Los Cabos Beaches - Cabo San Lucas

It's little wonder this is one of the new Hot Spots on many vacation agendas. This awesome wonderland started becoming more popular in the mid-80's and continues to grow. Find your perfect beach, surfing spot, or sports fishing port. They are all here, and more.

Cabo San Lucas is located on the southern point of the Baja Peninsula in "Baja California Sur" in Mexico. It's around 1,000 miles south of San Diego. Perhaps you've heard of the Baja area from the Baja Racing that happens here almost year-round.

Special cars designed to take the twists, turns, bumps, jumps and high speed sand-washes race here. If you're into that sort of adventure, know that there are many Baja Racing operators throughout the peninsula - and it's fun!

A little history of the Cabo area: First discovered around the 1530's by Hernan Cortez. The world was vast with many areas still undiscovered. And since Cortez didn't find anything he thought of worth, Los Cabos stayed the same for a few more centuries. Indians and a few missionaries lived throughout the land. An occasional pirate ship made San Jose del Cabo and La Paz beaches a stopping place.

But it wasn't until after World War II, Southern Califor- nians realized they could fly to La Paz, then travel the dirt roads to the Mar de Cortes - the word got out that the Mar de Cortes was teeming with fish. If you had your own plane, or your own yacht, you had your own sports fishing paradise.

Bing Crosby, Desi Arnaz, John Wayne among others made this their paradise early on and even built a hotel - members only. Soon, however, Cabo San Lucas was on the map with hotels going up everywhere and a major road coming into the area. But fishing wasn't to be the only game in town.

Currently, six major golf courses are open. Golfing in Los Cabos is World Class. Conditions are great and affordable. There are many hotels and resorts that cater just the golfing community. And, it wouldn't surprise us with the International airport, hotel space, and wonderful weather, that a major golf championship would be played here soon. The Los Cabos area is perfect for golf.

So as you make your way through the Beaches of Los Cabos, know that Hernan Cortez looked around and decided it wasn't worth the stop. And because of that, Los Cabos is now a beautiful resort town - still young enough not to be overdone, and big enough not to be too primitive. Cortez went on to build Mexico City.

BEACH INDEX:

• Ideal for watersports, but not all beaches are suitable for swimming.
• No established lifeguard program.
• Some beaches in front of hotels are flagged. Don't swim when a red flag is flying.
• Don't swim alone. Big surf in many areas - dangerous.
• Use extreme caution when venturing into unknown surf. Stay above the tide line.
• Pacific beaches are notorious for rogue waves and undertows.
• Beaches in Los Cabos have few services. Take a hat, sunscreen, plenty of water.
• Water temperature 70's in winter, 80's in the summer.

Now - onto to the many beaches of Los Cabos including Cabo San Lucas and San Jose dos Cabos - NEXT! >>

Bahia Palmilla - Cabo San Lucas

This beach, like others in Cabo, has resorts that are so close to the shore, you can hang in a hammock and sleep the afternoon listening to the waves meeting the shore, a gull crying overhead, and the gentle breeze as it passes through the palm fronds. Amazing how one beach, Bahia Palmilla, can take you from stress to relaxed in less than 10 minutes. So beautiful is Bahia Palmilla, that even more resorts are trying to nudge in the already full landscape. But no worries. This coastline has plenty for everyone.

Another crescent-shaped bay that invites you to spend some time relaxing and listening to the surf gently reach the shore as it's done for millennia. Who would have thought a tiny sleepy fishing village would become a tourist focal point?

Bahia Palmilla is that point and abundance surrounds it. From the grand Jack Nicklaus Ocean Nine golf course to the super exclusive One&Only; Hotel Palmilla. If you can't get it here - Cabo doesn't have it.

Known by the tourism operators as the "longest swimming beach", we found they meant that you can probably swim for longer along the shoreline than any other area beach. Remember, some of the Cabo San Lucas beaches are downright dangerous for swimming. But not Bahia Palmilla. It's splendid.

Palmilla is another one of those split crescents - in other words - there's a rock outcropping that juts into the ocean splitting a beach with sand out to a rocky/reef bottom, and a side that has simply sand as far as you can probably swim (or should).

Because of this, it's wonderful for snorkeling. Make sure you stay along the rocks as there is nothing to see in the sand, except...well, sand. And with the protected shoreline, this is the beach for families. Even the locals come here on the weekends with their own. Rent a kayak in town and paddle around the bay (bahia). The beach is very near the parking lot.

This is one beach that sports thatch covered beach huts for shade and yes, there are garbage cans. Cabo San Lucas cares about this environment. Don't search for a restroom because as snazzy as Bahia Palmilla is, there are no facilities. No rental facilities, either - so bring what you'd like to do from town (Cabo San Lucas).

Even though the beach is near the parking lot, it's a long hike from the highway - so your best bet is by car or taxi. Take the Palmilla exit around kilometer 27, then just follow the signs down to the beach. Look for the taxi stand in the circle drive fronting the hotel. That's the entrance to the beach.

Bahia Palmilla - BEACH INDEX:

• Sand - medium/fine grain, coral/shell/rock. Golden.
• Facilities -none, but we found you could walk to the hotel, and...
• Shade - beach huts!
• Sports - bring all from town as there are no rentals at the beach. Swimming is delightful here.
• Notes - can get busy on the weekends and holidays, but not crowded. Recommended for families.

And now we leave Cabo San Lucas to visit the enchanting beaches of San Jose del Cabo - all along the Mexican Riveira - with their very own Côte d'Azur! - Next! >>