The Grand Solmar And More

Our visits to Todos Santos, San Jose del Cabo and, of course, Cabo San Lucas allowed us to get to know an area that has been heavily impacted by the rapid growth of the tourist industry in the area, growth actively and aggressively promoted by the Mexican government.  While there can be no doubt that growth this rapid and pervasive has to have had adverse as well as positive impact, we were surprised and impressed by the benefits it has brought to the local folks.  As we said early in this series of posts, the high standard of living enjoyed by a large and growing segment of the population has clearly spun off a tremendous degree of success in the business community.  Fortunately, there seems to be an awareness of the need to protect this precariously balanced environment and we hope that it will be sustained as growth continues. We had the opportunity to visit a site that seemed to represent "Cabo San Lucas - Past Present and Future." The Grand Solmar was one of the oldest resort locations in Cabo and hosted many of the folks from Hollywood who came here during the 1940s and 50s.  Although a portion of the original resort remains, much has already been excavated to make way for a new facility that promises to be one of the "grandest" in the area.  You might be able to see some of the construction equipment and building material in some of the photos but they have done a phenomenal job of creating temporary walls and walkways to hide the construction sites.  It will one day be an enormous structure (...as resorts in this area are wont to be) but they seem to have made a concerted effort to carefully integrate the man-made features into the natural landscape while working to utilize native vegetation in artful and attractive ways.  And, as we have noted about other places we have visited in the area, celebration of the Christmas season was very much in evidence.   We had lunch at one of the many restaurants - this one on an upper floor with a killer view of the beach below, the rocky cliffs to the North and South and of the beautiful ocean.  While we were taking in those scenes we noticed some activity in the water just off the coast.  We were amazed and delighted to see a pair of Humpback Whales frolicking in the water close to shore.

A short while later we took a stroll on one of the balconies overlooking the beach.  We were surprised to see that the path continued on to a secluded "meditation garden."  We'll add some pics and a short video but - they are making an all out effort to create a peaceful, energizing place where people can sit and meditate, congregate for a quiet conversation around a fire pit, soak in a huge jacuzzi or have a massage.  I understand that later they plan to add a chapel for those who wish to take time out for religious reflection.  It was quite an architectural achievement and I'm sure it will be a real asset to the folks who stay here in the future.  I hope the video provides you a sense of what they have put together and a feel for what it will give future guests.
Later in the week we returned to have dinner at one of their newer restaurants, La Roca.  The service was excellent and the food was great - but very expensive. Soooooo ....  that's about it for the Grand Solmar for now.  I've got some other pictures but I'm going to save them for another time.  We won't have too much more from Mexico but we've got a little wrapping up to do - so - come on back when you can.  See ya.