Where to stay in Los Cabos on a budget?

A chilly December morning. Emails coming in of various people throwing their out-of-office schedules and vacation plans in my face. No plans for the last week of December. And excessive spending during the year making it difficult to plan more trips. That sets the backdrop for the idea that forced itself upon me - Los Cabos.

Mexico is supposed to be cheap, right? And flight tickets aren't that expensive. Let us go? Nope, easier said than done. The only directive from the wife - This really needs to be a budget trip.

As I started scouring through Priceline and a hundred other websites, every hotel deal seemed like a pickpocket ready to slice open a pocket and stealing my wallet. I had to come to terms with reality - Known for its lavish resorts and all-inclusive deals, Los Cabos (both Cabos San Lucas and San Jose Del Cabo), that wasn't in the cards for me this time.

So I started looking at more budget friendly options. And there were so many! But here were the things that were important to me -

1. Close to the city, and walking distance of everything in Cabos San Lucas (There are 2 main areas I wanted to be close to - the downtown core near the marina, and the beach clubs near Mango Deck)

2. Cleanliness

3. Preferably free parking.

4. Breakfast, if possible!

The options in terms of hotels that had good reviews and a central location -

1. Fairfield Inn by Marriott

2. Seven Crown Express & Suites

3. Cabo Pedregal

4. Medano Hotel & suites

I finally ended up going with Fairfield, as I trust the brand and didn't want to pass on the opportunity of collecting some points! But it actually fit the bill very well on paper - Free breakfast and parking, 12 minutes walk to the marina and 8 minutes to the beach clubs! That was all I needed to be sold.

But how did the experience actually go? It was better than expected! I was "upgraded" (whatever that means in Mexico) to a room that had a view of the ocean and the cruise lines coming and going everyday. The location was spot on in terms of not being too busy, but close enough to walk around. The room seemed clean, and housekeeping staff were efficient and respectful. We ended up not liking the breakfast. But there are so many awesome breakfast locations within a 5 minute walk! We ended up going to a lot of good ones during our week long stay.

What did it cost me? I paid a meagre 600 USD for 7 nights! And not at a Motel 6, but a decent Fairfield property. The cost of my car rental was 400 USD, so in comparison, you can probably imagine how cheap the hotel is from Cabos standards.

So what are you waiting for? Fire up your laptops and get a move on in making your Cabos travel plans! :)