Those of you who have been following my social media and blog know that when it comes to travel, finding somewhere new is top of my list! It’s such a big world with so much to see and do that I try to avoid repeating a destination. I had heard of Cabo, but having already been to other areas of Mexico like Cancun, Riviera Maya, Puerto Vallarta and Cozumel, I continuously pushed Cabo to the back of the list. In researching this year’s family vacation Cabo came up again, so I decided to look into it. The price was right and hotel options seemed good so I pulled the trigger and booked yet another Mexico vacation. To my surprise this was unlike any other Mexican destination! As soon as our plane began its descent I could already see the landscape full of mountains which was unlike any other area of Mexico I had visited.
Located at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, Los Cabos, or Cabo as most know it, is a combination of desert, beachfront, and mountainous terrain, with the Pacific Ocean on the west side of the peninsula and the Gulf of California, also called the Sea of Cortés, on the east. The two meet at the southern tip of Baja where El Arco (The Arch), a well known rock formation, rises from the sea. The surf on the Pacific side is rough, and the Sea of Cortés is generally calm, although there can still be strong currents. In my research I quickly learned that even though most resorts are beachfront, not all Cabo beaches are swimmable. In fact, most of them are not! If being able to swim in the ocean at your hotel is important to you, you’ll want to pay close attention to your hotel’s location. Médano, Playa Santa Maria, Chileno, Palmilla, and Lover’s Beach are among the few safe for swimming. Note also that when a resort is located on a non swimmable beach oftentimes just sitting and sunbathing on the beach is not even an option due to high winds and unpleasant conditions.
All my research finally led me to booking the Pueblo Bonito Los Cabos (also known as Blanco) resort. Blanco is an oceanfront Mediterranean-style resort overlooking El Médano Beach and the Sea of Cortez. Almost every room has stunning views of the picturesque and well known Land’s End. Besides the amazing reviews and the fact that the hotel was located on the most popular beach in Cabo, I loved the fact that it was all-inclusive with full exchange privileges at sister properties. When you stay at one Pueblo Bonito resort you get signing privileges to 23 Pueblo Bonito restaurants at sister resorts Pueblo Bonito Rose and Pueblo Bonito Los Cabos, as well as at the Quivira Golf Club. Plus shuttle service between resorts is included.
What to do in Cabo
Set between mountains, desert, and two immense bodies of water, there’s countless activity options in Cabo. Here’s some options and what we did:
Enjoy a Beach Day at Médano Beach
The biggest and most popular beach in Cabo San Lucas stretches two miles and is home to popular cantinas like the Mango Deck and The Office and multiple beachfront luxury resorts. Since we were lucky enough to be staying right on Médano we spent many hours here. I liked that this beach had options to keep everyone happy. It was a great spot for people watching, taking a long walk, relaxing, shopping or swimming. Although it should be noted that because the beach is so popular there are A LOT of vendors and they can get very annoying very quickly. Your best bet is to just politely say no or ignore them. Pueblo Bonito did have a roped off area that vendors were not allowed to pass but this did not stop them from standing at the rope and yelling to you – even if you were in the middle of a conversation. However, with countless vendors walking the beach this is a great location to grab a souvenir or book parasailing or a boat trip to the arch.
Stroll Around the Marina
Cabo San Lucas is centered around the marina and entertainment district. There’s a long boardwalk promenade that parallels the Land’s End city’s marina, snaking from the cruise ship terminal on one end to the Médano Beach on the other. Various shops and restaurants are set along this marina boardwalk. Besides shopping this is a great area to check out the luxury yachts tied up at the docks or sea lions resting on the rocks. We walked downtown from our hotel one afternoon to see the sights and do a little shopping. As is true in many places, the further you get from the main strip the better bargains you’ll find. We got some great deals on shirts and a Christmas ornament to join our collection of other trip ornaments (see my blog post about our favorite souvenirs).
Visit the Arches at Land’s End
If you’re going to visit one place in Cabo this should be it! These are the famous arches that adorn postcards and advertising for Los Cabos. Located at the southern end of Cabo San Lucas between Playa del Amor and Playa del Divorcio, these rock formations were created from the rough winds and seas of the southern Baja Peninsula.You can’t reach Land’s End on foot, so the best way to get there is via a tour or water taxi from the downtown marina. We took a speedboat ride to get up close. We had a great tour guide who told us all about Cabo’s history, fun facts and pointed out important sights and creatures along the way. Besides the arches, Pelican Rock, Neptune’s Finger, The Window to the Pacific, Lovers and Divorce Beach and the last point of land before hitting Antarctica, we also got to spot sea lions, pelicans and whales while out on the water!
Ride a Camel
When you think of the desert, inevitably camels come to mind but in Mexico? Though they are not native to the area, there are in fact camels in Los Cabos and a select group of vendors provide camel ride tours. When I saw camel riding was on the excursion list for Cabo I knew it was something we had to do! When would we ever get to ride a camel again? After a tour of the eco farm we were introduced to our camels and got to pose for a few pictures before putting on our helmet hidden under a shemagh (traditional desert headwear) and settling into our saddles. We rode through the desert and along the beach. Unlike riding a horse, camel riding had more of a side to side motion and was much slower! After our ride we enjoyed a delicious authentic beachfront lunch and tequila tasting. Camel riding was definitely a different experience and I’m so glad we did it.
Go Whale Watching (mid-December to mid-April)
Every year 5-10,000 whales migrate from arctic feeding grounds to the warm weather breeding grounds around Baja California Sur. Humpbacks and gray whales are the species most commonly seen around Los Cabos, but blue whales, sperm whales, and even orcas are occasionally seen. The whale-watching season stretches from mid-December to mid-April. During those months, virtually every adventure company and cruise boat operator offers daily whale-watching excursions.Depending on when you visit you may not even have to book a trip or look hard for the whales. We didn’t do a whale watching trip but were able to spot multiple whales throughout the day while relaxing by the pool at Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach. My children went parasailing in the waters off Médano Beach and got to watch whales breaching below them and our boat ride to the arch also included spotting multiple whales along the way back.
Other popular activities in Cabo that we did not partake in include:
Partying
Los Cabos is known for its nightlife.Top bars include Cabo Wabo Cantina with live music nights and generous happy hours, multi-level dance club El Squid Roe located downtown, Mango Deck, located along Medano Beach is known for its wet T-shirt contests and all-day fun, and if you head over to The Giggling Marlin, you can get hung upside down (like a marlin on the dock) for a free shot. Since this was a family vacation and we’ve outgrown the party scene, bar hopping was not something we partook in but if you’re up for a party Cabo definitely has some great options!
Fishing
Cabo has been acclaimed as one of the world’s sport fishing capitals. In fact, the initial popularity of Los Cabos as a tourist destination was based on its reputation for spectacular black and blue marlin fishing. The world’s richest fishing tournament, Bisbee’s Black & Blue, takes place here every October, but visitors can try their luck at catching a big one year-round.
Golf
As of 2022, three golf courses in Los Cabos are ranked among the World’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses by Golf Digest (Diamante Dunes Course, Quivira, and Querencia).
Experience Off-Road Adventures
The Baja California peninsula burst onto the world sporting stage in the 1960s thanks to an off-road event called the Baja 1000, a ruggedly difficult race through challenging desert and mountain terrains. During its 50-plus year run, this now iconic race has attracted participants ranging from Hollywood movie stars to NASCAR icons. For those who’d like to experience off-road racing, Los Cabos offers several adventurous options, from high-speed dune buggy rides along secluded beaches to excursions in authentic Baja 1000-style desert racers.
Scuba Dive or Snorkel
Even there’s plenty of coral reefs full of marine life, Cabo is more famous for providing the opportunity to encounter large animals and sharks. Depending on when and where you snorkel or dive, you can encounter bull sharks, orcas, humpback whales, whale sharks, manta rays, mako sharks and even the majestic blue whale. If that’s not exciting enough, at Neptune’s Finger, an underwater sandfall begins at a depth of 100 feet. Sandfalls are a rare natural phenomenon in which sand flows down a cliff in the same way as water does.
Is Cabo safe?
Safety is one of the topics that often comes up when planning a vacation to Mexico. Most of the violent crimes you hear about in Mexico occur closer to the Mexican border and not in tourist locations. However, it’s always a good idea to check government travel advisories before going. Just make sure you read all the details, especially for Mexico since the warnings are broken out into so many different locations. We left the resort for excursions and even walked into town down back streets and felt completely safe. As with anywhere we travel to, we were careful to follow basic safety rules. We kept our bags and valuables close at all times, used the hotel room safe to store passports and extra cash and didn’t get drunk or wander off alone late at night. While major crime is uncommon in Cabo, there is petty theft across the state. Fraud is one of the major crimes reported. These crimes deal with bank transactions and consumer fraud. When planning a trip to Cabo, like anywhere else, make sure you exercise caution when arranging accommodations or excursions that may not have reputable reviews. In addition, make sure you are aware of your surroundings when traveling off resort grounds.
When is the best time to visit?
November through to June is considered the best time to visit with December through mid-April being the best time to spot whales and whale sharks. August through October are typically going to be the warmest months but with this warmth comes humidity and lots of rain.
In conclusion, this was a different vacation than the all-inclusive experiences we’ve grown used to. There weren’t huge grounds to walk across, various buildings, large kids clubs or a ton of activities but we all still really enjoyed ourselves. It was great to have the easily accessible resort sharing privileges to be able to jump between resorts for different food, entertainment, vibes, views and landscapes. We celebrated two birthdays (including the big 18), relaxed, ate delicious food, went on adventures, made memories and really enjoyed quality time together as a family. This was yet another great family vacation in the books!
Take vacations, go as many places as you can. You can always make money, you can’t always make memories.
