Best Beaches for Cabo Cruise Visitors

Medano beach at Cabo San Lucas is narrow, steep and lined with restaurants. © 2023 Scott S. Bateman

One of the best beaches for cruise visitors to Cabo San Lucas is Medano Beach just to the north of the cruise ship docks.

It is one of the best because of the length of the beach and the number of restaurants clustered around it. Medano also is a good choice because it is easy to reach.

Cruise visitors just need to decide how to get there.

Physically fit visitors can walk about 1.4 miles or 2.2 kilometers to reach it from the docks where cruise ship tenders drop people off. Some of us can make that walk in about 20 to 30 minutes.

Although that sounds like a long walk for some people, it does have one advantage. Walkers will go along the main path of Marina Cabo San Lucas to get to the beach.

The huge marina is lined with shops and restaurants with outdoor seating to give walkers various breaks along the way. It also has the huge Puerto Paraiso Mall for people who like their shopping more high end.

Anyone who doesn’t want to walk can take a water taxi on their own. They will find taxi operators on the docks who often negotiate prices. Prices may range around $3 to $5 per person for a one-way trip.

Cruise ships often offer beach excursions, usually to Divorce and Lover’s beaches. They are more expensive and include more options such as lunch, touring the Bay of Cabo San Lucas and seeing the famous Arch natural attraction.

Medano Beach Tips

Land’s End view from Medano Beach shows water taxis and jet skis waiting for tourists. © 2017 Scott S. Bateman

Medano Beach itself is like other well-known beaches that have heavy tourism traffic. It has many hotels, condos and restaurants on the beach and along Avenue del Pescador, which is the main road leading to Medano.

The views along this narrow, crescent-shaped beach are beautiful including the granite hill of Land’s End just to the south. Swimmers may not like the steepness of the beach or the strength of the undercurrent. But it is tolerable for moderately capable swimmers.

The real action is the party atmosphere of some of the casual restaurants. Note that a few of them are big and cater to a younger crowd. Other restaurants are quieter and offer more sophisticated food.

The restaurants try to rent umbrellas and lounge chairs to anyone who wants to escape the heat. Sometimes they give them away with the hope that loungers will buy food or beverages. Budget-minded visitors should talk to vendors at several spots before making a final choice.

Unfortunately, vendors pack the beach with local goods to sell. They aren’t aggressive, but sometimes it seemed the beach had more vendors than tourists. Just say “no thank you” when they approach and look away or down again.

Divorce Beach / Lover’s Beach

Divorce Beach and Lover’s Beach are accessible only by water taxi. © 2017 Scott S. Bateman

The other best beaches for Cabo cruise visitors are Divorce Beach and Lover’s Beach just south of the cruise docks.

They are less than a half mile away, but they are enclosed by the granite hills of Land’s End and require a water taxi to get there.

A water taxi may cost up to $15 per person. Taxi owners are sometimes willing to negotiate the price and charge less. Both beaches are flatter and smaller than Medano Beach.

The bay-facing Lover’s Beach is calm and good for swimming. Waters around Divorce Beach, which faces the Pacific Ocean, are turbulent, dangerous and not good for swimming.

The lack of swimming for Divorce Beach often makes it a better choice for laying out. It often isn’t as crowded as Lover’s Beach. It also is a good spot for watching the sun set in the Pacific at the end of the day.

Vendors sometimes show up to sell water and a few other items. Otherwise, there are no facilities, shops or restaurants.