A Girl's Trip Guide to Cabo

Charter a private boat

A private boat day is a must! There are many options for a half-day or full-day charter, and it is absolutely one of the best ways to experience the Sea of Cortez. Cabo from the water is stunning: El Arco at Land’s End, the dramatic rock formations, the sea-lion colony, whale viewing, the Pacific on one side and the Sea of Cortez on the other. It’s out of a movie! You can tailor the day perfectly for your group. Anchor at Santa Maria Bay or Chileno for snorkeling, swimming, and floating over tropical fish. During whale season, usually December through April, the boat day becomes even more magical when viewing whales along the way. We could not believe the number of whales we saw jumping, almost giving us a show in the middle of the sea. Book a charter where there will be fresh ceviche, guacamole, fruit, cocktails, curated music, and a crew that reads the group’s vibe. This is the day everyone will talk about for years!

Flora Farms

Flora Farms is one of the reasons I love Cabo for a girls trip. It is not just a restaurant—it is a whole experience. Flora Farms is 25 acres of working organic farm with gorgeous gardens, beautiful food, cocktails, shops, fragrance-making, cooking classes, and a perfectly relaxed feel. Dress in your best flowy sundress, arrive early, wander the property, take photos, browse the shops, have a cocktail, and let the day unfold. Arrive at least an hour before your table is scheduled so you have time to explore the property. The gardens, shops, grocery, bakery, bar, and little walking paths are all part of the fun experience.

Perfume making at HIVE

Tucked into Flora Farms, HIVE lets you blend your own custom scent using more than 70 all-natural fragrance notes, many inspired by flowers and herbs grown on the farm. You can create perfume, body serum, bath soak, skin butter, hair perfume, or linen mist. Be sure to make reservations in advance, but sometimes walk-in appointments are available.

Cooking classes & shopping at Flora Farms

The cooking classes at Flora Farms are another amazing group activity. They are hands-on, open-air, and built around the farm’s own ingredients. Classes usually include a guided farm tour, a signature cocktail, lunch, and a recipe booklet to take home. Each day has its own theme, so check the schedule before you book and pick the class that your group will love.

Leave time for the shops, because they are part of the magic. Flora Farms has resort wear, gifts, specialty foods, body care, wine, coffee, and small treasures that feel much more personal than typical vacation shopping.

San José del Cabo Gallery District

If your trip includes a Thursday, definitely plan to head to the San José del Cabo Gallery District. The official Art Walk runs every Thursday evening from 5–9 p.m., November through June. Obregón Street closes to cars, the galleries stay open late, artists are often there to talk about their work, and the whole neighborhood turns into a pedestrian art party. There are countless booths with original art and beautiful cloths, bags, hats and gifts. After the galleries, stay for dinner. We love the restaurant, Sage!

If you are in Cabo on a night other than Thursday, you can still enjoy the district as the galleries are open, and you can talk with artists at your leisure. Also check out the San José Organic Market on Saturday during season to enjoy food, handmade goods, music, and produce.

Shopping in Cabo

Yes, there is great shopping in Cabo! You get a little bit of everything: polished resort shopping, marina-side luxury, small boutiques, art, handmade pieces, and those vacation finds you will cherish for years.

The Shoppes at Palmilla: Also known locally as Las Tiendas de Palmilla, this upscale area has boutiques, galleries, restaurants, cafés, jewelry, home décor, and resort wear. Definitely more relaxed and elevated than downtown Cabo.

San José del Cabo’s town center is where you will find the more personal pieces. Around Plaza Mijares, Boulevard Mijares, and the Art District, you will find owner-operated boutiques, jewelry, ceramics, leather goods, art, textiles, and gifts.

Corazón Playero custom hat experience

One of the most fun and unique shopping experiences in Cabo is Corazón Playero, a local “wearable art” brand founded by Isabel Andrade in 2018. What started as a creative hat concept has grown into a beautiful Cabo brand built around hand-embroidered hats, bags, visors, and accessories, made by an all-female Mexican artisan team. If you have time, book an appointment at their San José del Cabo studio. You can see the artisans at work, choose your hat, pick the details, and watch your item come to life. You can even book a private hat party. Corazón Playero can bring the full personalization experience to your hotel or villa with a selection of hat designs, bands, and braids, then embroider initials on-site.

Puerto Paraíso & Luxury Avenue

The marina-side shopping stops in Cabo San Lucas. Puerto Paraíso is the larger three-level mall right on the marina. Luxury Avenue sits next door and is the elevated luxury pocket—designer fashion, fine jewelry, beauty, and accessories from Cartier, Salvatore Ferragamo, Montblanc, Dior. The two are connected, so you can wander between them.

Ánima Village

Opened November 2025 in Cabo del Sol, along the corridor between Cabo San Lucas and San José. An open-air design district by Sordo Madaleno Arquitectos: six interconnected plazas, walkable, design-forward, with more than 80 brands (Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Alo, Lululemon, Sephora), serious dining (Mastro’s, La Lupita), wellness studios, and Arte Abierto, a striking subterranean contemporary art gallery built into the project.

Day trip to Todos Santos

Todos Santos is the perfect day trip and one that only those that have the inside scoop know to plan. It is historic, colorful, and full of gorgeous Pacific-coast sights. One day you’re on a boat in Cabo, the next you are wandering galleries, boutiques, cafés, and beautiful historic streets! Leave by 9 a.m., plan to come back after sunset, and hire a driver so no one has to think about the road home. The view on the drive is part of the experience, and Todos Santos is best when you do not rush it.

Hotel California is the first stop. It is colorful, historic, and right in the center of town. The Eagles connection is part of the travel mythology, but it is said that the hotel and the band are not officially connected. Go for the history, the architecture, the photos, the gift shop, and the fun of seeing such a famous stop in person.

Have lunch or a drink at La Coronela! We had the most amazing smoke-infused cocktail finished tableside with a flame and a cloud of aromatic smoke.

Wander into the galleries, boutiques, and cafés nearby. Visit Galería de Todos Santos and the smaller galleries around Plaza Centenario. Stop at Taller 17—the sea-salt chocolate chip cookie is amazing. Pop into the bookstore-café on Calle Topete. Playa Los Cerritos is a good add-on south of town for a surf lesson.

The Green Room

The Green Room is not to be missed and is the perfect lunch or sunset dinner spot. It is located at Villa Santa Cruz, a boutique beach resort just north of the La Pastora surf break outside Todos Santos. The Green Room is one of our favorite stops on our Cabo trips: beachfront tables, Pacific views, ceviche, seafood, cocktails. The road out is a little adventurous—just build in extra time and arrange transportation! Book in advance as tables do book up. Along with Flora Farms, it’s the reservation you want to grab upon booking your flight.

Cabo is such a fun food destination: farm lunches, barefoot beach clubs, dressed-up resort dinners, sushi nights, sunset cocktails, tacos, mezcal, and full-on dinner-as-a-party moments. You can make the week feel chic, relaxed, festive, or completely over the top.

Flora Farms

Flora Farms is 25 acres of working organic farm and one of the most magical meals in Baja. Flora’s Field Kitchen serves seasonal, handmade food using farm-fresh ingredients, with meats sourced from the farm’s nearby ranch, and the whole place feels like a dreamy little village built around gardens, food, cocktails, and sunshine. Arrive an hour before your reservation and wander: the gardens, the Farm Bar, the shops, the grocery, the spa, and the little pathways that make everyone stop for photos.

If your dates allow, sign up for a cooking class. The classes include a guided farm tour, a signature cocktail, a full family-style lunch, and a recipe booklet to take home. The current themes include tamales, tortillas, and regional salsas, depending on the day, so check the schedule before you pick your reservation. Monday is the farm’s quietest day, with the restaurant, bar, shops, and grocery closed during daytime service, so plan around that if you want the full Flora Farms experience.

El Huerto

El Huerto is one of Cabo San Lucas’ best farm-to-table surprises—just minutes from the marina, but once you arrive you are surrounded by gardens, orchards, and fruit trees. The menu is Mediterranean and Asian influenced, built around what is growing on-site and what local produce. Chef Emilio Sirera brings a wonderful history to the kitchen: he worked at Capella Pedregal, now Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal, trained in a two-Michelin-star restaurant in Gothenburg, Sweden, and worked at Aman’s Punakha Lodge in Bhutan before returning to Cabo.

Acre

Acre is one of those Cabo places that makes you feel like you have discovered a secret jungle. A few minutes inland from San José del Cabo, Acre is 25 acres of palm forest, organic farmland, treehouses, cocktails, and one of the most beautiful restaurants in Baja. You walk in down a palm-lined path and the desert disappears: peacocks, palms, twinkle lights, open-air dining, and a restaurant that feels like a movie set. Acre is one of Los Cabos’ Michelin Green Star restaurants, recognized for sustainability.

Nick-San

If you only book one sushi dinner in Cabo, make it Nick-San. Chef Ángel Carbajal and Tokyo-born chef Masayuki Niikura opened the original Cabo location in 1994, and Nick-San helped define Japanese-Mexican fusion in Los Cabos. There are two main Cabo options: the original downtown location by the marina, and the Palmilla location at The Shoppes at Palmilla. I like Palmilla as it feels a little more polished, and pairs beautifully with a Palmilla shopping afternoon.

SAGE Baja

SAGE is a perfect Art District dinner. This open-air, softly lit restaurant is tucked under palms and native trees and sits right in the middle of the historic Art District. Wander the galleries, shop, have a cocktail, then settle into dinner. SAGE is led by Chef Guillermo J. Gómez—and ask for the expert sommelier to provide you with a curated wine pairing.

Cocina del Mar at Esperanza, Auberge Resorts Collection

Cocina del Mar is the stunning cliffside restaurant at the Esperanza, Auberge Resort. The restaurant sits on a rocky promontory above the crashing waves, overlooking two private beaches. It is an incredible location for a celebratory dinner and expect sparkling candles if it’s your birthday or anniversary. The menu is seafood-forward and built around just-caught fish, coastal Baja flavors, and ingredients from Cabo's farms. Be sure to arrive early for a cocktail in the lantern-lit bar, then move down to dinner on the oceanfront terraces as the light changes.

El Farallón

Literally tucked into the cliffs at Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal, El Farallón provides yet another “am I in a movie?” moment: lanterns, crashing waves, glowing rocks, dining within the cliffs... you truly have found the most dramatic table in Cabo. Even the walk down to the restaurant will make you feel like you are in another world! This is a fresh seafood-forward, big night-out dinner where your evening starts with the fresh catch displayed on shaved ice and the chef prepares it to your liking.

Encanto Farm & Sea at Mar del Cabo

Encanto Farm & Sea is truly a hidden gem of the corridor. Tucked into the boutique Mar del Cabo hotel, it sits less than 50 yards from the Sea of Cortez. Ask for the lovely terrace overlooking the sea and enjoy lunch or dinner. I have had countless poke bowls here as we stayed right next door and it was our go-to for lunch. The poke, local sea bass ceviche, mussels in coconut curry, and grilled chocolate clam were our go-to dishes. The restaurant sources more than 90% of its ingredients from nearby orchards, ranches, and producers, and the menu leans coastal Baja. Wear cute shoes, but not your highest heels to walk down the staircase and stroll on the beach after your meal.

Agua at One&Only Palmilla

Agua is the “dress up night” dinner. It sits in a spectacular ocean-side setting with a Baja-inspired menu. Book close to sunset since the view is part of the experience. Have a cocktail first and enjoy a long evening. This is a splurge dinner, but the atmosphere makes it worth it.

The Office on the Beach

The Office on the Beach is touristy but in a fun, cheerful way. Directly on Médano Beach, you can go for breakfast, lunch, or dinner and enjoy live music, seafood, margaritas, and the full toes-in-the-sand Cabo scene. This is not your all night dinner plan—just a fun beach lunch, first-day margaritas, or a stop to see the fun decor and feel the vibe.

Rosa Negra

Rosa Negra is the dinner-as-spectacle evening: oceanfront terrace, resident DJ, live bongos, a fire show, cocktails, dancing energy, and a place you make friends with the table next to you. Rosa Negra is famous for groups that want an exciting night-out experience. Book early, ask for the terrace if available.

The Green Room in Todos Santos

For your Todos Santos day trip, The Green Room is the sunset dinner or mid-day lunch pick. It is located on-site at Villa Santa Cruz, and serves elevated Mexican seafood in a casual beachfront setting. The drive out is a little adventurous, but you will be so glad you made the trip upon arrival. Request a table on the beach! I would not do a trip to Todos Santos without a stop at The Green Room.

Manta at The Cape

Set at The Cape, a Thompson Hotel, it overlooks El Arco and has stunning ocean views, great cocktails, and a menu that brings together contemporary Mexican cooking with Peruvian and Japanese influences. Head upstairs after dinner for The Rooftop.

The Rooftop at The Cape

The Rooftop at The Cape is an experience in and of itself and is one of the best cocktail stops in Cabo. Enjoy open-air bars, sunken seating, fire pits, views of downtown Cabo San Lucas and El Arco, live acoustic music at sunset, and DJs depending on the night. Go before or after Manta, or make it a standalone sunset cocktail plan.

ARBOL at Las Ventanas, A Rosewood Resort

ARBOL at Las Ventanas is truly beautiful with lanterns, palms, excellent service, and elevated coastal cuisine with Asian and Indian influences. The menu pulls from the tandoor, wok, and seafood raw bar, and the whole experience was a standout.

Cocina de Autor at Grand Velas Los Cabos

Cocina de Autor is a Michelin-starred restaurant in Los Cabos, located at Grand Velas Los Cabos. The tasting menu provides for a serious culinary night. Outside diners can reserve in advance, and guests at Grand Velas have access as part of the resort’s dining program.