Kimberley Lovato
This article was updated on October 7, 2024.
Sleep above the sea.The Cape, a Thompson Hotel
14 Virtuoso-approved stays along Baja’s Pacific Coast and Sea of Cortés.
This story is part of our guide to traveling in Los Cabos, created with support from Los Cabos.
Decades ago, when I heard “Cabo,” all-night discos, buckets of Corona, and a tequila incident sprung to mind. As a twentysomething, Cabo felt like one continuous sombrero-wearing rave. But I’m older and presumably wiser now, and Cabo has grown up too. The sun-drenched region at the Baja California Peninsula’s tip has two towns, collectively known as Los Cabos: Cabo San Lucas at Land’s End, known for its vibrant nightlife, and the more tranquilo art-gallery-speckled enclave of San José del Cabo. A 20-mile coastal road connects the two and is home to some of Mexico’s glitziest hotels and best resorts, as well as top chefs, diving, and wellness that knows how to put the ahh! in spa.
While Los Cabos is no stranger to posh addresses (Esperanza, One&Only, and Las Ventanas staked their claims early on), it took off after Hurricane Odile ravaged the area in 2014, which gave hoteliers a chance to reinvent the destination. In 2018, Montage picked Cabo for its first international resort, followed by the Ritz-Carlton Reserve’s Zadún. Since then, the luxe stays have nearly doubled, with newcomers carving niches as boutique all-inclusive properties or secluded East Cape escapes.
To discover what Cabo’s latest buzz is all about, I packed my swimsuit and sunscreen and beelined it for a birthday celebration at Solaz, where “bar hopping” meant returning to Foresta for fresh-squeezed juices, and the toughest choice of my day was deciding when to slip into the Olympic-size infinity pool – before or after a walk down to the sandy, swimmable beach.
I picture this kind of happy hour playing out daily across much of Los Cabos. Die-hard partiers can still hang upside down for well shots at the Giggling Marlin, but it’s here now that I rave – about the views, the food, the rooms, and even the occasional mezcal, all of which make Cabo my forever-favorite south-of-the-border hot spot, no sombrero necessary.
Pedregal Mountain creates an impressive backdrop to the secluded Waldorf Astoria.Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal
Privileged Address: Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal
A torchlit tunnel through Pedregal Mountain heightens the drama of arriving at this 112-room property. Cabo bars are a short walk away, and staff will ferry guests across the property to the resort’s main gate via golf cart. But with ocean-facing plunge pools on each room’s terrace (complimentary beer, chips, and guacamole show up at just the right time each afternoon), the spa’s treatments based on moon phases, a Champagne bar on the beach with swings for barstools, and private tennis lessons overlooking the Sea of Cortés, the quieter side of the tunnel has its rewards. Virtuoso travelers receive breakfast daily and a $150 resort credit.
Don’t Miss: Board the resort’s 60-foot Dos Mares yacht for private parties or a Friday-evening cocktail cruise to watch the sun set behind Los Cabo’s famous landmark arch, El Arco.
Crowd Pleaser: Grand Velas Los Cabos
The keys to a great family vacation: action, action, action – plus a parental escape hatch or two. And let’s not nickel-and-dime each other while we’re at it. The all-inclusive, 307-suite Grand Velas dares guests to keep up with its daily planned activities – morning yoga, beach soccer, cooking and dance classes, e-bike tours, Ping-Pong and cornhole tournaments (!) – while keeping the decision makers happy with an adults-only pool, babysitting services, and a baby concierge who supplies cribs, high chairs, and strollers. Among its seven restaurants: two-Michelin-starred chef Sidney Schutte’s Cocina de Autor, where an eight- to ten-course tasting menu wraps up without the bite of a check. Virtuoso travelers receive all meals, a $100 dining credit and a $50 spa credit.
Don’t Miss: The Teens’ Club preps the region’s next generation of spring-breakers with a house DJ and dance floor, karaoke, and a bar serving nonalcoholic drinks. Younger kids have their own club too, and toddlers get a playground and splash pool.
Food-Centric: Nobu Hotel Los Cabos
The Japanese-inspired brand’s first hotel in Mexico opened in 2019 in the exclusive Diamante development on the peninsula’s southernmost tip just west of Cabo San Lucas. Relax in one of its 200 minimalist rooms or spread out in 60 new one- to four-bedroom residences that sleep up to 14 guests. With teak soaking tubs, private pools, and decks, you won’t have to leave the house. (Tip: Order your meals prepared by a private chef on-site.) On the hotel side, three new bar and dining venues debuted last year: Try Muna’s Norwegian salmon tartare with caviar or go for Nobu’s signature yellowtail sashimi and miso black cod. Virtuoso travelers receive up to $100 in breakfast credit daily, and a $100 resort credit.
Don’t Miss: Nami Champagne Bar by Krug serves lobster ceviche and hamachi tartare alongside its namesake Champagne at poolside cabanas and sun beds.
New Kid: Grand Velas Boutique Hotel
The Grand Velas resort’s stylish little sister recently debuted – a serene 79-suite, adults-only haven that packs a lot into its small form, from supersize accommodations to all-inclusive meals to nightly Mexican wine-and-cheese pairings at Agave Tasting Room, which also pours aged reposados and artisanal mezcals. Kick-start the morning on a healthier note with a vitamin shot or cold-pressed juice at Mood Shot Bar before posting up by the infinity pool or beachside to sip specialty cocktails such as the Mexican vodka martini and nibble fresh ceviche and clams at Roca Bar. Virtuoso travelers receive breakfast daily, complimentary hydrotherapy, a $100 experience credit, and a $50 spa credit.
Don’t Miss: The Agave Room’s 12 distinct flavors of Mexican chocolate, in a tasting that includes dark chocolate with chipotle honey and white chocolate infused with zinfandel and pink pepper.
Solaz reopened in 2023 following major renovations.Solaz, A Luxury Collection Resort
Club Days: Solaz, A Luxury Collection Resort
After making a splash in 2018, Solaz closed for renovations, reopening in 2023 with 21 new suites, including the 10,645-square-foot Villa Solaz, among other enhancements. With multiple pools and more than 450 pieces of art displayed across 34 acres, it’s easy to while away the day at the 145-room resort. But head toward the sand and the sparkling Sea of Cortés and find Cabo’s latest “it” spot, the resort’s new beach club, where a custom Airstream serves Baja-style chicharrones and shrimp taco platters paired with DJ sets. Virtuoso travelers receive breakfast daily and a $150 resort credit.
Don’t Miss: Reserve the new Moët & Chandon beach cabana for coupes of the brand’s celebratory bubbles.
Couples’ Weekend: The Cape, A Thompson Hotel
When a getaway with BFFs calls, The Cape puts the good times in heavy rotation. All 161 of its retro-inspired rooms and villas offer unobstructed views of El Arco as they curve around the heart of the resort: an infinity pool where the swim-up bar plays dance music. Hit the open-air lobby bar for cocktails spiked with bitters and juices made from overripe fruit (part of the hotel’s sustainability effort to mitigate food waste), then head six stories up to The Rooftop bar for Cabo’s best sunset view. Virtuoso travelers receive breakfast daily and a $100 resort credit.
Don’t Miss: Chef Enrique Olvera has some of the coast’s hottest tables at Manta, where his five-course tasting menu features the likes of Veracruz-style ceviche, black-miso fish tacos, and suckling-pig steamed buns.
Outdoor Playground: Four Seasons Resort and Residences Los Cabos at Costa Palmas
The 141-room Four Seasons Costa Palmas attracts boaters and beach lovers for its private marina, two-mile swimmable coastline, and easy access to Cabo Pulmo, a UNESCO World Heritage Marine site that Jacques Cousteau dubbed the “the aquarium of the world.” Continuing the theme, the resort’s six pools count adults-only and saltwater options among them. And at restaurant El Puesto, East Cape seafood delicacies grace the lunch and dinner table, from octopus tostadas to blue-fin tuna poke bowls. Virtuoso travelers receive breakfast daily and round-trip airport transfers.
Don’t Miss: Landlubbers are also in luck with excursions that include a guided hike to the Sol de Mayo waterfall in the Sierra de la Laguna Biosphere Reserve, near the small mountain of Santiago.
One&Only offers access to Pelican Beach, known for its wading waters. One&Only Palmilla
Beach Hacienda: One&Only Palmilla
Built in the 1950s as a hacienda and accessible only by yacht or plane at the time, this 174-room resort sits on a promontory jutting into the Pacific that has retained its remote feel as the area boomed around it. The geography seals off dangerous currents for family-friendly dips and paddleboarding at Pelican Beach, while adjacent Playa Palmilla offers a fun and consistent surf break. (Palmilla is home to Mexico’s only outpost of Tropicsurf, the preeminent surf school and guide service for everyone from beginners to pros.) Tip for two: Reserve the resort’s private yacht for a sunset outing with a bottle of Champagne before sampling seafood specialties such as grilled spiny lobster at Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Seared. Virtuoso travelers receive breakfast daily and a $150 resort credit.
Don’t Miss: Opening this spring, 28-seat Hoshi in the resort’s historic bell tower will serve three daily omakase-style tasting menus accompanied by sake and cocktails.
Fantasyland: Las Ventanas al Paraiso, a Rosewood Resort
In the late 1990s, Las Ventanas first showed Baja how to do the over-the-top escape without pretense. From its lazy river pool with an adjacent taco bar to its 84 brass-telescope-equipped suites with rooftop terraces and Arbol restaurant’s seafood platters and lantern-lit trees, the property remains the epitome of beach life in Mexico for many. But it’s not afraid to wink at Baja’s party rep: La Botica, a speakeasy piano bar whose exit resembles a vintage Coca-Cola fridge, features live jazz, Latin, and Afro-Cuban music until 2 am every night. Virtuoso travelers receive breakfast daily, a margarita and a taco sampler, and a $100 spa credit.
Don’t Miss: Play kingpin in the 28,000-square-foot, $35,000-per-night Ty Warner Mansion, a two-bedroom home with multiple terraces, an infinity pool, a staff of seven, and a library of rare tequilas.
Swimmers’ Bay: Montage Los Cabos
This contemporary 122-room hotel hugs serene Santa Maria Bay, one of Los Cabos’ swimmable Blue Flag beaches. Take in views from the two pools and swim-up bar at all-day Mexican restaurant Marea, or retreat to Cabo’s largest spa for lunch and a massage. Come sundown, mosey over to Talay, Montage’s lantern-lit, night market-style Thai restaurant for sharing dishes such as crab khao soi and papaya salad. Virtuoso travelers receive breakfast daily and a $100 resort credit.
Don’t Miss: Up late? The complimentary sunrise kayak tour starts around 6 am.
Zadún provides a home base for exploring San José as well as the East Cape.Zadún, A Ritz-Carlton Reserve
Dune Dweller: Zadún, A Ritz-Carlton Reserve
Just 15 minutes from San José del Cabo, the 113 spacious rooms at Zadún spread across 20 acres of cactus-clad hills on the Sea of Cortés. Ring the on-call butler to arrange pool- or beachside lunches, off-property adventures such as scuba diving and desert Jeep tours, or dinner at Humo, which specializes in grilled meats and seafood, and has one of the coast’s top wine cellars. A favorite hideout: Spa Alkemia’s lushly landscaped adults-only pool and couples’ cabana (as well as a private casita with its own steam room, Jacuzzi, lounge area, and massage cabin). Virtuoso travelers receive breakfast daily, a $150 resort credit, and round-trip airport transfers.
Don’t Miss: Check out the spa’s Savasana sound-treatment room (one of only two in the world), a darkened room with quartz floors for sound-bathing.
Modernist Master: Viceroy Los Cabos
Just minutes from San José del Cabo’s airport but still directly on the beach, the Viceroy’s gleaming white towers make a solid case for a quick Mexican getaway to this 193-room architectural gem. Get it started at the new Awacate restaurant, which serves street tacos, empanadas, and chicken mole under citrus trees. The Cielomar Rooftop bar features local bands throughout the week, while Japanese restaurant Nido dishes out pork buns and robata-grilled fish and meats in an iconic nestlike structure. Virtuoso travelers receive breakfast daily and a $100 ($200 for two-bedroom suite, casita, villa, and penthouse guests) hotel credit.
Don’t Miss: The Spa’s Thermal Journey takes you through steam rooms, saunas, cold plunges, ice fountains, and a Jacuzzi. Bring your dog too, and book an in-room puppy massage for her highness – woof.
Old Money: Esperanza, Auberge Resorts Collection
Seventeen acres of palms and 53 thatched-roof casitas and suites with handmade Mexican furniture, wood-beamed ceilings, and outdoor hammocks facing the sea give Esperanza an only-in-Baja vibe. Guests can reserve beach palapas for morning yoga and breakfast or all-day lounging. A weekly pop-up market brings local crafts, jewelry, toys, and pottery, while the on-site gallery showcases work by top Baja’s artists. One of America’s fastest growing sports, pickleball has made it south of the border, and the hotel’s private lessons (free for kids), clinics, and tournaments bring family fun (and heated competition) to the courts. Virtuoso travelers receive breakfast daily and a $100 spa credit.
Don’t Miss: The Spa at Esperanza reopened in December, with new spiritual wellness experiences such as the Madre Tierra (Mother Earth), a two-hour ritual that includes lunch along with a gratitude ceremony, energy cleanse, breathwork and reflexology sessions, and a cacao wrap.
New Age: Chileno Bay Resort & Residences, Auberge Resorts Collection
Perched on one of Cabo’s somewhat rare swimmable beaches (with a teeming coral reef just offshore) and swathed in bohemian Baja decor, the 142 spacious rooms, suites, and villas here give off hedonistic hideaway vibes. Blinging up the resort’s culinary crown is the Washoku experience – Wednesday Japanese dinners on the beach for those lucky enough to snag a reservation. Chef Alicia Padilla’s sushi, sashimi, and Wagyu steak pair well with Mexican junmai sake from the state of Sinaloa. Virtuoso travelers receive up to $90 in breakfast credit daily, and a $100 resort credit ($250 for guests in the three- and four-bedroom villas).
Don’t Miss: Renowned wellness brand The Well’s first location in Mexico, with a bathhouse, “nap garden,” and reflexology pool, guides you toward Baja bliss.
