In previous articles we covered Los Cabos as a golf destination and as a great place for a day at the Spa - but there’s more! Here a few Los Cabos extras not to be missed on your next vacation to Mexico.

San Jose del Cabo

Visit the estuary of San Jose del Cabo. Just east of the downtown San Jose you’ll discover a quiet freshwater lagoon. This picturesque oasis was once a stop for pirates in search of drinking water, but now this 125-acre estuary is a game reserve and home to almost 200 species of birds. Ducks Unlimited of Mexico recently dredged and rehabilitated the area, making it the ideal spot for nature enthusiasts. Kayak rentals available.

Los Cabos Road Trip

If an adventurous road trip is on the agenda, check out Cabo Pulmo, Santiago and Miraflores. You’ll need at least four hours, your snorkeling or dive gear, and a vehicle that can handle some bumpy dirt roads to explore the coastline northeast of San Jose del Cabo. From San Jose, ask directions to Santa Rosa and then turn toward the coast to Rancho la Vinorama and continue north to Cabo Pulmo. (This is easy to follow on a map!) Cabo Pulmo is a wonderful underwater park featuring the only live coral reef on the west coast of North America – perfect for diving, snorkeling and kayaking. From there, you can go on to La Ribera and return to Highway 1 for the drive back to San Jose. On the way back, you’ll discover the village of Miraflores (known for its fine leather goods), and the charming town of Santiago (known for its colonial mission and small, but interesting zoo). These are simple, traditional Mexican towns that offer insight into the true charm of the Baja.

Todos Santos

Just 45 miles north of Cabo San Lucas, the Pacific coastal village of Todos Santos is a nice day trip for those in search of some “real” Mexico. Founded in 1734, this funky little town came to life in 1986 when the main highway (Hwy. 19) was completed and actually put it on the map. Some American artists have opened a smattering of galleries to compliment the great surfing beaches, historic church, a couple restaurants (including the superb Café Santa Fe, known for its gourmet Italian food), and a number of intimate Bed and Breakfast inns. The most famous resident of Todos Santos is the original Hotel California, made famous in the song by the Eagles. A great stop for a long lunch! Todos Santos also hosts an art festival every year during the first week of February.

Since pre-Hispanic times, the indigenous people of Mexico have tapped into their country’s wealth of native plants, mineral-rich volcanic mud, and soothing hot springs to bring health and wellbeing. Today, Mexican spas blend this treasure-trove of natural energy and ancient practices with modern facilities and professional services to create a rare spa experience.

The hoteliers of Los Cabos know how important this aspect of travel is for their clients. Visitors play very hard here; they come to reel in the world’s largest fish, to dive among shipwrecks and undersea caves, they come to dine, to dance, to horseback ride…you name it. In between their sundry activities, visitors want not only to be pampered, but to be pampered in proportion to how hard they’ve played: they want to experience the ultimate in relaxation. The Los Cabos Hotel Association has coordinated their efforts and made sure Los Cabos is a destination that has no problem combining fun, fitness, health, luxury and relaxation all in one vacation.

Some of Los Cabos’ most extraordinary hotel spas include the following:

Fiesta Americana Grand Spa - The spa at this world-class hotel offers an array of services, including the incredible Beauty Flash Lifting Treatment to renew and beautify tired facial muscles. Salt glows, body wraps and the one-of-a-kind “Moon and Stars Massage” are also options.

Las Ventanas Al Paraiso Rosewood - Known worldwide as one of Mexico’s finest properties, the Spa at Las Ventanas offers meditation gardens with balneotherapy pools. (Balneotherapy is hydrotherapy with the addition of a healing substance like minerals, oils or aromatics.) With eight massage treatment rooms, nature walks, stretching, and relaxation classes, the spa keeps step with its prestigious reputation.

The Spa at Esperanza - This coastal hideaway offers a spa that specializes in advanced techniques and superior services. Tropical fruits, rich oils, seaweed, and aloe are only some of the indigenous ingredients used here to invigorate the body and relax the mind.

Casa Del Mar Spa - This full-service spa offers sophisticated European styling and features special herbal and hydro massage treatments, as well as health and fitness workout facilities. Its Holistic Crystal Healing program is a popular specialty that inspires physical, spiritual and mental renewal.

Hilton Los Cabos Beach & Golf Resort’s Ixchel Spa (named after the moon goddess who presides over healing and fertility) offers health and beauty treatments designed to relax, rejuvenate and make the most of the goddess’s restorative powers. Guests may choose therapeutic and detoxifying body treatments, and the massage therapy menu includes Swedish, aromatherapy, reflexology and sport/deep tissue. Other favorites include the clay-herb-mineral treatment, herbal foot soaks and “smudging,” an ancient technique employing desert sage.

Meliá San Lucas offers guests treatments in any of the resort’s three treatment rooms, including relaxing, Swedish, sports and signature hand massage. Salon services manicures, pedicures and facials are available as well.

Meliá Los Cabos houses a beautiful, spacious spa with 20 treatment rooms. Services range from relaxing aromatherapy and sports massage, to reflexology, full body mud or seaweed wraps and facials. Guests may contact the spa directly to learn more about the spa’s growing list of signature services and specialty treatments.

Pueblo Bonito Rosé Spa offers the largest gym facility on the coast. The spa compliments with all forms of energizing, revitalizing, relaxing and exotic treatments in an elegant setting. Therapeutic massages, invigorating hydrotherapies and facials are a great way to relax after the challenge of a total fitness program or an individualized training session.

Westin Regina Resort - The Spa at the Westin offers a full gymnasium, salon, body treatments and balneotherapy. Their sports massages and deep cleansing facials are excellent, and the “Ocean view” massage, performed in a tent on the beach, allows massage recipients to enjoy the fragrance and music of the sea.

The Spa at the Sheraton Hacienda Del Mar also offers a pavilion on the sand providing treatments at the water’s edge. Their treatments include “La Stone” therapy, which uses heated and chilled stones to stimulate and relax muscles and mind. The “Sun Lover Therapy” is ideal for visitors who have spent a few hours too many under the strong Baja sun.

Marquis Los Cabos Beach, Golf, Spa and Casitas Resort has the largest spa in the area at close to 27,000 square feet. This gorgeous facility offers a seemingly limitless list of services and features holistic spa treatments that use indigenous ingredients, such as cactus oils, sea salt and agave.

Whether you come to Cabo for golf, spas or just to relax and enjoy the beach, Los Cabos is the perfect choice!

The dazzling blue waters of the Sea of Cortez and the crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean have long symbolized the unrivaled beauty at the tip of the Baja Peninsula. But it’s time the glorious beaches, sand and sea step aside because it looks like the greens are taking over!

Golf Magazine says that behind Hawaii, Mexico has become the second most popular destination for U.S. golfers. (And rightly so.) New golf courses are in development across the entire country. These courses bring endless opportunities for those who are in search of an extraordinary golf experience. Seaside fairways fringed by swaying palms make for a dynamic visual on the course. Plus, the weather is perfect year-round, starting times are rarely an issue, you usually won’t have much in the way of crowds, the service is excellent and the prices are competitive with the premiere courses in the United States.

At the top of Mexico’s list of golf destinations are the sparkling resorts of Los Cabos. Los Cabos (meaning “the capes”) has been shortened to “Cabo” by most savvy Mexico travelers. From a layout perspective, Cabo is one of the country’s largest destinations. It is set up very simply in three areas of concentration –San Jose Del Cabo, Cabo San Lucas, and a region known as “The Corridor” (a 20-mile stretch of beach and golf between the two cities.) Often called the “golf capital of Latin America,” Cabo boasts some of the best ocean side courses in the world. Vast panoramas flanked by natural desert terrain and crashing surf will make it difficult for even the most avid golfer to concentrate. Deep arroyos cut through the lush fairways to create incredibly challenging courses. Some of the most recognized names in golf design, including Jack Nicklaus, Tom Fazio, Dye Designs, Robert Trent Jones Jr. and Tom Weiskopf have chosen to build their courses along this memorable stretch of coastline.

All and all, there are seven top-rated courses in Los Cabos (as well as a fine municipal course): Two courses at Cabo del Sol, and one course each at Cabo Real, Eldorado, the Raven at Cabo San Lucas, Palmilla and Querencia.

• The Ocean course at Cabo del Sol is consistently on Golf Magazine’s Top 100 list. (Golf Digest rated it as 68th in the world.) Touted as “Mexico’s Pebble Beach,” this Jack Nicklaus-designed signature course showcases one and a half miles of ocean front play.
• The Desert course at Cabo del Sol was opened in December of 2001. This is the first course in Los Cabos designed by Tom Weiskopf. This course is known for being user-friendly with small, well-protected greens. There is a special rate if you play at both Cabo del Sol courses.
• Cabo Real is designed by Trent Jones Jr. and was the site of the 1999 PGA Senior Slam Tournament. With two lakes, over 7,000 yards of lush landscape, and nine of the eighteen holes on elevated vistas overlooking the Sea of Cortez, this course will put low handicappers to the test. Hole 15 sits right on the beach!
• Eldorado, also a Nicklaus signature course, is in a class by itself. Six holes hug the ocean, and the inland holes emphasize the natural rugged beauty of the mountains and desert. Set in an arroyo near the Westin Regina Hotel, this course championship course is a MUST.
• The name Palmilla has always been synonymous with great Mexican golf. The Palmilla course is a gorgeous 27-hole course and located near the luxurious resort of the same name in San Jose del Cabo. This was the first Nicklaus signature course in all of Latin America and the beginning of a new era for golf south of the border. The combination of ocean, desert and mountains make for awe-inspiring views and one of the most picturesque golf experiences anywhere.
• Deigned by the famous Dye Corporation, the Raven course at the Cabo San Lucas Country Club is ideal for players of all levels, including beginners and families. The entrance to the course is marked by a huge fountain and sumptuous garden, the perfect preview to a beautiful day of golf!
• The San Jose del Cabo Campo de Golf is an interesting and viable choice for those who aren’t searching for world-class greens. Competitive and affordable, this course will be of interest to all players. The serious golfer will find it to be a good warm up before upping the stakes at the more challenging courses.

* Querencia, the first and only private course in Los Cabos, only offers 350 coveted memberships. Located on the Corridor east of the Palmilla, this 18-hole Tom Fazio course features rolling terrain and plenty of visual drama. The Querencia project also includes lots, homes, and a deluxe clubhouse.

According to Chuck Kinder, publisher of Best Golf Guide to Mexico and Best Golf Guide to Los Cabos, and creator of www.golfinmexico.net, “Four of the top five courses in all of Mexico are located here. In spite of pricing, Cabo still represents the number one golf destination in the country.” The master plan for the area is to develop 207 total holes of golf and it seems that new courses are constantly in the works. Kinder confirms things are indeed on the move. “ Two new courses are scheduled to open sometime in 2004. Greg Norman has designed a course near the new marina and resort development of Puerto Los Cabos in San Jose del Cabo, and Gary Player will handle design for the new course at the Pueblo Bonito Sunset beach on the Pacific side of Cabo San Lucas.” And to raise the bar higher in terms of elitist Mexican golf, Kinder says, “Cabo will also establish itself as a host for high profile tournaments, including the World’s Richest Golf Tournament, sponsored by Bisbee’s, the same corporation that sponsors Cabo’s world-famous fishing tournament.”

Not only is Los Cabos the premiere golf destination in Mexico, it is quickly becoming one of the leading golf venues in all of North America. Any way you slice it, or putt it for that matter, Cabo is the ultimate in Mexican golf.

* For copies of Mexico’s golf guides, call 1-800-44-MEXICO.