ABOUT
LOS CABOS
Los Cabos (the capes) is a large municipality spanning the
East and West Capes at the tip of the state of Baja California
Sur. Los Cabos is located 900 miles southeast of San Diego,
California. The Tropic of Cancer crosses the peninsula 50
miles north of Land's End. The two main tourist areas of Los
Cabos are Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo. In
the 1950s, Hollywood celebrities flew down to Cabo in private
planes to fish. The two-lane paved highway from Tijuana opened
in 1974, and tourists began discovering the secret of Los
Cabos.
There are three distinct areas of Los Cabos: Cabo San Lucas
at the very tip of the Baja Peninsula, the Los Cabos Corridor
and San Jose Del Cabo.
This is one of the very few "Tropical Deserts" in
the world - only 7 inches of rain a year, and no rainy season,
virtually a sun-guarantee, with relatively low humidity compared
with other tropical areas due to the absence of rain, and
the influence of cooler Pacific breezes. This and close proximity,
more than anything else, has been the reason for Cabo's popularity.
ABOUT SAN JOSE DEL
CABO
Originally an 18th century mission town, some areas of San
Jose del Cabo still have the look and feel that it must have
had way back when. Walking around and shopping in Viejo San
Jose is a real treat. Small shops offer up works by local
artisans and range from; rustic Mexican furniture; high-quality
handcrafted silver jewelry and accessories; hand-woven blankets;
leather goods and more. While the town still retains its old-world
look and feel, that is likely to change with the construction
of a new marina and several master-planned communities currently
underway.
The small town of La Playita abuts the new marina development
area and real estate prices have sky rocketed in the last
few years. While lots within the development start around
$180,000 US, this is sure to keep rising and rising. Plans
include several resort hotels and golf courses including courses
designed by Jack Nicklaus and Greg Norman.
One of this area's biggest draws is the San Jose Estuary.
Here lush tropical vegetation surrounds the waters of the
estuary creating a wildlife and bird sanctuary that must be
seen to be appreciated. Taking a day to kayak through these
peaceful waters is a trip you won't soon forget; just don't
forget to bring your camera. The coastal areas of San Jose
del Cabo offer the chance to visit coves where pirates hid,
preparing to ambush Spanish Galleons entering the Sea of Cortez.
Folklore tells of vast treasures still hidden along this historic
and magnificent coastline.
One
of the best reasons to choose San Jose del Cabo as your
destination is that it is somewhat centrally located between
La Paz and Cabo San Lucas making day trips both north to
La Paz and south to Land's End more realistic. Renting a
car is the best way to experience this area, as you will
find yourself eager to explore both the coast and the mountains
looking for that next great view or discovery.
ABOUT THE CORRIDOR
OF LOS CABOS
The stretch of coast and highway that runs from south of
San Jose del Cabo to near Cabo San Lucas is known as the
corridor. Here, the definitive attraction is the coast and
the azure blue and turquoise waters of the Sea of Cortez.
The late, great writer, John Steinbeck took part in a marine
expedition of the Sea of Cortez with marine biologist Ed
Rickets and wrote about the area in his Log From The
Sea Of Cortez. "At last we stopped in front
of a mournful cantina where morose young men hung about
waiting for something to happen. They had waited a long
time–several generations–for something to happen,
these good-looking young men." Well, something
has happened and some may say too quickly. Although it is
hard to deny the beauty of the corridor developments, there
is still the thought that maybe it was better left untouched.
Be that as it may, the corridor offers some of the finest
accommodations, amenities and activities in all of Cabo.
Rugged cliffs, quiet coves teeming with hundreds of species
of marine life, desert vistas and mountains all come together
to create a veritable Eden. For those who love the ocean
and enjoy sport fishing, snorkeling, scuba diving and water
sports, this place is heaven on earth.
The corridor is also home to most of Cabo's premier, world-class
golf courses. Every one of the 10 courses, soon to double
in quantity, are designed by the best in the business. Five
Nicklaus courses, 2 Norman-Fazio courses, and one each from
Palmer, Dye, Trent-Jones and Weiskopf make Los Cabos a premier
destination for world-class golf. In fact, Jack Nicklaus
refers to Los Cabos as "the best piece of golf
real estate in the world." If you are an avid
golfer, you owe it to yourself to experience the pleasure
of teeing off in this golfer's paradise! |
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ABOUT
CABO SAN LUCAS
If you're looking for quick and easy access to wild nightlife,
sport fishing, a wide variety of restaurants, bars, shopping
and just plain good old people watching, staying in Cabo
San Lucas may be your best bet. In addition to the party
atmosphere of downtown Cabo San Lucas you have Medano Beach,
which is the safest swimming beach in Cabo. Medano Beach
is for more than totally safe swimming, some of the areas
most happening clubs and eateries are right here on the
sand. Casa Contenta looks down on Medano Bay and its' beaches
and is only a 2-minute drive away.
Shore-breaking waves and a powerful undertow make the Pacific
extremely dangerous and signs will warn you to "Stay
Out, Stay Alive" and they mean it. The Pacific side
restricts street and beach vendors from entering the area
so getting hassled by the local merchants is not an issue.
Please remember that you are in their country and if approached
by unwanted vendors, a simple wave off or a "no, gracias"
will get them to leave you alone. Being polite and having
good manners works everywhere.
Water taxis are easy to find and will gladly shuttle you
to snorkeling areas, Lover's Beach or other marina locations
for about $10 a ride.
HISTORY AND CULTURE
OF LOS CABOS
The year was 1535 when Hernan Cortes set sail with three
galleons into a tranquil bay in the waters of Los Cabos,
which he promptly named Santa Cruz. Sebastian Vizcaino set
up a pearl fishing colony there in 1596 knowing full well
that he was certain to become a wealthy man. He found a
few pearls, but not enough to support his expedition; he
also found a whole bunch of unsociable Indians. The only
thing Sebastian got out of his misguided tour was an excellent
chart of the Mar de Cortes. The only thing California got
out of Sebastian's misguided greed was a new name for the
bay, La Paz.
It was during the same era that Spanish merchant marine
interests established a trade route from Luzon in the Philippines
to Acapulco in the south of New Spain. They carried tons
of oriental silks, spices, Mexican gold and silver with
which to buy the treasures. The Spanish monarchs loved the
silk and spices while the English pirates became enamored
with the silver and gold. Sir Francis Drake entered the
"Sea of the South" with a quintet of warships
in 1578.
Pirate stories abound in Baja. Some true, others... not
exactly true. Truth is that Thomas Cavendish sacked the
"invincible" galleon Santa Ana off cape San Lucas
in 1587. And true it is that a number of "Dutch Hens"
entered the pirate trade against the Spanish. Joris van
Spilbergen was the most famous of the group. Racing up and
down the Pacific coastline, the pirates had a field day.
So when these pirates were not plying their trade they moored
in Cabo San Lucas, San Jose del Cabo and La Paz. The Spanish
of course, were not happy about this. The only people taking
any spoils out of the new world were the English and the
Dutch and they didn't know how to get there until the explorer
Magellan charted the route.
The Spanish Monarchy instructed Jesuits to go to California
to control and convert the people of the area to Christianity.
Their plans were to colonize the peninsula to keep the Dutch,
the English, and the Russians from colonizing the area first.
Not wanting to conform to the “new world” mentality,
the people of the area revolted pushing the Jesuits and
their monarchs out.
During the era of the Mexican-American War, U.S. troops
marched on La Paz and San Jose del Cabo. Ultimately, the
U.S. determined that they had no interest in acquiring more
desert and and opted to return possession of the Baja Peninsula
to Mexico.
Shortly after World War II, a group of Southern Californians
learned that they could fly to La Paz and then travel by
rutty roads to the shores of the Sea of Cortez. "Why?"
people asked. Little by little word spread that the Sea
of Cortez was teeming with fish, was protected from prying
eyes, and possessed weather that could not be rivaled. There
were no roads there. Only long range pleasure yachts and
private aircraft made the trip. It was exclusive and the
names of the shakers and movers were exclusive as well:
Bing Crosby, Phil Harris, Desi Arnez, and John Wayne. It
was in 1948 they chose to invest some money and build hotel
Las Cruces on the East Cape.
As time passed, an Ex-U.S. Air Force pilot named Luis Coppola
put up hotel Finisterra near the very end of the cape and
Spaniard Luis Bulnes quickly countered with hotel Solmar.
The transpeninsular highway, completed in 1974, opened the
Peninsula to Middle America. When Los Cabos International
Airport was expanded in 1986, Los Cabos' lure reached deep
into the United States and Marlin fishing tournaments were
drawing international acclaim by this time. Tourists were
discovering the sunrises and sunsets, the crystal clear
beaches, and the magical romance that is truly Los Cabos.
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