Solaris is their Kids Club – you can sign your kid in, they stay with the staff for as little or as long as you like, and mom and dad can go have some fun without the kids. The club has scheduled activities that you can choose from, such as arts and crafts, movie time, and Loteria, a kind of Mexican bingo game. They also have a fabulous kids pool, with shade, and water slides.

Kid was happy, parents were happy…. ahhh. Yes. A proper vacation.

Review of Royal Solaris:

If you’re reading this because you’re researching the hotel, I would give it a 4/5. It is a bit older, but the rooms are big, Kids Club is awesome, fun activities (tennis, Zumba, games by the pool) to enjoy, different pools (kiddie pool, adult pool, pool bar, etc). Entertainment every other night with live shows that are family friendly. Fresh pizza baked by the pool too. Restaurants were decent, lots of fresh veggies and seafood. Kids menu was limited (think nuggets and fries) but the buffet was huge. Lovely surroundings, patio by the sea for meals. All in all VERY enjoyable.

Two things to be aware of:

1. Royal Solaris is in the town of San Jose del Cabo, which is the ‘old town’ of Cabo San Lucas. It takes about 20 minutes to get from San Jose to Cabo San Lucas town, which is where most of the attractions are, including the Marina, where all the boats leave for excursions (kayaking, whale watching, etc). You can sign up for trips in the hotel, they were very well organized, and included all transfers.
2. The beach in San Jose is beautiful, but has a steep drop-off, and is not suitable for kids to swim. I only saw one adult go into the ocean while we were there because the waves were booming. The calm beaches are all over on the other side, by Cabo San Lucas town.