San Jose’ del Cabo is the quieter side of the Cape region, a historic and charming artisan city without the bright lights and nightlife of Cabo San Lucas some 20 miles away.

Spanish galleons first visited Estero San Jose at the mouth of the Rio San Jose to obtain fresh water near the end of their lengthy voyages from the Philippines to Acapulco in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. As pirate raids along the coast between Cabo San Lucas and La Paz became a problem, the need for a permanent Spanish settlement at the tip of the cape became increasingly urgent. The growing unrest among the Indians south of Loreto also threatened to engulf mission communities to the north. As a result, the Spanish were forced to send armed troops to the Cape region to quell the Indian uprisings in 1723, 1725 and 1729. By 1767, virtually all the Indians in the area had died either of European diseases or in skirmishes with the Spanish. During the Mexican American War (1846-48), marines from the U.S. frigate Portsmouth briefly occupied the city. San Jose del Cabo remained largely a backwater until the Cape began attracting sport fishers and later the sun-and-sand-set in the '60s and '70s. Since the late 1970s several tourist development projects were completed along San Jose's shoreline. Fortunately, the developments have done little to change San Jose's Spanish colonial character. Local residents take pride in restoring the towns 18th century architecture and preserving its quiet, laid back ambiance.

It is a fun place to visit, great restaurants and although the Marina is a couple of miles out of town we found some interesting restaurants local to the marina…so the best of both worlds. As we discovered and experienced the Marina is just 5 nm from the world recognized deep sea fishing area…the Gordo Banks. We unfortunately were unsuccessful in getting one of those ‘big boys’ interested in our ex Kiwi style lures! On the plus side thought, the sea life, whales, dolphins and jumping sting rays were all around us on our sailing days.