Originally Posted by
SanDiego1K
What are people doing about transportation? We've rented cars at Cabo and had poor experiences. We've been very happy with using a shuttle to our hotel in Cabo, then using Uber. For our upcoming trip, we are planning to split our time between this property and the Waldorf. We thought about a one way car rental but found nowhere in Cabo to drop it off. And the shuttle service seems to be very expensive to Todos Santos.
Well, if you are planning to stay at this specific property (Rancho Pescadero) I'd really recommend renting a car. I'm aware you go to Cabo frequently, but not sure what your direct experience with this specific area is (I've been traveling the Baja Peninsula, usually multiple times per year, for almost 25 years from "the tip" to La Paz, through the mountain pass and most places in between) but to be clear, this area (at least currently) is much, much less developed than the Sea of Cortez/Cabo side.
Finding taxi's etc, on that side is very limited and though I'm not positive, I find it very unlikely you'll find Uber in El Pescadero (EP). Most of the roads going down to the beach in EP are still dirt, not paved at all (though I'm assuming the road from the highway to Rancho Pescardo will be paved, it's the exception not the norm). So, if you don't have a car you'll likely be captive at Rancho Pescadero. For some, (maybe you?) that is fine, but that is definitely not our jam. We like to be able to go where we want to go, when we want to go.
You've mentioned, more than once, having poor experiences renting cars in Cabo which I guess, to me at least, is a bit perplexing. In almost 25 years of going down there (and again, usually multiple times per year) I've only NOT rented a car once (the first time) and I said never again. I can honestly say that we've never had a problem and we likely cover a
lot more miles than most tourists. For example, our last trip, a few months ago, we started in Cabo, after a short stay we drove around the tip and stayed in El Pescadero (in an Airbnb), then drove from there to La Paz (~ 2hrs north). After staying there for a bit, we drove back via highway 1, through the mountains (via El Triunfo), down to Los Barriles, then eventually back to San Jose for another week. All told it was a little over three weeks driving all over the southern peninsula, with no problems at all.
Now, let me be clear, as I hope I've established, I've been down there quite a bit, and for many, many years, but I'm not naive enough to believe that something couldn't go wrong with renting a car down there, I'm acutely aware of that. But, unlike when I first started going down there and we'd drive from Cabo to Todos Santos on a road that was often washed out, full of potholes, 2 lanes only, blocked by cows, absolutely no cell phone service (it was actually before cell phones!) etc. today the highway from Cabo to La Paz, up the Pacific is frankly almost as nice/safe as any highway in the US, at least until you reach the outskirts of La Paz. Furthermore, we now basically always have cellular service these days, even when driving through the mountains, which provides some feeling of safety should you have a problem (and allows you to use your phone for navigation).
I've always rented from either Hertz (early on) and for the last several years now National (I have top status w/National so that helps, but not much in Mexico) and I've just never had a problem. Yes, they can be scammy, and yes, you absolutely should buy insurance, and yes, it sucks that the insurance is expensive, but frankly, for those of us blessed to be able to stay at places like The Cape and El Pescadero, in the grand scheme of things, the overall trip cost adder isn't that much relative to the freedom it buys you. It's just a cost of travel like any other.
Honestly, I'm going to be interested to see how this property performs over time as the area is in very early stages of development and its off the "beaten path" Staying here isn't the standard, land @ SJD, have a margarita in the outside bar, then take a van down the toll road to an all inclusive hotel in downtown Cabo, its much more isolated and distant for sure (which of course is exactly the appeal to me!)
Anyhow, that is my very (very) long winded answer to your question, "What are people doing about transportation?" Hope there might be something of use to you in there.
But to summarize, my short answer to your question, is that when we eventually visit this property, we'll be renting a car, just as we have for the last ~25 years!
Regards