How is Cabo San Lucas compared to Cancun and Playa del Carmen?

[divebrasil]

Let me explain the question better.

I love Playa del Carmen and I don't like Cancun. I like how even tough PDC is a tourist spot it doesn't feel as touristy as Cancun, there is a vibe of authenticity.

How is Cabo San Lucas compared to them?

Thanks so much

 

[Scuba Diver Mexico]

Cabo San Lucas is a very artificial place just like Cancun (much smaller volume of peple though), the scenery is very nice and it is not flat like Q. Roo. I am there several times during the year to sail for the Revillagigedos. I usually stay in San Jose del Cabo.

The Mex. Pacific and Gulf of Califonia are amazing , more productive and biodiverse than the Caribbean but the Cenotes and undeground rivers of the Yucatan Peninisula are unique in the world.

La Paz BCS and Cabo Pulmo are very nice places to visit and dive.



Happy diving !

 

[divebrasil]

Thanks. But as bad as Cancun where there are mostly high hotel building and the food is mostly american chains? I am not the type of guy that goes to Mexico to eat at Hard Rock Cafe.

 

[Scuba Diver Mexico]

The hotels are pretty big (some of them) and expensive, not so many as Cancun . During high season (now) there are several cruise ships per day that stop on their way to the mainland or to Califorina bringing lost of day tourists to Cabo San Lucas.

Yes, there are food chains like the ones you mention.

 

[cavew0man]

Hi divebrasil - I stopped in Cabo last May on my way home to PDC to visit some friends and get a couple of dives in. I hadn't been there since the mid-90's, and boy, had it grown. I find Cabo San Lucas to be VERY Americanized - when I spoke Spanish to a taxi driver, he looked at me like I was an alien and answered me in fairly impeccable English.

It isn't a large city like Cancun, with high rise after high rise, but it does have some large hotels in the core area. The remainder are kind of like the Mayan Riviera hotel stretch - big resorts sprinkled along the highway connecting San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas.

Yes, Cabo is chock full of American chains. But you don't have to eat there. There are many many other good choices.

Personally, I prefer Playa del Carmen (I live here), but I do enjoy visiting the Pacific side on occasion. The scenery is beautiful, particularly the rugged Pacific coast. If you drive from Cabo up towards Todos Santos (home of the infamous Hotel California of Eagles fame), there are some stunningly beautiful spots to stop at. The combination of desert and hills and ocean is very different from the flat jungly tropical Yucatan.

The diving I did was good - colder than here, different critters, Sea Lion pups that were just a joy to see, and a Manta sighting. For me, nothing beats the cenotes, though!

If you are interested, here is the website of a friend of mine, fellow Canadian transplant to Mexico (MexiCanuck!). He has lived in Cabo for years, and basically knows everyone and everything.

Caboguy.com - Get Connected in Cabo San Lucas !

 

[divebrasil]

Cavewoman thanks for your feedback. I will check that site out!

 

[cavew0man]

Yer welcome... just to clarify, I probably would not choose Cabo as a destination for a purely dive-focused trip. It's more of a fishing mecca. But the dives were nice enough, if you have other activities in mind as well.

 

[divebrasil]

Here is the deal. My parents are coming from Brazil and we always travel somewhere together. They are non divers, but enjoy the beach and the occasional snorkeling. They just want to walk around town, hang in the sun on nice beaches and drink and eat good food. I am the diver in the whole deal. And we all have been to PDC not too long ago, so they would like to visit a new place. And for a 4 day trip Cabos was the idea.
Taken in consideration what I described above would you suggest somewhere else?

Thanks

 

[cavew0man]

For that kind of a trip, it just might do it for you. If you're comfortable renting a car and driving down here, you could certainly have a nice short trip. In that case, you might want to consider San Jose del Cabo instead of Cabo San Lucas. CSL is the party town resort-y destination, and SJ is more of a proper town, some EXCELLENT fine dining, more un-tourist shopping sort of areas to wander through. I would definitely include a drive up to Todos Santos, it's a very artsy, ex-pat kind of community, see the Hotel California, make some stops along the coast for photo ops and beautiful views, definitely catch a Pacific sunset away from civilization.

Depending on when you go, you might catch the whale migration (that might be over now, I'm not entirely sure...) but also I recall the DM telling me that the newly born pups that I saw in May would be a LOT of fun to dive with by August when they get more independent.

If you are looking for Mexican culture, this is not the destination, for sure... but for a four day getaway, it could fit the bill.

Places you might want to consider, that I have not been to, are Puerto Vallarta and also Huatulco.

Oh, one other difference between PDC and Cabo is the beaches themselves - the nice white sand here is quite different from the "real" sand over in Cabo. If I am not mistaken, our sand is actually ground-up coral, whereas the Cabo sand is actually sand. It gets REALLY hot with the sun on it - watch your feet and take shoes to the beach!

Tell you what, if you email Cabo Guy, tell him that Kris from Calgary and Playa del Carmen sent you, explain your vacation parameters, and I am sure he will help you make your decision.

 

[Scuba Diver Mexico]

For what you describe I would rather stay in La Paz and visit Cabo Pulmo, San Jose and maybe Todos Santos. If I had a bit more time I would drive up to Loreto.


Try googling La Paz and see what you find !

The islands in front of La Paz are much, much better diving areas than the CSL/San Jose area and also you can go snorkeling/kayaking .

The summer will be hot !!

Vallarta is not a bad idea either, the summer is when the warm water/higher viz season kicks in.