Time for beach on our own in Cabo?

[Lessofjess]

My family is taking the RCI Panama Canal cruise departing Ft Lauderdale in late March. Our last 2 stops are in PV and Cabo... unfortunatley, we are only there for half days.

 

We are docked in PV departing at 3pm and tendered in Cabo, departing at 2:30pm.

 

We are hoping for some beach time - 2 adults and 4 kids aged 13-5. Will we have enough time to get from the pier and take a taxi to a beach and back? We don't need all day, but a few hours on the beach would be so nice.

 

We found a beach excursion offered through the boat in PV (unfortunately, they aren't offering the pirate ship :()

 

Cabo has me more concerned since we are only tendered... can we get to a beach and back? Are the water taxi's reliable? Should we book through a local?

[bearette]

You can easily do a beach day on your own in Cabo. Just after you get off a tender take a ferry ( you will exit in water) or a taxi. I think the taxi is a little more expensive if I remember correctly. There are several bars/ restaurants that have chairs and umbrellas. Most don't charge as long as you are eating or drinking so just pick one that has the level of activity or non activity that appeals to you. I did this with my mom on a short day and had plenty of time to relax and party!

 

 

Puerto Vallarta is a little different as the beaches are father away. There is sometimes a beach in town by the Malecon depending on the tides.

[4realrod]

My family is taking the RCI Panama Canal cruise departing Ft Lauderdale in late March. Our last 2 stops are in PV and Cabo... unfortunatley, we are only there for half days.

 

We are docked in PV departing at 3pm and tendered in Cabo, departing at 2:30pm.

 

We are hoping for some beach time - 2 adults and 4 kids aged 13-5. Will we have enough time to get from the pier and take a taxi to a beach and back? We don't need all day, but a few hours on the beach would be so nice.

 

We found a beach excursion offered through the boat in PV (unfortunately, they aren't offering the pirate ship :()

 

Cabo has me more concerned since we are only tendered... can we get to a beach and back? Are the water taxi's reliable? Should we book through a local?

In Cabo once off the ship you can take a water taxi to either Medano Beach or Lover Beach. The price is always negotiable but around $5-7pp roundtrip. They will return periodically to pick you up. I would advise leaving either beach around 1pm. When you get back to the harbor area that will leave a little time to shop. At Medano Beach there are a variety of Bars that have chairs and umbrellas. The expectation is you buy food and drink. It is also a party beach so if you are looking for quiet that is not the spot. At Lovers Beach (the beach near the famous Arch at Lands End) it is quiet and a nice place to hang out and swim in the Sea of Cortez. You can also walk between the rocks to Divorce Beach and watch the surf break on the Pacific side. No swimming there as the undertow is extreme. Hope this helps. If you want a little more info on either port I have pictures and info on my blog www.affordabletravelsolutions.blogspot.com.

[Lessofjess]

Thanks for all the info you guys... this will be my family's third cruise, and it was only on our last cruise that we left the safety net of Cruise excursions for going at it our own... due in large part to all the support on these boards! And you know what? It was great... we did just fine and saved tons of cash.

 

It sounds like Cabo's beach on our own will be easy enough. Thanks for all the info! We'll keep looking at PV. I was really disappointed to see that the pirate ship tour wasn't being offered.

 

Thanks for the extra info on your blog too!

[pulledporky]

In PV you can take a yellow cab down to the Malecon for about $8 and spend much of the day checking out the shops, restaraunts, and the beach.

 

Get off the ship and walk out to the PEMEX station on the corner - yellow cabs are lined up (the cabs inside the terminal are $6/pp, outside is $8 for the whole cab). Tell the driver to take you to Hotel Rosita, that is where the Malecon starts. As always, get price before you get in cab. Walk down the Malecon to the river, then you can walk up the river about a hundred yards or so and there is a huge flea market on the north side. Look up in the trees in the river you could see many iguanas.

 

Go to you tube and enter Puerto Vallarta malecon. Give you a good idea of what to expect. Type in puerto vallarta rio cuale and look for the 5:09 video. Great "street view" of the river walk. kids will love suspension bridge.

[mikaula]

Cabo is easy to navigate. There are lots of hotels and a water taxi will drop you off at one.

[J&KCruisers]

When in Cabo, just take the waer taxi to Medano Beach. It is very easy and a better place to swim and enjoy a relaxing day at the beach, I do not recommend Lover's Beach as the tide and waves can be an issue for swimming. There are no services or restaurants on Lovers Beach and quite frankly, it is not a place I would ever recommend for someone to go to.

 

Tender in early and go to one of the restaurants on Medano. The cost for the water taxi will be about $7 per person.

 

Happy Cruising

[downsized]

I have to agree with J+K. Once off of the tender, grab a water taxi (there are LOTS of them), and take a water tour of Lover's Beach, Divorce Beach, the Arch, see the sea lions, feed the fish (your water taxi driver will have food for the fishes, and the fishes will actually climb right into your hand to get the food!), have the taxi drop you off at Medano Beach. That should cost you about $5-7pp. There are lots of restaurants and Cantinas on Medano. You can relax there, swim in the ocean, enjoy truly great food, drink cheap "beverages", and get your toes in the sand. We like Tabascos, only because it is less of a "Party Central" place than some of the others.

Going back to the ship, I would recommend you take a land taxi back to the cruise dock. A land taxi should cost you about $8 for up to 6 people. The advantage of the land taxi is that you will get a view of Cabo that you might otherwise miss.

[CWcruisers]

Not all the bars on Medano Beach are party bars. Along with Downsized's recommendation of Tabasco's, there is also the Medano Beach Club and right next door to it, The Sand Bar. Both are very mello and tend to be frequented by locals. I was just at Medano Beach Club this morning and there were several families there.