Courtesy of One&Only Palmilla.
At One&Only Palmilla, even the sewing thread had been chosen for us.
The kit came with a card explaining that its colors matched our wardrobe. I have spent my working life in the travel business and know how much effort goes into the impression a hotel makes. I had never seen this done before. Someone had noticed our clothes, anticipated an ordinary little mishap and quietly prepared for it.
We had come from the Dominican Republic for Konstantin’s birthday, with the Sea of Cortez beyond our room. The sewing kit has stayed with me as clearly as the sound of the waves.
A hand over the heart
From the first day, the staff greeted us by name, with the One&Only salute—a hand placed over the heart. I admired the training behind that ease. Being recognized so readily made the whole stay more relaxed; the gesture never lost its warmth through repetition.
The hotel handled Konstantin’s birthday beautifully. A note from management acknowledged the celebration and offered personal assistance. Our Leaders Club membership with The Leading Hotels of the World was recognized too, with breakfast arrangements confirmed in the accompanying letter and a complimentary upgrade to the next room category. Palmilla was an LHW member during our stay; as of 2026, it is no longer listed in the collection.
The sewing-kit card even invited us to call the butler if we needed another color. It is an almost absurdly small detail to remember from such an elaborate resort. But attention on that scale is rare.
A headland with a voice
The sea at Palmilla was a constant presence. I remember the sound of waves crashing against the shore, the force of it running through the day. It carried something of this coast’s exceptional beauty into the room. I loved it.
Palmilla occupies a headland near San José del Cabo in Mexico. Its buildings and gardens follow the coast, with sheltered water on one side and a more exposed, rocky shore on the other. That geography gives the hotel much of its character. The sea can be gentle enough for a swim nearby and still make itself heard with considerable authority.
The Palmilla that One&Only chose
Palmilla already had almost half a century of history when Kerzner, the company behind One&Only, arrived. It opened in 1956 with just 15 rooms, founded by Don Abelardo Rodríguez, the son of a former Mexican president, and his wife, the Hollywood actress Lucille Bremer. Guests came by sea or air, among them John Wayne and Lucille Ball.
In September 2002, Kerzner bought a 50 percent stake for about US$40 million. Its own account of the acquisition reveals how much the site mattered: the company considered Palmilla’s beach frontage the most extensive among Cabo’s leading hotels. There was already a 27-hole Jack Nicklaus golf course, and the resort formed part of a 900-acre planned community with residential neighborhoods. For a new resort brand, an established name on this stretch of coast was a considerable inheritance.
Palmilla closed in April 2003 for roughly ten months of rebuilding. It emerged with 172 rooms, a spa of 13 private treatment villas and Charlie Trotter’s restaurant C, designed by Adam Tihany. Through all that, the hillside chapel remained and the traditional Mexican architecture was preserved.
At the formal reopening in February 2004, Sol Kerzner spoke of a potential “second flagship” for One&Only, complementing the Ocean Club in the Bahamas and giving travelers a choice on both coasts of the Americas. Butch Kerzner’s explanation was more practical: Mexico lay close to the United States, had an established tourism industry and offered this exceptional stretch of coast. The old hideaway was now part of a much larger ambition.
The sea, of course, had needed no improvement.
What a swimmable beach means in Cabo
Palmilla’s beach would not replace Eagle Beach in Aruba or Doctor’s Cave in Jamaica on my list of favorite beach experiences. It has a different significance. In Los Cabos, the ability to swim in the sea is something to establish before booking an oceanfront hotel.
Much of this coastline is exposed to powerful surf. Strong currents, a steeply shelving seabed and waves breaking close to shore can make a beautiful beach unsuitable for swimming. Visitors often count on the pool instead, with the ocean providing the view and the sound.
Pelican Beach, on Palmilla Bay, has the protection of a cove. Guests can swim, snorkel, kayak or paddleboard, subject to the day’s flags and the beach team’s advice. Being able to move between a pool and the sea without organizing an excursion is a real pleasure in this part of Mexico.
Agua is the family pool; Vista is adults-only. That separation is useful when some guests want a quiet afternoon and others have children keen to play. There are also cabanas and daybeds for longer hours outdoors.
The room and the hours outside it
Our room had a telescope beside the terrace doors, a fitting invitation to keep looking out to sea.
Oceanfront Palmilla Rooms occupy the second and third floors, with a sitting area and a balcony large enough for a daybed. At roughly 56–65 square meters indoors, they are already generous; the wider collection includes suites, pool casitas and villas. The more consequential decision may be how much of the holiday you want to spend on your own terrace.
I would choose by outlook, shade and privacy, then compare layouts. A larger suite gives a couple space to spread out; connecting accommodation can make more sense for a family. A casita with a private pool offers another kind of retreat. The base Oceanfront Room lists a shower and twin vanities, so a bathtub is something to confirm when choosing a suite.
A terrace can become the place where breakfast lasts longer than expected, or where the rest of the afternoon quietly disappears.
Konstantin loves a real fire, and we made a ritual of our evenings beside the lounge firepit: a sundowner gin and tonic, slowly giving way to a glass of red wine.
Agua, SEARED and a dinner worth lingering over
Konstantin’s birthday dinner had its own printed menu: “Happy Birthday, Mr. Vyatkin!” A small gesture, but one that made the evening feel personal.
For Mexican cooking beside the Sea of Cortez, I would start at Agua. At lunch, the Baja fish taco comes in a flour tortilla with carrot and cabbage slaw, chipotle mayonnaise and habanero sauce. Chipotle is smoked jalapeño, bringing aroma as well as heat.
For dinner, consider the zarandeado catch of the day: seasoned, grilled fish in a tradition associated with Nayarit on Mexico’s Pacific coast. Agua serves its individual portion with sautéed peppers and green rice. There is also a larger grilled catch to share, with flour tortillas, guacamole and nopal salad. Nopal is the edible pad of the prickly-pear cactus—something worth trying alongside the seafood.
Shellfish lovers should look for chocolata clams in the seafood tower. These are a specialty of Baja California Sur, named for their brown shells. The tower includes raw seafood, so choose the grilled fish if you prefer a cooked meal.
For a first Mexican meal, tell the waiter how much chile heat you enjoy. Ask for “poco picante” for mild cooking and “salsas aparte” for sauces on the side, then taste a little before adding more. Habanero deserves particular caution, even in the creamy sauce on Agua’s dinner menu. Ask whether chile is already in a marinade or sauce; leaving off a garnish may not be enough. If the heat catches you out, milk can help more than water. There is no need to prove anything to a pepper.
Breeze is more informal, with breakfast and Mexican comfort food by the pool; Pelican Beach Bar & Grill is a beachside option for lunch.
SEARED has a long-established association with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and its menu ranges well beyond steak. Kumamoto oysters come with pineapple mignonette. A fontina-and-truffle éclair accompanies beef tartare with caper emulsion. The grill offers Wagyu and USDA Prime cuts alongside seafood, with sauces including chimichurri and port wine. SEARED currently welcomes diners in The Sunset Room.
At The Atelier at Agua, Hoshi’s Nikkei cooking brings Japanese techniques together with Peruvian flavors. I would also leave an evening free for the galleries and dinner in San José del Cabo.
Baja in the cellar
Palmilla’s published wine list reaches from Krug Clos du Mesnil 2004 to a substantial Mexican selection, including Monte Xanic’s Gran Ricardo and Santo Tomás Único. Before returning, I would send the sommelier three names and ask which vintages were available.
For SEARED, Monte Xanic Gran Ricardo 2023 would head that list. Its Cabernet Sauvignon-led blend comes from the valleys of Guadalupe and Ojos Negros; Guía Peñín’s 2026 Mexican wine guide awards it 94 points and describes a polished, lively wine with ripe tannins and length. Santo Tomás Único 2022, an equal blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, offers another possibility. Peñín gives it 93 points, with cedar, spice and a firm structure among the characteristics it identifies.
For white wine, Finca la Carrodilla Sic Itur Ad Astra Blanco 2022, a Chardonnay from El Porvenir, interests me as a possible match for seafood. Peñín’s 92-point assessment describes rounded texture, integrated oak and good acidity.
The vineyards lie far north of Los Cabos. Exploring their wines over dinner brings another part of Baja to the table.
A spa with time to spare
The spa covers about 22,000 square feet across its indoor spaces, gardens and outdoor pools. Hydrotherapy is complimentary for resort guests, making it worth arriving early to move between steam, sauna and water before a treatment.
Baja Deep Tissue Pindas combines stretching with steamed herbal poultices and warm obsidian stones. Time Tailored Fit reserves two or three hours for a session planned in consultation with the therapist. The signature Palmilla massage can draw on Swedish and deep-tissue techniques according to the guest’s preferences.
There are also temazcal and ceremonies involving copal or cacao, alongside a Bastien Gonzalez foot-and-nail studio, the salon and Barber & Blade. My inclination would be to choose one treatment and leave time to linger in the garden.
Yoga and Pilates sessions, a reformer and other fitness equipment provide more active options, with private instruction available. The wet areas are reserved for guests aged 16 and over.
Golf across the desert landscape
Jack Nicklaus’s Mountain, Arroyo and Ocean nines cross cactus-covered slopes and ravines, with changes in elevation that repeatedly open views toward the Sea of Cortez. The course helped establish Los Cabos as a golf destination in the early 1990s. It remains a reason to choose the resort for more than its beach.
Mountain’s fifth requires carries across a ravine to a shallow green. Arroyo’s long seventh follows a rocky canyon; Ocean’s downhill third finishes above the beach.
GOLF included Palmilla in its 2024–25 selection of the world’s Top 100 golf resorts. Hotel guests currently have access to the private Mountain and Arroyo courses as well as Ocean, which is open to outside players. Ask the hotel about course combinations, transfers and inclusions, as well as current maintenance, particularly given the recent public-player reports about Ocean’s turf.
Palmilla Social Club has Lucille’s Kitchen, Lucille’s Café and Sala 56. It offers somewhere to meet for lunch after a morning divided between golf and the spa.
Out along the coast
Palmilla arranges private yacht charters with crew and dining. Its current brochure lists the Pardo 43 Don Abelardo, Pardo 50 Ciao and larger vessels such as GO, with options for a small party, a family outing or a celebration.
A shorter trip can concentrate on Chileno Bay; a longer one can take in Santa María or continue to the Arch at Cabo San Lucas, with swimming and snorkeling where conditions permit. Winter brings the possibility of whale watching.
A shaded lunch, a swim and the changing outline of the shore would be enough of an itinerary for me. The practical details—boarding point, menu and inclusions—are worth agreeing with the hotel and operator for the specific vessel.
More of Baja
After dark, private stargazing with Blue Gate Expeditions offers two hours with a scientist guide, telescopes and binoculars to study the constellations and planets visible that night.
Farther north, a private cruise to Espíritu Santo and Balandra opens up island coves and beaches, with lunch, snorkeling and paddleboarding along the way. It departs from Marina Palmira in La Paz, so allow for the road transfer from Los Cabos as well as eight hours on the water.
For a view from above, FlyCabo offers private helicopter and airplane flights, with tailored options for Cabo Pulmo, the La Paz area and remote beaches. Bookings are arranged directly with the operator.
What makes Palmilla worth returning to
Palmilla asks for a substantial budget. The complete quote matters: breakfast for two is currently included under the published room terms, while meals, treatments and golf have their own charges and applicable fees. San José del Cabo is a short drive away; the hotel estimates the airport journey at about 20 minutes.
A last surprise before departure
By our last evening, I was already convinced this was the best hotel service I had experienced. Then Palmilla sent another menu.
“Air to Go” offered lunches to take with us to the airport or onto the aircraft. Among the choices were slow-roasted pork pibil and grilled arrachera with chipotle aioli and roasted vegetables. Orders went through the butler ahead of departure. I had never encountered such a thoughtfully composed travel menu in a hotel before.
Food on commercial flights serving Cabo could vary enormously. Taking a proper hotel lunch with us promised a better journey. Palmilla had thought about the hours after check-out.
The sewing kit had surprised me with how closely somebody had paid attention. The departure menu showed how far that attention could reach.