Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

I know what we’re all thinking, it’s about time I’ve written a blog outside of the United States and especially outside of California. So today’s blog is about Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. I’ve been traveling to Mexico, specifically Cabo, since I was a little girl. However, I purposely waited to write this specific blog so that my mind was refreshed on this destination and so I would have (recent) pictures to back-up all of the information that I am going to write about. We had a timeshare in Cabo when I was little so we use to travel here twice a year, which made this a home-away-from-home at a young age. Cabo San Lucas is probably the most Americanized part of Mexico (at least from where I’ve visited), but that doesn’t make this a bad place to visit. I love it. It’s beautiful, the people are so kind, there are endless activities to do, and the food is just oh-so-good.

So as I’ve mentioned before, a lot of my blog will be revolved around California (as I’m sure you can already tell). I’m from California, I’ve lived in both NorCal and SoCal, I’ve driven all of California and it’s a giant state with many places to visit. I know it like the back of my hand. The point of me reiterating that statement is for the fact that a lot of my blog will revolve around Cabo San Lucas, Mexico as well. My dad recently bought a “Penthouse” in Cabo, so now this is literally our second home and somewhere I’ll be frequently visiting for the rest of my life. I count my blessings everyday and am so grateful that I have parents who work so hard to have given us this opportunity.

At this point of my life, I’ve been to 5 countries outside of the United States, so I am purposely spreading out my “international” posts because I do not want to write all of them at once and have no more “international” posts to use throughout my blog. As much as I’d love to give you all a tour of Europe, I have not been there (yet), and at the rate of this global pandemic, I will not be traveling there anytime soon. Europe is on the top of my traveling list (specifically Portugal, Greece, Spain, Italy and Croatia), so when I have the opportunity to travel to Europe, we can add 5 or more countries to my list of international travels. I feel like every college student my age has studied abroad in Europe, and I’m late to the show on that one, but whatever, Mexico is pretty darn cool too. I’ve been to 7 parts of Mexico alone so I will have a lot of Mexico content to use for this blog, not only in Cabo, but many other cities as well. Moving forward, I will write separate blogs about Cabo designed for couples, friends, and people who want to experience Mexico as locals. But during this specific blog, I will cover my recent trip and what families can do while visiting the always beautiful and fun Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

Things to do:

• ATV: There are so many different ATV tours to take here in Cabo. Some offer desert, small town or beach tours, or provide you with many different vehicles to choose from. On my recent trip, we did our ATV tour with a company called “Cactus Tours” and they offered EVERYTHING. Look, I’ve done a lot of ATV/motorsport activities throughout my life (my dad use to race motocross) and this was by far my favorite tour I’ve done. They had many different selections of vehicles and tours. We chose the more expensive route by choosing a private tour, but it is worth the money. Our tour guide drove fast (my family likes to go fast) so we were able to have the freedom to drive fast and at our own pace. If you enjoy a nice, calm, and pleasant ride, they offer those too (and they’re cheaper) by selecting the group option. We also chose a more expensive vehicle, the Can-Am Razor (see picture above) and it was also well worth it. Our tour covered steep and rocky parts in the desert, so the Can-Am Razor handles those rough patches all too well. I personally also feel safer driving one of those because they are designed to tackle tough tracks. My parents shared one vehicle, while my sister and I shared another and I believe it was around $650 total. Pricy, I know. But imagine if you went with a group and four of you split a vehicle because they do offer 2 or 4 seaters, splitting one would be around $100 per person. For a Can-Am Razor and private tour? Sounds reasonable to me. Picture a 2 hour private tour that starts off in the rugged desert, leads you to the top of a hill to view the ocean, then working your way down to the beach, and riding on the beach. So stinkin cool and way too much fun. This company offers other ATV-like vehicles, in addition to horseback riding and camel riding tours as well. So if you couldn’t already tell, I 20/10 recommend this tour.
• Cruises: Another activity that Cabo offers several different choices to choose from. We chose to ride the “Echo Cat” Catamaran boat for a sunset cruise on my birthday. Truly another incredible experience. I have never ridden a catamaran boat before, but now I wanna do it over and over again. This activity is fun for families, friends, and couples. Maybe not small children families, I would always be weary of water activities if you have young ones, but for a family like mine it was perfect. We met the owner of the boat, he was a nice guy and went along the tour as well with his family. What a dream life. They take you to the famous “Arch” in Cabo during the sunset, and it is just breathtaking. I really have never seen such a beautiful view in my entire life. The colors in the sky were incredible and the purple reflecting off the water making the ocean look purple. It was just unreal. This boat was only $50 a person for a 2 hour sunset cruise with party music and dinner. So worth it. You can also negotiate the prices, so keep that in mind as well. The first salesperson we talked to offered it to us for $40 a person (my dad waited and got it from someone else) but whatever, $50 is still super affordable. The food offered here are chicken burritos, hamburgers, or hotdogs. Simple food, but the burrito was really yummy. You can also drink of course, they have servers walking around to serve you. But anyways, I plan on taking this boat “Echo Cat” and riding with “ATV” tours again. Therefore, another activity I 1000% recommend you do during your visit in Cabo.
• Parasailing: I did not do parasailing during this visit, but I have done this activity in Cabo during one of my previous visits. I loved it, I do not remember what company I did it with because I was like 10, but google “parasailing in Cabo San Lucas” and you will find many options to chose from. Or you can wait to schedule through someone at your hotel or people along the marina and the beach are selling tours as well. I recommend waiting until your in Mexico and can try to negotiate prices with the salesperson. Anyways, parasailing could be scary for those of you with fears of heights, but I promise it is an incredible experience. You’re literally flying over the ocean, pretty cool if you ask me. You can also sky dive and parachute if you really like living on the edge.
• Ziplining: I did not zipline here in Cabo, but I have done it in many other places, so I personally love ziplining and was shocked to learn they have it in Cabo as well. When I say you can literally do anything in Cabo, I mean it.
• Jet Ski: My dad and sister went jet-skiing once when we were in Cabo and they had a blast. If you know me, you would know my literal biggest fear is getting attacked by a shark. I know the statistics, blah blah blah, I don’t care, it still freaks me out. I lived in SoCal for 2 years and didn’t learn how to surf solely because of this reason. I love swimming in the ocean, but not too far out. Again, I know the statistics, it still scares me okay? So I didn’t do it because I was young and I know my dad is wild (him and my sister fell off the jet ski at one point) so I knew better than to participate in this activity with them (I would’ve freaked out if I fell in the water out there). But now that I’m an adult and could drive my own jet ski, I will definitely do it at some point. Again, talk to a salesperson and they’ll hook you up.
• Snorkeling: I have snorkeled a few times in my life. Again with my fear of sharks, this is something I never really want to do again, but it is a popular activity here in Cabo that I know a lot of people enjoy. Some people are scared of heights, I’m scared of sharks. It is what it is.
• Shop: I love shopping in Mexico. The people here are so creative and make so many goods, I just want to buy everything. If you’re on the main beach, Medano beach, people are walking up and down the shore all day looking to sell you their stuff. Also, if you were going to go downtown or to the marina, there are many shops there too. As my mom always says, “they do not have a set”. Negotiate. Some people will try to “stiff” you and want to charge you a price way over what the item is actually worth… especially if they think you’re American and don’t speak Spanish. If you speak Spanish, use that to your advantage, or if you’re with someone who speaks Spanish, use them to your advantage. If I were rich, I would buy something from everybody and never negotiate, but I’m not, so ya girl is looking for deals. However, just keep in mind that these are people just trying to make a living and many of them work incredibly hard to create beautiful things.
• Go to the Beach: Duh. There are so many beaches here. Some are the touristy, populated beaches like Medano Beach. Or you could visit a beautiful beach like Chileno Beach, Lovers Beach and there are many many more to chose from.
• Party: Since I am describing my most recent trip and “family” experiences, I’m not really going to elaborate here. If you know anything about partying in Cabo, you’ve probably heard about “Mango Deck” and “Squid Row”. I have yet to experience it, because I have only been to Cabo for family trips, but best believe I am taking a girls trip here and will let you know. They also have the clubs La Vaquita, Coco Bongo, and Mandala which are clubs I know all-too-well in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. They were fun in Playa, stay tuned for my future girls trip to see if they are fun in Cabo as well.
• Dine: See my dining recommendations below!

Where to eat:

• Caboys Bar and Grill: Choosing restaurants to write about was certainly difficult because there are SO MANY restaurants in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. This place was delicious though! I got chicken enchiladas here, and they were super flavorful and tasty. It is one of many restaurants located in the marina, with a nice view of the water and boats. I highly recommend stopping here for dinner!
• Tiki Bar: This is a popular bar and restaurant in Cabo. One of their main dishes ironically is sushi. I don’t like sushi, so I didn’t try it and I got nachos, but it’s a super popular place so I’m assuming the sushi is good here. Although, I can tell you that the chicken nachos were so darn yummy. 10/10 recommend.
• Soloman’s: This restaurant is fancy and expensive but soooooo good. Yet another restaurant that is located along the marina and has a pretty view. The service is incredible as well so you can’t really beat it. We went here for thanksgiving and I had the most amazing steak. I actually ordered a drink here (Miami Vice), which I never drink alcohol so this was a rare, but the drink was great so it was worth it!
• Claro Fish Jr: This restaurant is actually located off the highway so it isn’t somewhere you’d expect a “tourist” to pick. But if locals are there, you know it’s a good one. This place pretty much solely offers tacos. It’s food is very simple but cooked so fresh. The chicken was amazing and then you get to choose what topics you want on it.
• Tabasco Beach: This is a bar and restaurant located on Medano beach. I love it because you’re literally sitting on the beach with your toes in the sand. If you’re lounging close enough to the bar, they will serve you, which is even cooler to me. I got the chicken quesadilla here and it again, was so dang good!!

Look there are so many restaurants, bars, clubs, and excursions to choose from here. As I mentioned earlier, I will be visiting Cabo much more frequently so I will try new places and activities to review for this blog. I hope to come here with my boyfriend soon and then I may potentially be holding my best friend’s bachelorette party here as well! This way, I’ll be able to recommend all things date night, party, and girls trip too. Thanks for reading!