Coming to Cabo with Kids?

Cabo San Lucas, ‘The Adults Playground’ is now Kid Friendly!!

As a father of a two young boys, living in Cabo, I’ve learnt a thing or two about the area.  I was lucky enough to enjoy almost 8 years in this Adults Playground before my first son arrived in 2012.  My life changed a little at that time and as you can imagine, I started looking at everything in a slightly different way. I’m always on the lookout for new things to do in Cabo with Kids.

Cabo San Lucas is a place where many adult tourists return every year attempting to relive their Spring Break Chaos and is often ignored as a child friendly location for vacations.

Los Cabos is a magical place for many that keeps people returning year after year.  Everyone has their own reasons and people just seem to keep coming back.  Many have been returning since they were kids, many since their first College Spring Break Getaway.

Over the years, those visitors who started coming younger in life get married and have kids.  They start to wonder what Cabo has on offer for the growing family.  The great news is that Cabo is rolling with the times and becoming very kid friendly.  Reality is, maybe it was before, but I never had a kid to notice.

Now, it’s a very different travel experience with a kid.  Depending of course what ages your kids are, will dramatically change the activities you can enjoy down here.  There are activities for kids of all ages, some free and some paid.

Kid Friendly Accommodations

For those of you who have been coming for years, you many have noticed that child friendly area at your usual resort (or maybe not).  The majority of hotels and resorts also have some kind of kids club.  A great way for the hotel to keep you coming back.  When your kids are occupied, you can relax more and sip back on a couple of extra Margaritas or Cervezas.  Most do a great job with activities for children, some do an excellent job.

Some properties in Los Cabos as you can imagine are more kid friendly than others, with playgrounds, special pools and even water slides aimed at keeping the kids happy.

Many rental properties as well are designed with kids in mind.  Some will have games rooms, pool toys and even kayaks if they’re on the beach.

Over the last few years, changes have come about in the Resorts in Los Cabos.  Many seem to be making the switch to All Inclusive programs.  Some people love it and I’m sure when my 2 boys are around the 15-16yo mark, I’ll appreciate the fact they can eat all day for a single price.  However with toddlers, the AI doesn’t really work for many, so check when making your booking.

Take your Kid to the Beach

Beaches are great place for kids.  Most kids are happy all day hanging out on a beach.  Sand, water and something to dig a hole with will keep my boy occupied for hours.

Sometimes the beach itself is not enough and you need some additional beach activities.  For those moments, I have found that a Kayak trip can be a blast, or a SUP board can certainly kill some time.

With so many beaches to choose from in the area, you have to ask yourself  “What do I want in a beach?”.  Many beaches are not suitable for young kids and at certain times of year, not recommended for adults either.

This is a quick rundown on my favourite beaches for kids.  If you want more information on the beaches, or a more complete list of beaches, click here.

• Medano Beach – The main downtown beach in Cabo San Lucas.  Here you can find everything you want, from shade, to loungers, food, drinks, waverunners, etc.  The best area of Medano Beach for kids to swim is the area from Casa Dorada to Hacienda Beach Club (the entrance of the Marina).  This is the calmest area however there are a lot of boats, wave runners, kayaks, etc. approaching the beach, so swim inside the roped off areas when available.
• Cabo Bello – A nice relaxing cove in a gated housing community.  The cove is protected from the swell, and offers a nice area for young kids to splash around in the water.  No Amenities.
• Cabo del Sol Beach – Just past the entrance to Hacienda del Mar, you will find a drive leading to the beach.  There is so much beach to wander along, with the odd rock pool that appears in low tide for young kids to play in.  No Amenities (however I’m sure the hotel would sell you a drink or two).
• Santa Maria – On a Calm day, can be a great place for kids.  The best place for them is all the way in the far corner as there is less swell.  Often kayaks available for rent.  Sun Umbrellas typically available for rent. In early 2016, a change room facility was opened here, offering showers, a toilets up near the car park.  A new Paved Car Park was added to the area around 200 yards from the beach.
• Chileno Bay – Nice calm sections and Rock Pools for kids.  Lots of building and development going on around Chileno Bay.  Before Hurricane Odile there was lots of Palapas to use for shade.  Now they have people renting umbrellas and snorkeling equipment on the road as you head down to the beach.  New Carpark and Bathrooms built near carpark.
• Palmilla Beach – A nice calm spot for kids to play in the water.  Does get deep quickly, so not great when there is a southerly swell.  Has bathroom and typically people selling food, drinks and renting toys, etc.
• El Ganzo Beach Club – A very calm, shallow area for kids to happily play in the water or at waters edge.  Protected by the breakwater of the marina.  Located in San Jose del Cabo Marina, this beach has all amenities to let spend the day.

Other Watersports

Depending on the age of the kids you are planning to bring to Los Cabos, your needs will change.  There are a variety of boat trips that kids love, like;

• Glass Bottom Boat
• Yellow Submarine
• Pirate Ship – Snorkel Trip or Sunset Cruise
• Kayak trip
• Stand Up Paddle
• Surfing & Surf Lessons
• Fishing – Try inshore, Deep Sea, or shore fishing
• Parasailing
• Whale Watching Tours (Dec-Apr)
• Dolphin Kids Programs

With so many options for kids on the water, you may run out of time for all the Land Based activities.  Many of the big tour companies have focused resources on offering some excellent land based activities for kids.  Most of these programs have some age limits, and unfortunately not much for the baby.

Check out some Land Based Options

• Kids Off Road Adventure – Kids drive their very own Polaris RZR for 8yo
• Family ATV Beach Tours
• Animal Kingdom – Feed the birds and see the lizards
• Walk across the suspension bridge at Wild Canyon
• Camel Quest – Meet the Camels
• Horseback Riding Tours
• Golf – Some Great unknown kid specials, just ask
• Water Park in Caduaño – great for kids of all ages. Perfect for Toddlers.
• Wander the marina and check out the boats
• Dolphins Kids programs, or Trainer for a Day
• Rent Bikes in San Jose del Cabo
• Turtle Release – Seasonal
• Maybe even try the Blown Glass Factory (but keep your eye on them)

Every Sunday morning, downtown Cabo shuts down it’s main streets to pedestrians.  You’ll find bikes to rent, people out skateboarding, roller bladeing and even dancing Zumba in the street.  The opportunity is regularly used to host a Fun Run.

Saturday afternoons, around the Cabo Marina, there is some art and cultural displays.

Organic Market San Jose

Saturday Mornings in San Jose del Cabo, you´ll find the Organic market just on the outskirts of town.  This is a great place for the kids to run around, listen to music, eat and just have some relaxing fun.

The Organic market is a Cash only venue, best to bring Pesos and you´ll find a lot of Locals who frequent it.  Open during the Winter months, the San Jose del Cabo Organic market typically the second Saturday in November and runs through May.

So Much More to see and do

We’re starting to see a few more locations that have options for kids in and around Cabo San Lucas and I’m sure this will continue to improve.

There are a few restaurants around the marina who have gone to great efforts to make kids happy.  ComicX in the Cabo Marina for example is full of Super Hero statues, have cartoons, video games and more.

In San Jose, Wirikuta is a cactus garden, where you can head off and have a picnic.  There are a variety of locations around Los Cabos that you can go hiking with the kids, offering some great views.  Saturday morning has the farmers market in San Jose del Cabo, which can be a nice escape.

If you’re looking for parks to play in, then San Jose has a Park with swings and slides just behind the Mega.  Cabo San Lucas has a few public parks, some with skateboarding facilities.

Worth a mention

Back in the day (not that long ago really), if you left something at home, then you had to go without.  Traveling with kids was tough enough.  With all the increased costs of extra bags and over weight items, etc. we had to make a choice.  Would the kids stay, or do we all stay?  Now Los Cabos is here to help!  All these great kids activities, plus a variety of excellent babysitting services are available.

Looking for Car Seats, Strollers, Play gyms, or a variety of other activities to keep the kids entertained?  Contact Us for a selection of baby and toddler items.

Bring the kids, they’ll have a blast. Let them try everything…  You’ll see a side of Cabo you never knew was there.

If you’ve got some other fun things to do in Cabo with kids, please leave a comment down below!  I’m always looking for new adventures.