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Missy and I stayed at the Marquis Los Cabos – an adults only, all inclusive resort in San José del Cabo, Mexico – with our partners for the first four days of our trip to Cabo last year. With Missy doing more work for our account now, we are just catching up and posting all of our in-progress reviews.
Just a note, we paid for our Marquis stay 100% out of our own pockets and never indicated to the hotel we were going to review it on our account. We truly had a fantastic time and really enjoyed ourselves and the views. Most of all, we enjoyed the beautiful sunny weather after a record breaking January in Ohio for gloomy weather and measurable snow.
This is a very long review as I tried to be thorough. So if it is “too long, did not read” (TLDR) for you, here is the most important tidbits:
You can jump to each section or just scroll down as it is lengthy!
To be honest, Cabo had never crossed my mind until our first trip in 2023. I only knew of it because of the infamous “you’re dancing like a slut” episode from Laguna Beach. I still do not know a ton about it, but I know the weather is beautiful during the winter months and it reminds me of California — rocky coastlines with bright blue water.
Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo make up “Los Cabos,” the region often referred to as “Cabo.” Cabo San Lucas is where you will find downtown and marina. I have not really been to San José del Cabo except for when flying into the airport. The area between San José del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas is where a lot of of the hotels and resorts are — I would equate it to the “hotel zone” if you have ever been to Cancun.
Anyone who lives in the North/Midwest knows how dreadful January/February is. We have always tried to plan some sort of trip to see some sunshine in the winter months. We used to visit my family in Florida, but now we save that trip for Spring Break in March because of Rebecca being in school.
In 2023, Missy went on a trip to Croatia with Adventuring for Life and as soon as she got back decided to book another trip with her friend Megan for Adventuring for Life’s Cabo trip. In August of 2022, our group chat composed of “co-workers” from Instagram turned friends, took the trip out of the group chat and visited Del Mar, California to escape the humid summer. We had such a great time that we knew we wanted to do it again but this time in January 2023 and in Cabo!
Mallory had a trip planned with her husband and best friend in January that just happened to bump up against Missy’s Cabo trip, so we all planned to meet up in Cabo. Mallory has a connection to a beautiful vacation home located within the Auberge Esperanza Resort, which is to this day, is still one of the nicest resorts I have ever stayed at. We had so much fun in 2023 and it was the reset we all needed and we all said “we have to make sure to do this again.” So we did in 2024!
Missy had a few days between her Adventuring for Life Cabo trip and our girls trip in 2023, so she found a good deal for an adults only, all inclusive resort in Cabo and stayed there for a few days to review, that is how we discovered Marquis Los Cabos. Missy LOVED IT. After a few days there by herself, she said she found the staff to be so nice and accommodating, but above all – she loved the views. She kept sending me videos of whales breaching while she was sitting at the pool. Safe to say she gave a thumb’s up for her Marquis Los Cabo review.
When the time came to book our girls trip in 2024, we could only find a few days where everyone and the house was available. I did not want to have a 12 hour travel day to only stay three nights, so Missy and I decided to extend our trip and fly out with Anders (Missy’s now-fiance) and James (my husband). I told Missy we could only do it if we found a good deal on an all inclusive in Cabo that was still adults only because I am trying to save more money but wanted a little romantic getaway. She, of course, then recommended Marquis, where she had stayed in 2023.
Missy told me “just wait…Marquis will go down in price — you just have to monitor it.” She had a contact there that could get us a good rate, but I ended up finding a better rate on Priceline and booked it. I hated paying the Priceline fee, but overall it was thousands hundreds of dollars cheaper going through Priceline than any other booking website.
I used Google Travel to keep an eye on reservation prices, which compares against other travel sites and booked it when I saw that it was $600/night per room, so $300/person – an excellent deal for peak season for an all inclusive resort that is adults only in Cabo! Missy and I both reserved Junior Suite Oceanfront King room which are ocean front rooms on the top floor.
The food was pretty good for an all inclusive resort, especially the Cabo-style Mexican food. They have a few different restaurants you can choose from, but you do have to make reservations at them as soon as you get there. Luckily, the app is very easy to use to make reservations. I am not great at reviews, so I did not actually get a lot of pictures of the food. However, I do have some of breakfast!
We ate at the lunch restaurant at a table the first day, but the next few days we ate at the pool, at the marina in Cabo San Lucas, and then at the pool again. However, the options are:
There is only one bar that you can go to that is not part of a restaurant or pool, but it is a nice bar and outside. I liked that they had several different options for liquor without an up charge, you just have to ask. Missy, James and Anders liked the drinks, though! My favorite drink was probably the the mango mimosa. I did not like the margarita mixes that much, but I also just do not have a taste for alcohol since starting Mounjaro but James and Anders enjoyed them. It is hard enough for me to remember to drink water, let alone alcohol! I am sure that will change once summer comes as that is usually my beer season.
When you first arrive at Marquis Los Cabos, you are greeting with breathtaking views via the outdoor lobby. I had never seen an outdoor hotel lobby before and loved being able to see the views as soon as we pulled up.
We arrived a few hours before official check-in, but they took our bags and we changed and got lunch and then sat by the pool. We also had to stay past check-out, and they did the same – took our bags while we hung out at the pool and were still able to eat and drink. They are very accommodating and understanding!
The main lobby area is also where they do some of the entertainment shows – like the acrobat show. For an all inclusive adults only resort, sometimes the entertainment can seem cheesy, but that was not the case in our experience. We also took part in the Mexican-themed night complete with a band and authentic market to buy local goods. Very cute.
The resort is completely oceanfront, meaning even the garden view rooms have a peak of the ocean. We stayed in the Junior Suite Oceanfront King, like the base Junior Suite Oceanview King rooms but, instead, on higher floors for the best, undisturbed views. It did not feel like a base room, however, it was spacious and well-appointed. I think the best part is, the resort is so open-air that ocean breezes easily flow throughout. Because it is adults-only, the daytime naps with the doors open are quiet and ideal.
You walk in and there is a bathroom to your left with a double sink. Shower and water closet separated to the left and then a jacuzzi tub to the right that opens up to the room. It comes with a stocked mini fridge, Nespresso machine, a large armoire with a full length mirror on the doors and lots of drawers. I Then it opened up to a balcony with two chairs.
The beds are comfortable – each room also has a little sitting area, outdoor space, desk, etc. I also love that each room has a room service cubby so you can have room service discreetly delivered and when you are done you can place it in the cubby. Overall, given the great deals this resort offers – I think the room is a great value. The mini bar and housekeeping service (including turn down service) was top-notch.
We did not stay in any of the oceanfront rooms or casitas, but they also offer other upgraded options with plunge pools. The Oceanfront Casita looks absolutely stunning – great option for a honeymoon and an even better option if you can book it during shoulder season.
The views from the resort are breathtaking. I had only stayed here and the Esperanza, which is 20 minutes away, and the beach was definitely prettier and less rocky here. Although, you still cannot swim in the ocean here. However, you can take a 10-minute beach walk to the neighboring Hilton hotel and swim in the beach there!
The pool area is my favorite thing about this resort — it is gorgeous and easy to find chairs. Oh – and the chairs were comfortable! We never had an issue finding a chair with a great view because everywhere is a great view here. They have three main pools – two oceanfront infinity pools and one main pool. You can also sit down at the beach. We paid to book a cabana by the infinity pool one day and it was amazing. It came with 15 minute sunscreen massages for two, a bottle of top-shelf tequila, and a guaranteed best-seat-in-the-house without worried about getting out there early to grab it. I should mention the service by the pool was great and quick each day we visited. We ordered pizza, steak tacos, and birria quesadillas, fish tacos, pizza, and chips and guacamole – to name a few.
We booked transportation through the resort and it was a breeze. If you have ever flown through the Cancun airport – just know, Cabo airport is so much less chaotic. When you arrive in Cabo, the lines through immigration and customs can be long, but they move quickly. Nothing like the chaos that is Cancun, even in peak season. Much like the other resort airport destinations, ignore all of the timeshare salespeople as you walk through the corridor outside of customs to find your transportation. Just a note, your transportation should tell you which canopy they are under outside, so you will head straight there. Uber is technically not allowed at the airport – but they do have authorized taxi services after exiting.
Prior to arriving, we were told what canopy our transportation would be available at and they were there waiting, holding a sign with our names. Outside the airport, there are some outdoor bars and restaurants if your transportation may be running late or your flight got in early.
Our transportation was a very nice Chevy Suburban and we were offered cold water and beer while our luggage was loaded for us. Very refreshing after a long day of travel from Columbus. Another great thing about Cabo airport and this particular resort – they are only 20 minutes apart, an easy drive. Anders and James booked return transportation to the airport through the resort as well an they said it was very smooth. We took a taxi to our next resort from Marquis – so we didn’t have to head to the airport (lucky us!)
While we’re not experts, we like to think our scoring system is pretty balanced. Here’s how Marquis Los Cabos performed based on some key factors.
Marquis is a great all inclusive, adults only option. We have actually recommended it to many looking for a mid-to-luxury range option for a 3-5 day getaway to Cabo. Overall, the food and drink is good for an all inclusive. Because Cabo feels so welcoming, we still recommend going off-property for a meal to spice things up. Marquis is very close to another resort, Las Ventanas Paraiso, which has one of our favorite restaurants in Cabo, Arbol. Also, a bonus about Marquis – there is no timeshare sales pitch – a blessing! We will definitely go back to Marquis and would recommend it for adult travelers. If you are in need of a getaway during the long winter months – you will certainly love Marquis.