What to Do in Cabo San Lucas: A Local's Guide, Area by Area

The question we get most is the simplest one: what do we do when we get there? The answer depends on where you are standing. Cabo is a handful of small areas, each good at one thing. Plan by area, not by list, and you will spend your time doing things instead of sitting in a taxi. Here is how we would lay out a first trip.

Medano Beach: the swimming beach

Medano is the main beach in Cabo San Lucas and the one where you can swim. It is also where the day starts early and gets loud by lunch. Two places cover most moods.

The Office

Tables in the sand, open 7am to 10pm. It is a $$$ spot with a 4.3 from over 5,300 reviews. Come for breakfast, before the beach fills.

Mango Deck

Open 8am to 10pm, $$, with a 4.4 from roughly 6,200 reviews. There is dancing and a crowd. You will know in five minutes if it is your place.

The Marina and the Arch

Walk the Marina in the morning, when the fishing boats are heading out. The Arch at Land's End is the thing to see, and you see it from the water. Go early for calm water and fewer boats. In the winter months you may get a whale on the way out, which beats any photo of the rock.

Romeo & Julieta

On Blvd. Paseo de la Marina, Italian, $$, open 4pm to 11pm (2pm to 10pm on Sunday). A 4.6 from close to 1,400 reviews. An easy dinner after a day on the water.

Downtown: dinner and music

Salvatore G's

Our Italian pick, on Vicente Guerrero. $$$, a 4.8 from nearly 2,000 reviews, open 11am to 10:30pm and from 4pm on Sunday. It is our first call for a long dinner in town.

Los Tres Gallos

Traditional Mexican at Leona Vicario and 20 de Noviembre. $$, open 11am to 10pm, 4.4 from about 1,530 reviews.

Edith's Restaurante

The special dinner. $$$$, open 5pm to 10pm, a 4.5 from around 1,170 reviews. Mexican, seafood and steaks in a room with some history to it.

Cabo Wabo Cantina

Open 9am to 11pm on Vicente Guerrero, with dancing and the biggest review count in town, over 6,200. It is famous for a reason. Go once.

A day in San José del Cabo

The other town is quieter and prettier, and it is worth a full day. Walk the old center, then eat.

La Lupita Taco & Mezcal

On José María Morelos. $$, open noon to 10:30pm, closed Monday, a 4.6 from around 2,200 reviews. Tacos and mezcal, exactly as the name says.

Flora Farms

A working farm with a restaurant, a farm shop and a cooking school. $$$, 4.7 from about 3,400 reviews. Closed Monday, with set breakfast, lunch and dinner seatings the rest of the week, so book ahead.

Acre Restaurant

Farm-to-table, $$$, open 11:30am to 10pm on weekdays, with a brunch seating from 10am on Saturday and Sunday. A 4.6 from around 1,600 reviews.

The drive to Todos Santos

If you have a car and a free day, go north to Todos Santos for lunch. Oystera is the oyster bar and seafood room we plan the drive around. It is $$$, holds a 4.6 from close to 1,500 reviews, and is open 10am to 9pm most days, with a shorter noon to 8pm day on Monday.

One sunset dinner

Sunset Monalisa, at km 6 on the highway, is the table for it. Fine dining, $$$$, open 4pm to 10:30pm. Book a time before the sun goes down.

Practical notes

• Do one area a day. Beach day, water day, San José day.
• Tip 15 to 20 percent. Small peso notes help.
• Winter is the busy season. Book dinners before you land.
• Put ocean time in the morning, when the water is calmest.

One area a day, mornings on the water, dinner booked ahead. See what we run on land and sea on our adventures in Cabo page.