Viceroy Los Cabos

This is one of the most architecturally stunning buildings I have ever been to, let alone hotels. It’s a beautifully simple and refined hotel that is like no other in Cabo (the entire hotel is a massive shallow pool with criss-crossing pathways). Plus, the location of this hotel is surprisingly ideal. Here’s why.

Location: A

As a Southern Californian, I have been to Cabo a few times too many. Don’t blame me though, its right there and Mexican food is too good. This was the first time though that we stayed in San Jose del Cabo, which is closer to the airport but further from the party epicenter and the famous Arc. I found this to be ideal. Grab one of the complimentary bikes and take a quick 15 minute ride into the cute little town of San Jose del Cabo where you see a much more authentic version of Mexico than you do in Cabo San Lucas. Plus, if you go on a Thursday, you get to see the entire town turned into a beautiful gallery showcasing the impressive work of local artists while you walk off all the tacos and beans from Jazmin’s Restaurant (which I highly recommend). Being this close to a town that isn’t tourist dominated was a nice change of pace from what I’m used to in Cabo (you can get nice refined drinks at a bar like La Revolucion instead of shots at Mango Deck).

Rooms: A

Make sure you get an ocean view room here, because it’s absolutely worth it. The rooms are spacious (especially the shower, which is literally two showers combined into one, making it ideal for couples) and they do a great job at blurring the line between interior and exterior space. The balcony is also superb, with a full bed, tub and spectacular views. Everything about this room is ideal for what you want in a beach front hotel, especially as a couple. The decor is simple, minimalist, which I personally am a fan of.

Balconies really don’t get much better than this.

Dining: B

This is the beachfront bar

Only problem here is that the food is just pricey. The breakfast is fantastic (chilaquiles here are to die for) and the ceviche by the beach we had was also great (although took a while to get). It is just all a little too expensive for what I would expect, but then again, this is a top 50 hotel in the world so maybe my expectations were just a bit off. The restaurant inside the nest, called NIDO, serves up great sushi, but again, expect to shell out quite a bit. Weird note about NIDO - we tried to make a reservation through the hotel and they said they were fully booked but I ended up easily making a reservation on OpenTable and it worked perfectly fine. But the service and overall vibe of NIDO was really solid - you are dining inside a nest inside a pool after all.

Take your pick of which pool you want to lounge by every day! Just get lucky with getting a lounge chair too.

Beach lounge chairs at sunset

Amenities: B-

So the place has it all. It’s got the pools, its got the bars, the restaurants, the spa, the lobby, the bike rentals, the beach, etc. Why a B- then? Because everything was surprisingly small. It’s a big hotel, and as cool and aesthetic as the pools are, they always felt a little too overcrowded to comfortably use them. We never had a problem with finding lounge chairs, but I feel like we just got lucky the times we wanted them. The lobby is also strangely small for a hotel with this grandeur.

Cielomar Rooftop Bar - definitely one of the nicer bars in this part of San Jose del Cabo

The adults only pool (which was FREEZING cold by the way, so this was as close as I got to going in)

With that said, Cielomar is a great rooftop bar, so definitely make your way there (they have events every night of the week, so look out for which one tickles your fancy and plan from there). The gym is actually VERY impressive. It is huge and has every type of workout you can imagine available, so its a perfect place to l=try and look decent before heading to the beach.

We never used the spa, so can’t make a comment there, but we did use the adults only pool on the roof of one of the buildings. It’s quite nice and empty with cool artwork and great views over the hotel and surrounding area, so if you want some privacy head here. But if you want pool service and drinks and whatnot, stay down at the main pools.

There is also an advertised ice skating rink which we were excited about but it was literally a plastic square tucked behind the kitchen in the main building so I just laughed when I saw it and kept walking.

Service: B+

Nothing particularly over the top in terms of service, but we had no complaints at all during our stay.

Scene

Its a very cool combination of people here, I must say. Normally, Cabo hotels have one clientele and stick to it, whether its the party people, couples or families. But I felt like the Viceroy had something for everyone and as a result the scene was pleasantly diverse. And even though this is one of the best hotels in the world, the people who were staying there did not give off a pretentious vibe at all. It’s Cabo after all, everyone is here to have a good time.

Slightly unrelated note here: A trip to Cabo San Lucas is worth it solely for the reason of a dinner at The Office. It’s absolutely fire (especially if you get the spiked Mexican Hot Chocolate thing - trust me)