A traveler's guide to Los Cabos
Ask, every day, which beaches are calm. The Pacific side is a view. The Cortez side is more often the swim.
Los Cabos is Cabo San Lucas, San José del Cabo, and the corridor of coves between them. The famous arch is a boat. The swimmable water is often the Sea of Cortez side, not the open Pacific. It is desert, sharp light, and a coast that asks which ocean you meant.
When to go
November to May is warm, dry, and the season. Summer is hotter and it is also hurricane season, with a sea that can be excellent or closed. Winter evenings want a layer.
The beach
Medano, by Cabo San Lucas, is the lively swimmable beach. The corridor hides small bays such as Santa Maria and Chileno that are better for a snorkel than for a party. San José's hotel zone is wider and calmer in spirit. The Pacific beaches are for walking and for surfers who know the break.
In the water
The arch and Land's End are a morning boat, and the pelicans are not the only reason to go. Snorkeling in the corridor bays is the shore version. Currents and a sudden swell are why the flags matter. Do not invent a swim at a beach with no one in it.
If you only remember this
- The airport is closer to San José. Cabo San Lucas is a transfer, not a walk.
- A car helps the corridor. The towns themselves are walkable.
- Tequila tasting is not a personality. The fish tacos are the better souvenir.
- Sun on the desert coast is stronger than it feels in a breeze.