Category - How Far?

How far is it from the Airport is it to San Jose and Cabo San Lucas?

The main airport (SJD) is located approximately 20 minutes by Car from the Hotel and Condo zone in San Jose if you take the new toll highway which costs 27 pesos ( about USD $2.70 )  each way. If you decide to save the toll count on a longer trip through the heavily congested town of San Jose. This route is especially slow during afternoon rush hour.

Cabo San Lucas is about another 25-30 minutes

past San Jose for a total of 45 minutes to the airport or longer depending on traffic. Yes, Cabo is growing up now and frequently has large traffic jams mostly in the afternoon as your approach the downtown core.

How far is the drive from the San Diego / Tijuana border?

Many customers have mistakenly thought they could drive down on a Friday after work and be in Cabo that evening. The truth is - Cabo San Lucas is about 1000 miles from the San Diego border on a two lane highway with lots of trucks and poor driving conditions.

You should count on 2 days of driving as driving at night time is especially dangerous. Cows and goats like to congregate on the warm asphalt after the sun goes down, not to mention there are no shoulders and no lighting. A jerry can with extra fuel is advisable as well as there are LONG stretches with no gas stations ( 6 or more hours of driving ) and no signs to indicate how long before the next station.
 

General

Are the Beaches in Cabo Swimmable?

This is a question that we get asked all the time which is always difficult to answer. The tip of the Baja Peninsula is surrounded by two Oceans - The Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez.

The Pacific Ocean is on the far West side of the Peninsula and is where the community of Pedregal is located as is Terra Sol, Playa Grande, and the Finisterra Hotel. Swimming near the tip ( Playa Grande and Terra Sol ) is off limits and will have several signs posted to this effect. A little further down by Pedregal, it is not recommended to swim here unless you are a very strong swimmer.

As you round the tip of the Baja - more famously known as Land's End - 

is Medano Beach which is the main beach in Cabo San Lucas. This whole area is very swimmable and perfect for families of all ages. Resorts along here include Villa La Estancia, Villas del Arco, Villas del Palmar and the RIU Palace. This is also where the world famous "Office" restaurant and bar is located.

Once you leave the town of Cabo San Lucas you will be headed out along the "tourist corridor". Along this 20 mile stretch between Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo are some of the most beautiful beaches around. Most of the beaches face open water and can be rough depending on the time of year.  However, there are several beaches that are prefect for families and small children.

Chileno Beach is at KM marker 15. There are signs that indicate where to turn off. This is the beach that most of the tour boats bring their snorkelers to during the day as there are lots of reefs with a myriad of sea life to observe. It's also a fantastic beach to just relax and soak up some sun.  Sundays are NOT recommended though as it's a popular destination for the locals and their families and it can be quite crowded.

Santa Maria Beach is at the KM12 marker. It's a little less conspicuous and a bit of a bumpy drive on an unpaved road, but well worth the effort. The beach here is absolutely perfect with only a handful of people and the odd boatload of snorkelers. The only thing missing is a margarita stand.

Palmilla Beach - located at KM27. Take the Palmilla exit from the highway. This stretch of beach is a protected cove that is perfect for swimming, snorkeling and diving. Snorkel and Dive equipment can be rented from the dive shop located just before the hotel grounds. There are also many Pangas ( small fishing boats ) that can be hired here to take you out for a day of fishing. A little further down the beach is the area of "La Caleta" which means "many Coves".  A perfect spot for youngsters to explore.

Is it easy to get a taxi at the Airport?

Most Definitely! There are always LOTS of Taxi's waiting at the Airport for tourists when they arrive. The cost is $25-$35 to take a cab from the airport to a hotel or condo in San Jose. To go to Cabo San Lucas will be about $60 or even as much as $75 all the way into Pedregal. It's always best to agree on a price BEFORE you get into the taxi.

There are also private shuttles for around $15 - $17 per person that will take you all the way to Cabo San Lucas as long as you don't mind stopping at all the different hotels along the way to drop off other passengers.

Sun Cabo Vacations also provides private transfers which are more economical for larger groups.

A word of caution: When exiting the Airport there will be a long line of booths with many people asking you "where are you going" or "where are you staying" or "let me help you" - IGNORE THEM ALL! They are Timeshare Salespeople and will offer free rides in exchange for a "short - 15 minute tour" of their property. These are all lies and will easily waste a whole day of your vacation. Be polite and proceed to the exit. All Shuttles, Drivers, and Taxis will be just outside the airport terminal doors waiting for you.

Is Los Cabos still a safe destination?  I've heard lots of stories in the news.

Without a doubt! The citizens of Los Cabos recognize that the tourists are the lifeblood of the local economy. The locals in this part of the country are very friendly and will go out of their way to help you with almost anything you need. There have been some reported instances up near Tijuana and over on the mainland, but these are hundreds and hundreds of miles away. This would be akin to avoiding a trip to Denver, Colorado because there were reports of riots in Los Angeles. There has never been a serious incident involving tourists in Los Cabos.

In fact, due to the remote location and isolation from the mainland - Los Cabos is one of the SAFEST destinations in Mexico to travel to!

Where can I get Groceries?

In Cabo San Lucas there are several places to get groceries. Most notably is the huge Costco ( yes, your U.S. or Canadian membership card works fine ) which is on your right hand side just as you arrive into town. Just past the Costco is the brand new (Nov 2007) Wal-Mart and Sam's Club which has "almost" everything you could want in a department store. If you're right downtown, there's still the original Aramburo grocery store that has been there long before all the big box stores sprang up and has a great selection of "American" foods.

On the San Jose side there is a large outdoor shopping center that is home to MEGA Foods. This grocery store is huge and quite often has a wider variety than the Wal-Mart. You should be able to find everything at MEGA, but if you can't there is another huge store a little farther down the highway into San Jose called Soriana's which is another huge big-box type store which is used mostly by the locals, but fantastic none-the-less.