Cabo Capsule Wardrobe: What to Pack for a Week in December
Last week, I traveled to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, for a much-needed vacation! I first visited four years ago with Korri’s family, and this time, we went back with his parents—and my mom and step dad tagged along, too! We stayed in a villa overlooking the Pacific Ocean at Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach Resort and had the most incredible time. I spent most of it doing absolutely nothing, and it was exactly what I needed.
Since I didn’t do a whole lot when it came to activities, I figured I’d share the next best thing: my packing list and what I wore! Here are all of the clothes, shoes, and accessories I packed for a week-long relaxing resort vacation in Cabo in December (plus I noted what I didn’t end up wearing), the outfits I wore, and a list of other things you shouldn’t forget for your own trip. Let’s dive in!
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What to Pack for Cabo San Lucas in December
When it came to packing for our week in Cabo, I relied heavily on my previous post about our time in Cabo! I found that recap so incredibly helpful (and referred to it multiple times during our trip!). I didn’t end up going the same direction with my packing list this time around, though. There were a couple of things I planned to wear every day if I could get away with it; I focused primarily on loose garments (shorts, pants, dress, caftan) and stretchy activewear and loungewear. Everything packed really nicely and wrinkles weren’t an issue!
I packed all of my clothes and shoes in a carry-on suitcase and brought along a backpack as my personal item. The weather in Cabo in December is just as beautiful as you’d imagine: temperatures around 80°F or so (dipping below 80 at night). It was breezy for a couple of days after a cold front passed through. Skies were usually sunny, sometimes partly cloudy. The weather was perfect! They did have a couple days of rain before we got there.
Here’s what I packed in my carry-on suitcase for a week in Cabo San Lucas in December:
2 tank tops
1 short-sleeved linen tee
1 sweatshirt
1 pair of shorts
1 pair of pants
1 pair of jeans
1 dress
2 sports bras
1 pair of leggings
2 pairs of bike shorts
1 pair of lounge shorts
1 pair of joggers
1 pair of earrings
1 crossbody bag (and wallet)
3 pairs of sandals (one heeled)
1 pair of sneakers (not pictured)
4 swimsuits (2 bikinis, 2 one-piece suits)
1 caftan
3 hats (1 baseball cap, 2 sunhats)
1 packable puffer coat
I wore everything except for the short-sleeved linen tee (it was the last item I packed and I thought for way too long about which one to bring!) and one pair of bike shorts. Overall, it was a successful packing list. I should have brought a second long-sleeved layer; I wore my sweatshirt every night because it felt chilly once the sun went down (especially when it was also breezy). A cardigan or something “nicer” than a sweatshirt would have been a good choice.
I had my wallet with me but never needed it while at the resort. I also brought along my packable puffer; I wore it on the travel days because it was freezing in Boise on the day we left and the day we returned, but obviously I didn’t wear it while in Mexico!
Our villa had in-unit laundry, so I could have thrown in a load if needed, but luckily I didn’t really sweat much (and when I did spill on my white caftan, I was able to spot clean it with the soap bar pretty easily). I wore almost everything multiple times! I was surprised by how quickly I acclimated to high 70s/low 80s, so when the temps dipped below 80 I felt cold, haha.
SHOP MY CABO PACKING LIST
Cabo San Lucas Outfit Ideas
My outfits were essentially grouped into four different categories: daytime, evening, activewear and loungewear, and swimwear. My goal for the trip was to do as much of “nothing” as possible—I wanted to swim, lounge, read, and sleep as much as possible (in addition to eating, drinking, and hanging out with everyone, of course!).
We spent a lot of time at our villa, which had a private infinity pool, and we we went out to eat for essentially every meal except for breakfast a couple of times. Because the resort is situated on a hill, I brought shoes that I could walk in, and I also considered fabrics that didn’t wrinkle (or at least, didn’t hold wrinkles for long). The vibe is very casual, but you’re expected to put on clothes when you go out to eat (i.e. no wearing only swimwear), and some restaurants at the resort have a dress code.
DAYTIME OUTFITS
I really didn’t bring many items for daytime outfits; I defaulted to my Two Days Off dress (the Jordan dress in jersey), my current favorite dress. I wore it as often as possible! It’s just so good. I also managed to wear my Madewell paperbag shorts once with an Everlane ribbed tank. There were a couple of days where I either didn’t leave the villa all day until dinner or I wore a swimsuit/beach outfit all day, so I didn’t wear what I would consider a “daytime” outfit.
I brought only one bag, which ended up working out fine even though it didn’t “go” with all of my outfits. I also wore my hats every time I was out during the day. My Madewell packable sunhat got a lot of wear! I liked having my Everlane baseball cap, too. I stuck with my flat sandals during the day.
EVENING OUTFITS
Every night, we went out to dinner at one of the resort’s restaurants. All of the Pueblo Bonito restaurants have a “smart casual” dress code, which basically means no swimwear (unless it’s covered up). There is at least one restaurant that has a stricter dress code (La Frida), but we didn’t eat there.
We ate outside as much as possible, which is the way to go when in Cabo! The weather was perfect for it, even though I was chilly and wore my Aliya Wanek Ami sweatshirt every night. I was very happy to have it and wished I had another layer so I could alternate.
Last time we came to Cabo, I brought only one pair of pants, and this time I brought two for the sake of variety. I saved my Everlane white curvy jeans for our “nicer” dinner, and I also wore my wedge sandals almost every night!
ACTIVEWEAR + LOUNGEWEAR
I packed a variety of activewear, mostly for the sake of comfort rather than actually working out. I was anticipating doing no workouts (though I would have been down with a yoga session). I packed 2 sports bras, 2 pairs of bike shorts, and 1 pair of leggings.
I wore the Zella leggings one day around our villa and to breakfast. I also only wore one pair of bike shorts, my Girlfriend Collective bike shorts; I also had my Zella bike shorts, which are equally as comfortable. I got some wear out of my Amazon sports bra and Zella longline bra (it matches the leggings).
I also packed a pair of lounge shorts, which I think I wore a couple of times at the villa. I traveled in my Zella joggers and wore them in the evening after dinner while playing games because our villa was chilly with the A/C!
SWIMWEAR + BEACH OUTFITS
You can’t go to Cabo and not go to the beach! We stayed at Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach, which is located on the southernmost point of Baja California, so unfortunately you can’t swim in the ocean here (the waves are huge and too dangerous). But you can lounge on the sand, soak in the sun, watch for whales, and play games! Oh, and sneak a peek at weddings.
I packed 4 swimsuits (2 bikinis—one old VS top, one Madewell top, and two Madewell bottoms as well as 2 Everlane v-neck one-piece suits) and wore them all! It was easy to do with our own private infinity pool. I also brought my beloved 9seed caftan (last seen in the Cook Islands), and my Salt Water sandals make the perfect beach shoe (as do my Kino sandals!).
My hats also got plenty of wear. I was able to fit both my sunhat and my old straw hat in my bag!
What to Bring to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
In addition to packing clothes, shoes, and accessories (including swimwear), there were a few other necessities and fun things I packed for our trip to Cabo. I also started a list on my phone of things I wish I would have brought so I know for next time! If you plan to check luggage instead of do carry-on only, I recommend bringing full size sunscreen bottles; you’ll pay around $25 for a bottle of sunscreen in Cabo. Luckily we managed with the multiple travel bottles I brought!
2 lightweight Turkish towels (towels are provided, so I just wanted these for fun because they matched my bag!)
Binoculars (for whale watching/spotting)
GoPro (especially if you go snorkeling or scuba diving)
“Medical” bag with bug repellent wipes, medicine, bandaids, etc. (do NOT forget chapstick with SPF!) — add sunscreen, antibiotic cream, anti-itch cream, etc. to your liquids bag
Decks of cards/portable games (we had Wizard, Sequence, and Joker’s Wild)
American dollar bills (I brought $50 in $1s myself) to give small tips to shuttle/golf cart drivers, restaurant servers, housekeeping, etc. (not expected but definitely appreciated) — I’ve never needed pesos
Fuzzy socks with grips for cold tile floors
A pen for filling out customs forms
Fold up beach bag
Cooling towel (if you plan to workout or be generally active outside in the heat)
Small surge protector (we only had one outlet in our bedroom)
Spanish vocabulary book (can get around without knowing Spanish but it’s fun to practice!)
Bottled water (this is what most people drink anywhere in Cabo and you can get it at the resorts but I also snagged some at the airport in the US)
Sunglasses
And since we’re still in a pandemic, I also brought along:
Many face masks and a bag to separate the used face masks (though I washed them all at the end of the trip anyway)
Hand sanitizer (in liquids bag)
Looking for more beach vacation packing lists? Check out what to pack for a week in the Florida Keys!