A Day Trip to Playa Los Cerritos
The sun is climbing higher into the sky and the water is beginning to warm up. Spring is a perfect time to hit the beach on the Pacific side of Los Cabos!
The collection of Pueblo Bonito Golf & Spa Resorts offer a myriad array fun and exciting things to do in Cabo San Lucas. But a half or full-day excursion to Playa Los Cerritos, a.k.a. Cerritos Beach, can really round out a vacation experience.
Located 45 minutes from Cabo San Lucas, Cerritos Beach is situated on the outskirts of the sleepy little farming community of Pescadero. The region is readily accessible via a beautiful four-lane highway (Highway 19) that climbs through the mountains and runs along a rugged coastline where the Pacific’s dark blue water pounds the shore with frothy waves. Head north for Todos Santos and look for the turnoff at the top of a hill at Km. 66. Drive about 1.7 miles down a dirt road to the beach area.
Cerritos is a well-known surf spot with a superb beach break. With its mellow waves, it’s also the only safe swimming and surfing beach on the Pacific for miles around. Much like the beaches in southern California, the sand at Cerritos is finer, darker and firmer underfoot than the beaches in Los Cabos. The pristine crescent-shaped beach, nearly three miles long, is perfect for carefree strolling or a vigorous walk. There’s always a nice cool breeze off the sea, too.
Water sports buffs can rent a surfboard or a boogie board and even take a lesson at one of the surf schools on the beach. Highly recommended is Mario Surf School, where you can rent boards or arrange private surf lessons (1 to 4 people) or private group lessons 5+ people). There is no more exhilarating experience to be had in the sea than catching a wave and riding it to shore. For more challenging waves, advanced surfers can head six miles north to San Pedrito.
If you’re an old-school body surfer, you’ll enjoy catching a wave at Cerritos, which consistently delivers delightful long rides and a nice sandy bottom free of rocks.
A day at the beach works up an appetite. A half mile down a dirt road behind the Pemex station in Pescadero is Hierbabuena, a farm-to-table, open-air restaurant featuring garden-inspired cuisine. The menu reflects the seasonal variety of the harvest as well as the optimum in nutrition given the freshness of the ingredients. The salads and grilled veggies are exceptional, as are the pizzas cooked in a wood-burning oven. The tequila- and mezcal-based drinks are also excellent.
Commanding a high rocky bluff at the far northwest end of Cerritos Beach is an imposing domed edifice, a former private home now called Hacienda Cerritos. You can arrive by car or climb a flight of stairs etched into the bluff to reach a 10-room, colonial-style hotel. La Mision, the Hacienda’s bar and restaurant, occupies the tip of the bluff, offering breathtaking views of the beach and surf. Specialties include ceviche, Mexican nachos topped with guacamole, and Al ajilio (garlic) shrmp.
More options? Head 15 minutes north from Cerritos to Todos Santos, a charming Pueblo Magico and a genuine oasis in the desert with a thriving historic district filled with lively cafes, restaurants, art galleries and artisan shops.