Destinations

Where to stay, eat and drink in Los Cabos, Mexico

Two years after Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula was ravaged by a hurricane, the Los Cabos resort strip has bounced back, writes Lucy E Cousins.

By Lucy E Cousins
Casa Del Mar
EAT
Acre The hills around San José del Cabo are popular for farm-to-table dining, and Acre, an alfresco restaurant on 10 hectares of lush farmland, is a standout example. Robust dishes using local ingredients are informed by the big-city experience - in LA, New York and Europe - of chefs Kevin Luzande and Oscar Torres, while everything from the stone platters to the furniture is made in Mexico. Calle Camino Real S/N, Las Ánimas Bajas, acrebaja.com
Manta Owned by superstar Mexican chef Enrique Olvera, of Pujol in Mexico City and Cosme in NYC, this sleek restaurant at The Cape Hotel features a clever seafood-focused menu- a house favourite is chocolate clams with black garlic and aguachile. Carretera Transpeninsular km5, Misiones del Cabo, mantarestaurant.com
Flora Farm Gloria and Patrick Greene have been working their four-hectare organic farm for two decades, producing enough herbs, heirloom vegetables and grass-fed meat to supply their busy restaurant, grocery store, small bar and market stand. Las Ánimas Bajas, San José del Cabo, flora-farms.com 
STAY
Hotel El Ganzo This adults-only design hotel just outside the town of San José del Cabo features a recording studio, rooftop pool, coastal views and a swim-up sushi bar. There are artists and musicians in residence and, as a result, the corridors are filled with modern art and the sounds of the El Ganzo Sessions. Have breakfast on the front veranda with views of the marina, order seafood tacos for lunch at the beach club fronting the hotel's private beach (accessible by boat only), and join locals by the fire pit at the ground floor outdoor bar for sundowners. Blvd Tiburón S/N, La Playita, elganzo.com
Casa del Mar The traditional hacienda-style architecture of this 50-room resort, one of the area's original properties, creates a relaxing and intimate feel. The large suites with wide balconies overlooking heated pools are the most sought-after, as are the sunloungers on the beach. Though not suitable for swimming (thanks to strong currents), the beach frames a stunning view towards the party town of Cabo San Lucas. Margaritas at the pool bar and neo-Mexican fare at Tapanco Restaurant are recommended. Carretera Transpeninsular km 19.5, Cabo Real, casadelmar.com.mx
DRINK
Two additions to Los Cabos' nightlife are drawing visitors to the northern reaches of the resort strip. A few minutes' drive from Cabo San Lucas is The Cape Hotel's sixth-floor rooftop bar (Carretera Transpeninsular km 5, Misiones del Cabo, thompsonhotels.com). It features vertical gardens, leather lounges, creative cocktails and an uninterrupted view of El Arco - a rugged natural arch on the tip of the peninsula. The bar at La Lupita Taco & Mezcalin the quieter neighbouring town of San José del Cabo (Calle José María Morelos S/N, Centro) is less flashy. It serves 28 varieties of mezcal and inventive tacos - try the duck confit with mole and Jamaican jam.
DO
Go Moon Zipping at Wild Canyon amusement park (wildcanyon.com.mx) - zip-lining 100 metres high over El Tule Canyon during a full moon. In nearby Cabo San Lucas, Cabo Adventures (cabo-adventures.com) offers a snorkelling tour aboard a luxury yacht in the World Heritage-listed Sea of Cortés. And unwind with a treatment in one of 13 private garden villas at One&Only Palmilla**Spa & Fitness centre** (oneandonlyresorts.com).
GETTING AROUND
The two towns comprising Los Cabos - rowdy Cabo San Lucas to the south and quieter San José del Cabo to the east - are 33 kilometres apart and connected by one road. Both are worth visiting, but taxis are expensive; hire a car for exploration.
DAYTRIPPING
An hour's drive north of Cabo San Lucas is the creative hub of Todos Santos. Set up as a mission in the early 18th century, it now attracts surfers, artists and yogis, who come for the Asian-fusion restaurants, organic cafés, cooking schools and annual film festival.
SHAREPIN
  • undefined: Lucy E Cousins