STAY

I would definitely use a VRBO (Vacation Rentals By Owner)! Ours was CHEAP and stocked with lots of amenities, such as snorkel gear, beach chairs, umbrella, coolers, beach bags, and more. It just made things so convenient. We also had our own private beach (←pictured left).

RENTAL CAR

Pre-book your rental car! (We booked through the Thrifty Dollar, but I know there are plenty of other options too!) If you prebook, you get to fast forward through ALL the salesmen bombarding tourists with offers for transportation.

As soon as you get your luggage and go through customs, you can just walk straight through the airport and outside until you get to an awning with people standing around, holding signs. You find the man holding the sign for your rental company. (For example, we found the guy holding up the “Thrifty Dollar” sign!) He got us on a shuttle to our rental car immediately and without being overwhelmed by all of the chaos the other passengers were having to deal with.

»Be aware that there IS an insurance catch. When you book your rental car, know that there is mandatory liability insurance you must purchase before they will allow you to take the car. This insurance cost at least $75 extra!

SHOPPING

-Luxury Boutique Mall has a plethora of stores from Forever 21 to Chanel, but the prices on even regular items are CA-RAZY (standard Adidas for $265 USD– bueno amigos.)

-There is Walmart which makes life SO convenient. Prices are very similar to those in the US and they even offer some deals (buy two sunscreens, get a free lotion!). I will say that some food items may not be as they seem– for example, we bought a bag of Doritos HOWEVER.. they were spicy and did not taste like the typical Nacho Cheese deliciousness you would get in the States.

EXCURSIONS

Speaking of Walmart↑!! There is a lady there named Heather Hernandez that will plan, book, and negotiate prices for any excursion you want to take. There will be vendors trying to hustle and pressure you throughout the marinas, so it’s much better to have your booking and tickets beforehand so you don’t have to deal with any sketchiness or pestering. Heather gave us perfect directions to our excursion meeting spots, made great restaurant recommendations in the area, and provided us with her personal number so we could text her with any questions. She went as far as drawing our exact directions on a map to show exactly how to get to every location and where to find the best parking! She gave permission for us to include her number for anyone who visits and wants to have a stress-free and discounted experience like us! Her number is→ (+526241224070) She is AMAZING!!!!

ATV’s: If you’re looking for 4-wheelers, Razr’s, horses, etc. through the desert, G-Force is THE BEST. The employees are all very helpful and nice, and their facility is very clean and welcoming.

Sunset Cruise: This was our favorite part! We were greeted with a margarita and served all-you-can-drink alcohol, snacks, and fun! The view was absolutely breathtaking– dolphins, sea lions, open ocean, rock formations, the arch, Lover’s Beach, Divorce Beach, and of course a romantic sunset over the ocean.

Glass-bottom Boat: FULL DISCLOSURE: THE BOATS DO NOT HAVE A GLASS BOTTOM. Don’t ask me why– I don’t know! I just wanted to save others the disappointment. Also, there is a chance that you may not be able to get off on Lover’s Beach or Divorce Beach if the tide is too high or if it is too windy :/ This happened to us, but Heather made sure we got a full refund!

NIGHTLIFE

Most places attempt to charge a cover. HOWEVER, if you are just walking by, there are promoters who will often approach you on the sidewalk and offer you free admission just to go in because they’re trying to pack the house! We would pretend we weren’t really interested and they would offer the free cover!! We never paid to get in anywhere!

The two places we went were Mandala and La Vaquita, but Mandala was our personal favorite!! There are LOTS of places with loud music and good dancing all right around each other, so you can hop around easily!!

LA COMIDA [FOOD]

The Giggling Marlin— SO much fun!! They make your guacamole and salsa at the table. They have interactive games and activities for the guests during your meal and you can take a picture hanging upside down like you’re the “Catch of the Day!” Also we had this amazing margarita that was as big as Matt’s head (pictured above↑) and made with a local Tequila. Angel was our server and I personally feel like we became BFF’s.

The Office— Super popular and located right on the beach. Good food. Great environment. Hilarious headbands. The live music was wonderful! Fun Fact: I saw the servers sweeping the sand after a table would leave ??? LOL

La Hacienda— Okay, this was our absolute favorite place EVER. It was extremely classy and SO delicious. We had the most amazing view. We felt like celebrities but the prices were actually reasonable!

TIP: I honestly recommend booking a lunch reservation and taking your swimsuits with you!! Once you’re in, you can swim at the glamorous infinity pool that’s right on the beach and enjoy the other games and amenities on site!!!!!

El Taquiza— Authentic. Delicious. Outside. Cheap. Loved it!

Maria Jimenez–The business card below was given to us by a couple who has frequented Cabo for 20+ years. They highly recommended this place!

VIPS– This is located directly in front of Walmart and I totally thought it was like fast-food or a CVS type of store. However, a lady we met who owns a condo in Cabo highly recommended this place, saying it was DELICIOUS and similar to a Denny’s.

»Do NOT drink the tap water in Mexico unless you’re sure they have installed the filtration system that many places have been putting in. 

SOUVENIRS

-The cheapest souvenirs can be found while laying out at Medano Beach! Vendors will walk up and down the beach offering things from massages and sangrias to bracelets and T-shirts! If you buy a T-shirt, be careful washing it! The type of dye used will fade and bleed onto your other clothes! Wash it by itself at least the first couple of times!

Whatever you do, just don’t buy souvenirs at chains or stores unless you want to pay higher prices! Downtown, there are little market vendors who have prices comparable to the beach vendors!

PSA: The white hand-carved skulls and statues are NOT made from fishbone. This is a lie told by many vendors to sell them for higher prices. Though these souvenirs are definitely impressive and legitimately hand-carved, they’re made from a material (referred to as resin) similar to plastic and shouldn’t cost more than like $12.

OTHER HELPFUL TIPS

• Pack CHACOS. The sand gets SUPER HOT. There are also a few private beaches that have rocky sand that will hurt your feet if you try to walk barefoot. I also wish I would’ve had Chaco’s for climbing some of the rock formations at our private beach!
• Be sure to keep coins on you because some places charge you a small fee to use the restroom
• Best place to park when visiting Medano Beach:

  Luxury Avenue Boutique Mall Parking Structure (Straight down Blvd. Lazaro Cardenas, turn left Paseo de la marina, Right into Luxury Boutique parking garage.)

  —>PS take your ticket inside to pay before you try to leave!!! The machine inside gives you a receipt ticket to insert outside in order to exit the parking structure!

  Shortcut to beach access from parking: Left out of parking structure. Turn right at Isabel’s restaurant. Take your immediate right. Walk to beach. 🙂

• Cabo beaches are very dog friendly!!
• The drug stores are actually “drug” stores– a few we went past sold Molly and a variety of other choice substances!
• If a vendor asks if you want a “party favor,” they are not referring to balloons and kazoos….
• You could always take your own charcoal cup that filters the water or charcoal tabs to put in the water. (Charcoal tabs are also good in case any food makes you nauseous!)

I hope you enjoy your trip as much as we did! Please let me know if you have ANY questions!!!!