How to plan your Los Cabos Trip

Los Cabos or shortly known as Cabo is always full of sunshine, round the clock tequilas and margaritas, and always drenched with pleasant tropical sunshine.

(A beautiful view of the rock along the shore as the sun sets down)

Wait wait how can I forget TACOS !!!!!! and Mexican hospitality.

Let’s start with some basics.

What is Baja California Sur?

Los Cabos is at the southernmost tip of Baja California (in plain English Lower California). The area is slowly growing its popularity among tourist and becoming an alternative to Caribbean. Most popular cities in the area are:

·         South is Cabo San Lucas is known for its beaches, nightlife and El Arco rock arch while

·         San José del Cabo city has colorful colonial architecture.

·         La Paz, has a Whale Museum and a promenade overlooking the Gulf of California. Also known for Sharks.

When to visit

Los Cabos is a year-round destination with plenty of sunshine with limited precipitation.

• Peak seasons are generally November to April when temperatures are typically between 23- 25°C. Its supposed to be the busiest time of the year and its often recommended to plan in advance if visiting during this peak period.

We are a traveler who generally don’t go by books. So, we ended up visiting in mid-December, booking only a week in advance. We were lucky enough to grab a great last-minute deal, so ignore what I said above and keep looking for a great deal. There is no right time to book your perfect vacation.

• Btw, off Peak season is August and September with relatively wet weather. If you want to avoid crowd and get some good deals, this could be a good time to visit. You will definitely get the beach for yourself.

How Many days to spend:

There is no hard and fast rule on the specific amount of the time to spend in Cabo. I typically like long vacations so I planned for a week. But you can easily choose from between 3 days to 3 months, depending on how long you can afford to soak in sun and water.

What to do

Apart from beaches, sunshine, pools and tequilas there are few other things to explore in the area.

Whale watching---- The best time to see whales and whale sharks is from early January through March. Most whale shark tour operators are based out of La Paz, two hours from Cabo. You can watch humpbacks in Sea of Cortez. Breaching humpbacks are a speciality of the region. Though, I still don’t know how often one can witness breaching whales in the open ocean.

Snorkeling and Diving ---- The best time for snorkeling and diving runs from early October and through early November, as this is the peak season to spot whales, guitarfish, and octopuses. Colorful reef fish and sea turtles are here year-round. Cabo is also known for its incredible scuba diving experience.

Explore Cabo San Lucas and San Jose Town- You can spend a day exploring the small towns in the region visiting blown glass factory, trying local tequilas, exploring El Arco, spotting some sea lions and wandering in the historic streets of San Jose. Even you can go for some luxury Sunset tours at El Arco.

(A close view of El Arco, while on the boat tour)

(While overlooking the rocks at the Divorce Beach, another very famous un-swimmable beach in the area)

While on the other side of Divorce Beach lies the Lover's beach where you can swim and enjoy the waters)

Todos Santos and La Paz- These are the two more towns popular among the tourist in the area, where you can explore the small villages and experience some local artisan’s art and culture.

Nightlife – If you enjoy nightlife Cabo is the perfect place to be. You can find parties here at nearly any hour of the day starting with day beach parties to late night clubs that don’t close until 5am. A number of resorts host night parties which you can participate in. We chose to attend pool parties hosted by our resort and those were just wow. As the party started so was the fun, foam filled hot pools, dance, booze and music, making it a perfect way to end our day.

(While Partying Hard at the Neon Party)

None of this sounds interesting? Well you’re in luck. There are also plenty of water activities which you can do. Either book at your resort or head to beaches where you can find several vendors offering different services. Don’t forget to haggle!

Btw, this is a place where you can spend your entire vacation without stepping out of your resort. At least that’s what we did, except taking a tour to explore El Arco also known as Lands end, which is definitely a must.

Okay, by now you must be wondering, all this is fine. Where to stay, Agrati?

Choosing a Resort

The coastline of the town is lined with numerous luxurious resorts offering Infinity pools, parties, delicious food and yes lots of booze.

When choosing a resort, first sit down with your list of priorities, as this will probably be the most important decision for your trip to Cabo, as you will spend maximum amount of time here. You will find both all inclusive resorts and European style deals (i.e., Breakfast only).

(A beautiful view of the resort)

There are several points to keep in mind before booking an all-inclusive resort:

• Look what all services are included in the package and what extra e.g., Pool Towels, Booze, Party options, kids activities, Food, Transfers etc.
• Will you prefer a resort situated on the beach, or you are okay with something at some distance from beach. The second option may save you some greens.
• Also note that some beaches are strictly non-swimmable due to undertow currents that can be dangerous.

Again, do not compromise on the resort as it will play a vital role on how amazing your vacation will be.

(While relaxing on the beach of the resort and enjoying the serene)

We chose a family friendly resort Riu Santa Fe. It was equipped from infinity pools, flowing Tequilas, Pool Parties, lots of kids activities, games options, splash pads and Vegetarian Food options. Being Vegetarian, food is always a concern for us especially in case of all-inclusive vacations. This place broke our myths as we could find decent options throughout the day. Overall, we loved our stay in this resort.

How Much Advance to Book Your Vacation

This is the biggest dilemma when planning a trip. I have seen a common trend to book vacations 3 months – 1 year in advance to get decent deals. Even I used to believe in this, but from the past few years, I have been only able to plan my vacations last minute, and it did work well with less uncertainty and decent prices.

If you are flexible in your dates and resort options, you might get some great last-minute deals. Ours was through Sunwing.

So are you already dreaming about sun and sand?

Notes:

• Mexican Peso is the local currency. Though, US Dollar is widely accepted in the region. You can get your currency converted in the Resort or from local currency shops, Airports. You might not the best rates at these locations. Its better if you can carry Mexican Peso or US Dollar before heading.
• Tipping plays a vital role in the quality of services. It's always advisable to tip before in hand for exceptional services. 
• Tap water is non drinkable so, always drink the bottled water.
• You have some big stores like Walmart and Costco where you can buy your essentials if you need during your trip.
• Uber is available and you can easily pay in your own currency. Though, some resorts may not allow Uber to come inside, so may require you to walk a bit. The other option is to arrange taxi through your resort, though this could be a bit more expensive.