Sunburned and Spectacular: Entertaining Things to do in Cabo San Lucas

Essential Things to Do in Cabo San Lucas Without Sacrificing Your Dignity (Or Life Savings)

The quest for memorable things to do in Cabo San Lucas begins where any self-respecting Mexican vacation should—at the beach. But not all Cabo beaches are created equal, and the difference between them can quite literally be life or death, which is not typically the level of drama one hopes for when selecting a spot to read a paperback thriller.

Beach Excursions: Choose Wisely or Swim Involuntarily to California

Medano Beach stands as Cabo’s most swimmable stretch of sand, a critical distinction in a destination where many beaches feature waves and undertow strong enough to relocate an unwary swimmer to San Diego without their consent. Here, vendors approach with the frequency and persistence of Manhattan subway trains—approximately every 2.5 minutes—offering everything from beaded bracelets to jet ski rentals to temporary tattoos that will become embarrassingly permanent in the Cabo sun.

For superior snorkeling, Chileno Beach offers visibility up to 30 feet on clear days and significantly fewer vendors selling sombreros large enough to require their own airplane seat. The more secluded Santa Maria Beach provides excellent fish viewing in a quieter setting, accessible via local bus for $2.50 each way—easily the best transportation value in a town that otherwise seems to price services by asking, “What would a desperate sunburned tourist pay?”

Beach clubs offer respite from the general public with amenities that range from basic to borderline ridiculous. Mango Deck channels perpetual spring break energy with drinking contests and booming bass, while Taboo caters to the upscale crowd with day beds priced roughly equivalent to a monthly car payment on a mid-size sedan. The people-watching value alone justifies at least one afternoon at either establishment, though your credit card may disagree.

Water Adventures: Embrace Your Inner Aquatic Mammal

No Cabo itinerary reaches completion without a boat trip to El Arco, the distinctive rock formation where the Pacific Ocean and Sea of Cortez embrace in a geographical landmark that appears on roughly 97% of all Cabo postcards. Options range from humble glass-bottom boats ($15-25 per person) to private luxury charters ($350+) that include premium open bars and the temporary illusion that you belong to a tax bracket several levels above your actual status.

Between December and April, whale watching becomes less activity and more spectacle as humpbacks breach approximately 40 times per hour during peak season. The sight of a 40-ton mammal launching itself out of the water makes for the kind of vacation photo that ensures your social media followers will both envy your trip and resent you slightly for taking it.

Sport fishing represents Cabo’s original tourist draw, with marlin, dorado, and tuna expeditions priced between $250-$750 depending on boat size and whether you want actual comfort or just a functional vessel with fishing capabilities. Excursions typically begin at an hour when most nightclub patrons are just going to bed, creating an awkward marina convergence of hungover fishermen and club-goers whose nights are just ending.

Desert Diversions: Adventures on Surprisingly Painful Surfaces

The arid landscape surrounding Cabo provides ample opportunities to return home with unexplained bruises and excellent stories. ATV tours through Fox Canyon ($85-125 per person) offer high-speed adventure and the chance to discover exactly how much dust can collect in human nostrils. The experience combines adrenaline with occasional wildlife sightings and the persistent fear that travel insurance might not cover “drove off cliff while taking selfie.”

For an experience that seems transported from another continent entirely, camel rides along the beach cost around $109, which conveniently includes a tequila tasting because riding a desert animal along the ocean apparently calls for hard liquor. The surreal experience of bobbing atop a camel while gazing at the Pacific defies logical tourism categories but makes for memorable vacation stories, particularly when enhanced by the included tequila.

Mountain biking in the surrounding hills offers both exercise and panoramic views for $45-95 depending on route difficulty and how much technical equipment is required. A day trip to Todos Santos (1.5 hours away) leads to an artsy town incorrectly claiming to be home to the Eagles’ “Hotel California”—a fact tour guides willfully ignore while collecting generous tips for perpetuating the musical mythology.

Dining Options: From Sublime to Street Corner

Cabo’s dining scene spans a price spectrum so vast it could qualify as economic research material. At the upper end, establishments like Edith’s and Sunset da Mona Lisa require reservations 2-3 months in advance during peak season and deliver views almost magnificent enough to justify their menu prices. The latter features terraced cliffside dining where sunsets orchestrate a nightly standing ovation from diners clutching $18 cocktails.

Mid-range options offer better value without sacrificing experience. The Office provides the novelty of dining with your feet literally in the sand while servers in formal attire navigate the beach with surprising dignity. Gardenias, a local favorite, serves authentic Mexican cuisine at prices that don’t require mortgage consideration before ordering a second round of guacamole.

Budget travelers find salvation at marina-adjacent taco stands and local spots like Mariscos Las Tres Islas, where seafood tacos under $3 each deliver more culinary satisfaction than airport food costing five times as much. Local specialties worth seeking include chocolate clams (named for their shell color, not their flavor, thankfully), smoked marlin tacos, and Baja fish tacos that make California’s versions seem like sad, pale imitations created by someone who once heard about Mexican food from a distant cousin.

Nightlife: From Regrettable to Refined

Cabo’s after-dark personality disorder manifests in venues ranging from sophistication to places where dignity goes to die on a sticky dance floor. Cabo Wabo, Sammy Hagar’s famous establishment, charges approximately three times what drinks should cost, but the live music and celebrity-sighting potential make it almost worth it. Almost.

El Squid Roe presents a three-story dancing madhouse where participation seems less optional than mandatory, and dignity checks itself at the door along with any hopes of hearing clearly for the next 24 hours. Meanwhile, Nowhere Bar offers marina-front people-watching with a surprisingly reasonable happy hour (4-7pm, beers $2.50) and the chance to observe the full spectrum of tourist fashion choices from “appropriate resort wear” to “clearly lost all their luggage and shopping at gift shops.”

For those preferring sophistication with their sunset, rooftop establishments like Bar Esquina and The Rooftop at The Cape serve craft cocktails alongside panoramic ocean views, allowing patrons to look down both literally and figuratively on the more boisterous celebrations happening at street level.

Accommodations: Pay More, Get More (Usually)

The correlation between price and quality holds surprisingly true in Cabo’s accommodation market. Luxury resorts like Waldorf Astoria Pedregal and OneandOnly Palmilla ($600-1,500/night) deliver experiences so pampered that returning home becomes psychologically traumatic. Mid-range options such as Cabo Azul and Riu Palace ($200-400/night) provide comfortable amenities without requiring trust fund access, while budget-conscious travelers can find adequate rooms at Cabo Inn Hotel or Seven Crown Hotel ($75-150/night).

Vacation rentals represent the savvy traveler’s secret weapon, with ocean-view condos ($150-300/night) that include kitchens to offset restaurant costs and laundry facilities to eliminate the need for packing seventeen bathing suits. The all-inclusive versus European plan debate ultimately boils down to personal habits—all-inclusive only makes financial sense for travelers planning to consume their body weight in margaritas daily and eat at least four meals per day, which some view less as a challenge than a vacation goal.

Transportation Truths: Getting Around Without Getting Taken

The journey from airport to accommodation sets the tone for the entire vacation. Options include shuttle services ($16-20 per person), private transfers ($85-120), or rental cars (approximately $50/day plus mandatory insurance that costs more than the car itself). The latter provides freedom but comes with the adventure of Mexican driving habits and navigation systems that seem to interpret “shortest route” as “most terrifying route.”

Getting around Cabo itself involves taxis (which mysteriously lack meters, requiring negotiation before entry), local buses ($2 flat rate and surprisingly reliable), or water taxis between the marina and Medano Beach ($5-8 each way). Walking works perfectly well within the tourist zone but becomes inadvisable in certain areas after dark, less because of actual danger and more because street lighting apparently remains a low municipal priority.

Money Matters and Survival Skills

Financial wisdom in Cabo begins with ATM selection—use only bank ATMs, preferably during daylight hours, and inspect the card slot for skimming devices with the paranoia of someone who’s recently watched too many travel scam documentaries. Credit cards receive wide acceptance in tourist areas, but smaller establishments and the best taco stands operate on a cash-only basis that seems designed specifically to inconvenience foreign visitors.

Tipping follows American customs (15-20% standard) even at all-inclusive resorts, where the “inclusive” descriptor apparently excludes gratuities and spiritual fulfillment. Happy hour hunters find the best values between 2-6pm, when two-for-one specials briefly transform Cabo into a place where alcoholic beverages don’t require small bank loans.

The infamous timeshare presentation lurks behind many “free” activities and discounts, tempting budget-conscious travelers with deals that require only “90 minutes” of time—a measurement apparently calculated using a different temporal system than Earth’s standard chronology, as these presentations routinely extend to 4+ hours of increasingly aggressive sales tactics. Only agree if you possess both iron willpower and a pathological attraction to free breakfast buffets.