A perfect day in San José del Cabo: A guide for the quintessential 24-hour visit

San José del Cabo has a batch going for it. It’s by acold the astir blase and historical of Los Cabos’ 4 large tourer areas — San José, Cabo San Lucas, the Tourist Corridor, and the East Cape — with the astir vibrant taste country and the champion dining, acknowledgment to its acclaimed farm-to-table restaurants. For these reasons, galore of the 4 cardinal radical who question to Los Cabos annually take a edifice here. 

However, for those that don’t — and it bears noting that astir fractional of Los Cabos’ edifice inventory of 18,000 oregon truthful rooms are successful Cabo San Lucas, its astir fashionable and populous city, and the Tourist Corridor besides has much disposable rooms than San José del Cabo — it’s inactive imaginable (and highly recommended) to walk astatine slightest 1 time enjoying the attractions successful this singular locale, whose past dates backmost to the constitution of a Jesuit ngo successful 1730. 

Morning: Puerto Los Cabos Golf Course

Puerto Los Cabos play course. (Puerto Los Cabos)

Golf and sportfishing are the astir iconic activities successful Los Cabos. I highly urge trying some astatine slightest once, adjacent if you’re not an avid golfer oregon angler, arsenic there’s much to these experiences locally than you mightiness imagine. In the lawsuit of the former, that often means comfort stations with delicious nutrient and drinks.

Our time successful San José del Cabo begins astatine Puerto Los Cabos, 1 of the champion and astir absorbing of Los Cabos’ 18 presently operating play courses acknowledgment to layouts from 2 large champions turned people designers: Jack Nicklaus and Greg Norman. When it opened successful 2007, determination were nine-hole layouts from the “Golden Bear” and “the Great White Shark”, but the thought was that each would yet instrumentality to grow their nines into implicit 18-hole courses. Only Nicklaus did, astatine slightest to date, truthful Puerto Los Cabos joined Palmilla arsenic the lone 2 golf courses successful Los Cabos to connection 27 holes. 

However, I’m not suggesting you play that many. Most players take 2 of the nine-hole layouts (from Nicklaus’ Ocean, Vista, and Norman’s Mission) to play 18. All diagnostic spectacular views and comfortableness stations with an array of tasty options. Since you’ve teed disconnected successful the morning, meal tacos with ovum and bacon oregon ovum and chorizo are preferred. But since you’ll sojourn astatine slightest twice, effort the seasonal effect and yogurt, too, oregon illustration steak oregon shrimp tacos, quesadillas, burritos, oregon empanadas.

Fresh juices are fashionable earlier noon, but you’re connected vacation, truthful nary 1 volition justice if you privation to adhd immoderate vodka oregon tequila and alteration that orangish foodstuff into a screwdriver oregon tequila sunrise.

Lunch & Early Afternoon: Flora Farms 

Celebrity favourite Flora Farms is simply a indispensable for lunch. (Flora Farms)

Don’t worry. Even with play carts and comfortableness nutrient stops, you’ll pain capable vigor to person an appetite for lunch. Flora Farms kicked disconnected the farm-to-table question successful Los Cabos, and its exceptional on-site edifice (Flora’s Field Kitchen) is truthful bully that complimentary dinners person been included successful Academy Awards swag bags.

The edifice is so peculiarly magical astatine night, but during the time the fields of the 25-acre moving workplace wherever ingredients are sourced are a much disposable portion of the experience. Even much to the point, lunchtime visits let the accidental to bask each the different large features astatine Flora Farms, including guided tours with visits to the onsite grocery, positive creation classes, cooking classes, and spa treatments. 

A sojourn to the Farm Spa & Salon is the perfect mode to unbend and loosen up tense muscles aft a greeting connected the play links. Treatments see a assortment of relaxing massages, with salon services ranging from facials and mani/pedis to hairstyling and men’s beard and mustache shaves.

Late Afternoon: Gallery District

Art Walk is 1 of the astir beloved and long-running events successful Los Cabos. (Art Walk San José/Instagram)

After your rejuvenating sojourn to Flora Farms, it’s clip to acquisition San José del Cabo’s astir iconic feature: its downtown Gallery District. Thursday nighttime Art Walks are the city’s astir beloved seasonal lawsuit and with bully crushed — not lone are they a spotlight for San José’s vibrant arts scene, but for its charming downtown country with notable highlights similar the aged Catholic religion (Parroquia Misión San José del Cabo) and City Hall with its distinguishing timepiece tower.

If you sojourn during Art Walk you tin spot it each for yourself, but since these nights lone astir 30 days per twelvemonth retired of 365, chances are you won’t. Don’t worry, Cabo Adventures’ Art and Wine Evenings successful San José del Cabo is simply a bully substitute. Round-trip proscription from country hotels is 1 of the perks. However, since you’re already determination strolling aft your pampering massages you tin simply conscionable up from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. for a guided circuit of downtown pleasures, on with vino and an appetizer oregon 2 to clasp you implicit until dinner.

The circuit includes a sojourn to the plaza principal, Plaza Mijares, and its astir historical monument, Misión San José del Cabo, arsenic good arsenic stops successful signature Gallery District creation galleries, including Emotions By Corsica and Ivan Guaderrama’s Interactive Art Gallery, with clip acceptable speech for you to browse and store connected your ain among the galore galleries successful this trendy, papel picado festooned vicinity adjacent the main square. A primer successful cigar making astatine Maestro Torcedor Cigars is besides a circuit specialty.

Dinner & Overnight: Acre Restaurant & Cocktail Bar, Acre Treehouses

You’ve present seen the sights, engaged successful 1 of the city’s champion activities, and eaten astatine its astir fashionable restaurant, which has besides been awarded a Bib Gourmand for worth and a Green Star for sustainability by the Michelin Guide. For dinner, you’re disconnected to different acclaimed farm-to-table edifice with its ain Michelin Guide plaudits (it excessively has a Green Star, and earned Recommended status).

That eatery, Acre Restaurant and Cocktail Bar, showcases a memorable eating acquisition connected a 25-acre farm. Like Flora Farms, it offers cooking classes and an exceptional on-site spa. However, lone Acre, among each the places 1 tin enactment successful Los Cabos (remember, this is simply a 24-hour itinerary) boasts treehouse accommodations. 

Of course, these aren’t similar the treehouses you built arsenic a kid. Rather, these treehouses, designed successful Baja California Sur’s distinctive palo de arco architectural style, bespeak the benignant of laid-back luxury for which Los Cabos is famous. So aft your astonishing dinner, with its elevated look of caller section ingredients, you’ll besides slumber successful an elevated fashion, contented that you’ve conscionable experienced the champion of San José del Cabo.

Chris Sands is the Cabo San Lucas section adept for the USA Today question website 10 Best, writer of Fodor’s Los Cabos question guidebook and a contributor to galore websites and publications, including Tasting Table, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Porthole Cruise, Cabo Living and Mexico News Daily. His specialty is travel-related contented and manner features focused connected food, vino and golf.