A daughter with dreams of a spring break in Cabo meets the mighty force of a mom with ideas of her own. Read on to learn how two women, a Buick Enclave and a couple of bikes convinced a college daughter that spending a spring break week with her mom would be #BetterthanCabo.
Mom vs Cabo: a Battle for Spring Break
And I quote, “Best spring break ever”–said my daughter, the social butterfly, about our trip to CA together. Get this – she opted for a road trip and biking with her mom over Cabo.
The backstory: she is 2,000 miles away at college and a huge group of her friends were going to Cabo San Lucas for spring break. When I heard that, it was GAME ON. I wanted her to have a great spring break, but had no desire to spend $1,000 for her to move the campus party to a volatile place with little or no recourse should something happen. Giving her no options was an option, but selfishly I was not opposed to getting something out of spring break too.
I dangled biking the path along the beach, seeing great friends, hiking unknown terrains and sharing relaxing one on one time in San Diego on a mother daughter trip. We have been taking our kids to the beach in California for many years, so I knew that offer would grab her attention.
It didn’t take long for her to agree and plans were put in motion.
Yes, I was happy to leave the snow and cold behind, but not so psyched about leaving my senior (last kid at home) and his stage debut as the Godfather – a spoof he wrote and got rave reviews for. My husband and I divided and conquered. Trade-offs. {sigh}
Mother-Daughter California Spring Break
We spent our first two nights with friends in Manhattan Beach, enjoying their company, fish tacos, and a couple of gorgeous sunsets.
Then it was off to Mission Bay in San Diego in the Buick Enclave I was provided for the trip. Even though there were only 2 of us, driving around Southern California usually means a lot of time in a car. I was grateful for the space and safety features of the Enclave. And my daughter was grateful for the speakers! Even when I “forced” her to listen to my music: Cat Stevens, Big Audio Dynamite, Fine Young Cannibals, Lynyrd Skynrd and Sting. In my mind, she was impressed.
Bahia – First Stop on the Mother-Daughter California Spring Break
First stop: Evans Hotel Group’s Bahia Resort Hotel, just off Sea World Drive in the heart of Mission Bay. Bahia may be the Group’s three star property, but we had a million dollar view!
Outside, our bungalow looked a bit older, but on the other side of our front door waited a large living room and kitchen. The sliding doors in the living room opened to Mission Bay, where we could walk out to own private bayside beach are or walk around the bay. The bungalow décor is a bit dated but clean and spacious. In fact, there was enough space in the living room at the Bahia to store our rented bikes overnight.
The rates are reasonable and we had everything we needed, like a full service kitchen with a two burner stove with oven, a full fridge, plus utensils, dishes, pots and pans. That came in handy when we heated up our fish and chips leftovers from Cafe Bahia.
BBB: Bike the Beach and Bay
We rented bikes on-site at Action Sport Rentals and hit the path around Mission Bay and later, the bike path along Mission Beach. I would highly recommend renting a bike to get around the area, however, you can also rent boats.
Mission Beach is the more family-friendly of the area beaches. Everything is bike friendly and the area is safe and comfortable. Belmont Park, an amusement pier, is on the beach, as well as loads of restaurants, shops and happy hours.
Pacific Beach, which we would visit later in our trip, is more a college kids’ hangout.
Traveling The Ho Chi Minh Trail
Later, we hopped into our Enclave and drove 20 minutes north to the resort town, LaJolla to hike down to Black’s Beach and to check out the Gliderport . Black’s Beach has the distinction of being a nudist beach so I prepared my daughter before we hit the trail. We stumbled upon the Ho Chi Minh Trail on the way back, a winding path and canyon that is an adventure in itself. We had no idea – we just saw other people climbing it so we checked it out.
The trail was somewhat hidden, very slippery, and scary in the beginning. Perfect for Ms. Adventure, my daughter. She always loves adrenaline-inducing adventures. Me? Not so much. It was one of those moments where it’s easier to just keep going than to turn around. I forced myself to keep up but drew the line at hang gliding or skydiving.
We met the La Jolla Fire and Rescue Team on the trail who happened to be doing their semi-annual training. Just a case of being in the right place at the right time. We asked for their best tips and they said most injuries were due to inexperience, bad shoes (flip flops) and dehydration. I would not recommend this hike for novice hikers.
Bahia Hotel Resort
The only problem I had with the Bahia Hotel Resort is getting there! The signage from the road was inadequate and worn. And being right off SeaWorld Drive made the turns somewhat confusing. I used Apple Carplay in the Enclave to navigate but we both still found it confusing. I would recommend better signage, because this resort is definitely one you’ll want to find.
While we were there, we ate noteworthy fish & chips and banana tiramisu (as good as it sounds) at Café Bahia, the restaurant right on property. The restaurant is still undergoing improvements (beware of the tequila drenched shrimp dish- VERY strong). Still, eating outside under the heat lamps makes it worth it. We agreed that we would make a trip back to Café Bahia just for the tiramisu!
Rescue Seals and Roller Coasters in Mission Beach
Two rescue seals share mascot duties at the Bahia Resort. The hotel owners love animals, and we enjoyed watching these playful creatures in their own pool along the boardwalk.
Catch a colorful, memorable sunset from your roller coaster seat at Belmont Park, only a few blocks away from Bahia, at Mission Beach. San Diego is only 5 miles to the south, but we did not feel the need to go downtown. We had everything we wanted in Mission Beach. In fact, we would have loved to stay longer. But we still had another leg ahead. I may have sold her on the fish tacos and Fine Young Cannibals. But was that enough to be #BetterthanCabo?
Read on: Can We Keep the Fun Alive on a Visit to Pacific Beach?
Learn about San Diego’s Tide Pools
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