Fodors - Fodors Los Cabos. Full-color Travel Guide Series, Book 3

The same gnawing question has always confronted visitors planning a trip to Los Cabos: Do I stay in San Jos del Cabo or Cabo San Lucas? Most visitors have always opted for the flash and glitter of the latter. San Joss hoteliers and restaurateurs have stopped trying to compete on San Lucass terms, opting instead to market their community for what it is.

The city has truly come into its own. San Joss zcalo (central plaza) has been jazzed up with a lighted fountain and gazebo; old haciendas have been transformed into trendy restaurants and charming inns. And the citys art scene is thriving with a high-season Thursday Night Art Walk, where those interested in art can visit participating galleries and enjoy free drinks and live music.

Golf is the name of the game in Los Cabos. There are multiple courses tied to names that read like a Whos Who of golf legends and course designers: Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Davis Love III, Phil Mickelson, Tom Weiskopf, Robert Trent Jones II, and Tom Fazio. Baja golf is more than just Los Cabos: courses line the entire peninsula, if not in the same density as at its southern extreme.

Once the province of surfersthe undertow is wicked here, making for some amazing waves, but risky swimmingthis town overlooking the western cape about an hour north of Cabo San Lucas is home to a growing artists community. Just dont call Todos Santos Bajas hot new destination, because folks here arent interested in becoming another Los Cabos, thank you very much. But genteel and refined and preserving Mexican culture? Absolutely, those descriptions apply.

People always ask, Is Los Cabos the next Cancn? And thats not exactly a compliment, as potentially negative repercussions for the environment and local culture are implied. Perversely, Los Cabos did benefit from 2005s Hurricane Wilma, which battered Cancn and the Mayan Riviera, as visitors canceled plans to vacation there in the storms aftermath. The next three years were boom times unlike Los Cabos had ever seen.

The eastwest balance has been restored and the world economy has slowed. The flurry of new construction, especially in Cabo San Lucas, has abated, but only somewhat. Even if the number of new hotels opening has subsided, many are still being remodeled and refurbished.

Anyone whos recently flown into Aeropuerto Internacional de Los CabosSJD in airport-code lingocan tell you that the infrastructure at Mexicos seventh-busiest airport has not kept pace with the ever-rising number of visitors coming here. Relief is on the way in the form of a new terminal, which was still under construction at this writing. The 10 additional gates should greatly ease congestion for the nearly 3 million passengers who pass through annually.

U.S. citizens need to have their paperwork in order to return to the United States from Mexico by land or sea. Those aged 16 years and older need to carry a passport or passport card. Children 15 and under are only required to provide a birth certificate if traveling with their parents or an organized group.

Note that if you return from a cruise and your itinerary also took you beyond Mexico, a full-fledged passport is necessary for reentry to the United States. All travelers, regardless of age, require a passport when returning by air from Mexico. See the U.S. Department of Homeland Securitys website ( www.dhs.gov ) for more information.

Although Los Cabos hotels are often busiest starting in mid-October for the sportfishing season, the high season doesnt technically begin until mid-December, running through the end of Easter week. Its during this busy period that youll pay the highest hotel and golf rates. Spring break, which can stagger over several weeks in March and April, is also a particularly crowded and raucous time. Downtown Cabo gets very busy, especially on weekend nights, throughout the year. Whale-watching season (DecemberApril) coincides with high season, but whale-watchers tend to stay in La Paz, not Los Cabos.

The Pacific hurricane season mirrors that of the Atlantic and Caribbean, so there is always a slight chance of a hurricane from August through late October. Although hurricanes rarely hit Los Cabos head-on, the effects can reverberate when a large hurricane hits Mexicos Pacific coast. Though much less frequent than Atlantic hurricanes, Pacific hurricanes do occur and can cause significant damage. Still, most summer tropical storms pass through quickly, even during the so-called short rainy season, from July through October.

Once upon a time, the majority of Cabos visitors were anglers primarily from Southern California and the West Coast.

These days, however, they fly in nonstop to Los Cabos from all over the United States, and to La Paz from some U.S. cities. Via nonstop service, Los Cabos is about 2 hours from Los Angeles, 2 hours from Houston, 2 hours from Dallas/Fort Worth, and 2 hours from Phoenix.

Flying time from New York to Mexico City, where you must switch planes to continue to Los Cabos, is five hours. Los Cabos is about a two-hour flight from Mexico City.