How to structure five days
Alternate busy and easy days. The sun is strong, boat days start early, and dinners run late. A good rhythm is: arrival, boat day, day trip, easy day, big finish. Keep one flexible slot for weather; in summer and early fall a swell or a storm can cancel boats, and in winter the wind can pick up in the afternoon.
Day 1: arrive and settle on Médano
Pre-book your transfer from SJD (40 to 60 minutes to Cabo San Lucas) and walk past the timeshare desks at arrivals. Spend the afternoon on Médano Beach, then fish tacos at Tacos Gardenias. If you're cooking, stock up at a supermarket on the way in; our grocery guide lists the options near Médano.
Day 2: El Arco, Lover's Beach and the marina
Morning boat to El Arco and Lover's Beach, then lunch on the marina. Afternoon at the pool. At sunset, take a sunset cruise around the arch. Dinner downtown at Maria Corona, a lantern-lit courtyard with mole and live music in the evenings.
Day 3: Todos Santos or San José del Cabo
Choose one town for your day out.
Todos Santos is about an hour north on the Pacific side: a Pueblo Mágico with galleries, the Hotel California, and surf at Cerritos on the way. Leave by 9, have lunch in town, stop at Cerritos for a surf lesson or a drink on the sand, and come back before dark. The Pacific beaches there are not for casual swimming except in the sheltered corner at Cerritos on calm days.
San José del Cabo is closer, about 30 to 40 minutes along the corridor. Walk the historic center and the estuary, and if it's a Thursday from November to June, stay for the Art Walk. Finish with dinner at Flora Farms, among the mango trees of a working organic farm in the foothills (reserve well ahead). Our comparison of Cabo San Lucas vs San José del Cabo helps you choose.
Day 4: the easy day, plus one seasonal activity
Sleep in, swim, and add one activity that fits the season:
- Mid-December to mid-April: a morning [whale watching](/whale-watching-cabo-san-lucas/) tour from the marina.
- Summer and fall: a half-day [sportfishing](/things-to-do/sportfishing-cabo-san-lucas/) trip; October is the headline month.
- Any time: snorkeling at [Santa María and Chileno](/things-to-do/santa-maria-chileno-bay-snorkeling/), or a round of golf in the corridor (see [Cabo golf](/cabo-san-lucas-golf-courses/)).
- With kids: [Wild Canyon](/things-to-do/wild-canyon-cabo/) for zip lines and the suspension bridge.
Day 5: the big dinner
Book your special dinner for the last night. Manta at The Cape and Sunset Monalisa both look toward the arch at sunset. Closer to Médano, Edith's is a candlelit palapa above the beach. Then a nightcap downtown; our nightlife guide covers what's open.
Day 6 morning: fly home
Leave for the airport three hours before an international flight. If your flight is late, most villas and hotels can arrange a late check-out if you ask ahead.
Budget and booking notes
The expensive parts of a Cabo trip are boats, fine dining and transfers; tacos, beaches and walking cost very little. Book boats, the Flora Farms table and your big dinner before you fly, especially from Thanksgiving to Easter. For groups, a private boat split eight ways is often close to the shared-tour price per person.
If you're traveling as a family or group, a villa with a kitchen saves on breakfasts and lunches. Villa 1 on Médano Beach sleeps eight; see the group villa and family villa pages, or check dates.
Five days with kids
With children, swap the late dinners for early ones and shorten the day trip. San José del Cabo is the easier choice, being closer and with a walkable center. Replace the sunset cruise with a glass-bottom boat to El Arco in the morning, and add a sea turtle release in season. Our Cabo with kids guide has more ideas.
Keep the pool afternoons sacred. Kids who have had a big morning on the water are happier with a quiet afternoon than with a second outing.
Five days for couples
Couples can push the day trip further: Todos Santos with a night at one of its boutique hotels works well, or trade it for a spa day. Swap the taco dinners for the special-occasion tables in our romantic things to do in Cabo guide, and go to Lover's Beach on the first water taxi of the morning, before the crowds arrive.
If the weather turns
Boat days are the part of any Cabo plan most likely to change. Wind, swell or a port closure can cancel trips, usually decided early in the morning. Keep the boat day early in your five days so there's room to move it, and have a land plan ready: San José's historic center, a spa afternoon, shopping in town, or a long lunch. Most operators refund or rebook when the port captain closes the port, but confirm the policy when you book.
