Cabo San Lucas hotels

A getaway for A-listers since the 1950s, One&Only Pamilla is one of the best hotels in Cabo San Lucas – or anywhere, for that matter.

The hotel has access to one of the area’s best beaches for swimming, while the state-of-the-art spa – where spiritual healers perform treatments – is inspired by local traditions and Baja’s coastal landscape. The hotel has retained its original hacienda-style architecture – guests regularly visit the original whitewashed chapel, with its artisan-made gold leaf altar – but renovations have added modern touches like carved wood doors, travertine flooring and studded leather furniture.

One of the best hotels to stay in Cabo San Lucas for golf, the hotel’s Palmilla Golf Club, designed by former pro golfer Jack Nicklaus, winds through cliffs and desert arroyos (dry watercourses). The One&Only is only about 10 minutes from San Jose del Cabo, an artsy town with great restaurants and galleries. The field-to-fork Flora Farms restaurant is one of my favourite on the peninsula.

Set on 39 acres of beachfront overlooking Santa Maria Bay, Montage Los Cabos is among the best hotels in Cabo San Lucas for water adventures. The seas in Cabo San Lucas teem with life, with the Sea of Cortez home to turtles, sea lions, whales, dolphins and sharks.

You can spot them all during your stay at Montage Los Cabos, which offers swimming, snorkelling and world-class diving. The luxury hotel’s on-site outfitter has a PADI-certified diving program for guests, where beginners can get their certification and advanced divers can take specialized courses. Visiting the UNESCO-protected Cabo Pulmo, a national marine park with a 20,000-year-old coral reef, on a Montage excursion is an unforgettable experience.

Back at the hotel you’ll find 122 open-plan guestrooms and suites complete with indoor-outdoor living and marble bathrooms, as well as a 3,716 sq. m spa, multiple restaurants and three azure pools.

The Cape, A Thompson Hotel recalls Baja in the 1960s, with its mid-century style and laid-back surfer vibe (its location on Monuments Beach is a world-renowned surfing destination). The property has the clean lines of a swanky urban loft, while every room comes with views of the granite arch El Arco, Los Cabos’ most recognizable landmark.

One of the best hotels in Cabo San Lucas, guests can book various accommodations here, including one-, two- and three-bedroom villas and penthouse suites with private rooftops and plunge pools. Every guestroom has a terrace, while many boast swaying daybeds.

There’s a fitness centre and a spa with a private outdoor cabana for treatments, as well as two pools, including one with an infinity edge and another built into a rock formation. Take it from me: dinner at Manta by award-winning chef Enrique Olvera is a must.

Co-founded by Japanese chef Nobu Matsuhisa, the Nobu Hotels concept merges Japanese hospitality with fabulous food. The Japanese minimalism at this 200-room property pairs perfectly with the coastal beauty of Cabo.

The beach resort has a luxurious spa and a variety of dining experiences, including a steakhouse, a rooftop Mediterranean restaurant and a beachfront Nobu, making this one of the best hotels in Cabo San Lucas for foodies. Trust me when I say the Japanese-fusion dishes Nobu is known for, like my favourite yellowtail sashimi with jalapeño peppers, taste even better with Pacific Ocean breezes.

Guestrooms have beds with high-thread-count linens, soaking tubs and double vanities with Italian stone finishes. Meanwhile, the adjacent Nobu Residences Los Cabos offer spacious, apartment-style accommodations and a Japanese Onsen spa, perfect for large groups or travellers looking for an extended stay.

The closest hotel to the El Arco formation on the rocky promontory known as Land’s End, Grand Solmar Lands End Resort is great for sunset views. It's also surprisingly central – despite being set between cliffs and a shimmering beach, it’s within walking distance of the city centre.

The resort has a sea-view spa, cabanas on the cliffs and large suites with carved wood furniture and stone finishes. There are several swimming spots to choose from, including an infinity pool where adults sip watermelon margaritas, and a kids’ pool with a waterslide. The entertaining kids’ club also makes this one of the top choices for families.

Meanwhile, the farm-to-table La Roca restaurant specializes in grilled seafood and steaks. When I stayed at the resort, a highlight was hiking to the wild shoreline of Divorce Beach and calmer Lover’s Beach near the point of Land’s End. It requires a fun but rigorous rock scramble.

While many of the best hotels in Cabo San Lucas are adults-only, Esperanza focuses on families. The on-site kids’ club offers endless fun for the younger members of the family, with activities like traditional Mexican bracelet-making and games of capture the flag.

The numerous activities on offer showcase the best of the Baja coast, from private whale-watching safaris and family cooking classes focusing on local, organic produce to pickleball tournaments. Those who like plenty of pool time can soak up the sun with poolside services like open-air massages, ice-cold drinks and fresh Mexican fare from Cocina del Mar.

When the adults are ready for some quiet time, they can decamp to the revamped Spa at Esperanza, which draws inspiration from the medicine wheel used by indigenous tribes in Mexico. Large and lavish accommodations include suites, casitas and villas, making this one of the luxury hotels in Cabo San Lucas.

Located on the Baja California Peninsula's most southern point, the exclusive Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal feels as if it’s perched at the edge of the earth. Only accessible through a private tunnel, I felt like I was entering a secluded enclave despite being just minutes from busy and touristy city centre of Cabo San Lucas.

Buildings are carved into the cliffs of Pedregal Mountain and every one of the 112 guestrooms and suites has Pacific Ocean views and private plunge pools. The award-winning spa specializes in treatments featuring natural ingredients, including one developed with local shamans that incorporates energy cleansing, craniosacral therapy and massage.

Many of the best hotels in Cabo San Lucas have first-class restaurants, and the Waldorf Astoria is no exception. At El Farallon restaurant, which sits perched over the ocean, guests dine on the freshest local seafood while listening to the waves crashing below. Don’t miss briny chocolate clams when in season.

Solaz celebrates Baja’s coastal landscape and folklore through thoughtful architecture and artwork. One of the best hotels in Cabos San Lucas for design lovers, the structure is an architectural sculpture made up of stone, granite, marble and wood, with rooftop gardens that help it blend into the desert landscape.

The works of Mexican artist César López-Negrete, who has travelled extensively in Baja, decorate the minimalist common spaces, while custom furnishings are made of natural materials. The 128 guestrooms, which include 115 deluxe rooms and 13 suites, have curved terraces to showcase dazzling Sea of Cortez views, and many have indoor and outdoor marble showers.

The landscaping, featuring plants and vegetation endemic to Baja, allows guests to reconnect with nature, while the four green granite infinity pools emulate the colour of the sea. The hotel also has a museum that showcases regional artefacts, such as a grey whale skeleton.

Resort after resort lines the tip of the Baja Peninsula, including Chileno Bay Resort & Residences. Among the best hotels in Cabo San Lucas for active travellers, it manages to feel secluded and different from the typical Cabo resort.

I love how the three-tiered pool, which has areas for adults and families, looks like a continuation of the bay.

The hotel is also home to three pickleball courts, where groups and couples can play glow-in-the-dark games. After action-packed days, travellers can ease sore muscles with a treatment at THE WELL spa at Chileno Bay, which is spread across 22 acres and has a bath house with a cold plunge, an aromatherapy pool and ice bar, and outdoor treatment rooms.

One of the top-rated hotels in Cabo San Lucas for adventure lovers, the hotel's off-property excursions help guests learn about local culture and nature, offering birdwatching in a UNESCO-protected biosphere, morning fishing trips and whale-watching.

One of the best hotels in Cabo San Lucas for couples, the adults-only sanctuary of Grand Velas Boutique Los Cabos is an all-inclusive resort on a boutique scale. With just 79 luxurious suites, guests enter an exclusive world of pampering and personal service while still having access to the amenities of a large resort.

Stylish couples stay fit at the Technogym fitness centre, sip margaritas at the infinity pool and stroll along the private beach. At SE Spa, practitioners incorporate the sounds of waves and desert nights into treatments for ultimate relaxation.

As one of the best hotels in Cabo San Lucas for wellness, the property also hosts retreats with celebrity trainers and wellness influencers sure to turn a trip into a transformative experience. Guests of Grand Velas Boutique can also access the restaurants at Grand Velas Los Cabos’ at no extra cost, which includes the Michelin-starred Cocina de Autor.