Hotel El Ganzo

Style

Hipster yacht party

Setting

Cooler side of Cabo

On laid-back San José del Cabo’s marina, with views that stretch out to the sea beyond, Hotel El Ganzo is the first of its kind in Los Cabos: a trendy design hotel that doubles as an arts and culture centre. That it also happens to have a private beach club with one of the area’s few swimmable beaches just makes it even cooler – as does the rooftop pool, and the sushi bar, and the…okay, we’ll stop, but you get the idea.

Facilities

Rooms

Seventy, including nine suites.

Checkout

Noon, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 3pm.

More Details

Rates do not usually include breakfast; Continental from $25. The resort fee covers drinks in the minibar (two free sodas and beers; bottled water refreshed daily), beach club access and WiFi throughout.

Also

Everywhere you go in the hotel, you’ll be treated to the dulcet sounds of El Ganzo Sessions – original work produced at the hotel’s very own underground recording studio, designed by artist-in-residence Mark Rudin. Ask nicely, and you might even get a tour. Many of the musicians who come to record also play live shows here.

Fitness Center

Free Internet Access

Laundry

Pet Friendly

Pool

Room Service

Spa

At the Hotel

Beach club, spa, two swimming pools, gym, recording studio, bicycles to borrow, WiFi throughout. In rooms: flatscreen TV; iPad; minibar with two free sodas and beers; bottled water refreshed daily; locally made Rose Mary toiletries; bathrobes; coffee-making facilities.

Our Favourite Rooms

All rooms at Hotel El Ganzo have unobstructed, breath-taking water views, so it’s impossible to be disappointed. Given our druthers, though, we’d opt for a Large Suite; each is slightly different in size, layout and decor, but each has a living room, floor-to-ceiling windows lining the exterior and an oversized private terrace with a lounge bed looking out on the water. Suite 401 might be our favourite, with cow-hide rugs, a four-poster bed and a secret outdoor shower.

Poolside

In addition to two swimming pools, heated using solar panels, the hotel also has a private beach club, accessed by boat across the marina and fully equipped with a café-bar, beach- and watersports and a swimming area. The 187-square-metre rooftop infinity pool overlooking the marina is surrounded by oversized day-beds and served by a swim-up bar. On the ground level, a more serene pool is a quieter place for a swim and some basking, with palm-trees shading loungers.

Spa

The outdoor spa is nestled amongst Baja's looming tropics, where EL Ganzo's relaxation gurus offer full body massages with hemp-infused oils and hot stones, facial and body treatments tailored to your skin type, hydrotherapy sessions, mani-pedis, and a Mexican herb ritual that includes a spiritual cleanse, body scrub, soothing massage and organic mini facial. You're also welcome to join one of the yoga sessions, taken in the hotel's view-graced studio.

Packing Tips

Your guitar – not only will you fit in with the rotating cast of musicians performing and recording, but you could even angle to get your own recording session in the studio.

Also

In addition to a full range of treatments – from the detoxifying, agave-scrub-including Mezcal Ritual to a more traditional Swedish massage – Spa El Ganzo has a sauna, steam room, salon and marina-view gym with Kinesis machines. Ask about yoga classes.

Children

The hotel is for adults only.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

Find a seat in the lounge and make friends with the myriad artists and musicians. While a more intimate experience can be had on the deck, the area transitions later to a music venue and service can be slow.

Dress Code

Artsy beach bash. Plaid button-ups, breezy skirts and straw fedoras lend just the right amount of urban chic to an otherwise laid-back scene.

Hotel Restaurant

The hotel’s culinary core, Ganzo Downstairs restaurant serves fresh, locally sourced dishes throughout the day – think chilaquiles and freshly squeezed orange juice for breakfast, tacos and ceviche for lunch, gourmet Mexican favourites like lion paw scallops and tlacoyo de pollo for dinner. By night, it’s a buzzy local hotspot where tequila flows faster than water and the sounds of El Ganzo Sessions waft out onto the wrap-around deck as the hours wear on. Oh, and, whatever you do, don’t miss the churros.

For your daytime poolside snacks and a more international flavour, the rooftop Gachoo Sushi Bar specialises in the freshest of Peruvian and Japanese seafood preparations, including ceviche, tempura and sashimi. Spread out along a raw bar on one side of the roof, it offers the same far-reaching views as the pool; indeed, if you don’t want to give up your lounger, just ask to have your food brought over. When you’re spending your day out at Ganzo de Playa, the beach club, you can snack and lunch on equally fresh fish tacos, salads and other beach classics.

Hotel Bar

An extension of Ganzo Downstairs, the bar maintains the hotel’s convivial, well-soundtracked nature. Order a cerveza, Sangrita or straight-up margarita, pull up a beach chair by the outdoor deck’s firepit and enjoy the live music performances on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings. On Wednesdays, the El Ganzo Film Club screens classic films to accompany your imbibing.

Last Orders

Order your last cerveza by midnight. Ganzo Downstairs serves breakfast from 7am to noon; lunch, noon to 5pm; dinner, 6 to 11pm. Gachoo Sushi Bar is open from 10am to 6pm, and the beach club serves food from 10am to 5pm.

Room Service

A simplified version of the Ganzo Downstairs lunch menu is available 24 hours a day, with staples like salads, catch-of-the-day and a burger.

Planes

Los Cabos International Airport (SJD) is 16 miles north of town, and many major international airlines offer direct routes from most major US cities. There are plenty of taxis, along with a shuttle into town.

Automobiles

You’ll want to hire a car to properly explore Los Cabos, though do be aware that roads can be hard to navigate and drivers quite aggressive. Taxis are also readily available, if a bit pricey.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Set on a tidy marina in the mellow village of San José del Cabo, El Ganzo is just a 30-minute drive from Cabo San Lucas, but it feels worlds away from that crowded beach scene. And for those seeking true peace and quiet, this is a very good thing. Tranquil and unspoilt, there are still plenty of diversions in Cabo’s sleepier sister town.

The concierge can arrange everything from strenuous 32-mile guided bike tours and ATV adventures to deep-sea fishing excursions. Local outfitters, Cabo Expeditions lead whale-watching trips, kayak and snorkelling tours of pristine coves and marine-life rich shoreline and can even get you up to speed on SUP, too.

Back on land, reserve a tee time at the Puerto Los Cabos Golf Course: co-designed by Jack Nicklaus and Greg Norman, the 18-hole course is dramatically set overlooking the Sea of Cortes.

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .