Travel & Living

This Cabo Hotel Offers a Rare Combination: All-Inclusive Luxury

As someone practically raised by MTV’s reality television offerings of the early 2000s, my vision of Cabo was totally changed by what was one of the best weekends of my life.

Grand Velas Los Cabos, courtesy of Velas Resorts
Grand Velas Los Cabos, courtesy of Velas Resorts

When I imagine Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, I—a millennial who was practically raised by MTV’s reality television offerings of the early 2000s—think of Stephen Colletti and Kristin Cavallari's big fight at a club in Cabo during an episode of Laguna Beach. But now that I’ve been there, on what is truly the most relaxing vacation I’ve ever had in my life, I think of calm, serenity, delicious food, and one of the best weekends of my life. 

All-inclusive and luxury are rarely synonymous: The former often means bland, even boring food you could just get at home, noise, crowds, fights over lounge chairs, scarce towels, and weak service. At Grand Velas Los Cabos, the two merge successfully. With three properties along the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula, Grand Velas Cabos truly has an option for everyone—from families to newlyweds (like me) to solo travelers to foodies. The main property, Grand Velas Los Cabos, is family friendly. As you enter its angular, striped archway, you’re practically sucked into paradise. It has three pools, including one adults-only infinity pool overlooking the roaring Pacific Ocean.  A minimal design aesthetic with hallways designed for privacy—even when the resort guest count picked up throughout the weekend, leading up to its high-season in mid-December, the experience still felt private. Every one of its luxury suites comes with a private terrace. This writer would like to note that the suites contain the best rain shower she has ever experienced, from water pressure to coverage.

The Grand Velas Los Cabos lobby, courtesy of Velas Resorts
The Grand Velas Los Cabos, lobby courtesy of Velas Resorts
A Grand Velas Los Cabos suite, courtesy of Velas Resorts
A Grand Velas Los Cabos suite, courtesy of Velas Resorts

The Grand Velas Boutique is steps away from the main resort and serves as an adults-only 79-suite hotel fit for those seeking a total escape. It was designed for privacy, and as such is ideal for newlyweds, solo travelers, or couples celebrating an anniversary. As its designed for adults, its decor is a tad more elevated, with a sensual courtyard garden and handcrafted local art throughout the hotel and inside suites. Mar del Cabo—tucked in between Grand Velas Los Cabos and the boutique—is another adult-only for those attracted to an authentic Mexican experience, from Spanish roofs to royal blue tile, complemented by the sea. 

While the Grand Velas resorts in Cabo are well-suited for those who simply just want to relax by the pool and do nothing but eat and drink, there’s also plenty to do and see. There are activities every day including yoga, sunhat painting, and you can visit the SE Spa (the seven-step water journey plus a massage will make you feel like you entered a new body). The resort also offers whale tours, dining on the beach, daily tequila, mezcal, or wine tastings, karaoke (of which I was a very willing participant), and more. Luckily for me, the tastings were held steps away from my suite.

The resort's location (about 30 minutes from the airport) is well-positioned for adventures in town. It’s about 20 minutes by car into San José del Cabo by car, where you can explore art galleries, shop, and eat (I had a delicious lunch at Tacos Nene). It’s also about 20 minutes by car from Cabo San lucas, the more touristy spot on the peninsula, with bars and clubs for the night owls. 

Grand Velas Los Cabos, courtesy of Velas Resorts
Grand Velas Los Cabos, courtesy of Velas Resorts
Grand Velas Los Cabos, courtesy of Velas Resorts

Grand Velas’ restaurant offers enviable dining—the kind of dining experiences that will make you feel like you’re a judge on Top Chef. The newly opened Sen Lin takes guests on a sensory journey through Asia, from Chef Víctor Gerardo Hernández Osorio. Osorio is from Tabasco, Mexico, trained in Cancún, and spent time in Thailand, making his dishes—fromsilky coconut Tom Kha Gai soup infused with kaffir lime and galangal, and the classic Pad Thai—authentic, fresh, and memorable.

At Cocino de Autor, guests of Grand Velas Los Cabos get the Michelin star treatment—literally. The concept, run by chefs Sidney Schutte and Francisco Sixtos, has a Michelin star, features dishes that thoughtfully reflect on the culture and life around us. The experience—like every restaurant at the resorts, part of the all-inclusive nightly rate—is like getting sucked into the chef’s complex creative mind. A first course of raw fish dish is all about the Japanese method of fish sacrifice to a bursting-with-flavor short rib dish with celeriac, mushroom Xo, and lemon grass. Each dish tells a unique story with equally unique flavors rooted in the region, including escamoles (aka, ant eggs, the ground’s caviar).

Meanwhile, over at the Grand Velas Boutique, Loto (also led by Chef Sidney Schutte) provides a unique fusion of Japanese and Mexican cuisine focusing on the robata grill technique. Highlights include a beef tartar with cauliflower pickles and avocado presented in a cone, Kurobuta pork belly with yuzu-mustard miso, and a matcha crème brûlée.

The Cocina de Autor Los Cabos dining room and bar, courtesy of Velas Resorts
A Cocina de Autor Los Cabos dish, courtesy of Velas resorts
Cocina de Autor Los Cabos, courtesy of Velas Resorts

Grand Velas Los Cabos is a special place: it’s luxury for everyone, and well-worth the price point given the quality of its suites, offerings, and especially due to its incredible, one-of-a-kind cuisine. But what makes Grand Velas Los Cabos so singular is its staff (the ratio is three staff to one guest). Every employee—from lobby to spa to restaurants to bar to poolside—is engaging, genuine, and accommodating.  Each guest gets their own personal concierge, who checks in on them every day and is easily reached via a text message. I for example, kept requesting Mexican Ruffle potato chips, and received them promptly after each request. Although this is true luxury, it’s welcoming; never feels pretentious or stuffy like many other luxury hotels. Grand Velas Los Cabos is a memory maker, a place that will hold a special place in your heart, mind body, and soul. The next time I think of Cabo, it will be a fond memory, and not a memory of teenagers screaming at each other in an episode of Laguna Beach that aired in 2004. 

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