USEFUL INFORMATION

AIRPORT

The San Jose Del Cabo International Airport (SJD) is located about 29 miles (48 km) North of Cabo San Lucas and about 8 miles (13 km) North of San Jose del Cabo.  The best way to get to and from the airport is to use one of our convenient pre-reserved airport transfers.

The Los Cabos airport is served by Aero California (from Los Angeles and Tucson), AeroMexico (from San Diego, Ontario, and Los Angeles), Alaska Airlines (Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Jose, San Diego, and San Francisco), America West (Phoenix), American Airlines (Dallas Ft. Worth, Chicago, and Los Angeles),  Continental Airlines (Houston and Newark), Delta Airlines (Atlanta), Frontier Airlines (Denver), Mexicana (Los Angeles and Denver), and Sunquest (Calgary and Vancouver). For good deals on flights to Cabo San Lucas, click here.

CALLING HOME

By far the most popular way to call home from Cabo San Lucas is with a calling card.  Calling cards are readily available in Cabo San Lucas, but you will find better deals on the internet.  Click Here to find great deals on calling the U.S. from Mexico.

Another way is to use Voice Over IP.  When we travel, we use Skype from our laptop computer and it is free to call anyone else with Skype, or a mere 2 cents a minute to call a regular phone.  All you need is a headset. There are also internet cafes around town where you can use their phones to call.

CELL PHONES

If you want to use your cell phone in Mexico, you will have to contact your cell phone provider prior to your trip and arrange an international roaming waiver that will apply only for the month you are using it.  Prepare for steep rates, though.  We recommend using cell phones only for an emergency.

CREDIT CARDS

Most restaurants accept credit cards, as do many stores.  However, not all stores accept them, or may give you a better price if you use cash.  The downside of this is that with credit cards, you normally get 100% fraud protection, where you can get your money back if you are scammed.  With cash, you're out of luck.

CURRENCY

Mexico's currency is the Peso.  U.S. Dollars are widely accepted in Cabo, but expect bad exchange rates if you choose to use dollars.  The peso is normally closer to 11 pesos to a dollar, but local merchants are likely to charge you 10 pesos to a dollar for purchasing their goods.  The best exchange rates are normally when taking money out of an ATM or using a credit card.  Banks and local currency exchange booths are normally next, with hotels being the worst exchange rates, along with exchanging before leaving your country.  We recommend taking cash out of the ATM when you arrive in Los Cabos.

DRINKING AGE

The legal drinking age in Mexico is 18 years old.

ELECTRICITY

Mexico uses 110V electricity just like the United States and Canada.  If you're coming from Europe or Asia, you'll need the proper adapters.  What you may need is a three-prong to two-prong adapter or two.  Many hotels in Mexico have only two-prong outlets, particularly the older ones.  You can buy three prong adapters here.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

As of December 31, 2006, all U.S. citizens will need to have a valid passport to enter Mexico.  For now, though, you can get in with a certified copy of your birth certificate (NOT a hospital birth certificate or a photo copy) and a photo ID.  We recommend you get a passport before you go - it's good for 10 years and you'll never have to hassle with it again.  Read: How to get a U.S. Passport. You can get a passport here.

From Canada, we also recommend you have a passport, but you can still get in with proof of citizenship (original birth certificate, naturalization certificate, or notorized affidavit of citizenship) and a photo ID (drivers license or health card).  People born in Quebec must present a birth certificate issued after January 1, 1994.

INTERNET

Most hotels have either Wi-Fi or an internet kiosk.  In town, there are numerous internet cafes, including Cafe On Line, Cabo Clipper, and the Corner Cafe.  Free wireless internet is available at the Hangout Cafe, Oasis Bar and Grill at Marina Sol, and the San Francisco Coffee Company in the Hotel Marina Cabo Plaza.

LANGUAGE

The national language of Mexico is Spanish.  In Cabo San Lucas, English is very common - at least enough to get by.  They know their clientele.  However, it's always appreciated for you to at least try to speak a few words.  If you decide to try to pick up a bit of the language before going, which we recommend, we like the Unforgettable Languages course.  It's the one we use whenever we go on vacation.

NUDE BEACHES

Although there are a few places that are secluded enough to sunbathe nude without detection, nude beaches are illegal in Mexico.  The best rule of thumb is to do as others are doing around you.

RENTAL CARS

If you're going to rent a car for your stay, we recommend doing so at the airport - that way you save yourself the money of the airport transfer back and forth.  At the airport, you'll find all the major companies like Avis and Dollar.  Click Here for the best rates - it's the site we use ourselves.  Just type in "SJD", which is the Cabo San Lucas airport code.

There are several rental car companies in Cabo San Lucas, including Dollar Rent a Car, Avis, Alamo, National, Payless and Thrifty Car Rental.

In San Jose del Cabo, you'll find Dollar, Europcar, Hertz, National, and Thrifty.

If renting a car, you will be required to purchase Mexican Liability insurance.  Check with your credit card company, because they will often cover the theft and collision insurance on the vehicle, saving you some money.  You don't need an international drivers license - but you do need a valid drivers license in your country.

SAFETY

Cabo San Lucas is very safe to walk around, even at night.  You will probably never see an incident of any kind.  However, do use common sense, as you would anywhere.

TIMESHARE

Los Cabos is filled with timeshare salesmen trying to get you into a presentation.  They'll normally start a conversation with "where are you from?" or "when are you leaving?" and will progress into offering you money or cheap activities in exchange for attending their presentation.  Unless you are actually in the market for timeshare, please don't humor these folks.  Just say "no gracias" and move on.  Trust us - you'll be glad you did.  This includes "welcome packages", "free taxis", and the like.

TIME ZONE

Cabo San Lucas is on Mountain Standard Time, 1 hour ahead of the west coast, and 2 hours behind the east coast.

TIPPING

Normal tipping for restaurant service and tours is 10%.  It is not customary to tip taxi drivers unless they help you with your bags or expend some extra effort to help you.

TRANSPORTATION

Taxi rates vary from company to company, time to time.  There are no set rates in Cabo San Lucas.  Make sure to get a price BEFORE entering the taxi.  We recommend asking your hotel front desk when you arrive what the taxi rates should be so you don't get ripped off.  Taxi fares from the corridor are expensive, especially at night, so be careful.

The public bus is very cheap and runs all day along the main highway from Cabo San Lucas to San Jose and back from about 5:00AM to about 9:00PM, passing each stop about every 20 minutes or so.  There are official bus stops with covered waiting areas, but you can stand anywhere along the side of the road and wave the bus down and they'll usually stop.  The fare is 16 pesos (about $1.40) to go from San Jose del Cabo to Cabo San Lucas or vice-versa, less if you're only going part of the way.

Also see our information on Rental Cars above.

WATER

Most hotels and restaurants use purified water (it's bad for business if the guests get sick), but if you're in a private home or condo you may want to get bottled water.  It's better safe than sorry.

WEATHER

We have a whole page on Cabo San Lucas weather.

Have more questions?  Just give us a call toll-free at 1-877-828-2564 or e-mail us.  We're happy to help.