A week in Cabo
Disclaimer
This isn’t, to borrow a phrase from the timeshare resorts, an “all inclusive” recounting of the entire April 2024 visit to Cabo. Rather, it is but a snippet of quite varied experiences, encounters, and observations. If you’re anticipating a report of incidents, fortunately there were none.
Safety
The US State Department presently advises travelers to exercise increased caution when in Cabo. This contrasts with some areas with a “do not travel” warning. We didn’t have any issues in places we went – Cabo San Lucas, San Jose del Cabo, and Todos Santos – or the people we met. But then, we didn’t drive at night, go to remote locations, and we stayed sober. That helped.
Arrival & Transportation
Arriving at the Los Cabos International Airport (SJD) was, as we’ve experienced from previous trips, an abrupt and somewhat confusing (chaotic) introduction to Mexico: exit from plane down ramp, walk across tarmac to terminal, que up for customs inspection, retrieve luggage, press button for possible bag checks (green, go to go; red, no such luck) proceed through opaque doors that open to a bevy of timeshare and tour solicitors before, finally, fresh, albeit warm to hot, air. Whew!
It was a relief to step outside and greet our car rental driver who promptly took us to the agency where a VW Jetta was gassed and waiting.
A couple of suggestions are warranted. Be aware rental agents are the folks behind the counter. That gracious person by the door, so pleased to make your acquaintance and offer tips and points, is a commission-based sales representative for this or that. While there may be something of value in what he’s promoting, disengaging from the conversation, however difficult, might be advised.
Also, it’s important before accepting the rental car to carefully inspect it for dings, dents and more. It might be a bit awkward, but get down and look at the undercarriage, especially the oil pan, transmission, and muffler. If those are damaged, insist on another car or, at least, make sure it’s noted in writing on the form. Take a photo or two. Those precautions may come in handy when you return the car and want to avoid a damage claim. I’ll return to that later.
Now we were on the way. Welcome to Cabo driving! It’s fast, somewhat unpredictable, and crowded. Private transportation vans, buses, trucks, and taxis want to speed; be ever watchful, there’s hardly a moment of respite.
If you don’t want to rent a car, there are options to travel from the airport to downtown Cabo. A public bus takes about 60-70 minutes and costs $30-65. A taxi is quicker, but more expensive at $120-150, exclusive of tolls.
The toll road - Autopista San Jose del Cabo to Cabo San Lucas - from the airport is recommended unless you want the experience of driving through the congested San Jose del Cabo urban area. The toll road is much quicker but be aware it is a two-lane undivided road. Take a ticket at the entrance and pay at the exit. There are two route options to Cabo San Lucas. Be sure to allow plenty of time when returning to the airport for your departing flight. The toll booth lines can be quite long.
Some additional comments about driving in Cabo. Be aware of topes (aka speed bumps). They’re random and seemingly everywhere. They do limit unrestrained speed, and are great equalizers of vehicles, regardless of size or opulence. Hit them too fast, and risk suspension or undercarriage damage (translation: rental car liability). Some marked, more often not.
Food & Provisions
Let’s talk about food and provisions. This may not be of much interest for “all inclusive” visitors, but for the rest, a trip to Costco or a well-stocked grocery store might be on the agenda.
The Cabo Costco is about 4.5 miles and 11 minutes from downtown Cabo. You’ll need to access it from a side road (Carr. Transpeninsular) so anticipate that when traveling on Highway 1. Yes, the inventory is vast and largely familiar to your local warehouses. And, yes, you can gas up your vehicle, which comes in handy when returning to the car rental agency with a “full tank.” The credit card processing takes a bit of wondering and a few tries, but eventually it works.
Two other options for groceries and more, but not gas, are Fresko San Lucas, also along Highway 1,
and In North Cabo, there’s LaComer. This is a well-stocked supermarket with fresh vegetables, bakery, pharmacy, groceries, dry goods, appliances, wine & Liquor, and much more. You would need a car or take UBER, a taxi or the bus. It is located on the road going towards Todos Santos on the ocean side of the highway.
If you’re not fluent in Spanish, the packaging information might be daunting. “Just what are the ingredients?” you wonder. Well, the Google Translate app might be the answer to your predicamento. The voice activated feature is easy and seemingly accurate, and the camera option allows you to take a photo of words to translate. Ingredientes are now decipherable!
Pueblo Bonito Sunset
Our lodging destination was the Pueblo Bonito Sunset Resort.
Quoting the website:
“Step into a world of unforgettable moments at Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach Golf & Spa Resort. Situated within the exclusive residential development of Quivira Los Cabos and overlooking the Pacific Ocean in sun-kissed Cabo San Lucas, family-friendly Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach is an all-inclusive luxury resort blissfully secluded on a private coastal bluff. This prime location offers both tranquility and convenient access to the vibrant downtown corridor of Cabo San Lucas. In addition to an array of restaurants and The Market at Quivira, an enticing culinary food hall, the resort offers the award-winning Armonia Spa, private beach privileges and exclusive access to the Jack Nicklaus Signature course at Quivira Golf Club, a thrilling layout that scales the heights at Land’s End.”
It is private, removed from the bustle of downtown and nicely situated with expansive views. The “coastal bluff” reference is accurate, which means there are stairs, elevators, and plenty of inclines and declines to traverse. All that provides plenty of exercise, or, if you prefer being transported, there are many gas-powered passenger carts driven by friendly employees.
The beach is off limits for wading or swimming due to dangerous waves and undercurrents. But there’s plenty to see.
A popular place to gather, swim, imbibe and take in the view is the Sky Pool.
A popular feature of the resort is free bus travel between Sunset Beach and its sister hotels Blanco and Rose in downtown Cabo.
Totally unexpected, but exciting was the fireworks display one evening. For our benefit or the post-nuptials wedding party?
Experiences
Swiftly go the days in Cabo. We experienced and witnessed this, beginning one early morning with a breathtaking (literally and figuratively) trek up the 1.3 mile Cerro de la Z .
Hike it or bike it; the views are worth the effort.
Then, later that evening, a full moon provided an equally spectacular display over the exclusive Pedregal neighborhood.
Cruise ships regularly pass by. Carnival is the principal cruise line stopping at Cabo. 4–7-day trips from Los Angeles to the Mexican Riveria (Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán, Cabo San Lucas).
There are whales: Humpback, Blue, Whale Shark, Minke, and Sperm. January-March provide the best viewing periods, although we did spot a humpback during our mid-April visit.
Fishing boats, sailboats and private tour boats of all sizes regularly navigate offshore. On past visits, we’ve been aboard a retired America’s Cup sailboat and a glass-bottom boat to the Lover’s Beach.
We swam and snorkeled at Playa Santa Maria. This is a public beach with ample parking (providing you arrive early).
Tour boats and snorkeling gear run in the range of $65-75. Or it’s free with a rental car and your own snorkeling gear.
A recommended experience is the Thursday night art walk in San Jose del Cabo. Its about 24 miles from downtown Cabo San Lucas. We drove our rental car from PB Sunset Beach, which took about 30 minutes. No rental car? No worries, there are alternatives for any budget, ranging from an Autobuses Águila, departing every 10 minutes from downtown ($1-17), a taxi ($90-100), and private limo services.
I’d be remiss to not include as an “experience” the friendly smiles and greetings we continually received from so many locals, whether employees, pedestrians, obliging bus drivers and motorists who kindly waved us through confusing intersections and busy roads. Remarkably absent were honking of horns, except once when a driver in a following van honked in a failed attempt to dissuade me from turning, the wrong way, down a one-way street.
Restaurants
We dined at two restaurants, quite apart both logistically and price wise.
La Esquina, in Todos Santos, features an outdoor setting. We’ve been here numerous times over the years. The menu items are ordered at the cashier, then later brought to the table. After the meal, it’s pleasant to wander the grounds at the adjacent meditative center.
Acre Resort describes itself as a cosmopolitan gastrobar for refined meals. Although only 12 minutes from San Jose del Cabo, the 4-mile drive features several roundabouts and a deeply rutted dusty dirt road. Upon arrival, the scene is dramatically upscaled with winding smooth concrete paths bordered by native vegetation, expansive outdoor dining areas, and extensive menu items.
Wrapping Up
Well, all good vacations, and recounting them, must come to an end. So, I’ll close by transporting us, and you, our reader, back to the airport rental car agency, complete with a full tank of gas (thanks Costco) and the properly paid fare at the toll booth.
The rental agent gave the car’s exterior and gas gauge a cursory glance before looking under the car for any tope or pothole damage. We were relieved when he said “OK.” It was then that he asked us to pile back into the car so a young employee could drive us the short distance to the terminal.
“Near Incidents”
Lest I depart from Cabo and this reminiscent post with a guilty conscience, I’d like to circle back to my opening comments about no incidents. While true there were “no” incidents, there were a few “near” incidents, and they all related to rental car driving, mostly by me but once by the young rental car employee.
A brief listing:
The sudden braking on a side road in the urban core to avoid hitting an inebriated pedestrian happily waving a beer bottle as he jumped out from behind a parked car.
The dead goat lying in the middle of the highway returning from Todos Santos.
Nearly being rear-ended by a speeding, weaving, battered car on Highway 1.
And, to cap it off, the final half-mile harrowing drive from the car rental agency to the airport when we silently questioned, “we’ve come this far, to end it here?”
Oh, almost forgot, my wrong turn down a fortunately empty one-way street.
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Hay mucho mas que contar, pero muy poco tiempo o espacio.
Adios, amigos!