Best Things to Do in Los Cabos: The Guide Worth Saving

August 27, 2026

8 min read

Valeria Romo Mora

Best Things to Do in Los Cabos: The Guide Worth Saving

Los Cabos Beyond the Resort: Golf, Beaches, Surf, Food, Nightlife & the Golf Cart Lifestyle

There are two ways to experience Los Cabos.

The first is easy: check into your resort, order a margarita by the pool, take the obligatory photo of the Arch and fly home saying you saw Cabo.

The second is much better.

Wake up early for a round of golf. Head back to the villa, pick up your friends, grab the golf cart and make your way to the beach. Have tacos while you still have sand on your feet. Go back, shower, change, and let the evening unfold somewhere between mezcal, music and a late night in San José del Cabo or Cabo San Lucas.

That is the version of Cabo we recommend.

Because the real Los Cabos does not fit inside one resort. It stretches from San José del Cabo through the Tourist Corridor and Cabo San Lucas, then keeps going east until the paved roads, polished developments and beach clubs slowly give way to open desert and the wild coastline of the East Cape.

One Thing First-Time Visitors Often Do Not Know About Cabo

If you are staying in a private residential community, resort development or villa community, there is something you may not realize until you arrive:

Golf carts are part of everyday life in many Cabo communities.

Not just for the golf course.

Depending on the rules of each property or development, residents and guests use carts to move between villas, clubhouses, pools, restaurants, sports facilities, beach clubs and other amenities.

And after a day or two, it makes perfect sense.

Going from your villa to the pool should not require coordinating multiple cars. Grabbing coffee should be easy. Coming back from the beach with towels, kids, bags and everything else is a lot more convenient when your cart is waiting outside.

That is where Hardy Carts & Equipment naturally becomes part of the stay.

Hardy provides electric golf cart rentals for vacations, villas, resorts, HOAs, weddings, events and tournaments, with options for different group sizes. Delivery and pickup can also be coordinated, which means your cart can be ready when your trip begins and collected when your rental ends.

If your community allows golf carts, book yours before you arrive.

Your villa is reserved. Your tee times are booked. Your dinner reservations are handled.

Your cart should be too.

Play Golf, But Know Where You Are Going

Los Cabos has some of the most recognizable golf in Mexico, but not every course operates the same way. Some belong to private residential communities where access is limited.

Palmilla Golf Club

Palmilla is one of the names that helped put Los Cabos on the golf map.

Jack Nicklaus designed 27 holes here across the Ocean, Mountain and Arroyo courses, with desert terrain, arroyos and views of the Sea of Cortez.

It still feels unmistakably Cabo.

Our ideal plan? Play early, then leave the afternoon open for Palmilla Beach.

Cabo del Sol

Another cornerstone of Cabo golf.

Cabo del Sol helped define the destination internationally and remains one of those names golfers know before they land.

Today, access varies depending on the golf experience within the development, so it is worth confirming availability before planning your day.

What matters is the setting: Baja desert, ocean views and some of the scenery that made Los Cabos golf famous in the first place.

Querencia

Querencia is a different kind of experience.

This private San José del Cabo community features Tom Fazio-designed golf, but the appeal extends well beyond the green. Golf, dining, sports, club life and residential living all exist inside the same community.

This is exactly the kind of place where the golf cart lifestyle becomes obvious.

You are not renting a cart simply to play 18 holes.

You are using it because your entire day happens inside the community.

Chileno Bay

The same logic applies to Chileno Bay Golf & Beach Club, another private community with a Tom Fazio golf course.

One important distinction:

Chileno Bay Club and Chileno Beach are not the same thing.

The club is private. Chileno Beach is public.

Both are worth knowing, just for completely different reasons.

Leave the Resort and Go to the Beach

Chileno Beach

For an easy beach morning, Chileno is one of the safest bets.

Go early, bring a snorkel mask and enjoy the bay before it gets busier.

Santa María

Smaller and more protected, Santa María is framed by rocky formations and feels a little more tucked away.

It is perfect for a slow morning, a swim and then heading back before lunch.

Palmilla Beach

Palmilla is excellent for families, paddleboarding and quieter beach days.

It is one of those places that does not need much planning.

Coffee. Cooler. Umbrella. Beach.

Done.

Want a Completely Different Side of Cabo? Head to the East Cape

Drive east and Cabo changes.

The landscape opens up. Roads get rougher. Development thins out. The horizon feels bigger.

The East Cape, or Cabo del Este, is where you go when you want the less polished side of Los Cabos.

And if you surf, pay attention.

Breaks such as Nine Palms and Shipwrecks are well known along this coast, especially when the swell lines up.

For something easier to access near San José, Costa Azul remains one of the classic surf zones.

If you are new to surfing, check conditions and book a lesson somewhere appropriate for your level.

The Pacific does not care how confident you felt in the parking lot.

Now, Let’s Talk About Food

You do not need to eat every meal inside a hotel.

Actually, you should not.

Tacos El Paisa

At least one Cabo night should end with tacos.

El Paisa is exactly the type of place you want when you are craving pastor, carne asada, quesadillas and salsa without any ceremony.

No white tablecloths.

Just show up hungry.

Suelo Sur

For something completely different, head to Suelo Sur, close to downtown San José del Cabo.

The space pulls inspiration from Baja ranch and cowboy culture and brings together different food and drink concepts, including LÍMO Heritage Kitchen, Bar Búho and Entorno Beer Garden & Smoke Kitchen.

You can start with dinner and end up lingering over a cocktail under the trees.

It feels far more memorable than simply defaulting to another hotel restaurant.

Flora Farms and Acre

Yes, both are famous.

Yes, they are still worth it.

But do not squeeze them between other reservations.

Make them the plan.

Arrive early. Order a drink. Walk around. Stay for dinner without checking the time every fifteen minutes.

Drinks in San José

San José has its own nighttime rhythm.

Nómada Bar de Origen focuses on Mexican spirits such as mezcal, sotol and bacanora, along with music nights that can range from vinyl to funk, house and nu-disco.

It is the kind of place where one drink quietly turns into three.

A good San José night can be as simple as dinner at Suelo Sur, cocktails downtown, a little walking and deciding the rest as you go.

When You Actually Want to Party, Go to Cabo San Lucas

San José has great nights.

But Cabo San Lucas knows exactly what it is doing when it comes to nightlife.

Downtown and the Marina keep much of the action within a few walkable blocks.

El Squid Roe remains a Cabo classic. Cabo Wabo still delivers live-music energy. Mandala works when you want a proper club night.

For something more alternative, check what is happening at Crania in Puerto Los Cabos. Its events tend to revolve around special programming, music and late-night experiences, so it is worth checking the calendar before you go.

If You Have Two Extra Days, Escape to La Paz

Technically, yes, you are leaving Los Cabos.

Do it anyway.

If you want calmer water, beaches and a slower pace, La Paz makes an excellent two-day side trip.

Spend a morning at Balandra, then another day at El Tecolote. Eat seafood, walk the Malecón, stay one night and come back to Cabo.

Two days is enough to feel like you took a second vacation inside the first one.

The Detail That Can Change Your Entire Cabo Stay

The best days in Los Cabos are not necessarily the busiest ones.

They are the easiest ones.

Wake up.

Grab the cart.

Get coffee.

Pick up your friends.

Beach club.

Villa.

Pool.

Golf.

Dinner.

One more ride before sunset.

Then do it again tomorrow.

When you stay in a community where golf carts are permitted, having one from day one can completely change the way your stay feels.

Instead of depending on rides for every small trip, you have an easy way to move around the property with family, friends, beach bags and everything that comes with a full Cabo day.

Hardy Carts & Equipment offers golf cart rentals for vacations, villas, resorts, events and residential communities, with options for 2, 4, 6 and up to 8 passengers. Hardy also provides sales, service and commercial vehicles.