Spring Break: Los Cabos, Mexico

Los Cabos is built for spring breakers. With an economy and a culture that caters to tourism, pristine beaches and plenty of bars, Los Cabos is pretty much spring break all year-round.

Los Cabos is comprised of two cities on the southern tip of the Baja peninsula in Mexico. San Jose is a smaller, artistic town, with a local flavor and an older American ex-pat community. For spring breakers, however, San Lucas is where you want to be.

San Lucas’ principle beach, Medano, is surprisingly immaculate for a city beach. Hotels, resorts, bars and clubs compete for beachfront property. Steps away, find the marina, where you can charter a sunset booze cruise to the famous arch or book a fishing trip for marlin. The marina is full of restaurants with drink deals and happy hours.

El Squid Roe, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico © Kirt Edblom | Flickr

Once you get past the marina, the city’s main street, Lazaro Cardenas, is home to gift shops, taco stalls and more bars, including the famous El Squid Roe and the Cabo Wabo Cantina. Two other major clubs, La Vaquita and Mandala, also pump music every night until morning.

Coming to San Lucas, do not expect it to be cheap. Happy hour specials and special deals can save you a few bucks, but prices are comparable to the United States; this is resort Mexico. Expect to be hassled at every turn by men and children trying to sell you cigars, drugs, bracelets and any number of other items. Once you get off the main street, San Lucas quickly becomes a run-down town with streets full of trash and dog droppings. The town has not yet fully recovered from Hurricane Odile, which tore it apart last September. If you go to San Lucas , be prepared for this.

You will have an amazing spring break in Los Cabos — the beaches are world-class, the bars are lively and there are plenty of watersports.