{"id":5023,"date":"2014-09-14T09:47:11","date_gmt":"2014-09-14T15:47:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/?p=5023"},"modified":"2014-09-14T09:47:11","modified_gmt":"2014-09-14T15:47:11","slug":"party-places-a-guide-to-nightlife-in-cabo-san-lucas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/2014\/09\/party-places-a-guide-to-nightlife-in-cabo-san-lucas\/","title":{"rendered":"Party Places: A Guide to Nightlife in Cabo San Lucas"},"content":{"rendered":"

Clubbing is one of Los Cabos<\/a>\u2019 signature activities \u2013 right up there with fishing, golf and spa days \u2013 and over the years the Land\u2019s End area, and particularly Cabo San Lucas<\/a>, has earned its well-deserved reputation for world-class revelry.<\/p>\n

\"BAJA<\/a>

Baja Brewing Company<\/p><\/div>\n

What makes the Cabo nightlife<\/a> scene so special? The answer involves a combination of factors, among which are duration \u2013 in Cabo the partying starts early, usually at the beach, and ends very, very late \u2013 and spatial proximity \u2013 the primary tourist areas (Medano Beach<\/a>, the Marina, and Downtown San Lucas) are within easy walking distance of one another, and visitors can scarcely walk half a block without finding a lively and congenial watering hole.<\/p>\n

Those two factors \u2013 long days and nights and a proliferation of great bars and clubs \u2013 compounded by the fatiguing power of Baja heat and the generosity and hospitality of local waiters and bartenders \u2013 tequila shots, anyone? \u2013 can take a toll, however. As we like to say locally, Cabo nightlife isn\u2019t for amateurs. To have a really good time, and to experience the joys of Cabo the right way, you first need a keen appreciation for the importance of moderation.<\/p>\n

And you do want to do it right\u2026.right?<\/p>\n

\"MANGO<\/a>

Mango Cantina on the Marina<\/p><\/div>\n

Okay, here\u2019s the real key: \u00a0there is a natural party progression in Cabo San Lucas \u2013 from the beach to the marina to downtown \u2013 and if you follow this natural progression at the appropriate times, you\u2019ll constantly find yourself amid a convivial crowd of like-minded vacationers and in-the-know locals. It\u2019s another kind of proximity, and perhaps the ultimate reason the local late night scene \u00a0always seems so vibrant, particularly in the downtown nightlife district.<\/p>\n

There are plenty of great bars and clubs in Cabo San Lucas, but the late night scene is basically grouped around Plaza Bonita<\/a>, just off the Marina. A dozen or more of the most popular late night haunts are located within one block of Plaza Bonita, and when crowds are spilling out the door after midnight, the juncture of \u00a0Marina Boulevard and L\u00e1<\/em>zaro C\u00e1<\/em>rdenas is a palm-lined morass of slow moving car traffic and tropically clad partyers.<\/p>\n

When you find yourself in the middle of this throng at 5 a.m., you\u2019ll know you\u2019ve earned your Cabo party wings.<\/p>\n

\"MOTOR<\/a>

Bikers Cabo Restaurant & Bar<\/p><\/div>\n

So how do you follow the progression correctly?<\/p>\n

Easy. First, spend the day at the beach\u2026or fishing, surfing, snorkeling or shopping. It doesn\u2019t really matter. You\u2019re on vacation. But head to the beach about 5 p.m., since the Cabo party trail traditionally starts on the golden sands of M\u00e9<\/em>dano Beach.<\/p>\n

Now the trick is to slowly move from the beach to the Marina during \u201chappy hours\u201d, which locally stretch to about 7 p.m. or 8 p.m. \u00a0And you\u2019ll also want to fit dinner plans into the itinerary, so lets expand the time frame from 5 p.m.\u201310 p.m.<\/p>\n

Baja Brewing Company<\/strong><\/a> is a natural place to start. Not only does Baja California Sur\u2019s first microbrewery have locations on the beach and on the marina, but it\u00a0also offers the perfect mix of dinner and drinks. Sample and share their excellent bottled or draft offerings\u2014I\u2019m going to recommend the rock star approach, which dictates a flight sampler of all draft beers\u2014snack on burgers or gourmet pizzas, or go into full dinner mode with coffee-dusted filet mignon.<\/p>\n

\"BAJA<\/a>

Baja Junkie<\/p><\/div>\n

Mango Cantina on the Marina<\/strong><\/a> is also part of the progression, and visitors will feel right at home even if you haven\u2019t spent all afternoon at popular sister restaurant Mango Deck on Medano Beach. Mango Cantina is one of the area\u2019s top sports bars, so this is the perfect place to get in a couple of cocktails and some comfort food ballast while catching up on all the day\u2019s sporting events.<\/p>\n

Bikers Cabo Restaurant and Bar <\/strong><\/a>is another popular beer and burger stop, with a couple of added twists. It\u2019s part of Harley Davidson Motorcycles Los Cabos, so you can arrange a couple of Harley rentals for the weekend, stock up on official apparel or spare parts, as well as digging into Fat Boy burgers topped with onion rings, among other delicious specialty dishes. Best of all, Bikers has a premier Puerto Paraiso location overlooking the marina boardwalk. It\u2019s a great people watching perch, with umbrella-shaded seating and enough chopper style ambiance to bring out your inner easy rider. Hopefully, you took off motorcycle boots at the beach, but if not, sit back and kick them up on a neighboring chair. The simple moments are the best.<\/p>\n

\"KNOTTY\"<\/a>

Knotty Social Club<\/p><\/div>\n

The last stop of stage 1 gets you to Plaza Bonita for your rock star starter kit. Classic rock memorabilia, delicious Mexican and American fare, hard-to-find (at least locally) Mexican beers like Victoria and Montejo are among the many attractions at Hard Rock Caf\u00e9<\/strong><\/a>. It also hosts some of the best live music performers in Los Cabos, and even showcases a bit of stand-up comedy during the annual Cabo Comedy Festival in October.<\/p>\n

Now that you\u2019ve successfully eased into the nighttime hours, it\u2019s time to complete your education. Graduate degrees might as well be offered along with 2×1 drink specials at Harbard\u00a0<\/strong>(624-108-1356). The name suggests a portmanteau of Harvard and Shakespeare, but this place, like its neighbors in Cabo\u2019s downtown nightlife district, specializes in high-energy dance music. Forget that fancy book learnin\u2019 stuff.<\/p>\n

Dance floor moves and drinks service increase dramatically after midnight, and popular downtown hangouts like Baja Junkie\u00a0<\/strong>(624-122-6737), Knotty Social<\/strong> Club\u00a0<\/strong>(624-156-7275), Mandala <\/strong><\/a>and Pink Kitty<\/strong><\/a> are involved in a perpetual competition to outdo one another with internationally known DJs and high-end bottle service. Pink Kitty\u2019s boudoir baroque d\u00e9cor gives it the edge in atmosphere, but Mandala claims the best dance floor. The best sound award, however, goes to Knotty Social Club. The chic nightspot boasts Baja\u2019s only Funktion One system, state-of-the-art ambisonic surround sound equipment that pumps out the aural equivalent of hard candy.<\/p>\n

\"EL<\/a>

El Squid Roe<\/p><\/div>\n

In the wee wee hours, as Frank Sinatra used to sing, it\u2019s time to head to Cabo\u2019s best known late night party palaces. That means, first and foremost, El Squid Roe<\/strong><\/a>, the place where Johnny Football and countless other athletes, celebrities, and vacationers have had the same 4 a.m. thought: this place is insane, and I never want to leave. Dance music, jello shots and all-around revelry are available on multiple levels. Social hierarchies fall away. The falcon cannot hear the falconer. Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world. Or at least that\u2019s the way some dude named Yeats described it the last time I was there way too late on a Saturday night.<\/p>\n

About 5 a.m., you know the time when you\u2019re getting your Cabo party wings, follow the crowd one last time. They\u2019re going for tacos<\/a>, and you should too. That\u2019s how we finish the night\/start the morning here in paradise.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Clubbing is one of Los Cabos\u2019 signature activities \u2013 right up there with fishing, golf and spa days \u2013 and over the years the Land\u2019s End area, and particularly Cabo San Lucas, has earned its well-deserved reputation for world-class revelry. What makes the Cabo nightlife scene so special? The answer involves a combination of factors, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":5030,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[495,1035,872,1031,21,873,1028,1029,1036,1037,610,1030,1034,42,1032,961,478,1033],"class_list":["post-5023","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news","tag-baja-brewing-company","tag-baja-junkie","tag-bars","tag-bikers-cabo","tag-cabo-san-lucas","tag-clubs","tag-dance-music","tag-djs","tag-el-squid-roe","tag-harbard","tag-hard-rock-cafe","tag-harley-davidson","tag-knotty-social-club","tag-los-cabos","tag-mandala","tag-mango-cantina","tag-nightlife-2","tag-pink-kitty"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5023","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5023"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5023\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5037,"href":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5023\/revisions\/5037"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5030"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5023"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5023"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5023"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}