Cabo San Lucas is a city in the state of Baja California Sur, Mexico. It’s on the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula and is a center for eco-tourism, scuba diving, and sport fishing.
But in the last decade or so, it’s also become a hot spot for high-end travelers, with a smattering of luxury hotels that exemplify an encouraging blend of five-star luxury, sustainability, and cultural offerings. Many of the best hotels in Cabo San Lucas offer travelers chances to learn about the surrounding region, with activities like wellness sessions with traditional practitioners or guided art walks to meet current Cabo San Lucas artists.
Headed to Baja California Sur? Read Matador’s guides to the area
- Go here, not there: Baja California Sur’s mountains deserve as much time as its beaches
- You’ll feel like a celebrity at this luxe Cabo resort’s private villas
- Why you should know Cabo just as much for quality dining as for partying
- 11 Airbnbs In Cabo San Lucas for a perfect beach escape
- 8 adventurous things to do in La Paz, Mexico, that’ll make you want to skip Cabo
Cabo San Lucas’ history goes back to 13,000 BCE, when Indigenous groups were living on the tip of the peninsula. Spanish conquistadors first arrived about 400 years ago, but it still remained a sleepy fishing town until about the 1970s when celebrities began vacationing at its chic hotels and beaches.
Today, Cabo is easy to get to – there are direct flights from cities like Los Angeles, Atlanta, San Francisco, Phoenix, Houston, Denver, and more. Most of the best hotels in Cabo San Lucas can arrange airport pickups and drop-offs, so it may be easier than you think to plan a quick weekend getaway.
Below, you’ll find eight of the best higher-end hotels in Cabo San Lucas, from inexpensive-but-stylish boutique hotels to five-star resorts where you can have your own private cliffside infinity pool. Hotels are listed in order from lowest to highest starting price per night, so scroll to the bottom if you’re looking for a truly high-end experience.
- Map of the best hotels in Cabo San Lucas
- The 8 best hotels in Cabo San Lucas
- What airport to use for Cabo
- Things to do in Cabo San Lucas
- Is Cabo San Lucas safe?
We hope you love the spaces and stays we recommend! Just so you know, Matador may collect a small commission from the links on this page if you decide to book a stay. Listed prices are accurate as of the time of publication.
Where to find the best hotels in Cabo San Lucas
The primary airport in Los Cabos is about 40 minutes from most of the hotels, and taxis can be expensive. So before you arrange an airport transfer, contact your hotel and see if they offer shuttle services. Otherwise, expect to pay about $80 for a taxi service from the airport, though you can take a bus from the airport (but probably won’t want to if you have a lot of luggage).
Marina Fiesta Resort & Spa
- Address: Paseo de la Marina Lotes 37 y 38, Centro Histórico, 23450 Cabo San Lucas, B.C.S., Mexico
- Rates from: $154/night
The very reasonably priced Marina Fiesta Resort Resort & Spa is proof that you can find awesome hotels in Cabo without going broke. It’s one of the best hotels in Cabo San Lucas for under $200 a night, especially because of its location. It’s on the marina, so you can walk to everything in Cabo — the boardwalk, bars and restaurants, shopping, galleries, and more.
The hotel is casual and friendly but high-end and has both on-site dining options and a shuttle for guests who want to check out the restaurants at Hacienda Encantada Resort & Residences, the hotel’s partner property. At Marina Fiesta, you can book room only, or opt-for an all-inclusive package that includes hotel restaurants and a few downtown restaurants you can walk to in just a few minutes. You can also book whale-watching packages or full packages that include airfare in case you want to make your trip to Cabo as easy as possible.
Corazón Cabo Resort & Spa
- Address: Pelicanos 225, El Medano Ejidal, 23453 Cabo San Lucas, B.C.S., Mexico
- Rates from: $300/night
Corazón Cabo Resort & Spa is a luxury beach resort that can sometimes — sometimes — be a smidge cheaper than other luxury hotels in the area. It’s in the middle of swimmable Medano Beach and most rooms have great views of the Sea of Cortes and Land’s End. A Matador contributor stayed there in 2022 and wrote a full account of her experience. Spoiler: she loved it.
As you can guess from the name, this is one of the best hotels in Cabo San Lucas if you’re into getting spa services on vacation, since the full-service spa offers massages, wraps, facials, and even a signature service for two complete with a couples bath experience. Other cool features at the resort include morning and sunset yoga classes on the beach, an on-site micro-brewery, on-site electric paddleboard rentals, and two infinity pools in case you’d rather not get saltwater in your hair.
Nobu Los Cabos
- Address: Polígono 1. Fracción D. Fraccionamiento Diamante, Los Cangrejos, 23473 Cabo San Lucas, B.C.S., Mexico
- Rates from: $441/night
If the name “Nobu” makes you think of the hip sushi restaurants, well, you’re not wrong. The Nobu Hotel is owned by the same company and even brings some Japanese influences to Los Cabos, with rooms details like slated wood, platform beds, and soaking tubs inspired by Japanese onsens.
All the rooms are luxurious, but there are two cool options if you plan on spending as much time as possible in the pool. You can book a suite with a private pool, or book a room with swim-in access to the hotel’s pool bar; the latter is a pretty unique option. It’s also one of the newest additions to lists of the best hotels in Cabo San Lucas as it opened April 1, 2023.
Surprise, surprise: there’s a Nobu restaurant on property. But it’s not the only option, with everything from a beach bar to a steakhouse to a casual cafe and rooftop Mediterranean restaurant. But it’s cool if you want to spend all your time hanging out at the swim-up bar, though that’s only one of a total of four available pools (one only for adults). Otherwise, your options for activities range from on-site beach activities to sailing tours on the hotel’s catamaran to island tours, ATV rides, snorkel sessions, and pretty much anything you’d want to do around Los Cabos.
The only downside is that transportation fees from the airport aren’t included, but the hotel can at least arrange it for you and add it to your final bill.
ME Cabo
- Address: El Medano beach, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
- Rates from: $449/night
ME Cabo is one of the best hotels in Cabo San Lucas if you’re a beach person as it’s steps from one of Cabo’s best swimmable beaches — nearby cliffs make many of the other area beaches beautiful, but not safe for swimming.
All it takes is one look at the architecture to see that it’s one of the fanciest hotels in Los Cabos, but it’s also one of the most hip. There’s an on-site beach club and trendy restaurants, and you can walk to several of the best Cabo restaurants if you don’t feel like dining at the hotel.
Even the basic rooms are pretty, but you can upgrade to suites with hot tubs and huge ocean-view terraces if you feel like splurging. The hotel often hosts events with local artists, chefs, and creative personalities from across Mexico. The hotel’s website is a little hard to navigate, but it’s worth it as it’s well-known for being one of the best trendy hotels in Cabo San Lucas.
If you’d rather stay in San Jose del Cabo, check out Hotel Paradisus Los Cabos, the hotel’s nearby sister property.
Breathless Cabo San Lucas Resort & Spa
- Address: P. de La Marina 4750, El Medano Ejidal, Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico, 23453
- Rates from: $479/night
Breathless Cabo San Lucas is one of the best hotels in Cabo San Lucas if you want an all-inclusive experience — or an adults-only one, for that matter. It definitely has more of a sexy- party vibe than a wellness-and-health vibe.
Most rooms have views of the marina, and you can save some money if you book the “deal of the day” room — you’ll get whatever is available when you check in. That also makes it one of the more affordable hotels in Cabo San Lucas, though the prices look a bit steeper on paper since they include food, drink, and entertainment, not just your room.
Fortunately, no matter which room you book, you’ll get access to pretty much everything the hotel offers; it’s not the kind of place that nickel and dimes guests. That includes all food and dining (cocktails and alcohol included), room service, in-room mini bars, pool parties with DJs, themes parties, beach service, and more. Fortunately, it’s also walkable to the town of Cabo San Lucas, so if you do somehow get sick of the on-property food and drink, you’ll have no shortage of options.
This one and The Cape (below) are both Hyatt properties, though they’re not branded as such. So you can collect Hyatt points but still stay somewhere that feels pretty unique.
The Cape, a Thompson Hotel
- Address: México 1 Km 5, Misiones del Cabo, 23455 Cabo San Lucas, B.C.S., Mexico
- Rates from: $599/night
The Cape, A Thompson Hotel, is a luxury beachfront resort in Cabo San Lucas that stands out for its trendy and modern design (think lots of glass and cement walls), high-end amenities, and stunning views. Its two oceanfront infinity pools, swim-up bar, and spa built into natural rock formations are some of its best amenities, though it doesn’t hurt that it’s directly in front of Monuments Beach, considered one of the area’s best for surfing. You can borrow surfboards from the hotel or take a lesson.
The hotel’s The Ledge restaurant serves Mexican cuisine with a focus on Baja-sourced seafood, while Manta offers a more formal dining experience. The hotel offers a variety of room types, with in-room cocktail bars, ocean-view balconies or terraces, and glass-enclosed bathrooms. The villas provide even more amenities, such as butlers, in-villa check-in, and optional private plunge pools.
At the Cape, guests can also sign up for activities in the area arranged by the hotel, like art walks, desert tours, or snorkel tours, though it offers a wide variety of on-property fitness classes if you’d rather not spend too much time away from the hotel. This property is also owned by Hyatt, but it’s branded separately and doesn’t feel very corporate.
Montage Los Cabos
- Address: Twin Dolphin, Carretera Transpeninsular KM. 12.5, Int. Bahía Santa María, 23450 Cabo San Lucas, B.C.S., Mexico
- Rates from: $850/night
Luxury, thy name is Montage Los Cabos. This extremely highly rated hotel is one of the best hotels in Cabo San Lucas for full five-star service. It sits on pristine Santa Maria Bay and offers stunning views of the Sea of Cortez; all rooms and suites have private balconies and unobstructed ocean or mountain views. The resort has seven dining options across three restaurants and a pool surrounded by loungers and oversized cacti, plus its own on-site activity company that can arrange everything from private canyon tours to sunset sails to mountain biking or even glamping for the night.
As you may expect from an elegant resort like this, Montage Los Cabos owns a few private vessels for group and private snorkeling, fishing, and sightseeing tours. This is an ideal hotel for travelers looking for a more peaceful, wellness-focused trip to Cabo, as the Montage chain focuses more on high-end living and wellness as opposed to nightclubs and partying. Hit up the spa if you’re interested in unique treatments using mango, mezcal, and cacao, or like the idea of a “rebirth experience” in the pool, complete with ambient whale sounds.
Grand Velas Los Cabos
- Address: México 1 Km 17, Tourist Corridor, Corredor Turístico, 23405 Cabo San Lucas, B.C.S., Mexico
- Rates from: $1,400/night
Grand Velas Los Cabos is another one of the best hotels in Cabo San Lucas for all-inclusive trips and is a popular choice for long weekends with low stress. It’s a pretty big resort, with more than 300 rooms, all with terraces or balconies and ocean views. It has seven restaurants and five bars, all included in the all-inclusive package. Also included are activities like yoga, cocktail classes, cooking lessons, and more.
Grand Velas Los Cabos is part of the Grand Velas Resorts, a collection of luxury all-inclusive resorts in Mexico. The Grand Velas Resorts are known for their exceptional service and high-end dining, as well as a general commitment to being eco-friendly and sustainable. Several properties, including Grand Velas Los Cabos, are known for their sustainability efforts, and this particular property both recycles water and helped earn the beach directly in front the property a Blue Flag award for being exceptionally clean.
Speaking of beaches: note that the hotel beach is good for snorkeling and paddling, but not swimming. You’ll have to walk or get a ride to Chileno Beach for that, but fortunately, it’s only a mile away. Obviously, this is one of the most expensive hotels in Los Cabos, but remember that it includes everything, not just your room.
Matador ran a full feature recently on all the resort’s pros and cons in case you’re on the fence about whether it’s worth the price.
What airport to use for Cabo San Lucas
Photo: DBSOCAL/Shutterstock
The most popular airport serving Los Cabos is Los Cabos International Airport (SJD). While there is another smaller airport in Cabo San Lucas (the Cabo San Lucas International Airport, or CSL), it mainly offers private flights. Los Cabos International Airport is about 22 miles from Cabo San Lucas (the primary tourist town where you’ll find most hotels) and approximately five miles from San Jose del Cabo (a smaller, more laid-back town and home to most of the popular golf courses).
What to do in Cabo San Lucas
Photo: Leonardo Gonzalez/Shutterstock
Cabo is known for its beautiful beaches, nightlife, and water activities, but that’s hardly a complete list of things to do in Cabo San Lucas. Between October and May, you can snorkel with whale sharks in the Sea of Cortez. Outside of that window, you can still snorkel with sea lions or scuba dive at dozens of gorgeous underwater sites. ATV and boat tours are super popular, especially sunset sails or whale-watching sails (when the whales are in the area, between December and April). By the way, whale sharks are actually fish, not sharks, and they eat plankton, not people.
But since it’s a popular tourist town, you can do just about anything you want in the area, from mountain biking to art tours to cooking classes and private dinners in the desert. Most luxury hotels can arrange whatever you want to do, or at least point you in the right direction if they’re unable to facilitate it.
Is Cabo San Lucas safe?
Photo: Matt Gush/Shutterstock
Cabo San Lucas is as safe as any other tourist destination in Mexico, but it’s true that the country does have a higher rate of crimes like carjackings, kidnappings, and robbery than in the US. However, most of the crime in the area is drug-related, so as long as you don’t try to buy anything you shouldn’t, there’s a very good chance you have a delightful and safe trip. Nearly all of the best hotels in Cabo San Lucas will have on-site security, and you’ll likely feel quite safe while you’re there.
Of course, travelers should take the same precautions they’d take anywhere that has occasional crime, like not letting their drinks and possessions out of their sight at bars and nightclubs, avoiding excessive signs of wealth (which, granted, are everywhere in Los Cabos), and not flashing huge bills when leaving ATMs. Most hotel concierges can advise on places to go and places to avoid, but nearly all of downtown Cabo San Lucas is filled with tourists year-round. It’s generally known for being one of the safer destinations in Mexico. 