The 5 Most Important Things You Need To Know Before Booking Your Los Cabos Resort This Winter

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The freezing winter weather is officially creeping in, and millions of travelers are already aggressively searching for the perfect tropical escape. Los Cabos is hands down one of the most popular destinations for North Americans looking to trade their heavy winter coats for a swimsuit and a cold margarita. Los Cabos offers a spectacular desert landscape completely bathed in perfect winter sunshine. However, the sheer volume of options available online can make planning your trip incredibly overwhelming.

When you log into a booking site and search for Los Cabos, you are instantly hit with literally hundreds of different all inclusive properties. They all look absolutely stunning in the heavily edited professional photos. But if you blindly pick a hotel just because it has a nice looking swimming pool and a decent price tag, you might end up completely ruining your expensive vacation.

Before you pull out your credit card and lock in your winter getaway, there are a few massive insider details you need to understand. Here are the five most important things every traveler needs to know before booking a Los Cabos resort this winter.

1. The Real Location Of Your Resort

This is the biggest trap travelers fall into. Hotel booking engines will boldly label a resort as being in “Los Cabos,” but that is actually a massive municipality made up of two completely different towns and a long highway in between them. You need to know exactly which sub region you are booking.

• Cabo San Lucas: If you book a property here, you are right in the middle of the action. You will be incredibly close to the famous marina, the iconic Arch, loud nightclubs, and endless boat tours. It is highly energetic and very busy.
• San Jose del Cabo: Located much closer to the airport, this is the quiet, historic sister city. If you book here, you are getting a highly charming downtown art district, incredible authentic restaurants, and a much more relaxed, culturally rich atmosphere.
• The Tourist Corridor: If you book a hotel on the long stretch of highway connecting the two towns, you will likely be staying at a sprawling, highly isolated luxury mega resort. It is perfect for golfing and seclusion, but you are essentially trapped on the property unless you pay for expensive private taxis.

Know exactly what kind of geography you want before you pull out your credit card and book.

2. The Swimmable Beach Trap

This is the absolute most important difference between Cabo and the Caribbean, and it catches thousands of rookies off guard every single year. The Pacific Ocean has incredibly powerful riptides and massive, dangerous shore breaks. Because of this, the vast majority of luxury resorts in Los Cabos sit on beaches where swimming is strictly prohibited.

If you just assume you can walk out of your hotel room and jump into the ocean, you might be in for a massive disappointment. If swimming in the sea is a dealbreaker for you, you must specifically book a resort located on Medano Beach or Chileno Bay. If you book anywhere else, you need to accept that you are taking a pool centric vacation where you only look at the ocean from a distance.

3. Matching The Resort Vibe

Not all resorts have the exact same energy, and booking the wrong vibe will completely ruin your trip. An all inclusive resort is a heavily curated environment. If you are a young couple looking to have a few drinks and listen to loud music by the pool, you are going to be incredibly bored at a quiet, wellness focused romantic retreat in San Jose del Cabo.

Conversely, if you want to read a book in total silence, booking a massive party resort near the Cabo San Lucas marina is a terrible idea. Take the time to actually read the property description. Look to see if they advertise a lively entertainment team, or if they highlight their quiet spa facilities. Match the energy of the hotel to your actual personality.

4. Understanding What Is Actually Included

The term “all inclusive” is used incredibly loosely these days. You cannot just assume that every single thing on the property is completely free. Different hotel brands have wildly different inclusion rules.

For example, many premium luxury resorts include twenty four hour room service with zero extra delivery fees. However, other mid tier resorts will charge you a hefty delivery fee every time you order a late night burger. Some entry level properties do not offer any room service at all. You also need to check if premium liquor is included or if you are stuck drinking cheap well drinks all week. Always read the fine print on the food and beverage inclusions so you do not get hit with surprise upcharges.

5. Factor In The Transfer Time

There is a massive difference between grabbing a drink at the pool twenty minutes after leaving the airport, and sitting in the back of a stuffy shuttle van for over an hour just to reach your front desk. Transfer time is the ultimate vacation friction.

The Los Cabos International Airport is actually located right next to San Jose del Cabo. If your goal is to be relaxing in the sun as fast as humanly possible, you need to look at resorts in San Jose, which can have you walking into the spectacular lobby within fifteen to twenty minutes. If you book a resort deep in Cabo San Lucas or on the far Pacific side, you are signing up for a very long forty five minute to an hour long highway commute before your vacation officially begins.

The Ultimate Booking Hack

Booking your winter vacation should be exciting, not a stressful research project that eats up your entire weekend. If you want to skip the headache, the Cabo Resort Finder will match you with the perfect vibe, budget, and location in seconds without having to open 50 tabs. Let the technology do all the heavy lifting so you can focus entirely on packing your bags and getting to the beach.