Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico is the perfect place for a sun-filled vacation. Located in an area known as Baja Sur, the American author John Steinbeck wrote about the area when it was a series of quaint fishing villages. Today, luxury accommodations mingle with shopping opportunities, top-shelf restaurants, and jumping nightclubs all set in a fast-paced atmosphere of fun and spectacle. Beach activities include wind surfing, parasailing, scuba diving, snorkeling, surfing, or just tanning in the Pacific sun.The beaches of Cabo San Lucas are legendary for their beauty and the number of outdoor activities available. Medano Beach, the town's main beach, is an arcing stretch of sand nestled along the east side of the bay. In addition to premium tanning time, the beach has sea kayaks, wave runners, jet skis, paddle boats, wind surf boards, and snorkeling equipment. The area between Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo is peppered with hidden beaches, coves, and out-of-the-way nooks and crannies attractive to even the most discerning sun worshiper. Playa Cemetario is a white sand beach sloping gently into the ocean. Playa Barco Varado curves around a rocky promontory and the remains of a Japanese freighter sunk in the 1960s. Santa Maria Bay is popular with scuba divers for the clear water; great dive sites are within walking distance from shore.
Golf is quickly becoming the new "fave rave" with vacationers in the Cabo San Lucas area. Courses are springing up as fast as golfers can tee it up. Palmilla Golf Club was the first signature course in Mexico designed by golfing great Jack Nicklaus. The oceanfront design values strategy over length off the tee. Cabo del Sol, another Nicklaus course, is called "The Pebble Beach of Cabo" due to its incredible holes that skirt the ocean. Cabo Real was designed by Robert Trent Jones, and sits high above the Sea of Cortez. The course blends astonishing views with an intricate test of golf that can be enjoyed by all skill levels. Long hitters will want to try their luck at the Raven Club. The course features incredible views of the Sea of Cortez, including the famous "Land's End" rocks. The course's signature hole is the par 5,607 yard 7th hole, the longest hole in all of Mexico!
Cabo San Lucas has a variety of activities for those who like a little action on their vacation. The area gained its reputation as a sports fishing haven. There are plenty of able-bodied sea captains who can take you out looking for marlin, wahoo, sailfish, and yellowfin tuna. Scuba divers can catch shuttle boats that will take them to famous dive sites like the Gordo Banks and Cabo Pulmo. Another popular spot is San Lucas Bay, where you can investigate intricate "sandfalls" that stumped even Jacques Cousteau. If you are looking for some fun on dry land, you might want to sign up for an off-road excursion to La Candelaria, an isolated mountain village some 30 miles north of Cabo San Lucas. The trip takes visitors past a beach that is a giant sea turtle nesting ground.
Cabo San Lucas has something for every vacationing taste bud. History buffs will want to check out the Spanish mission Iglesia de San Lucas (Church of San Lucas). Music lovers will want to check out the famous Cabo Wabo Cantina, owned by Van Halen front man Sammy Hagar. And shopping enthusiasts will want to place an order for a hand-made blanket at Cuca's Blanket Factory, where you can choose your pattern and have the blanket ready for you the next day.
