Before our trip to Mexico a few weeks ago, I spent one Saturday afternoon googling “travel tips for Mexico.”  I’d only been once before when I was in High School with my family and obviously back then, I wasn’t the one doing any of the planning or preparing, I was just along for the ride.  So this time, I wanted to find out basic tips for preparing for our trip.  I was shocked at how I couldn’t find a true, just general tips post online.  So, after returning from our trip, I wanted to put my own true travel tips for Mexico post out there on the internet, so if you’re looking to head that direction, here’s what you need to know for travel to Mexico.

You can use American Dollars or Pesos.

At least in Cabo, everything was quoted to us in US Dollars, much to my disappointment.  Usually when foreign places quote in USD, it means they cater to a majority of Americans and usually their conversion gouges you a little, so whenever possible, pay in the local currency.  (This is the same in Europe by the way, when you pay by credit card and they ask if you want it in dollars.  Say no and pay in the local currency, you’ll get a much better exchange rate.)  We had pesos with us on this trip, so we always asked what the amount would be in pesos, but have a quick idea of the conversion so you don’t get ripped off.

Don’t drink the water and be careful of where you eat.

This is an important one and one to even follow at the resorts.  We stayed at a really well known, high-end resort and we still got sick when we got home.  So whether in town or at the resorts, don’t drink the tap water and be wary of ice when served it at restaurants.  As well, be careful of where you eat and what you order and make sure to bring some sort of medication with you in case you do get sick while there.

Bring bug spray and sun block.

For me, this is a really important one.  With Mexico’s heat and humidity, that brings a lot of sun and a lot of bugs.  The first night there I didn’t put any bug spray on and was getting eaten alive at dinner outside.  The following two days I coated myself both days and had no issues, so don’t forget this!  Also, make sure to apply sun block regularly, the sun and heat is quite intense so protect your skin.

Bring clothes that breathe well.

My outfits ended up being ok, but to be honest, I wasn’t at all prepared for how hot Mexico was in mid-October.  The heat and humidity completely wiped me out (it was about 104 one day we were there on the heat index).  So be aware of what the weather will really be like whenever you travel to Mexico and pack clothes that breathe well.  I had a couple things I packed that I actually never wore because they were thicker fabrics and I literally couldn’t even handle wearing anything other than light cotton since it was so hot and we were sweating profusely.

Taxis are safe in resort areas, but still take caution.

In Cabo, we were told that taxis are safe in both San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas, though if you venture further away from resort areas, take caution.   A lot of places in Mexico are still not super safe for tourists, so just be careful and be aware of your surroundings.  Also know a decent sense of direction, so if you are headed in the completely wrong direction you’ll know right away.  We had one taxi driver taking us back to the resort from Cabo San Lucas that started going in a weird direction away from the highway.  I asked him what was going on in Spanish and he then replied that because there as a big bike race (which there really was), that part of the highway was closed so we were catching it in a different spot.  At least then, I knew what was going on.  So with that, on to the next….

Know a little bit of Spanish.

I took Spanish all through High School and College and while I haven’t used it in a while (other than our trip to Spain earlier this year), I can get by with somewhat broken Spanish when I need to.  I can understand a lot more than I can speak, so when traveling to Mexico, it’s a great idea to either brush up on your Spanish skills or learn a little.  I was pretty surprised that even in such resort towns, a lot of people still didn’t speak great English, so it was really helpful to know a little Spanish.

Ignore the pushy sales people + tourist traps.

Particularly in Cabo San Lucas, you’ll encounter a ton of pushy sales people and tourist traps seemingly attacking you on the streets to use them for whatever it is they are selling, just ignore them and keep walking.  Restaurants will yell out at you to come in, ignore them or say “No Gracias.”  If you feed into them at all, they will come on even harder, so ignoring them is the best way to handle it.

Headed to Mexico?

Take a look at the rest of our archives on Los Cabos here!

Where to Stay in Mexico

I had heard a lot of stories from friends and people I know about Cabo San Lucas before we went.  It is a self-described party town with pushy shop keepers and time share workers endlessly hassling you.  Everything I had heard ended up being true and I wouldn’t choose to go back to this part of Los Cabos, much preferring the quiet streets of San Jose Del Cabo at the other end of the area.  With that said, we spent a few hours wandering Cabo San Lucas, mostly dying from the heat and humidity and looking for a place to eat.

We were hounded by restaurants as we walked by, “come in, have a beer, it will cure your hangover.”  I wanted to scream back, “I don’t have a hangover, leave me alone.”  The whole town felt very aggressive and the overall feel was that if you don’t go there to party, there isn’t much else to do.

Actually though, the scenery at this part of Cabo is gorgeous.  Cabo San Lucas is backed up to beautiful green mountains and sitting on a lovely marina, so it’s actually kind of sad that the town has been overthrown with nightclubs, bars and posters of bikini-clad girls feeding alcohol to men.  It definitely wasn’t a place I loved or would return to, but definitely worth while seeing as many places in the world are.  Sometimes you don’t like a place, but seeing it and coming to your own conclusions is worth the effort to explore a bit.

Where to Stay in Mexico

Headed to Mexico?

Take a look at the rest of our archives on Los Cabos here!

One of my favorite parts of our long weekend in Mexico was watching the sunsets over the Sea of Cortez.  Both evenings we were there, we wandered through the Esperanza Resort property on our way to dinner as the sun was setting and it was a beautiful site.  The evening in Mexico was also when the heat started to dissipate and so it made it even nicer to enjoy the scenery without the intense heat of the day.

The Esperanza Resort is full of vistas that show off the beauty of the area and there are many places to watch the sunset from.  My favorite spots ended up being the smaller, less grand spots on the property; places where the reflections in the water of the infinity pool or fountains reflected the pastel colors in the sky or where the reflections of the palm trees around the resort created long shadows against the water and sidewalks.  I was blown away by the natural beauty of Los Cabos (something I wasn’t expecting) and I felt it was the most beautiful at sunset, when the bright sun of the day was replaced with beautiful soft reflections, shadows and soft colored skies.

Where to Stay in Mexico

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On our first full day in Cabo, we ventured into the town of San Jose Del Cabo.  About 25 minutes drive from the Esperanza Resort where we were based, we took a taxi into town.  Our destination: Plaza Artesanos, a group of stores selling authentic Mexican souvenirs and trinkets.  We wanted to at least see a little bit of the town itself while in Los Cabos (which describes the general areas with both San Jose Del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas) and this was the perfect place to start.  Selling everything from clothing to silver jewelry to Mexican glass and clay dishes, you can pick up any souvenir you wish here.  The shop owners weren’t too pushy as well, which was a nice change from Cabo San Lucas and we wandered the shops for a bit, picking up a few souvenirs.

Even though we hadn’t had lunch yet, as we wandered the shops we were dying from the heat and humidity and stopped for a quick ice cream at a local vendor.  A brief stop in air conditioning and cool ice cream helped us regroup and then we headed out to the main road and wandered back to a mall/group of restaurants we had seen on the way in.  We ended up stopping at a place called Ten Tu Tacos and immediately ordered a bunch of different things.  It was here that I had the best fish taco of my life, literally I’m still thinking about it over a week later.  The others were great too, but if you’re in this area and end up going here, DO NOT MISS their fish taco.

After a nice leisurely lunch (which actually ended up being our favorite meal of the trip), we ventured back out into the heat and grabbed a nearby taxi to take us back to the Esperanza Resort.  Even though we didn’t get to explore San Jose Del Cabo as much as I would have liked, we definitely liked it a lot better than Cabo San Lucas and if in the area again, I would defiantly stay closer to this little town as it felt much more authentic.

Tips for San Jose Del Cabo:

-The locals quote everything here in US Dollars, but we had pesos and that worked fine too.  Just have an idea of the conversion rate so you don’t get ripped off.

-When we were there in mid-October, the heat was extremely overbearing, so be ready for extreme heat and humidity while there and adjust your clothing and schedule accordingly.

-Bring a map.  We didn’t have a plan of what we wanted to do on this trip and I wish I would have done a bit more research and brought of map of the area to get around better.

Headed to Mexico?

Take a look at the rest of our archives on Los Cabos here!

Our first morning in Mexico, we awoke early.  Seeing as the sun was about to rise, we threw on some clothes and headed out of our casita at the Esperanza Resort and down the short distance to the small secluded beach on the property.  Looking out over the Sea of Cortez, we watched the early dawn colors fill the sky, as the sun rose over the surrounding cliff-sides and spilled a sea of pastels across the sky.

Even at 7am, the heat and humidity were sweltering, but for a moment, as Nick was taking photos, I sat on a rock on the sandy shore of the Sea of Cortez watching the sunrise at another place in the world.  I’m often up for the sunrise (the perk of being a photographer’s wife), and I’m always taken aback by how peaceful the world is at the point in the day.  No matter if we’re in a beautiful landscape or in the middle of a busy city, sunrise is a point in the day when the world is quiet, when few people are out and when for a moment, everything seems at peace.

Our morning watching the sunrise on the Sea of Cortez was no different and no matter the destination, I highly recommend you to get up early and watch the sun rising over the world.  It’s a time of day when traveling turns into something even more magical, a time of day when we all start over, a time of day that allows you to refresh, to put aside all of yesterday and move forward into the dawn colors.

Headed to Mexico?

Take a look at the rest of our archives on Los Cabos here!