Introduction

Three-hundred-year-old semitropical San Jose del Cabo has a flourishing artist colony and offers the best collection of chef-owned boutique restaurants on the Cape.

All the action revolves around Paseo Mijares, which links the town plaza with the beach. At its northern end, colonial-era buildings, now transformed into shops, art galleries and restaurants, surround the almost 200-year-old Parroquia de San Jose (San Jose Parish Church).

San Jose is home to some 16 art galleries. During the winter season a weekly Thursday afternoon (5 to 7 p.m.) Art Walk through the area offers visitors the opportunity to gallery hop and mingle with local artists. The Art Walk has proved so popular that an alternative morning version is now offered Tuesdays from 9 to 11 a.m., with a coffee break. The plaza hosts a Sunday art fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The tourist zone by the beach includes a handful of major hotels, condominiums, several small shopping centers and the Mayan Golf Club, a challenging nine-hole par-35 course.