Areas

Cabo San Lucas vs San José del Cabo: Where I'd Actually Stay

By Cabo Wander

Whenever a friend tells me they're going to Cabo, the first thing they ask is which town to stay in. And I get it, because on a hotel booking site the two look pretty much identical. Same sunshine, same airport, about 20 miles apart.

They are really not the same though, and here's the thing I wish somebody had told me before my first trip: you can't swim at San José's big hotel beach. It's long and wide and beautiful, and the water isn't safe to get into. Médano Beach in Cabo San Lucas is the only long, swimmable town beach in all of Los Cabos.

Stay in Cabo San Lucas if you want to walk out of your hotel and get in the ocean. Stay in San José del Cabo if you'd rather eat really well and get a good night's sleep. Everything else people argue about (the noise, the charm, which one is the "real" one) is honestly just personal taste.

I've stayed in both towns more times than I can count, and looking back, the trips that went sideways all went sideways for the same reason. I'd picked the right town and the wrong part of it. The one that still stings was a "beachfront" all-inclusive in San José that turned out to be a hot half-hour walk from the plaza it was named after, on a beach I wasn't allowed to swim at. So I'm going to get pretty specific about where in each town you want to be.

If you'd rather have this broken down area by area, I've done that in where to stay in Cabo. This post is just the two towns, head to head.

The Quick Version

Stay in Cabo San Lucas if you want to swim from your hotel, you're doing a couple of boat trips, or it's your first time. Aim for the middle of Médano Beach.

Stay in San José del Cabo if you're coming for the restaurants, you want quiet evenings, or you're only here for a few nights. Stay in the historic center, and skip the hotel strip on the beach.

Okay, let's get into the details.

Can You Actually Swim?

This is the big one for me, and San Lucas wins it easily.

Médano is about two miles of sand with calm water, a gentle slope in, and the Arch right there in your view the whole time. You walk out of your hotel and you get in the water. Nowhere else in either town gives you that.

Something a lot of people don't realize is that Médano is really two beaches. When someone tells you "Médano is so loud", they've been to the marina end. That end is beach clubs with MCs running drinking games on big speakers, jet skis, and a LOT of vendors. I was offered a blanket about every three minutes, and the same sweet, very hopeful guy came by five separate times in one afternoon.

Walk fifteen or twenty minutes east, though, and it's a different place. That's the resort stretch, where the hotels rope off their section of sand, the boats thin out and the selling mostly stops. The middle of the beach, where that resort stretch begins, is where I'd put almost anyone. I'd stop short of the far east end by the Riu resorts, where the sand gets steeper and the water rougher. I've got more on picking your spot in my guide to Médano Beach.

The Pacific side of San Lucas is where people who book off the photos get caught out. The quiet resorts out by Solmar are lovely, they're a pleasant walk from the marina, and they feel nothing like the party. But that beach is for walking and whale watching only. Please take this one seriously. The surf there has killed people, including people who were just standing close to it. My own rule on any beach that's flagged against swimming is that I stay off the wet sand entirely. There's more on that coast in my guide to the Pacific side of Cabo.

In San José, the hotel zone beach is honestly gorgeous to look at, but it has a steep drop-off right near the shore and an undertow, and it's usually flagged off. Costa Azul next door is a surf break. If you're staying in San José and you want to swim, you'll need a ride. You can go east to La Playita or the beach club at El Ganzo, by the Puerto Los Cabos marina, where there are small roped-off areas, or about ten minutes west to Palmilla, which is a proper protected cove. So if you've got kids, a beach hotel in San José really means a pool and a view.

The word "beachfront" in a listing tells you nothing about any of this. Before you pay extra for an oceanfront room, ask the hotel one question: is your beach flagged for swimming? I've ranked the ones where the answer is yes in the best swimmable beaches in Cabo.

The water is at its coldest from February to April, around 71°F, which is exactly when most people visit. By September it's in the mid 80s. So if you're coming in February you'll probably be in the pool most of the time anyway, and the swimming question matters a little less. In the fall and early winter, it matters a lot.

Boat Trips

Before you book a hotel, count up how many boat trips you want to do.

The Arch, whale watching, the snorkel cruises, fishing, the water taxis... all of it leaves from the San Lucas marina or right off Médano. If you're staying in San José, each one of those is a 35 to 45 minute ride each way, and you'll want to leave 45 minutes to an hour before your check-in time at the dock. That works out to about an extra hour and a half in the car on every boat day. What you can do without crossing over is in things to do in San José del Cabo.

One trip out to El Arco and Lover's Beach from San José is totally fine. If you've got four boat days planned, I'd stay in San Lucas, because that's a lot of your vacation spent commuting.

Winter tips things even further toward San Lucas. Whale season runs from mid December to mid April, with the best of it from January to March. If whale watching is the reason you're coming, sleep near the boats. To be fair, I've also watched whales from dry land on the Pacific side and from the Corridor without paying anyone a thing.

Getting There from the Airport

This one surprises people. The airport is called Los Cabos, and it's in San José. I've talked to people who booked San Lucas "to be close to the Cabo airport", and it's the other way around.

San José is 15 to 30 minutes from the terminal. San Lucas is 45 minutes to an hour. The ride costs roughly this:

• Official airport taxi: about US$65 to $85 to San José, US$90 to $115 to San Lucas
• Private car: from around US$70 to San José, US$90 to $110 to San Lucas
• Shared shuttle: about US$20 a person to San José, US$25 to San Lucas

So staying in San Lucas costs you an extra US$20 to $30 each way and about half an hour. On a week-long trip, I wouldn't even think about it. On a three-night trip, that's an hour of your vacation and the price of a nice dinner, and San José starts to look pretty smart.

The shared shuttle waits until it's full, and then it makes two to four hotel stops. If your San Lucas hotel is at the end of the run, it can be an hour and a half from the curb to your lobby. I've done it, and these days I just pay for the private car.

Whichever town you pick, book your airport ride ahead of time. Don't count on getting an Uber at arrivals. Who's allowed to pick up at that curb is a long-running local argument, and you really don't want to be sorting it out with your luggage in the sun. Going home is a different story. Uber took me from San Lucas to departures for US$30 to $55 when the taxi wanted about US$80.

There's also a public bus, about 100 pesos (roughly US$5) to San Lucas, and it's a perfectly nice air-conditioned coach. It's just a little tricky to find. From international arrivals you go up to the departures level, out a side door, and along the sidewalk past the rental car desks and an OXXO to the other terminal. I've got all the options laid out in my Cabo airport guide.

Nightlife (and Sleep)

San Lucas is the loudest place in Baja California Sur, and San José is in bed by one. Which of those sounds better is completely up to you.

In San Lucas, El Squid Roe is pretty tame until 11pm and really gets going after midnight. The clubs around it run until two or three in the morning. If your hotel is too close to that strip, you won't be sleeping until the bars close. I don't want to scare you off the whole town though, because it really is just a few blocks and one end of one beach. The Pacific side and the east end of Médano are both quiet. Which bars and clubs are worth a night is in my guide to Cabo nightlife.

San José's old town is mostly quiet by eleven, and I haven't found much open after midnight. If a night out means dancing for you, that's going to be a problem. If it means a long dinner and a slow walk around Plaza Mijares with live music playing, I honestly think San José is the nicer evening of the two. La Lupita is one of the livelier spots in the evening.

On Thursdays from November through the end of June there's the San José Art Walk, from 5pm to 9pm. Calle Obregón closes to cars, some of the galleries pour a little wine or tequila, and I love it. Just know that it doesn't run from July to October. I mention it because so many websites say "every Thursday".

I've even heard people who live in San José tell twenty-somethings they'd have more fun staying in the other town, and I think they're right.

Summer is tougher on San José, too. In August it's hot, humid and very quiet, some restaurants cut their hours, and the Art Walk is off. So keep in mind that the two best reasons to stay there are both seasonal.

Food

San José is the better town to eat in, and it's the reason I keep going back. If you're coming to Los Cabos mainly for the food, this is where you want to be.

The two restaurants most people are thinking of when they say "San José", Flora Farms and Acre, aren't actually in town. They're both out in Ánimas Bajas, and the last stretch of the drive is a dirt road. An Uber gets you there with no trouble. Plan on about US$55 to $80 a person for brunch at Flora's Field Kitchen and US$90 to $140 for dinner, and a little more than that for dinner at Acre.

San Lucas has plenty of good dinners too, and most of them are walkable from the marina, which is a real plus. At the high end the check comes out about the same in both towns. A big steakhouse night for two with wine in San Lucas is US$200 to $300. At the other end, a fish taco from a cart is US$2 to $4 in either town, and tacos with a beer at a local spot is around US$10. My favorites, and what to order at each, are in the best restaurants in Cabo, with a longer list for each town in where to eat in Cabo San Lucas and the best restaurants in San José del Cabo.

Bottom line: I'd only let food decide this if food is the whole trip. If you're planning one or two big dinners, eat them wherever you're staying, or take the Uber.

Cruise Ship Days

San Lucas gets cruise ships and San José doesn't. There's no terminal there and no tenders at all.

The ships anchor in the bay around 7 or 8am and ferry everyone into the marina, which is at its most crowded from 10am to about 3:30pm. There can be three ships out there at once. Then around five, the marina empties out quickly. Fall and winter are the busy months, with about twice as many ships in November as in September.

It's a hassle, but it's one you can plan around, and I wouldn't switch towns over it. Check the ship schedule before you plan a marina day, and go before 9am or after 5pm. The timeshare salespeople on the boardwalk will be there either way.

What It Costs

You'll read that San José is the cheaper town. Some years that's true. Other years San Lucas comes in lower, and I've stopped trying to guess. So I wouldn't let price make this decision for you. The one thing that stays the same is the Corridor, where a room costs about double either town.

Both downtowns have affordable rooms, and neither downtown is on the sand. A boutique room in San José's historic center starts a little under US$200 a night before tax. The cheapest bed I've found anywhere in Los Cabos was in downtown San Lucas for under US$50.

A few things to budget for in either town:

• Tax adds about a fifth to whatever rate you're quoted.
• March is the most expensive month of the year and September is the cheapest. March runs about one and a half times the September price.
• There's a state visitor fee of about US$25 a person that you pay online.

Taxis are where I see people lose money, and that goes for both towns. There are no meters, so always agree on the price before you get in. A short hop in San Lucas should be about US$10, and I've been quoted US$30 for basically the same ride. Uber works great in both towns and between them for roughly half the taxi fare. Late at night between the towns I wouldn't count on it, so have a sure ride lined up. There's a lot more on this in getting around Cabo.

Going Back and Forth

You can absolutely stay in one town and visit the other. Just think of it as a real outing. The towns are about 20 miles apart and the drive takes 35 to 45 minutes, longer around 8am and 6pm. You'll see 20 minutes quoted all over the place, and it has never once taken me 20 minutes.

What it costs to get between them:

• Uber: about 600 pesos, somewhere between US$20 and $40
• Taxi: US$40 to $70, depending on who's quoting and how comfortable you are negotiating
• Bus: about 45 pesos the last time I rode it, so a few dollars

I really like the bus. You pay the driver in cash, it's a clean, cold, purple and orange coach, and one comes by every ten minutes or so until around 10pm. It only adds 15 or 20 minutes over a car.

If you're staying in San Lucas, an evening in San José means an Uber each way and a 40 minute ride home after dessert. If you're staying in San José, scroll back up to the part about boat trips.

You don't need a car around the marina and Médano, or in San José's historic center. If you're planning to go back and forth between the towns a lot, you'll want either a rental car or a decent ride budget.

What About Staying in the Middle?

A lot of people look at the map, see twenty miles of resorts along the highway between the two towns, and think that's the smart compromise. Stay halfway and do both! It's called the Tourist Corridor, and I totally understand the logic.

In practice, being halfway between two towns means you can't walk to either one. Here's how it usually goes, because it's happened to me. You decide you'd like dinner in San José. The taxi at the lobby quotes you a fare that, round trip, lands somewhere between US$30 and US$80 depending on where on the highway you are. So you open Uber, which is less than half that, and find out that plenty of resorts won't let the car past the security gate. So you walk out to the gate, and those driveways are LONG, and you're in your dinner shoes.

I've done that once or twice on a trip, and then by midweek I'm at the pool bar with a US$25 burger and an US$18 margarita, because going out for dinner has turned into dinner plus a fare plus a hike. It's an easy pattern to fall into, and you can end up spending the whole week without seeing either town.

Now, if your plan is to never leave the resort, the Corridor is the right answer and I mean that sincerely. The best hotels in Los Cabos are here, and so are the best coves: Chileno, Santa María and Palmilla. A resort on one of those is the best swim-from-your-room option outside of Médano. Just check the specific hotel and don't go by the stretch of coast, because plenty of Corridor resort beaches are red-flagged all year. It's also the most expensive area by a wide margin. There's more in my Tourist Corridor guide.

The Verdict

San José has the better town, San Lucas has the better ocean, and unfortunately no single hotel gives you both.

If it's your first trip and you don't have strong feelings either way, I'd put you in the middle of Médano in San Lucas. If it's your second trip, or a first trip that's really about dinner, I'd put you in the historic center of San José. I'd only pick the Corridor if you want a resort where you never have to leave, and in that case it's the best choice of the three.

There are two places I personally wouldn't book. The first is San José's hotel zone. It's a pool vacation with a view of water you can't get into, plus an Uber of about US$5 each way every time you want to go into town. The second is the marina end of Médano if you're hoping for a quiet week. It's a great beach, and that's just the wrong end of it for quiet.

Each town gets its own full write-up, in my Cabo San Lucas guide and my San José del Cabo guide. And if you're still deciding whether Cabo is the right trip in the first place, I've compared it in Cabo vs Cancún and Cabo vs Puerto Vallarta.

Once you've picked a town, the hotels are in the best hotels on Médano Beach, the best hotels in San José del Cabo, my 3-day Cabo itinerary and the Cabo first-timer mistakes I'd avoid.

And here's how I'd text it to a friend: if you want to swim and do boat trips, San Lucas, middle of the beach. If you want great food and sleep, San José, in the center and off the hotel strip. The Corridor only if you're not leaving the resort.

Quick Answers

How far apart are Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo? About 20 miles. Give yourself 35 to 45 minutes by car, and more at 8am and 6pm.

Which is closer to the airport? San José, by a lot. It's 15 to 30 minutes from the terminal, compared to 45 minutes to an hour for San Lucas.

Can you swim at the beaches in San José del Cabo? Not at the hotel zone beach or Costa Azul. You can at the small roped-off areas at La Playita and El Ganzo, and at Palmilla about ten minutes west. You'll need a ride to all of them.

Is San José boring at night? After about eleven, yes. Most of the old town has closed by then. For a long dinner and a walk around the plaza with live music, I think it's the better of the two.

Do I need a car? Not around the San Lucas marina and Médano, and not in San José's historic center. On the Corridor, or if you want to visit both towns a lot, you'll need a car or a good-sized ride budget.