My lifelong perception of what I called “Cabo” centered around debauchery, spring break and tequila shots, for which I will blame/credit Sammy Hagar, who introduced me to the area via the 1988 Van Halen classic “Cabo Wabo.”
A February trip from New York to the Cabo San Lucas airport did little to assuage my long-held opinions. My partner and I were the oldest people on the flight — the average age hovered around 20-25, and most people traveled in groups of four or more. The plane ride was loud, the passengers unseasoned (seriously, don’t reserve an aisle and window seat and then expect to talk over me) and the first impressions of the airport were worrisome. Why was I paying $25 (cash only) for a mediocre margarita?
And from that moment on, everything got quiet. In a good way.
There’s a peaceful and purposely slow side to Los Cabos, primarily found in the area known as San José del Cabo and its surrounding properties. Here, about 20 miles from the rowdiness of Cabo San Lucas, we discovered a different and restful energy.
It wasn’t necessarily “silent” (more on that in a minute) but the vibe was far more relaxed. We indulged in farm-to-table dining, mezcal tastings, boating adventures and long walks. It was an area built for couples and adulting — a respite from the Cabo norm, at least as seen from this side of the border.
How to Spend a Perfect Weekend in Los Cabos
Where adventure and wellness meetThere are plenty of hotels in the area, but we spent four days and three nights at ACRE Resort, intermingling on-site activities with plenty of quick car trips to nearby properties, towns and one quick dip into the nearby waters for a daylong sailing adventure. We started the vacation in a luxury treehouse and ended with a beautiful multi-course meal high in the surrounding desert mountains, taking in the sunset with about 10 other people at a secluded open-air restaurant.
Most of our activities took place in and around San José del Cabo, a coastal city overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Sea of Cortez, located 20 minutes northeast of the more populated (and popular) Cabo San Lucas. Collectively, the area is known as “Los Cabos.” San José and surrounding areas are certainly more laid back — that said, you’ll need to take a car/taxi to and from pretty much anywhere.
And those cars may take you to some unexpected places. On our bumpy ride to ACRE, an eco-friendly resort full of luxury treehouses and multi-story villas, we spent miles going uphill on windy dirt roads. We passed plenty of construction, suggesting those dirt trails may be paved sooner than later.
Even the property where we stayed acknowledged the current rugged path to arrival. “Please note that the dirt road crossing the dry river bed from the town towards Animas Bajas is only suitable with 4×4 vehicles when it rains,” the ACRE website warns.
Your treehouse stay
ACRE (that’s “ak-ray” not “a-ker” as I embarrassingly said aloud on arrival) is an oasis in this desert region. As in, it’s deliberately lush. “We’ve basically created our own ecosystem,” said Emilio, one of the property employees who took us on a golf cart tour. It’s an impressive 25 acres of greenery, complete with an herb garden, cacti, agave plants, an animal sanctuary and citrus orchard.
We stayed in one of the 13 treehouses, semi-hidden with the palms. Now, luxury treehouse is sort of like glamping; it’s elevated (literally) but not quite a high-end hotel. We had a king bed, bathrooms, a deck and an outdoor shower. And, yes, there is decent wifi. The views were amazing, though the property’s wildlife, continuing construction and post-wedding parties meant that “quiet” was a relative term. By day, however, it was certainly a calming, secluded place to rest.
As for food, your on-site options are exquisite albeit limited; you’ll most likely have breakfast at a cafe near the property’s entrance and all your other meals/drinks at the property’s namesake bar/restaurant. Which is worth several repeat visits: 70% of the ingredients used there are sourced from the ACRE’s working farm. We enjoyed a pre-meal mezcal tasting and a grilled octopus and summer risotto dinner the first night, but we easily could have had all of our meals there.
ACRE is a beautiful property, and there’s a strong wellness theme at work here; activities include swimming in a zero-edge solar heated pool, yoga, jogging, biking and bocce, plus spa treatments, access to an art and movement academy and two pickleball courts. And animals are everywhere, from free-ranging peacocks to rescued baby goats, donkeys and dogs (plus, randomly and exciting to me, plenty of rabbits).
If you simply want to relax, you could probably fill two days at ACRE and never leave. If you get a chance and you tire of the treehouses, the property also offers some amazing two- and three-bedroom villas (available for fractional ownership, but there are ways to stay in them as a guest).
But honestly, you’ll want to take advantage of the surrounding area. Grab a car ride and head to town.
Your day trip
Tucked in the foothills of the Sierra de la Laguna Mountains you’ll find Flora Farms, located five minutes down the road from ACRE (“Maybe more if there are cows in the road,” said our driver Angel, chuckling. Again, the roads are a bit rustic.). Flora is a 25-acre organic working farm home to several stores, restaurants, a nature-based spa service and about a thousand places to hold a dazzling picturesque wedding.
It’s a pretty ideal place for families, as there are movie nights, food and art classes, musical performances and an abundance of restaurant options. We ate at Flora’s Field Kitchen, a farm-to-table experience (even the meat is sourced from a nearby 150-acre ranch) that included some wonderful cocktails — including a carrot-infused margarita — an array of artisanal pizzas and, oddly, the best arugula we’ve ever had. Not so traditional for the area, but certainly delicious.
Your night on the town
San José Del Cabo is a little sleepier than its sister city of Cabo San Lucas. But there’s a cool art district, plenty of bars and you’re walking distance from the water. One random find: Cuervo’s House, a quaint little restaurant run by descendants of the Cuervo family (so, yes, you’ll also find a lot of tequila here). Ignore the many, many shops selling Viagra and other prescribed meds over the counter (or don’t, I’m not your dad).
When you’re ready for a lovely meal, head over to Don Sanchez, an open-air restaurant headed by Chef Edgar Román that offers a contemporary take on Mexican cuisine and cocktails, with an emphasis on seafood and other locally sourced ingredients. Start with some colorful drinks, end with their local take on a pavlova (and pair it with a Carajillo). It’s also a good time to check out Mexican wine, which after this trip I can say is extremely underappreciated and pairs well with just about anything.
Your perfect sunset meal
Head out far into the mountains to find Monte Cardon, a slow-food, farm-to-table, open-air Baja-Mediterranena dining destination that opened this year. Once again, you’ll find yourself on a winding dirt road that seemingly leads nowhere (and you may encounter some wildlife along the way). But at the hillside’s summit, you’ll discover Cabo’s best views, overlooking the desert landscape. Ideally, you’ll take part in the Chef’s Dining Table, available three days a week and based and prepped around the daily harvest and raise from the neighbor farms.
Your water adventure
Our only trip into Cabo San Lucas involved a daylong sailing trip on a catamaran around the Sea of Cortez, where our itinerary consisted of sunbathing, swimming and snacking (and plenty of cocktails). Seeing The Arch is pretty much a prerequisite on any boat tour, and there are a number of options to view that and get on the water. We used Cabo Adventures, which offers sailing, snorkeling/scuba, jet ski, private yacht and whale-watching expeditions.
If you have time after your boat trip, this might be the moment to check out some of the rowdier or boisterous adventures in Cabo San Lucas — perhaps a stop at Sammy Hagar’s Cabo Wabo Cantina?
Some useful resources
- Los Cabos Tourism Board: The best all-in-one resource for the area.
- ACRE Resort
- Cabo Adventures
- Flora Farms
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