LOS CABOS AND THE BAJA GUIDEBOOK
Review by Barb & Ron Kroll
Los Cabos & the Baja Peninsula
(Fodor's) ISBN 978-1400019687 1400019680
Useful for touring and planning trips to Los Cabos and Baja California, this Fodor's guide book provides information on hotels, restaurants, beaches, nightlife, spas, shopping and things to see and do, with driving directions. Besides Baja California Norte and Sur, the 278-page guide to northwest Mexico covers San José del Cabo, the Corridor and Cabo San Lucas (west of the Corridor).
Fodor's Los Cabos & the Baja Peninsula is comprehensive and easy-to-read. Regional chapters contain sections on where to stay and eat, sports, outdoor activities, things to see and do, and where to get further information.
Where to see whales
Sidebars provide facts and helpful information, such as the Finisterra Tower is the best place in Cabos San Lucas for watching gray whales. Another sidebar notes that Baja California is on Pacific Standard Time (PST), while Baja California Sur is on Mountain Standard Time (MST).
Charts specify which Baja beaches are best for different activities — Monument Beach in Cabo San Lucas has the best surfing, Bahia Chileno (along the Corridor) has the best snorkeling and Zipper's at Costa Azul has the best beachside bar.
Regional planners describe when to go (southern Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo have near perfect year-round weather, whereas central Baja temperatures are quite hot between May and mid-October). The Baja California Sur section describes what to expect (e.g., long stretches of Highway 1 with no service stations or cell phone reception).
Kayaking trips
For each town, the guidebook lists activities, with prices and contact information for tour operators. For example, in La Paz, readers learn about boating and fishing with the Mosquito Fleet, diving and snorkeling with Baja Expeditions and kayaking with Baja Quest.
To help visitors explore Baja Peninsula, monochrome maps locate roads, towns, cities, beaches, hotels and restaurants. Ranging from small inserts to full-page photos, sepia-toned images by photojournalist, Larry Dunmire, illustrate scenery, tourist attractions, places to eat and beaches in Los Cabos & Baja California.
Tequila tasting
The Shot of Tequila sidebar describes how to make tequila (ferment the juice of blue agave plants), where the good brands come from (the town of Tequila, near Guadalajara), where to taste tequila (Pancho's Restaurant & Tequila Bar, with hundreds of tequilas, in Los Cabos) and where to get free samples of tequila (Antigua Los Cabos Museum and Store in San José del Cabo).
Understanding Los Cabos & the Baja Peninsula chapter suggests books for background information on contemporary Mexican history, literature, ethnography, colonial history, as well as travelogs (e.g., Mexico by A. Michener and Mexico: Places and Pleasures by Kate Simon). The Spanish Vocabulary section contains pronunciations and translations for Spanish and English words, such as route (ruta), road (camino), street (calle), avenue (avenida) and boulevard (paseo).
Best beaches
Surfers find left and right breaks at the tip of Baja. The Surf's Up sidebar claims summer is the best time for surfing at Costa Azul. Fodor's Choice rates the best beach in Cabo San Lucas as Playa del Amor (Lover's Beach), a cove on the Sea of Cortez, near the tip of Land's End Peninsula. Los Cabos & the Baja Peninsula lists water sports operators, costs and locations for waterskiing, jet skiing, parasailing, sailing, snorkeling, SCUBA diving and marlin sportfishing.
Readers learn that the best time to go whale-watching in Baja is between December and April, and the best places to see gray whales are Scammon's Lagoon, Laguna San Ignacio and Bahia de Magdelena. The Baja guidebook describes whale-watching tours in pangas and provides information on gray whales, such as length (up to 50 feet) and weight (up to 45 tons).
The After Dark entertainment section lists nightclubs and bars in San José del Cabo. It recommends Noche Magazine for the latest information on night spots like the Baja Brewing Co., Cactus Jack's and Havana Supper Club.
Contents
- 1. Experience Los Cabos & the Baja Peninsula
- What's new in Baja
- What's where
- Los Cabos & the Baja Peninsula planner
- Top experiences
- Quintessential Los Cabos
- Great itineraries
- Baja road trip
- 2. Where to Stay
- Where to stay in Los Cabos planner
- San José del Cabo
- The Corridor
- Cabo San Lucas
- 3. Where to Eat
- Where to eat in Los Cabos planner
- San José del Cabo
- The Corridor
- Cabo San Lucas
- 4. Beaches & Outdoor Activities
- Beaches
- Water sports
- Land-based activities
- 5. After Dark
- San José del Cabo
- Cabo San Lucas
- 6. Shopping
- San José del Cabo
- The Corridor
- Cabo San Lucas
- 7. Baja California Sur
- Welcome to Baja California Sur
- Baja California Sur planner
- West out of Los Cabos
- La Paz
- Loreto
- Baja California Sur essentials
- 8. Baja California Norte
- Welcome to Baja California Norte
- Baja California Norte planner
- Beach towns
- Border towns
- Baja California Norte essentials
- Understanding Los Cabos & the Baja Peninsula
- Books and movies
- Spanish vocabulary
- Essentials
- Getting started
- Booking your trip
- Transportation
- On the ground
- Index
- Close ups
- Cabo condos
- Dining in
- Budget bites
- Surf's up
- An underwater paradise
- Fishing for dollars
- Waking the dead
- Hagar's Hangout: Cabo Wabo
- A shot of tequila
- Best bring-backs
- Bead by bead
- People in glass houses
- Mission impossible
- Ecotastic
- Spa on the border
- Maps
- Baja Peninsula
- Where to stay in San José del Cabo
- Where to stay along the Corridor
- Where to stay in Cabo San Lucas
- Where to eat in San José del Cabo
- Where to eat along the Corridor
- Where to eat in Cabo San Lucas
- Beaches of San José del Cabo
- Beaches along the Corridor
- Beaches of Cabo San Lucas
- After Dark in San José del Cabo
- After Dark in Cabo San Lucas
- Baja California Sur
- The West & East Capes
- La Paz
- Loreto
- Baja California Norte
- Beach towns
- Ensenada
- Border towns
- Tijuana
- Los Cabos & the Baja Peninsula in focus
- Experience Los Cabos & the Baja Peninsula
- A whale's tale
- Where to stay
- Baja rejuvenation
- Baja California Norte
- Viva vino
- Experience Los Cabos & the Baja Peninsula
Authors
Michele Joyce, Coco Krumme and Jonathan Levin
More things to see and do in Mexico:
San Miguel de Allende Mexico Trip
Central America on a Shoestring