Los Cabos has long been a renowned vacation destination—with its cloudless skies, reliable desert heat, and vibrant ocean waters set against the stunning contrast of mountains; its allure is undeniable.  

As a desert escape, Cabo benefits from a Mediterranean-like climate boasting 340 days of sunshine per year. Jagged rock landscapes punctuate its idyllic shores where the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez meet. The most iconic image that comes to mind when one thinks of Los Cabos is arguably El Arco, a three-story arch formation on the beach accessible only by boat. But there’s more to Cabo than this picturesque backdrop.

What to do in Cabo

With nineteen beaches, an unexpected art scene, and nightlife you can dip into when in the mood, there are endless reasons to carve out time for Cabo. 

Those who fish for sport will relish the region’s deep-sea catches, including Marlin. For divers, the 17,571-acre Cabo Pulmo natural reef system is reason enough to visit. From November to April, Cabo is known as one of the world’s best spots for whale watching. And away from the shoreline, Los Cabos delivers world-class golfing across eighteen courses sure to delight any golfer. With nineteen beaches, an unexpected art scene, and nightlife you can dip into when in the mood, there are endless reasons to carve out time for Cabo.  

On the note of nightlife, let’s talk geography. At the Southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California, a twenty-mile corridor connects Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo, which make up the two main towns of the region. The two towns are siblings, though each offers a distinctly different vibe: Cabo San Lucas is known for its vibrant nightlife and glittering marinas, while San José del Cabo is laid back and more artsy.

Where to Stay in Cabo 

…the brand has become synonymous with innovating and elevating the all-inclusive experience through Michelin-starred dining, holistic and top-rated spas, and impressive staff-to-guest ratios. 

Set amidst this diverse setting, Velas Resorts has created three distinct properties in San José del Cabo, each serving a different type of traveler. With each backed by the ethos set by the Vela family, there’s an element of consistency and quality that the most discerning of travelers will appreciate. The Vela family has operated its collection of industry-leading all-inclusive resorts in Mexico since 1990. Under the leadership of Eduardo Vela Ruiz, the brand has become synonymous with innovating and elevating the all-inclusive experience through Michelin-starred dining, holistic and top-rated spas, and impressive staff-to-guest ratios. 

Today, there are seven Velas Resorts across Mexico. With three in Los Cabos—Grand Velas Los Cabos, Grand Velas Boutique Los Cabos, and Mar del Cabo by Velas Resorts—you can expect the same high-caliber offerings with amenities tailored to various travel styles. The best part? Each is only a short, complimentary golf-cart ride apart. And while your SmartFlyer travel advisor remains the best resource to help match your preferences with the right Velas Resort for you, we’re diving into all three Cabo properties to get your creative wheels turning.

Bring the Entire Family to Grand Velas Los Cabos 

As you arrive at the Grand Velas Los Cabos lobby, you’re greeted with a view looking out over the Sea of Cortez that’s truly transportive. Sloping striped columns frame the sky, sleek marble slabs line the floor, and structural furniture and sculptures complete the space. It makes you feel like you’re entering another world entirely, where sunsets are even more cinematic. 

Design language here is guided by the sail-shape of the building, designed by architecture firm Elias Elias, which honors the Vela family. A quick language lesson: “Vela” is “Sail” in Spanish. Through this feat of architecture, each of the 307 suites has an ocean view, continuing the magic from the lobby into each room. Since opening in 2016, the property has been awarded a range of highly sought-after awards not just for its design, but the service that accompanies it. When staying at Grand Velas Los Cabos, rest assured you’re in the hands of a property that’s earned 5 Stars by Forbes, 5 AAA Diamonds, and a Michelin star. In order to maintain its strict service standard, regardless of the hours you choose to keep, you’ll have someone to assist you with twenty-four-hour personalized concierge service.

Each suite at Grand Velas Los Cabos measures more than 1,100 square feet, with select accommodations featuring private plunge pools. There are three swimming pools—one that’s adults-only, one for the kids, and one that welcomes everyone. A 35,000-square-foot SE Spa offers sixteen treatment rooms, a seven-step hydrotherapy journey, and staff referred to as “body artisans.” One of the standout offerings is the Spa Atelier program—fifty- or eighty-minute sessions that include custom programming of aromatherapy, tea ceremonies, nutrition, and Ayurvedic medicine. There’s also a state-of-the-art Life Fitness center, featuring a complete slate of equipment, Pilates and yoga classes boasting ocean views, and unique programming like floating mat core sculpting.

Think: arts and crafts programming, bingo, soccer games, Wii and Xbox, storytelling hours, movie screenings, board games, and mini bungee jumping.

With such a wide array of offerings, Grand Velas Los Cabos knows who it’s designed to serve best. Families are a major part of that mix. The resort has a dedicated Kids’ Club for children between the ages of four and twelve, with age-appropriate activities that give younger guests their own spaces. Think: arts and crafts programming, bingo, soccer games, Wii and Xbox, storytelling hours, movie screenings, board games, and mini bungee jumping. But family-friendly programming doesn’t stop when the Kids’ Club does. Teens have their own dedicated space for activities, while the resort also builds experiences that parents and children can do together, from pool time and beach activities to culinary and cultural programming.

This wide range of offerings gives the property a wide range of guests it can serve, as well as carving out unique experiences within one family unit. For instance, a family can spend the morning together, split off for a few hours while the littles hit the Kids Club, and then reconvene for dinner without ever having to leave the premises. This convenience is particularly adept for multi-generational trips, where grandparents, parents, and young children may have very different ideas of what makes a perfect vacation. Plus, the resort’s spacious multi-bedroom Family Suites are designed with multi-generational travel in mind, giving families more room to stay together while maintaining separate sleeping and living spaces.

Think of it less as dinner and more as a culinary tour through Mexico, where local produce, seafood, meats, Mexican wines, and ancestral tradition are given the kind of treatment you might expect at a destination restaurant with a months-long waitlist.

The resort is perhaps at its most impressive when it comes to food. Cocina de Autor, its signature restaurant, earned a Michelin Star in 2024. Led by two-Michelin-Star Chef Sidney Schutte (who leaves his restaurant Amsterdam for two months every year to craft the menus at Los Cabos) and Executive Chef Francisco Sixtos, the restaurant serves an eight- to ten-course tasting menu that draws on Mexican ingredients and traditions while taking plenty of creative liberties. Think of it less as dinner and more as a culinary tour through Mexico, where local produce, seafood, meats, Mexican wines, and ancestral tradition are given the kind of treatment you might expect at a destination restaurant with a months-long waitlist. The fact that your meals here are a built-in part of the stay feels almost like a cheat code.

Adult Sophistication at Grand Velas Boutique Los Cabos 

This adults-only property sits next door to its larger sister resort, but the experience is intentionally more intimate… 

If Grand Velas Los Cabos feels like an expansive retreat for a family of all ages, Grand Velas Boutique Los Cabos feels like someone dialed it up to deliver an even more sophisticated, grown-up version. This adults-only property sits next door to its larger sister resort, but the experience is intentionally more intimate, with just seventy-nine suites and a quieter atmosphere from the moment you arrive. There’s still the Sea of Cortez glistening, the Baja sunshine, and the dramatic landscape that makes Los Cabos feel so far removed from the rest of the world—but here, the scale is different. 

Suites at Grand Velas Boutique Los Cabos all open onto ocean views, with some featuring private plunge pools and fire pits. Here, the pace is geared toward savoring each moment. It’s particularly suited to couples, honeymooners, and adults traveling together, with the child-free environment delivering a specific brand of serenity. And if at any point you want to switch up the rhythm, you can head over to the main resort—all the dining and amenity options there are included in your stay, too.

Wellness here is less about checking in for a spa treatment and more about moving through a holistic array of programming. The fitness center is stocked with more Technogym cardio and training equipment and free weights, and more opportunities for personalized training. At the Boutique’s SE Spa, consider partaking in a complete Wellness Ceremony built around a progression of heat, cold, water, and meditation. This special treatment begins with a sauna and steam room session before moving into an ice room, and ultimately continuing into a magnesium pool with bubble seats, jets, and a reflexology bubble geyser. The final stages include sleep therapy, meditation, and detoxification. There’s also a Before Bed Dry Spa Experience, which moves guests through dry spa stations including a sleep chair and infrared light, with a snack and calming beverage at each juncture of your treatment.  

The focus turns toward Mexico’s food, drink, and creative traditions.

The “Before Bed” experience is just one of the resort’s Signature Experiences that follow an immersive approach. The focus turns toward Mexico’s food, drink, and creative traditions. A Mexican Spirits & Agave Tasting moves beyond tequila into the smoky complexity of Oaxacan mezcal, along with the regional traditions of sotol and raicilla. The Tequila Journey traces the spirit from crisp Blancos to complex Extra-Añejos, introducing guests to Blue Weber Agave and the craftsmanship behind boutique labels. For wine drinkers, the Mexican Wine and Cheese Pairing is led by a sommelier and focuses on Valle de Guadalupe wines matched with artisanal Mexican cheeses, while the Salts of the World Tasting takes a decidedly more unexpected approach, exploring how mineral salts from different parts of the world can change the flavor of individual ingredients. There are also hands-on experiences, including a Mole Mexican Cooking Class and an Art and Wine Experience with a local San José del Cabo artist.

And then there is Loto Robata Grill, where the property’s grown-up sensibility makes its way onto the dinner table. Led by Chef Schutte, the restaurant takes the Japanese robata tradition and combines it with his own creative approach, bringing traditional Japanese flavors into a Baja setting. It joins the resort’s other food and beverage experiences as another reason to stay on the Boutique side of the property. Another point for Grand Velas Boutique Los Cabos? One of its more playful—but still very adult—beverage additions. Heritage Sips is a collection of five non-alcoholic drinks inspired by ancestral Mexican beverages and centered on traditional ingredients. Cacao, corn, hibiscus, and agave become the starting points for drinks that explore the ingredients and traditions behind Mexico’s drinking culture. 

It’s the best of both worlds—adults can rest assured in choosing the grown-up oasis of the Boutique property and still indulge in the variety of the dining scene next door.

That’s really the defining difference between Grand Velas Los Cabos and Grand Velas Boutique Los Cabos: the emphasis at Boutique is on tasting, learning, lingering, and trying something genuinely unique. Plus, you’ll still have access to the five gourmet dinner restaurants at Grand Velas Los Cabos, including Cocina de Autor. It’s the best of both worlds—adults can rest assured in choosing the grown-up oasis of the Boutique property and still indulge in the variety of the dining scene next door.

Mar del Cabo for The Independent Traveler

It’s notably the smallest property in the Velas Resorts Los Cabos portfolio, with just forty-eight rooms and suites.

If Grand Velas Los Cabos feels expansive and Grand Velas Boutique feels intentionally subdued, Mar del Cabo feels like the more laid-back, design-minded sibling. It’s notably the smallest property in the Velas Resorts Los Cabos portfolio, with just forty-eight rooms and suites. And with its position on a narrow stretch of the corridor between the two Grand Velas properties, the design is matched to feel pared back. White walls act almost like a canvas, while Mexican handicrafts, local textiles, wood furniture, and pops of color provide a full sensory experience. Guests can choose between one- and two-bedroom suites as well as two penthouses with accommodations varying depending on where they sit along the slope. Some have direct ocean views, while others look onto gardens and corridors, but all have furnished terraces or balconies. The oceanfront suites near the lobby offer elevator access, while the suites closer to the pool sit lower on the property and include larger indoor and outdoor spaces.

The property’s layout is part of its charm—and something to keep in mind when booking with your SmartFlyer travel advisor. Rather than one large building with an elevator that takes you everywhere, Mar del Cabo cascades toward the beach, with stairs connecting its different levels. The descent brings you past gardens and viewpoints before reaching the oceanfront pool, which acts as a distinctive tiled pool just steps from the sand. Above it is a lookout where guests can settle into the grass with a panoramic view of the Sea of Cortez; it’s particularly beautiful around sunset. On select evenings, the hotel turns this area into a gathering spot around a fire pit for s’mores. Continue down a few more steps, and you’re on the beach, where the long stretch of sand is better suited to walking and jogging than swimming, given the waves and strong currents along this part of the coast. Between December and April, there’s the possibility of spotting migrating whales offshore. 

…leaves guests with more flexibility to build their days around the destination, especially if you’re hoping to explore wider Cabo San Lucas, including its golf courses, fishing, or robust dining scene.

The adults-only designation gives Mar del Cabo a different vibe from Grand Velas Los Cabos next door. The European plan at Mar del Cabo also differs from the Boutique; the nightly rate includes breakfast, but everything else is a la cárte, giving you free rein to do Cabo your way. That leaves guests with more flexibility to build their days around the destination, especially if you’re hoping to explore wider Cabo San Lucas, including its golf courses, fishing, or robust dining scene. Guests can also opt to dine at either sister property. This flexibility gives you an advantage not often found at a small boutique hotel: the property itself remains intimate, but the larger Velas ecosystem is accessible just next door.

Its focus on culinary is where the Velas connection becomes especially apparent. Breakfast includes homemade bread, acai bowls, traditional Mexican dishes, fresh juices, and smoothies, while dinner can move into more elaborate territory. Encanto Farm & Sea sits above the pool and looks toward the Sea of Cortez, with a menu built around the flavors and ingredients of Baja California Sur. More than ninety percent of the restaurant’s ingredients come from nearby orchards, ranches, and producers, and the kitchen’s emphasis on local sourcing carries through from breakfast to dinner. The newer Encanto de la Baja: The Chef’s Blind Menu takes that local focus even further, with Chef Oscar Morales creating a seven-course menu based on what is freshest that day. You’ll share any dietary restrictions and ingredients you avoid, and the rest is left to the kitchen, with pairings that can include wines from Valle de Guadalupe or cocktails, depending on the vibe. 

The smaller footprint of Mar del Cabo also makes it an appealing option for group travel. With just forty-eight rooms and suites and two larger sister resorts immediately beside it, the property can accommodate buyouts for destination weddings, corporate gatherings, and other celebrations while still having access to its wider range of amenities. The programming can be customized around the setting, from sailboat weddings and beach barbecues to mariachi nights and spirits tastings, with excursions such as whale watching and sunset boat trips available beyond the property. And for guests traveling with four-legged companions, Mar del Cabo is pet-friendly, with its Pawsh Spa offering a particularly on-brand ritual: Tibetan singing bowls, a natural-bristle brush massage, organic shea butter for the paws, and jade rollers to cool them down after a day in the Los Cabos heat.

Getting to Velas Resorts in Los Cabos 

Los Cabos is served primarily by Los Cabos International Airport (SJD), which is a thirty-minute drive from the Velas Resorts properties. There are nonstop flights from major cities across the U.S., as well as from Canada and Mexico. Cabo San Lucas International Airport (CSL) is also roughly thirty minutes from the resorts, and it caters primarily to private and executive aviation, including our partners at Aero who offer convenient service from Los Angeles, complete with Erewhon on board. 

Private airport transfers take you directly from the airport to your stay. The drive from the airport also gives you your first introduction to the landscape, including a dramatic combination of desert, mountains, coastline, and Sea of Cortez views that defines this part of Baja California Sur. By the time you reach the resorts, the landscape has already started doing some of the work of convincing you that you’ve arrived somewhere very different from home. Ultimately, no matter what version you chose to experience, Cabo is one of those destinations where the hardest part is often when it’s time to leave.