# Cabo San Lucas or San José del Cabo with kids?

Written 2026-10-10 by Play Day. The two towns at either end of Los Cabos, compared for a family: Cabo San Lucas for Medano Beach, the only swimmable beach in town, the marina and the water park resorts; San José del Cabo for a quieter town, Palmilla's calm cove and the all-inclusives with splash parks and lazy rivers.

Cabo San Lucas sends boats from its marina out to the Arch, and San José del Cabo keeps an old plaza, an art district and quiet streets. With kids, a Cabo day is built around the water and a San José day around the pool.

Kids who want the sea belong in Cabo, on calm, sandy Medano Beach, where the resorts have pools too and dinner is a walk away. The ones who would live in the pool belong in San José, where the all-inclusives have the splash parks and lazy rivers and Playa Palmilla is a sheltered cove for a swim. The airport is at San José's end.

The resorts in between are in https://ourplayday.com/guides/mexico/cabo-san-lucas/family-hotels.

## Cabo San Lucas, for Medano Beach

### [Villa del Palmar Beach Resort and Spa](https://ourplayday.com/places/villa-del-palmar-beach-resort-spa-cabo-san-lucas-cabo-san-lucas)

Town: Medano Beach

Gated, at the east end of Medano, where the water is calm enough for a toddler to wade. There are free kayaks and paddleboards, and dinner is a walk along the sand.

- Pool: Yes
- Kids' club: Yes
- Kitchenette: Yes

### [Hotel Riu Santa Fe](https://ourplayday.com/places/hotel-riu-santa-fe-cabo-san-lucas)

Town: Medano Beach, east end

A big all-inclusive on Medano, with RIU Land for the kids and a water park with slides for school-age kids. The beach in front is swimmable.

- Pool: Yes
- Kids' club: Yes

### [Esperanza, Auberge Collection](https://ourplayday.com/places/esperanza-auberge-collection-cabo-san-lucas)

Town: Punta Ballena, near Cabo

Seventeen acres of bluff between two private coves, at the Cabo end and five minutes from town. There's a family pool and a playground.

- Pool: Yes
- Kids' club: Yes

## San José del Cabo, for the pools and the quiet

### [Playa Palmilla](https://ourplayday.com/places/playa-palmilla-san-jose-del-cabo)

Town: San José del Cabo

San José's answer to Medano: a free, swimmable beach in a cove sheltered by a headland, with palapas for shade. It's the quieter of the two, with parking.

- Free entry: Yes
- Shade: Yes

### [Villa La Valencia Beach Resort and Spa](https://ourplayday.com/places/villa-la-valencia-beach-resort-spa-los-cabos-mexico-san-jose-del-cabo)

Town: San José del Cabo

A lazy river winds around the whole resort, and it's why we'd pick this end. There's a children's pool, and the plaza in town is a short drive.

- Pool: Yes
- Lazy river: Yes
- Kids' club: Yes

### [Dreams Los Cabos Suites Golf Resort and Spa](https://ourplayday.com/places/dreams-los-cabos-suites-golf-resort-spa-san-jose-del-cabo)

Town: San José del Cabo

Dreams is our all-inclusive for small kids at this end. The main pool has a water slide in its children's section, and there's a splash park inside the kids' club.

- Pool: Yes, heated
- Splash pad: Yes
- Kids' club: Yes

### [Royal Solaris Los Cabos](https://ourplayday.com/places/royal-solaris-los-cabos-san-jose-del-cabo)

Town: San José del Cabo

A budget all-inclusive on the San José beach, with a mini water park of shallow pools and small slides and a toddler playground. It's close to the airport if the trip is short.

- Pool: Yes
- Kids' club: Yes

### [Wild Canyon Adventures](https://ourplayday.com/places/wild-canyon-adventures-san-jose-del-cabo)

Town: San José del Cabo

A park in the canyon between the towns, a day out from either end. Kids get a water park and an animal sanctuary of rescued macaws, turtles and camels, and there are ziplines and a huge hanging bridge.

Page: https://ourplayday.com/guides/mexico/cabo-san-lucas/cabo-san-lucas-or-san-jose-del-cabo-with-kids