Los Cabos: pick one base and eat around.
The resort you stay at matters a lot. Where you eat matters much less.
By Brandi Harris · Travel · Los Cabos, MexicoWhen you think of Los Cabos, you may think spring break. I did too. Then I spent three days there and came back with a different rule: the resort you stay at matters a lot, and where you eat matters much less.
Here’s why. Los Cabos is a dine-around destination. Most of the properties I visited welcome outside guests in their restaurants, so you can have lunch at one resort, drinks at another, and dinner at a third. Riviera Maya mostly doesn’t work that way, and it changes how I plan a trip. Pick one great base. Then eat around.
How Los Cabos is laid out
Los Cabos is three places that share one airport. Cabo San Lucas is the energetic one, with the marina, the famous Arch, and the nightlife. San José del Cabo is a quieter colonial town to the east, with an art district. Between them runs the Corridor, roughly 30 kilometers of coastline where most of the luxury resorts sit. The airport is closer to San José del Cabo, and most Corridor resorts are a 25–40 minute drive from it.
That layout is why the base matters. Your resort decides how much of Cabo San Lucas you’ll see (as much or as little as you like) and how much quiet you get. Solaz sits on the Corridor, and the Montage sits on Santa María Bay, about 20 minutes from downtown Cabo San Lucas.
One practical thing about the water
Los Cabos is not a “walk into any beach and swim” destination. Strong currents and shore breaks are common, especially on the Pacific side, and lifeguard coverage varies, so take the flag colors seriously. Two of the bays known for calmer, swimmable water are Santa María Bay (where the Montage sits) and Chileno Bay. If swimming in the ocean matters to your group, ask me which beach goes with which resort before you book. If pool time is enough, you have more flexibility.
“Pick one great base. Then eat around.”
Why I’d choose Cabo over Riviera Maya (for the right traveler)
I love Riviera Maya, and it wins on a few things. It has the powdery white sand and turquoise water people picture, and for families and big groups who plan to eat and drink on property, all-inclusive can be better value. Cabo is a different trip. The scenery is desert meeting ocean, and the dining is better outside the resort walls. The overall feel is more polished and more adult.
That doesn’t mean Cabo has to be a party. The luxury end of the Corridor is quiet, design-forward, and food-focused. If you want sunrise coffee, a spa day, and a tasting menu, you’ll have the right setup.
When to go
The dry season runs roughly November through May. Whale watching peaks from December through April, and I’m already planning a trip back for it. September and October carry higher hurricane risk, so I’d generally avoid those months.
My ranking, from what I actually experienced
I looked at five properties: Solaz, Chileno Bay, the Montage, the Four Seasons Cabo del Sol, and The Cape.
Solaz. My favorite of the five. I would come back, and I’d absolutely recommend it for your stay. The team will take care of you. Everything that follows in this series is built around it. Why it’s my pick →
The Montage. Really nice, with the best meal of the entire trip at Marea. It felt crowded when I visited. Marea at the Montage →
I toured The Cape, the Four Seasons, and Chileno Bay too. All three are worth a look if your taste leans exclusive, and I’m not going to rank them against Solaz and the Montage without more time on each. If you’re deciding between them, tell me what you want from the trip and I’ll match you.
What I’d tell a client
The base sets the tone for your whole trip, so choose it for how you want to feel. Then build a dining plan around it, and let the rest of Los Cabos come to you.
Book through me and you’ll get perks and benefits along with your stay, plus the property relationships that make the details go smoothly.
— Bee