Stay
One of the newest resorts in San José del Cabo is Zadún, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, which opened at the end of 2019. The resort sits on 20 acres overlooking the Gulf of California, and has 115 rooms and suites with floor-to-ceiling glass windows providing clear views of the beach (many have private plunge pools). A personal tosoani, a member of the hotel staff, is designated to assist you during your stay.
About an hour north from San José del Cabo on the East Cape, Four Seasons Resort Los Cabos at Costa Palmas opened in fall 2019 on a secluded stretch of beach on this undeveloped coast. Every room has ocean views, and a portion of the beach is reserved just for Four Seasons guests. If you prefer a dip in the pool, the resort has six of them, and the staff can arrange for off-property activities like driving over sand dunes, hiking, and snorkeling. The hotel also offers residences. In coming years, luxury hotelier Aman Resorts is opening its first resort in Mexico, Amanvari, in Costa Palmas in 2024, with plans for two-story pavilion guest rooms with wraparound decks. The hotels are part of the long-term master plan for the Costa Palmas development, which includes new homes, condos, and a marina.
Later this fall, Villa La Valencia Beach Resort & Spa Los Cabos is opening in the tourist corridor. Coming in 2022 is the St. Regis Los Cabos at Quivira, and Park Hyatt plans to open a resort at the Cabo del Sol golf community.
Eat
Cross-border chef Javier Plascencia made a name for himself with his restaurants Misión 19, Animalón, and Finca Altozano in Tijuana and Valle de Guadalupe. His latest venture takes the concept of “ocean-to-table” to a whole new level. Animalón by the Sea just opened this spring, and it’s the first floating restaurant in Los Cabos. Dine aboard a two-story, 49-foot luxury boat as it sets sail from the Cabo San Lucas Marina to the Arch, the scenic rock formation at the end of the peninsula. Plascencia translated his award-winning menu from Animalón in Baja’s wine country for the high seas, with a five-course meal of local ingredients and seafood such as kampachi and totoaba. Chef Oscar Torres, an LA native, is at the helm of the kitchen and the seasonal menu. The boat has a maximum capacity of 40 diners and departs five days a week at 6 p.m.
While it’s not in Cabo, Open Kitchen Restaurant at the new Paradero Hotel in nearby Todos Santos has been generating buzz since it opened earlier this year. An hour north of Cabo San Lucas, Todos Santos is sleepier and more secluded, and the hotel sits on five acres surrounded by farms and palm tree oases. Open Kitchen is led by Eduard Rios, former chef of Mexico City’s acclaimed Pujol—and true to the restaurant’s name, he and his team cook in an alfresco kitchen equipped with a Oaxacan clay oven. Expect fresh fish and seafood, and salsa made from chiles grown on the property.
Safer Travel
As of press time, hotels and restaurants in Los Cabos are booking reservations at limited capacity, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is requiring all travelers returning to the US to have a negative COVID-19 test within three days of boarding their flight. The Los Cabos Tourism Board says all hotels, villas, and timeshares in the region have CDC-approved antigen tests on site, along with medical personnel to administer them. Several hotels, including the Montage, Hard Rock Hotel, and Nobu Los Cabos, provide complimentary tests.
Earlier this spring, Los Cabos was also named the world’s first “health secure destination” through a third-party certification system, called Verified, developed by health tech company Sharecare. Nearly all of the hotels in the region earned the certification by press time, which includes a list of over 300 health standards that must be adopted, from cleaning procedures to communication among staff and guests. Go to visitloscabos.travel or call your hotel directly for the latest updates.
