CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico — Under the thatched roof of open-air Cabo Blue bar, sunburned tourists are pounding margaritas as if there’s no mañana — and it’s barely noon.
At the $500-a-night-and-up Capella Pedregal resort, guests get complimentary afternoon guacamole, chips and Corona beer while they lounge on balconies with private mini-infinity pools overlooking the Pacific and Cabo’s craggy in-water rock formations.
Next door at the less expensive Hotel Finisterra, a salsa teacher with the enthusiasm of a cruise director urges guests to “shake-ee, shake-ee.”
Los Cabos, a vacation destination at the southern tip of Baja California about 1,000 miles from San Diego, has a split personality. It encompasses the cantina-packed, raucous Cabo San Lucas, the quieter San José del Cabo and “The Corridor” — a 20-mile highway between them lined with value all-inclusives and luxury resorts, where a night’s lodging can cost $1,000 and skyward.
Ever since John Wayne and friends discovered the area as a chill-out fishing spot, Los Cabos has been a getaway for Hollywood, hosting stars such as Jennifer Aniston, George Clooney, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kim Kardashian. Justin Timberlake brought his golfing bachelor party here in September.
The area also got a boost this year from the G20 international economic summit, hosting President Obama and Hillary Clinton, and by being named a “Travelers’ Choice” destination by TripAdvisor.
Unlike some other parts of the country, Los Cabos is viewed as a safe destination and not included in the U.S. State Department’s Mexico travel warning. The summit meant that U.S. and Mexican authorities chased away “cockroach” criminals, making the area even more secure, says Alberto Coppola, president of the Los Cabos Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Read more: Kitty Bean Yancey, USA Today
