Straightforward advice for planning a stay in Cabo San Lucas, written from our corner of Médano Beach, and kept up to date.
Médano is the long crescent of sand on Cabo San Lucas Bay, and it is the beach Villa 1 at Hacienda Beach Club opens onto. Because it faces the Sea of Cortez inside the bay, it is the one beach in town where swimming is normal rather than risky. What follows is how it works day to day: the flags, the clubs, the boats and the walk to the marina.
Read More: Médano Beach Day GuideLos Cabos International Airport (SJD) is near San José del Cabo, on the opposite end of the Los Cabos corridor from Médano Beach. The drive is short, but the arrivals hall is built to sell you timeshares and the rules on Uber are strict. Here is how to get from the plane to Villa 1 without losing an hour or a morning.
Read More: Getting from Los Cabos Airport (SJD) to Médano BeachSunshine is a given in Cabo San Lucas for most of the year, so the best time to visit comes down to four things: whales, spring break crowds, summer heat and hurricane risk. Winters are warm and dry. Summers are hot, humid and stormier. Here's how each stretch plays out on Médano Beach.
Read More: Best Time to Visit Cabo San LucasCabo San Lucas gets about 10 inches (255 mm) of rain a year, most of it between August and October. Air temperatures below are 1981 to 2010 averages for Cabo San Lucas; sea temperatures are typical monthly surface values, and the bay at Médano is usually a little warmer than the Pacific side. Use these as averages, not forecasts.
Read More: Cabo San Lucas Weather by MonthCabo San Lucas nightlife is packed into a few blocks between the marina and downtown, which puts almost all of it within walking distance of Villa 1 on Médano Beach. Clubs start late and run until the early morning. Below: what's still open, what has closed since 2024, and how to get home safely.
Read More: Cabo San Lucas Nightlife GuideCabo San Lucas works well for families if you pick the right beach and the right weeks. Médano, where Villa 1 sits, is the town's swimmable beach, and most of the classic sights are a short boat ride away. Below is what suits which ages, the minimum ages operators actually set, and what to do when it's too hot for the beach.
Read More: Things to Do in Cabo San Lucas with KidsCabo San Lucas is one of the easiest places in Mexico to take a group: direct flights, a walkable party district, boats leaving every hour and a beach you can actually swim at. It is also a place where a few rules catch visitors out, especially around drinking in public. Here's how to plan a bachelor, bachelorette or friends' trip for up to eight people without anyone spending a night in the municipal cells.
Read More: Cabo San Lucas for Groups, Bachelor and Bachelorette PartiesThe most important thing to know about the beaches of Cabo San Lucas is that most of them are not for swimming. The coast facing the open Pacific has heavy surf and strong currents, while a handful of beaches on the Sea of Cortez side are calm enough for children. Below they're sorted into those two groups, with what Blue Flag and water-quality certifications actually tell you and how to read conditions on the day.
Read More: Which Cabo Beaches Are Swimmable? Médano and BeyondEvery winter, humpback whales arrive in the warm water off Los Cabos to mate and give birth, and gray whales pass on their way to and from the lagoons farther up the Baja coast. For us it's the best reason to come in winter. Below: when the official season runs, which months are best, where to see whales without a boat, and how close the rules let tours get.
Read More: Whale Season in Cabo San Lucas, ExplainedLos Cabos sits at the southern tip of Baja California, in the path of storms that form in the eastern Pacific each summer and fall. Direct hits are uncommon, but they do happen, and a passing storm can still close the port and cancel flights. What follows: the season dates, the riskiest months, the storms that actually came ashore, and how to book a late-summer trip without losing your money.
Read More: Hurricane Season in Cabo San LucasLos Cabos is not one place. It is two towns about 20 miles apart, a resort corridor between them, a cliffside enclave on the Pacific, and a long, quiet coast running north from the airport. Your base decides if you can swim off your own beach, walk to dinner, or hear music at 1 a.m. We compare the five main areas here without the sales pitch, including the one we know best.
Read More: Where to Stay in Cabo: Médano, the Corridor, Pedregal, San José or the East CapeOne of the best reasons to rent a villa in Cabo rather than a hotel room is eating at home without anyone having to cook. Private chefs are common here, but the pricing is structured differently from a restaurant bill, and first-timers are often surprised by the grocery receipt or unsure about the tip. Here's how chef service normally works in Los Cabos, which other villa services to expect, and what Villa 1 offers.
Read More: Private Chefs and Villa Services in Cabo: How They WorkFor a Cabo wedding, vow renewal or big birthday, a villa works best as the base for the couple and closest family: space to get ready, a private pool for the morning after, and a kitchen for a relaxed family dinner. We cover the legal side of marrying in Baja California Sur, the easier symbolic route, when to go, where ceremonies actually happen, and how to plan photos at El Arco.
Read More: Weddings, Honeymoons and Celebrations in Cabo: Using a Villa as Your BaseThe two towns of Los Cabos sit at opposite ends of a roughly 20-mile highway and feel very different. Cabo San Lucas is the busy harbor town at Land's End, built around the marina and boat traffic. San José del Cabo is the older municipal seat near the airport, with a colonial plaza, galleries and a slower pace. Plenty of visitors do both. Here is how they compare on the things that shape a trip.
Read More: Cabo San Lucas vs San José del Cabo: Which Town Suits You?From Médano Beach you can walk to the marina, downtown and most of the restaurants you will want in the evening. Beyond that, Cabo has ride-hailing apps with airport restrictions, taxis without meters, a cheap public bus down the corridor and rental cars that come with a Mexican insurance requirement. Here is how each option works as of September 2026.
Read More: Getting Around Cabo San LucasStaying in a villa means breakfast on the terrace, snacks by the pool and at least one night of cooking on the grill, so plan a supermarket run early in the trip. Cabo San Lucas has every major Mexican chain plus a Costco, and two big stores are within a few minutes of Médano Beach. Here is where to go and how to stock the kitchen without wasting a beach day.
Read More: Grocery Shopping Near Médano BeachCabo San Lucas is one of the places in Mexico where US dollars are accepted almost everywhere, which makes it easy to overpay without noticing. Paying and tipping in pesos, using the right ATM and knowing which line on the bill is tax and which is service will save real money over a week.
Read More: Tipping and Currency in Cabo San LucasEntering Mexico at Los Cabos is straightforward for US and Canadian citizens: no visa, a passport, and a short immigration line. The details that trip people up are the digital immigration form, Baja California Sur's visitor fee, and the rules for children and for driving down. The rules below are as of September 2026, each with its official source so you can check before you fly.
Read More: Cabo Travel Requirements for US and Canadian VisitorsThree days in Cabo is enough to see El Arco, swim, eat very well and get one proper boat day in, as long as you base yourself near the marina and don't try to cover the whole peninsula. This 3 days in Cabo itinerary assumes you land around midday on day one and fly out on the afternoon of day four, which is how most long weekends actually work.
Read More: 3 Days in Cabo: An Itinerary That Isn't RushedFive days is the sweet spot for a first trip. You get the Cabo San Lucas classics, one day out of town, and a couple of slow afternoons at the pool. This 5 day Cabo itinerary builds on our 3-day plan and adds Todos Santos or San José del Cabo, a farm dinner, and seasonal options for whales and fishing.
Read More: 5 Day Cabo Itinerary: Beach, Boats and One Day TripA week lets you see the Baja peninsula beyond the marina: the Pacific towns, the Sea of Cortez islands near La Paz or the reef at Cabo Pulmo, plus proper rest days. For this 7 day Cabo itinerary we assume one base for the whole week, which beats moving hotels, and use day trips to cover the rest.
Read More: 7 Day Cabo Itinerary: A Full Week in Los CabosCabo San Lucas has fish every month of the year, which is why the charter fleet never really stops. The best time to fish in Cabo depends on what you want to catch and what sea conditions you can live with. This calendar goes month by month, using the same species windows as our [sportfishing guide](/things-to-do/sportfishing-cabo-san-lucas/).
Read More: Best Time to Fish in Cabo: A Month by Month CalendarIs Cabo San Lucas safe? For the vast majority of visitors, yes: millions of people visit Los Cabos every year without problems, and the state is rated at the same US advisory level as many popular destinations. But the risks that actually hurt visitors here are specific and mostly avoidable: the Pacific surf, the sun, drinking rules, and a few well-known scams.
Read More: Is Cabo San Lucas Safe? What the Advisories Say and What Actually Goes WrongCan you drink the water in Cabo? Not from the tap. That's the standard advice for visitors anywhere in Mexico, and locals drink bottled or purified water too. The good news is that avoiding tap water in Los Cabos is easy, ice in tourist restaurants is almost always made from purified water, and a few simple habits keep stomach trouble away.
Read More: Can You Drink the Water in Cabo? Tap Water, Ice and Brushing TeethCabo with a baby or toddler is very doable. Flights from the US West Coast and Texas are short, the time difference is small, and there's a calm beach where little ones can paddle. The things that need planning are the sun, car seats, and choosing where to stay. The rest of this page is the practical side; for activities with older kids, see [things to do in Cabo with kids](/cabo-guide/cabo-with-kids/).
Read More: Cabo with a Baby or Toddler: A Practical GuideCabo's spring break reputation hides how good it is for couples. The romantic things to do in Cabo mostly come down to timing: being on the water at the right hour, booking the right table, and avoiding the crowds. Here's what's worth doing as a couple, and how to do it well.
Read More: Romantic Things to Do in Cabo for Couples and HoneymoonersMost visitors eat nachos and fajitas their whole trip and never find out what to eat in Cabo. Baja California Sur has its own food: seafood from two seas, ranch cooking from the mountains, and a few dishes you won't find anywhere else in Mexico. Here are the ones worth ordering, and where our guests have had good versions.
Read More: What to Eat in Cabo: A Food Guide to Baja DishesThe best tacos in Cabo San Lucas cost a few dollars, come on a paper plate, and are a short walk from the marina. You don't need a guidebook for fish tacos in Baja, but you do need to know which places are worth the walk, when to go, and which ones are cash only. Here are the taquerías we send our guests to, grouped by what they do best.
Read More: Best Tacos in Cabo San Lucas: Where We Actually GoThe best seafood in Cabo is rarely at the place with the biggest sign on the marina. It's at a lunch-only palapa where locals order chocolate clams, a taco counter with a salsa bar, or a cliff-top dining room where the fish was swimming this morning. Here's where we send our guests, sorted by budget, with what to order at each.
Read More: The Best Seafood in Cabo San Lucas, from Taco Stands to Cliff TopsTo see the best sunset in Cabo you first need to know which way you're facing. Cabo San Lucas Bay and Médano Beach face south and east, so the sun goes down behind the land, not into the sea. For the sun dropping into the ocean, you need the Pacific side or a boat. Here are the spots that work, what each one gives you, and how to time them.
Read More: Best Sunset Spots in Cabo San Lucas (and Where the Sun Actually Sets)Shopping in Cabo San Lucas splits into two worlds: air-conditioned malls on the marina, and the stalls and small shops where you find things you can't buy at home. This page is about the second: what's worth bringing back, where to find the good version, how to bargain without being rude, and what customs will let you carry home.
Read More: Shopping in Cabo San Lucas: What to Buy, Where, and What to SkipCabo San Lucas is at the very tip of the Baja peninsula, which means every day trip from Cabo heads north, either up the Pacific side on Highway 19 or up the Sea of Cortez side on Highway 1. Here are the trips we recommend most, with honest drive times from Médano Beach and what makes each one worth the hours in the car.
Read More: Day Trips from Cabo San Lucas: Where to Go and How Long It TakesCabo vs Cancun is usually the first fork in planning a Mexican beach trip, and the two are more different than the brochures suggest. Cabo is desert and mountains meeting two seas, with big fishing, whales and a smaller, more upscale feel. Cancun is flat Caribbean coast, turquoise water, Mayan ruins and cenotes. We live on the Cabo side, but here's the fair version.
Read More: Cabo vs Cancun: Which Mexican Beach Trip Is Right for You?Cabo vs Puerto Vallarta is the Pacific version of the Mexico beach question. Both have whales in winter, great seafood and sunsets, but they feel nothing alike. Cabo is dry desert at the tip of Baja, polished and resort-heavy. Puerto Vallarta is a green, humid town on a huge bay, with a real old town and jungle-covered mountains. Here's how they compare.
Read More: Cabo vs Puerto Vallarta: Desert Coast or Jungle Bay?What to pack for Cabo depends more on the month than people expect. A July trip is about heat and sun protection; a January trip needs a sweater for the evening boat ride. This list covers the basics that apply all year, what to add by season, what the nicer restaurants and clubs expect, and what you can skip because it's easy to buy here or provided where you stay.
Read More: What to Pack for Cabo: A Season-by-Season Packing ListIf you want to avoid timeshare in Cabo, it helps to know that the pitch starts before you leave the airport and follows you to the marina. None of it is dangerous, but a "90-minute" presentation can eat most of a vacation day. Here's how the sales machine works, how to say no politely, and what Mexican law says if you've already signed.
Read More: Cabo Timeshare Presentations: How to Avoid Them (and Cancel If You Signed)Cabo spring break is loud, sunny and concentrated in a few places: the middle of Médano Beach, the marina bars and the downtown clubs. Here's when it happens in 2027, how Easter overlaps it, where the party is, which rules get visitors in trouble, and how families and quieter groups can have March without the crowds.
Read More: Cabo Spring Break Guide: Dates, Crowds, Rules and Where the Action IsCabo in December is really two different trips. The first two weeks are warm, relaxed and good value, with the first whales arriving. The last two weeks, from about December 19 to New Year's, are the busiest and most expensive of the whole year. Here's what the weather is like, what's happening, and how to plan either half of the month.
Read More: Cabo in December: Weather, Whales, Holidays and PricesVilla 1 is a 4-bedroom, 4.5-bath beachfront mansion at Hacienda Beach Club & Residences on Médano Beach, with a private infinity pool and hot tub, a golf cart, concierge and a private chef on request. Book direct for the best rate, with no platform fees.
