Where to Stay in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

My weekend escape to paradise just 3 hours away from Los Angeles

Julia Friedman posing in a Frankie's Bikini at the One and Only Palmilla in Cabo, Mexico.

I spent the weekend with my wonderful boyfriend / photographer Adam at the One&Only Palmilla in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. We had the most unforgettable time!

A little history...

The Palmilla was built in the 1950's by the son of the President of Mexico and had only 15 rooms. Due to the privacy of the resort's location and the prime fishing spots, the luxurious estate was a getaway to some of the biggest stars, like Lucille Ball and former United States President Dwight Eisenhower to name a few. The Main house, which overlooks the adult pool, and the Chapel were part of the original estate. Over the years, the Palmilla has vastly expanded, and transitioned into The One&Only Palmilla in 2004.

The One & Only Palmilla's Wesbite: One&OnlyResorts

[one_half padding="1px 1px 1px 1px"] The One and Only Palmilla in Los Cabos by Julia Friedman [/one_half]

[one_half_last padding="1px 1px 1px 1px"] Chapel at the One and Only Palmilla in Cabo by Julia Friedman. [/one_half_last]

Day 1:

When we arrived, we were greeted by the amazing staff who made our comfort and happiness their priority throughout the entirety of our stay. We ate at Breeze, the Palmilla's poolside restaurant, and shared grilled octopus, a ceviche trio, and crispy fish tacos. Since we were right on the Sea of Cortez, everything was so fresh and flavorful!

We were then taken on a tour of the property and shown their upscale villas, the chapel, and restaurants while at the same time, we were told the story of how the Palmilla started and turned into what it is now without losing it's original Mexican charm and ambience. One thing that is unique about the One&Only Palmilla is that they have a staff of over 800 employees which means that when they are at 70% occupancy, like they were when I visited, the ratio of employees to guests is 3:1. The service is absolutely impeccable.

Room at the One and Only Palmilla in Cabo, Mexico. We settled into our beautiful room around 4pm, and were introduced to our butler Martin, who made sure all of our needs were met. Our room had a breathtaking ocean view! In fact, all of the rooms at the One&Only Palmilla have an ocean view, pretty cool right?! After sitting on our porch and taking everything in, I went to get my hair blown out at the OBO salon. The products used on my hair smelled great and the blow-out left my hair sleek and silky! Sunset at the One and Only Palmilla with Julia Friedman. We watched the sunset on the beach before eating dinner at Seared, whose menu was created by Michelin-starred chef, Jean-Georges Vongerichten. We were treated extraordinary and indulged in some awesome tasting food! We tried their yellowtail on crispy rice, a black truffle pizza, a bone-in ribeye, and fresh salmon over potatoes cooked to perfection! The pizza was by far my favorite! It was a thin crust and literally melted in my mouth! For dessert, we wanted to try something we hadn't seen before, so we ordered their signature Corn Soufflé with a vanilla chipotle infused ice cream and freshly coated caramel popcorn. WOW - it was so good! My mouth is watering just writing about it! We went back to our room in a major food coma and hung out on our porch where a fire had been lit for us. Another unique feature about the resort is that they light over 1000 candles nightly.

The interior of Seared at the One&Only Palmilla in Cabo.

Day 2:

We woke up early on our second day to continue to explore the Palmilla's beauty and walked around prior to eating breakfast at Breeze. The pathways were aligned with tons and tons of palm trees and the structures has intricate tiles and incense burning that smelled of fresh ocean breeze and oakwood. I ordered organic poached eggs with toast and homemade jam. Everything was great! Around 10am we walked down to the beach which happens to be the only truly swimmable beach in Los Cabos. We enjoyed some sun and refreshments and then went kayaking and snorkling! Their were a good amount of small colorful fish and even some medium sized fish too! The sky was as clear as can be and it was 80° F outside! We ordered fish tacos and chips and guacamole at Pelican Beach restaurant. After five hours of sunshine and relaxation we headed back to our room to find some fresh fruit and snacks left by our wonderful butler!

[one_half padding="1px 1px 1px 1px"] Julia Friedman wearing a Privacy Please dress from Revolve Clothing, Steve Madden shoes, and a Lack of Color hat at The One and Only Palmilla in Cabo. [/one_half]

[one_half_last padding="1px 1px 1px 1px"] Julia Friedman wearing a Privacy Please dress from Revolve Clothing, Steve Madden shoes, and a Lack of Color hat at The One and Only Palmilla in Cabo. [/one_half_last]

Shop my look: [show_shopthepost_widget id="2399287"]

Aerial shot of the One and Only Palmilla in Cabo, Mexico taken on a drone. [one_half padding="1px 1px 1px 1px"] Julia Friedman wearing a Privacy Please dress from Revolve Clothing, Steve Madden shoes, and a Lack of Color hat at The One and Only Palmilla in Cabo. [/one_half]

[one_half_last padding="1px 1px 1px 1px"] Julia Friedman wearing a Frankie's Bikinis swimsuit at the Only Palmilla in Cabo. [/one_half_last]

I headed to the spa to receive a 60 minute massage at 5PM and was shown the beautiful facility along with all of the amenities they have. My massage therapist used eucalyptus aroma therapy to make me feel revitalized and refreshed, while relaxing in the beautiful villa, that I had all to myself. This experience fully surpassed all my expectations. It was so tranquil, I think I may have fallen asleep for a bit!

Private Villa at the Spa at the One and Only Palmilla in Cabo, Mexico. After my massage, Adam and I headed to Suviche, their Japanese restaurant, for an Omakase (chef's choice) sushi dinner. We sat at the sushi bar right in front of Yoshi, their head sushi chef who is originally from Japan. We started with a miso soup with salmon, followed by seabass sashimi and yellowfin tuna ceviche. The sashimi was so light and fresh! Next up, was a sushi sampler with four different pieces of tuna, seabass, and yellowtail. Yoshi prepared the tuna two ways. My favorite was tuna sushi with some truffle oil on it! Last but not least, was some thin pieces of meat that came out with a hot stone for us to cook to our preference which was super fun! It was served alongside that with a light sauce and some sticky rice! To finish off our Omakase meal, we were served a key lime tart and a Miso Crème brûlée which blew my mind! The Crème Brûlée was very flavorful but not too sweet, which made it really unique.

After dinner, we sat by a fire pit which they have lit at night by the adult pool, we watched the waves crash on the rocks for a while and then called it a night. It was perfect!

Day 3:

On our last day, we woke up early and headed to Agua by Larbi to enjoy what would be my favorite breakfast! We had their version of avocado toast with cheese and poached eggs on a mulitgrain sourdough bread with a green juice, and eggs benedict with braised short rib.

[one_half padding="1px 1px 1px 1px"] Breakfast at Agua by Azul at the One and Only Palmilla in Cabo, Mexico. [/one_half]

[one_half_last padding="1px 1px 1px 1px"] Julia Friedman wearing a Tularosa Swimsuit from Revolve Clothing at the Only Palmilla in Cabo. [/one_half_last]

Julia Friedman on the beach wearing a Tularosa Swimsuit from Revolve Clothing at the Only Palmilla in Cabo. We then made our way back down to the beach and spent the first half of the day seaside in a shaded cabana and enjoyed more snorkeling.We were served some mango and coconut mini popsicles which were so tasty and refreshing! I'm craving one already!

After getting our fair share of the Mexican sunshine, we headed to the family pool where we spend the rest of our final day. The pool was heated to perfection and we stayed to watch the sunset from the jacuzzi. As I entered my room for the last time, I found a flower petal design on the bed, and a photo of me framed from my first day there along with chocolate truffles!

These final touches were really just the cherry on top to my incredible experience there.

[one_half padding="1px 1px 1px 1px"] Julia Friedman wearing a Tularosa Swimsuit from Revolve Clothing at the Only Palmilla in Cabo. [/one_half]

As we reflect on our time at the Palmilla, we could not have asked for a better trip, better accommodations, better food, etc. Every aspect of our experience at the One&Only Palmilla was amazing.

Thank you to the One&Only Palmilla for everything. I look forward to coming back soon!

TravelJulia FriedmanFebruary 7, 2017Cabo, Mexico, One&Only Pamilla, One&Only Resorts, Palmilla, Weekend Getaway8 Comments