Cabo

BEACHES:

Why not just take the water taxi over from the main pier (where the tenders load/unload) to Playa Medano (the swimming beach) and relax for the day. You can jet ski, parasail and sea kayak on the bay all from the same beach which is on the protected bay off the Sea of Cortez. There are no swimming beaches in Cabo on the Pacific Ocean due to the severe riptides.

For a more relaxing day, have the ship pack you a bag/box lunch, take the water taxi from the marina to lovers beach and veggie out. Don't forget to arrange for a pickup well in advance of the last tender back to the ship.

Cabo San Lucas - LOVED this port and plan to go back - too bad we had to be back to the tenders by 1:30pm. Got off the ship first tender and walked to downtown. It was only 8:00am and nothing opened till 9:00am. Took a cab for $6.00 from there to the Melia hotel. Looked pretty as we walked through the pool area. Walked out to the beach and decided that the little place next door (when standing on the Melia's beach looking at the water - walk to the right)looked more comfortable. They had umbrellas up everywhere, cushioned lounge chairs with tables, etc. It's called the Casablanca restaurant/beach club. Anyway, paid the guy $5.00 for the loungers and hung out there from 8:00am till DH drug me away at 11:30 (so we could go shopping). Water was fun to play in, ship off in the background. Could have gone wave running or parasailing right there. Two other couples from the ship found there way to the Casablanca and did not want to leave either. Drank blended margaritas (no problem) and had chips and salsa. Could have walked to the shopping from here, but too hot, so they called a cab for us. Bought some gorgeous blown glass stuff and hard rock t-shirts. For you Harley-Davidson people, there is a Harley shop that rents Harley's in the air-conditioned mall (sorry didn't get a price). Shared a taxi for $8.00 total back to the tender area. Did I say I LOVED Cabo and would go back in a heartbeat?

In Cabo, we walked to the Melia on Medano Beach. It's somewhat of a hike so I'd suggest taking a water taxi. We found heaven on earth sitting on one of their white bed-like loungers surveying the beach. I don't think I've ever been that relaxed. It was a perfect day.  In Cabo, the Melia Hotel was really breathtakingly beautiful! They did not charge us ANYTHING to be there and use their facilities other than buying drinks - and they had a 2 for 1 special from 11:00 to 1:00. The drinks weren't cheap but they were strong. My DH gave them his Driver's License as a deposit for two towels for the day, so we didn't even need our ship towels. If you like hanging out at the beach, DON'T MISS the Melia San Lucas.

After you tender into Cabo you can pick up a water taxi right at the pier and take it over to the beach. I believe it's about $3 each way. There will be several restaurant/bars on the beach. We always hang out at the Mango Deck. There is also a place called the Office next door and Billigans. They are all right on the beach.....

You can take a Water Taxi from the Terminal, tell them to take you to the beach right across from the ship, drop off is The Mango Deck or La Melia Hotel and Resort. Make sure you phyically fit to jump off the water taxi into 2 foot was water. Great beach there with lots of water sports and if you stay at the Mango Deck you can have a few beers, some rice and beans with grilled shrimp etc for a great price.

no need to take a water taxi at all... it just saves a little time from walking. You can easily get to the beach from the pier

One word of advice, yes, there are many water taxis and they will drop you into about two feet of water and the problem for some that I saw was trying to hoist that person back into the boat from two feet of water. So make sure you are physically able to climb back into the boat without totally embarrassing yourself

Medano Beach is Cabo's only swimmable beach. We like to go to Billygan's, about a mile walk from the tender port, or hop a water taxi for about $10 or land taxi for about the same. Once there, ask the waiter for beach chairs and umbrella, if you want one, (bring your own towel) they're free as long as you purchase drinks and/or food. The margaritas are delicious as are the shrimp and fish tacos. Word of caution: Happy hour is from noon-7pm, and applies to local drinks, not soft drinks, so if two of you order a margarita or beer each, you'll get 4! We had quite a buzz going after just a couple. While there, the crazy drinking contest goes on two doors down at the Mango Deck, it's quite a spectacle, and for the under 25 set. If you want parasailing, jet skis or banana boat rides, you can book it right next door & pay cash. Dollars are readily accepted. Billygans does take credit cards. All of Cabo's beaches are public, and you can plop yourself down in the sand anywhere along Medano Beach, if you want a more calm atmosphere. Beach vendors are everywhere, just a polite "No Gracias" will shoo them away.

FOOD:

For a nice lunch there are several spots...the Fish House on the main street and upstairs (try the scallop ceviche), The Stop Light (that's right, next to the stop light on the main drag), The Shrimp Factory and La Galleria at the east end of the marina (Get Marco to hand make you a fresh Caesar salad). Take a cab to billygans --right on the beach -very relaxing and they have food and buckets of beer ---music etc

Just had the best margarita ever in my life. For those of you coming to Cabo, you should check out Tequila Treasures located in GaliPlaza right at the end of the pier. GaliPlaza is the large white building at the end and off to your right as you exit the pier. Just walk down the middle of the plaza, past the small souvenir and jewelry stores, past Cabo Duty Free and tucked back on your right is Tequila Treasures. Tons of different types of tequila to try as well. The music is great, the buckets of beer cold and cheap but the margaritas are fabulous!!!

Miscellaneous:

There are some adventure companies (ATV tours in the hills) that will undoubtedly inundate you as you get off the tender at the marina. Try the following website:
www.bajasmotorsrent

If you do need some stuff such as suntan lotion etc, don't buy on the ship. Go to Puerto Paraiso (shopping centre by the marina). There's a great little European deli there where you can buy some really great sandwiches for 70 pesos (USD$7) and they are huge, as are their salads.

If the ship calls at Cabo northbound, you'll sail almost into the bay, drop anchor and should have a fantastic view of El Arco and Land's End from outside on deck. If you call at Cabo heading southbound, you will sail around Land's End from the Pacific side and should be able to get some fantastic shots of the rock formations and sea colony as you enter the bay. You will need to be on the starboard side to get the pictures as you pass the Playa Grande and Solmar Suites Resorts, followed by Widows' Beach (the other side of the sandbar from Lovers' Beach). With a 300mm lens you might even got a few got shots of the sea lions smiling back at you or pelicans perched up on the rocks.

Just remember in Cabo the water is colder than PV

Cabo San Lucas is an anchor port for all cruises sailing on Mexico's Riviera and Sea of Cortez itineraries, and as such it's experiencing quite a tourist boom. This party town, population 100,000 and growing (mostly with Americans), serves up The Rocks and rock 'n' roll. The Rocks of Los Arcos protrude out of the Sea of Cortez and are just darned impressive -- little sharp mountains emerging from the sea. The rock 'n' roll side of town is about Van Halen's Sammy Hagar and his Cabo Wabo, a cantina where you can sample Cabo Wabo-brand Tequila, check out the Van Halen photos on the walls, rock in the concert hall, buy cool Cabo Wabo items in the gift shop and, if you visit in October when Sammy is in residence, even meet the rocker in person. Cabo San Lucas has also been dubbed the Cozumel of Mexico's West Coast, and is duly replete with duty-free shops and tacky trinket stores -- though it is raising the level of its shopping options. Located at the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula, Cabo San Lucas -- together with its more elegant and much quieter sister town of San Jose del Cabo and the stretch of coast that connects the two (combined the area is known as Los Cabos, while the coastal stretch is known as "The Corridor") -- is an ideal spot for adventure-oriented pursuits. If conditions are right, the clear waters make for great snorkeling, and the white sand beaches are perfect for swimming (but if there are warning signs up, use caution). The waters here are among the biologically richest in the world, with marine species including whales that winter offshore. This top vacation destination has some of the best sport fishing in the world, and it is the quest for marlin that put Cabo San Lucas on the map. After World War II and the advent of private planes, Bing Crosby and John Wayne arrived to fish. In the 1970s, a highway was built to connect California to Baja, and the travel industry began in earnest. Earlier visitors included 16th- and early 17th-century pirates like Sir Francis Drake and Thomas Cavendish, who hid from Spanish galleons in the many coves and bays along the southern coast of the Baja Peninsula. Spanish missionaries came to try to convert the natives to Christianity, but they and Spanish soldiers brought diseases that wiped out the Indian population.

One of the downsides for most travelers whose ships sail here: All must anchor and tender passengers in to the port itself. That means -- especially for those folks sailing on 2,000-plus behemoths -- you'll need to factor in extra time getting to and from your ship. Even odder in this quite multi-faceted place is the fact that some ships only stop for half-day visits, which means that actual on-land time can be extremely limited.

Yes they will all speak English. This is probably the most Americanized port in Mexico. There will be small be "ferry" boats at the place you get off your cruise ship boat that will take you to "the" beach (Playa Medano) for $3-5. From there or directly from the place you are dropped off, you can go to the Arch for an additional $5-7.

There are 4 important locations to help you keep this strait:
1) Harbor area where the ship tender will drop you off

2)Playa Medano THE beach in Cabo with nice restaurants right on the beach

3) Lands End - This is where the Arch, Sea Lions, and Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez.

4) Town of Cabo - Shopping and bars and more restaurants

To get to each from the cruise ship drop off:

2) Catch the small boat ferry’s for $3-5

3) Catch the small boat ferry’s for $10-12 ( they can also drop you off at the beach instead of back at pier)

4) Walk into town. I would save this for the end of the day.

In Cabo, the ship anchors about 3 miles offshore, it's a quick 5 minute tender boat ride to the Marina. Just follow the pedestrian walkway around the marina, continue past the Paraiso Mall and there you are, at the beach. It takes ya maybe 15 minutes altogether, no need to take a cab. Walking back to ship you may opt to follow the road rather than the pedestrian walkway, this way you can walk through downtown Cabo. While you are there, don't forget to stop by Samy Hagar's Cabo Wabo Cantina and purchase a bottle of the good stuff!