Los Cabos, First Hand: Where the Desert Meets the Sea

First Stop: The East Cape

Empty beaches, sea lions and Los Cabos before the crowds

The East Cape is Los Cabos as it once was. Long, empty beaches stretch for miles, desert scrub tumbles down to the Sea of Cortez and small fishing villages keep their own unhurried rhythm. The water here is calm and perfect for swimming, and this quiet stretch of coast is fast becoming the destination’s most exciting luxury hideaway.

Our journey began beneath the surface, snorkelling the reef at Cabo Pulmo National Park, home to some of the richest marine life in the Sea of Cortez. Sea lions swam alongside us, with barely another boat in sight.

We then lunched at Amanvari, Aman’s brand-new hideaway between the desert and the sea. With a few more days, we’d add kayaking, sportfishing and horse riding along the East Cape’s deserted sands.

Stay at Four Seasons Resort Los Cabos at Costa Palmas

On a long sweep of calm, swimmable beach, with its own marina and a golf course next door, Four Seasons at Costa Palmas is beautifully relaxed. The breakfasts alone are worth the journey; our Travel Designers are still talking about them.

It is our pick for families, and for anyone seeking space and tranquillity, with the East Cape’s beaches and Cabo Pulmo right on the doorstep.

Also Worth Considering: Amanvari

Aman’s long-awaited Mexico debut opened in August, set within the Costa Palmas community. It is an intimate collection of private casitas between desert and sea, wrapped in all of Aman’s signature calm.

A brand-new address, and one that discerning travellers will be asking about. Ask your Travel Designer to secure a casita before word spreads.

Next Stop: San José del Cabo & the Tourist Corridor

Clifftop sunsets, long lunches and a colonial heart

The coastline between San José del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas is home to most of Los Cabos’ finest resorts, perched above the sea, with the sky turning to fire every evening. At one end lies San José del Cabo, the destination’s charming historic heart, with its mission church, pretty main square and an art district filled with galleries and restaurants. We explored the old town as the sun went down, then dined at Viceroy Los Cabos, all striking white architecture against the night sky.

Our days slipped by in long lunches by the sea. At Montage Los Cabos, contemporary Mexican architecture meets one of the Corridor’s few swimmable beaches, with three pools looking out to sea, the Paintbox kids’ programme and residences made for multi-generational journeys; don’t miss the adults-only spa pool. One&Only Palmilla is a Los Cabos classic, all hacienda-style architecture and tropical gardens, with sunken tables at the garden bar and a pretty chapel that makes it a favourite for weddings.

High on the cliffs above Cabo San Lucas, we took brunch at Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal, a couple of minutes from the marina and the town’s lively nightlife. Even if you stay elsewhere, ask us to reserve a sunset table at El Farallón, its clifftop champagne bar and restaurant, for some of the finest sea views in Los Cabos. With a few more days, plan your stay around San José’s Thursday evening Art Walk, and take a boat out to El Arco, Cabo’s famous rock arch.

Stay at Las Ventanas al Paraíso, A Rosewood Resort

Overlooking the Sea of Cortez, a few minutes from San José del Cabo, Las Ventanas is one of the most celebrated resorts in Mexico. White-stucco suites are arranged around courtyards of native plants and infinity pools, dressed with mosaic headboards, hand-carved furniture and Mexican textiles, and many have fireplaces and ocean views. The villas add private infinity pools and butler service.

You feel welcome from the moment you arrive to the moment your personal host shows you to your suite. Evenings belong to the sunken tables at Arbol and to La Botica, the late-night speakeasy. It works beautifully for almost everyone, from honeymooners to families, with a kids’ club, a kids’ spa menu and even a welcome for four-legged travellers.

Stay at Grand Velas Boutique Los Cabos

Adults-only and all-inclusive, Grand Velas Boutique greeted us with a mariachi band and margaritas, and the personality never faded. Spacious suites have ocean views from every room, the beach is stunning at sunset and the food is excellent, including the award-winning restaurant Lotō.

For couples who want all-inclusive ease without compromising on quality, it is a strong choice.

Also Worth Considering: One&Only Palmilla

A Los Cabos classic, with hacienda-style architecture, pretty tropical gardens and a small swimmable beach looking across the bay. It sits within the wider Palmilla estate, with its own golf course and a lovely spa, complete with a specialist podiatrist.

Rooms are more traditional in style, and the pretty onsite chapel makes it a favourite for weddings. As evening falls, the sunken tables at the garden bar are the perfect spot for a drink. Best suited to couples.

Into the Desert & Up to the Pacific

Todos Santos, mountain canyons and another side of Baja

Head inland, or north to the Pacific coast, and a completely different Los Cabos reveals itself. Todos Santos, a designated Pueblo Mágico, is an artists’ town of colonial buildings, galleries, boutiques and surf beaches. We wandered its galleries and boutiques, and paused at the famous Hotel California.

Beyond the town, the Sierra de la Laguna mountains, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, rise dramatically out of the desert. We hiked through their canyons, a world away from the resorts on the coast. With more time, we’d add a surf lesson on one of the Pacific beaches near Todos Santos.

What stayed with us most was the variety. One day you are snorkelling a reef with barely another boat in sight; the next you are hiking desert canyons or browsing galleries in a little Pacific town, before returning to some of the most impressive resorts in Mexico. Los Cabos pairs beautifully with California, too: Newport Beach is a short, direct flight away. And time it well, because from December to April humpback and grey whales arrive in the waters off Los Cabos.