Relaxing in Cabo for a week in April

April 2, 2019 6:25 PM

My husband and I are going to Cabo San Lucas for a week later this month. My friend gifted us her week at her timeshare which is located on the Marina. Neither of us have been to Mexico before. We are old and do not drink.

I am a bit of a nervous traveler in that I normally like to have things all planned out, but I haven't done that this time.

1. getting to our timeshare condo from the airport, what's the best way to do that?
2. we mostly want to relax by the pool or beach but would also like to maybe sight-see out of town. is renting a car for a day do-able or advisable?
3. we want to splash out for at least one fancy meal. I see there are plenty of places on opentable.com but would love a recommendation.
4. any "can't miss" things to do?
5. nightlife! Are there rock clubs? We are post-50, non-drinkers. my husband doesn't dance but he would definitely be into seeing live rock music.
6.any other general help for the monolingual newbie traveler would be appreciated.

Thanks!

posted by vespabelle to Travel & Transportation around Cabo San Lucas, Mexico (5 answers total)

1. Taxi or Uber.
2. Yes, definitely. Have you thought about where you'll go? Todos Santos is a relaxed, artsy town on the Pacific coast. Los Barriles, on the other side of the peninsula, is a kite-surfing mecca. Cabo Pulmo, a bit south of Los Barriles, is a rehabilitated and protected reef that offers world-class snorkeling tours. Further north in La Paz, you could swim with whale sharks or snorkel/scuba with sea lions.
3. Not a first-hand recommendation, but friends raved about Acre in Cabo San Jose.
4. See (2) I guess.
5. Mmm, I think so but I can't really help there.
6. English is widely spoken in the Cabos. Further north, not as much, but still pretty common in the tourist-frequented areas.
posted by bricoleur at 6:41 AM on April 3, 2019

Best answer: 1. getting to our timeshare condo from the airport, what's the best way to do that?

I booked rides to/from the airport through my hotel (which was a resort). I liked having my rides booked ahead of time, and the prices for it were reasonable. The airport is nice, but small and relatively out of the way. It's similar to small regional airports in the US, if that gives you a frame of reference.

2. we mostly want to relax by the pool or beach but would also like to maybe sight-see out of town. is renting a car for a day do-able or advisable?

I booked tours for specific destinations and activities, and they all came with rides. If I were you, I would book tours and get taxis rather than rent a car. I think renting is doable, but it seems to me like it would be pretty stressful to navigate driving on top of being in a totally new place, and the language barrier, and everything else.

4. any "can't miss" things to do?

Snorkeling!!!!! The Sea of Cortez is amazing. Honestly, snorkeling there was one of the best experiences of my life. It's an all-day thing, but 100% worth it. Also, my swimming skills are terrible and I'm actually pretty afraid of water, but it was still completely doable. It's not physically that demanding.

5. nightlife! Are there rock clubs? We are post-50, non-drinkers. my husband doesn't dance but he would definitely be into seeing live rock music.

The nightlife seemed crowded with a lot of tourists really partying it up, MTV Spring Break style. I'm sure you can find live music, but definitely be ready for a party "scene."
posted by rue72 at 6:53 AM on April 3, 2019

Seconding snorkeling in Cabo Pulmo! I've snorkeled a lot of places and that was one of my favorites. Also endorsing swimming with whale sharks if you have the opportunity (anywhere, really)--an experience, to say the least!

I haven't been in a few years, but we had an excellent meal at Edith's (helped, I'm sure, by the magical ambiance), so I'd highly recommend that if you're looking for something nicer.
posted by lovableiago at 8:52 AM on April 3, 2019

Going north to Todos Santos is always a good bet. Many people go there to visit the Hotel California. While it is not the Hotel the Eagles sing of, it is still fun to visit. There is a restaurant quite close that is also Eagles themed. The owner used to own Hotel Caifornia. It's a fun town to just wander through. I'm old and don't drink also, but I always enjoy ziplines! There are more than a few options in Cabo to choose from.
posted by OkTwigs at 12:17 PM on April 3, 2019

Response by poster: Thanks for the tips! Just a few notes in case someone else searches for this topic.

We had a successful trip to Cab.o.

We organized transportation ahead of time which made me feel better. And the timeshare guys in the airport! What a trip. We made it out of there without getting sucked into a timeshare presentation. We also avoided the timeshare guy at our hotel (who almost lured us in with the "welcome package" with free activities!)

We ended up lounging by the pool reading, walking around town, and eating meals.

We walked (1.7 miles) to the grocery store the first day to stock up on some items and then ubered back to our hotel. I enjoy going to grocery stores just to check out the products that other places have. We ended up overbuying food because we thought we'd eat lunch at our condo, but we ended up only eating late breakfast and dinner every day.

We had some delicious meals out: La Dolce for pizza, Hacienda Cocina y Cantina for fancy resort food with an amazing view of the beach, The Outpost (less fancy location, but farm to table with amuse buche and all that jazz), El Paisa for tacos.

Even though the highest high was only, 84, the UV index was over 11 so being in the sun felt really hot! We slathered on sunscreen and spent most time under umbrellas and hats.
posted by vespabelle at 8:15 AM on May 4, 2019 [1 favorite]