Whenever you need to chill out, what’s better than a laid-back and fun escape? Los Cabos in Baja California Mexico fits the bill for me anytime. Cabo San Lucas is a popular party town and San José del Cabo is more luxurious and subdued. Both feature amazing resorts, azure seas, and festive colors everywhere.
Find a local guide in Los Cabos, here.
I’ve been to Los Cabos several times and my daughter was married there. Mexico has a cool exciting vibe and amazing food. It’s also a great place to go if you are on a budget as you can get great bargains there especially for shopping and local food.
Cabo San Lucas
Hurricane Patricia threatened to clobber parts of Mexico and Baja on the day we went to the airport the first time I went there and friends and relatives sent worried text messages before takeoff.
“Are you crazy? Don’t go! It’s going to be the worst hurricane on record!”
All flights to Puerto Vallarta were canceled but Los Cabos was still a go. We wondered if we were making a huge mistake but the gate attendant told us the captain wasn’t worried, so we decided to chance it.
And we were so glad we did!
The weather was calm and sunny the entire time. The only remnants of the “perilous” hurricane were large waves slamming the shore causing a few beach cafes like the popular “Office on the Beach” to close temporarily.
The wild and crazy Los Cabos Airport
Resort towns in Mexico have timeshare hawkers at every turn. Pushing activities is a sure sign of hawkers so it’s best to avoid them. Be careful about what taxi service you take to get to your hotel. Uber and Lyft, which are extremely affordable in Mexico, are not sanctioned to pick up at the airport, but they can take you back.
While waiting for our driver to arrive, we sipped a Corona outside the airport exit.
Playa Grande Resort and Grand Spa
Our plan for our 3-night stay was to stay in Cabo San Lucas for two nights and then spend the last night in San José del Cabo. We were booked into the Playa Grande Resort and Grand Spa within walking distance of the Cabo San Lucas Marina and downtown.
The first thing we did after we checked into our room was to take a stroll around the marina.
It was beautiful, but it was a hot day so we spent the rest of the morning enjoying the pool area at our hotel. Tip: Bring plenty of sunscreen!
Playa Grande is an older resort but I enjoyed it because it wasn’t too huge and institutional and the food was wonderful.
The breakfast and snacks at the Calima and Brigantine restaurants were delightful and filling. I love Mexican breakfasts! They’re so full of flavor!
The hotel is part of Solmar Hotels. Another Solmar hotel, Grand Solmar Pacific Dunes celebrated its 50th anniversary and has been a top choice hotel since 2017.
You can’t have a relaxing vacation without a spa visit
The Grand Spa at Playa Grande offers a variety of spa treatments. Most were beyond our budget. We decided to check out the fish spa, where tiny Garra Rufa fish nibble dead skin off your feet. My son tried it when he was stationed in Okinawa where it is popular.
The gentle knawing on my rough heels felt weird but I could feel them being exfoliated by the voracious fish. Given the condition of the bottom of my feet, I needed Piranhas. The experience was well worth it, though.
Our hideaway overlooking the Sea of Cortez
Our room was nicely decorated and had a comfortable bed, 2 bathrooms, and a kitchenette. I could easily live there.
The balcony overlooked the Pacific at Playa Solmar. It was a lovely sight to wake up to each morning even though swimming in it was banned because of the rough current.
Touring Cabo San Lucas
We signed up for a tour of both Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo. We were booked to stay at Hyatt Ziva in San José del Cabo that night and tried to get the tour operator to take our luggage along and drop us off there so we didn’t have to drive back to Cabo San Lucas after the tour. He told us he wasn’t allowed to do that legally, but that meant we would have to drive back to Playa Granda in Cabo San Lucas and then to Hotel Ziva in San José del Cabo. Each direction took 30 minutes.
Oh well, rules are rules but it seemed silly.
Our boat ride to El Arco
During our tour, our guide took us to the Marina to board a glass-bottom boat for a spin around the rocks at El Arco. They are at Land’s End and are a majestic landmark not to be missed. We had fun speeding around in the boat, saying hello to the sea lions, and pelicans, and viewing the spectacular rocks.
Our next stop was a glass-blowing factory in a working-class section of Cabo San Lucas. It was impressive watching two local men form a colorful fish out of recycled glass.
Afterward, we had free time in town but most of us ended up at Pancho’s Restaurant and Tequila Bar for appetizers and beer.
A little glitch
An Ironman competition was taking place on the road to San José del Cabo that day and was snarling up traffic. It took an eternity to get to where we were supposed to stop for lunch. After we ate, our group decided to cancel the remainder of the tour and return to our hotels.
Note: Tour operators in Mexico may tell you traffic won’t be a problem or give you updates that could take longer than expected. They’re out to make a buck no matter what. Even still, our guide was a nice guy and did his best so we gave him a nice tip.
2 fabulous places to eat in Cabo
As we were only in Cabo San Lucas for two nights we wanted to experience the best of the best cuisine-wise. A friend who comes down to Los Cabos recommends two taste-worthy establishments.
Hacienda Cocina e Cantina at the Hacienda Beach Club
Calle Gomez Farias S/N, El Medano, 23453 Cabo San Lucas, B.C.S.
+52 624 163 3144
Perched under a palm-frond palapa overlooking Medano Beach, with a star-lit sky overhead, we savored authentic, locally sourced Mexican cuisine made to perfection. My daughter and I shared Ceviche Verde (a mixture of raw sea bass, tomatillo sauce, and avocado) and Enchiladas De Langosta y Camaron (lobster and shrimp enchiladas with tomato, ancho chipotle sauce, avocado, fresh cheese, sour cream, and Mexican rice.)
Sunset MonaLisa
Carretera Transpeninsular Kilometro 6.5, Cabo Bello Plaza del Rey 7 y 8, 23455 Cabo San Lucas, B.C.S., Mexico
+52 624 145 8160
Elegant tables sit on a tiered rock terrace overlooking the bay with a mind-boggling view of El Arco. It’s a romantic restaurant founded by Giorgio Battaglia of Florence, Italy in 1984. Hector Morales, its current chef, works his magic to create mouth-watering dishes and decadent desserts.
We arrived two hours earlier than our reservation to catch the sunset.
Our hostess seated us right away giving us a choice view at a table on top of the terrace. As the sun descended, a waiter ceremoniously blew a conch shell.
We delighted in eating fresh seasonal seafood, luscious chocolate soufflé for dessert, and a chocolate liqueur aperitif.
A wedding had just ended at Taittinger Terrace Bar next to the restaurant where you can sip high-end champagne, enjoy cocktails, and eat delectable appetizers pre-dinner.
If you are a foodie like me, you may also enjoy Sabor a Cabo, an annual food festival in December that celebrates the cuisine of many of the chefs in Los Cabos.
San José del Cabo
During our first visit to Los Cabos my daughter and I stayed at the inclusive Hyatt Ziva in San José del Cabo. It is next to the sea in the main part of town. The resort is stunning and because it is inclusive you don’t have to pay extra for meals. As lovely as it was, inclusive resorts are not my first choice. I prefer to venture into the surrounding area to enjoy local cuisine. I found the food at the resort to be mediocre compared to what you can get at many of the fine restaurants in Los Cabos.
On our second trip to Los Cabos, we stayed exclusively in San José del Cabo with our main objective to search out restaurants and hotels for the wedding. We stayed three nights in three separate hotels; The Hyatt, as we came in at night and would be leaving the next morning, Mar del Cabo by Velas Resorts, and JW Marriott Los Cabos Beach Resort & Spa.
I love the boutique hotel experience and adored the ambiance at Mar del Cabo. If I were to go by myself, I wouldn’t mind staying there. It’s small, quaint, and filled with gorgeous Bougainvillea. We were offered a welcome drink when we arrived which I loved. It was a mix of club soda, cranberry, and lime juice, with mint.
The hotel has steps that go all the way down to the beach and no elevators so it’s a workout going up and down them but it is great exercise. It wasn’t suitable for the wedding and unfortunately had major construction of a huge new hotel next to it. Otherwise, it was charming.
The wedding took place later that year at Flora Farms, which is in the foothills of the Sierra de la Laguna Mountains north of San Jose del Cabo. It’s a 25-acre working farm that offers farm-to-table cuisine and is a popular wedding destination with a busy restaurant.
Driving there in our Uber it almost seemed like we were being kidnapped as we drove up an unpaved road up a hill in a sketchy neighborhood. But, when we arrived it was lovely.
Art District Art Gallery District – San Jose del Cabo
The seaside is fun and touristy but the Arts District in San Jose del Cabo is where all the action is with colorful galleries, restaurants, bars, and quaint little boutique hotels. We enjoyed amazing tacos at La Lupita, which was on our list of restaurants to check out for the welcome dinner. I ate a taco with fried grasshoppers in it and it was delicious! Not that I go around eating bugs . . . but when in Mexico . . .
We ultimately decided to stay at the J.W. Marriott for the wedding as it is close to Flora Farms. Even though it’s a huge complex you are never disturbed by too many tourists. The tacos at the pool bar were astounding as well. I didn’t expect that of a chain hotel but my brisket taco blew me out of the water. The wedding was in January which is the prime season for whale watching.
What to wear in Baja, Mexico
When I was packing to go to Los Cabos I saw that the weather was about 75 degrees but didn’t account for the fact that it would feel hotter and more humid as it’s closer to the equator. I should have brought resort-style clothing instead of uncomfortable denim jeans. Cotton and linen are what you need as well as a wide-brimmed straw hat.
What’s your favorite resort destination to relax and de-stress? Please leave a comment below.
Wow, sounds fantastic. I sure wish I could have joined you! That civechi really sounded good. That’s one of my all time favorite foods. And those views! So glad you two had a great time and were not bothered by Patricia.
Darn Janet! We wish you could have been there with us. It was so much fun and the perfect place to relax. We’ll have to figure out a way to all get there again.
This trip looks heavenly! I could really go for a beach vacation right now. And a massage and a nice long soak in a hot tub.
Beach vacations are wonderful. I wish I was still there. Our trip was much too short. It’s a great place to go to relax and renew.
Oh this looks divine from start to finish!
It was and I just went back again.
Those little fish nibbling your feet are fun. Haven’t done it on the feet but at an aquarium we visited once, they had us put our hands in the water to have them nibble. Loved all your pictures.
Looks awesome. I love Mexico. The people are so nice, the scenery is magnificent and the food is great! Looks like an awesome trip!
So far, Mexico has only been someplace I’ve read about. Haven’t had the itch to visit.