Where to Stay

Best Affordable Hotels in Cabo: Where I'd Book Under US$300

By Cabo Wander

On the best affordable hotels in Cabo, I've got good news and one catch. The good news is that a cheap, decent room is easy to find here, and it costs about the same in February as it does in September. The catch is what that money won't buy, which is a room on a beach you can swim at.

So the real choice is between two trips. One is a downtown room for US$80 to $150 a night and a walk to Médano Beach, any month of the year. The other means waiting for August and September, when a handful of beach resorts drop under US$300. I'd take the downtown room. My pick is Cabo Vista in Cabo San Lucas, and if you can spend a bit more, The Bungalows.

I went through more than thirty hotels for this post, in two price bands: under about US$150 a night and US$150 to $300. Every price here is my rough estimate for two people per night with the tax already in. They're planning numbers, and if anything they run a little high, so price your own dates before you decide. Walking times are rough too. I worked them out from the map.

If you haven't picked an area yet, start with where to stay in Cabo, because the area decides more than the hotel does.

The Quick Version

• Best value under US$150: Cabo Vista, in downtown Cabo San Lucas. Adults only, with a kitchenette.
• About US$100 with a pretty courtyard: Los Milagros, in a ground-floor room, with earplugs.
• Under US$150 in San José: Hotel Colli, a few steps from the church on the plaza.
• A family that wants a kitchen: Hotel Santa Fe Los Cabos, downtown.
• Best value under US$300: The Bungalows, with a cooked breakfast in the rate.
• A clean modern room and a pool: Hyatt Place, in San José's hotel zone.
• A real beach resort all year: Solmar Resort. You can't swim at its beach.
• Closest to the swim on a budget: Medano Hotel and Spa, a short walk from Médano.
• A swimmable beach under US$300: Villa del Palmar or Casa Dorada, in August and September only.

What Cheap Gets You Here, and What It Doesn't

An affordable Cabo trip works if you accept one of three trades. It goes wrong when you try to dodge all three.

Sleep downtown and walk to the beach. This is the one I'd pick. For US$80 to $150 you get a clean, small, tiled room with a firm bed, in any month. You give up an ocean view, a big pool and quiet at night. You keep Médano, which is the only swimmable beach in Los Cabos you can walk to from a cheap room, plus every boat and restaurant in town. The middle of the beach is the safest bet for a swim, and my Médano Beach guide explains why.

Take a resort on a beach you can't swim at. Solmar Resort and Posada Real both run about US$150 to $230 all year. You get a proper pool and a quiet night, and the ocean is for looking at.

Come in August or September. That's when the swimmable-beach resorts and the budget all-inclusives fall under US$300. Those are also the hot, humid storm months.

Every room under US$150 is in one of two places. It's either in the grid of streets behind the Cabo San Lucas marina or in the old center of San José. Nothing in that band is on the Corridor, and nothing in it is on a beach.

The Tax on a Cheap Room

The rate on your screen isn't the rate you pay. Tax adds about a fifth, and then there's a flat environmental charge of about US$5 a room a night. Because that charge is the same for every room, it bites harder the cheaper the room is. On a US$65 room the extras come to about a quarter. The cheapest beds in town pay the highest rate, which seems a little unfair to me.

My ranges already have all of that in them. The state visitor fee of about US$25 a person is separate, and you pay it online. I haven't found a resort fee or a service charge at any hotel in this post. The full budget, with food and rides, is in how much Cabo costs.

Season Barely Moves the Small Hotels

What surprised me is how little the small downtown hotels move, which is about US$15 to $60 a night between their cheapest month and their most expensive one. Resorts roughly halve.

So "go in September to save" is advice for people booking resorts. On a US$90 room it saves you about the price of lunch. If you're booking small, pick your month for the weather and the whales and don't think about the rate.

The Trade-Offs, Plainly

• Noise. It's the main fault at almost every downtown hotel, and it comes from one of two places. It's either the bar strip, where the clubs go until two or three in the morning, or traffic on the main roads, which is mostly a daytime thing.
• Pools. Most of these have a small courtyard pool, and they're cold in winter. Siesta Suites, The Mexican Inn and Hotel Colli don't list one at all.
• Breakfast and parking. This is where the cheap hotels beat the resorts. Several include breakfast and most have free parking. At a room-only resort, breakfast for two runs US$40 to $80.
• The room you're handed. At nearly every hotel here, one side of the building is a lot better than the other. I've put the room to ask for in each entry.

A few people should skip this whole price band: anyone whose picture of the trip is a lounger facing the ocean outside their room, families with small kids who need a big pool, and light sleepers who aren't willing to ask for a specific room.

Under US$150 a Night

Seven of these are in downtown Cabo San Lucas, and Médano is roughly 8 to 20 minutes on foot depending on the block. One is in San José. The last one is right on the marina.

1. Cabo Vista Hotel

Cabo Vista is the best value in this band, and it's where I'd book first. It's a 23-room adults-only hotel where every room has a kitchenette, for about US$80 to $110 a night.

It's on the edge of downtown, roughly 10 to 15 minutes on foot from both the marina and Médano. The rooms are air-conditioned and spotless, with a smart TV and a firm bed. There's a small outdoor pool and a restaurant on site, though breakfast isn't in the rate. Parking is free and limited. I haven't found a sales desk.

What sets it apart is the noise, or the lack of it. It's off the bar strip, so what you hear is traffic on the main road, and that's mostly from early morning to about eight at night. For downtown, that's a quiet hotel.

Ask for a room with a balcony, away from the main road.

I'd book it for a couple, or for a long winter stay where you'll use the kitchenette. It's adults only, so families should look at Hotel Santa Fe, below. If you like a soft bed, this isn't it.

2. Los Milagros

Los Milagros is the pretty one. It's 12 rooms around a courtyard on a downtown street a few blocks from the marina, with terracotta floors, a plunge pool and a roof terrace, for about US$90 to $125 a night. Médano is roughly 15 to 20 minutes on foot.

For that price you also get the clubs, from around nine at night until about four in the morning. They're loudest on the upper floor, and the walls are thin. The pool is small and cold. Parking is about US$10 a day, and I didn't find a breakfast.

The most expensive room is the Penthouse, and it's the one closest to the noise. Book a ground-floor room on the courtyard side, pack earplugs, and run the air-conditioning on high.

It's a great fit if you'll be out late anyway, or up at five to go fishing. If you want a courtyard and you can sleep through bass, book it over Cabo Vista. If you can't, don't.

3. Hotel Colli

Hotel Colli is the cheapest good bed in San José's old center, and the location is hard to beat. It's a few steps from the mission church, so the plaza, the galleries and every restaurant in the center are on foot. Plan on about US$105 to $130 a night.

It has 33 rooms, and they're clean and very plain. The beds are hard, and the showers can run cold. There's no pool. There's a bakery and a restaurant on site, and breakfast isn't included. What it does have is free underground parking, which almost nothing else this close to the plaza can offer.

The street-facing rooms get the noise, so ask for a balcony room off the street.

Know what you're giving up. There's no beach on foot from here, and a swim means a ride of about ten minutes. The town is in my San José del Cabo guide. I'd book Colli for a night or two around dinner in town, or for a first or last night near the airport. For a week of pool time, look elsewhere.

4. Siesta Suites

Siesta Suites is one of the closest cheap beds to the boats, a short walk from the marina. If you've got a 6am fishing or dive departure, that's the reason to book it. You'll see it listed as Siesta Suites Boutique Hotel.

It's 20 rooms over several floors with no elevator. The basic rooms start around US$80, and the upgraded ones add a kitchenette and a sitting area for up to about US$135. The top room is around US$165. The best thing about the place is downstairs, where there's an Italian restaurant and a terrace bar that are both good.

It doesn't list a pool or parking, so I wouldn't count on either. The noise comes from the restaurants around it.

Ask for an upper room with a terrace, if the stairs are okay for you. If you've got a rental car or bad knees, skip it.

5. Hotel Santa Fe Los Cabos

This is my pick for a family or a group on a tight budget who wants to cook. All 51 rooms have a kitchenette with a fridge, a microwave and cookware, and the family suites sleep up to eight. A standard room runs about US$80 to $100, and the bigger suites cost more.

The name trips people up. This is the small downtown hotel run by the Villa Group. Riu Santa Fe is the 1,000-room all-inclusive out at the end of Médano, and it's a completely different trip.

It's on a mixed residential and commercial block, a short walk from the marina. There's an outdoor pool, a kids' pool and a roof terrace. A continental breakfast is free, and so is parking.

What I'd want to be different is the upkeep. Some of the kitchens are small, the pool isn't always as clean as it should be, and the breakfast service is hit and miss. You'll hear road traffic.

Ask for a fountain-view room, which faces the courtyard, and check the water pressure when you arrive.

6. Seven Crown Express & Suites

Seven Crown is the cheapest room I'd book that comes with both a pool and free parking, at about US$80 to $105 a night. It's on the main road through town, a short walk from the marina.

The rooms have a fridge and a flat-screen. There's an outdoor pool, a kids' pool and a gym. I didn't find breakfast in the rate. Check-in is at 3pm, and they hold to it.

It's uneven. Doors and showers that need fixing are common, and the cleaning varies from room to room. The street-facing rooms are loud.

Ask for Building B, and ask to be off the street side.

It suits drivers and families counting every dollar. If you can spend the same money at Cabo Vista and you don't have kids, I would.

7. Fairfield by Marriott Los Cabos

The Fairfield is the predictable one, and some trips call for that. It's a standard chain room a few hundred yards from the marina, walkable to Médano and the mall, for about US$130 to $160 a night.

It has a pool, free parking and a free hot breakfast buffet. The buffet doesn't have much variety. There's no sales desk.

The catch is next door. There are bars beside it, including a karaoke place, so ask for a room on the side away from them.

Book it if you collect Marriott points or you want no surprises. You're paying about US$50 a night more than Cabo Vista for the brand and the breakfast.

8. The Mexican Inn

The Mexican Inn is the family-run one, with 12 rooms a short walk from the marina, for under US$100 a night. It serves breakfast, so ask whether it's in your rate.

The staff are the reason to stay. The rooms are basic, with firm beds and low water pressure in some. There's no pool, and it doesn't list parking.

In summer, ask about the air-conditioning before you book.

It suits a solo traveler or a couple who wants a bed and a breakfast and not much else.

9. Tesoro Los Cabos

Tesoro has the best location in this band and the weakest rooms. It's last on my list because of the rooms, and it's on my list at all because of where it is.

It's a 253-room hotel right on the marina boardwalk. The boats are downstairs, and Médano is a walk around the marina or a short water taxi ride. If you'll be on a boat by 7am, nothing here is closer.

There are several drawbacks. The rooms are dated, and some of them smell musty. The wifi is weak. The rooftop pool has a nice view of the marina and it's small. There's live music from the marina bars at night and a DJ at the hotel's own pool most nights. And there's a sales desk. The "VIP tour" you'll be offered is a timeshare presentation.

There's a breakfast buffet on the roof. Ask whether it's in your rate before you book.

The price swings more than anywhere else in this band. Plan on about US$130 in the cheapest months and around US$200 in March, and more than that in the busiest weeks.

Ask for a marina-view room with a balcony on a high floor. And walk into the room before you accept it. If it smells damp, ask for another one.

Bottom line: I'd book it for a fishing trip and nothing else. If damp or noise bothers you, skip it.

A Few I Know Too Little About

• Cabo Inn. It's the lowest price I've found in Los Cabos, around US$50 to $75 with tax. I don't know enough about the rooms or the noise to rank it.
• Posada Terranova and Posada Señor Mañana. Two small inns in San José's center from about US$100. Same story.
• Los Patios. It's out on the highway, about two miles from the marina, with nothing in walking distance. I'd only consider it with a rental car.
• Hampton Inn & Suites. It's the one chain hotel on the Corridor, and it's in a shopping center beside the highway. It isn't on a beach. It could work for a late arrival with a car, and that's about all I can tell you.

US$150 to US$300 a Night

This band gets you one of three things: a nicer small hotel, a chain room with a real pool, or a resort on a beach you can't swim at.

1. The Bungalows Hotel

The Bungalows is the best value in Cabo San Lucas, and the reason is breakfast. A cooked one is included every morning, French toast and all, and that's worth US$25 to $40 a day for two.

It's 16 suites and bungalows around a garden and a small pool, uphill and inland from the center. It's owner-run, and it's the only central address in town where the noise at night is dogs and roosters. You may hear club music in the distance on some nights.

The trade is the walk and the rooms. The marina is roughly 10 to 15 minutes downhill. Médano is about 25, and it's uphill on the way home, with some dusty unpaved stretches. The rooms are dated.

Plan on about US$150 to $280 a night for two. Parking is free and limited. Some rooms have a kitchenette, and kids are welcome.

Ask for a Hammock Suite or one of the bungalows, for the terrace.

I'd book it for a couple, or for anyone fishing or diving who wants a good night's sleep. If you want a modern room or the beach at the door, keep reading. It's also in the best boutique hotels in Cabo, with the other small hotels in both towns.

2. Hyatt Place Los Cabos

Hyatt Place is the best modern room for the money that I found. It runs about US$115 to $190 a night, so in the cheaper months it's really a band-one price.

It's in San José's hotel zone, a few minutes' walk from the beach, and the beach here is NOT for swimming. The old town is roughly 25 to 30 minutes on foot, or an Uber of about US$5. There are supermarkets, a pharmacy and restaurants close by, and the airport is a short ride.

It has 157 clean, modern rooms, an outdoor pool, a gym that's open around the clock and parking on site. There's no kitchenette and no sales desk. I couldn't confirm whether breakfast is included, so check your rate.

It suits a couple or a family who wants a spotless room and a pool and will ride into San José for dinner. If you want to walk out the door into a town, it's the wrong spot.

3. Solmar Resort

Solmar is a real beach resort for about US$150 to $230 a night, all year. It's the nicest way I've found to get pools on the sand and the sound of surf at this price.

It's on the Pacific-facing beach behind the marina, at Land's End. The marina is roughly 15 to 20 minutes on foot, so dinner in town is a walk. The beach is wide and dramatic, and you can't swim at it. Stay out of the water here, and off the wet sand too.

The older wings are the weak point. Air-conditioning and hot tubs that don't work properly are too common there. Parking is free. The rate is room only. The hotel sells an all-inclusive option, and I don't have a price for it.

Ask for a deluxe ocean-view room, and ask to be out of the older wing.

In winter you may see whales from the property, which is a pretty great thing to get at this price. I'd book it for a couple who wants quiet and a walk to town and is fine with the beach being a view.

4. Medano Hotel and Spa

This is the closest affordable bed to the swim. Médano is roughly eight minutes on foot, and the marina is about the same. You may still see it listed as Medano Hotel & Suites.

It's attached to a small shopping center a few blocks back from the sand. So it's near the beach and a walk from it. Plan on about US$170 to $225 a night.

The rooms are big for the price, and the family suite has a kitchenette with a full-size fridge. There's a pool, and parking is free. I haven't found a sales desk.

I'd want a few things to be different. The beds are uncomfortable, the elevators are slow and the wifi comes and goes. You'll hear the streets around it.

Ask for a balcony room on the quiet side.

Book it if you want Médano on foot and the hotels on the sand are out of reach. Those are ranked in the best hotels on Médano Beach.

5. Tropicana Los Cabos

Tropicana is the nicest hotel in this post, and it only fits the budget outside of winter. It's about US$170 to $215 in summer, US$230 to $290 in the in-between months, and US$300 to $400 from late December to March.

It's on Boulevard Mijares in San José's old town, a couple of blocks from the plaza. It has 70 rooms around a courtyard pool with a hot tub, a good restaurant and free valet parking. Breakfast isn't included.

For the location, it's quiet. Ground-floor rooms hear footsteps from the floor above, and the street side is louder than the courtyard side. Treat the pool as cool in winter.

Ask for an upper floor on the courtyard or pool side.

There's no beach on foot here either. I'd book it from May to October for San José on foot with the car handed to the valet, knowing the town is at its slowest in the hottest months.

6. Marina Fiesta Resort & Spa

Marina Fiesta gets you a suite with a kitchen on the marina, with Médano on foot. It runs from about US$140 in the cheapest months to US$270 in December.

There's a pool with a swim-up bar, and parking is free. Some of the suites need maintenance. The lower floors are noisy.

The thing to be ready for is the sales desk, which is a pushy one. The welcome breakfast you'll be offered is a timeshare pitch. Say no and keep walking. What you'd be signing up for is in my post on the Cabo timeshare presentation. The hotel also sells an all-inclusive plan, and I don't have a price for it.

Ask for a high floor. I'd avoid the room sold as the nautical junior suite.

It suits a family or a group who wants a kitchen near the boats and is comfortable saying no at the desk.

7. El Encanto Suites

El Encanto is the inexpensive room in San José's Gallery District, and which building you land in decides the whole stay. You may still see it listed as El Encanto Inn.

It's spread across a main house with a garden and two annexes, one a few doors down and one across the street. The main house is the one you want. The annex across the street hears a neighboring bar until one or two in the morning.

I have less to go on here than at the hotels above, so take it with some caution. I wouldn't book it for the pool. It has no restaurant of its own. Parking on site is paid and limited.

Plan on about US$145 to $285 a night. Ask for a garden or pool suite in the main house, and get the building confirmed in writing.

8. Posada Real Los Cabos

Posada Real is the cheapest bed that's actually on a beach, at about US$150 to $220 a night, room only. I'd only book it if the price is the whole point.

It's on the hotel-zone beach in San José, about a mile from the old town. You can't swim at that beach. The rooms are dated, the walls between them are thin and the mattresses are old. The pool has a swim-up bar and it's cold in winter. I haven't found a sales desk.

You'll see it listed as an all-inclusive. It's a room-only hotel that sells a meal plan on top, and I don't have a price for the plan that I trust.

Ask for an ocean-view room.

One More, in the Cheap Months Only

Casa Natalia, on the plaza in San José, starts around US$225 and passes US$300 once the season picks up. If your dates are in late summer, it's worth a look. It's the small hotel I like best in San José.

A Resort for Under US$300

The question I get asked most is whether you can get a beach resort for under US$300 a night. You can. The harder question is whether you can swim at it.

All Year

Three resorts stay under the line in every month, and they're all ranked above: Solmar Resort, Posada Real and Marina Fiesta. Two are on beaches you can't swim at, and the third is on the marina. Sandos Finisterra comes up in these searches too, but it only sells all-inclusive, so there's no cheap room-only rate to find.

Only in August and September

In the two cheapest months, these come under US$300 for two:

• Villa del Palmar. Suites with kitchens on Médano, room only, from about US$180. On a good date it can stay under the line from roughly May to October.
• Casa Dorada. Suites right on the sand at the busy end of Médano, room only, from about US$230. Expect a sales approach when you arrive.
• Corazón Cabo. In the loudest stretch of Médano, room only, from about US$250.
• Riu Santa Fe, Royal Solaris, GR Solaris Lighthouse and Krystal Grand. All-inclusive, at about US$250 to $275 with the food and drinks in. You can't swim in front of any of them.
• Grand Decameron Los Cabos. A smaller all-inclusive in San José's hotel zone, from about US$250 in its cheapest months. You may know it as the Royal Decameron.

By December those same hotels run about US$400 to $530. The Pueblo Bonito hotels in the middle of Médano, which is the stretch I like best, don't get under the line in any month on average.

At Royal Solaris, the lowest advertised rate is tied to sitting through a sales presentation. At Grand Decameron the drinks are weak, the lunch buffet repeats and the standard rooms are dated. If you book it, ask for a balcony facing the ocean, away from the side that borders the big family resort next door. Hacienda Encantada, on the Corridor, also sells a room with a kitchen for around US$200 in low season. It sits on a clifftop with no swimming below.

I've ranked all of these properly in the best all-inclusive resorts in Cabo.

The Meal Plan Takes You Over the Line

Every swimmable-beach hotel on that list is room only. The meal plan at those resorts runs about US$140 to $185 per adult per day, so adding it takes every one of them well past US$300. I'd skip the plan and eat in town, which is easy from Médano. If you're tempted anyway, I do the math in whether a Cabo all-inclusive is worth it.

What August and September Are Really Like

The rate is real, and so are the conditions that produce it. These are the hottest and most humid weeks of the year, and they're the peak of hurricane season. A storm far out at sea can close the beaches for days under a blue sky.

That matters most for the exact thing you're paying for. Swells from the south are at their worst in September, and they can close even the swimmable beaches. Villa del Palmar is on the steeper, rougher part of Médano to begin with. So ask the hotel how often you can swim out front in the month you're coming, and treat the answer as part of the price. The hotels where you can count on a swim most of the year are in the best Cabo resorts with swimmable beaches.

I'd still book one of these deals for a pool week with a warm ocean as a bonus. I wouldn't book one expecting a winter trip at half price. The month-by-month picture is in the best time to visit Cabo.

Downtown Room or Budget All-Inclusive?

Here's my rough math for two people for one day, in the in-between months.

A downtown room, eating tacos and local seafood. The room is about US$95 to $135. Food and drink is US$70 to $110. Rides are close to nothing, because Médano and the marina are on foot. Shade on the beach is free on your own towel, or up to about US$40 if you rent it or sit at a club. That comes to roughly US$165 to $300 a day.

A downtown room, eating well. Same room. Food at good restaurants is US$160 to $240, plus a couple of short rides and a lounger most days. That's roughly US$300 to $480 a day.

A budget all-inclusive, like Riu Santa Fe or Royal Solaris. The room with food and drinks in is about US$370 to $400. Add US$20 to $40 if you go out at all, and about US$25 a day in tips. That's roughly US$415 to $465 a day.

So the downtown trip costs about half as much if you eat where the locals eat. Those places are in the best tacos in Cabo. If you eat at nice restaurants and rent a lounger every day, the two trips cost about the same.

September flips it. The all-inclusive falls to about US$285 to $300 a day, and at that price it beats the downtown trip with good dinners.

What the math doesn't show is what you're getting. At this price the all-inclusive has food that repeats and a beach you can't swim at. The downtown trip has Médano and any restaurant you like. For the beach days, a club's minimum spend mostly comes back as lunch, and I compare them in the best beach clubs in Cabo. For the short rides, Uber is about half the taxi fare, which I explain in getting around Cabo.

If you're weighing San José, add a ride from the old town or the hotel zone every time you want to swim.

Bottom line: unless it's September or you really don't want to think about dinner, the downtown room wins.

The Ones I'd Skip

None of these is a disaster. Each one loses to something above it for a specific reason.

Bahia Hotel & Beach House. It's on every affordable list, and it's a good hotel. It just isn't affordable anymore. Plan on about US$300 to $550 a night, with only the odd deal below that.

Krystal Grand. It's a cheap all-inclusive with ongoing problems with cleanliness and road noise. I'd spend a little more.

GR Solaris Lighthouse. This is the hotel that used to be called Barceló Gran Faro. It's the same group as Royal Solaris, with weaker wifi and restaurant service. I'd pick Royal Solaris.

Tesoro, if damp or noise bothers you. The location is great. The musty rooms are too common a problem for me to wave away.

Los Patios, without a car. Nothing is walkable from it.

A meal plan on a room-only resort deal. It turns a US$200 room into a US$500 day.

Hotel Mar de Cortez. It still shows up in searches and on old budget lists. It's closed.

The Verdict

A cheap room in Cabo is easy. A cheap room on a beach you can swim at mostly doesn't exist, and I'd rather you plan around that than discover it at check-in.

If you only look at one hotel, look at Cabo Vista. It's about US$100, it's clean, it has a kitchenette, and Médano is a walk away. If you can go up to US$200, look at The Bungalows and let them cook you breakfast.

Here's where I'd send you:

• A couple who'll be out all day: Cabo Vista.
• You want a courtyard and you sleep through anything: Los Milagros, ground floor.
• Fishing or diving with early starts: Siesta Suites, or Tesoro if being on the dock matters more than the room.
• A family that wants a kitchen: Hotel Santa Fe Los Cabos, or Marina Fiesta for more money and a pushy sales desk.
• You want sleep in Cabo San Lucas: The Bungalows.
• San José on foot: Hotel Colli on a budget, Tropicana outside of winter.
• A pool and a modern room: Hyatt Place.
• A beach resort and you don't need to swim: Solmar Resort.
• Médano on foot: Medano Hotel and Spa.
• A swimmable beach, and you can come in late summer: Villa del Palmar, room only, with your eyes open about the weather.

And who I'd steer away:

• Light sleepers: Los Milagros, Tesoro and any street-facing room downtown.
• Swimmers who can't travel in August or September: the resorts in this post. Book downtown and walk to the middle of Médano.
• Families with little kids who need a big pool: everything under US$150.
• Anyone who wants a lounger facing the ocean from their room: this whole price range, most of the year.

Would I book one of these over a resort? For a trip built around boats, tacos and mornings on Médano, yes, happily. For a week when the hotel is the vacation, I'd save up or wait for September... and pack for the heat.

And here's how I'd text it to a friend: cheap rooms in Cabo are easy and cost the same all year. None are on a beach you can swim at. Cabo Vista for about a hundred, The Bungalows for about two hundred with breakfast. Ask for the quiet side EVERYWHERE. Add a fifth for tax. Resorts only get under 300 in August and September, room only, and it's hot. Say no to the VIP tour.

Quick Answers

What is the cheapest decent hotel in Cabo San Lucas? Cabo Vista, Seven Crown, Hotel Santa Fe Los Cabos and The Mexican Inn all run roughly US$80 to $110 a night for two with tax, all year. Cabo Vista and Hotel Santa Fe add a kitchenette and a pool.

Can you stay on the beach in Cabo for under US$300? On a swimmable beach, only in the cheapest months, when Villa del Palmar, Casa Dorada and Corazón Cabo drop to about US$180 to $250, room only. On a beach you can't swim at, yes, all year, at Solmar Resort and Posada Real.

Is there an all-inclusive in Cabo under US$300 a night? In August and September, yes. Riu Santa Fe, Royal Solaris, GR Solaris Lighthouse and Krystal Grand come in at about US$250 to $275 for two, and Grand Decameron is close to that in its cheapest months. In winter they run about US$400 to $530.

Is downtown Cabo San Lucas noisy? Yes, and it's the main fault at nearly every cheap hotel there. Near the bar strip it's clubs until two or three in the morning, and on the main roads it's daytime traffic. Ask for the quiet side of the building when you book.

Will I get a timeshare pitch at a cheap hotel? Not at the small independent hotels or the chains, as far as I've found. You will at Tesoro, Marina Fiesta and Casa Dorada, where the "VIP tour" or welcome breakfast is the presentation.