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Punta Palmilla, Mexico

Stay in San José del Cabo: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of San José del Cabo

All 12 on San José del Cabo's map

Watch this spot We email you when Punta Palmilla is worth the trip.

PlazaPrincipalCabos2
San José del Cabo, the nearest town, 6 km away. Photo: Danielllerandi, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Punta Palmilla

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces SE (140°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (320°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 18). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 22°C in February, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 29°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually May, June, July and September, with about 5 good days in 7; in January, February and December, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is San José del Cabo, 6 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots and 1 dive site.

Water about 29°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 8 h 35 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to SJD, direct.

    See flights MDW → SJD · Skyscanner from about £220 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 35 min from the airport to Punta Palmilla.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in San José del CaboAd

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

    Surf lessons in San José del Cabo · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in San José del Cabo · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Punta Palmilla on Google Maps · Directions

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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Forecast

The score for experts, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct597 ft10 scrumbling883kJ33°C
Mon 19Oct446 ft8 scrumbling498kJ33°C
Tue 20Oct304 ft12 shollow470kJ32°C
Wed 21Oct344 ft12 shollow442kJ32°C
Thu 22Oct354 ft12 shollow476kJ31°C
Fri 23Oct263 ft12 shollow307kJ30°C
Sat 24Oct163 ft12 shollow199kJ30°C
Sun 25Oct356 ft10 scrumbling573kJ31°C
Mon 26Oct010 ft11 scrumbling1,914kJ33°C
Tue 27Oct597 ft10 scrumbling781kJ32°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for expert surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Direct flight MDW to SJD, then 35 min by road. About 8h 35 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight MDW to SJD, then 35 min by road. About 8h 35 door to door

The plan picks the best of 7 spots near San José del Cabo each day: Costa Azul, La Bocana, Old Man's, Punta Palmilla, The Estuary, The rock, Zippers.

The trip from San José del Cabo, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £660–£1,220 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to SJD, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag£220–£460
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Taxiairport and back, shared£30–£45
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£160–£265
Food7 days eating out£150–£280
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£65–£105
Total£660–£1,220

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Places to eat near San José del Cabo

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Places to stay · Booking.com

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.