Cabo San Lucas
The tip of the Baja Peninsula was once a haven for pirates who cherished the safe harbors of the Sea of Cortez. Today, Los Cabos attracts travelers of a different kind, those seeking harbor from their normal, everyday lives. They hide beneath the sun on pristine beaches, lose their troubles tackling hiking trails and golf courses, escape by shopping in the quaint towns of Cabo San Lucas and San Jose Del Cabo and experience all the ocean has to offer.
The two towns that make up the Los Cabos area are uniquely different. Cabo San Lucas, population 25,000, boasts night life and some modern architecture while San Jose provides a quiet, romantic setting you’d expect to find in Old Mexico. The two towns are joined by the Pacific Corridor, an excellent four-lane highway lined with luxury beachfront hotels.
Our affordable suite at the Hilton Los Cabos boasted fantastic views and luxury amenities. If you really want to splurge, the Presidential Suite offers 4,500 square feet of living area, multiple hot tubs and terraces.
When you combine the qualities of old and new Mexico with the ocean, you create an infinite amount of activities. Los Cabos has something for everyone.
There is no better excursion in Cabo than a sunset cruise over the ocean. There are various charter services offering cruises; we enjoyed ours through La Princesa. Once you exit the marina, skirt past the giant luxury cruise ships anchored in the harbor and pass the fishing boats heading home with the day’s catch, the true beauties of Cabo are yours to behold.
As you approach Lands End, the point where the Pacific meets the Sea of Cortez, birds fill the air, sea lions bark, sea turtles surface and manta rays fly out of the water, dancing in front of your boat. The point is composed of various rock formations intertwined with glorious beach. The sands along the Sea of Cortez side are called Lovers Beach for the calm, clear waters and romantic setting, and the Pacific side of the point is dubbed Devil’s Beach due to the harsh waves of the ocean continually beating the shore. Between the two is the Arch at Lands End, which is a natural rock formation that resembles a door connecting the two beaches. It is inaccessible at high tide, but romantic to walk through when the tide goes down.
As you pass the arch and head into open water, the giant humpback whales become the main attraction. The whales stay in the Cabo area January, February and part of March and are easily viewed from boats or the shore.
The grand finale of the cruise is watching the magnificent Mexican sun sink into the Pacific as the sky explodes into various shades of orange, pink and gray.
The waters surrounding Los Cabos contain some of the best fishing anywhere. Known as the Marlin Capital of the World, more striped marlin are caught within 20 miles of Cabo than anywhere else. Just be prepared when the fish nibble. As the fishing pole bends, the reel whines as line is tugged out. A crew member rushes to the fishing pole, picks it up, gives it a couple of hard yanks to set the hook and then hands it to the fisherman in the fighting chair. As the fisherman begins battling the unseen fish at the other end of the line, crew members set out more poles with live bait to snag other members of the school. Action, excitement and anticipation blend together as the fish start hitting the bait. With marlin, dorado, sailfish, yellowfin tuna and wahoo abounding, the waters yield many catches that exceed 1,000 pounds.
If catching fish doesn’t reel you in, how about swimming with them? The Sea of Cortez and Cabo San Lucas Bay teem with marine life. You can see sea turtles, sea lions, giant manta rays, whale sharks and hammerhead sharks, along with more than 800 species of fish. Floating along gentle currents in the warm waters, a wide array of brilliant colors teases your eyes. Cabo has snorkeling and scuba trips for all levels of experience. Whether you choose to dive deep into shipwrecks at night or spend an afternoon along a shallow reef, the view is spectacular and the experience unforgettable.
