Review of the One and Only Palmilla in Cabo San Lucas

Day 1 - Welcome to Paradise

On our first trip without kids since our eldest son was born, we traveled with a group of friends to the One and Only Palmilla in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

When arriving at the property, we were greeted with a team of hosts and hostesses who promptly offered us beautiful and refreshing ginger mango smoothies. Each member of the team was prepared with a leather bound binder for each couple with details on that particular couples accommodations and personal preferences. Each couple was assigned a guide who proceeded to walk us through the property to our separate rooms. One of my first impressions was that every area we visited smelled amazing.

After giving us a tour of our room and explaining how everything worked, we were left in peace to enjoy our new home and take in the breathtaking view that would greet us each morning for the duration of our stay.

After settling into the room, we proceeded down to the 'adult' pool and the swim up bar where we enjoyed several rounds of drinks with friends. We especially enjoyed the Palmilla margarita which was pink in color and served with a dehydrated grapefruit. It was incredible. The atmosphere at the pool was serene and unfortunately our group of friends was a bit less serene than some of the other visitors would have liked.

That night, we dined at the Agua restaurant where we enjoyed impeccable service from Oscar and the team of friendly waiters. The highlight of the meal was the giant (1 meter) pepper grinder which they actually used after our meal was delivered. I had the surf and turf and my wife had the Sea Bass both of which were absolutely delicious. The team did a great job of bringing out all eight meals simultaneously and the presentation was excellent.

Day 2 - Taking It All In

Our second day started with a complementary iced coffee from the bar near the kids pool, followed by a nice jog on the beach to the north to check out some of the surrounding wave patterns. We found a sea hammock which was a black net hung over a portion of the beach where the waves rolled in and out. It was a perfect photo op and a really cool amenity. It was a beautiful route, but it started getting hot by the time we got back.

After our morning workout and a quick shower, we met up with friends at Breeze restaurant for a morning breakfast. Our travel agent was able to get us set up with free breakfast every morning and so we were able to enjoy a great meal along with fresh juices, smoothies, and some killer Mexican tacos.

Next stop was the adult pool where once again held down the corner of the bar with our group of friends and enjoyed some fun story time. There were a couple of iguanas hanging out around the pool, and the staff was very attentive to our every need.

After a while, we walked down to the beach where I climbed up on some rocks to get a view of the tidepools beyond. I was able to see an army bright blue crabs clamoring for position amongst one another as the waves pounded over them and tested their conviction. I spent a moment admiring the beauty of it all and considering the majestic power of the ocean. Each drop of water, each grain of sand, each tiny blue crab fighting to retain control.

After the beach we retreated back to the room to enjoy some time in the air conditioning where we found that the incredible housekeeping staff has already completely cleaned our room. We relaxed for a couple of hours and then got ready for our big dinner at Seared.

The restaurant was definitely upscale and everyone from the host staff to the waiters themselves were all very professional and polite. We had a round of salads for the table followed by an incredible ribeye steak. We noted that the menu included both Kobe and Waygu options but they were a bit outside of our price range and the standard prime beef was delicious. The sides of broccoli and mashed potatoes were some of the best I ever had, and the warm chocolate lava cake was an incredible dessert. They brought us complimentary candies as final palette cleansers to complete one of the best meals of our lives. I regret that I was unable to finish my entire steak but I thought better of it and the staff was able to box it up and give me an amazing to-go back that doubles as a souvenir.

Day 3 - Halfway to Peru

Part of what led us to take a trip away from the kids for 4 days was the thirst for adventure. The willingness to take risks and to try things we had not done before or for a very long time. This was our day to try paddle boarding to overcome some of our fear of the ocean.

We were up an ready to go by 6AM but unfortunately nothing on the resort starts before 7AM. After getting coffee at 7AM we walked down to the beach only to realize that we really could not paddleboard until after 10AM.

We retreated back to our room and headed down to Agua for a delightful breakfast bookended by fresh juices and wonderful food. The breakfast tacos were the best I have ever had and the habanero sauce was truly something special.

After breakfast, we were ready to hit the open water and we did. Unfortunately, the wind had kicked up dramatically and was whipping our of the southwest by the time got out on the water. The guys renting out the paddleboard 'ran out of waivers' and did not know when they would get more which meant that we could could not go out and had to wait for awhile. After waiting about 30m I asked again and he just let us go anyway.

I did not realize that paddleboards are actually pretty hard to turn in windy conditions. We started drifting immediately and the situation developed into a bit of an emergency as the wind pushed us quickly towards the breaking rocks faster than we could get our bearings and figure out how to get turned around. Luckily, we were able to stay calm, pivot, and paddle like hell back to the safety of the beach.

Day 4 - Sunday Funday

Our Sunday consisted of another lazy day of drinks and relaxing by the pool with several applications of sunblock.

We made the circuit from the pool to the pelican beach, then the kiddie pool, then back to the big pool before settling back to the room.

Our final night in paradise ended without any other major events, and we enjoyed watching the final sunset over the mountains to the West.

The One and Only Palmilla was an amazing resort and they earned every bit of their stellar reputation as a high-end, stunning, and peaceful luxury vacation destination.

Key Takeaways

Pros

• Beautiful, secluded rooms
• Incredible ocean views
• Amazing staff willing to accomodate your every whim
• Great wifi at around 70-80Mbps
• The perfect destination for a peaceful getaway

Cons

• Price
• Low quality toilet paper
• TV guide system to find amenities difficult to use
• Nothing opens until 7AM
• Not the place to go for adventure seekers