Private Beach Experiences in Cabo: Quiet Bays, Beach Clubs and a Boat-Only Beach

There is no truly private beach in Cabo. Every beach in Mexico is public. What you can get is privacy: a bay so calm and quiet it feels like yours, a strip of sand you can only reach by boat, or a reserved daybed at a beach club where the staff keep the crowd at arm's length. We have done all three, and each one suits a different kind of day. Here is how to get the feeling without the fiction.

The quiet bays

Chileno and Santa Maria are the two calm, protected bays on the Corridor, and on a weekday morning they are as close to private as Cabo gets. Both have calm water and safe swimming, and both are great for snorkeling straight from the sand. Our beach guides say the same thing about every one of them: weekdays are dramatically less crowded than weekends, and Sundays are the day to skip, because cruise ship crowds flood the marina and the tour boats. Bring your own shade. Umbrella rentals on the busier beaches run $20 to $30 a day.

The boat-only beach

Lovers Beach sits under the rocks at Land's End and you can only reach it by boat. That is what makes it feel private: nobody wanders in. One rule matters. The Sea of Cortez side is swimmable. The Pacific side, a short walk across the sand, is not. Do not go in on that side, no matter how good it looks. Water taxis run from the marina, and tipping the boatman in pesos gets you a better rate on the ride back.

Beach clubs: buy the space

On Medano, the main tourist beach in Cabo San Lucas, privacy comes from a reservation. The beach clubs sell daybeds and tables, and once you have one, you have staff, shade and a border around your afternoon. These are the ones we use, with hours, price level and rating from our listings.

SUR Beach Club

The calm, upmarket end of Medano. Open 8:30am to 10:30pm every day, $$, a 4.6 rating from around 1,070 reviews. Popular for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with live music, a good wine list and cocktails. Take a daybed in the morning and stay through sunset. This is our first answer for a private-feeling day on the main beach.

Tamara Beach

A smaller beach club on Playa El Medano in the hotel zone, open 11am to 7pm daily. $$, 4.4 from about 130 reviews, which means it is quieter than the big names by a wide margin. A day-club rather than a night-club, and better for it.

Milky Beach Cabo

Bar and grill with seafood, rooftop seating and happy-hour drinks, open 8am to 8pm on Playa Medano. $$, 4.5 from close to 480 reviews. It sits between the loud clubs and the quiet ones, so it works for a group that wants a table with a view without the bar games next door.

The Office

The famous one, tables on the sand, open 7am to 10pm. $$$, 4.3 from over 5,300 reviews. It is not quiet, but a reserved table here is still a reserved table, and it is where the group that wants to be in the middle of things should sit.

Veleros Beach Club

If you are on the San José del Cabo side, Veleros on Paseo del Pescador at La Playa is the beach club, open 10am to 5pm daily. $$, 4.5 from about 150 reviews, with live music, cocktails and a private dining room for a group lunch. San José beaches are calmer than Medano to begin with, so this is the most private of the club options.

Which one for which day

• A couple who wants silence: Chileno or Santa Maria on a weekday morning, then lunch at Veleros.
• A group that wants service: a row of daybeds at SUR, booked ahead in the busy months.
• The photo: Lovers Beach by water taxi, Cortez side only, early before the tour boats.
• Kids: Tamara Beach or SUR, both calm, both with a kitchen.

Before you go

Book beach club daybeds a few days out from November through April. Carry pesos for tips and water taxis. And check conditions the morning of: summer brings warm water and afternoon wind, winter brings calm mornings and cooler water, and the calm bay you planned on can change with the swell.

Weekday, early, a daybed if you want service and a water taxi if you want to be alone. See every beach club and restaurant we list on our Cabo restaurants page.