Cabo San Lucas Travel Guide
MEXICOOOOOOO!!!!!
We spent five nights in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico thanks to Hotel Tesoro — they set us up in the best place. Hotel Tesoro was an all inclusive resort which was located right by the marina. Staying at the marina helped us with transportation because it was right by all the tours we booked. We were able to walk most places being so close to downtown and in the long run we saved money with the hotel being all-inclusive! I honestly do not think I have ever enjoyed a trip as much as I loved Cabo. We made so many friends on this trip and are already looking to plan our next trip back.
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Getting to Cabo:
Time zone in Cabo San Lucas, BCS, Mexico (GMT-6). Two hours behind EST.
We took a flight from Miami to Mexico City, which was about two and half hours, then a second flight from Mexico City to Cabo which was two hours. On the way back we flew a total of four hours and had our layover in Dallas. On the way there we flew AeroMexico — which I believe is owned by Delta. On the way back we flew American, we booked through Expedia to find the most affordable option for a round trip.
From the airport you will need to take a shuttle, my recommendation - book beforehand in order to ensure your shuttle is not $80 which what we ended up paying the first time. This time we will be using this booking here ($32 roundtrip per a person). For larger groups book here ($75 one way for a group - up to 5 people).
Best Time to Go:
The best time to go to Cabo San Lucas is between May and June. October and November can also be great months to travel to Mexico after all of the summertime rainstorms have passed. We traveled in November and I thought it was such a perfect time. The water was definitely cold but because of the tide you don’t do too much swimming in Cabo.
Hotel Tesoro!!
Camel riding is such a unique experience and we had no idea it was something we’d be able to do in Mexico. This excursion was great for people who want a lot out of the experience. We were out on their property for a few hours - camel back riding, food tasting, learning about Cabo, etc. This was a day I wish I was a little more mentally prepared for it to be long. We booked with Cabo Adventures.
Sunset Sail with Cabo Adventures
This is a MUST on your trip to Cabo. If you know anything about me, you know I love sailboats so spending the night watching the sunset on a sailboat was music to my ears. Every single day in Cabo was beautiful so it seemed like like every single sunset got better and better. We also booked through Cabo Adventures for this sunset sail. This tour was about two hours on the sailboat. It was a small group of people on board which gave us plenty of chances to dance around the boat & have a good time. The staff was amazing & they took care of our every need. These tours are also a great way to meet friends from all over the world, which personally is my favorite part of booking excursions.
Tu Enamorado Sunset Sail
I cannot even express the beauty that is this boat. We set sail for a sunset dinner cruise paired with yummy drinks, surf + turf and the most beautiful view in the whole world. This boat was the sailboat of my dreams. We booked this tour through Wild Cabo Tours and their staff was so much fun. They made us feel right at home, we also made lots of friends on the sailboat. It was no short of an amazing time. The food was probably my favorite I had while in Cabo.
Mt. Solmar
This was a hike we so badly wanted to do but our nights lasted a little longer than we planned them to. This hike is a guided hike at 8am everyday besides Saturday. I’ve heard such great things about this hike, we will absolutely be doing it first thing on our next trip back.
Fiesta Tour
This tour was so much FUN. We were definitely the younger group of people on this boat but it was such a fun time. We ate yummy fajitas and watched such a beautiful sunset. We also booked this tour with Cabo Tours so it was no surprise that the staff became our best friends. They were such a fun group and we so thoroughly enjoyed our time with them. The boat was a two story boat with tables downstairs and a dance floor on the roof.
Beaches
Sur beach house
We took a water taxi over to Sur Beach House on a Saturday afternoon and only waited a couple minutes for a table. We were shocked by the beauty of this place. It was so beautiful seeing the ocean from a different side opposed to where we stayed + the other beaches we went to. The food we ate at Sur beach house was a little bit of a splurge but it was the only meal we really ate out so we figured it was worth it. Their sushi was incredible and Maries pasty was perfect. They also have beach seating (I’d assume for a price) where we can sit on the beach and order drinks + food.
Lovers Beach
The next two beaches were back to back to one another. If you are taking a water taxi to get to these beaches, just tell them lovers beach and you’ll keep walking to the back side of the beach & will find divorce beach. Lovers beach is a beautiful beach full of photo spots and gorgeous blue water.
Divorce Beach
This beach was so unique!! Divorce beach is on the other side of Lovers Beach and it’s called Divorce beach because of how strong the waves are. They are so strong that you are not allowed to swim in the water on this side of the beach. The waves were insane. This is something to note about all of Cabo, the tide is really strong and definitely will pull you out. I would recommend staying shallow everywhere swimming in Cabo.
Packing List
I honestly packed pretty minimal considering I did bring FOUR pairs of shoes. Why I thought I needed that, I am still not sure. I packed my Hokas and never wore them once, but the were intended for the hike. Our outfits were in fact extra, thus why we got cat called so much, but we went with the intention of shooting content. If you are are just looking to hang out, anything is honestly fine.
MUST PACK
A good pair of walking shoes (I wore my converse everywhere)
Sandals/flip flops — for beach days, to wear with dresses
Sunglasses
A good hat — I brought my cowboy hat & it just fit the vibes every time
Crossbody bag — I brought my Thread Wallets crossbody (code MACKENZIEMARSH20) and it just made me feel safer keeping cash, credit cards, and even my passport on me at times.
Hair ties/slick back hair gel — We wore our hair up more often than not on the boats so it was nice to look clean on the sailboat rides. We did not bring a single hair curler/straightener etc so we were really making do.
WHAT I LOVED HAVING
Long skirt — My long linen skirt was worn so often, it was nice to dress the skirt up & down depending on where we were going. the skirt is linked here.
Linen pants — Another item that was great to walk around in, wear as a cover up, or dress up. Linked my favorite pair here.
Jeans — We ended up going out at night and I was happy to have a pair of jeans.
Things to note about Cabo
Pricing: If you’re not a big foodie, staying at an all inclusive is the way to go to get the bang out of your buck. We only ate one meal out of the resort since our resort was walking distance from EVERYTHING, we were able to run home eat then come back out again. Additionally, if you drink our resort even let us take to-go drinks so whether you’re wanting some alcoholic or even a coffee to-go, it was great. Food was fairly reasonably priced everywhere, considering it was high quality food + all the seafood was as fresh as it could be. Make sure you budget tipping, most employees rely on tips for their income so PLEASE tip your excursions, restaurants, hotels, etc.
Taxis: Our largest expense was the taxi from the airport to the hotel, this cost us $80 one way… The ride back as only $44 since we booked it ahead of time. Book a shuttle ahead of time here to save money. These were the only taxis we paid for though because we were again close to everything.
Shoes: Lots of the streets are cobble stone so heels wouldn’t be the best option. Make sure to bring comfortable shoes because you will walk a lot!
Safety: I say this as someone who is pretty well traveled. This is not somewhere I’d recommend going (especially alone or with a small group of people), if you haven’t all traveled internationally before. You definitely have to walk around the place with confidence when you say no. If you’re someone who hates getting cat called, good luck in Cabo. The cat calling is ver original in Mexico and you will get offered boyfriends to bodyguards. After you get used to it, it gets pretty comical. If you don’t like iguanas or don’t believe $20 is a fair price for a photo with an iguana with a cowboy hat on, say no to the men who will throw an iguana on you daily.
Language Barrier: English is just as common as Spanish here. Everyone spoke both. If you did not know Spanish it was not a big deal.
Money: Pack cash. It doesn’t matter if it is pesos or US dollars always keep cash on you. The taxis, water taxis, bars, and of course tips are all in cash. There are ATM’s everywhere but obviously the fee on an ATM is not fun to pay for. We took out about $250 cash between the two of us & it was plenty for us.
Culturally: Americans rush EVERYTHING. Do not expect restaurants to rush you out the same way they do in the states, it will take a while to get your check.
