Cabo: Tacos, Beaches and Beer
I didn’t know what to expect when we headed to Cabo San Lucas with my adult family. All I knew was it’s a spring break favorite with great beaches, and we soon learned why. Although, I’d been to Mexico many times, this was a first to Cabo for all seven of us.
As we touched down, we were informed my sister and her husband’s luggage did not arrive. Not a good start, but about five hours later the bags were delivered to the resort. After putting the bags through security, we thought we were exiting the airport, only to be “helped” by what we thought were airport workers who would tell us where to go and give us maps. In fact, they were trying to sell excursion packages. So just keep walking and as soon as you exit to the outside you’ll see rental car companies and taxis. It’s a quick shuttle ride to Alamo rent a car. However booking through a third party travel site, doesn’t tell you the real price of the rental. I even called and it was no help, so I had no idea how much the weekly rental for a Nissan Sentra would be – it was about $175, and they require you to buy a bunch of insurance. We had no issues with the car, but I’d prefer to know what I’m getting into ahead of time.
Beaches
So we are finally on our way to the beach! We booked an AirBnB close to Medano beach and just a 10 minute walk to the Marina. The location was great, walkable to many excellent restaurants, bars and shopping. But vendors, tourists, jet skis and boat taxi traffic packed Medano beach (my only complaint). And I was looking for somewhere my siesta wouldn’t be interrupted. So we took a short drive to Playa Chileno, where the snorkeling was excellent, there were few people, it was clean, free and no vendors. Playa Santa Maria cove was similar, but wear water shoes for all the small rocks. The public beaches were really awesome, so I’d highly recommend checking them out. Easy free parking lots, with bathrooms and did I say “No vendors”?
We did take the water taxi to the very popular Lover’s Beach (no, you can’t drive there). My husband perfectly described getting off the boat as a ‘rodeo’ (we’re from Texas, after all). We jumped off the boat in waist deep water that had significant waves that pushed you into giant rock towers. Beware of the rough water exit if you have small children. The taxi cost $10-20/person plus tips (but negotiate before you get on – it took one second to get $150 down to $100). The glass bottom taxi ride was nice though, and we saw fish, sea lions, and really cool jumping stingrays.
The snorkeling in the area was good, but I also really wanted to surf. There’s a few good surf spots near Cabo, but we decided to take the 45 minute drive north to the Pacific side. We stopped at Los Cerritos for some good beginner surf. We rented boards on the beach for $25 for the day, plus $10 for a wetsuit. Yes, it was that cold. After surfing, I opted for an hour massage for another $25. Vendors are allowed here, but there weren’t many. At some point that day we lost our AirBnb key somewhere on that beach, but some angel turned it into the lifeguard! So, pretty much best day ever!
Good Eats
The food was the best surprise ever! We tried cheap taco places and expensive lobster places and all of them were amazing. The Office had great food and presentation, but don’t sit right on the beach to avoid the vendors hovering over you while you eat. Go to Taco Gus, probably my favorite place, for cheap tacos. A shrimp taco will set you back about $2.50 with five different salsas. Gardenia tacos was a close second. For something more romantic go to Roasted, Baja brewery for a great view, and Tres Gallos for the ambiance.
Cabo had a lot of offer for our family, and was a memorable trip I know we’ll tell stories about for years to come.
Tips:
- Click here for $40 off your first stay with Airbnb.
- Rent a car. From the airport, it’s 35 minutes and $5 on toll (they take USD), or 50 minutes for the free scenic route along the coast.
- There’s a Walmart close to Playa Medano, stop there for snacks, drinks, and extra sunscreen.
