HEAD: Through Jade-Colored Glasses
SUBHEAD: Experiencing Cabo San Lucas for the first time
By James Corns
I’m a very jaded person. It’s sad, but true.
I’m the kind of guy who could go to the Grand Canyon and think, “Nice hole.” A visit to Niagara Falls might rate an “I’ve seen wetter.”
I think it was Los Angeles that did it to me. After living in Hollywood for several years, very few things impress or surprise me anymore.
Cabo San Lucas is the rare exception.
Before visiting Cabo San Lucas, my only previous foray into Mexican territory had been a day trip to Tijuana – and, suffice it to say, I hadn’t been particularly impressed. All of my well-traveled friends assured me that Tijuana didn’t count as “real Mexico,” but I remained skeptical.
In fact, I remained very skeptical – until I’d been in Cabo for about five minutes. That’s all the time it took for me to fall in love with the place.
Within a few minutes of my arrival, I was relaxing on the beach and devouring the best chorizo quesadilla that had ever crawled across my taste buds. The sun was shining in a cloudless sky and I was virtually alone on the beach. It was as though I had paradise all to myself.
My friends were oh-so-right. This was nothing like Tijuana.
Could I? Should I?
If you’re wondering if the Cabo San Lucas experience is worth a cruise down the Baja Peninsula, wonder no longer. Without question, it is.
In fact, I can’t think of a better place on earth to have a boat. Marina Cabo San Lucas is well kept, and it punctures the heart of the city. The waters at the tip of the Baja Peninsula are the most beautiful turquoise I’ve ever seen.
Boaters who cruise down to the area can moor right off the coast – and I do mean right off the coast. The continental shelf drops off so steeply that even large boats can almost come up to shore.
On the Radio
When you arrive in Cabo San Lucas, use VHF Channel 88 to call the harbormaster’s office. The office will assign you a slip, where a uniformed member of the staff will be waiting to take your lines.
If you’re interested in picking up a mooring in the bay, use VHF Channel 68. You’ll be directed to one of the available two-point moorings.
Use VHF Channel 22 to listen in on the Cabo “Cruisers’ Net.” Broadcast at 8 a.m. daily, the net has updates on arriving and departing boats, local tides and weather.
Entering the Marina
Marina Cabo San Lucas has 338 full-service slips, which range from 25 to 130 feet in size. Boats between 130 and 196 feet can find Med-mooring in front of Plaza las Glorias.
The marina offers restrooms, showers, laundry facilities, a pumpout station (on D dock), 24-hour security, 110v and 220v dock power, satellite television and filtered water. The guest slip fee runs between $25 and $55 per day.
As you approach the marina, the first fuel dock you see is at the wooden pier near the old cannery. The second dock, Marinas de Baja, is a 120 foot floating end-tie with a prominent Pemex sign. The third fuel dock sits on the outer end of the marina’s L dock.
Eat, Drink and Be Feliz
Most of Cabo San Lucas’ best restaurants are within a five-minute walk from the marina. The malecon (marina boardwalk) snakes its way around the entire area, and many of the wonderful eateries are located right on the promenade.
My favorite restaurant, The Office, is located on Playa el Médano (Swimming Beach). Patrons dine on the beach as tiki torches set the mood.
One night, as my friends and I feasted on The Office’s surf-and-turf special, an inebriated reveler fell back in her chair and landed in the sand. The poor woman’s legs flailed in the air awkwardly, but, like a pro, she never spilled a drop of her sangria. Her dinner companions were laughing too hard to help her up from the ground – and so was I. (If my reaction sounds just a little cruel, it’s only because I’m underselling it.)
When the Lights Go Out … Sorta
The nightlife in Cabo San Lucas is amazingly varied. There are quiet, romantic places for midnight rendezvous, neighborhood bars for relaxing and downing a few cervesas, and rip-roaring nightclubs that allow you to dance and let off some steam.
After enjoying a few libations at Cosmic Oyster Bar (located inside the Hotel Hacienda Resort), I ventured out a few times to see what Cabo had to offer. I felt very safe walking along Lázaro Cárdenas, but I wouldn’t recommend venturing far from the beaten path at night.
If you like to get wild, you won’t be disappointed by The Giggling Marlin or Cabo Wabo Cantina. El Squid Roe was particularly lively on the night I stopped by – no doubt, because a U.S. Navy ship was moored in the bay and the sailors were on leave.
Pure Escapism
Cabo also has no shortage of daytime diversions. During my short stay, I discovered more escapist activities than I could ever find in Los Angeles. (Well, more legal ones, anyway.)
In addition to the region’s famed sportfishing (everyone in our group caught marlin when we were there), Cabo offers kayaking, horseback riding, snorkeling, diving, ATV riding, parasailing, whale watching, glass-bottom boat tours, museum tours, golfing, dune-buggy riding, shopping, hiking and camping – and almost every single one of these activities is within walking distance of the marina.
Sunbathing is one of my favorite pastimes, so I made sure to allow plenty of time for that. As I soaked in the rays at Playa el Médano, locals walked by and offered their wares for sale. The handmade trinkets included jewelry, sarongs, pottery, toys and other small items. If you don’t like being approached, there are marked peddle-free zones – but I didn’t mind.
I went into my Cabo San Lucas vacation with low expectations. Tijuana had shown me a small, unimpressive glimpse of Mexico, and, although my friends who had been to Cabo had only good things to say, I figured that very few things in life actually live up to the hype.
However, even now, as I sit here writing this article, I can say unequivocally that it was the best vacation I’ve ever had.
Cabo San Lucas may not be Paris; it may not be Rome; it may not even be Los Angeles – but who would want it to be?
HEAD: Cabo Contacts
There are more great restaurants, lodgings, tours and services than we can mention, but here are a few of the most popular:
(All numbers start with 011521 prefix, unless otherwise noted.)
Boating Facilities
Marina Cabo San Lucas*143-1251; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat. and Sun., call (805) 985-6035 in the United States
Restaurants
The Office*143-3464; shrimp, lobster and steak to die for
Olé Olé*143-0633; Spanish “tapas” appetizers, paella on Sundays
O Mole Mio*143-7577; good selection of Mexican food and drink
The Shrimp Factory*143-5066; shrimp, shrimp and more shrimp
Bars and Grills
Billygan’s Island*143-0402; 12-7 p.m. happy hour
Cabo Wabo Cantina*143-1188; home of Cabo Wabo tequila
Cosmic Oyster Bar*143-0122, ext. 2107; part of the Hacienda Resort
El Squid Roe*143-0655; party central
The Giggling Marlin*143-1182; a local legend, with great seafood
Hard Rock Café* 143-3779; just like in the States
Latitude 22+*143-1516; anglers’ retreat
Margaritaville*143-0001; food, margaritas and other cocktails
Rio Grill*143-1335; live music
Sunrise Charlie’s*143-9096; a pool bar and restaurant in one
Lodging
Club Cascadas de Baja*143-0738; a luxury resort located on Playa el Médano
Hotel Finisterra*143-3333 or (800) 347-2252; three swimming pools and a spa tub
Hotel Hacienda Beach Resort*(800) SEE-CABO; Cabo’s original beachfront resort
Plaza las Glorias*143-1220; hotel complex located on the marina
Tours
Cabo Expeditions*143-2700; Kodiak rafting tours
The Glass Factory*143-0120; tour the factory, watch glass blowing
Kaleidoscope Catamaran Tours*148-7318; whale-watching tours and sunset tours
Pronatur/Pro-Tours*147-7037; champagne tours and whale-watching tours
Red Rose Riding Stables*143-4826; trail rides on horseback
Sandcar Tours Unlimited*142-1198; explore the coastline in a dune buggy
Golfing
Eldorado Golf Club*144-5451; at Cabo Real Resort
Palmilla*144-5250; 18 holes, course designed by Jack Nicklaus
Querencia*142-4435; course designed by Tom Fazio
Sportfishing
ABY Charters*143-0874; 22 to 52 foot boats available
Gaviota Sportfishing Fleet*143-0430; depart at 7 a.m., return at 3 p.m.
Minerva’s Baja Tackle*143-1282; charter boats and tackle
Picante! Sportfishing*143-2474; in front of Marina Fiesta Hotel
Pisces Fleet Sportfishing*143-1288; at the Cabo Maritime Center
Ursula’s Sportfishing*143-6964; boats with latest equipment
Web Sites
www.loscabosguide.com
www.allaboutcabo.com
*eot
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