Los Cabos is a famous tourist destination for its arch in the middle of the ocean, where thousands of national and foreign tourists take pictures for their social media. Certainly, even though many know this destination for this attraction, we must mention other virtues found at Los Cabos, such as fishing, impressive views of the dessert and sea contrast, and the vast amount and variety of luxury hotels, where we are pampered for an unforgettable stay. There is a reason why this beach destination is where the rich and famous go on vacation!
We recently travelled to those northern lands to visit the Sheraton Grand Hacienda del Mar at Cabo San Lucas, and we absolutely loved it! It’s the only Sheraton Grand in the country, and one of 37 in the whole world, which were carefully selected according to location, service, architecture, spa, and cuisine.
This property is located 40 minutes away from the Los Cabos airport, and opened its doors 17 years ago. As its name states, it commemorates an exclusive coastal town with a design inspired by a Mexican hacienda. The resort captures the feeling of antique Mexico, with is cobble stone roads surrounded by picturesque plazas, bubbling fountains, elegant restaurants, charming stores, and its colonial-style tower.
Sheraton Grand holds 270 rooms, and if you are thinking that’s too many rooms, don’t worry, we loved the fact that there are multiple buildings spread throughout the complex, in a style more similar to a town than a large hotel. These buildings have three stories each, and are painted in an array of warm tones (orange, pink, red), similar to the houses of San Miguel Allende. You’ll love the contrast of the ocean’s blue and the buildings’ colors, you’ll want to take a picture on every corner!
The hotel is ideal for a family vacation, at it has many swimming pools and activities for all ages. You can choose from one of its five swimming pools, whether you wish to relax and enjoy the weather, have a cocktail inside one of them, listen to live music, or something more fun with water slides for the children. If you would rather spend the day playing golf, Sheraton Grand hosts the Cabo del Sol resort complex spanning over 1,800 hectares and two of the most impressive golf courses in the region. On the other hand, if you wish to relax, we recommend the spa and enjoying a Swedish massage that will help you ease all muscle pains.
If cuisine is important for you while travelling, this hotel is perfect because you won’t need to leave the premises. Within Hacienda del Mar there are two restaurants worth noting: De Cortez Grill & Restaurant, where you can enjoy the highest-quality steaks and seafood, and Pitahayas, which serves Asian-Mexican fusion cuisine.
De Cortez Grill & Restaurant offers its guests a romantic ambiance with stone floors sprinkled with sand from the beach. We recommend starting your meal with oysters au gratin, cream, Comté cheese, saffron and paprika, followed by their famous red snapper with barley, red bell pepper juice, tapenade and crunchy rice. Conclude your dinner with their newest creation which, in addition to being delicious, is visually spectacular. It includes chocolate, a passionfruit crust, and vanilla foam.
At Pitahayas you can delight with dishes that merge Mexican ingredients with Asian flavors, an interesting proposal created by chef Volker Romeike. We suggest trying the jicama tacos with cucumber, shrimp, sweet pepper mayonnaise, and the pastor-style goat with pineapple, potato, banana, wasabi and guajillo sauce. Accompany your dinner with one of the 400 labels from the restaurant’s underground wine cellar.
Lastly, if you visit this property in March, you can’t miss their Wine and Cheese Festival, a fundraiser for a local foundation. At this event, guests can enjoy more than 65 wine labels, and 100 cheese varieties from Spain, Italy and France. Some of the festival’s signature dishes this year were the grilled cheese sandwiches, the traditional Swiss raclette, and the goat cheese ice creams. If you love wine and cheese, schedule this event for 2018!
If you are on a romantic trip with your partner, there are more intimate and exclusive options you’ll wish to know, however, Sheraton Grand Hacienda del Mar is an excellent choice for family trips and large groups.
*Local taxis are relatively expensive, if you are planning on taking many trips outside of hotel, we suggest renting a car at the airport. You could also take the hotel’s shuttle, USD $25 per person/trip, but you must make reservations in advance.
