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Starting back in the "good ol' college days", my husband and I would travel with friends to Cabo San Lucas every single spring break. As you might expect, Cabo is a mecca for college spring breakers with its vibrant party scene both day and night. However, Cabo isn't solely for carefree 20-somethings doing belly shots at the bar or joining beach contests; it's also a wonderful place for families to enjoy pools, snorkeling, beaches, and more. With its perfect spring weather, expansive resorts, and all-inclusive lifestyle, Cabo is an excellent destination for everyone. Below are a few key takeaways to turn your "college-days Cabo" into a family experience that will be truly unforgettable. Location is Everything In the spring break months of March and April, I would personally steer clear of staying close to the main Cabo downtown/strip, as it will be packed with college students. There are numerous alternatives along the Gulf (Santa Maria beach area) or the Pacific Ocean. We stayed at the Hardrock Resort near Nobu Resort and Tiger Woods' golf course, and I would absolutely choose to stay there again. The Hardrock is extremely kid-friendly with water slides, a bowling alley, arcade, poolside painting, and a very fun kids' club. But don't worry, parents, the resort also has an adult pool, multiple family-friendly pools with cabanas, a spa, numerous bars, nearby golf, and more. Exploring the All-Inclusive Benefits Do you recommend an all-inclusive resort? The answer is a resounding yes! All-inclusive packages eliminate the need for worrying about daily restaurant bills or activity fees. Our family was able to simply relax and enjoy each other’s company without tracking every penny and the best part about it for the kiddos, at the end of the meal you just walk away without waiting for the check, basically the legal "dine and ditch". But let me tell you, not all all-inclusives are equal when it comes to the quality of the food and beverages. Make sure you do your research before selecting the all-inclusive for you. I highly recommend the Hardrock for their culinary offerings. Every restaurant we visited exceeded our expectations, which is impressive as we are a family of "foodies." Cabo’s all-inclusive resorts offer a wide array of choices. Imagine feasting on dishes like authentic tacos and fresh ceviche as well as endless fresh caught sushi. With several on-site restaurants, there was something new for our taste buds every day. For instance, one evening, we enjoyed a teppanyaki grill experience, while the next was filled with table-side guacamole and flaming mexican coffee desserts. Room Service All-Inclusive Style Family-Friendly Adventures When booking in Cabo, it's important to remember that swimming in the ocean is restricted on most beaches because of strong undertows. However, Santa Maria Beach and Chilleno Bay are promoted as swimming beaches, and we have enjoyed the water at the main beach (known as The Office) without any problems. Additionally, there is a designated swimming area at the renowned Cabo Arch (Lover's Beach), accessible by water taxi or snorkeling charter. During our Spring Break trip, we decided to charter a boat with friends. It was a lot of fun because the boat included jet skis, a floating pad, a masseuse, and a chef. Everyone, both adults and children, had an amazing day. We arranged for the boat to drop us off at The Office beach for a late lunch, where the kids enjoyed getting their hair braided, henna tattoos, and buying bracelets, sunglasses, blankets, cotton candy, and more from the beach vendors. Kid-Friendly Amenities Traveling with children means considering their enjoyment too. The all-inclusive resorts in Cabo embrace family travel with amenities designed for young guests. Many resorts feature kids' clubs that provide supervised activities both during the day and in the evening. Some of our friends with younger children made full use of these services, and the kids had no complaints. The flexible drop-in and drop-out schedule lets you visit the gym, spa, adult pool, or even have a dinner date with your spouse while the kids engage in arts and crafts or karaoke. The Hardrock Resort also boasts exciting water slides, a bowling alley, a full arcade, and poolside pottery painting. Suffice it to say, the kids were always entertained. Lush Beaches and Sun-Kissed Days Although the Hardrock's beach isn't suitable for swimming, we enjoyed ourselves by playing on the sand and taking walks along the shore in the mornings and evenings. The ocean's sounds provide a stunning backdrop, and engaging in activities outside the water means less sand clinging to every part of you. For all of the water lovers out there, don’t worry, the plethora of swimming pools and hot tubs can make up for the restricted ocean. At the Hardrock in particular, we enjoyed water aerobics, games and a poolside DJ at the more vibrant pool and then a more zen-like experience at the additional family-friendly pools that are lined with comfy cabanas. Make sure you don’t miss these pools as we had friends that stayed there for an entire week and they never knew the cabana pools existed! I also highly recommend booking the cabanas for the day, which served as a perfect meeting spot for our friends and kids as they ran around. Last Stop- Flora Farms Last but not least, Flora Farms is a "must" when visiting Cabo. We actually prefer to stop there on our way to the airport for our last vacation lunch. They will hold your luggage and call you a taxi once it's time to depart. Plan to be there a couple of hours to enjoy their shops, food, cocktails and many photo opp spots. Creating Lasting Memories For Spring Break, Cabo's all-inclusive resorts are an excellent option. Even if you can only stay for 3-4 days, it's worthwhile. This is particularly true if you're on the west coast, making travel easier. The convenience, variety of activities, and fantastic food can help you unwind and create lasting memories. Enjoy your trip and please comment with any additional suggestions or vacation recaps of your own!! Taryn's Travel Tips Book a car service for pick up and drop off through your hotel. When you arrive in Cabo, just head straight out to the arrivals location with your luggage and there will be someone waiting there from the hotel. Don't stop to talk to the people trying to sell you extra excursions. Bring some cash (small bills) for tipping and beach-side purchases. Double check that your passports are current at least two months prior to your trip. Also pack the passports in your travel bag the night before vs. that morning when things are a little more chaotic. Packing suggestions: Bring plenty of sunscreen, hats, sun shirts and aloe for those sun-filled days. Easy swimsuits and coverups during the day and sundresses, linen pants, or skirts with a cardigan or jean jacket for evening dinners. Don't forget the accessories; a beach bag, sunglasses, and clutch as well as pool toys, playing cards, dominoes, LRC or whatever your family prefers. Also, workout clothes for the hotel gym if you're feeling ambitious.

As you've likely heard, 30A is a "newer" hot spot gaining a lot of attention lately. Naturally, due to the buzz, I wanted to explore it with my family, so began the planning and researching. However, deciding where to visit along 30A was overwhelming. There were no clear answers on what would be ideal for our family, especially when comparing the two most popular spots, Watercolor and Rosemary Beach. After deciding to visit both, I'm here to share some insights to help you avoid the struggle I faced in choosing the best destination for you. Highly recommend reserving a complete chairs/umbrella setup (see Taryn's Tip Below) Traveling : We chose to visit 30A for Thanksgiving week. The duration of your journey to 30A can vary greatly depending on your starting point. For us, coming from California, it was certainly a lengthy trip with a layover but well worth it. To reach Watercolor or Rosemary Beach, you have two airport options: Destin (VPS) or Panama City (ECP). Both are approximately 45 minutes away, so you can choose based on the most convenient flight times. We opted for Destin. It's a charming, small airport that allowed for us to quickly retrieve our luggage and access our rental car without delay. The Alamo rental car desk is conveniently located right next to the baggage claim. They handed me the keys, and the rental car lot was just outside the baggage claim doors. I always opt to retrieve the car myself and drive around to pick up the family and luggage. Accommodations: Deciding on accommodations is always a stressful task for me since I am extremely particular. My priorities are convenience, comfort, and cleanliness when selecting our home away from home for the week. Watercolor offers two main choices: their hotel (Watercolor Inn) or a vacation rental. Each option has its advantages, but we opted for a vacation rental to enjoy more space, access to bikes, and the experience of living like a Watercolor resident. Watercolor is abundant with vacation rentals, which can be daunting when trying to select the best one. After receiving advice from a friend who has visited several times, we discovered that being nearest to Watercolor Inn Resort was the most ideal. We ended up in a charming bungalow-style 3bd/3ba home with front and back porches on a street called Mystic Cobalt . I enjoyed having my morning coffee on the front porch while the kids rode the provided bikes. The convenience of this location, in my opinion, was unbeatable. Just a block behind the home was a large park with beautifully lit trees at night, and the "downtown" area with a few restaurant options (more on that below). The resort, with its restaurants, pools, and beach access, was right across the street. The bike paths also allow for a 5-minute ride to the famous Seaside downtown (*Fun fact: The Truman Show movie was filmed here, making it as picturesque as you might imagine), which offers more shopping, restaurants, live shows, beach access, and more. You can also bike to the water slide pools, the lake with kayaking options, and the various neighborhood parks. Our Itinerary: Day 1- Getting the "Lay of the Land" Since we arrived late the night before, the kids slept in while my husband and I started the coffee. Quickly noticing that we didn't have creamer, I sent the hubby off on a quick bike ride errand to the store in Seaside (less than 5 minutes away). Once the kids were up, they immediately wanted to scope out the beach situation. We hopped on bikes, even though it's in walking distance as well, and headed across the way to the Watercolor Inn Resort. I had reserved chairs to be set up on our behalf (see below) so we told the beach attendant our name and they directed us to our chairs. It was incredibly convenient. The chairs are available for you to use throughout the day, which was very nice. Taryn's Tip: You can reserve a complete chairs/umbrella beach set up through Watercolor Inn's website. I suggest setting up in the Middle Section so that you can walk to and from the resort's pool/bar/restaurant/bathrooms more quickly. Reservations and more details can be found here: https://www.watercolorresort.com/beach-setups . While relaxing at the beach, we opted to get lunch to-go from the resort's poolside restaurant. Below is the menu showcasing their extensive selection for both adults and kids. After enjoying our meal at our beach chairs, we decided to ride our bikes to Seaside, where dad had gone earlier that morning for the creamer. After dropping our beach bag at the house (leaving our reserved beach chairs for later), we rode along the bike paths to the downtown area. Seaside is one of the most charming little towns you've ever seen, offering a variety of fun food options, including food trucks, sit-down restaurants, quick bites, and pre-made market finds. While the kids explored the shops, my husband and I settled in at The Great Southern Cafe for a local beer and some oysters. We wrapped up Day 1 with more bike rides around the community, including a stop by the lake where they have a shop on the dock full of Vuori clothing. Overhearing conversations, it sounds like you can rent out the shop's building for parties/dinners. There was a patroness there talking about how she was having her pre-Thanksgiving party there later in the week with family and friends. It sounded lovely. We had dinner that night at a restaurant in Seaside called Bud & Alley's . It was a yummy menu full of fresh seafood, steaks, sourdough bread, salads and plenty of kid options. Taryn's Tip: I strongly suggest reserving dinner spots in advance. I secured all of mine at least a month prior to ensure availability. We visited during Thanksgiving, a popular week, though not as crowded as Spring Break or Summer. I've heard that during peak seasons, restaurant wait times can be lengthy. Day 2: Waterslides & Rosemary Beach I feel like we packed in a lot on this day but not too much to handle. My husband had a fly fishing guide lined up (out of Panama City Beach) to try and catch the season's redfish so he snuck out early before the rest of us were up. While he spent the morning fishing, the kids and I rode bikes to the Seaside food trucks for morning crepes, acai bowls and kolaches of course. If you haven't had a kolache (a southern breakfast pigs in a blanket type of treat), you MUST get one (or more) to try. Mouth-watering goodness. We reunited with Dad at the house around 11 a.m. and suited up to visit the Camp Watercolor pools. Here you'll find waterslides, a lazy river, a few pools, a restaurant/bar, and a kitshe boutique. https://www.mywatercolorcommunity.com/184/Camp-WaterColor . We enjoyed a couple of hours of swimming and playing volleyball at the adjoining park. After building up an appetite, we biked back home to get the car and set off for Rosemary Beach . The drive between the two communities takes about 25-30 minutes. Rosemary is a charming, European-style area that reminds me of Carmel Beach in California. The architecture is stunning, with homes closely packed together along cobblestone streets. Rosemary exudes a European vibe and, in my view, is more suited for adults than families. We enjoyed one of our favorite lunches at a restaurant we happened upon called Gallions . My daughter particularly enjoyed the giant corn dogs and mac & cheese. We made it back to Watercolor in time for a quick beach walk and sunset viewing at the pool. After the busy day, we regrouped at the house for a bit and did a light sprucing up for dinner. We chose to rearrange our previous dinner plans and stick closer to home by walking over to The Wine Bar where they serve pizzas, salads, panini's, cheese boards and of course delicious wines. It's a smaller restaurant so we had to wait about 20 minutes for a table to open up. While we waited, the kids ran around the tree lit park. Day 3: Easy Breezy with a Touch of Shopping This morning started off with a cooler breeze and light sprinkles so we slept in and took it easy most of the day. We had a nice little breakfast at Scratch Biscuit Kitchen which is within walking distance. No surprise here, they have delicious homemade biscuit dishes as well as breakfast bowls, avocado toast, yogurt w/ granola and more. We did a little shopping next door and then my daughter and I decided to take the car just down the road to a quaint bungalow-style Lululemon store. Meeting back up with the boys, we rode bikes to Seaside for mid-day snowcones and more shopping. The signature Seaside sweatshirt is a must buy and Town Square Shoes has some great Birkenstock styles to choose from as well as helpful local store clerks. For lunch, we decided to dine at the stunning coastal restaurant at Watercolor Inn, known as Fish Out of Water . The ambiance, extensive selection of food, and delicious cocktails/mocktails created the perfect experience for our family. The sun crept out later in the day allowing for a poolside hang at Watercolor Inn and another beautiful sunset. With our later lunch, we opted to forgo our dinner reservations and order take out for a night in of pizza and games. *A perk of being in a vacation rental. It was a nice, lazy vacation day that was just as memorable as any busy vacation day. Day 4: Last Full Day We had big plans to visit family in New York from here so unfortunately we were only able to fit 4 days/5 nights into this magical destination. Taking full advantage of our last day though, we enjoyed lots of beach time and more local eateries. We started the morning off with a bang at Black Bear Bread Co . This highly recommended bakery is a local hotspot with a line out the door. The line moves fairly quickly though and is well worth the wait. The kids loved the fresh toasted bread "tartines" as well as the breakfast sandwiches and pastries. If you want to forego the eat-in experience, they have an online order option for easy pick up as well. After breakfast, we packed our bags for a full day at the beach. I had pre-arranged our beach chair setup again, so we headed to the attendant to check on our location for the day. It was a beautiful, sunny day. We played volleyball, football, and splashed around in the ocean. There is a large sandbar in the ocean, allowing you to walk out quite far while still being in shallow waters. We had lunch at the beach, ordering from the poolside bar, Gather . A popular cocktail that many people order is the Bushwacker, which is essentially a delicious boozy milkshake. You can also order to-go drinks from Fish Out of Water 's extensive cocktail menu. The Frose and the Cucumber Elderflower Margarita were also among our favorites. The kids were thrilled with their Georgia Peach on the Beach refreshers. For our final dinner of the trip, I had booked us a table at Surfing Deer in advance. I'm thrilled we followed through with this plan as it was the ideal conclusion to our "tour of eats." The restaurant was beautiful and leaned towards the upscale side, yet it was still comfortable for dining with kids. They even have a kids menu, so children are clearly welcome, which aligns with the overall vibe of Watercolor. Our server was very friendly and helpful in suggesting some of the menu favorites. The food was incredible, and we left with very full, happy bellies. Takeaways: Gosh, what a truly incredible vacation that we will cherish and remember forever. We will definitely return, and next time, we might bring friends or family because it's such a fantastic destination for groups. The kids thoroughly enjoyed all the bike rides, and I suspect they would have loved them even more with friends to explore the entire Watercolor community with. Watercolor is a very active and outdoorsy destination. Many families, along with extended families and friends, were riding bikes and golf carts, playing sports in the parks, swimming in the pools, and playing games on the beach. It created a very friendly and family-oriented atmosphere. You could sense the love and appreciation for others all around you. It really did feel like you were in a Truman Show movie scene at times. I would certainly suggest staying for more than 4 days to thoroughly explore all that the area has to offer. However, if a brief visit is all you can manage, it's still a fantastic destination. Next time, I'd like to visit more of the beaches along 30A and spend additional time getting to know the Rosemary Beach area. I'm sure my husband would enjoy exploring the local golf courses and doing more fishing too. We will definitely return, and I hope to share more insights about the area when we make that trip happen. Happy travels friends!!