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El Arco, Los Cabos © Mexican Tourist Board |
Overview: At the southern-most tip of the Baja California peninsula, where
the warm waters of the Sea of Cortez collide with the wild Pacific,
Los Cabos is an area of striking beauty and one of Mexico's top
holiday resorts destinations. Surrounded by a vast cactus desert
and ochre-coloured mountains, the azure waters offer diving,
sailing and swimming, and the area is a world-renowned Mecca for
sport fishing and surfing.
Los Cabos is an area made up of the two resort towns of San
José del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas, sitting at either end of
an 18-mile (29km) stretch of exquisite beaches sprinkled with
exclusive luxury holiday resorts and championship golf courses,
known locally as the Resort Corridor. San José del Cabo is
the older and more traditional of the two resorts with the
unhurried pace of a colonial Mexican village.
Cabo San Lucas started as a simple fishing village and is now one
of the favourite beach holiday destinations of the elite,
international tourist offering high quality services and an
energetic nightlife. The majority of visitors base themselves in
San Lucas or the Resort Corridor. Just offshore is the area's
landmark and an impressive natural wonder, Los Arcos (The Arches),
a wave-sculpted rock formation.
Shopping: There are shops galore in the two towns and along the Resort
Corridor, and shoppers will not be disappointed in the variety of
clothes and shoes, gifts and souvenirs, furniture, jewellery,
leather goods and speciality stores. Cabo San Lucas has the largest
selection of shops, and also has imported American goods, an
artisan's market and dozens of boutiques to explore while on
holiday.
Restaurants: There are numerous restaurants in Los Cabos offering a wide
range of fare from Italy, France and North America, as well as some
excellent local Mexican cuisine. Seafood is popular and is offered
by almost every style of eatery. Diners can choose between fine
dining, local restaurants with dancing and live music, bistros, and
casual eateries. The tourist-orientated Resort Corridor has a vast
variety of fine dining options, while simple Mexican cuisine is
best found in either San José or San Lucas.
Nightlife: The after dark scene in Los Cabos is mainly located in Cabo San
Lucas, which has a livelier atmosphere than the relatively
laid-back San José and attracts a younger, energetic crowd.
The most popular nightclubs are El Squid Roe, Cabo Wabo, and The
Giggling Marlin, while many hotels have popular clubs and bars. For
a quieter evening out, there are also numerous places that play
soft music with romantics in mind.
Activities: Los Cabos has become one of the leading golfing holiday
destinations in Mexico, featuring five championship courses and a
wonderful setting. Los Cabos is also known as the Marlin Capital of
the world, and is a fishing Mecca for most of the year. Divers are
not disappointed with the abundance of marine life promised to
them, and whale watching tours operate between January and April.
Watersport operators and hotels also offer sailing, windsurfing,
surfing, water-skiing, and kayaking, as well as sunset cruises,
snorkel tours, and excursions to the natural rock formation known
as El Arco. Other activities include horse-riding, bird watching,
and spa facilities that offer fitness and pampering
opportunities.
Negatives: Los Cabos can sometimes experience hurricanes and tropical
storms. Hurricane season runs from June to November and visitors to
the region during this time should take care to check weather and
storm forecasts.