Short Travel Guide to Cabo San Lucas: 3 Things to Know Before You Go - Vamos a Mexico!
Let's Travel Cabo Like a Local in a Tourist Location
Table of Contents
The Marina of Cabo San Lucas is a popular tourist destination, port for cruise ships, timeshare salesman, and may be the center for some scams, spite it being absolutely stunning and a must-see travel location in Mexico.
In this article, we will cover the Marina, and nearby surrounding areas with some tips to navigate from someone who has moved to Mexico in the past year, but enjoys some of the tourist activities, so it’s an interesting mix. We can touch on how to look for and negotiate deals too with the locals, as well as what to be cautious toward.
Need an eSIM? Airalo offers an impressive range of eSIM options, including local, regional, and global plans, covering over 200 countries. This extensive coverage ensures that no matter where your travels take you, Airalo has a solution to keep you connected seamlessly. Download Airalo from the App Store today.
Where to Stay? Backpacker's Hostel
Cabo San Lucas is an area where the rich vacation, as well as locals, backpackers all within a defined area. You may wonder if you have to spend $$$ just to visit Cabo, and I can tell you, you can do it for much less than you expected if you are willing to not just think outside the box.
While the Marina around Cabo San Lucas hosts the most luxurious yachts, your trip to this area to explore doesn’t have to cost a fortune. As a budget traveler and solo female, I find ways to make my trips, fun, and interesting, and find great places to stay on a budget, Cabo, especially.
On my most recent trip to Cabo, I stayed in the Mayan Monkey. The Mayan Monkey duals as a hostel and a hotel, so you can have a private room, or you can choose to stay in a dorm with bunk beds. It was clean, had a stellar environment, perfect location right on the marina, safe, and affordable. I liked it so much I extended my stay.
They have a bar and a pool so you can lounge after spending time at the marina, play games like Jenga, or have a smoothie. At the time of my stay, it cost me about $20 USD per night for the hostel. My all-female dorm had women of all ages, which is great because as I travel in my late 40s, I didn’t feel old and out of touch. 🙂 No one cared really. This is the great thing about traveling- you meet great people, from all walks of life, which poses interesting conversation, which I enjoy, however, I also own a timeshare, which I purchased about 20 years ago, so I’ve learned a few things about that industry.
I Considered Using My Timeshare for this Trip
I bought a timeshare nearly 20 years ago and have used it often. For this trip, I considered swapping out my timeshare to stay in one of those fancy resorts.
I choose not to swap it out and let me tell you why,
In this area, it’s common for resorts to charge an all-inclusive fee for food, drinks, etc. When I looked at swapping out my timeshare, the all-inclusive fee was about $1800 for one week in one of the resorts. If I were a traveling party of 4, this fee, would have been $1800 x 4. This is insane. Be careful and be sure to look into this if you are considering to swap out your timeshare in this area.
Where to Eat in Cabo San Lucas
The marina in Cabo San Lucas is filled with restaurants that mainly cater to tourists. You can find restaurants that are comfortable in which you can sit, watch a football game, and watch the boats, and people walk by. It’s very relaxing, but you may wish to see what else is out there regarding food and restaurants if you want to visit the city like a local.
Yes, you can leave the marina on foot, walk into the real city of Cabo, and be fine. Be aware of your surroundings, have your personal belongings tucked away safely, including your phone, be wise, have your head on a swivel, and walk with confidence. Use your Spanish, walk like you are on a mission and you will do just fine. In fact, on this very trip, I received my first big compliment.
The compliment was… ARE YOU A LOCAL? To me, just because that question was asked, they could tell, I was doing something right.
So, I ventured away from the tourist area to find some real Mexican breakfast and found a place a couple blocks away, filled with locals. The food was tasty, tons of people inside, so I knew the food was good, priced better than the tourist area, and I would have an experience as well.
Navigating the Marina - Cabo San Lucas
While you walk the marina in Cabo San Lucas there are several things to be mindful of.
Some local salesmen line the perimeter of the marina, and ask you to buy a boat ride, jewelry, “other things,” food, etc. Here are some tips to get the best deal and to work with the salesman. It’s a very similar experience to buying a used car…
They will sell you their most expensive product first. The yacht cruise, etc. Tell them no, keep saying no, walk away, and offer to pay half of what they say. Pay in pesos, not USD. I had to tell them that I live in Mexico and I wasn’t paying their prices. I walk away, I play the game, then I talk to another, to find what I’m looking for. Everything is negotiable.
Tip: When the Cruise ships arrive, the prices of things go up. When you walk into a T-shirt store, for example, the prices on things will not be labeled. This is done on purpose. You have to ask how much an item is for most things. They do this so they can change the price on a variety of factors. Yes, they gringo-price. If you are from the USA or Canada, they will automatically charge you more.
I had to tell everyone, at every purchase, that I wasn’t paying what they stated, stated I lived in Mexico, and they would change their price.
Have you been to Cabo San Lucas? What was your experience like? Drop a comment or question below!
Need an eSIM? Airalo offers an impressive range of eSIM options, including local, regional, and global plans, covering over 200 countries. This extensive coverage ensures that no matter where your travels take you, Airalo has a solution to keep you connected seamlessly. Download Airalo from the App Store today.
