El Cabo Baja California – Full Guide – Work.Surf.Live
Why Working And Surfing In Cabo And What's So Cool About It
Situated in the Baja California Peninsula, this laid-back Mex town in the southern tip of Mexico is a magnet for surfing and good vibes.
Cabo San Lucas is known as just Cabo for short. In the last couple of decades, it’s become something of a byword for vacation vibes on the Mexican Pacific. Spring breakers and celebs alike flock down to the town at the tip of Baja California.
They come to get lost in the tequila bars, shop in open-air malls, and bronze those bodies on the beaches. Cabo doesn’t disappoint.
On the pro side, the variety of beaches and reefs is a good enough reason to visit. Moreover, the swell window is big here due to its beaches spreading from the south to the west coast, you can have a pretty wide swell window. There’s always a spot where you can ride the waves in Cabo. And last, but not least, you’ll find some party spots too in the town center where you can socialise and relax after a hard day of surfing.Â
Cabo has its own history...a hippie one
This might surprise you, but “El Cabo” area was surfed as early as the ’50s by travelling California sailors and fishermen; Steve Bigler flew into a dusty airstrip in San Jose Del Cabo in ’67 to film some footage for the ’68 surf flick Golden Breed; Surfline’s Sean Collins began his lifelong exploration of the area in the late ’60s and early ’70s. But even though the Trans-Peninsular highway linking Baja Norte and Baja Sur was completed in 1973, the area didn’t start getting popular until the mid-’80s.
Fancy American condo developments and golf resorts began rising all along the corridor between Cabo San Lucas and San Jose Del Cabo through the mid-’80s and early ’90s, as more and more people came for the sunny beaches and chill Mexican vibes.
The Fletcher Los Cabos Classic, held in ’91 and won by Kelly Slater was the first big surf contest held here, and the whole scene was more of a frat party with a surf contest attached to it than anything else. The Surf Industry Manufacturers Association (SIMA) started an annual conference here in ’98.Â
Surf Hotels and Hostels
Being in good company when surfing is always a great idea…but also a safe thing to do. Short stay or long stay, you want to spend quality time with like-minded people who share the surfing passion. And who knows, you might meet your next co-founder or love of your life in these places. One of the best places to find crews is if you are a solo traveller and not only is a surfing hostel.
Because it is a small town, Cabo San Lucas doesn’t have too many options when it comes to surf hotels. Most of the accommodations you’ll find here will be resorts, more focused on families and not so much on the surfing crowds.However, there are many more other hotels and surfing camps on the coast line east and west.
We’ve put together though a few good alternatives you can choose from, close to the beach and dedicated to surfing aficionados. Have a look below!
1. Sofia Hostel Cabo
This hostel is probably one of the most popular hostels in Cabo San Lucas.
It is located within a 18 minutes walk from the beach. Set in the centre of Cabo San Lucas, Sofia Hostel Cabo provides air-conditioned rooms, a shared lounge, free WiFi and a garden. Featyrubg a terrace, the hostel is also close to several noted attractions, around less than 0.6 miles from Medano Beach, a 12-minute walk from La Empacadora Beach and 0.7 miles from Solmar Beach. The accommodation features a shared kitchen, a tour desk and luggage storage for guests.
You can book a continental breakfast at the hostel every morning.
Marina Cabo San Lucas is 550 yards from Sofia Hostel Cabo, while El Arco is 1.4 miles away. The local international airport, Los Cabos International, is 22.4 miles away from the accommodation, and the property offers a paid airport shuttle service. The hostel is highly rated on Booking.com, with an average rating of 9.5. So probably a very good choice to begin with
2. Surf Hostel Cabo "The Riptide"
This property is 12 minute walk from the beach. Surf Hostel Cabo “The Riptide” is located in San Jose del Cabo. Guests will be able to enjoy free WiFi and a shared lounge.
Each dormitory here will provide you with, a balcony and a patio. Complete with a dining area that also has a refrigerator and a coffee machine. The bathrooms are shared and have showers. The dormitories offer views of the garden and the seafront. Guests can also use the available computer.
An array of activities can be enjoyed on-site or in the surroundings, including snorkelling and surfing. The property offers free parking.
Los Cabos International Airport is a 30 minutes drive away.
Solo travellers particularly like the location — they rated it 9.4 for a one-person stay.
- Lounge Area
- Tv area
- Kithchen
- coffe/fruit
- Garden/BBQ
- Car Parking
- Air Conditioner
- Safety Lockers
- Free WIFI all the hostel
3. Cerritos Surf Town Beach Front Hotel
This beach front hotel is located in one of the best spots in Baja California Sur. Cerritos is a paradisiacal beach known for great swimming and surfing, offering the best weather of all Baja.
With 9 types of villa you can choose from, this gorgeous “posh” surf hotel situated on the beach offers a variety of rooms for different budgets.Â
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At this location, they offer surfing instructors that will teach you how to navigate the waves on the board. They give full safety briefings and provide great equipment. Surfing lessons start from 1,500 pesos/ day.
Moreover, the hotel organizes group trips like visiting the waterfalls at Sierra De La Laguna, Â located at the skirt of the green mountains. Are you a big scuba fan? Â Then maybe you want to check out CABO PULMO, which is a very popular spot amongst scuba divers around the world.Â
Families are welcome too, because some of the villas have 2 bedrooms, so plenty of space for a family of four.
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Coliving Spaces
Community living or “coliving” is the latest trend in the housing market which started to pop out almost everywhere in the world. This type of accommodation is ideal for people who want to live slightly longer periods in different countries and immerse more in the local culture.Â
Coliving is ideal for digital nomads or surfers who want to enjoy more El Cabo by exploring places and meeting people. With flexible contracts and different price ranges for short and long term stays, coliving spaces offer a lot of flexibility and comfort. Another great upside for living in this accommodation is that you will meet a lot of interesting professionals and the opportunity to network and bond with like-minded people.
Below we chose two good options if you want to chose to live in a coliving community.
1. Outsite
Outside Los Cabos is a serviced coliving space designed to be the perfect hub for digital nomads, flexible professionals, and business travellers looking to live, work and connect. have long been a favourite sunshine destination, with a hefty dose of Mexican charm and hospitality.Â
Outsite Cabo is located close to the town centre of San JosĂ© del Cabo in Baja California Sur. There are 8 bedrooms divided between 2 houses (4 bedrooms per house).Â
Every room is fully furnished, has a private bathroom and a desk space. There is an open plan kitchen and dining space in each house, shared by the 4 rooms. The houses are recently renovated. The kitchen is fully equipped for cooking at home, and there are outdoor terraces for making the most of Baja’s year-round sunshine.Â
Across the way from Outsite, you will find Coffee LAB, a local cafe and coworking space. Use of the cowork cafe and phone room is complimentary for Outsite Members staying in Outsite Los Cabos.
San JosĂ© del Cabo is the quieter of the 2, best known for streets full of art galleries, and the nearby beaches Palmilla and Chileno. In Centro, you’ll find plenty of restaurants, grocery stores and bars within walking distance, but when the weekend hits you’ll be able to hop in a car (or boat) to discover the surrounding mountains, rivers and beaches.
2. DICI Co-Living Housing Cabo San Lucas
This coliving is a place where people with common interests will share a living space for the short or long term. It is ideal for guests familiar with this concept who want to enjoy a sunny and beautiful place with a like-minded community.
This small independent coliving house provides private furnished bedrooms within nice shared areas such as living, dining, tv area, and a beautiful garden.
There is a special price for members for a convenient co-working space area.
The house has three bedrooms (mixed dormitory style), a one shower bathroom and one shared half bathroom, as well as common areas for dining, work, lounge area, stream tv, and a coffee station. Also, there is a garden with multiple enjoyments sitting zones in the outdoor areas.Â
Popular points of interest near DICI Co-Living Housing Cabo San Lucas include Solmar Beach, Marina Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Paraiso. The nearest airport is Los Cabos International, 27.3 miles from the bed and breakfast, and the property offers a paid airport shuttle service.
– Air conditioning.
– Day meals (chargeable).
– Chill out area and outdoors zone with a backyard.
Cleaning (common areas and bedrooms).
– Coworking
– Dining area
– Fast WiFi
– Iron
– Netflix
– Parking (free on-street)
– Shampoo, toilet paper, and towels included.
How to get to the Cabo Area
By Air
There are several ways to fly into Cabos, and once you’ve arrived, it will be hard to decide to leave.Â
The main airport of the region on Los Cabos International Airport (SJO) which serves the entire Baja California Sur region. It is not a big airport, so getting in and out of it it’s quite easy. Most of the companies that fly here are American or Canadian, like Delta Airlines, Air Canada and American Airlines. A full list of airlines international airlines that fly into it can be found here.Â
The local Mexican airlines that fly to this airport are  Calafia Airlines and Volaris, two of the major Mexican companies with service to Cabo.You’ve got often direct flights from the capital Mexico City, just in case you want to visit the metropolis on your way to the beach. Using another Mexican city as a layover gives you more ways for how to get to Los Cabos, and on the way, you can stop and explore more of this diverse country.Â
Ever since Hollywood stars started vacationing on the tip of the Baja Peninsula, travelers from around the world have heard the travel news about Cabo San Lucas and gone to see the beauty and excitement of this dazzling city.Â
No matter which way of how to get to Los Cabos you choose, you’ll find yourself in paradise with your toes in the water, drink on the beach or on the surf board.
By Car
First of all, you have to know it’s a long drive from LA or San Diego. It can take over 22 hours to complete!
However, driving down to Cabo is a popular adventure for many Californian surfers who choose to cruise all the way through the desert on MX1. A nice bonus with driving is that you’ll already have a car there which you really need to move around the surfing spots and explore the vast region..
No matter how you get to your Cabo San Lucas location, you’ll have to cross through immigration and customs. Today, one of the easiest ways to do so is between San Diego and Tijuana International Airport at the Cross Border XPress.Â
For foreigners to pass through the walkway, they’ll need their FMM immigration form, payment of migratory rights, your boarding pass, and a CBX ticket. You can only pass within 24 hours of your departure, but you can fly cheaply and directly south to Los Cabos from Tijuana. Knowing this bit of travel information about Cabo San Lucas, you have more options for flight paths between the US and Mexico, and for those living on the west coast, it’s the best way to get to Cabo.
Popular Neighborhoods in Cabo San Lucas
Cabo San Lucas – where most tourists choose to base themselves, Cabo “proper” is packed with clubs, hotels, and dive schools. Access to the Pacific coast means that the west side delivers fantastic surfing waves, while the eastern beaches are quiet and sheltered, so very good place for families.
San JosĂ© del Cabo – Cabo’s “Old Town”, San JosĂ© is a relaxed town filled with colonial architecture and sedate cafes. It’s a great place to dive and snorkel, thanks to the Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park and Playa Palmilla gives Cabo’s beaches a run for their money too.
Cabo Bello – situated on the highway between Cabo and San JosĂ©, Cabo Bello is a neighborhood of luxury villas, upscale hotels, private beaches, and beautifully manicured golf courses. It’s the perfect base for high-end vacationers who need respite from the bright lights of downtown Cabo.
Coworking spaces in Cabo And Around
Unfortunately, you don’t have too many choices when it comes to coworking spaces in the Cabo Area. Your best bet will be to work from your Airbnb or the hostel you are living in…if they got an area dedicated for that.Â
Otherwise, the old “extended coffee shop stay” will do as well.Â
You will find plenty of coffee shops in the Marina area where you can do some productive work with your laptop.
Let's talk Surfing in Cabo
Due to its shape and location, Cabo San Lucas is a perfect spot for surfing and that’s one of the reasons for its popularity.Â
If you look at the map, the part of the peninsula is a continuation of US Southern California.
The Cabo San Lucas surf area spans about 40 miles to the north of the headland’s southernmost tip. That starts with some mixed reef and beach spots that get heavy on direct northern swells like the top end of the Golden State.Â
Then comes a series of shapely right-handers off the points of the desert. Finally, you get the Cabo San Lucas surf that spans the Hotel Corridor and the southern areas, which benefits from a huge swell window and proximity to the resort.
Due to a large chung US surfers coming down to El Cabo on road trips, secret spots are now almost non-existent in Cabo.Â
You can thin out the lineup if you’re willing to drive on some sketchy backroads further north.’
However, we recommend spots around the town which usuallt has really good vibes . The other great thing about Cabo San Lucas surf is that you don’t need a wetsuite most of the times.Â
You might need one in midwinter in some places but the vest and boardies should do for most of the year.
Popular Break points
talkw hy surfing is great in cabo
Monuments
The only real spot to surf in Cabo San Lucas town is Monuments. It’s not the surfing in Cabo for beginners, either, because we’re talking a speedy left that’s a joy for seasoned goofies. The wave breaks on the point at the end of the main beach and closes fast, so you’ll need to pump the back foot to get on the shoulder. When you catch it, it’s zippy and heart-thumping. When you don’t, just pray the urchins don’t get you!
Shipwrecks
Shipwrecks is one of the last Los Cabo surf spots you can rely on to get rolling on normal ocean swells. That’s because it’s tucked a little into the mouth of the Sea of Cortez. That means good protection from summer onshores but less flow-in W and NW sets. Still, it works beautifully between 5-9 feet, offering a cruisy point with a big shoulder to play on.
Shipwrecks is the name of just one break, but the area here actually has nearly 10. They all work on the same swell angle so it’s one or none, sadly. There’s also a playa beach break that can get hollow but dumps on shallow at high tide.
El Tule
A hidden beach just below the flyovers of the main freeways that go from Cabo San Lucas to San Jose del Cabo, this one’s a popular spot for more advanced surfers. It’s a two-directional, beach-reef break with some good speed credentials. Hard to get in the water without boots.
When to surf in Cabo San Lucas
In a land where the surf spots spread along the south coast and the west coast, you can look forward to a pretty wide swell window. There’s almost always a place in El Cabo where you can ride the waves during the year.
 Make sure to have a car at your disposal to make the most of it all and move around to find the good swells. Otherwise, join a surfing group or school that will drive you around the good spots.
Summer (June-August) - THE BEST time to surf in El Cabo
This is prime time to hit the Cabo San Lucas surf. The swells coming from S-SW turn on during this period and you’ll find the Sea of Cortez spots around Cota Azul to be a lot of fun. It’s a little harder for the west coast spots of Cerritos et al, but they are swell magnets so there are good waves there too.
