While I have written about our love for Cabo before, I believe it takes several visits to find your ultimate comfort zone. In the past, we have perched ourselves at the incredible Palmilla resort—and while it remains close to our hearts, several trips and advice from friends and locals have taken us on a new path while in Baja. Check out our patchwork of fresh favorites that made for the ultimate winter reset.
Tacos & Tequila
Oddly located across from a supermarket, La Osteria offers a playful, well-designed interior and exterior with an approachable, friendly atmosphere. correspond service and great food, including a long specialty taco list and incredible ceviche, makes for a wonderful experience, even on a small budget. La Osteria is the perfect place where you can enjoy great live music and a tequila tasting with your friends. If you’re lucky, you might have Bono and the U2 boys singing to you table-side, as they did years ago at the original La Osteria location. The musical experience is still celebrated by the restaurant today.
Art Walk
The less commercial of the twin towns on the peninsula, San José del Cabo, features a colonial mission cathedral, cobblestone streets and a town square where local families gather nightly. Many of those streets are lined with art galleries that have made the village a collector’s draw. On Thursday evenings, November to June, most stay open until 9 p.m. for Art Walk, but in any season the cluster of dealers creates an easily accessible progressive exhibition. Don’t miss the live music playing in several restaurants and the unique jewelry, textiles and artisanal products sold throughout the shops.
Late Night Round
For a tranquil nightcap or amazing key lime pie and cappuccino, sit under the towering palms that inhabit the courtyard restaurant at Casa Natalia Hotel. If you want to kick the party up a notch, sip your way through a live music set while eating tacos made of all cheese tortillas at Lupita’s. If you have a sweet tooth indulge in the rice pudding with churros.
Beachcomber’s Delight
The roughly 20-mile stretch of coast from Cabo San Lucas to San José del Cabo is lined with beaches, many too rough for safe swimming or dominated by resorts that make access all but impossible. For the ultimate in tranquillity, hit Chileno Beach, about nine miles east, which is magical for snorkeling, the Zodiak, paddle boarding and clean swimming. The L’Auberge and Palmilla Beaches are also breathtaking and a little trickier to find and less crowded as a result.
Down on the Farm
Given its desert location and unpaved drive in, farm-to-table dining is a surprise in Los Cabos but all the rage at the tip of Baja with the expansion of organic farming near San José del Cabo. Flora Farms combines shopping, style, and sustenance on 10-acres featuring an open-air restaurant surrounded by vegetable beds and local boutiques. Book a table ahead (mandatory) as well as a 30-minute field tour to get the lay of the land and spy the “culinary cottages,” privately owned two-bedrooms that are also available for rent. Start dinner with a garden-fresh corn chowder, fresh made mozzarella with tomatoes and bread from the wood-fired oven. The menu changes according to the available produce but usually includes pizzas, salads and freshly caught fish (I had the tuna tartar).
Regardless of how you spend your time in Cabo, I encourage you to discover new places that highlight the culture, culinary scene and local flair. You will be glad you did.
Enjoy some snaps from our recent visit.
