At Four Seasons Cabo Del Sol, Doing Nothing Is The Main Attraction

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When you grow up in an outdoorsy family, the idea of a resort vacation is something you eye with equal parts suspicion and longing. The concept of flying to a hotel and just… relaxing? Surely there had to be some mistake. Vacations aren’t occasions where you sit still! You do things, you see things, you eat things. And then you come home exhausted, your mind nourished and your body depleted.

After a particularly challenging year, anchored by a busy work schedule and an unexpected health journey, I was coming to question the value of this approach. Did I not deserve some sun? Some time to be idle? A cocktail by a pool and an unapologetic 10 p.m. bedtime? I was primed for something new, and I certainly found it at the Four Seasons Cabo Del Sol.

The Property

Located on Cabo’s Golden Corridor, between Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo, on a rare swimmable stretch of beach, the 50-acre resort is a sensitively designed mini village, with a market, clothes shop, art center, spa, gym, and countless pools and restaurants.

If that sounds overwhelming in scale, it doesn’t feel that way when you’re there. The architecture is completely immersive, almost Disney World-esque, where you can’t imagine what might lie a hundred yards away because you’re entirely absorbed by the present. When you’re walking around the property, or even when you enjoy a cocktail from the highest veranda, it feels as if none of the buildings rise above the tree level. There are no in-between moments; the property feels peaceful, calm, and complete wherever you are.

I was lucky enough to be staying in a one bedroom villa with a private pool (more on that later), but I often went to relax by the enormous Brisal Pool, where the sea line rises quietly above the edge of the infinity pool. The size is important — who wants to be swimming close to a stranger? — though it mostly means you can have a proper swim in it, rather than just bobbing around. (Though bobbing with a fresh cocktail is encouraged by the staff, who are always on hand to bring you a signature cocktail or a fresh bite.) Also, this pool is kids-free, so you’re not going to get accidentally drenched by a 10-year-old showing off his cannonball.

My guest and I had access to a private cabana, where we were served freshly sliced fruit with a smoky seasoning, but we mostly sat out by the pool so we could easily slide in and out of the water. It was deliciously restful, the quiet only broken with the sound of a bell-ringing cart offering a complimentary ice lolly or a glass of rose.

One other call out: The staff did a wonderful job of keeping this very pale and pasty Brit in the shade. They moved our umbrellas endlessly and without complaint. There were also masses of sunscreen in discreet but huge dispensers by the pool, which made it much easier to be whimsical about swim vs application time. This left me with a rare sunburn count of zero.

The Room

Accessible via a tree-covered pathway — and via a private door down on the beach — our 7255 square-foot one-bedroom villa was a gift for two New Yorkers on vacation from their poky one-bedroom rentals. The bathroom was especially well laid out, with double sinks on opposite sides of the room and a door leading to a beautiful outdoor shower with bottles of Diptyque products on standby. The bed was gigantic and felt like sleeping on a cream-colored cloud. When I pressed the button each morning to draw the blackout curtains and was met with the view of our private outdoor patio and the glistening blue sea, I think I realised I may have peaked in life.

We ate some of our meals in our villa, in the roomy, comfy outdoor dining seats. But the real treat was the private pool, which is perfect for practicing your handstands and making your friend capture video evidence without feeling embarrassed. It was also great for morning dips, evening dips, any-time-of-the-day dips. And with the sound of the waves crashing onto the beach just steps away, I couldn’t have been happier.

The villa also came with a brilliantly charming Hacienda Host, Josue, who texted us morning and night with offers of assistance. “Golf cart is ready, señoritas,” came the morning texts, when we were due to be whisked off to our activity of the day. The property feels bigger than it is when you’re being whizzed around in an electric vehicle — I soon realised that a 5-minute drive was also a 5-minute walk down the hidden pathways — but given the job was relaxation, who am I to say no? Josue also wrangled to have my guest feted with birthday balloons and a cake, even though her birthday had passed two weeks before. The overall attention to detail and friendliness of the staff was nothing short of exceptional.

The Spa Experience

The hotel’s Tierra Mar Spa sits at the heart of the resort, opposite the reception area, though the tinkle of a water fountain as you step beyond the wrought iron gate alerts you to an impending change of atmosphere. Things are peaceful at the Four Seasons by default, though the spa’s garden areas, with the constant sound of moving water, little bridges over small ponds and an undone mix of slightly less manicured shrubbery, makes your shoulders drop even further.

My first visit was for Toes & ‘Tinis, a beautiful pedicure treatment administered overlooking a small veranda. Guests are invited to enjoy a martini while being treated, though I swapped mine for a margarita with salt on the rim. Why not? We’re relaxing after all. After that, the spa team washed and blew out my hair, leaving me with the best picture of my hair ever to be captured in 90-degree heat.

My second visit to the spa was for the signature Tierra Mar 90-minute massage. Each treatment happens within a small private suite, accessed via a little garden path. My massage involved a mixture of hot obsidian stone therapy melded with traditional Mexican rebozo work, which is a little like being wrapped in a shawl while the tension is rocked out of you. The goal is to “release accumulated tension.” With that plus the margaritas, I was certainly on the way.

Upon completion, I was ushered to a recovery room with a long column of lounge beds for guests. My pro tip: Look out for the big bowl of Cacao Energy Bites. They are delicious and I may or may not have packed two in a napkin to take back to my room with me afterwards.

(Side note: I also appreciated the changing room experience. There’s nothing you need to wait to get back to your room for, with little containers full of everything from micellar water to contact lens solution. A small thing, but it’s nice to leave feeling truly put back together.)

The Food & Drink Scene

If you’re not going to leave the resort, you need good places to eat. I tried my first floating breakfast in our private pool, which was a strange sensory experience — I’m not sure I felt right eating warm food in a pool — but it was hard not to be hypnotised by how elegant the tray looked floating up against the view.

We dined at each of the hotel’s restaurants, with tacos at Coraluz on day one, followed by Drunch at Sora Rooftop Bar. The food was decidedly fresh and well seasoned, though with the constant grazing and relaxing I didn’t find myself particularly ravenous each evening. One night we dined at Palmerio, the hotel’s French and Italian infused outpost, and enjoyed a menu first presented at the James Beard Foundation’s Platform. The special five-course meal included Bluefin Tuna Tostada, Kampachi Crudo, and Sea of Cortez Scallop: aka light, fresh, and delightful. Extra points for them bringing a little bag stand so I never had to put my bag anywhere approaching the floor.

Our favorite meal of the trip came on the last evening, at Cayao by Richard Sandoval, which serves up Nikkei, a fusion of Japanese and Peruvian cooking. The restaurant appeared something of a destination, with guests from other resorts stopping by, and the food didn’t disappoint. My tip? Get the Green Curry.

The Activities

One day, we were invited to the El Taller Art Studio to produce something with clay. Our instructor took us across the square to the Mercado, which had traditional ceramics for sale. This was to discover different techniques and find inspiration for our own project, a rather ambitious approach given my creative aptitude exists strictly in the 6- to 10-year-old range, though it was nice to see some of the different options we could try to emulate. Our attendant worked with us in a private class for an hour, and was very sympathetic to my clumsy methods. Did I make something beautiful? No. Did I enjoy using my hands and getting out of my head for an hour? Yes.

The hotel will arrange for all sorts of bespoke experiences for its villa guests, and we also tried a private sound bath in our villa pool. I was on the trip with a fellow Brit, which unfortunately comes with a level of certain shared awkwardness when it comes to anything feeling a little spiritual, but that truthfully made it all the better. I started the experience fearing I might fall off my float from getting the giggles, before I locked into a meditative state as I floated in loops of the pool.

We did leave the resort once to go on a boat trip. The surrounding harbor area felt equal parts industrial and touristy, but a giant seal squawked at us as we pulled out of the harbor and we didn’t look back. We saw local kids' lifeguard training as we made our way to view the arch of Cabo San Lucas, before taking a 20-minute cruise along the coast. We passed the hotel itself — I may be biased as a guest, but the hotel was by far the most attractive and sensitively integrated from distance — before jumping in the water to swim with plenty of small fishes and even get a sighting of a manta ray.

One final note. Yes, the activities are lovely, but I think the upside of a resort like this is that you mostly want to do nothing and feel incredible while you do it. If you find yourself compelled to do just that, do not worry: The resort is a special place to be if you camp out by the pool and do little else. Take it from a new convert.