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Los Cabos Travel Guide

Where Should I Stay in Los Cabos: Cabo San Lucas or San José Del Cabo?

Two cities, one corridor, and endless seabound and land-based adventures.

Off-duty film execs. College kids. Yachties. Championship golfers. Avid anglers and bucket list divers. They all come to Los Cabos to experience its distinct locales, each with its own allure. Cabo San Lucas thrums with a palpable energy. Its marina is a gateway to the wild, whale-dotted waters of the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific Ocean, which meet at Land’s End (El Arco), and its streets are alive with the promise of rowdy nocturnal escapades. Though not thoroughly devoid of nightlife, the sister city San José del Cabo offers a serene counterpoint with its art galleries, cobblestoned streets, and low-key brew pubs.

Bridging these two worlds is the Tourist Corridor, a 20-mile stretch of road lined with luxury resorts, world-class golf courses, and pristine swimmable beaches. This area offers the best of both worlds, allowing sun-loving travelers to wake up to the sound of waves and be just a short drive from the bustling streets of Cabo San Lucas or the cultural richness of San José del Cabo, depending on what tickles their fancy.

Whether you wish to spend languorous days by a photo-worthy pool, steal moments of secluded bliss at an award-winning spa, tee off on a golf course designed by legends of the sport, relive your youth at an iconic boozy hangout, blow the budget at a show-stopping luxury resort, or go deep sea fishing in the “Marlin Capital of the world,” this guide will help you cast your net.

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The Best Place to Stay in Los Cabos for Budget Travelers

The Los Cabos Hotel Association estimates that the average hotel room costs roughly $500 a night. Cabo is known for its ultra-ritzy resorts like Viceroy Los Cabos, Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal, and Nobu Los Cabos, but it isn’t only deep-pocketed travelers who can find a comfortable temporary home there.

As a spring break hub, Cabo San Lucas has a broad selection of student-friendly budget accommodations, including Los Milagros Hotel, OYO Posada del Pescador, Cabo Inn, and Mayan Monkey Los Cabos where there are dorms and queen rooms with or without balconies.

Lower rates don’t have to mean compromising on comfort in Cabo San Lucas, though. Boutique hotel lovers will appreciate resting their heads at Collection O Casa Bella Hotel Boutique or Morgan Hotel Boutique for prices that won’t scare the living daylights out of you. One of the lovelier moderately-priced hotels in Cabo San Lucas, the all-inclusive Sandos Finisterra, is just minutes from the marina and has aesthetically pleasing sea view rooms starting at $150 per night.

Courtesy of Sandos Finisterra

The Best Place to Stay in Los Cabos for Boat Trips

If your motivation for visiting Los Cabos lies in spending days out on the water, it’s worth basing yourself in Cabo San Lucas near the marina. This is the jump-off point for watery adventures that run the gamut from whale-watching tours to deep-sea fishing expeditions and sunset dinner cruises at El Arco.

Your marina accommodation needs may be met by  Hotel Tesoro Los CabosMarina Cabo Plaza, Marina Fiesta Resort & SpaBreathless Cabo San Lucas Resort & Spa, and Corazón Cabo Resort & Spa on Playa El Médano, which has the city’s highest rooftop terrace.

The Best Place to Stay in Los Cabos for Cultural Experiences

San José del Cabo is widely regarded as Cabo San Lucas’s more refined sibling. Here, visitors can meander through the charming Plaza Mijares, explore the historic mission church, indulge in fresh seafood (be sure to call at La Lupita Taco & Mezcal), and get fully immersed in the local culture. Be sure to partake in the weekly Art Walk every Thursday during the peak season from October to June when the town’s creative spirit comes to life. Drift San José del Cabo and Hotel Casa Ceci Inn are two spots in the heart of the Gallery District.

Couresty of Corazón Cabo Resort & Spa

The Best Place to Stay in Los Cabos for Swimmable Beaches

Despite The Capes region’s reputation for rough waters, steep drop-offs, and riptides, the Tourist Corridor offers several safe-havens. Notable among these swimmable beaches are Chileno Beach, Palmilla, Santa Maria Bay, Las Viudas, El Tule, Cabo Real, El Bledito, Cabo Bello, Cabo del Sol, and Tequila Cove.

If you want to be able to head out for a dip minutes from your sun lounger, you’ll be able to wade without worry in the waters of Tourist Corridor hotels such as Hilton Los Cabos Beach & Golf Resort, Chileno Bay Resort & Residences Auberge Resorts Collection, Paradisus Los Cabos, Marquis Los Cabos, Grand Fiesta Americana Los Cabos Golf & Spa Resort, and Montage Los Cabos on Santa Maria Bay, which enjoys Blue Flag eco-certification.

The Best Place to Stay in Los Cabos for Parties and Nightlife

Cabo earned its hell-raising reputation due to the late-night bars, beachside cantinas, and nightclubs in Cabo San Lucas. Figures like Van Halen’s Sammy Hagar, whose Cabo Wabo Cantina opened there in 1990, pioneered the scene with its raucous live music and tequila-fueled revelry. Today, venues like El Squid Roe, The Office on the Beach, Mango Deck, La Vaquita, and Mandala Los Cabos cater to the hedonistic inclinations of its visitors from sunrise to sunset.

Courtesy of Las Ventanas al Paraiso, A Rosewood Resort

The Best Place to Stay in Los Cabos for Luxury

It’s no secret that Hollywood holidays in Los Cabos and many of the A-lister hotels are situated along the Tourist Corridor. Many power players in luxury hospitality have outposts here, including Montage Los Cabos, a biophilic architectural juggernaut with its own custom VanDutch yacht, and Chileno Bay, Auberge Resorts Collection whose director of culinary operations, Juan Pablo Loza, is recognized by Mexico’s government as an ambassador of sustainable seafood.

There are impressive amenities at Las Ventanas al Paraiso, a Rosewood Resort that has its very own speakeasy, a jacuzzi grotto, a tennis academy, seven pools, an art gallery, and its Tequila & Ceviche bar offers guests blindfolded taste tests to ascertain the optimum tequila for their palette and personality. Discerning foodies will also feel at home at Cabo newcomer Grand Velas Boutique Hotel Los Cabos—which just swung open in December 2023—a 79-key luxury all-inclusive that has a restaurant led by a double-Michelin-starred chef.

Built by the son of a former Mexican president, One&Only Palmilla’s superstar clientele includes Jennifer Aniston, Oprah Winfrey, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Joe Jonas, who even named his tequila brand Villa One after the plush villa he stayed in when brainstorming for the spirit line.

The Best Place to Stay in Los Cabos for Farm-to-Table Dining

The hottest and most sustainable tables in Cabo can be found in Ánimas Bajas. This San José del Cabo area is home to several working farms with adjoining hotels and restaurants serving up nourishing (and Instagram-friendly) farm-to-table meals. This includes Tamarindos, which offers palapa-roofed farm-side bungalows and discounted cooking classes for guests. Acre Resort has villas and treehouses spread across 25 acres, and its much sought-after dining room is open for dinner daily. Flora Farms does not accommodate overnight stays, but it has one of Cabo’s most celebrated restaurants (Flora’s Field Kitchen) for locally sourced seasonal cuisine.

Courtesy of Clase Azul

The Best Place to Stay in Los Cabos for Shopping

Though San José del Cabo has Plaza del Pescador and the understated Plaza Artesanos, and the Tourist Corridor offers retail therapy at The Shoppes at Palmilla—where the first restaurant from high-end tequila brand Clase Azul can be found—serious shoppers should make Cabo San Lucas their basecamp.

The Luxury Avenue mall in the marina has places to get decked out in swimwear (Vilebrequin, Victoria’s Secret), shades (Sunglass Hut), chic beach bags (Longchamp, Tous), and sporty tees (Lacoste). Minutes away on foot at the Puerto Paraíso mall, you can part with your cash at various restaurants, a casino, a cinema, tour operators, and international clothing brands.

The Best Place to Stay in Los Cabos for Spa Days

The Los Cabos spa experience is next level with resort pampering palaces striving to outdo one another in order to become Latin America’s most opulent spa, and many can be found along long the Tourist Corridor. The 35,000-square-foot SE Spa by Grand Velas was overtaken by Spa Montage at Montage Los Cabos as the largest wellness center on the Baja Peninsula. The mezcal renewal massage is a guest favorite on the treatment menu, which is as extensive as the grounds.

Along Cabo’s Tourist Corridor, top-notch stress-relieving sanctuaries can be found at Le Blanc Spa Resort, Garza Blanca Resort & Spa Los Cabos, Solaz, a Luxury Collection Resort, Los Cabos, Vista Encantada Spa Resort & Residences, One&Only Palmilla, Dreams Los Cabos Suites Golf Resort & Spa, Zoëtry Casa del Mar Los Cabos, and Currents Spa at The Cape, a Thompson Hotel (go for the 100-minute sound healing and deeply relaxing massage or the 50-minute tip to toe massage).

The Best Place to Stay in Los Cabos for Diving

The East Cape encompasses the slice of coast from San José del Cabo to Los Barriles. This is where you’ll find Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park, a diver’s paradise offering crystal-clear waters filled with dolphins, sea turtles, rays, eels, and even whale sharks.

Hotels in Cabo Pulmo, like the Cabo Pulmo Beach Resort, cater to eco-conscious travelers seeking exceptional snorkeling, diving, and freediving experiences right at their doorstep away from the more tourist-heavy areas of Los Cabos.

The Best Place to Stay in Los Cabos for Golfing

Out of Golf Digest’s list of Mexico’s top 15 golf courses, nine are situated in Los Cabos. From Puerto Los Cabos Golf Course in San José del Cabo to Quivira Los Cabos in Cabo San Lucas, there are 18 private and public golf courses to please lovers of the green.

Vidanta Golf Los Cabos and Club Campestre San José are public courses in San José del Cabo, while Cabo San Lucas has the Cabo San Lucas Country Club and Solmar Golf Links. The Corridor also has a selection of courses that are open to the public, including Cabo Real Golf Club, Cabo del Sol, and Palmilla Golf Club.

Many of Cabo’s world-class courses are only open to resort guests. Access is limited at Chileno Bay Golf & Beach Club, Twin Dolphin Golf Club at Montage Los Cabos, and Diamante Cabo San Lucas, where golfing greats Tiger Woods and Davis Love III designed the championship courses.