Cabo or Kauai?

[rierie26]

Hello!

Dear BF and I are trying to plan a short vacation in October - about 5 days. We know we want to go somewhere sunny and beachy but with more activities than just sitting in the sun. We're trying to decide between going to Kauai or Cabo San Lucas, but we can't really agree on where to go. We don't really want to spend a lot of money as we're trying to travel as much as possible and don't want to blow our budget on one lavish vacation. We would like to go somewhere that provides a nice, relaxing, romantic and cheap to moderately priced getaway.

The BF has been to both places and he feels the same about both but he would rather go to Cabo as he thinks it will be cheaper. I've never been to either but I'm leaning towards Kauai just because I really want to snorkel and it looks more like a lush, tropical paradise where Cabo strikes me as just a beach.

Our criteria are:
- A relatively short flight -- no 10 hour long ride to Europe or Asia for us since it's such a short trip. We'll be flying from Seattle.
- Cheap to Moderate prices for flights/hotel/car.
- Gorgeous natural surroundings and some interesting wildlife.
- Nice beaches.
- Snorkel-worthy. I'd really like to try snorkeling. Has anyone snorkeled in Cabo? Is the "view" worth it?


If anyone has other suggestions for places to go, please feel free to suggest somewhere else. Thanks!

 

[Mara]

Hawaii over Cabo anytime..! I have been to both and there's just no comparison. Cabo is a great short weekend cheap getaway but Kauai is lush and beautiful and the most relaxing and romantic island. There are parts of Cabo that are really not attractive at all unless you are on the resorts, whereas most of Hawaii is just lovely.

 

[SeattleSweetheart]

My husband and I went to Maui for our honeymoon and just loved it. We live in Seattle too so the plane ride is short. I''ve never been to Mexico but I''ve heard the beaches in Hawaii are nicer. One of my friends told me that on some beaches in Mexico vendors will come up to you on the beach and try to sell you stuff.

Also, my brother just got back from Kauai and said the snorkeling was really great. So I''d recommend Kauai.

 

[sctsbride09]

Kauai, hands down.

 

[ImpatientOne]

Oct is hurricane season for Cabo. Regardless, I would pick Kauai any day!!!

 

[lulu]

Kauai -no question. No comparison between the two.

 

[rierie26]

Date: 4/26/2010 8:24:03 PM
Author: ImpatientOne
Oct is hurricane season for Cabo. Regardless, I would pick Kauai any day!!!

Oh good point! Kauai it is! Yay, thanks everyone!

 

[Tuckins1]

Just saw that you picked Kauai, but here''s my .02 anyways... We went to Cabo for our honeymoon and had a great time. It was beautiful and relaxing... But the snorkeling is NOT good. If you really want some good snorkeling/scuba time, then Kauai or Maui is the place to be!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

You''ll have a blast, Kitcha! DH and I just got back from Kauai and had a great time. Since you aren''t beachy people, I would definitely recommend a lot of the other activities. We REALLY wanted to do the Kalalau trail which is 11 miles each way along the Napali Coast, but didn''t apply for the permit in time. Apparently the permit can take months, so if you really want to do it, I would apply now. We did do the hike to the secret tunnels which was only 4 - 5 miles each way, but because the terrain is so grizzly (wet conditions, very narrow trail at places and very steep terrain), it took us nearly all day. You also need a 4x4 to get there. We did a couple of other easier hikes, there are a ton of trails out there.

I would also suggest kayaking along the Napali Coast. It''s 17 miles in moderately rough seas, so if you are even slightly motion sick, take medication. I was fine, but my husband (who''s never gotten sea sick) fell ill and watching him puke out the side of the kayak wasn''t nearly as pretty as the coast. It was a fantastic adventure, however, and I loved it.

We snorkeled a couple of times--Tunnels and Hideaway Beach on the north shore seem to be the best for snorkeling. We got there at around 8 a.m. and there was already limited parking, so get there early!

The most relaxing thing we did was take a helicopter ride, which I highly recommend. We did the ride where they take the doors off the side and it was amazing. The pilot would tilt the helicopter so there was aboslutely nothing beneath you. I loved it.

We stayed at the Sea Lodge and got an oceanfront condo for $115 a night, so lodging was very inexpensive.

The biggest downside to Kauai is the food, IMO. There were a few decent restaurants, but nothing I would highly recommend. Also, I know the "Revealed" series is very popular for Hawaiian tourist and I really loved the guidebook for Maui and The Big Island, but for some reason the Kauai version isn''t as good, which is odd because the author lives on Kauai. I wish I''d bought a second guidebook.