Review: Four Seasons Resort and Residences Cabo San Lucas at Cabo Del Sol: First In

Why book? Sunshine, epic views over the Sea of Cortez, poolside fish tacos, and margaritas—the new Four Seasons Cabo San Lucas at Cabo Del Sol has everything you want from a Baja getaway, delivered with impeccable style.

Set the scene There is no shortage of truly excellent hotels in Los Cabos, the two resort towns of Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo located at the southernmost tip of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula. There’s the One & Only Palmilla, of course, that opened in 1956 bringing both Hollywood and glamor to the area and really putting Cabo on the international vacationers’ map. More recently, other global luxury brands have delivered big with modern, minimal-chic properties and a handful of small, indie charmers have cropped up. But right now, it’s undeniably the Four Seasons’ moment.

For starters, the approach is so lovely and feels like the perfect introduction to a hotel that is staying true to its location and history while showcasing a fresh, modern side of the Four Seasons brand. You pass rows and rows of precisely planted agave as you approach the hotel, ultimately arriving in what feels like an updated take on a traditional Mexican village square, including a cobblestone drive and whitewashed buildings with rounded arches, colonnades, and adobe-tiled roofs. But this is no caught-in-amber moment. Despite nods to a traditional architectural vernacular, the hotel is clearly in the present. One of the first buildings you see as you pull in has a soft rose and hot pink sign that reads El Taller Art Studio, where the current artist in residence is working and chatting with guests. There’s another building with Mercacdo painted in big indigo letters that, when it opens a little later this year, will offer regional Mexican wines, grab-and-go coffee and picnic fixings, as well as delicacies prepared by the hotel’s chefs. And then there’s the main building, an airy indoor-outdoor space with one of the most beautiful lobby bars, honey-hued wood ceilings, clusters of sofas and chairs, and uninterrupted views of the Sea of Cortez.

The whole property feels a bit like an amphitheater with the ocean as center stage. And while there are indeed echoes of traditional architecture, especially on the entrance side of the property, as you move through the hotel and toward the water, the design and decor are completely contemporary. The overall design and the use of textures and materials throughout the property, courtesy of the New York City-based firm Meyer Davis and global hospitality design studio EDG, is seriously impressive and I left with a design brief for some future dream house I’ve started building in my mind–the tiles alone made me rethink my relationship with color and pattern. This is a very chic property but it is also one that is comfortable in its own skin–it offers approachable and welcoming luxury; it’s refreshing to see both a modern aesthetic and approach to hospitality that doesn’t skew cold. The crowd is in-keeping–stylish, but not overly precious or fussy. Barefoot…but carrying a Celine straw bag.

The backstory This opening marks the sixth property in Mexico for the global luxury brand and the second in Baja. The other Baja property, the Four Seasons Resort Los Cabos at Costa Palmas, is located in the East Cape and is about an hour-and-a-half drive from Cabo Del Sol. The property is a new build and this shows—there’s no awkward reworking of some earlier 1980s highrise—every last wall feels bespoke and considered.

The rooms There are 96 guest spaces; a mix of rooms, suites, casitas and villas. Every room faces the ocean and has generous outdoor space with, at a minimum, room for seating and a table. I stayed in one of the Oceanfront Casita Suites that had a sprawling living room and a separate bedroom, two bathrooms (the main one opened onto a rockwalled outdoor shower area), a walk-in closet with a desk in it and plenty of space to completely unpack and store your luggage, and a huge outdoor patio with a shaded dining and lounge area as well as a plunge pool and chaise lounges. The design is modern and soothing: cream-colored stone floors and off white plaster walls with wood beam ceilings, a largely neutral palette—lots of beige and wheat tones—with pops of color, like cognac leather chairs, aqua pillows, a terracotta-hued wall hanging. In the rooms, like in the public spaces, it’s all about layering different textures. The result is elegant and pared back, but not at all snoozy.

Food and drink Two of the three main restaurants were open at the time of my visit. Palmerio, open for breakfast and dinner, channels the Mediterranean, taking its cues from the cuisine of the French and Italian rivieras, and spotlighting locally sourced produce and seafood. The indoor-outdoor space is beautiful and it's located at the lobby-level so you have great views over the entire property and the sea beyond. My favorite breakfast dish was a Baja-inflected shakshuka and a dinner win was a spicy seafood stew. Coraluz, currently open for lunch and dinner, is a more casual spot just steps from the beach delivering fresh spins on Baja favorites–including fish and shrimp tacos and excellent chips and guac. Beginning in October 2024, Cayao will be open for dinner and will serve Nikkei cuisine (a Peruvian-Japanese fusion).

There are two standalone bars that are currently open. The gorgeous La Casona is located in the lobby. You can have your cocktail at the bar or in one of the tables on the adjacent patio, or (my favorite) you can sit at one of the ocean-facing tables with fire pits that are scattered around the landscaped terrace and watch the light change over the ocean as the sunsets. The other bar–and quite possibly the most marvelously designed space in the entire hotel–is the Sora Rooftop Bar, open from 5 pm on. It has a robust selection of agave spirits as well as regional beer and an excellent Japanese-inspired bar menu that takes advantage of the local seafood bounty.

The spa As of my visit, June 2024, the hotel was still putting the finishing touches on the spa. When it opens, it will have 10 treatment rooms and a spa menu that features both cutting edge and traditional, locally-inspired treatments. While I was there, I visited the temporary spa that was set up in one of the guest suites. I had a signature massage that began with a sage smudge and a few deep inhales of copal essential oil, and incorporated deep tissue massage, hot obsidian stone therapy, a mini sound bath, and some gentle guided stretching with a rebozo, or traditional shawl. The permanent spa has its own lap pool–that you can also access from the fitness center, which is an expansive indoor-outdoor gym with every cardio and weight machine and gizmo you might want (along with chlorophyll-infused water, cacao energy balls, and fresh fruit for post-workout refueling).

The neighborhood/area The property is located along Baja’s Golden Corridor—a sweep of coastline lined with resorts and beaches between Cabo San Lucas (about a 10 or 15-minute drive from the hotel) and San José del Cabo (about 20 minutes by car). More precisely, it’s located in the private community of Cabo Del Sol where you’ll find a golf course, a few other resorts, and private residences. It’s definitely worth heading into San Lucas or San José for lunch or dinner and to walk around.

The service The service is excellent, as you would expect from a Four Seasons. And it’s warm and genuine, as you would expect from Mexico. However, it’s like human resources hit the jackpot with this young, energetic team. Everyone I met was so helpful and welcoming, from the most charming server at Sora to the super knowledgeable agave expert who introduced me to lesser-known spirits like raicilla and bacanora. Excellent food, design, and amenities are important, but when it comes to true hospitality and real luxury, it always comes down to the people.

For families It’s a great place for families. There’s enough room to spread out around the huge, beautifully laid out family pool (shallow and with a padded splash pad)—I sat there even though I was traveling sans kids. There’s a sandy beach area as well as a lawn with games like cornhole and ping pong. Older kids can take surf lessons, or go standup paddleboarding or snorkeling. For youngsters, there’s a kids club—something the Four Seasons does particularly well across its portfolio—and, as mentioned, a really great gym that my older teens would have camped out in.

Eco effort It’s cheering to see a big, global brand really walking the walk. For starters, you will not see single-use plastic water bottles anywhere on the property and single-use plastic has been eliminated from the food and beverage supply chain, with biodegradable alternatives taking their place, as well as from the bath amenities program. Water conservation systems are in place (including a water bottling plant that produces filtered water in reusable glass bottles), the landscaping showcases native and drought-tolerant plants, and the property utilizes eco-certified cleaning products. Importantly, the various restaurants source as locally and sustainably as possible, forging close relationships with nearby farms and dairies. Palmerio’s menu received the stamp of approval from Pesca con Futuro project, certifying that all seafood it serves comes from responsible sources.

Accessibility While ADA regulations do not apply in Mexico, the resort’s design incorporates ADA standards and steps have been taken to enhance accessibility, including three ADA-compliant rooms and an elevator to access the pool areas.

Anything left to mention? It’s worth noting that there’s a very nice adults-only pool with in-water loungers and a separate ocean-facing hot tub. Also important to call out: the hotel’s adventure center can help plan a number of excursions and activities, including ambitious day trips, like a boat ride to the nature preserve island Espíritu Santo, scuba diving and freediving lessons, and whale watching trips, as well as less involved adventures like a round of golf at the Cabo Del Sol course. Cabo is also a safe and easy place to rent a car and there are countless day trips that you can execute on your own, including driving an hour north to Todos Santos, a Pueblo Magico with excellent food and some of the area’s best surfing beaches, or driving a bit further to explore the less-touristy East Cape. But, no pressure–I promise you’ll be more than happy staying put.