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Light breeze. 72 degrees. Intermittent soft thunder of the waves crashing ashore. Gazing up at the evening stars as the live-plucked guitar chords of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” softly drift up to my balcony. That moment was my favorite of many during my stay at JW Marriott Los Cabos.
JW Marriott Los Cabos Review
Keep reading for my full JW Marriott Los Cabos review:
First Impressions
From the moment you step out of the car at the entrance, the staff take excellent care of you. I was greeted by Luis, who took my luggage and escorted me to the check-in desk.
The resort was quiet on the Sunday I checked in. Luis said a conference there had just ended the day before, so capacity was lower. Thankfully there was no line to check in, because that was never the case again in the days following when I walked through the lobby.
No sooner had I sat down than Luis asked if I’d like an iced Arnold Palmer, with or without alcohol. Coming in from the 88-degree weather in my Chicago-suited leggings, I gratefully accepted.
Marco checked me in and walked me through a map of the property, explaining where everything was, distinguishing the adult pool from the others, and marking which restaurant served breakfast.
The Room
I stayed in room B303, located on the 3rd floor on the west side of the resort. The view faced east, which gives you some amazing sunrise views.
The rooms feel very spacious with their tall ceilings and open design. Deep espresso and burnt orange tones complement the stone floors. Paintings and pottery decorated the shelving.
Both a deep-soaking tub and a separate shower can be found in the bathroom.
There was plenty of bottled water in the room, with the room temperature ones complementary and the chilled ones at an extra charge. Since you shouldn’t ingest the tap water in Mexico, the large water bottles come in handy both for drinking and brushing your teeth. The staff are very good about keeping your water stocked. I used a mere half of one bottle the first day and three more appeared the next day to replace it.
Despite the hotel’s low capacity and my Marriott Gold status, I did not verbally receive any upgrades to an enhanced room. I did notice and appreciate, however, that the room they gave me had one of the only views not impeded by palm trees.
Design & Layout
The JW Marriott Los Cabos property is a beautiful combination of building and nature. Straight, sharp angles define the architecture. The resort is built into the cliffside, so after the lobby level everything descends.
The resort is U-shaped (which I typically dislike), but because the U is so wide, the property still feels very open and sound doesn’t get trapped between the buildings.
I didn’t feel like I was forced to stare at the rooms on the opposite side of the resort from my room’s balcony. There was plenty of breathing room and ocean scenery.
A wide (unswimmable) infinity pool level with the horizon greets you as you emerge from the main building.
Among the many outdoor areas, there’s a wide pavillion, tall grass fields, and an unimpeded, elevated view of the ocean.
I loved all of the lush plants in the upper patio areas and the desert plants lining the outer trails that connected the buildings. I didn’t expect to find so much green space! With the low volume of people during my stay, I experienced plenty of private gardens and terraces on both upper and lower levels.
My favorite feature of the property was this super cool sculpture hanging out in one of the aforementioned green spaces. The piece (Soul XII) was crafted by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa.
Soul XII gazes pensively into the sunset every evening.
I took entirely too many photos of this serene fellow, but just look at him! He’s so photogenic!
In the corner of the property, there’s even a small amphitheatre. While I never witnessed anyone using it, it’s there in case you feel the urge to monologue for the adjacent guest balconies.
Amenities
Along with numerous places to just sit and relax, the JW Marriott Los Cabos offers a host of amenities.
A 24-hour fitness center offers a nice selection of machines and free weights, in addition to both yoga and cycling studios. You can power through your workout with the water bottle refill station and celebrate its completion with a refrigerated, orange-scented towel.
As far as outdoor areas for exercise go, you can find a tennis court as well as a large grassy area that would provide both space and an amazing sunrise view if you’re a morning yoga person.
After your workout of choice, you can take time to rejuvenate in the Jasha Spa, which offers a variety of face and body care, massages, and beauty treatments.
The JW Marriott Los Cabos also has several indoor spaces that cater to kids: colorful play zones for the little ones and a lounge area that would appeal more to adolescents and early teenagers.
At the edge of the garden paths extending from the lobby lie two large fire pits that look out over the ocean.
The resort offers many pools to choose from, depending on how many stairs you feel like descending. My personal favorite was the one closest to the ocean, immediately in front of the UÁ Culinary Artisans restaurant. There’s even a saltwater pool that faces the sunset, but unfortunately it wasn’t operational during my stay.
The pool that hosts the swim-up Kaha Bar is adults only. During my three days here, I noticed the largest volume of people was always at this pool and the surrounding lounge areas. This was probably due to the resort catering more towards couples rather than families.
Normally you have the option of walking down to the beach, but access was closed off when I stayed here due to the approaching hurricane season. There just wasn’t much of a beach to walk on at the time.
If you’d like a quiet place to get work done (with air conditioning!), there’s a study area in the lobby building across from Niparaya. It boasts tall ceilings with deep espresso bookshelves adorned with colorful knick-knacks.
Food
The resort has a wide variety of cuisines, from Mexican to French and Japanese. I’ll be reviewing the assortment from a vegan lens (which is positive overall), but I think folks with no harsh dietary restrictions will find something to enjoy at each eatery.
UÁ Culinary Artisans
This spot, along with Niparaya, had the most vegan options available. I appreciated how two out of three times, the host asked me about any allergies and noted “vegan” on my ticket. The biggest downside was that UÁ Culinary Arts was not open for dinner.
They did have an impressive breakfast buffet display, though.
Here’s the quick run-down of what I tried:
- Almond milk latte – Tasted more like drip coffee with milk than a latte. It was just okay, but I was glad to have the non-dairy option.
- Golden smoothie bowl – Refreshing flavor with nice presentation, but quite small. Mine wasn’t blended the best, as it contained several surprise ice chunks ranging from the size of almonds to grapes.
- Hash browns – Originally made with butter but the staff made them without to de-dairy them. The perfect amount of crispiness. Served with a formidable chalice of ketchup.
- Chickpea burger – The actual burger was not very flavorful by itself. Served on gluten-free bread because the original bread is not vegan. Way more burger than bread. Difficult to eat. I eventually gave up and switched to a knife and fork. What appeared to be thin eggplant was impossible to bite into pieces, so I ended up removing it.
- The server brought a sampling of vegan ceviche specially made by the chef, which was very good. The refreshing concoction included pineapple, jicama, and cucumber.
- Vegan tacos – Hands down the best thing on the menu. Delicious. Impeccable. Amazing combo of flavors – the pickled red onion and guacamole perfectly complimented the grilled portobello mushrooms. After checking out on my last day, I went back to the restaurant just to get these tacos one more time. They were that good.
Bonus tip: if you want water with your meal, just bring one of the complimentary bottles from your room. Otherwise you’ll be charged, and you’ll be served the exact same bottle.
Niparaya JW Bar
While offering a variety of sushi and sashimi, Niparaya definitely feels more like a bar or lounge than a restaurant. You can enjoy the tall ceilings and deep espresso wood decor inside or dine/drink in the outdoor lounge areas.
- Vegetarian rolls (also vegan) – An interesting combo of flavors that initially made me wary but worked together super well. I would not have thought to put kiwi and strawberry atop a roll of veggies, to be dipped in soy sauce and topped with ginger and wasabi.
- Vietnamese rolls – A spring roll with veggies and mushrooms that can be made vegan by ordering without the shrimp. Served with sweet and sour sauce. The texture of the wrap was different, but the roll was flavorful with the sauce.
- Kentucky mule – I adapted their Moscow mule by substituting whiskey instead of vodka. They used Maker’s Mark. It was okay but not my favorite mule I’ve had.
Kaha Bar
The swim-up bar is in the adults-only pool, and you can enjoy an expansive view of the Sea of Cortez while you sip on your beverage.
- Piña colada with almond milk – Unfortunately it was just cold. No flavor really. Decidedly not tropical. I recommend asking for fruit blended in.
Café des Artistes
I wish I could have tried this place. The vibe was really cool and the menu was Mexican and French cuisine, not to mention that the restaurant is touted as being one of the best in Los Cabos.
Unfortunately, the only easily vegan-izeable thing was a 3.5 oz appetizer salad. Not worth it for me. If you don’t have dietary restrictions similar to mine, you should definitely have dinner here at least once.
Nak Grill & Bar
A casual pool-side patio eatery. Since the only vegan menu item was chips and guacamole, it was a pass for me during mealtimes.
- The Crazy Pineapple – This wonderful beast isn’t even on the menu. But if you ask the staff for “the crazy pineapple,” they’ll know what you mean. It’s usually made with cream, coconut, pineapple, rum or vodka, and mango or strawberries. However, you can order it without dairy. (I felt as if I were drinking for two when they kindly served me the overflow in a second glass.) This guy costs a staggering 35 bucks but, when in Cabo, drink rum out of a pineapple.
Auka Deli
The deli is a small grab-and-go option located near the lobby. It has coffee, pastries, sandwiches, salads, and canned/bottled beverages.
El Luchador
If you’re after the ultimate casual option, check out El Luchador. It’s not so much a restaurant as it is a grill with a neighborhood barbecue feel. In the grassy area next to the ampitheatre, you can try some “street tacos” with a beer.
Staff & Service
Please understand that the service here was phenomenal. Even though it’s a large resort, I truly felt like a guest in someone else’s home.
Upon arriving, staff took my bag, escorted me to my room, and gave me a detailed tour of the room from top to bottom. They made sure to ask if I needed anything before leaving.
You can look forward to nightly turn-down service and admire the fun towel origami housekeeping leaves for you.
Every morning, I saw staff cleaning the grounds by 7am. Everywhere was always attended to.
The aspect of this property that stood out to me the most was that every time I walked past a staff member, they would always acknowledge me with a nod and a greeting, often stopping dead in their tracks. If it was a group of staff members, they would pause their conversation to extend me a warm, “Buenos días/Buenas tardes.” My recurring thought during this stay was, “Really, I’m not that important.” The kind greetings were highly appreciated.
Staff referred to me as Señorita Jonske and always made sure they pronounced my name correctly, which was a caring touch.
Location
JW Marriott Los Cabos is on the San José del Cabo side, very close to downtown. While there are adjacent resorts, the property is not congested with hotel neighbors. It feels tranquil and set apart, but it’s close enough to town if you want access.
The hotel is about 30 minutes from the airport. Additionally, it’s only a 5-7 minute Uber ride to Flora Farms, a delicious farm-to-table restaurant experience with live music in the evenings that I highly recommend. (I loved it so much that I went there twice!)
Getting There
While Uber is a relatively cheap option for transport around Cabo, by law, Uber drivers can’t pick up or drop off at the airport. To get to JW Marriott Los Cabos, your options are to hail a taxi or reserve a shuttle service.
This is the shuttle I personally reserved from Viator. I was able to find them easily in the airport’s shuttle pick-up area. The drivers were courteous, and I ended up enjoying a private ride both to and from the airport even though I booked a shared van. I’m guessing there probably weren’t other folks going to the same area I was at the time I arrived.
Tip: If using a shared shuttle for the return trip to the airport, I would recommend booking an earlier time than needed. If the folks picked up before you are late checking out, your ride will also be late. A time buffer can be helpful.
Alternatively, you can reserve private transport directly with JW Marriott Los Cabos, but it will be much more expensive than the above option.
Booking
I earned the intro bonus on the Marriott Boundless credit card from my everyday spending, so I booked my stay using three free night certificates (thanks Chase!). Each certificate could be used for up to 50k points. Since my three nights were 52k, 52k, and 53k points individually, I also used 7k Marriott points on top of my certificates to top off.
My grand total for the room for three nights was $5.10 + 7k Marriott points. Pretty sweet.
Had I paid with cash, it would have cost me $1,371.21 for the same room type on the same nights.
157k Marriott points / ($1371.21-$5.10) = 0.87 cents per point
For Marriott, a good benchmark is a value of at least 0.8 cents per point, so this redemption falls right in line with that.
One of my favorite things about using points is that typically you don’t have to pay the extra service charges or taxes. About $300 of the above cash price was just taxes and fees.
The JW Marriott Los Cabos is not all-inclusive by default. If an all-inclusive rate suits your preference, check the Offers page on the hotel’s website for their current all-inclusive rate code. You will then paste that code into the Corporate/Promotional code box when booking on Marriott’s website.
You can book the JW Marriott Los Cabos via Marriott or your favorite travel portal.
Overall JW Marriott Los Cabos Review
My stay was excellent. I felt welcome, relaxed without feeling bored, and set apart from the busy downtown areas without feeling cut off.
I timed my visit well because a convention was checking in as I was checking out. It’s difficult to determine if staying while conventions were hosted would have altered my experience.
Although the hotel has areas specifically for kids, as a whole it’s definitely a better fit for folks who want to relax while enjoying the ocean views, elegant cuisine, and the property’s beautiful design.
Stay here if:
- You desire a relaxed experience where you can enjoy nature and elegant design.
- You’d like to be near downtown San José del Cabo while still having some separation.
- You’re traveling with your significant other.
- You have older children or children who enjoy simple kid-communal lounge/play areas.
Skip if:
- You want to be close to Cabo San Lucas and attractions like the Arch.
- Your kids would be bored without more ostentatious forms of entertainment (ie. superslides, arcades, etc.).
- You aren’t looking for a “lounge and relax” type of resort.