8 Fun Activities in Los Cabos, Mexico For Couples
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As the weather is starting to cool off and winter looms on the horizon, you may be starting to think about a warm escape during the frigid months ahead. One great option is Los Cabos, at the tip of the Baja Peninsula in Mexico. I’ve visited twice – once on a weeklong family trip at Christmas in 2018 and then again with just Thomas for a long weekend in March of this year. We made sure make our second trip completely unique from the first one, which was easy to do thanks to the variety of excursions in the area.
Instead of my typical day-by-day itinerary, here are my overall recommendations about where to stay and what to do in Los Cabos:
Where To Stay
There are 2 main ways to visit Los Cabos in luxury – staying in a private villa or at a resort. We’ve done both, so here are my perspectives on each:
Private Villa in Pedregal
On our family trip back in 2018, we stayed in a private villa in Pedregal overlooking the marina in Cabo San Lucas. It had a pool, hot tub, fire pit, full kitchen and grill. This is a really great option if you’re traveling with a group as you can save some money on food by cooking some meals yourself. Although it was steep on the way back, we were walking distance from town, which was great for exploring and going out to dinner.
On this trip we rented a van, though we still had private transfers to some of our activities.
Hilton Los Cabos
In March, Thomas and I stayed at the Hilton Los Cabos. We rarely stay at resorts because we usually spend so much time exploring the area, but we opted for something different because we’d already been to Los Cabos before. We booked the Altamar package, which included private transport to/from the airport, a welcome drink upon arrival, alcohol in our room, turndown service, and more. The resort also featured 3 pools (one of which was adult-only), 2 hot tubs, and a beach club in the sand. The hotel gym was also top notch – I rarely work out on vacation but this gym was so nice I felt like I had to go once. If you really want to splurge, you can even book a room with a private plunge pool (and have breakfast brought to you IN the pool!).
This hotel was not all inclusive and was certainly expensive, but it was extremely relaxing. We booked cabanas each day (and one at night to make s’mores!) and were able to order food/drinks directly to lounge chairs – our only regret with these was booking other activities on the trip that took away from cabana time and made us feel we didn’t get our money’s worth out of them.
Note that the hotel is on the eastern side of the peninsula, so you don’t get a sunset over the ocean, but if you’re a morning person you’re in for a great sunrise.
What To Do
There are so many options for activities in Los Cabos, so if you’re able to peel yourself away from a cabana by the pool, here’s what I recommend:
1. Cooking Class
Back in March we took a private cooking class at Tamarindos Mexican Farm-to-Table Restaurant and it was definitely my favorite activity in Los Cabos. The restaurant is right on a farm that grows all sorts of fruits, vegetables, and herbs. To start off our experience, we drank sugar cane juice and then hand-picked our own herbs that we’d later use to cook our lunch. After that, we made tortillas before moving on to learning how to make incredible guacamole, eggplant rolls in pomodoro sauce, and delicious pork tamales. Since we’d signed up for a private class, we had been able to choose what we wanted to make at the time of booking. If cooking sounds like too much work, Tamarindos is also a restaurant with excellent food!
This class was such a highlight, but the only downside was that it lasted much longer than the 3 hours it said online – in fact it was closer to 5 hours. We’d arranged private transportation to take us back to our hotel, but they were unable to wait for us so we ended up calling an Uber to get back to the resort.
Tamarindos is a bit of a drive from the resort area and requires going down some dirt roads to get to, but the biggest issue we ran into was that we hadn’t realized it was the day of the marathon in Los Cabos when we went, so traffic getting there was brutal as several roads were closed and we arrived later than planned (thankfully it was a private tour so they waited for us!).
2. Electric Bike Tour
Ebikes are gaining popularity around the world, but I’d never ridden one before and was excited for this tour. I had thought the bike would require a decent amount of peddling and the motor would only kick in to help when it was hard, but it turned out the motor kicks in immediately and you barely have to pedal to keep it engaged. The tour was really fun, but when we got to the beach and were riding in sand, it was much harder and a little scary carrying speed across all the uneven terrain.
After the tour, they showed us how to make margaritas and we drank and ate a buffet lunch before being shown around the “eco farm” where they take care of animals and make paper out of animal poop. This part of the tour wasn’t super exciting and we were eager to get back to the cabana at the resort.
While this tour was a little far from the resorts, the tour company took us to/from the hotel so we didn’t have to worry about transportation.
3. ATV Tour
On our first trip to Cabo, we did an ATV tour, and I definitely preferred this to the ebikes. For one thing, it wasn’t my first-time riding an ATV and I knew what to expect, but we also went over more varied terrain and I got to push my speed while still feeling in control. The Baja Peninsula is largely a desert, but not completely uniform or flat, so the ATV was a great way to explore.
One important thing to know before you go ATVing in Los Cabos is that you will come back covered in dirt. They have you wear a face covering and a visor on your helmet to keep the dirt out, but there’s no way to stay clean. You’ll have a blast, but be prepared to need a shower afterwards.
4. Eat at The Office
The Office is a famous restaurant in Cabo San Lucas for good reason. You get great food while sitting with your toes in the sand (and the eating area is shaded so you don’t have to worry about a sunburn while you eat). The drinks are very strong (and if I’m being honest, I don’t have the clearest memory of the meal as a result), but we had so much fun. If you’re staying at a resort with restaurants on the property, The Office is worth adventuring a little further for lunch or dinner one day.
5. Explore the Towns
There are actually 2 towns in Los Cabos (thus the reason for the plural name): Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo. They are only a short drive from one another (and a lot of the resorts are in between the two), but they have different vibes. Cabo San Lucas and a very lively, happening place with lots of drinking and night club options. We were happy to be able to be seated at restaurants easily without reservations. Conversely, San Jose del Cabo tends to attract a slightly older crowd, as it’s quieter and more laid back.
6. Flyboarding
Certainly the most extreme activity on this list, flyboarding was also one of the coolest experiences of my life. If you’ve never heard of flyboarding, you basically don a life vest and helmet and strap your feet into board that is connected by a thick hose to a jet ski. After an inevitable couple of failed attempts, you use your balance and body positioning to rise higher out of the water, turn, or even do tricks (if you’re really advanced). Each of us only rode for about 10-15 minutes, but I would do it again in a heartbeat and definitely recommend trying it if you ever get the chance (they have them all around the world, not just in Los Cabos).
7. Sunset Sailboat
If you need to relax after the adrenaline high of flyboarding, there’s no better way to do that than on a sunset sail. Our sail was a private tour that included dinner and drinks as we sailed by the Arch of Cabo San Lucas and into the Pacific. It’s a bit of a pricier activity, but worth considering it, especially for a group trip.
8. Snorkeling
A classic beach activity, snorkeling is a great way to see marine wildlife and all that lies beneath the surface of the water. I’ve done snorkeling in both Los Cabos and Maui, but I enjoyed the guided snorkeling tour in Los Cabos more. We put on our wetsuits (because the Pacific Ocean is cold even in Mexico) and got in a boat to get closer to the sea life. The water was really clear, so the conditions were optimal for snorkeling.
Of course, scuba diving is also an option, but you do need to be certified.
Getting There
Overall, Los Cabos is a fun beach town with lots to offer visitors. Major US airlines fly there (including Southwest!), which makes it very accessible to Americans. When Thomas and I went in March, we actually flew back from Los Cabos to Tijuana on AeroMexico and crossed the US border at the airport and found that it was a very easy and inexpensive option if you live in San Diego (we stayed in the area for a few days to visit family).
You don’t need to exchange currency to go to Los Cabos, as you can pay for everything with either a credit card or USD. The guides on tours and staff at hotels all happily accept tips in either currency.
The last thing to keep in mind when planning a trip to Los Cabos is the weather. It can be very hot in the summer, which is why we’ve gone in the winter both times. It can be quite warm during the day, but as with many desert climates, it cools off quickly at night, so pack long sleeves to stay warm when the sun goes down.
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