Need some family friendly travel tips for a vacation in Cabo San Lucas? You’re in the right spot! If you like a mix of relaxation and exploring, you will love this travel guide! We traveled with our 14, 12, and 10 year olds to Cabo San Lucas and have some great tips and recommendations for you! Los Cabos is divided into two areas: Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo. We traveled to both and both were fun! For info on San Jose, read here. This post focuses on things to do in Cabo San Lucas.
What to Do in Cabo San Lucas
There are two touristy parts in Cabo. The marina district and Medano Beach. We didn’t spend much time in the marina district, but it is a lively place! There are tons of restaurants, beach bars and shops. Definitely check it out. It’s fun to walk around and there are tons of places to eat so see what looks good! Cabo Adventures is located in the marina and is an excellent company for excursions.
Medano Beach
Busy Medano Beach
Medano Beach is a small stretch of beach with a number of beach clubs, bars, and restaurants. If you visit the infamous Medano Beach, try to schedule it on a day there are no cruise ships in port. Also, beware, that there are several college spring break bars and they are not appropriate for children. But, they make for good people watching!
If you find yourselves on Medano Beach, check out Sur Beach House. The food was good and the service was excellent. We were able to people watch, without being harassed by vendors and crowds of people. They even offer complimentary foot massages, which we all took advantage of! The kids also liked that you could rent boogie boards and use them in the ocean here.
Restaurants on Medano Beach
photo compliments of The Office
The Office is one of the most popular restaurants on Medano Beach. We didn’t have a reservation and the wait was long, so we didn’t go, but it did look fun. Tip: make a reservation!
More Restaurants in Cabo
Beachside Dining: photo compliments of Hacienda Cocina & Cantina
The fireside tables are neat too! photo compliments of Hacienda Cocina & Cantina
Hacienda Cocina & Cantina is located in the Hacienda resort and the setting is quite stunning. We asked for a table on the beach and you just couldn’t beat the view! With our toes in the sand and margaritas in hand, we enjoyed the tableside guac and a good Mexican dinner. If you don’t eat beachside, the tables in the restaurant still have beautiful views and the fire pits give a cozy atmosphere. The resort looked like a gorgeous place to stay if you’re looking for accommodations. Tip: bring a sweater, Cabo cools down when the sun sets.
Edith’s Restaurant photo credit: unknown
Edith’s Restaurant came highly recommended, but without a reservation, it was impossible to get into. Instead, we went to their sister restaurant, Tres Sirenas.
Tres Sirenas is right across the street from Edith’s. The atmosphere was really cool (live music!) and the seafood selection was amazing. Everything was very fresh, we had a great time here! Highly recommend.
Cabo San Lucas Excursions
Boat Charter
A really fun excursion when in Cabo San Lucas is to spend a day on the water! There are many tour boats that offer different trips, but we like to charter a private boat. Tip: don’t be afraid to negotiate! We have had the best luck by walking to the marina and asking around. There are always plenty of brokers to ask. Many times you have the opportunity to see the boat when you are at the marina. We were able to check out three different boats before picking the one we wanted.
The boat charter is always a favorite vacation day. Your captain will know the popular boat routes tourists like to take. We were able to view the famous arches and Lover’s Beach up close and personal. The sea lions were fun to see and we were lucky enough to spot a pod of whales! They even gave us a wave hello with their tail; it was pretty special! We also anchored off a beach and snorkeled.
Todos Santos
Another fun and adventurous excursion is to visit Todos Santos. Todos Santos is a small coastal town up the Pacific Coast Highway, maybe about a hour from downtown Cabo. The drive is easy and scenic on the iconic Pacific Coast Highway, so it goes by quickly. You can rent a car or book a private excursion with one of the tour companies.
Let’s Go Surfing!
We made a pit stop on the way to Todos Santos at Cerrito Beach, which is known for it’s surfing. There are several small surf schools and they all guarantee you will stand up or receive your money back. We negotiated a price for lessons and the surf shop provided us with beach chairs and a cabana tent. This was an absolute blast and everyone got up on their surf board!
SURFING AT CERRITO BEACH
Barely B Travel Tip: beware there are many peddlers at Cerrito Beach. If you politely say no, gracias, they will leave you alone. Although, the 4 adults did negotiate beachside massages from the many masseuses that were offering massage therapy. $30 for a 60-minute beachside massage – you just can’t beat it!
Cerritos Beach Bar
After our surfing experience, we made a visit to Hacienda Cerritos Boutique Hotel. If you venture to Todos Santos, I recommend a stop at this hotel. The views were stunning and the hacienda (turned hotel) was beautiful! It was a unique and interesting stop.
POOL AT HACIENDA CERRITOS HOTEL
VIEW FROM HACIENDA CERRITOS
Downtown Todos Santos is Adorable!
Todos Santos is about 10 minutes from Cerrito Beach. Make sure you bring a change of clothes if you stop to surf! The town is adorable and is up and coming (read this and this for more information on Todos Santos) with foodie restaurants and art galleries. Making a stop at Hotel California is a must, the hotel claims to be the inspiration for the Eagles song, but upon more research, that is up for debate! Either way, you can hear the mission bells ringing and can’t help but sing a few lines of the iconic song.
Restaurants in Todos Santos
Mi Pueblito Restaurant in Todos Santos
We ate at Tequila Sunrise and Mi Pueblito. I read great things about Los Adobes de Todos Santos and Caffe Todos Santos and wish we would have had more time to check them out.
Cabo San Lucas Vacation
Good food, fun surfing, and beautiful weather makes Cabo a perfect vacation stop! If you’re heading to Cabo and have any specific questions, don’t hesitate to message me! We spent more time on the San Jose del Cabo side of town, but we are glad we had an opportunity to visit both! Read my San Jose travel tips here!
