Hotel Spotlight

Nobu Hotel Los Cabos

Leads in Crisp, Modern Luxury

BY: ANNIE HENNESSEY

Your introduction to Nobu Hotel Los Cabos is a tranquil, airy courtyard entrance with three large local Cabo rocks, symbolizing a journey up a mountain welcoming you to relax and drop your shoulders as you step into Zen. A harmonious blend of Japanese and Mexican design, Nobu Los Cabos, the first of the luxury hotel group’s resorts in Mexico, has fine-tuned modern, crisp luxury and traditional Japanese sophistication to a tee.

Pacific Ocean waves are the soothing backdrop of the 200-room resort. Though the waters are not safe for swimming as currents run very strong, the soft, sandy beach itself and expansive ocean view is as completely restorative. Walk or run along the beach to clear your mind in nature. The hotel’s Playa Bar and neighboring pool and loungers back directly onto the sand. One of Nobu’s crisp beachside bar cocktails is a fine way to ease into a wonderful state of relaxation.

Throughout the open air layout there are numerous pools and hot tubs, private cabanas and loungers, a handful of world class restaurants (both casual and more sophisticated), six bars between the restaurants and the swim-up bar, a nearly 14,000-square-foot spa, a gym, meeting and event spaces, a scattering of varied size Japanese gardens with locally sourced stones and plants, along with water features throughout. Rooms are generously sized with modern decor in neutral shades of rust, sand, cream, and touches of blue. Luxury toiletries, spacious rainfall showers and a teak Japanese soaking tub are in each room, inspiring guests to both relax to the utmost and meditate on how one can replicate a bathroom this indulgent at home. Keep meditating.

Recent research from Booking.com found that 78% of global travelers intended to stay in a sustainable property at least once in 2023. Nobu Los Cabos is part of the travel leader’s Travel Sustainable program touting green spaces throughout the property, and handcrafted items as part of room decor as well as for sale in the hotel’s gift shop. The contemporary Japanese style of the rooms blend seamlessly with the local handmade items that sprinkle depth and interest. The juxtaposition of the sumptuous organic cotton linens alongside rougher textures found in the rugs, sofas, chairs and throw pillows commonly found in Mexico, gives the rooms a rich texture. Walkin closets are key for keeping your room clear of all your vacation belongings and make organizing outfits and clothing categories a breeze.

It is hardly a surprise considering the Nobu hotels were the brainchild of world-renowned Chef Nobu Matsuhisa (as well as actor Robert De Niro and film producer Meir Teper), that eating at Nobu Los Cabos is a practice in perfection. The on-site Nobu restaurant includes Nobu signature dishes such as the rock shrimp tempura, miso black cod, yellowtail sashimi and other creative Japanese-fusion dishes conceptualized by Chef Nobu. Fine Mexican fare is also easy to find with the Pacific Restaurant offering polished a-la-carte service as well as taco and Mezcal pairings. Offering an alternative to the hotel’s Japanese and Mexican flavors, Ardea Steakhouse branches out into pizza, pastas, fire-cooked meats, and boasts an award-winning wine program. Room service is available 24 hours, so worries about missing the restaurants closing times or late night hunger popping up are nil. You will be able to indulge in five-star food at any time of the day or night.

Private experiences are also available. The staff, who are experts in an anticipatory service, can prepare a romantic beachfront dinner, a bonfire with sand seating and surrounding warm twinkle lights, an educational and fun tequila tasting with backstories on the origins of some of Mexico’s best tequilas, select wellness activities including yoga set against a dramatic Mexican desert backdrop, and more.

Coming back to the nearly 14,000-square-foot spa is a must. The co-ed Escensia Spa offers signature Asian-inspired treatments and massages, as well as the pièce de résistance outdoor hydrotherapy garden with water circuit. The circuit includes steam and sauna rooms, an outdoor cabana Jacuzzi, an outdoor cold plunge pool, and a warm hydrotherapy pool. Loungers, palm trees, and cacti speckle the intimate water circuit space with staff ready to bring fresh citrus or

spring water to you. The cold water plunge step throws many people off completing the circuit in the recommended order; however this plunge is also integral to maximizing the deeply relaxing and therapeutic benefits of this practice. Travelers who have not tried doing a circular-directional water circuit before would be well-advised to do so.

Staff at Nobu Los Cabos are among the best you will find anywhere in the world. Their attention to detail, efficiency, and warm and welcoming energy is not only a class in hospitality professionalism, but also ensures that all of their guests experience immediate ease and trust. `