This is a narrative by Todd and Jen who walk you through Cabo. If your questions aren't answered here you can e-mail them.

You guys will have a geat time in Cabo, it's one of the greatest places we've been!, and 99.9% of the local people are great, with a few exceptions. If you can hang with me I'll give you all the info you'll need, although it may take more than one email.

Let's start at the airport, when you get in the terminal you will pass through an area lined with booths from the different hotels offering free transportation, free meals ect. AVOID THEM, do not accept anything for free, all they want to do is hook you into a time share, this includes at the Plaza itself, no free breakfasts, no free boat rides, NOTHING. this is the most important Do Not of the trip. avoiding this will make your trip a pleasent one. Customs consists of a red and a green light, you push a button, if it's a green light you go through, if it's a red light, they go through your luggage, what they are looking for I don't know, who would wan't to smuggle anything INTO Mexico? It's not as bad as it sounds.

The next step is getting a ride, don't take a taxi, it will cost as much as $40.00 per person, one way, before tip! Take a van with a bunch of other people, about $12.00 and usually more fun, although a little cramped (wait and get on last, by the door, you'll thank me), you should be able to hook up with a van at one of the booths on either side of the exit doors. The van will stop along the way at a little store for the basics, beer, water, ect. Do your big shopping in town. On the way in ask the driver to point out where the Westin Regina is and the Twin Dolphin, there are good beaches where you can nude sunbathe by these hotels, I'll give you directions on how to get there from town later, and some pictures of the beaches.

When you get to town, try to exchange your dollars for pasos right away, the exchange rate when we were there in Nov. was $1 US to $7.70 pasos, you will do much better using pasos. You can walk from one end of Cabo to the other in about 15 minutes, the plaza is at the end of town, the only thing to the left is the Hotel Finestera (check ou the pool for lunch) leaving the Plaza go right (East) and you will find money exchange stations, look for the best rate at 2 or 3 places and get it over with, if you exchange 4 or 5 hundred it will last a long time. Shopping - shopping in town there are a lot of silver stores and other gift shops, as you go in and out of these stores during the time you are there you will start seeing the same people in different stores, they're probally owned by the same person. When it comes to negotiating in the stores or on the beach, what ever they ask, offer half, in many cases you can end up getting what you want for half. If not it's a good starting point.

There's a kind of open air setup between Heldago street (diractly across from the Plaza) and the main drag, there seems to be less of a profit margin here, although the prices start out less, a couple of bucks off is pretty good. When going back and forth negotiating, keep it light and keep your humor. The people are really nice, and if you spend a lot of time going in and out of the shops during your trip, you kind of get to know the people.

From the plaza going into town there is a little horseshoe shaped shopping area on the left with 4 or 5 shops, we did well here. When you come to the intersection in town, theres really only one, you will see an adult entertainment establishment (strip club) across from this is the grocery store to shop at, best prices and selection. Also, don't use the pay phones on the street, some have connection charges as high as $35 US WATCH IT.

If you stay at the Plaza Las Glorias, you will enjoy yourself. On the up side, you walk out the front door and you're in town, walking distance to any where. If you want you can rent a car for part of your trip to hit some beaches to nude sunbathe, and still be self sufficient in town with out one. The down sides are the hotel is not that new, that shows in places, and Cabo goes 24 hours a day, it can be very noisy at all hours. If you stay at the Plaza, you will probally sleep with the air cond. on to shut out the noise.

On the other hand, the Westin Regina is outstanding, it's almost impossible to compare anything to it. Brand new in '94, clean with an inredible pool area and three restaraunts. We swaped our condo through RCI, when we got there we thought we would get one of the hotel rooms, but ended up in a condo w/ sunkin livingroom, and a jacuzzi in the bedroom. We swaped for one week and paid for another, $80 US a night. All rooms and condos are ocean facing.

I don't want to discurage you from the Plaza, it's as good as any other place in town (you can't swap for the new section of the Finestera) you'll have a great time where ever you stay, but if you can swap for the Westin, you won't be sorry. The only down side to the Westin, is it is about 7 miles outside of town, you will have to drive in at night to go out, however, it is also quiet.

Let me go into the restaraunts and some of the bars, as they say "in the tropics, they come and they go." Standing on the balcony of the Plaza, facing the street, if you look just across the street a little to the right, you should see a thatched roof (if the hurricane didn't take it away). I don't remember the name of the restaraunt. We ate upstairs overlooking the street, good meals and nice atmosphere.

Farther up in town, on the corner by the marina, is the Sea Bass restaraunt on the secound floor, another recomended place for dinner. Downstairs, on the first floor, I think it's the same place, we ate lunch a few times, right on the boardwalk (actually brick) looking over the marina.

You may hear about a restaraunt called the Trailerpark, alot of people talked about it, we weren't impressed, but you may have different luck.

A great place for lunch with great atmosphere, especially if you like Jimmy Buffett music, is Lattitude 22, they say it's "located between the traffic light and the sewer pumping station, worst food in town", definatley a joke, great burgers, walk around and look at the fish, business cards and photos, and you can't miss the 15 foot tall parrot in front. We used to sit about the secound or third booth in, look for our business card, you never know.

One of the great things about Cabo are the romantic dinners you can have sitting right on the beach. Two places I would highly recomend are Cavendishes and a place we were calling Los Palmas, I'm not sure if Los Palmas was right but I'll give you directions. Go through the traffic light by Lattitude 22 and make your next right, theres a quick one if I remember but it's dead end, the one you want has a lot with boats in dry dock on the left, you'll go through a stop and over a couple of speed bumps to the end, then go right, up the hill. At the top of the hill go straight down the other side towards the water and find a place to park.

Let me pause for a just minute, the first place you come to is Billygans Island, THE BEST HAPPY HOUR HANDS DOWN, you'll sit in the sand on the water sometimes a live band will be there, during happy hour they have a margarita special, two for one - 10 pasos (about a dollar twenty US) served in glasses about18" tall about 5" around - AWSOME. When you go there will be beach vendors, it's the busiest area on the water, if you don't want to by something sit at a table around the edge and they will come up to you. If you don't feel like dealing with it sit at a table in the middle, the venders will only come around the edges, we spent every day at the beach untill about 3 oclock and then went to Billygans, great place and good lunch too. Wear a bathing suit and go for a dip while you're there!

Back to dinner, at the bottom of the hill by Billygans, go left on foot to the end of the short road, about 50 yds, or walk the beach, you will pass the Office - good breakfast - and the last place will be Cavendishes, if it happend to change names, I'm sure it will still be good. Have them seat you at a table on the beach under a tiki light, a little mariachi music, guarenteed to be a night to remember!!

The other place I mentioned (Los Palmas maybe), is just down the beach. Go back up to the top of the hill, go right a short distance to the end , then right down to the water, the place is at the bottom on the beach. Both of these places we had the best lobster we have ever had, and we live in New England!, beats Main lobster any day.

Two other places to eat dinner are Da Giorgio's Italian, about a mile outside of town, and the restaraunt at the Westin on the bluff overlooking the hotel, great food a little pricey compared to the rest. Happy dinning!

The bars we liked are the Rio Grill near the Plaza, live bands some nights, the Cabo Wabo for dancing, Squid Roe for drinking, and for something really different, providing you're openminded try the Giggling Marlin where they hang you upside down and feed you shots of tequila. Between dark and midnight it gets crazy, and clothes have been known to go flying, it is definatley adult, don't miss going there and checking it out, remember you're in another country and no one knows you, go for it!

Now the beaches! First, you'll see signs for the boat trip to Lovers Beach, out by the arch. Going out to see the arch is a worth the trip, it is pretty impressive, however, Lover's Beach isn't worth a visit. It used to be known as a nude beach, that was probally before they started shuttling boatload after boatload of people out there. You won't be able to go nude, and it's gotten pretty dirty, we did it once, wouldn't do it again.

We have done extensive exploring of the beaches back towards the airport and up to Todos Santos (where Hotel California is) There are basicly three beaches we found where you can go nude on, relax and enjoy yourself.

First, when you go to the beach, bring an umbrella and a cooler , there is no shade, and you MUST have a 4 wheel drive, don't be scared, it's not like theres any heavy duty 4 wheeling involved, but this is the beach and the sand can be soft. Don't attempt to drive on the beach, you may see tracks, but it's not worth trying it. Where I'm sending you the most it will be is a fifty yard walk.

The are two beaches heading back to the airport, the Twin Dolphin beach is located at mile marker (kilometer) 12. Look for the beach access sign at the entrance to the Twin Dolphin hotel. Follow the road all the way down the hill, at the bottom cross the washout and you'll come up to a platau where you can park, go past this ad just before the road goes up the hill park, walk out on the beach and go right to the end where the rocks meet the water. This is a great beach, most days you will see no one. If you do and you're at the end of the beach, set up behind a rock and put your bathing suit on the rock. If someone comes they will see you're nude and won't bother you. When you're at the end there's no where to go past you.

For snorkling, the Santa Maria beach is the next one closer to town and well marked. There are some venders here, if you dont want to be bothered, try "no wallet, no denaro" should work. The next beach is the Westin beach, go to the Westin for lunch at the pool and tell them to make a shrimp Quesidilla, not on the menu. Go down the driveway to the Westin and take a right on the dirt road down to the beach. Follow the road as far as you can, then back up just a little. You should see a very overgrown road on the right, put it in 4 wheel drive and go through the brush, you will quickly come out on a very hard sandstone, go slow and traverse the sandstone a hundred yds or so traversing west and heading down to the beach, you will not get stuck, and the reward is great. The beach is lined with coves, you can see the hotel a mile or so away. We spent 4 or 5 days on this beach and only saw one person, and you can swim in the water.

The last beach is as remote as it gets, but you can't swim or even get near the water. Heading north to Todos Santos to Kilometer 101.1 go left about 1.5 miles to a shack, theres an old man that will charge you $2 drive out to the end of the scrub, not on the beach, you can see for miles in either direction, there is nothing in sight, Playa Las Margarita beach . One last tip, when walking through town at night, there's a section in the middle of town where there is a concentraction of salesmen for trips, time shares ect. To make life easier walk on the other side of the street it's a short section. There's a good place for Cuban cigars in town, (if you happen to be looking for a Mexican cigar, just ask your bellhop).

I hope I didn't ramble too much, Cabo's a great place and the local people aren't jaded yet and are very friendly. You will feel safe walking around at night, it never stops. If you have any other questions let me know.

Have a great trip.
Happy Tanning,
Todd & Jen