One&Only Palmilla

The resort is beautiful and I have zero regrets about going — but I'm still thinking about the $35 guacamole that they don't even make tableside.

Multiple guests across different trips flag the same thing: the food and drink pricing isn't just expensive by resort standards, it seems to exist in its own pricing universe. A small guacamole at the pool bar, 735 pesos. A margarita, $30. A pina colada, $50. The food itself is good — sometimes very good — but the value equation requires a specific mental adjustment before you arrive or it will color your entire stay.

The butler left a hand-drawn star map in my room because we'd been chatting about a celestial event earlier that day — that's the kind of listening this hotel does.

We've used Palmilla for our anniversary trips multiple times and the personalization never stops impressing. The birthday decorations for my mother, then the same treatment for mine on a separate stay — it's the kind of memory-making that makes this resort a ritual rather than just a vacation. You get out what you put into the relationship with the staff here.

During high season that adults pool is genuinely popping — mostly Texans at the swim-up bar, loud and social and fun if that's your vibe.

I want to push back a little on people who call Palmilla quiet or lacking a scene — you're probably visiting in low season. In peak months, the adults pool has real energy, and the beach gets busy since it's technically public. The distance to Cabo's restaurant scene is roughly the same as any other hotel in the corridor — Nicksan is right there and it's a drive from anywhere. For food and beverage, just mentally accept the bill will be staggering and stop fighting it; I still think the hotel overall is very much worth it.

The assigned pool lounger system is a genuine game-changer — we gave them our room number on arrival and never thought about chairs again for the entire stay.

After scrambling for chairs at other luxury properties, the fact that Palmilla simply assigns you a spot — and moves you the next day if you prefer a different location — felt almost radical. We didn't do anything special to earn it; that's just how they operate. It's a small operational detail that has an outsized effect on how relaxed your days feel.

A $30 margarita and a $50 piña colada set the tone for our bar bill — but honestly, everything else about the experience was first-rate enough that it didn't ruin anything.

The beverage pricing will absolutely shock you on first glance, and it's worth being mentally prepared before you arrive. Once you've accepted the reality, the service, the rooms, the location, and the overall amenities are genuinely exceptional. Come in clear-eyed about the F&B costs and you'll have a wonderful time.

I had a ceiling leak and they offered me a bucket. After a week, the staff still didn't know my name.

The indifference felt especially stark given the rate — around $2,000 a night. Housekeeping wasn't completed until 2–3pm most days, and once as late as 8:30pm. The rooms felt spare and impersonal. I'm not sure what stay the glowing reviews are describing, but it wasn't the one I had.

Among all the Los Cabos options, Palmilla stands out for something almost no other property offers: a swimmable beach, private rocky coves, floating beds, and dedicated butler access at the water's edge.

AFAR·Jan 2023·

The editorial case for Palmilla consistently comes back to the beach situation. Three private rocky coves with floating beds, lounge chairs, and dedicated butlers turn a beach day into something genuinely private and personal. That combination — swimmable main beach plus intimate cove options — is simply not available at most of its competitors.

We brought our one-year-old and — stroller logistics aside — this place handled us better than any resort we've tried with a baby.

The Junior Suite Oceanfront with Plunge Pool had so much character and was spotless; the crib, changing pad, and sterilizer were all set up before we arrived, and housekeeping left Little Primrose baby products. The family pool had a zero-entry splash area and was almost always quiet while the adults pool was the lively one — which was funny and actually perfect. The biggest logistical frustration was the steps everywhere: we had no stroller-accessible path to our plunge pool room, which I should have asked about in advance. Food pricing genuinely shocked us even on vacation mode — we're talking prices that surpass New York City — and the water situation (no refill stations, had to ask housekeeping repeatedly) was the one thing that felt unacceptable at this level.

We came for a world-class wellness experience and left deeply frustrated — the spa's potential is real, but the execution failed us at every operational level.

The Temazcal ceremony was interrupted midway to rush us to a massage appointment the spa had double-booked — exactly the kind of disruption that undermines everything a rebirth ritual is meant to do. After spending several thousand dollars across a few hours, we were then held at the billing desk for thirty minutes over a charge error the spa had made, which caused us to miss part of an evening event. The most alarming part came at Hoshi: we'd disclosed a food allergy multiple times, ordered a clearly marked safe dish, and were halfway through it when staff informed us it had actually contained the allergen. These aren't isolated hiccups — this is systematic operational failure, and at this price point it's unacceptable.

I've stayed at a lot of properties, but Palmilla's service genuinely moved me — it's the kind of place where the staff seem as loyal to it as the returning guests.

The property has a pedigree you can feel in the bones — built in 1956 by the son of a Mexican president, it pioneered luxury in Baja before there was even a highway here. That DNA of discretion and exclusivity still shows up in the way staff engage: not transactional, not showy, just quietly excellent. I kept thinking about how they could modernize the rooms without losing the character — the bathrooms especially have a charm I'd be sad to see replaced. The food is expensive, full stop; a meal for four at breakfast and lunch runs $400–500 routinely, and the wine prices are double what you'd pay at a high-end San Francisco restaurant.

We've done Palmilla twice, Four Seasons Cabo del Sol, and Las Ventanas — and Palmilla still wins on service and spa, even if it loses the room comparison.

Palmilla's service is on another level: pool staff would sprint over the second you went to adjust your chair. The spa is gorgeous and tranquil, and uniquely you can access the full thermal circuit without booking a treatment. The rooms are the most dated of the three — Four Seasons has a clear edge there — but there's a lushness and laid-back jungle quality to the grounds that the newer, grander properties can't replicate. The only caveat I'd offer: if you're bringing older kids who need serious programming, Four Seasons has the better kids club infrastructure.

I've stayed at O&O Palmilla, Nobu, the Waldorf, Las Ventanas, and The Cape — and Palmilla is the best of all of them, not even close.

The wet shave at the barber is among the best I've had anywhere in the world. The adults-only pool and swim-up bar are consistently excellent. Every meal from breakfast to dinner at Seared delivered, and the staff seem to genuinely care in a way that comes from long tenure at the property rather than a training manual. The one hiccup — a child-sized robe — was resolved before we got back from lunch. That speed and grace is what separates this place.

I'll be honest — I went in skeptical, figuring newer properties would have left this one behind. I was completely wrong.

The moment you pass through the entrance and the desert heat gives way to a canopy of mature trees and the sound of birds, you understand why people keep coming back. The crisp white hacienda buildings wind along the coastline in a way that feels genuinely earned rather than designed. The service is warm without being performative — everyone greets you with a hand over their heart, and it never once felt hollow. There are pieces that could be refreshed, but the sum total of this place is unforgettable in a way newer properties just haven't figured out yet.

The swimmable beach alone justifies the premium over competing properties — and the Omakase at Hoshi was the best single meal of our entire trip.

Our One Bedroom Grand Suite didn't feel dated at all — it had real character. Two dedicated butlers meant requests were handled before we'd finished the sentence. The beach cabana was $500 but $200 was credited back, which made it feel reasonable. The Hoshi Omakase is expensive even by the resort's standards but delivers on every promise — go once for a special occasion and don't flinch at the bill.

The location and spa are genuinely top-tier, but when we had a real room problem, the management response was so poor it almost undid everything.

We booked two suites and ran into a room issue early on. The front-line staff were kind and apologetic — they always are — but when it escalated to management, we were met with bureaucratic deflection rather than problem-solving. For what we were paying, the room service wait times were also inconsistently long. It's a pattern I've heard from others: the beautiful people at the base of the organization genuinely care, but operational recovery at the management level doesn't match the brand promise.

Every single element of this stay felt curated for us personally — from the waves that lulled us to sleep to a flamenco guitarist playing a guitar once owned by Paco de Lucía.

Our hosts Perla and Guillermo seemed to anticipate things before we'd thought to ask. Dinner at Lucille's was astonishing: the gnocchi was the platonic ideal of gnocchi, the dessert had us sighing, and then a guitarist appeared playing on an instrument with serious provenance. The candlelit pathways at night, the subtle incense drifting through the gardens — these aren't details you manufacture, they accumulate over decades of knowing what luxury actually feels like. Seared's sommelier introduced us to emerging Mexican wines we'd never have discovered otherwise.

My husband and I celebrated our babymoon here, and the level of care we received — even for something as specific as a safe pregnancy massage — was genuinely remarkable.

The spa staff knew exactly what was appropriate for my stage of pregnancy without me having to advocate for myself, and I felt genuinely healed at the end of the service. The thermal circuit — sauna, steam room, hot and cold plunges — is available throughout your stay even without a booking, which my husband used every day. Concierge Daniel handled a last-minute emergency need with zero drama. Our favorite moment was sunset at the Social Club, where the hosts spontaneously arranged a special photo and surprised us with a babymoon cake.

Walking in, I half-joked to my partner that it felt like a very elegant cult — everyone greets you with a hand over their heart — but by day two I'd completely surrendered to it.

The shaman-led arrival energy cleansing with copal incense was genuinely centering, not gimmicky. The adults-only pool offered exactly the stillness I needed, and the private beach dining under the sun was one of the best afternoons of the year. At night the whole property transforms: incense drifts through candlelit pathways, the gardens are lit like a fairytale, and even the on-site church is stunning. Right up until the taxi came to take us to the airport, a staff member handed me a small farewell gift — that unexpected gesture actually moved me.

I've been returning here for decades, and the arrival experience still sets the tone like nothing else in Cabo — and the new Social Club that opened late 2025 is a genuinely exciting addition.

The property has a classic, quintessentially Cabo soul rather than chasing trends, which is exactly why its loyal following keeps coming back. My oceanfront casita's terrace and plunge pool with Sea of Cortez views remain as compelling as ever. The new Social Club and Hoshi Japanese restaurant represent fresh energy without sacrificing what makes the place special. And that swimmable beach — still one of the only ones in the area — remains a legitimate differentiator.

When I asked for a phone charger our butlers showed up with the charger and a personalized cookie-decorating kit for each of my daughters — with cookies shaped like their names.

Diego and Gemma set the standard for what butler service should look like: completely unprompted, deeply personal, and genuinely delighted to do it. We spotted gray whales from the infinity pool terrace almost every morning in late January. The KidsOnly club is free and kept our girls genuinely entertained with crafts and activities. The complimentary poolside foot massages with Pacific views are one of those unexpected perks that make you never want to leave.