Within Los Cabos, you'll find Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo. These two towns are the dos Cabos or Los Cabos. The stretch of coastline that forms Los Cabos can be divided into three distinct areas. First, there is San José del Cabo, second, Cabo San Lucas and, finally, the 33 km (20 mile) Corridor that connects them.
If you want cheap bars with big parties, Cabo San Lucas is the place, but if you prefer cocktail bars, craft beer and rooftop bars, it's better in San José (in my opinion). San José del Cabo is the more sophisticated older sister of the noisy Cabo San Lucas (which I imagine is a younger brother). Activities that can be done in Cabo San Lucas include camel riding in the Mexican desert or taking a glass-bottom boat ride to see schools of tropical fish. Cabo San Lucas, however, is vibrant, lively, and full of trendy bars, not to mention the sophisticated Luxury Avenue Mall, which is located in the center of the Marina.
As a 33-year-old woman who loves good food, beautiful scenery, fun but casual nightlife, and a slower pace (especially when I'm on vacation), I can't imagine not liking San Jose del Cabo. For a lot more information on what to do in San Jose del Cabo and in that region, make sure to watch my YouTube videos about the area and see what it's really like. If you've never been to Los Cabos before, you might have some questions about the difference between Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo. For some reason, San José del Cabo is mostly visited by domestic (i.e., Mexican) tourists, while Cabo San Lucas is preferred by international tourists.
However, there is also a smaller airport located in Cabo San Lucas, which is mainly reserved for private charter flights (Jeff Besos' plane lands here). Most of Cabo San Lucas's beaches face the Pacific Ocean, while the beaches around San Jose del Cabo face the Sea of Cortez (also known as the Gulf of California). As you can see, San José del Cabo is about a 20-minute drive along the coast from Cabo San Lucas. Within this county, there are several cities and towns, including San Jose del Cabo, Cabo San Lucas, Cabo Pulmo, and Santiago, just to name a few.
If you want bars with great DJs that play music until the wee hours of the morning, you won't find it in San José del Cabo. And while I don't totally agree with him, the truth is that there is not a single place to party in San Jose del Cabo, whereas there are many in Cabo San Lucas. I have been living in San Jose del Cabo for several months after a month of living in Todos Santos, and I have completely fallen in love with it here.
