How the Waldorf Astoria Became the It Resort to Visit in Los Cabos

There’s white glove and then there’s Waldorf. But even among the iconic hotel group’s exceptional collection of luxury properties across the globe, the Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal is a shining jewel. 

When the resort opened in 2019, built into the rugged Cabo San Lucas cliffside (near the El Arco granite rock formation), it marked Waldorf Astoria’s debut in Mexico. The brand has since opened Waldorf Astoria Cancún (2022) and will open its third Mexican resort with Waldorf Astoria San Miguel de Allende in 2025. 

Over the past five years, Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal has gotten a reputation as the it resort in the destination town. Many a TikTok has been dedicated to its stunning views, its Veuve Clicquot champagne beach bar, and its guacamole happy hour. A new partnership with Alo Moves also ensures that fitfluencers flock to the property for wellness retreats.

With my interest fully piqued, I was thrilled to book a visit this summer. 

Entering Waldorf World in Cabo

The drive from Los Cabos International Airport (SJD), where my fiance and I caught an easy two-and-a-half-hour American Airlines flight from DFW, was easy and interesting. Lasting about 45 minutes, you’ll take in a little bit of everything Cabo San Lucas has to offer, from the unspoiled desert landscape and mountain views to its vibrant downtown, where you can dine at several Michelin-recommended restaurants or party at Squid Row. 

But the moment you enter the private tunnel — an impressive, man-made feat lined with gas-fired lanterns — and emerge into the serenity of Waldorf World, everything feels possible. One night, someone paid for a Fourth of July-worthy fireworks show on the beach. The next morning, a helicopter picked up another guest (we assume from the security-flanked presidential suite) mere yards from our room. 

Despite the inherent extravagance of a five-star resort, Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal feels remarkably intimate. Its 112 rooms and suites are thoughtfully placed throughout the property so that each one offers ocean views. (Even the entry-level rooms, all designed by HKS Architects and measuring at least 865 square feet, are stunning and include a private plunge pool, rainfall showers, and a soaking tub.) Based on your kind of vacation, you’ll gravitate towards one of the two main pools, a family-friendly one (right next to a sea turtle nursery) and an adults-only infinity pool with a swim-up bar. Given North Texas’ affinity for quick trips to Mexico, we regularly found ourselves posted up next to couples who also hailed from Dallas (one from Lakewood and another from Frisco).

My fiance and I had ambitions of being active, but we quickly learned that Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal centers relaxation above all else. You’re lulled to lounge by the pool, indulge in a truly top-tier hotel spa, then lounge by the pool a bit more before changing for a laid-back dinner at one of the hotel’s restaurants where the wine pairings flow. 

The Little Things

Each afternoon, complimentary guacamole, chips, and a bucket of Coronas were dropped off in our room, and each time I was equally delighted. It’s the little touches that make the Waldorf experience feel so elevated (and a bit addicting). Throughout our stay, little treats like mezcal and chocolate truffles arrived between our morning housekeeping and turn-down services. (Like all Waldorf Astoria properties, the bed was wrapped in luxurious Frette sheets.). Every visitor is also gifted a mini bottle of Clase Azul to keep. 

Dining and Drinking at the Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal

Both restaurants, Don Manuel’s and the cliffside El Farallon, have been a part of the original property built in 2014. Why mess with perfection? 

At chic-but-relaxed Don Manuel’s, you’ll find a Paul Duesing-designed wine cellar housing the second largest collection in Mexico. There are familiar labels for stateside visitors, like Cakebread, Stag’s Leap, and Whispering Angel, but I’d urge you to try a bottle from the resort’s Private Pedregal Collection, created in partnership with leading Mexican wineries. 

A rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday” was sung no less than five times during our visit to El Farallon, a unique restaurant built quite dramatically into the rocks of Pedregal Mountain. The word “iconic” gets thrown around far too often, but if any restaurant in Cabo deserves it it’s this simply insane place to have an ocean-to-table dinner. 

One activity we did partake in at the Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal was the Agave Experience, a tipsy tasting that offers a killer education on mezcal. We even crafted our own mezcal, which was absolutely worth checking a bag for. 

Culinary Weekends in Cabo

If next-level food is a vacation priority, consider planning your stay around one of the Waldorf Astoria’s Culinary Weekends, where lauded and often Michelin-star-honored chefs visit the Cabo property to craft unique menus for Don Manuel’s. Next up, celebrity chef Claudette Zepeda stops by from San Diego from November 21 to 23, 2024. 

The Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal Spa

My friend and colleague Diana Oates has thoroughly covered the bliss that is a visit to the Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal Spa. Designed by spa whisperer Sylvia Sepielli (the woman behind legendary retreats at The Breakers and The Dolder Grand in Zurich), the soothing spa incorporates elements of Mexican folk tradition and is stocked with Natura Bisse products. For the design, Sepiella consulted with Dallas-based architect Nunzio Desantis, who was with HKS at the time. 

The Takeaway

It’s one thing to become a viral sensation, savvily leveraging influencers’ picture-perfect compilations of a pristine property and complimentary Coronas. But there’s far more to the Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal than that. Talking with guests and employees, you get the sense that the property has become a home away from home for many. It certainly was for the Frisco family we met poolside, who seemed to visit annually and were even planning a wedding on the property. I, too, would now gladly return to Cabo’s Waldorf World again and again.