We have already reviewed the best luxury hotels in Los Cabos. In this review, we compare the 5-star Four Seasons Los Cabos vs. Las Ventanas al Paraíso vs. One&Only Palmilla.
While Los Cabos itself is surrounded by mega-hotels, giving it the feel of a Mexican Vegas, the luxury resorts that sit further from the main resort area are fairly incredible, ultra-luxurious, and well worth visiting. Las Ventanas is located between Cabo San Lucas and San Jose Del Cabo, 10 minutes from One&Only Palmilla. Four Seasons is just over an hour further north on the coastline of the Sea of Cortés, facing away from the Pacific.
The brand new Four Seasons Los Cabos and the new Aman resort next door are found on the much calmer beach Sea of Cortez, which is better for swimming. If you want to swim, it’s wise to pick a resort with a safe beach, and both Four Seasons Los Cabos and Aman’s resort further up the beach tick this box.
In terms of when to visit, the best discounts and special offers in and around Los Cabos tend to be in the low season. Although hotels like the Four Seasons do not reduce their rates outside the main season, they do tend to offer 3 nights for the price or 2 and 4 nights for the price of 3 type discounts which can make a trip to Los Cabos, outside the high season, much more affordable.
The buildings at Las Ventanas are more in keeping with the local architecture making the Las Ventanas resort feel Mexican, whereas One&Only Palmilla feels more classic luxury, and the Four Seasons feels, well, Four Seasons!
We have compared each hotel below and have then reviewed each hotel separately so that you get more of an idea of which is best for you. We genuinely think that all these hotels are great, so if you really can’t decide, why not try two or even all three and enjoy the best of all worlds!
- Best For Luxury: All three!
- Best For Tropical Grounds: One&Only Palmilla
- Best For Infinity Pools: Las Ventanas has four (or is it five…) infinity pools, so you are never fighting for a seat or looking for space
- Best For Family Pools: Four Seasons Los Cabos
- Best For Poolside Amenities: Las Ventanas for their poolside umbrella positioning, chilled towels, buckets of ice water, Evian face mist, popsicle cart that comes around with freshly made fruit pops, and there is a buzzer at each lounger so that you can summon an attendant
- Best For Calm: Las Ventanas with its relaxing atmosphere
- Most Breathtaking: Las Ventanas
- Best For Romantic Walks In The Dunes: Four Seasons Los Cabos
- Best For Romance Overall: Las Ventanas. This place is made for romance, so understandably attracts lots of couples and honeymooners
- Best For Unobtrusive But Efficient Service: Las Ventanas
- Best For Falling Asleep To The Sound Of The Surf: Las Ventanas
- Best For Light Sleepers: One&Only Palmilla &Four Seasons. At Las Ventanas, you can hear the waves even with the windows and doors closed
- Best For Families: Four Seasons followed by One&Only Palmilla for their excellent children’s and teens’ club and a private surf school. Four Seasons, however, always tends to win for families. The staff are so great with kids, the kids’ clubs are always great, and kids can paddle and swim from the Four Seasons beach in safety. There is one beach at One&Only that you can swim off, but it is not as calm. Children would be unwise to swim off the beach at Las Ventanas, although we do also love the lazy river at Las Ventanas
- Best For Rooms: All three
- Best For Adult Atmosphere: Las Ventanas as it is smaller with a more intimate and personal atmosphere
- Best For Family Atmosphere: Four Seasons Los Cabos
- Best For Golf: Las Ventanas is better-located for a range of top-notch golf courses, although Four Seasons Los Cabos Resort also features a Robert Trent Jones II signature 18-hole golf course, which also makes it a great choice
- Most Exclusive: Currently Las Ventanas, but when the Amanvari Aman opens in Cabo, this will be the most exclusive hotel in Los Cabos
- Best For Celebrity Spotting: Las Ventanas
- Best Beach For Sunbathing: Las Ventanas has extensive oceanfront acreage, so the beach always feels empty, even when the resort is full. Although the beach here feels exclusive, it is rarely swimmable. Four Seasons is on the calm side of the peninsula. This is a beach for paddling and swimming and wins overall
- Best Restaurant: Las Ventanas Sushi Bar for wonderful sushi with tequila
- Best For Cheap Food: None! Meals are expensive, plus there is a 15% gratuity. Expect big bills!
- Spa: Las Ventanas. While the treatments are not outstanding at Las Ventanas, the calming ambiance, the cold plunge pool, hot tub, steam room sauna, and relaxation area make it a winner
1. Four Seasons Los Cabos
Four Seasons Los Cabos at Costa Palmas is now open and is now one of the best Four Seasons in the world. The all-new ultra-luxury resort is situated in Baja’s undiscovered East Cape on two miles (3.2 km) of pristine beachfront within the private beachfront community of Costa Palmas.
Just 45 minutes from Los Cabos International Airport (SJD) and a world away from the Cabo crowds, the sleek and contemporary Resort features 141 guest rooms, including 23 suites. Guests will enjoy five dining options, including world-renowned estiatorio Milos, multiple retail experiences, a sports complex and fitness center, four expansive pools, Oasis Spa and Wellness Centre, a teen center, and Kids for All Seasons program, as well as multiple unique indoor/outdoor celebration spaces.
The resort features a low-density layout spread across multiple buildings and a collection of whole-ownership oceanfront, marina-side, and golf-side private residences, as well as an intimate collection of custom single-family beachfront private residence villas.
Alongside multiple pools, extensive indoor and outdoor event and wedding facilities, and five unique dining outlets, the Resort also features a Robert Trent Jones II signature 18-hole golf course, a full-service spa, and progressive fitness facilities.
The extensive grounds of the Resort are connected to an adjacent yachting marina that features up to two hundred slips to accommodate yachts up to 250 feet (76 meters) and its own ocean-side marina village, complete with artisanal boutiques, additional dining options, and locally curated music and art.
The East Cape’s location of this Four Seasons, on the warm, crystal-clear waters of the Sea of Cortez, makes for excellent snorkeling and diving, some of the world’s best light tackle and sport fishing, and world-class windsurfing and kiteboarding. The idyllic setting at the base of the Sierra de la Laguna Mountains also offers endless opportunities for land adventure, from hiking, biking, and horseback riding to exploring waterfalls, spring-fed freshwater pools, and hot springs. If you are a Four Seasons fan, this brand-new Four Seasons simply must be added to your bucket list.
Four Seasons Los Cabos is, in fact, just down the beach from the new Amanvari Los Cabos in the 1,000-acre beachfront resort community of Costa Palmas. This luxury vacation development brings a whole new level of luxury to Los Cabos, making this the number one spot to choose, both for your couple’s break or honeymoon and for a family holiday with the kids.
Four Seasons and Amanvari have a huge advantage over many other luxury hotels around Los Cabos. Hotels that face the rough Pacific are disadvantaged as you are often confined to using the hotel pool rather than swimming in the sea. The Sea of Cortez in front of this Four Seasons hotel offers calm waters and great snorkeling, everything you need from paradise!
I reviewed the best way to get deals and special offers at Four Seasons Resort Los Cabos separately. The key is to book your next Four Seasons stay via our luxury travel concierge, and we can give you free loyalty-style benefits, room upgrades, and perks at the same cheapest rates.
These benefits will be added to your booking at no extra cost, even if the rate is a special offer rate, such as four nights for the price of three or three nights for the price of two promotions.
Four Seasons Resort Los Cabos at Costa Palmas marks the third addition to the company’s growing Mexican collection, which currently includes properties in Punta Mita and Mexico City. The Resort will join an exclusive collection of Four Seasons resorts in destinations including the Maldives, Seychelles, Bora Bora, Koh Samui, and Hawaii.
Of course, there is no Four Seasons rewards program, but if you are a regular guest of the Four Seasons or even want to try this iconic brand for the first time, you can take advantage of loyalty style benefits at Four Seasons hotels for no extra cost by booking your next stay via our luxury travel concierge.
2. Las Ventanas Al Paraiso, A Rosewood Resort
Las Ventanas Al Paraiso, A Rosewood Resort, pictured above, is described by some as “heaven on earth”. It is situated near the peaceful San Jose Del Cabo and offers 84 luxurious suites and villas, including 12 Signature beach villas. The resort is just half an hour from Los Cabos airport.
From the first moment you arrive behind the discreet gates, you are welcomed with open arms. Your stay starts with the complimentary arrival Mariachis (frozen margaritas), a special touch, and your stay will get better from here on in. The welcome at the hotel can be overwhelming or cute, depending on your mindset, with around 4 members of staff and often a full-on mariachi band all celebrating your arrival.
Rooms come with suite butlers, and the grounds are gorgeous. Taking the Gardenview Jr. King Suite as an example, this room is large, and most rooms in this category have a distant view of the Sea of Cortez. Although these rooms are not directly oceanfront, the view from their massive balcony is an angled ocean view.
The best rooms at Las Ventanas al Paraísois (without breaking the bank) are near the smaller pools (201-208 & 301-308). These rooms are also closest to the ocean. We think these are the best as you rarely have to share the pool nearest your room with more than 2 couples, making the whole experience very private.
Extras within each room, such as a telescope for viewing the night sky and aromatherapy choices included with turndown service, make this place even more special.
The Signature Beachfront and Oceanview Villas are perfect for a special event or a honeymoon, and sit steps from the legendary Sea of Cortés. From private, infinity-edge pools to the expansive bathroom, with its steam and rain shower and infinity bathtub for two, this authentic Mexican villa awakens all senses to the wonders of this private paradise. Don’t miss the recently added beach cabanas with private Jacuzzis.
This resort is most special at night, with the twinkling glow of lanterns and candles that illuminate the pathways. Some nights there are fireworks; others will tempt you to sit on the beach in the evenings, listening to the waves and looking up at the clear night sky dotted with stars.
Five distinct dining venues include coastal cuisine with Asian influences at Arbol, an authentic Mexican menu at El Restaurante, Sea Grill featuring ‘La Marisqueria,’ savory street tacos at Taqueria, and an authentic and fresh ceviche experience at the Tequila & Ceviche Bar. All are excellent. Everything is super fresh, and the quality is superb. The restaurant also has a cocktail lounge where they have live music at night.
Leisure activities include world-class golf, an acclaimed spa, deep-sea fishing, water sports, and ultra-luxury amenities and programs, along with poolside pampering by their highly-trained team of pampering Pool Butlers at the legendary Infinity Pool. The beach feels like your own private oasis with the most respectful and discreet staff.
For your honeymoon or couples break, there is a “Director of Romance” dedicated to making guests’ romantic dreams come true. The Spa at Las Ventanas is heralded as one of the world’s top spas, featuring exquisite indoor-outdoor treatment rooms, private terraces, duet suites for couples, a serene solarium, and a full-service beauty salon. The treatment menu features a variety of holistic treatments inspired by the resort’s surroundings in Los Cabos.
3. One&Only Palmilla
One&Only Palmilla is located much nearer to San Jose del Cabo than Las Ventanas, which means it is more convenient for excursions outside the resort grounds. Conversely, the location feels slightly less exclusive than Las Ventanas.
Probably the biggest advantage of One&Only Palmilla’s is the beach, which is generally the most swimmable of the three resorts. One of the beaches here is safely swimmable year-round, even when the waves here can be both spectacular and rough. The infinity pools elevate you so that you can enjoy views of the Pacific, even when the waves crash against this rocky peninsula. That said, Four Seasons and Aman also have very similar beaches as they are on the calmer side of the Cape, so if this is a deal-breaker, these two resorts should also be considered as well.
One&Only Palmilla attracts celebrities and Hollywood A-listers, although not as many as at Las Ventanas. It ticks all the boxes with impressive fine dining, an excellent spa, and at certain times of the year, you can watch distant humpback whales navigating the Pacific.
The feel of this resort is Spanish colonial with white-washed walls. The resort has a true Mexican vibe, a stunning spa, a beautiful church, very nice landscaping, pools, and a beach. The service is outstanding. The bars and restaurants here ooze sophistication with colorful furnishings. The open-air terrace named Breeze overlooks the pools and is a good place to take breakfast or lunch. Expect your breakfast to have a touch of Mexican mixed in with the usual. For example, how do scrambled eggs, guacamole, and Pico de Gallo sound?
Suviche offers sushi and a bar in the evening, or try one of two beachside grills. For something special, head to the most high-end restaurant in the resort, ‘Seared’ by Michelin-starred Jean-Georges Vongerichten, which serves a delicious gourmet menu with a hint of Mexican.
Service is incredible if sometimes tiring as staff greet you and bow each time you see you. Somehow they haven’t got this quite right (at least for the less vivacious guest who wants to hide away rather than be constantly greeted), so for service alone, I would always prefer the rockstar intimacy of Las Ventanas, the Aman, or the perfectly non-intrusive service of the new Four Seasons Los Cabos.
The One&Only Spa has its own yoga garden and treatment cabanas situated in landscaped courtyards. There’s also an excellent children’s and teens’ club and a private surf school making this a great choice for families with children. There is also a Jack Nicklaus 27-hole golf course exclusive to the resort, along with paddle boarding and tennis.
Standard ‘Ocean Front’ rooms are large, but ‘Pool Casita Suites’ are perfect for a special occasion or a honeymoon and have a private plunge pool and incredible ocean views and are the ones to pick if your budget stretches that far.
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