Of all the hotels I’ve visited since starting Top Travel on Points, The Cape, A Thompson Hotel stands out as one of my favorite stays. This boutique hotel blends modern design, upscale accommodations, and genuinely attentive service.
Its panoramic coastline views are a signature highlight and you can see the shoreline from every corner of the resort. The hotel also boasts one of the best uninterrupted views of El Arco, the iconic granite arch at the tip of the Baja Peninsula. And in a rare luxury touch, every room faces the ocean, eliminating the usual dilemma of whether to splurge for an ocean view.
When I was researching The Cape, several reviews mentioned a party-heavy atmosphere. However, our experience was the opposite. During our early‑February, midweek stay, the vibe was calm, low key, and never crowded. That timing may have played a role, but we were pleasantly surprised by how relaxed and peaceful the hotel felt throughout our visit.
Nightly rates typically run from about $400 to over $1,000, depending on room type and season. When I booked, the nightly rate with taxes was more than $900. Instead of paying cash, I redeemed 35,000 Hyatt points per night, for a total of 140,000 points.
In This Post
History
The Cape feels like one of those places that just gets it right. Even though it opened in 2015, it still has that fresh, confident vibe, like it knows exactly what kind of experience it wants to give you. The look is this cool mix of midcentury Mexican design and a slightly moody, masculine feel, but nothing about it feels overdone.
While Thompson Hotels usually lean more “city cool,” that energy actually works really well by the beach too. The common areas have a fun buzz to them, and the whole place feels social in a way that’s relaxed, not forced.
Location
The hotel sits on Monuments Beach, giving it a quiet, tucked‑away feel while still being a short drive from downtown Cabo San Lucas. Taxis and Ubers are plentiful and cheap, costing us around $10 USD each way between the hotel and town.
The beach itself is beautiful but not swimmable, and there isn’t much within walking distance. So it feels more like a relaxed, self‑contained escape than a spot where you’ll wander around on foot.
Lobby
After entering the property through The Cape’s gated entrance, the valet immediately removed our luggage from the trunk of our taxi. He gave it to a bellman, who guided us to the lobby check-in area. Standing beside the check-in desk was a hotel employee holding two welcome drinks on a platter for us. They were their signature drink, appropriately entitled “The Cape”, which was a margarita-like drink made of mezcal, basil, pineapple, lime and bitters. Having a tropical beverage in hand during check-in certainly got our vacation off to a great start! It also became my drink of choice during our stay.
Most of the hotel is open air, including the first floor lobby. The area contains the concierge desk, a pool table and plenty of seating. It’s also home to the large square-shaped bar, called Sunken Bar.
About a week before our trip, the concierge emailed over a list of local restaurants, including the ones on property. After we settled into our room, we stopped by the desk to get their personal recommendations and sort out the rest of our dinner plans. We already had a reservation at Manta for our first night, but we needed help filling in the rest of the trip. In about ten minutes, they booked three spots in town for us, and every single one ended up being a great choice.
The Room
The rooms are modern and thoughtfully designed, with every option (rooms, suites, and villas) meant to capture the relaxed beauty of the coast. Each one has sweeping ocean views from a private balcony, often with a hanging daybed perfect for lounging with a drink. Inside, mid‑century furnishings and soft, custom linens give the space a refined but comfortable feel.
All hotel guests receive a bottle of 100% blue agave tequila as a welcome amenity, accompanied by a jar of house-made chili-spiced fruit gummies. Even though Annie and I don’t usually drink tequila straight, this one was really smooth and we enjoyed our daily shot or two!
The room was outstanding, but the private terrace was the real standout. Each morning, Annie and I relaxed on the two‑person daybed and watched surfers carve through the waves, and one morning we even spotted whales breaching in the distance. In the evenings, it became our favorite place to unwind, take in the sunset, and listen to the waves crash along the shore.
Just look at this view from our private terrace!
The Bathroom
The guestroom is designed with a glass-walled shower that makes the bathroom feel like an extension of the bedroom and living area.
We were also lucky to have a guestroom with a free-standing, copper-leafed bath tub. It was positioned in such a way that you could see out from the tub through the bedroom to the terrace and the ocean view beyond.
Hotel Amenities
The Pool
The pool quickly became the place where the hotel’s service really stood out. Every morning, as soon as we walked in, a staff member would fall in step with us, lead us to whichever loungers we had our eye on, and set everything up before we even had a chance to put our bags down. They adjusted umbrellas to match whatever mood we were in (full sun, partial shade, total shade) and somehow managed to anticipate what we needed before we even asked. If you so much as glanced in their direction, someone was already on their way over.
One morning, the attendant who had set up our chairs struck up a quick conversation and asked if it was our first time at the property. We told him it was and didn’t think much of it. But a little while later, he came back with an unexpected offer: would we like to move to a private cabana for the day…at no charge? Considering cabanas run over $200, it wasn’t something we would’ve splurged on, which made the gesture feel even more generous. It happened to be a slower day with several empty cabanas, but the fact that he thought to offer it made us feel genuinely cared for. It was one of those small moments that made us fall even more in love with the place.
Dining
The Cape features five distinct dining venues, ranging from an award‑winning chef’s restaurant to a spot with unobstructed views of the Sea of Cortez and El Arco. Guests can also choose from an open‑air lobby bar, a swim‑up bar and terrace, and a rooftop bar and lounge.
Manta
Los Cabos is packed with great dining options, and one of its standouts is right on property. Manta serves as The Cape’s culinary centerpiece, blending Pacific Coast flavors with influences from Mexico, Peru, Japan, and beyond. It’s a dinner‑only restaurant and has earned a spot in the Michelin Guide for the past two years.
Chef Enrique Olvera overseas Manta’s kitchen. He is well known in Mexico after opening Pujol in Mexico City, widely regarded as Mexico’s best restaurant.
Utilizing local and sustainable ingredients from Baja, the dishes he and his team whip up have so much flavor despite seemed relatively simple.
Pictured below are some of the most fantastic dishes we had on our trip. Annie and I built our own tasting menu, sharing several dishes from their raw, hot starters and entree sections. Pictured at the top left are the mushroom dumplings and octopus skewers with chorizo mayo dipping sauce. Pictured at the top right are the short rib Chinese steamed buns, grilled “a la talla” fish and steamed spinach. Finally, pictured at the bottom is the tuna sashimi appetizer.
Every single thing was so fresh and flavorful!
The Ledge
The Ledge is the go‑to breakfast spot, thanks largely to its sweeping ocean views. The beach‑house‑style dining room and patio look directly out at the ocean with a postcard‑perfect angle of El Arco. The menu mixes contemporary Mexican dishes with familiar American favorites. It also serves lunch and dinner, and on Sundays it hosts a lively brunch complete with a food station and live music.
Sunken Bar
Sunken Bar sits in the heart of the open‑air lobby, where the ocean breezes are always moving through. Crafted with natural materials, it has an easy, grounded feel, and from its sunken perch you get a wide, unhurried view of the water. It’s the kind of place where you can drift in for a pre‑dinner drink, linger over a nightcap, or just settle into the atmosphere on your way to or from Manta.
Also curated by Enrique Olvera and the Manta team, the menu highlights some of Manta’s favorite dishes, along with a raw bar that pulls from the best local seafood. In the mornings, the space doubles as a stop for a quick, high‑quality coffee and breakfast.
Point Break
The main pool’s swim‑up bar and terrace have that easy Cabo rhythm. It’s lively enough to feel fun and relaxed enough that you can stay all afternoon without thinking about it. You can order a drink from the pool, from your lounge chair, or from the shade of the patio, and the menu leans into fresh, coastal comfort. Signature items include catch‑of‑the‑day ceviche, Baja classics, tacos on house‑made tortillas, poke bowls, sandwiches, and more. Annie and I ended up having lunch at our lounge chairs every day, plus a cocktail or two from the swim‑up bar. The food was consistently excellent, just like everywhere else on the property.
The Rooftop
For sunset cocktails, The Rooftop is the spot everyone gravitates toward. As the only rooftop lounge in Los Cabos, it has a distinct sense of place, with small gardens, shallow ponds, and a fire pit that takes the edge off the evening breeze. The whole setting feels elevated but still relaxed, with wide‑open views that make the transition from day to night feel a little slower.
As the sun drops, the atmosphere shifts. Live acoustic sets ease into the early evening, and later on DJs take over, giving the space a mellow, steady energy that builds without ever feeling over the top. It’s an easy place to settle in, whether you’re there for the view, the music, or just the mood of the rooftop after dark.
Currents Spa
Currents Spa is a full‑service spa and wellness space, but on a boutique scale. It feels calm and tucked away, more of a sanctuary than a showpiece. The combination of ocean views, thoughtful design, and a wide range of treatments makes it an easy place to lose an hour…or an afternoon.
Fitness Center
The spa connects directly to a well‑equipped fitness center, open daily, with personal training and group “wellness happenings” ranging from circuit training to sound healing.
You can’t get a better view while walking or running on a treadmill!
The Grounds
Every corner of the property feels intentionally beautiful, from the lit pathways to the mix of palms and sculpted desert plants swaying in the breeze. By sunset, the whole place turns golden, and I couldn’t help but slow down and take it in. It’s the kind of scenery that lifts your mood without trying.
Bottom Line
The Cape left us with that rare feeling of having been fully transported. Every part of the stay worked together to slow us down, lift our mood, and remind us what a great vacation is supposed to feel like. From the warm, intuitive service to the spectacular food and drinks, to the golden sunsets, the experience never felt manufactured or overdone. It was relaxed luxury in the best possible way. As we walked those softly lit paths at dusk for the last time, listening to the ocean settle into its nighttime rhythm, we agreed that we already wanted to return!
Trip Report Index
- Using Points and Miles to get to Cabo San Lucas
- The Cape, A Thompson Hotel
