Varun's Daily Diary

Saturday, 9 October 2010

I have had the honour of working with Tim - my cameraman - for a decade now. I am so lucky that I have a dear friend who not only looks out for me but takes up the slack when I am flagging. For the past week, Tim & James have been helping me out with this Daily Diary and generally keeping me sane ... as I have been under the weather ... but it's now time for me to get back on track.

So - Las Ventanas al Paraiso in Cabo San Lucas. It has - deservedly - the reputation as the finest property on this "side" of Mexico ... and is a favourite for those who seek the perfect holiday destination.

I have been living in Suite 802 - a 1-bedroom villa which overlooks the Sea of Cortes. I have my own crescent-shaped infinity swimming pool that sits next to the 15 & 16th holes of the golf course and has stunning views of the sea.

The accommodation offers a large bedroom, living room, kitchen, indoor & outdoor shower, huge bathroom and privacy. Heaven.

So today was the last day of filming here in Cabo. We left the property early and headed the 20 minutes down to the town of Cabo San Lucas. This is the local town which is a stopover for the cruise ships. We zoomed off to the Glass Factory (escaping the crowds).

I was very impressed to find that the factory recycles glass from all the local hotels & restaurants and turns them into wonderful & colourful creations. The glass artist trains for 3 years and he has an apprentice that helps him take glass bowls, vases, glasses etc from one oven to another. Beer, wine and champagne bottles are melted at 1500 degrees and then blown into shapes. I watched in awe and even had a go myself. We were lucky as we had a guide from Baja Outback - the number one ground handler in Cabo - to hand for translations and transport.

From there - with the totally delightful resort PR Pamela Franssen - we headed in the other direction (15 minutes from the resort) to San Jose del Cabo - a pretty and very Mexican town. Most of the buildings are one storey & quite colourful ... and there are 21 major art galleries which show works by the most famous artists (living and dead) that Mexico has produced. I met loads of the lovely locals - complete with big & welcoming smiles ... if you come to Cabo, THIS is the only excursion you should go on.

Tonight is my last here and tomorrow we make our way to Puerto Vallarta (on the "mainland"). Attention to detail is very, very important at this resort along with genuine & friendly service. My crew have loved being here ... the weather has been fabulous and I will return - but next time on holiday.