Cabo is hot right now — for culinary experiences, for luxury hotels, and for an always-relaxing beach vibe. And there is no place more enticing at the moment than Chileno Bay Resort & Residences, Auberge Resorts Collection. This relatively new property (2016), which was several years in the making, strikes just the right balance between laid-back energy and high-end hospitality.
While the pretty stone architecture cascades up from the beach in layers, it’s impossible to tell where the residences end and the hotel rooms begin — such is its holistic visual integration. From spacious individual hotel rooms to to full-on three-bedroom villas with chef’s kitchens (there’s even a 24,ooo square-foot, six-bedroom oceanfront house), there’s a right-size accommodation for any party.
A spacious Chileno Bay Hotel junior suite.
Bathrooms are exquisite, each with its own art motif and large soaking tub, and most with an outdoor shower. Most of the suites and villas also have private plunge pools overlooking either the beach or the garden.
Bathrooms at Chileno Bay Hotel are destinations unto themselves.
The spa is a must-visit. The Mayan Harmony Ritual will situate you in place and (out of) time, rich with local ingredients of cultural importance.
Part of the Auberge Resorts Collection, Chileno Bay Hotel is also a culinary destination. Its main restaurant, Comal, is helmed by star chef Yvan Mucharrraz (who worked for both Thomas Keller and Juan Mari Arzak), whose menu straddles local and Pan-Latin influences. Seafood is the star of the show, and his Baja Lab Kitchen invites other world-class chefs to collaborate on unique menus, often for just one night. There’s always something exciting going on in Mucharraz’s kitchen. And there’s a taco bar at the pool that will make it difficult for you to go anywhere else at all.
Seafood is front and center on Chef Yvan Mucharraz’s menu at Comal.
A private pool cabana at Chileno Bay Hotel in Cabo San Lucas.
And now, there’s a brand-new restaurant onsite: YAYA evokes the beloved cooking traditions of grandmothers, in both Mexico and Greece. (“Yaya” is a term of endearment for “grandmother” in both Spanish and Greek.) Lead by Chef Eliana Godinez (who comes to Chileno Bay from Quintonil) and mixologist Yared Alba, the restaurant will celebrate Mexico’s women purveyors — from beers made by a woman brewmaster in Jalisco to local farmers disrupting the mostly male-dominated space.
There is a shuttle that runs between Chileno Bay and another terrific Auberge property, Esperanza, so you can shuffle back and forth without need of a car, if you like.
Chileno Bay itself is a small cove that is one of the more swimmable beaches in the area, especially in the mornings when the water tends to be calmer.
The hotel was designed by three northern California firms well-versed in the ways of luxury hospitality: Glazier Le Architects designed the overall property, San Francisco-based BAMO curated the interior spaces, and master planner Girvin Associates designed the landscape. This trifecta of aesthetic genius resulted in a peaceful, satiating, utterly comfortable hotel.
Go any time of year, but Spring and Fall are particularly glorious, as it hot enough to swim without being too hot to be out and about on land. There are many lovely hotels and restaurants throughout Cabo San Lucas — the quality of food, service, and lodgings is quite high across the board — but Chileno Bay is special, a real respite from the world’s clamor.