Ate at Don Sanchez last night. Modern Mex. Plan to go back before we leave.
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That taco looks phenomenal.
m kaplan keep the reccs coming!
just back from las ventanas
it is as good as the countless reviews, except you can’t swim there
you just stare at the beautiful ocean constantly reminded that you can’t go in
food, service and rooms are perfect imo
only left to go to la lupita and while good was not worth leaving the property for
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Enjoyed our lunch at “The Office.” Nice to eat, go swimming come back out and eat some more. Can’t beat the view and the tables are right in the sand…
forgive the ignorance; why can’t you swim there?
too rough/dangerous. Only a handful of swimmable beaches in SJD
sorry neal didn’t see that
and yes jordan is correct
not just the rips/tides /currents but lots of submerged giant rocks all over the place
would be nice if they could figure a way to fill a pool with seawater
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Thanks to you both. Not sure I would dig going to a beach and not being able to get in the water.
Medano Beach is wonderful. Been multiple times. Rented a condo 300 yrds away this past new years
You can get in the water at Montage.
Thanks again for this thread - enjoying our 25th anniversary at Esperanza as I type. Prices were pretty crazy, but I had an ungodly amount of Chase Ultimate points and wasn’t afraid to get a crappy ROI on them.
Service has been great - concierge scheduled everything for us in advance, champagne and strawberries when we arrived, found rose petals in the shape of a heart on the bed when we got back from dinner, etc. Full moon dinner at Cocina del Mar was as “picturesque” as you’re going to find, with good (but not great) food. Much like some of the other comments above, we were largely content to stay at the resort and mentally check-out, with the exception of a sunset sail around the Arch
Restaurant rec - if you like grilling, Carbon Cabron was FANTASTIC. CARBÓNCABRÓN Decor was awesome (dark, asador-themed place, with stacks of “firewood” separating the communal tables), food was sincerely fantastic from the corn starter to glazed short rib. Closer to San Jose side, in a strip mall, which is a bit weird, but once you’re inside it’s a great experience. Note: if you’re sensitive to smoke, this is a skip - see: asador-themed place.
Just returned from a week at the One & Only Palmilla. What a fabulous resort - one of the best we’ve stayed at so far for the beauty of the property and the level of service (to illustrate: they placed a sewing kit in our room on our first night, and had matched the color of threads they provided with the clothes we brought). Very quiet and peaceful – the resort feels very secluded. We hope to be back sometime soon.
We tried out several restaurants and I wanted to leave our impressions here:
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Seared (One & Only, San Jose del Cabo) - A pretty typical Jean Georges restaurant experience. The food was good, but quite expensive even by resort standards (e.g., artichoke salad for $40+). The wine list is unapproachably marked up, but we had some solid cocktails with our meal. We were invited to participate in a Penfolds dinner at the restaurant that night, but passed - it’s possible they have other wine events from time to time. Overall, would return if staying at the One & Only, if only for one night of the stay for a more “polished” experience.
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El Farallon (Waldorf, Cabo San Lucas) - This was probably the biggest disappointment of the trip. But first, I should mention that you should not do as we did – we decided to walk from the docks to the restaurant, which seemed like a pretty straightforward exercise in navigation. It was not. Google Maps’ walking directions took us up in to the Pedregal neighborhood above the resort, then seemed to suggest we rappel down the rock face to the resort. That aside… the restaurant is built into the rocks against the water. Waves crash against the rocks below the restaurant, sending occasional spray across the dining area (not quite a sea world splash zone experience) which added a certain theatrical experience. On arriving, we were led through an agave bar and deposited at the champagne bar to wait for our table. The food itself was strange - you choose your main from the daily specials, complete with a staff member who walks around with a chalkboard and an easel. Most of the fish specials were in the range of $70 and came with 2 sides, all seemingly catering to Americans (e.g., mac and cheese). I thought it was kind of like Baja meets Thanksgiving, with Thanksgiving winning out in the battle of influence. Odd meal - my fish was overcooked and the service was inattentive. Nice setting, but won’t return.
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La Lupita (San Jose del Cabo) - Recommended to us by our hotel. Solid tacos, and touristy without feeling painfully so. Would return, though I imagine there are much more interesting taquerias in the area.
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Flora Farms (San Jose del Cabo) - Everyone we know who has been to Los Cabos raves about Flora Farms. It’s a very nice setting a bit out of town. There are several boutiques you can peruse on the property (Self Edge, James Perse, etc.), which was kind of fun if not entirely in keeping with the farm-to-table aesthetic. I was kind of anticipating something intimate, but the restaurant is huge. The food and drinks were solid. Would happily return.
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Sunset Monalisa (Cabo San Lucas) - Experience #1 on the rocks was kind of a dud, but we gave it another shot at Monalisa. The setting feels more like Greece than anything else. Great view of the Cabo Bay, including the Arch. We had a great time watching the surfers in the water below us and caught a terrific sunset. The drinks here were quite sweet, and my wife couldn’t finish hers (which was, apparently, their most popular drink). Most of the food was fine if forgettable and healthily overpriced, with the exception of some sandy seafood. It’s quite a scene and the view is close to unbeatable, so it was fun for a while. The servers did “recommend” a tip for themselves of over 30%. I probably wouldn’t return on a subsequent visit.
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Manta (Cabo San Lucas) - Ah, the full Goldilocks experience. Manta is a stone’s throw from Monalisa at the Cape Hotel but they’re very different restaurants. It’s also situated on the coast though its orientation is slightly worse for sunset viewing than Monalisa’s. Still, see below… The menu was put together by Enrique Olvera of Pujol fame. The staff was accommodating and the service was friendly. With the exception of one dish (the ribeye main), the food was interesting, well cooked and presented, and worthwhile. The fish taco was one of the best I’ve ever had. The cocktails were likewise the best we had on the trip. Despite the elevated food and service, the meal cost about what we paid at Monalisa. Would happily return.
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Taqueria El Paisa (San Jose del Cabo) - Casual taco spot a short walk from the main drag of town. Cheap and good. Would return.
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Agua (One & Only Palmilla, San Jose del Cabo) - Largely pretty forgettable resort food though a good foil for the more upscale Seared. Request one of the tables along the water if you go.
Great trip. That seems like enough words for now!
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Amazing to see this thread still active! My wife and I still visit regularly after getting married back in feb 16.
One place we LOVE for tacos … Tacos Gardinias! Popular spot for fish/shrimp tacos. The fried shimp being arguably my fav taco ever!
I have to come back and add more!
We just got back from spending 4 nights at the Montage in Cabo. We loved it. I’ve always been a devoted O&O fan, but I dare say I now prefer the Montage. The whole resort is so polished and luxurious, and the level of execution is off the charts. O&O is beginning to show its age, albeit only on the margins. The Montage had probably the best service I’ve had anywhere. Puts U.S. resorts to shame. The food was superb across the resort–a notch above the O&O–and the swimmable beach on Santa Maria Bay was the best I’ve seen in the area (although the “sand” was rockier and more painful than expected).
We spent a day in San Jose, which is a charming little town.
The only downside is that pricing at these fancy resorts has gone totally comical. (Not limited to the Montage.) I’d almost rather pay more for the room and have the food and beverage tabs be more reasonable.
All of this said, I’ll still probably include the O&O in the rotation, as there are a few things I prefer about it. The location of the O&O is so spectacular, on the rocky point. And the larger, lush grounds make for more of a fantasy-land and a grander experience. I also think the aesthetics and feel of the big family pool at the O&O is far superior to the Montage, as is the O&O kids club, although my kids have largely aged out of that. And I love Suviche at O&O–would be great if Montage had a full-blown sushi spot.
All in all, Cabo remains a pretty great destination, particularly for those who have an easy direct flight.
Helpful to hear such a positive review of the Montage. We nearly went there in the summer of 2021 before deciding to try the then newly opened O&O Mandarina. We still hope to try the Montage eventually after good stays at their Palmetto Bluff and Deer Valley properties.
We have trip booked to O&O Palmilla for August and was wondering about corkage there. Did you do that and was the hotel/on-site restaurants accommodating? We noticed a few guests at Mandarina going that route and with both the wine selection and pricing poor, had planned to bring our own to Palmilla.
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Both recommendations still hold from my trip in 2022