For the final instalment of my 2024 Travel Diaries, we head south and visit two of the world’s most beloved tropical destinations, Jamaica and Mexico. I’d never been to either of these countries and was very excited to engross myself in the culture and food, of course. Both of these locations have the reputation for being pretty relaxing, which is just what I needed after a hectic few weeks of traveling.

montego bay, jamaica

During the planning of my trip, I had tossed up between a few options outside of continental North America, mainly focusing on the Caribbean. For an Australian, the Caribbean is incredibly exotic, and hard to get to. I mean, it takes us at least three flights to get to any of these islands. So why not take the opportunity and spend some time on a tropical island?

Jamaica has the reputation of being a step away from paradise, and for good reason. This place is absolutely stunning. Unbeknownst to me, who thought she was escaping the heat and humidity of Miami (read last week’s post for more), I had arrived in Jamaica during the wet season, the hottest and most humid time of the year.

But at this point, why not embrace being sweaty and hot all the time, and take advantage of the pools and the beaches?

Tip: If you are traveling to Jamaica, make sure you complete your C5 Entrance Form online prior to arrival. If you have not, you will have to do it in the airport, before you get to Immigration, and you could be relying on spotty Wi-Fi, delaying the start to your island vacation.

hyatt zilara rose hall all inclusive resort – adults only

Hyatt is synonymous with comfort and luxury, and the Hyatt Zilara Rose Hall is no exception. This place has an interesting set up. It’s really two resorts in one. There is the Hyatt Zilara side, which is strictly adults only, and on the other side, you have the Hyatt Ziva, which is a much more family focused experience. Guests of Zilara are welcome to explore the whole resort, while those staying on the Ziva side must stay on the Ziva side. We don’t want any children stumbling into the twerking competition (this actually happened, though).

There’s not much that this place doesn’t have. There are 10 restaurants, six bars, all unlimited, daily activities and day trips, countless pools, hot tubs and fire pits, a private beach, and a gym. Another helpful facility Hyatt has is a lounge at the arrivals gate at the Montego Bay airport. From there, they can check you in to your room, and organise a shuttle to get you to the resort (priced at $39US return) without being hounded by local vendors. All with a glass of rum punch in your hand.

Opened in 2000, you can tell that this place would have been the absolute bee’s knees when it opened. And while it still is, the style is a little outdated, not that it affected the function or enjoyment of the resort.

I was so pleased with my choice to stay here. I spent a lot of time by the pool, enjoying the DJ and the exploits of the water activities. Staff were lovely and would bring food and drink directly to your sun lounge, so you if you didn’t want to move all day, that option was available to you. All the food that I tried was very tasty. Drinks were fantastic. My only complaint is that my stay wasn’t long enough.

down to earth tours

Have you really visited a destination if you never left the hotel? And while it was tempting to just stay at the resort for my whole visit, I wanted to get out and see all that Montego Bay had to offer. I booked a half day Montego Bay tour with Krissy from Down to Earth tours, which I would fully recommend.

Down to Earth’s tours are completely private, so you can customise your experience to whatever you want. I was very much interested in the history of Montego Bay, what the everyday lives of Jamaicans are like, and of course, the food.

Firstly, we made a stop at the Rose Hall Great House, and learnt of the history of this former plantation and its most famous resident, Annie Palmer. This property is incredible. The vista from the front external stairs is something to be seen, with almost uninterrupted views of the Rose Hall area, and out to the Atlantic Ocean.

After the Great House, we visited two of the communities, the upscale Ironshore neighbourhood, and the more humble, Norwood. We then took a trip through downtown Montego Bay and visitor hotspot, the Hip Strip, before settling in for lunch at the local favourite, Scotchies, for some jerk pork and festival.

Having Krissy as my guide was less like being on a tour and more like being taken around Montego Bay by a friend. She was so much fun, we had plenty of laughs, and she taught me so much about Jamaica and Montego Bay. If you are going to Montego Bay, book with Krissy, you will not be disappointed.

los cabos, mexico

I have wanted to visit Mexico for a really long time, but the stars hadn’t aligned. I will admit that one of the reasons for the whole North America trip was just to come to Cabo San Lucas. I’m embarrased to admit that after watching the reality show, Laguna Beach, back in 2003, I have wanted to come party in Cabo. It looked like an absolute blast! And I wasn’t wrong. Cabo was absolutely beautiful. Not quite the party I had remembered from 2003 (I’m also not a high schooler on Spring Break), but still an amazing time, nonetheless

paradisus los cabos adults only

Similar to Jamaica, I wanted to stay in an all inclusive adults only resort. Paradisus Los Cabos was perfect. Located in the Tourist Corridor, you are smack bang in the middle of Cabo San Lucas, if you want to go party, and San Jose del Cabo, if you want a quieter, more cultural experience. But again, this place was so lovely, I didn’t want to leave. Unlike Jamaica, the vibe of this hotel was the perfect blend of relaxed and fun. It didn’t have a crazy party atmosphere, which was surely welcomed.

Paradisus offers the full all inclusive experience. There are seven restaurants and a bar around each corner. There is one big main pool, beautifully equipped with sun lounges, cabanas and a bar, and access to Playa el Bledito, one of Cabo’s only swimmable beaches.

Paradisus offers an elevated experience in the form of The Reserve. If you want to leave all the stress to a paid professional, The Reserve is for you. The Reserve program offers exclusive benefits such as private transportation from the airport, a personal concierge, day trips into San Jose del Cabo, and areas of the resort reserved only for The Reserve guests. This was well worth the added expense. My concierge, Monse, was exceptional. She was there to welcome me to the resort when I first arrived, and escort me to check in. She had provided all the restaurants with my dietary likes and dislikes, and even found me a bottle of local mezcal to take back to Australia.

I really enjoyed my experience at Paradisus and would love to come back. It’s only two plane rides from Sydney, so who knows, I may be back soon.

desert off-roading and horse riding on the beach

Every now and then you have a ‘pinch-me’ moment, and that was definitely how I was feeling when I was riding a horse on a beach in Mexico. What a cool thing to be doing?? And then it turned…

I decided to take up a horse riding and ATV experience with Real Baja Tours. I took to the Mexican desert, a location about 40 minutes north west of Cabo San Lucas, with adventure in my heart. But little did I know what was in store. I met Danny, my guide, who asked about my riding experience, so he could pair me up with the right horse. I had said that I had been riding before, which I think he misunderstood for being an experienced horse handler (absolutely not the case). I was paired with Huevón, who I was told was named after his lazy demeanour, but also because he’s a bit of an idiot. Perfect!

So off we went, walking down to the beach, and Huevón was living up to his name. He was in no rush. Until we hit the beach. Then it was on! Without me even needing to use a command, he took off! The photo below is the nearest I hope to come to being on the TV show Moments from Disaster. After galloping down the beach, he decided to make a turn up into the dunes. I just kept thinking, “so this is how I die!” But Danny was there to save the day and get Huevón back under control without incident. We decided to then take the rest of the ride pretty slow.

After the horse riding, I got kitted up and hopped on an ATV for some desert exploration. Being fully in control of your transportation method is a very nice thing. We then headed back to the beach for sunset. To finish off the day, I stopped in for a tequila tasting. There were some regular tequilas, as well as some vanilla and coconut tequilas. I didn’t know there was such a thing.

Real Baja Tours have an amazing set up. You can take tours with ATVs, horses, and/or side by side vehicles, all with professional guides and safety equipment. There is also the opportunity for professional photography so you can brag about your experience.

the arch, cabo san lucas

If you do one thing when coming to Cabo San Lucas, make sure you see the Arch. El Arco, as it is known by locals, is a rock formation that stands at convergence of the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortes. It is home to a number of wildlife species including some flying manta rays, sea lions, and plenty of birdlife and fish.

I booked a boat tour with El Jefe Tours, who are based at the Cabo San Lucas Marina. It was meant to be a public tour, but noone else turned up, so I got my very own private boat to get up close and personal with a Cabo icon. The tour takes you out to the Arch past Lover’s Beach, and around to Divorce Beach. There is a local legend that if two people go into the cave at Lover’s Beach, three will come out, if you know what I mean.

The best time of day to go out to see the Arch is early in the morning, around 9am. There are very few other boats in the area and you may even get a private tour, like I did. Later in the day the area becomes jampacked with boats and tourists, and the experience won’t be as peaceful or photoworthy.

cabo san lucas food tour

Mexican food is some of my absolute favourite food in the world, and I couldn’t come all this way and not take in the local fare. I had eaten some Mexican food at the resort, which was very much tailored to the tourist palate, so I was looking for the real taste of Mexico. I wanted some real Mexican food. I wanted to see abuelas cooking over a hot pot and locals sitting out the front with a cerveza. This is what I got.

Jonathan from Baja Taste Food Tours showed me the best places in Cabo San Lucas to get a taco and where the real locals eat. With every taco I ate, they just seemed to get better and better.

To start the tour, we dropped into Paletaria Y Neveria La Michoacana for some hibiscus juice. Wearing a white shirt, this may have been a poor choice, but it was refreshing. Next, we took on some guisados (slow cooked meat) and nopales (also known as cactus) tacos at Dona Martha. This place was very rustic, but probably had the best slow cooked pork I’ve ever tasted. For the best carnitas in town, we then headed over to Los Michoacanos. Here I had carnitas and huitlacoche tacos with a side of pork crackling. You can actually buy carnitas by the kilo, which, if I lived in Cabo, would be on my menu almost every week. Our next stop was at El Meson Mexicano for some beef Birria de Res and a local cervaza. Our second last sampling to try some ceviche de atun, which is tuna and carrot ceviche, from the Ceviches El Moy, a long standing street food cart in Cabo San Lucas. Our final tasting took us back to Paletaria Y Neveria La Michoacana for some homemade icecreams. This is when I turned my white tshirt pink, when I spilled my raspberry popsicle. But nothing a Tide pen couldn’t fix.

day trip to san jose del cabo

One of the perks of the Paradisus Reserve program was a fully organised day trip into San Jose del Cabo.

San Jose del Cabo has a much slower pace than Cabo San Lucas, with a more cultural vibe. The scenery is what you think of when you think of Mexico, with the blooming flowers, the Spanish colonial architecture and colourful flags in the streets. There is such vibrancy and charm in one of Mexico’s original magical neighbourhoods.

While in town, I spent some time at the Xocolatl Chocolate Factory and learnt about Mexico’s influence on chocolate. Then off to the Plaza Mijares to enjoy some local artwork at the Art Walk. Here you can find the Misión San José del Cabo, which is a beautifully grand church overlooking the plaza.

It was time for lunch, and under the advice from my Uber driver, I stopped by Jazmin’s Restaurant for some amazing tacos and margaritas. My waiter recognised that I was Australian and compared me to Nicole Kidman, which was very flattering. I’ve heard it said many times that we could be twins (no, not really).

And that’s it! Thank you for reading about my amazing North American adventure. Please comment below if you’ve been to any of these destinations and let me know what your experience was like.

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