To Cabo for Costco

Oh, how do we love Costco...let us count the ways! With the cupboards and fridge near bare, we figured it was time to trek to Cabo San Lucas where the only Costco in Baja California Sur is located. 

Each time we drive into Cabo, we’re hit with two conflicting emotions: 1) Wow, this really is a spectacularly beautiful place, and 2) So sad what has happened to it. Many of the old-time campers here talk about the Cabo of 30 years ago when it was a tiny fishing village with one store and you could camp anywhere on the beach. I would have loved to have seen it then. The bay with rocky Land’s End and El Arco is utterly break-taking, and Playa Medano with its crystal waters and gentle waves is perfect for swimming. 

Sadly now it’s an over-run tourist zoo complete with Senor Frog’s-esque chain restaurants on every corner and carts selling fluorescent blended cocktails in plastic yard-long cups. Approaching town on the new 4-lane highway, we could see a Carnival ship in the bay at the same time we were driving past corrugated tin sheds in the outer slums. 

However, I do recognize my own hypocrisy. You can’t really have one without the other. I’ve stayed at all-inclusives in Mexico and the Domincan Republic, and taken Caribbean cruises. We wouldn’t be able to shop at Costco if the town and accompanying tourist trade couldn’t support it. I guess the best we can do is appreciate the beauty of every place and try to treat it as gently as we can. I do support the local stores here in Todos Santos and the farmers with their roadside stalls. But if you want to get any decent wine...it’s off to Costco you gotta go! 

With all the gringos in and around Cabo, the wine department at the Costco is massive and well-stocked. Kirkland Signature 1.5 l California Chardonnay for the equivalent of $10 US. A 6-pack case of Concho Y Toro Carmerre Cabernet for $24! 1.75 l of vodka and tequila for $9! Shall we say the back of our truck looks like a liquor store right now. 

They also carry a ton of special vintages, even Dom Perignon (though I’ve discovered that rarely does a $200 bottle of bubbly taste any better than a decent $25 one...with the exception of Veuve Cliquot which I treat myself too maybe once every two years!). 

Of course most other items at Costco are too bulk for us to keep in the trailer. But it was nice to get a bag of washed salad greens...impossible to find locally. And a huge block of cheddar to enjoy with the vino ;-) Worth the hour-long drive each way.