We had a rental car and wanted to visit Santa Maria Beach again. The highway exit is around mile post 12, just look for the exit with the beach name. They have now installed a large paved parking lot along with restrooms and foot shower. As we normally do, we walked to the far right end near the rocks to get into some shade. This end of the cove is great to snorkel and view fish. There are many tour groups that arrive by boat to snorkel here so it does get a bit crowded in the cove. The only caution I will share is to make sure and bring toilet paper with you when using the bathroom when leaving. The toilet had no toilet paper and was a filthy mess. This beach is so popular it may be hard to keep it stocked and clean with so many tourists using it daily. Just beware.

Was worth the half day trip, especially if you like snorkelling. My wife preferred Chileno beach, because it was bigger. We were able to get shade at both locations, without paying for lounge chairs with umbrellas. Go in the morning, and walk to the far right to the rock wall. You will be shaded there, but there is limited space. We took Uber there, and the public bus back. When taking the bus, just go to the highway and flag down the purple/yellow bus. They are fast! Faster than Uber.

Nice beach. Came for several hours to enjoy the beauty. We’re surprised that there were no public bathrooms (would be hard to make a full day there with young children) also restaurants are only for private villa customers and won’t take beach people.

Amazing public beach! So clean! Amazing snorkeling! We loved hanging out at Santa Maria. We are so glad we found this beach, rather than paying for a snorkeling tour adventure, since they come to this cove anyways! Loved this beach!

The beach is truly impressive! Surf is variable and can be very calm or significant, but a flag system keeps swimmers informed about safety levels at any given time. The sand, while rough, can be navigated more comfortably with the use of neoprene socks or water shoes. Unfortunately, the ambiance is affected by ongoing construction in the vicinity, and it appears that in the near future, the once secluded beach will become more populated. Trinket vendors are already here. The best snorkeling experience can be found on the far-right side near the rocks. There, we encountered a diverse array of marine life: well-fed Surgeonfish, Angel Fish schooling together, Moorish Idol, various damselfishes including the striking Giant Damselfish, Cortez rainbow wrasse, Blue-barred Parrotfish, Porkfish, Pompano, Pacific Trumpetfish, Guineafowl Puffer, and even a Moray Eel. We went twice in one week and saw something new each time. Corrals are not impressive, visible bleaching. During our visit, the high tide early in the morning left minimal dry sand close to the snorkeling area. To secure our belongings, we placed them on the rocks surrounding the beach. As the tide receded after 10 am, we installed our umbrella about 10 feet away from the demarcation line set by the adjacent hotel. However, a hotel employee bulled us (and others) to a more central part of the beach, farther away from the prime snorkeling spot, supposedly for our safety but most likely to ensure that our umbrellas did not obstruct the view for their guests lounging on the property. There were no risks for location. Later, we were told by the locals that while the property behaves possessively toward the public beach, they have no ownership rights. Accessing this beautiful beach from Cabo San Lucas was convenient. We hopped onto the purple public bus near the Walmart parking lot, and the fare was just 30 pesos. The buses, while of varying quality, all have air conditioning, making for a comfortable ride. Sometimes, you might encounter a live musical performance along the way. Heading back to town was just as straightforward. We crossed the highway and waited on the side for about 15 minutes until we spotted the bus, then signaled for it to stop. On the bus, we seemed to be the only ones on vacation, all other passengers commuted to or from work, many wearing their uniforms.

Love this place. I feel safer here. We had a lot of awesome pictures and videos. Lots of fishes 🐟 😉 😀. Also, I like the life guard, lol. My family and I went to multiple beaches, and this one I like when it comes to safety and feeling secure.