Four Seasons Resort Los Cabos at Costa Palmas
"Why did this hotel catch your attention? What's the vibe? After driving away from the Cabo airport along resort congested Highway 1 you feel like you've reached an undiscovered cardón cactus-studded landscape. You arrive at the Four Seasons, and because it is part of the Costa Palmas development, there is a lot of construction, which kills the romantic vibe a bit. However, you truly feel you have miles of beach all to yourself and you're in on some secret the rest of the Cabo crowd doesn't know about. What's the backstory? This is the first major development in the East Cape area and was a very big deal as it is quite close to UNESCO-listed marine preserve, Cabo Pulmo. The Four Seasons is the first of what is said to be three resorts (Aman and possibly a SoHo House) in the development. Jason Grosfeld, chairman and CEO of real-estate firm Irongate, is the money behind the project. Costa Palmas will also include a mega yacht marina, farm, and real estate. Tell us all about the accommodations. Any tips on what to book? All 141 rooms have Sea of Cortez views. I was in a ground-floor oceanfront room with a plunge pool. The rooms were designed by Irongate Design in collaboration with TAL Studio. Almost all of the furniture items were completely custom designed, right down to the blankets, which were made in Mexico City and Guadalajara. The walls were this really cool mixture of wallpaper and Mexican plaster. I loved the signature room amenity—Gypsy Water by Byredo. I didn't love that my room was next to the kitchen so I could hear the staff arriving at 6 a.m. Is there a charge for Wi-Fi? No, and it was speedy. Drinking and dining—what are we looking at? Cabo has such a great food scene, so the main restaurant, Estiatorio Milos, a Greek import, confused me. You'd think they'd want to showcase local seafood and ingredients but they had prawns from Madagascar and lobsters from Maine. The farm-to-table restaurant, Límon, wasn't open yet. The tiny poolside cevicheria, El Puesto was excellent—super fresh seafood. Casa de Brasa was the more casual restaurant, but I preferred it to Milos. They had the best Baja tacos. The designers did not plan for wind and both restaurants are pretty open air; I heard guests complain of being cold and uncomfortable. And the service? The service was clumsy on staff but they had just opened. Jorge in Milos was wonderful and had such a great sense of humor, while the adventure staff made our trip. Kody and Maja were such pros and took us snorkeling, ATVing, and wake surfing. They always had water and were so fun and knowledgeable. You know you'll keep in touch with them. What type of travelers will you find here? They are always the first to a destination and are devotees of brands like Four Seasons and Aman. When they hear a new property is opening, they already have the trip booked. They're from Los Angeles and San Francisco and though they might be big Hollywood producers or tech CEOs, they fly under the radar here in their big shades and board shorts or beach throws. They're talking politics, tech, and what people were wearing at the Oscars. What about the neighborhood? Does the hotel fit in, make itself part of the scene? The hotel design blends with the natural setting of the sand dunes and is surrounded by palo blancos, sea grapes, torotes, palms, and other native plantings. I love how this area feels like real Baja and you can visit sleepy fishing villages or go to a desert oasis with natural waterfalls. Due to the construction, you are surrounded by noise and trucks sadly. Is there anything you'd change? Way too many plastic water bottles throughout the property. The Costa Palmas beach bar is members only, and I wish the Four Seasons had a more scene-y beach bar. Any other hotel features worth noting? Celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak designed the gym, and it was one of the most thoughtfully designed fitness spaces I've seen. The treadmills are on stadium seating-like platforms to ensure everyone has a view of the ocean rather than a sweaty butt. There is a very cool turtle hatching program if you happen to be there in the right season. The MasterCraft wakesurf boat is very cool, too—I know of only one other hotel (Blackberry Farm) that offers wakesurfing. Bottom line: Worth it? Why? Yes. You escape the crowds and discover a whole new side of Cabo." - Jen Murphy
