Where to Stay

Best Hotels in San José del Cabo: Pick the Area First

By Cabo Wander

The best hotels in San José del Cabo depend on which San José you mean. The name covers three different places to stay, and you can't walk between them.

Pick the area before you pick the hotel, because the area decides the trip:

• The old town means you walk to dinner every night and there's no beach.
• The hotel zone means a big resort on a beach you can't swim at.
• Puerto Los Cabos means a quiet marina community a short drive out of town.

If you came for the restaurants, I'd book Casa Natalia on the plaza. If you have kids and want all-inclusive, I'd book Hyatt Ziva in the hotel zone and plan on a pool week. And if you want a small hotel with a way into the ocean, it's Hotel El Ganzo out at Puerto Los Cabos, which is the only hotel in any part of San José where that's possible.

My San José del Cabo guide splits the town into four, because it includes the surf end at Costa Azul. For hotels, three areas cover nearly everything, and I've added a short section at the end for two hotels just west of town.

Every price here is my rough estimate for two people per night with the tax already in. They're planning numbers. Late summer is the low end, winter is the top, and Christmas week runs higher than anything I give. At the all-inclusives the number covers food and drinks. Everywhere else it's the room, and eating goes on top.

I'll also say where I know less about a hotel, because for a few of these I do.

The Quick Version

• A couple who wants to walk to dinner: Casa Natalia. Tropicana Los Cabos if you want parking and a bigger pool for less.
• A family: Hyatt Ziva. Hilton Vacation Club Cabo Azul if you'd rather have a kitchen.
• All-inclusive: Hyatt Ziva with kids, Secrets Puerto Los Cabos for adults, Royal Solaris on a tight budget.
• The top end: One&Only Palmilla, just west of town, if you want to swim. Zadún if you want a plunge pool and a lot of space.
• On a budget: El Encanto Suites in the old town. Royal Solaris if you want the wristband.
• Small and design-led: Hotel El Ganzo. Drift if you want the old town and you'll be out late anyway.

The Three Areas

Before you pay for anything, find Plaza Mijares on the map and look at how far your hotel's pin is from it. A listing uses the same town name for all three of these.

The old town. This is the plaza, the church, a few blocks of galleries and the best group of walkable restaurants in Los Cabos. From a hotel here you walk to all of it in a few minutes. There's no beach. The closest sand is about half an hour away on foot, and it's the hotel-zone beach, so you can't swim once you get there. The airport is 15 to 30 minutes away.

The hotel zone. This is a strip of big beach hotels about a mile south of the plaza, most of them all-inclusive. From your room you can walk to the sand, to the hotel next door, and to an open-air mall across the road with a few restaurants and shops. The beach is long and wide and it is NOT a swim beach. It drops off steeply close to shore, there's an undertow, and it's flagged against swimming most of the time. The plaza is about half an hour on foot from the nearest hotels and 45 minutes to an hour from the far end, or about US$5 by Uber. The airport is 15 to 20 minutes.

Puerto Los Cabos. This is a marina, golf and resort development on the far side of the estuary, 10 to 15 minutes from the plaza by car. From the big resorts you can't walk to anything. The open beach out here is rough surf with black flags. The one calm spot is a small buoyed swim area called La Playita, just inside the marina, and Hotel El Ganzo's beach club sits right beside it. The airport is 20 to 30 minutes.

If you're still deciding whether San José is your town at all, start with Cabo San Lucas vs San José del Cabo. And if you're choosing among every area on this coast, that's where to stay in Cabo.

The Old Town

Stay here if dinner is the reason for the trip. These are small hotels that sell the room without meals, and nobody here sells all-inclusive, because the restaurants are right outside.

None of the four is on a beach, so every swim is a ride. The pools are small courtyard pools, and in winter they run cool. Several of the buildings have stairs and no elevator. And noise depends on which side of the building you're on. The plaza has music on Thursday evenings in season and on weekends, and a couple of these hotels sit near bars.

From July to October the Art Walk is off, the town is hot and very quiet, and some restaurants cut their hours. That's when the reason to stay in the old town is at its weakest. It's also when the rates are lowest.

I haven't found a sales desk at any of these four.

1. Casa Natalia

Casa Natalia is my pick for a couple who wants to walk to dinner, because it's right on Plaza Mijares. You step out the door and you're in the middle of everything the old town has.

It's 18 rooms around a courtyard pool with a waterfall, and the rooms have private terraces with hammocks. It's sold as adults-only, and the minimum age is 13, so if "no teenagers" is what you're after, that's worth knowing.

There's no beach, and the pool is small. Plan on about US$225 to $400 a night for two, room only, and more in the peak weeks.

On noise, the courtyard is quiet for somewhere this central. The plaza outside is the thing to plan around. On Thursday evenings from November through June the Art Walk brings live music to the square, and weekends have music too. Ask for a room away from the street entrance. There's no elevator.

It suits couples who came for the restaurants, and solo travelers. I'd skip it if you want a real pool day or you need an elevator.

2. Tropicana Los Cabos

Tropicana is the practical pick in the old town. It has the biggest pool of the four, a hot tub and free valet parking.

The full name is Tropicana Los Cabos, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, and it's the old Tropicana Inn, rebuilt. It has 70 rooms around a courtyard on the boulevard that runs south from the plaza, a couple of blocks from the square. The gallery streets and every restaurant in the center are a short walk.

There's no beach. The pool is a real courtyard pool, and I'd assume it's cool in winter.

Plan on about US$170 to $400 a night for two, room only. Breakfast isn't included. If you have Hilton status, I wouldn't book it expecting an upgrade or much of a breakfast.

It's quiet for where it is. For the room, ask for an upper floor on the courtyard or pool side. The ground-floor rooms hear the floor above, and the street side is the louder side on a weekend.

It works for a couple who wants the old town on foot with a rental car parked safely, and for anyone collecting Hilton points. It takes kids, too. I'd skip it if you want a small place with more character, because that's Casa Natalia.

3. Drift San José

Drift is the design hotel in the old town at the lowest price, and it comes with a noise warning.

It's 29 rooms in the gallery district, two to five minutes on foot from the plaza. The look is concrete and cactus, with a plunge pool and a mezcal bar in the courtyard.

Plan on about US$180 to $340 a night for two, room only. A 10% charge gets added on top, so look for it on the rate. Breakfast isn't included and there's no parking on site, though street parking is free.

The noise comes from the bar, which is part of the hotel. The hotel hands out earplugs, and on weekends the bass can run very late. The rooms have glass doors onto the courtyard, so privacy means closing the curtains. The stairs are steep with no handrails, and there's no elevator.

I couldn't pin down Drift's age policy, so ask the hotel before you count on it being adults-only, or before you book it with kids.

It's for friends and solo travelers who'll be out in the evening anyway. A top-floor room is the one to ask for. Light sleepers and anyone who likes a banister should pick Tropicana.

4. El Encanto Suites

El Encanto Suites is the budget room in the gallery district, and which building you get decides the stay.

It's a hacienda-style inn on Calle Morelos, and you'll still see it listed under its old name, El Encanto Inn. It's spread over a main house with a garden and two annexes, one a few doors down and one across the street.

Plan on about US$150 to $290 a night for two, room only. There's no restaurant of its own. Parking on site is paid and limited, with free parking on the street.

Book a pool or garden suite in the main house and get that in writing. The annex across the street sits near a bar that plays late, and the cheapest rooms are the ones most likely to land you in an annex.

I also wouldn't book it for the pool. I couldn't get a clear picture of what the pool is now, so ask for a current photo if it matters to you.

I know less about this one than the other three. I'd book it for an Art Walk trip on a budget when you'll be out all evening, and I'd ask a few questions first.

The small hotels in both towns, and in Todos Santos, are ranked in the best boutique hotels in Cabo.

The Hotel Zone

This is a pool vacation near the airport at some of the best all-inclusive prices in Los Cabos. That's a perfectly good thing to want. I just want you to book it knowing the beach is for walking and the town is a ride.

A few things apply to the whole strip. You can't swim in front of any of these hotels. The road they sit on runs behind the buildings with no view of the water, so the walk into town is half an hour or more along the back of the hotels. I'd take the US$5 Uber, and at a big resort I'd walk out to the road to meet it. And spring break barely touches San José, so March here is calm.

1. Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos

Hyatt Ziva is the hotel I'd book for a family in San José, and the reason is the water park. It has five slides, a pair of dump buckets and a splash pool for toddlers, and no other all-inclusive in Los Cabos has anything close to it. How it stacks up against the cheaper family all-inclusive on the Corridor is in Hyatt Ziva vs Dreams Los Cabos.

It's all-inclusive only, with close to 600 rooms and about eight places to eat. The kids' club takes ages 4 to 12 and closes at 5pm, so plan on eating as a family. Tips are included, and nobody is selling memberships, which makes for an easier check-in with kids.

It's about a mile and a half from the plaza, a five-minute ride, and 15 to 20 minutes from the airport. That makes it one of the easiest all-inclusives in Los Cabos to leave for one dinner in town.

The beach is not swimmable, and black flags are routine.

Plan on about US$550 to $900 a night for two adults, and around US$1,250 over the holidays. For a family of four, budget about US$750 to $1,100. Check how each child is priced on the booking page before you total it up.

It's a big hotel and it sounds like one. The entertainment at the main pool is loud and there's live music into the evening. Loungers get claimed at dawn. There is one adults-only pool with a swim-up bar. It's tucked away and has no ocean view.

For the room, check the size of the entry category before you put four people in it. Hyatt's own room list has it at about 580 square feet, and older descriptions say about 350, so go by the figure and the bed layout on your booking page.

It's best for families with kids from about 4 to 10. If you want a quiet pool, or you're a couple, keep reading. How it compares with the other kid-friendly hotels is in the best family resorts in Cabo.

2. Hilton Vacation Club Cabo Azul

Cabo Azul is the one to book if you want a kitchen in San José. It has villas with one to three bedrooms and full kitchens, and it's a little over a mile from the plaza.

Don't confuse it with the Hilton Los Cabos, which sits on a swimmable cove out on the Corridor. Cabo Azul is in the hotel zone, on the same beach you can't swim at. Check the map pin before you pay.

It has six pools, a children's pool and a water slide. It's 15 to 20 minutes from the airport. It sells the room without meals, at about US$300 to $650 a night with tax.

It's a vacation-club resort by name, so expect to be offered a presentation at check-in. The kids' club costs extra, and I couldn't find the ages or the fee, so ask.

It fits a family or a group that likes San José, wants to cook breakfast and is happy to drive ten minutes to Palmilla to swim. I'd skip it if you hate being pitched or you want your meals handled.

3. Royal Solaris Los Cabos

Royal Solaris is the cheapest all-inclusive I'd book in San José, and it's about 15 minutes from the airport.

It has a small water park with a long slide and a kids' club for ages 4 to 11. The plaza is five to ten minutes away by car. The beach is not swimmable.

Plan on about US$275 to $550 a night for two, and about US$350 to $700 for a family of four. Read the rate conditions before you book, because the lowest advertised price is tied to attending a two-hour sales presentation. So yes, there's a sales desk, and here it's built into the price.

The food is where the low rate shows. You're capped at three specialty-restaurant reservations for the stay, and the buffet is thin. The walls are thin too, and the rooms are about 350 square feet, which is tight for four. With a child under 4, I'd look elsewhere, since the kids' club and the slides both have minimums.

Bottom line: with kids from about 5 to 10 and a tight budget, it does the job. I'd take the short ride into town for dinner a couple of times. The full field, with the fine print on each plan, is in the best all-inclusive resorts in Cabo.

The Rest of the Strip

GR Solaris Lighthouse is the hotel that used to be called Barceló Gran Faro. It's the same group as Royal Solaris, all-inclusive, at about US$260 to $400 a night for two, with the same sales desk. The wifi and the restaurant service are weaker. For a few dollars more, I'd pick Royal Solaris.

Krystal Grand Los Cabos is at the west end of the strip, all-inclusive at about US$265 to $435 a night for two. It's cheap, and it has ongoing trouble with cleanliness and road noise. I'd spend a little more. If you do book it, ask for a room away from the road.

Viceroy Los Cabos is the mid-size design hotel on this strip, and I'd confirm with the hotel that it's taking bookings for your dates before you plan around it.

Two small places get sold as San José boutique hotels and are really in the hotel zone. Six Two Four Urban Beach Hotel is a 17-room budget hotel beside the golf course, near the open-air mall, at roughly US$90 to $180 a night. Marisol Hotel Boutique is a ten-room, family-run place about a block from the sand, at roughly US$140 to $210 most of the year. I know very little that's current about either one, so check both carefully. Neither is in the old town, and neither is on a beach you can swim at.

Puerto Los Cabos

Puerto Los Cabos is newer, quieter and more spread out than the hotel zone. It's a marina and golf development with gated resorts, a fishing village and a lot of empty lots between them. From the three big resorts here you can't walk to anything, so every dinner out is a ride of 10 to 15 minutes into town.

The first-timer warning applies out here more than anywhere. The Arch and all the boats are about 45 minutes away in the other town.

1. Hotel El Ganzo

El Ganzo is the small hotel I'd book in San José if a swim matters, because it's the only one with a way into the ocean.

The hotel is on the marina. Its beach club is across the channel, and the hotel's own boat takes you over in about two minutes. That's where you swim, on a small sheltered stretch of sand inside the breakwater. The beach on the hotel's own side of the channel isn't the swimming one. It's a calm dip beside a working boat channel, so stay inside the buoys and ask at the desk about conditions that day.

It's a 70-room hotel, adults-only for overnight guests at 18 and up, and room only. Music is the whole idea. There's a recording studio with resident musicians, and live sets by the rooftop infinity pool several nights a week.

From the hotel you can walk the marina path and get to La Playita in about four minutes. The plaza is 5 to 10 minutes by car and the airport is about 20. Parking is free.

Plan on about US$250 to $700 a night for two. A resort fee goes on top, restaurant checks come with a 15% tip already added, and the menu is pricey. I haven't found a sales desk.

The noise is the same thing that makes it fun. The soundproofing between rooms is on the thin side, so ask for a room away from the rooftop stairs and the bar.

It's a good fit for couples, friends and solo travelers who'll spend their evenings in San José. If you need silence at 10pm, skip it. The beach club also sells a day pass. It has been about US$50 with most of that credited toward food and drinks, and it's a cheap way to try the place before you book a stay. Check the current terms first.

2. Secrets Puerto Los Cabos

Secrets is the adults-only all-inclusive near San José, and it's a calm couples' hotel with a lot of space.

It has 500 suites, it's 18 and up, and it sells all-inclusive only. The plaza is 10 to 15 minutes by car and the airport is about 20. Nothing is walkable.

The beach is not swimmable. Black flags are the normal state of things, whatever another list tells you.

Plan on about US$550 to $850 a night for two. The better liquor is in the Preferred Club lounge, and the spa is extra.

It's quiet. The main pool has activities and stays on the pleasant side of lively, and the Preferred Club pool is the calmer of the two.

There is a sales desk. Expect to be asked more than once about a "90-minute" presentation.

On rooms, the oceanfront suites are the best and the garden-view rooms are the quietest. I wouldn't pay extra for a swim-out room, because they're older and have more maintenance trouble. The mattresses are firm everywhere.

Who is it for? A couple who wants a wristband and will take the short ride into San José for a dinner or two. If you sleep badly on a hard bed, or you expected a beach, look elsewhere. The rest of the category is in the best adults-only resorts in Cabo.

3. Zadún, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve

Zadún is the top of the market out here, and it's the one for space and privacy. The entry level is a one-bedroom suite of about 1,500 square feet with a terrace and its own plunge pool, so there's no smaller room to be disappointed by.

It's room only, 10 to 15 minutes by car from the plaza and 25 to 30 from the airport. Nothing is walkable. Each suite has a personal host you reach by WhatsApp, and the adults-only pool has fewer than twenty chairs.

The beach is a mile of sand for walking and whale watching. The surf is too rough for swimming.

Plan on about US$1,200 a night for the suite in late summer and US$2,300 to $3,400 in winter, with tax and service in. Food runs around US$250 a person a day, and there are only three restaurants, which gets thin over a week.

The resort sits in a development that's still being built, and some suites higher up the hill have a partly blocked view. Before you pay, ask the hotel what's beside your building, and ask for a suite on the quiet side with a clear view of the water.

This is for a couple or a family who wants a big private suite near San José and is happy with a plunge pool as their water. For this money, swimmers should look at Palmilla below.

4. JW Marriott Los Cabos

The JW Marriott is the calm, modern room-only resort out here, and I'd book it mainly with Marriott points.

It's 20 to 30 minutes from the airport. The beach is not swimmable, though La Playita is about five minutes away by car. There's a children's pool, an adults-only pool with a swim-up bar, and a kids' club for ages 4 to 12 that costs extra. There are no kitchens.

Plan on about US$380 to $850 a night with tax, and then food.

I know less about this one. I couldn't confirm whether there's a sales desk or a resort charge on the room, so ask both when you book.

Just West of Town

Two hotels sit on the highway west of San José, close enough that I'd count them if you're shopping for a San José trip.

One&Only Palmilla

Palmilla is where I'd spend top-end money near San José, and the reason is the water. It sits on a point with two sandy coves, and they're the calmest hotel swimming on the whole Corridor.

It's about ten minutes from the plaza by car and 20 to 30 from the airport, with a supermarket and a pharmacy about five minutes from the gate. Nothing is walkable, but dinner in San José is an easy ride. It's room only. The kids' club takes ages 4 to 11 and doesn't cost extra, and there's a family pool and an adults-only pool. I haven't found a sales desk.

The coves aren't exempt from the weather. The point faces south, so a summer or fall swell can put a red flag up here too, and from February to April the water is cold.

Plan on about US$1,200 a night for the room in late summer and US$2,300 to $3,800 in winter, with tax and service in.

You're paying a famous-name rate for the beach and the address. The entry-level rooms are about 500 square feet, the smallest at this level, and some rooms are showing their age. The food is good without being great. I'd book a junior suite and eat in town a few times.

I'd send families with small kids here, and couples who'd be sad without an ocean swim. If service and food matter more to you than the swim, I put it up against its neighbor in Las Ventanas vs One&Only Palmilla.

Cabo Surf Hotel

Cabo Surf is the only small hotel around San José with rooms right on the sand, and it's for surfers.

It's 37 rooms stepped down a bluff below the highway at Costa Azul, in front of the gentle break where people learn, with a surf school on site. The center of San José is 5 to 10 minutes by car. It's room only, with free parking.

The beach is a surf beach, with rocks and sea urchins in the shallows. You surf here, and you swim at Palmilla, about ten minutes away.

Two things decide whether to book it. The first is the season. The waves run from roughly May to October, and in winter the water is mostly flat, so a January booking is a booking for the view. The second is the highway, which runs directly behind and above the hotel. The top row of rooms gets the traffic, so ask for an ocean-view room on a lower level.

Plan on about US$470 to $915 a night for two. I think that's a lot for what the rooms are, and the finish doesn't always match the rate. I'd book it in summer for the surf and look elsewhere the rest of the year.

Where You Can Swim

The hotel-zone beach is not a swim beach, and that's true in front of every hotel on it. Walk it at the waterline early in the morning, stay up on the firm sand, and plan your swim somewhere else. The open beach at Puerto Los Cabos is the same story, and Costa Azul is a surf break.

Here's where the calm water is, and how far it is from a San José hotel:

• Palmilla. The public beach beside the One&Only is the calmest sandy swim in Los Cabos. It's about ten minutes by car from the hotel zone or the old town. Nothing is sold on the beach, so bring your own shade, water and snacks.
• La Playita. A tiny buoyed swim area just inside the marina at Puerto Los Cabos, with almost no waves, which makes it good for toddlers. It's 10 to 15 minutes by car from the plaza or the hotel zone, and about five from the JW Marriott.
• El Ganzo's beach club. Right beside La Playita, across the channel from the hotel by its boat. Day guests are welcome with a pass, kids included.

At all three, go before 10am, when the water is flattest. Go midweek if you can, because Sundays are busy with local families. And check the flag when you arrive, since a summer or fall swell can close even Palmilla for a day or more.

How each of those beaches swims is in the best swimmable beaches in Cabo. And if you've read this far and decided the swim is the thing you won't give up, the hotels that have one out front are in the best Cabo resorts with swimmable beaches. It's a short list. Palmilla is on it, and El Ganzo gets in with an asterisk for the boat ride.

Getting Around From a San José Hotel

From the old town you walk to dinner and take a ride to everything else. From the hotel zone and Puerto Los Cabos, everything is a ride. Uber works well around town and out to both areas, and short hops are cheap. Taxis have no meters, so agree on the price before you get in.

The Thursday Art Walk. From November through the end of June, Thursday evening is Art Walk night in the gallery district, from about 5pm to 9pm. The main gallery street closes to cars, and the restaurant tables in the old town go first, so book dinner about a week ahead. From the hotel zone it's the US$5 ride. From an old-town hotel you're already there, and from Casa Natalia it's right outside the door. It doesn't run from July to October. The evening is planned out in my post on the San José Art Walk.

The farm restaurants. Flora Farms, Acre and Los Tamarindos are 10 to 15 minutes from town by car, and the last stretch is a dirt road. An Uber gets you out there easily. For the ride home, there's a taxi stand beside Flora Farms, and I'd arrange it before sitting down. Which one to book is in Flora Farms vs Acre vs Los Tamarindos.

You can also sleep out there. Acre rents adults-only treehouses, and I'd treat one as a novelty for a night or two around a dinner. The walls are open weave, so the rooms don't hold the cool, there's nowhere to sit inside, and roosters and events on the grounds are part of the night. Ask Acre for the rate directly.

Cabo San Lucas. The other town is 35 to 45 minutes away. An Uber is about 600 pesos, somewhere between US$20 and $40. A taxi opens at US$50 to $70. The bus is about 45 to 50 pesos in cash, but it runs along the highway and stops around 10pm, so it isn't much use for getting home after dinner. Nearly every boat trip leaves from San Lucas, which is the real cost of staying here. One boat day is easy. If you've got three or four planned, I'd stay in the other town. What fills the other days is in things to do in San José del Cabo.

The airport. This is the easy part of any San José hotel. It's 15 to 30 minutes from all three areas. A private car booked ahead starts around US$70, and the official airport taxi is about US$65 to $85. Don't count on an Uber picking you up at arrivals. Going home, it drops off with no trouble. The arrival itself is in my Cabo airport guide, and every fare is compared in getting around Cabo.

The Verdict

Pick the area first. In San José that one choice tells you whether you'll walk to dinner, whether you'll see a wristband, and how far you'll ride for a swim. No hotel here gives you the town and a swimmable beach together.

Here's who I'd put where:

• A couple who came to eat: Casa Natalia on the plaza, or Tropicana for less money and a parking spot.
• A family with kids from 4 to 10: Hyatt Ziva, knowing it's a pool week.
• A family who wants a kitchen: Hilton Vacation Club Cabo Azul.
• Adults who want all-inclusive and quiet: Secrets Puerto Los Cabos.
• A couple who wants small, with a swim: Hotel El Ganzo.
• A big budget: One&Only Palmilla for the coves, Zadún for the suite.
• A tight budget: El Encanto Suites in the old town, main house only. Royal Solaris if you want all-inclusive.
• Three nights or fewer: anywhere on this list, because the airport is so close.

And here's who I'd steer away:

• Anyone who needs to swim from the hotel: skip the hotel zone and the big resorts at Puerto Los Cabos.
• Light sleepers: skip Drift, and at El Ganzo ask for a room away from the rooftop.
• Anyone who hates a sales pitch: skip Royal Solaris, GR Solaris Lighthouse, Cabo Azul and Secrets, or go in ready to say no.
• First-timers who want the Arch, the boats and a beach on foot: San José is the wrong town. Stay on Médano Beach in Cabo San Lucas.
• July to September visitors coming for the old town: think twice, because that's when it's hottest and quietest.

If you made me pick one hotel in San José, I'd pick Casa Natalia, because the old town is the part of San José you can't get anywhere else. I'd book it knowing every swim is a ride... and I'd ask for the room away from the street.

And here's how I'd text it to a friend: San José is three places, check the map pin against the plaza. Old town to walk to dinner, Casa Natalia or Tropicana, no beach. Hotel zone for a cheap all-inclusive, Ziva with kids, can't swim there. El Ganzo if you want small and a swim, it's a boat ride across the channel. Palmilla to swim, ten minutes. Thursday is Art Walk, November to June. All the boats are in the other town.

Quick Answers

What is the best area to stay in San José del Cabo? The old town if you came for the restaurants and can live without a beach. The hotel zone if you want a good-value all-inclusive and a pool. Puerto Los Cabos if you want quiet and don't mind a ride to everything.

Can you swim at the hotels in San José del Cabo? Not at any hotel in the hotel zone, and not at the big resorts at Puerto Los Cabos. Hotel El Ganzo has a calm swim at its beach club, a two-minute boat ride across the marina channel, and One&Only Palmilla, ten minutes west, has two calm coves.

Can you walk from the hotel zone to downtown San José? You can in daylight when it's cool. It's about half an hour from the nearest hotels and 45 minutes to an hour from the far end. An Uber is about US$5, and that's the better plan at night.

Which San José del Cabo hotels are all-inclusive? Hyatt Ziva, Royal Solaris, GR Solaris Lighthouse and Krystal Grand in the hotel zone, and Secrets at Puerto Los Cabos. Nothing in the old town is all-inclusive.

How far are San José hotels from the airport? About 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the area. The hotel zone is the closest at 15 to 20, and Puerto Los Cabos is 20 to 30.