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).
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.
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).
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.
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).
For each town, the Baja and Los Cabos 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.
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