Velas Resorts is a major player in the beach areas of Mexico, with large upscale all-inclusive resorts and a few smaller options that are more intimate. Their Mar del Cabo boutique hotel in Los Cabos is the smallest one in the portfolio, and your rate is room-only, but they provide a great adults-only experience that will really make you feel like you’ve arrived in Mexico, on a beautiful stretch of sand in Los Cabos.
The first resort that got it all started a few decades ago was Velas Vallarta. That link goes to a review here on Hotel Scoop, but I’ve stayed there too with my family and can vouch that it’s a lovely place. Most of the others are more upscale, including the nearby Casa Velas on the marina golf course, adults-only, and the much larger Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit north of the airport that caters to both couples and families.
Over in Los Cabos, it’s easy to see that Mar del Cabo was a strategic purchase since it was an older hotel squeezed between the big Grand Velas Los Cabos family all-inclusive resort and the newer adults-only Grand Velas Boutique Los Cabos all-inclusive on the other side. This one occupies a narrow wedge between the two and is easy to miss if you’re driving a rental car. Slow down and watch carefully because if you miss it, you’re taking a five-mile round trip on the highway to try again!
This Los Cabos boutique resort is not as new or flashy as the others, being one of the originals in the Los Cabos corridor area before the bulldozers and cement trucks started transforming the whole region into a never-ending string of condos and resorts. It spills down from the highway to the beach in stages, with lots of steps, but beautiful steps adorned with talavera tile and bougainvillea flowers everywhere. (If you have mobility issues, there’s a group of suites and rooms that can be reached by elevator, though getting to the pool and main restaurant is a different story.)
Pool and Restaurant by the Beach
This is a resort that unfolds slowly as you descend and presents one gorgeous view after another. The culmination is the beautiful tile swimming pool at the bottom, one of the most unique small resort pools I’ve encountered. It’s a lovely spot for relaxing, just steps from the beach, and the restaurant is perched over it, making it easy to get a drink or lunch.
There’s a lovely lookout point just above this, where you can relax with a panoramic view, toes in the grass, including at sunset. Then, some nights, the resort hosts a s’mores cookout here by a fire pit, with the tree lit up.
Walk down a few steps, and you’re on the beach, one where you can take a very long walk or jog for exercise if you please. As with most beaches in Los Cabo,s though, you probably don’t want to go in past your knees unless you carefully pick a calm spot between the rocks. The waves and riptides are both intense here at the bottom of the Baja Peninsula because of the steep drop-off right offshore. The positive aspect of that is that there’s a good chance you’ll see whales swimming by just offshore if you’re here between December and April.
While Mar del Cabo looks like a lot of other older beach resorts in Mexico, its Velas connection really shines through at the Encanto restaurant, which upholds the chain’s reputation as a food-focused hospitality company. Some of the best meals I’ve had in Mexico have been at their properties — and I live in the country. I was happy to see that they didn’t step it down at all for this one.
My first dinner at the property was a “chef’s choice” multi-course meal that started out great and never let up. A crispy tuna nest, a delicious lobster ravioli, catch of the day with grapefruit and cabbage, and a tender filet mignon with a mushroom reduction were all expertly prepared. All accompanied by wines from northern Baja.
The several breakfasts I had were equally tasty, with a nice range of sweet and savory items to choose from, plus fresh-squeezed juices and smoothies. These molletes with shrimp were something I haven’t tried elsewhere and were perfectly seasoned.
Before landing here, I had been at several Los Cabos resorts where the craft beer selection was either lacking or nonexistent. It’s a different story here, where there are six available to sip by the pool.
Guests here are also welcome to dine at the two sister properties, and if you want a worthwhile splurge, head to Cocina de Autor at Grand Velas Los Cabos, an excellent restaurant that is well deserving of its Michelin star.
Rooms and Suites at Mar del Cabo
This is not a wide high-rise where every room faces the water: it’s a cascading collection of buildings going down a hill, with stairs snaking down in between. So the rooms vary quite a bit in their layout and view. All have some kind of furnished outdoor terrace or balcony looking out at flowers and gardens, but for many of them, you’ll gaze at the water from the restaurant and pool.
If seeing the water from your room is a huge priority, then book one of the ocean balcony suites in the same building as the lobby, like the one I stayed in, pictured here. These also have elevator access.
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The other options for a water view are further down near the swimming pool, including the two-bedroom ocean suite and the penthouse option. These are spacious and airy, with ample indoor and outdoor spaces for lounging. All rooms have interesting Mexican artwork and handicrafts, local textiles, and sturdy wood furniture. Each room has some kind of kitchenette (with supermarkets nearby), while some of the suites have a full kitchen. There’s nightly turndown service, robes are included, and my included Wi-Fi worked well, though my TV was local cable only, no streaming.
With just 48 rooms and suites, this is one of the best options in Los Cabos for a property buyout for a destination wedding, corporate incentive off-site, or a large group gathering. The add-on offerings at this resort go well beyond the norm since there are two sister resorts beside it as well to pull staffers from. Sailboat weddings, mariachi nights, beach barbecues, and spirits tastings are just a few of the options. Naturally, they can arrange off-site excursions like whale watching trips or sunset boat trips.
This resort is adults-only, but is pet-friendly with an additional fee. Rates at Mar del Cabo start around $250 for a garden room in the low season and top out at around $1,300 for a penthouse suite in high season, including taxes and fees. Valet parking is included, and they’ll often toss in some discounts on airport transportation and excursions. Book direct at the company website or check rates online.
Check rates online at Expedia, Booking.com, Agoda, or Hotels.com.
Review and photos by travel author Tim Leffel, who was hosted at Mar del Cabo to review the property and its Velas siblings. As always, all opinions are his own.
