A few weeks ago my bride and I took our first trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. It was our first trip to this area and we were both pleased with our trip.
We flew into Los Cabos Airport from Atlanta (4.5 hour flight) and discovered the customs process was very efficient and quick. In our opinion, it was much better than Cancun Airport, but this may be because the Los Cabos Airport is much smaller and has a much smaller daily volume. We coordinated transportation from the airport to our resort through Olympus Tours (http://www.olympus-tours.com). It was very affordable at $32 per person round trip in a fairly new air conditioned shared van since a private taxi is $75 one way. The trip took about 45 minutes each way and cold adult beverages were for sale in the van if you were so inclined. As a note, the transportation through Olympus Tours must be scheduled at least three days in advance.
If you have never traveled to Mexico keep walking through the airport as all the real shuttles are outside the airport. After security, but before you leave the airport there are lots of people trying to catch your attention. They are all want to arrange transportation for you in return for you sitting through a “brief” presentation. Don’t fall for this. Keep walking all the way outside and the real shuttles and taxis are there. We had someone there to great us:
We stayed at Cabo Villas and Beach Resort and Spa and I highly recommend them! (http://www.cabovillasbeachresort.com/). The rooms were great, housekeeping every day, and the food, drink, and entertainment were all awesome! I saw a poster promoting an all inclusive meal/drink plan for $55 per person per day although I did not see that on the website. When we go back, that’s the route we will take as we would have saved money. Cabo Villas and Beach Resort and Spa is located on Medano Beach (the best/only swimmable beach in Cabo San Lucas) within sight of the very end of the Baja California. We walked downtown Cabo San Lucas several times to see different sights and it was a short easy walk and I never felt unsafe as this is a tourist location. My wife said the spa services were excellent – in fact she went twice!
There are many options on Medano Beach including swimming, snorkeling, paddleboards, jet skis, parasailing, etc. There are also water taxis that will run back and forth to “Lovers Beach.” One of our favorite places to visit was Andromeda Divers/Mily Way Cafe and Deli. Not only did we use them for our SCUBA dive(s), they have a Cafe and Deli that has excellent (and very affordable) lattes, sandwiches, and more. I often sat in the shade watching the beach while enjoying an early morning latte and fresh fruit plate.
On the roof of the Cabo Beach Villas Resort and Spa is another great location for food, fun, and a great view. It is the Baja Brewing Company. The sandwiches, burgers, and pizza are all great! Several nights of the week they also have a small but talented band performing. I also highly recommend them as we ate there several times as well.
As I stated earlier, we used Andromeda Divers for our SCUBA dives. The divmaster was very friendly and knowledgeable. They charged us $65 per person for two tank dives. My wife did not feel well after the first dive and sat out (sinus drainage) so the second dive it was just me, the dive master, and the photographer and charged me an additional $20 for the private dive – and it was worth every penny! The photographer used a GoPro and was very friendly and not pushy at all. Since I had issues with my GoPro, I purchased the DVD from her that contained all the pictures and video. They turned out great! They use the name of Kraken Divers and I also highly recommend them.
Here’s just a few of the highlights of the dives. The first dive was The North Wall:
The second dive was Land’s End. We dove around the southermost piece of land on the Baja California. The resident sea lions came to see us. LOTS of fish – especially on the Pacific side of the dive. Here’s a few nuggets from that dive:
Another favorite activity was the sunset cruise on the Tropicat. The price included cold cuts, cheese, and drinks and jazz was softly played from the speakers for background noise. The Tropicat is a “super-catamaran” and it was not crowded and noisy like some of the other party boats. We navigated by motor to the Pacific Ocean where we then sailed effortlessly for some time, turning back toward land to see the sunset.
Sadly, it was soon time for us to leave paradise and we caught our ride back to the airport. Once again, customs was very quick and we were soon waiting for our plane to board back to Atlanta. I look forward to my next trip as there is still a lot I want to see and do. As a note: Take plenty of cash with you. Most places will take US Dollars, but you won’t get the best exchange rate. We could exchange money where we were staying for a small fee for a great rate. Using an ATM to withdraw money is expensive (don’t ask how I know). Most places will take Visa and Mastercard, but American Express is not widely accepted.
IF you are interested in visiting the Cabo Beach Resort and Spa, send me a message as I may be able to get a discounted rate. Yes, you will have to sit through a short presentation, of course, but I almost guarantee you will enjoy your time in Cabo San Lucas.
bad biscuit 