- Accommodation for tourists across Cabo San Lucas and Baja California Sur is fantastically varied.
- From fully-managed resorts to chic private villas, here are your best lodging options.
- Visit Insider's hub for travel guides, tips, and recommendations.
I've been traveling several times a year to Los Cabos and Baja California Sur for nearly 30 years, first on a travel-writing assignment and later on many more trips, some to do research for more articles about new places there and others just to have fun with friends.
When I began exploring the region, even the most posh resorts cost no more than $300 a night. Fast-forward to 2022, and that's the price for a low-end hotel with basic rooms and few amenities. It's just the nature of the Cabo beast, as over the years, it's become a playground for the ultrarich and very famous.
It's pretty clear things in Los Cabos have changed over the years when you hear that it's the place where the side-by-side Cabo "Casamigos" villas that George Clooney and his power-couple pals Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber built together in 2009 and sold for $100 million in 2016. While gorgeous villa rentals are definitely an integral part of the modern Cabo experience (see Cabo Platinum below, for instance), there is still a good variety of accommodations to be had in Baja California Sur.
Visitors should know that Cabo San Lucas skews to the higher end of the price ranges these days. But there are still less expensive places to stay, and venturing beyond Cabo San Lucas to La Paz is a smart way to save money and have an equally grand vacation.
Note that many of the Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo resorts do not have swimmable beaches because of the rip currents and rocky shores. All have pools — some are incredibly beautiful, too — but if getting in the ocean is an important part of your vacation experience, there are a limited number of places with swimmable beaches, so choose wisely.
Here are 11 of my favorite places to stay, priced across the board.
One&Only Palmilla
The granddaddy of high-end resort hotels in Cabo, the One&Only Palmilla has been open for over 60 years and remains the benchmark for all others that have followed. The resort has it all, from incredibly elegant rooms, suites, and villas (the Clooney-Garber-Crawford villas are within the privately owned Palmilla enclave) to gorgeous patios with cushy daybeds overlooking the ocean and sleek Mexican architectural designs. Add in the luxurious spa, fine-dining restaurants, and private Pelican Beach with swimmable waters and cabanas, as well as incredible service, and you're left with a truly memorable Cabo resort. One&Only established its reputation decades ago and remains a magnet for celebrities and others who value their privacy and first-class service; the price per night for an ocean-view room here is always high, no matter the season.
Montage Los Cabos
Much newer on the Cabo scene is the ultra-modern Montage Los Cabos Resort, which was built in 2018 on the Bahia Santa Maria, a small, protected beach bay that offers an idyllic setting — including swimming, snorkeling, stand-up paddleboarding, and direct access to its scuba-diving boat.
On my 2021 visit to the resort, I discovered that the diving experience was truly first class there. Having their own on-property dive shop meant that I was outfitted right on the beach at the tentlike shop with all the scuba gear I needed, then ferried via dinghy right out into the bay, where the dive boat was anchored. It was a wonderful change from the usual dive experience in Cabo, which involves early bus pickups, bumpy (and often long) drives to a marina dive shop, gearing up there to finally board the boat to go out for the dives, and then a repeat of that time-consuming ritual on the return.
Once I hopped on to that nearby boat, we went to two dive sites, where we found sea turtles, whitetip sharks, and spotted eagle rays. The best part of this semiprivate diving experience was that we all accomplished all that in just a few hours and were back in time for a leisurely lunch at the Montage, which was quite the feat, as a two-dive experience in Los Cabos usually takes up most of the day.
Montage's other amenities include a massive spa with kink-removing treatments, an adults-only serenity pool, and mezcal. The resort's fine-dining restaurant overlooks the water with patio seating and serves up a blend of traditional Mexican dishes and more modern takes on seafood, paired with mezcal, tequila, or wines, all made in Mexico. Expect to pay premium prices to stay at the Montage Los Cabos.
Nobu Hotel Los Cabos
On the Pacific side of Cabo San Lucas, which is the western side of the very end of the Baja California peninsula, there was once only desert and windswept beaches. For the past 10 years or so, resorts have been popping up at a growing rate. One of the newest arrivals is the Nobu Hotel Los Cabos, which opened in late 2019.
The Nobu Hotel wows guests with its sleek Japanese design, adapted to reflect the Cabo sensibility, with an open-air feel throughout, from the lobby to the restaurants and bars, all adhering a minimalist look that melds stone and wood into an ultramodern look. The bathrooms in all the rooms and suites have stunning deep soaking tubs and burnished pebble-stone walls that are seemingly constructed without any mortar.
At the Nobu Los Cabos restaurant, delicacies are served straight from the ocean. The sushi is excellent, with pieces like yellowtail with jalapeno melting in your mouth and just a touch of heat giving it a slight zing, and the spicy tuna hand roll giving a satisfying crunch and a burst of just-caught freshness. The tiradito (Mexican raw-fish dishes) is sublime, with the octopus version presented as delicate bites of salty-sweet meat, and the black cod with miso's savory sake-infused soft bites made my eyes roll back into my head with delight.
Nobu is adjacent to the Tiger Woods-designed private golf course Diamante, a just-challenging-enough 18 holes that accepts your tee-time reservations if you are staying at the Nobu Hotel. But there is no beach access here, so plan to swim in the pools rather than in the Pacific.
Cabo Platinum
If you're coming to Cabo with a crowd (be it family, friends, or a wedding party), I recommend considering a villa rental from Cabo Platinum. The company handles 95 spectacular luxury homes across the Los Cabos region that average 5,000 square feet and have at least four bedrooms, as well as swimming pools and fantastic views of the ocean. Pricing starts at about $1,000 a night, which means bringing a crowd to one of these houses is less expensive than many of the resorts in the area.
The villa experience can be customized any way you choose, from simply arriving to a fully stocked fridge to booking a personal chef and butler, as well as housekeeping services. The Cabo Platinum concierge is also available to make your vacation seamless, from setting up scuba-diving trips, horseback-riding adventures, and whale-watching sailboat rentals, to coordinating childcare, shopping tours, or whatever else fulfills your vacation dreams. Owned by a Cabo San Lucas family, this company has the inside track on the best of everything to be had in Baja California Sur.
Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach Golf & Spa Resort
For an all-inclusive experience that will appeal particularly to families, the all-suites Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach Golf & Spa Resort on the Pacific side of Cabo is a choice that delights both parents and children. Kids up to 11 can join the kids camp all day long and be treated to outdoor activities like pool games, treasure hunts, and beach volleyball. There's even a "fun lab" with an arcade and PlayStation consoles when it's time to cool down.
The resort is so large (over 700 suites and six swimming pools) that adults will barely notice the children, especially when ensconced in the spa. The all-inclusive package covers all food and beverages (try the top-notch Mexican cuisine at LaFrida Restaurant, my favorite is the Michoacán pork carnitas) day and night, as well as some of the activities at the resort, including Spanish lessons, cooking classes, water aerobics, dancing lessons, and bingo. As a golfer, I especially appreciated the access to the Quivira Golf Club and its Jack Nicklaus-designed oceanfront course. It's a real beauty, challenging and incredibly scenic all at once. Playing a round costs extra, as do spa treatments and other adventure excursions away from the resort.
Zadún, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve
Discover Zadún at the edge of the East Cape, about 15 minutes east from San José del Cabo. One of the newest resorts in this ever-growing, laid-back part of Los Cabos, this Ritz-Carlton "reserve" is designed to immerse you in luxurious personal service. Intended to lure you in and keep you at the property, like most of the higher-end Cabo resorts, there's much to enjoy on site at Zadún.
The rooms at Zadún feature sliding walls that open to views of the sea and personal plunge pools. For an ultraprivate retreat, check in to the Grand Reserve Villa, a private home within the resort with almost 6,000 square feet of indoor-outdoor space, highlighted with beautiful works by Mexican artists at every turn. The huge Spa Alkemia with its water rituals (try the three-hour purification ritual for the ultimate experience) can easily keep you in relaxation limbo all day, while Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ambassadors of the Environment program at the resort lets all ages (from 5 years old and up) get more in tune with the natural world, from under the sea to the stars in the sky, with stargazing experiences, bird-watching excursions led by naturalist experts, hiking in botanical gardens, and other unique environmental adventures. Expect to pay top dollar for a stay at this extremely exclusive enclave.
The Four Seasons Resort Los Cabos at Costa Palmas
Over 50 miles north of Cabo San Lucas, the East Cape was traditionally an off-the-beaten-path place where avid divers, windsurfers, surfers, and fishing enthusiasts came to stay, often in tents, RVs, or one-star hotels.
When the Four Seasons Resort opened here in 2019, it marked a shift in the neighborhood to a place that's all about world-class luxury.
This beachfront resort sits on a 2-mile stretch of sand that leads right into the Sea of Cortez and its wonderfully vibrant — and swimmable — waters. The rooms are just what I expect from visiting other Four Seasons resorts around the world: They're incredibly spacious with a beautiful contemporary design, walls that open to the warm desert climate, cool cotton bathrobes and slippers, a Nespresso coffee maker for a cup at any time, as well as an iPad to order anything that you're in the mood to have delivered. Some of the rooms have private plunge pools as well.
The resort also offers six swimming pools, a lovely spa with plenty of treatment choices, and a complimentary kids club that runs all day long.
Most importantly, there's easy access to scuba diving, whale watching, swimming with whale sharks, sportfishing, and more very close by. That's distinctly different from the resorts down on the Tourist Corridor, which require extensive travel time to get to those Sea of Cortez adventures. Here, they are all almost at your front door. The resort also has the Costa Palmas 18-hole golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones II. Expect to pay a high nightly price for this secluded luxury enclave right where the action is.
CostaBaja Resort & Spa
In La Paz, which is the traditional gateway to the wonders of the Sea of Cortez and the capital of Baja California Sur, the Hotel Indigo CostaBaja Resort & Spa offers the best of both worlds, a comfortable resort at a reasonable price. The beds are comfortable and the rooms are modern but not terribly fancy — most also have balconies overlooking the sea, a perfect place to decompress after an adventure-filled day. With a beach, pool, spa, and Gary Player-designed golf course, this resort is a favorite of mine, especially since rates are $250 and up. Just north of the central section of La Paz, it has everything I need for a diving trip — especially those massages at the spa. Plus, there's Steinbeck's Restaurant, an elegant eatery where seafood and steak dishes are cooked over a wood-fired grill.
Baja Club Hotel
There's a hip, new spot in the heart of La Paz Centro called Baja Club Hotel. Right on the Malecón (the long coastal boardwalk that meanders along the water in the downtown area) with nice views of the bay, this 32-room boutique hotel was originally a single-family villa in the early 1900s. Now refashioned with some slightly weird configurations (no privacy in the bathroom because of open latticework serving as a main wall and the toilet far away from the bathroom in a separate room that has no sink), the hotel still has an old-world charm and a cool rooftop bar that offers cocktails, DJs, and a pretty view of the bay. It's also centrally located for roaming through the city's restaurants, bars, and nightclubs. This hotel is a wallet-friendly option and right in the center of all the action that happens in La Paz, especially the nightlife.
Cabo Inn Hotel
Back down in Cabo San Lucas, there are a few hotels that belie the expensive rates that characterize the Tourist Corridor. While they're not exactly five-star breathtaking resorts, they are homey, authentic places that won't break the bank.
Cabo Inn Hotel is one of these, built in 1955 and still rolling along. Rooms have air conditioning and are small and very basic, and there's also a community kitchen and grill for cooking at home.
The little stand-alone villas called "palapas" do not have air conditioning, so if you book one, know that you'll likely be sweating through the night and need those mosquito nets hanging over the beds. The pool is not very big, and you'll have to travel to one of the local beaches to take a dip in the sea. But if saving money is key to your trip to Los Cabos, Cabo Inn Hotel is a solid option, with prices that can go as low as $53 a night in the summer months.
Marina Fiesta Resort & Spa
At the Marina Fiesta Resort & Spa in Cabo San Lucas, you'll find suites right in the heart of the Cabo beast. Right in the marina, this very reasonably priced resort is a jumping-off point for any and all water activities. Plus, it's so close to the popular tequila bars, seafood restaurants, and general mayhem in the center of Cabo San Lucas that you can easily walk back to the hotel once you've partied your fill. With big-screen TVs, balconies with marina views, air conditioning, and full kitchens in the larger suites, the Marina Fiesta is a place to bring the whole family and not break the budget. The smallest suites can go for as low as $125 during the summer low-season months. Even in the winter high season, they can be snagged for under $250 at this resort with basic beds, linens, and swimmable beaches within walking distance.
View Insider's comprehensive guide to visiting Cabo San Lucas and Baja California Sur, Mexico.