BY I.M. UNRULY
The houseguests are coming! Combine pent up demand for travel and expectations of another cold and snowy winter in the great white north and you can expect it to be a busy year for those of us fortunate enough to own a place in Cabo.
My wife and I have owned in Cabo for 20 years and welcome sharing its charm with friends and family, but the 2020/21 winter season was a dramatic change for us from years gone by. Maybe this would be better said as “we didn’t let anyone come to stay with us” even though some were willing to take all possible precautions to spite Covid and travel restrictions. The answer was “The inn is closed until further notice.”
Post-COVID, we started renovations on the house, and three years later (year 1 planning and 2 years of work at a truly glacial speed), we are back open again.
Whether it was in the past when we owned a 2-bedroom condo, or now a home with separate guest accommodations, friends and family who like to travel get that long-distance feeling – especially when the mercury hits -30C; is there an open slot at the inn? At this point, most are repeat visitors. Repeats are a little easier to have around as they know the routine and are less dependent on you to entertain them.
We’ve also learned, from years of varied experiences, to set basic visitor guidelines. The guidelines ensure a return invitation (or not) and avoid surprises for arriving travellers.
Our house rules include: 1) a week at a time maximum. If you want to enjoy the area longer than a week, consider a road trip, rent a car and stay in La Paz or Todos Santos; 2) don’t come if you’re sick, not even a regular cold or flu. We don’t want to catch it and suffer after you leave; 3) make sure your passport is still valid at least a week after your intended departure from Cabo. That’s an entire article on its own; 4) make sure your charge card that is not suspended; 5) if you want to cool off with margaritas in the hot sun, or start cocktail hour at noon, you have to plan on eating something as well. You can’t just drink; 6) limit the loud music and profanity; and 7) you must have two shots … of a COVID-19 vaccine. You can have the other shots out of a glass if you pass the first 7 tests.
You may say “duh” but those rules were put in place after various experiences left us wondering about extending repeat invitations. Also, if you have a service dog or companion, don’t expect us to expect them. Unannounced companions – either pets or new romantic partners – require a heads-up. The same goes for children, regardless of age.
We will meet you at the airport with a cold cerveza, but we are not Uber. If you want to go all over the place it would be best if you rented your own car or used the Uber app.
We make sure all these guidelines are known up front so there are no surprises when you arrive.
One of the dangers of hosting back-to-back houseguests is that they are in full vacation mode and ready to celebrate for the week. With peak season being early January to mid-March, having 8 weeks of guests partying in a 10-week period can be exhausting. Like most people, I can usually resist anything except temptation. Moderation is important for hosting but not a requirement of the guests. However, one mistake hosts make is not correcting their guests when they become unruly. Hosting guests that start with Bailey’s and coffee at 7 am and switch to beer mid-day and wine or hard liquor at night every day will take its toll. Unless you are of a like mind, drunks can become high maintenance and hence the “you have to eat” rule or the bar gets closed. Now that pot is legal in personal quantities in Mexico, we’ll see what kind of another dimension this adds to the party atmosphere. Anything illegal is not allowed whether it’s consumables or drinking and driving; we don’t want to spend time getting our guests out of jail.
Knowing the food likes, dislikes and expectations of guests is another tip. A lot of our guests these days are foodies. There are lots of great options for eating out in Cabo and we’ll happily join you at times or give you recommendations. I also happen to enjoy cooking and do need to know about dietary restrictions up front to avoid food allergies or, more commonly, gluten restrictions. Soon after arrival, we’ll typically take our guests out to get supplies. Most guests usually don’t have pesos when they arrive so getting to a bank machine is recommended as pesos are more efficient than dollars. A trip to the market or even one of the large grocery/liquor stores is an authentic local experience even if someone else is doing the cooking. The Old Market on Coronado Street in San Jose is a must-see.
It can also be a welcome change when the guests take over the kitchen for a meal or two and we reverse roles. They cook and we do cleanup. Thursday nights should always be reserved for Artwalk in San Jose and it is an easy way for guests to reciprocate and treat us to a dinner out. We do believe it is a common courtesy and encourage our guests not to be shy when it comes to using those pesos to share costs. We don’t put a price on friendship but just do the math: for wine alone with dinner in, 2+ bottles of wine per night at 300 pesos per bottle X 6 nights = 3600 pesos per week X 8 weeks adds up to about 30,000 pesos for a season of willing hospitality and that’s just the wine!
Fortunately, we have not yet had to decline guests when they ask about returning but we chalk that up to recognizing situations as they evolve and communicating our ground rules. We still have good friends because of this approach.
Don’t be shy to try putting parameters on your guests. You’ll enjoy your visitors more and be reminded of how fortunate you are each time you arrive at the airport to pick them up and drop them off. After all, they’re going back to winter and it’s toasty warm where you are.
Totally agree! Several years ago we wrote up Rules of the House. And unvited some friends and relatives for bad behavior. Luckily we have good friends who are the best guests who follow your suggestions re cooking and travelling. Gtrat article.
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