Hotel pool
Guests at the Cabo Surf Hotel share more than a temporary address.
There’s a certain camaraderie among the fortunate few who stay at
the 22-room beachfront destination hotel in San Jose del Cabo,
something I learned from a brief visit in December. While paddling
my longboard between the hotel’s two surf breaks, Old Man’s and The
Rock, I met and chatted with hotel guests from Napa, Calif.,
Scottsdale, Ariz., and San Diego who invited me to join them for
dinner or sunset cocktails after our surf session.
“Our guests get to know each other,” explained general manager
Mauricio Balderrama, “probably because Cabo Surf Hotel has the
feeling of a beach house or a club, instead of a big tower
hotel.”
Launching in 1996 with limited amenities, which amounted to
little more than its prime beach location and a continental
breakfast, Cabo Surf Hotel has expanded to include an infinity-edge
pool and Jacuzzi, two restaurants, a surf school and a full-service
day spa (for the non-surfers).
Though the boutique hotel remains a quaint two stories,
Balderrama recently added three 625-square-foot Junior Villas
outfitted with kitchenettes, king or queen beds that sleep four to
six people, and rooftop terraces with personal Jacuzzis and views
of the Sea of Cortez. Two of these villas happen to be ideal for
families and large groups since they share a door on the adjacent
bedroom wall, creating the combined capacity of 14 people.
One of the contemporary island-style Junior
suites
Every room at Cabo Surf Hotel is decorated in contemporary island
style, featuring cedar furniture, peach travertine floors and Tommy
Bahama ceiling fans. Flat-screen TVs come in each of these
oceanview rooms and wireless Internet access is available in some,
although it’s unlikely that your clients will get much use out of
either, given the wealth of outdoor amenities.
Most guests can be found around the pool, soaking up the Baja
sun and sipping on the popular house mango margarita (made with the
hotel’s own brand of 100 percent agave tequila) or dining in one of
the open-air restaurants. Overlooking the pool and Playa
Acapulquito, the 7 Seas restaurant serves Mediterranean-Mexican
cuisine and American comfort foods like seafood-stuffed chile,
bouillabaisse, an apple-smoked bacon burger and of course, surf and
turf.
While nibbling on breakfast underneath a palapa roof, clients
will likely find themselves entranced by both longboarders and
shortboarders showing off on the nearby crashing waves. After
meditating on this seductive display, even the most timid
individual will want to give the sport a try, especially since the
surf school guarantees that clients will stand up and surf on the
first day.
Surely, first-time surfers can’t help but to feel safe in the
hands of instructor Mike “Ironman” Doyle, who has won hundreds of
surf competitions and was voted World’s Best Surfer twice by Surfer
Magazine. Doyle and his crew offer private and group lessons to
clients and their families of all skill levels, ages 8 and up.
Lessons start with a short safety video, followed by stretching and
land drills, before progressing to the water for paddling and
riding instruction. Sessions typically last about one to three
hours.
The view of the surf from a Junior Suite
More adventurous clients can select a pre-waxed board from the
school’s extensive inventory, most shaped by the biggest names in
the surfing world like Robert August and the multitalented Ironman
himself, Doyle. (When he isn’t designing boards or giving lessons,
clients might also find Doyle painting landscapes and portraits,
some of which end up on the walls of the hotel rooms.) Also
available for rent at the beach are boogie boards, kayaks,
paddleboards and large umbrellas.
To top off the perfect beach day, a variety of after-sun
treatments are available at the hotel’s Sea Spa & Salon,
including the 55-minute Seaweed and Aloe Hydration Facial or the
Mayan Milk Whirlpool Bath. But a trip to the spa can be a full
day’s commitment, if clients choose one of five dynamic spa
packages. The Sea Spa Escape package begins with an hour-long
coconut and sand massage scrub, followed by a facial and Sea mud
body wrap. Clients order lunch off the spa dining menu, before
having a Deep Conditioning Scalp treatment and a deluxe manicure
and pedicure. Afterward, there’s just enough time to meet new
friends for a mango margarita and watch the sea envelop the
ruby-orange sun.
858-964-5117
www.cabosurfhotel.com
