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Destination guide · Updated October 25, 2026 · Research-based. Prices change, so confirm the final total before you book.
Pick your beach before your hotel.
Swimmable sand is the scarce thing in Cabo.
Know before you go
- Time zone
- Mountain Standard Time all year (no daylight saving): 2 hours behind New York in winter, 3 hours behind in summer.
- Language
- Spanish. English is widely spoken at resorts and in tourist areas, much less in local towns.
- Currency
- Mexican peso (MXN). US dollars are accepted in resort areas, usually at a poor rate.
- Cards
- Widely accepted at hotels, resorts and restaurants; cash is better for taxis, markets and small shops.
- Cash & ATMs
- Get pesos from a bank-branded ATM at the airport or inside a bank branch, and skip the exchange booths. Carry small bills for tips and taxis. If an ATM offers to charge you in dollars, decline and choose pesos.
- Plugs & voltage
- Same as the US (Type A/B, 127V). No adapter needed.
- Tap water
- Don't drink the tap water. Use bottled water or your resort's purified water.
- Tipping
- 10–15% at restaurants. At all-inclusives, small tips (about $1–$2 or 20–40 pesos) for bartenders, servers and housekeeping are appreciated.
- Getting around
- Pre-book your airport transfer: Uber can't pick up at Los Cabos airport. Cabo San Lucas is about 40–45 minutes away, San José del Cabo about 15–20. Use official taxis or ride apps in town.
- Entry requirements
- A valid passport book (a passport card isn't valid for flights). Mexico's tourist permit fee is included in your airfare. Pay Baja California Sur's Embrace It tourist fee (488 pesos, about $27, per person over 12) online before you fly.
- Safety
Levi's advice: Use common sense. Leave flashy jewelry at home, carry money in a front pocket if you can, and don't wander around on foot late at night unless you're close to your hotel.
Stick to tourist areas, use pre-booked transfers or official taxis, and check the US State Department's current travel advisory for Baja California Sur (Level 2, exercise increased caution, as of June 2026). Obey beach flags: many Cabo beaches have dangerous undertow.
- Travel insurance
Levi's advice: Insurance isn't required, but I recommend it. It covers accidents and illness while you're there, and above all an emergency medical evacuation: being airlifted to a better hospital or home, which is very expensive to pay for yourself. Many US health plans pay little or nothing abroad, so check yours before you go.
- Emergency number
- 911
Checked October 2026 for US travelers. Entry rules and fees change, so confirm them with official government sources before you fly.
San José del Cabo, Cabo San Lucas or the Corridor?
Los Cabos is two towns about 30 km apart, joined by the Tourist Corridor highway. Los Cabos International Airport (SJD) is just north of San José del Cabo.
Cabo San Lucas
The lively end, around the marina and the famous arch at Land's End.
- Bars, restaurants and nightlife
- Boat trips, whale watching and Lover's Beach
- Médano Beach, the longest swimmable stretch
- About 40–45 minutes from the airport
Tourist Corridor
The highway between the towns, lined with large resorts and golf courses.
- Big resorts with lots of pools
- Protected coves like Chileno Bay and Santa María Bay
- Many beaches here are too rough to swim
- You'll need taxis to go out
San José del Cabo
The quieter, more traditional town, with an art district and an upscale hotel strip.
- Close to the airport
- Thursday-evening art walk in the historic center (seasonal)
- Calmer than Cabo San Lucas
- Most beaches here aren't safe for swimming
Sources: Oyster: swimmable Cabo beaches · Journey Mexico
Which Cabo beaches can you swim at?
Much of the Los Cabos coast faces open water, with strong surf and undertow that can be deadly. The best-known swimmable beaches are:
- Médano Beach, Cabo San Lucas: the longest calm stretch, busy with boats and water sports. Conditions vary along it, and the eastern end can fly red flags.
- Chileno Bay, on the Corridor: a Blue Flag beach with calm water, good snorkeling and daytime lifeguards.
- Santa María Bay, on the Corridor: a sheltered cove, good for snorkeling.
- Palmilla Beach, near San José del Cabo: lifeguards on duty, but less calm, so check the flag.
- Lover's Beach: reached by water taxi from the marina. Divorce Beach, on the other side of the same sandbar, is not safe.
Plenty of excellent resorts sit on beaches you can't swim at; you just spend your water time in the pools. Ask before you book, and always obey the flags.
Three hotels to compare
One for Hilton points and a beach you can swim at, one family all-inclusive for Hyatt members, and one value all-inclusive near the marina.
| Hotel | Area | Best for | Ocean swimming | Program |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hilton Los Cabos Beach & Golf Resort | Tourist Corridor | Hilton members, couples and families who want to swim | The resort calls its beach one of the area's few swimmable ones; check the flag | Hilton Honors |
| Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos | San José del Cabo | Families who want a full all-inclusive | No: pools only | World of Hyatt |
| Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas | Médano Beach, Cabo San Lucas | All-inclusive value near the marina | Usually no: red flags are common at this end of the beach | None |
Hilton Los Cabos Beach & Golf Resort
A 275-room resort on the Tourist Corridor, about 25 minutes from the airport, with four pools (including an adults-only pool and a family pool with a slide), a beach club, a spa and golf next door. Its biggest selling point in Cabo is the beach: the resort describes it as one of the area's only swimmable ones. It's room-only, so budget for meals. Hilton Honors members earn and use points here, and elite benefits apply as at other full-service Hiltons.
Strengths
- A beach you can usually swim at, which is rare in Cabo.
- Hilton Honors points and elite benefits.
- An adults-only pool and a family pool.
Watch out for
- Not all-inclusive; meals add up at resort prices.
- You'll need a taxi to reach either town.
- Not listed on Booking.com; book on Hilton's site.
Book through Hilton's official site for points and elite benefits.
Sources: SmartFlyer · Forbes Travel Guide
Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
A large, family all-inclusive in San José del Cabo, renovated in a $50 million project completed in 2025, with a mini water park, a kids club and a teens club. The beach is too rough for swimming, so you'll be in the pools. It's Category E on World of Hyatt points. See our full Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos guide.
Sources: Air Canada Vacations · Travelweek
Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas
A big, family-friendly all-inclusive of nearly 700 rooms at the eastern end of Médano Beach, with two large pools, nine places to eat and a kids club for ages 4–12. You can walk along the beach to the marina and town, which few all-inclusives allow. The catch: the water in front of the hotel usually has undercurrents and flies a red flag, so plan on the pools. Guests can also eat at the two RIU resorts next door.
Source: Family Can Travel review (2026)
What it costs, and when to go
In our October 25 check on Booking.com for two adults on February 8–11, 2027, Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas was about $1,197 for three nights (about $400 a night) and Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos about $1,712 (about $570 a night), both all-inclusive and before 16% VAT and small local fees. Hilton Los Cabos isn't on Booking.com, so check Hilton's site for your dates.
- Peak season: mid-December to April, with whale watching from about December to April and the highest prices around Christmas and spring break.
- Summer: hot and humid, with lower prices.
- Hurricane season: June 1 to November 30, with the highest risk in September and October. Prices drop, but buy travel insurance and watch the forecast. Compare travel insurance on Squaremouth →
Costs to plan for
- Embrace It tourist fee: 488 Mexican pesos (about $27) per person over 12 in 2026, paid online at the official Embrace It site of Baja California Sur. It isn't in your airfare or hotel bill. You'll get a QR code by email; keep it handy.
- Airport transfers: Uber can't pick up at Los Cabos airport, and official airport taxis are expensive. Pre-book a private shuttle, and walk past the timeshare sales desks in the arrivals hall.
- Taxes: if a rate is shown before taxes, add 16% VAT plus small local hotel and environmental fees.
- Boat trips: a glass-bottom boat or water taxi to the arch and Lover's Beach, a sunset sail, or whale watching in season. Compare Cabo tours on Viator →
Use the trip cost calculator to add flights, transfers and meals to your hotel price, or the true-cost calculator to compare a room-only hotel with an all-inclusive.
Five checks before you book
- Choose the area first: Cabo San Lucas for nightlife, San José del Cabo for quiet, the Corridor for resorts.
- Check whether your hotel's beach is safe for swimming.
- Compare all-inclusive with room-only plus meals out.
- Pay the Embrace It fee online before you fly.
- Pre-book your airport transfer.
Compare before you book
- Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos: the full resort guide
- Costa Mujeres and Puerto Morelos: Caribbean-side Mexico, where most beaches are swimmable
- Marriott vs. Hilton vs. Hyatt: which program suits your trip
Not sure which resort fits? Take the 1-minute resort quiz →
Sources
Beaches: Oyster and Journey Mexico. Embrace It fee: TravelPulse, January 2026 and The Cabo Sun. Airport rides: Gringo Gazette, April 2026. Hotels: SmartFlyer (Hilton Los Cabos), Air Canada Vacations (Hyatt Ziva), Family Can Travel (Riu Palace). Travel advisory: Riviera Maya News, June 2026. Prices: Booking.com, checked October 25, 2026. Photo: Mel Elías on Unsplash.
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