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Villa Del Palmar Beach Resort & Spa Cabo San Lucas

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

4.1(3,096 reviews)

Family

Villa del Palmar Beach Resort & Spa is one of Cabo San Lucas' established beachfront resorts, sitting on Medano Beach with direct views of Land's End and El Arco, about a mile from downtown. That location is the draw: Medano is the bay's best-known swimmable beach in a destination otherwise famous for crashing surf, so you can wade into the water, watch sport fishers head out at dawn and catch a boat to the arch without going far. The product is also freshly redone. A renovation that started in 2024 with a new lobby, Tortugas Terrace, the Sports Bar and Tomatillos wrapped in October 2025 with larger pools, extra hot tubs, a fire pit, a rebuilt children's pool with splash zones and quieter adults-only areas across the 466-suite resort.

Things to Know

Timeshare Pressure

Traveler Insights

Pros

+Sits on Medano Beach, Cabo San Lucas' best-known swimmable stretch, with direct views of Land's End and El Arco and about a mile from downtown and the marina
+A property-wide renovation that began in 2024 wrapped in October 2025: a new lobby, larger pools, extra hot tubs, a fire pit with daybeds, a rebuilt children's pool with splash zones and palm-framed adults-only areas
+Bella California was rebuilt from the ground up and reopened in October 2025 as an Italian-Baja restaurant with live cooking stations, handmade pasta, wood-fired pizza and El Arco views from the tables
+Plenty of variety without leaving: Carbón Grill for Argentine-style steaks, Tomatillos for farm-to-table, a Taco Bar that now adds sushi, a Pizza Bar, the Sports Bar and Tortugas Terrace
+All 466 suites have a private terrace or balcony and a kitchen or kitchenette, which makes longer stays and room-only trips genuinely workable
+The all-inclusive is optional, so you can mix resort meals with Cabo's excellent independent restaurant scene instead of paying for food you won't eat
+Cabo San Lucas is one of the easiest Mexican beach destinations to reach from the US West Coast, with short direct flights from Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix and other hubs

Cons

−Timeshare sales pressure is a recurring theme at Cabo's vacation-club resorts, this one included; expect a pitch at check-in and be ready to decline firmly
−Because the all-inclusive is an add-on, the headline room rate understates what the trip costs once food and drinks are counted
−Cabo's restaurant and nightlife scene is a short walk or taxi away, so travelers who buy the all-inclusive often still end up eating in town
−Medano Beach is public and busy, with vendors, watersport touts and boat traffic heading out to the arch, so it is lively rather than secluded
−Wind and swell can make the bay choppy at certain times of year, which affects beach days more than the brochure suggests
−The marina area draws cruise passengers and bachelor and bachelorette groups year-round and can feel heavily commercialized
−Reviews written before late 2025 describe a property mid-renovation or pre-renovation, so older praise and complaints about the pools and restaurants may no longer apply

The food got the same attention. Bella California was rebuilt as an Italian-Baja restaurant with live cooking stations, handmade pasta and wood-fired pizza, Carbón Grill returned as an Argentine-style steakhouse with a refreshed look, and the Taco Bar now serves sushi alongside tacos at its buffet stations. Every suite has a terrace or balcony and a kitchen or kitchenette. The practical reality is that this is a vacation-club resort where the timeshare pitch is part of the stay, and the all-inclusive is an optional add-on rather than standard. That suits travelers who want to eat around Cabo; groups who want zero decisions can take the package, but in a town with this many good restaurants it can feel like paying for meals you skip.

Villa del Palmar suits couples, families and groups who want a walkable, swimmable Cabo base at a step below the price of Esperanza or One&Only Palmilla, with kitchens that make longer stays easy. It works best for travelers who plan to use the destination: whale watching from December to April, sport fishing, boat trips to the arch and sea lion colony, snorkeling at Chileno Bay and the marina's bar strip. Those who want a quiet, sealed-off beach with no sales pitch should look at Cabo's adults-only or EP luxury resorts instead.

Common Questions

Is Villa del Palmar all-inclusive or room only?

Both. The resort sells itself as an optional all-inclusive, and the booking engine prices room-only and all-inclusive separately. Since every suite has a kitchen or kitchenette and downtown is about a mile away, plenty of guests book room-only and eat out. The package is priced on top of the room, so compare the two totals for your dates before deciding.

How bad is the timeshare pressure at Villa del Palmar?

Expect it. Villa del Palmar is a Villa Group vacation-club resort, and sales pitches at check-in and around the property are a recurring complaint across Cabo resorts of this type. A clear, early 'no thank you' works better than polite hedging, which tends to invite follow-up. You never have to attend a presentation to receive your room or the plan you paid for.

Is Medano Beach swimmable?

Yes, and it is one of the resort's biggest advantages. Much of the Los Cabos coastline has dangerous surf, but Medano sits inside the bay and is generally calm enough for swimming. Wind and swell can still make it choppy some days, and boat traffic heading to the arch is constant, so swim in the marked areas and watch the flags.

What changed in the 2024-2025 renovation?

The renovation began in 2024 with a new lobby, Tortugas Terrace, the Sports Bar and the Tomatillos farm-to-table concept, and wrapped in October 2025. The final phase brought larger pools, extra hot tubs, a fire pit lounge, a rebuilt children's pool with splash zones, adults-only pool areas, a rebuilt Bella California, a refreshed Carbón Grill and an expanded Taco Bar. Reviews from before late 2025 describe the older property.

What activities are available near Villa del Palmar?

Cabo is activity-rich, and much of it starts from Medano Beach or the marina next door. Options include sport fishing charters, whale watching from December to April, boat tours to El Arco and the sea lion colony, snorkeling at Chileno Bay, ATV tours in the desert and the marina's restaurant and bar strip. The destination carries the experience as much as the resort does.

How does Villa del Palmar compare to other Cabo all-inclusives?

It sits in the mid-to-upper tier: suite-style rooms with kitchens, a swimmable beach and freshly renovated pools and restaurants, but not the polish of Esperanza or One&Only Palmilla. Travelers comparing Medano Beach options often weigh it against the Pueblo Bonito resorts and ME Cabo. Its edge is the beach, the suite size and the optional plan; its drawback is the vacation-club sales pitch.

Restaurants (5)

Type	Restaurants
Mexican	Taco Bar, Tortugas Terrace
Italian	Bella California, Pizza Bar
Steakhouse	Carbon Grill Restaurant

From the resort's own dining pages. Only restaurants the resort lists are shown. All are covered by the all-inclusive rate, per the resort.

What's nearby

Medano Beach
5 min drive · 0.9 mi
Palmilla Golf Club
30 min drive · 16 mi
Santa Maria Beach
25 min drive · 7.1 mi
Whale watching cruise (December to April)
4 min drive · 1.3 mi
Marina Cabo San Lucas
4 min drive · 1.3 mi
Glass-bottom boat to El Arco and Lover's Beach
4 min drive · 1.3 mi

More things to do (24)

Chileno Beach · beach20 min drive · 8.1 mi
Monuments Beach · beach10 min drive · 3.0 mi
Playa del Estero · beach40 min drive · 21 mi
Sunset catamaran cruise · excursion4 min drive · 1.3 mi
Snorkel cruise to Santa Maria Bay · excursion4 min drive · 1.3 mi
Snorkeling at Pelican Rock · excursion4 min drive · 1.3 mi
Sportfishing charter · excursion4 min drive · 1.3 mi
Cabo San Lucas Natural History Museum · museum4 min drive · 1.6 mi
Iglesia de San Lucas · historic site5 min drive · 1.7 mi
Cabo Dolphins · adventure park6 min drive · 2.1 mi
Cabo San Lucas · town6 min drive · 2.2 mi
Cabo del Sol Golf · golf15 min drive · 5.6 mi
Quivira Golf Club · golf15 min drive · 6.2 mi
Cabo Falso Old Lighthouse · historic site20 min drive · 6.7 mi
Cabo Real Golf Club · golf25 min drive · 12 mi
Acapulquito Beach · beach25 min drive · 16 mi
Costa Azul Beach · beach30 min drive · 17 mi
Palmilla Beach · beach30 min drive · 16 mi
Club Campestre San José · golf30 min drive · 19 mi
San José del Cabo · town30 min drive · 19 mi
San José Estuary · nature30 min drive · 19 mi
Misión San José del Cabo · historic site35 min drive · 19 mi
Cerro de las Chivas · viewpoint35 min drive · 20 mi
Sea turtle release, San José del Cabo (July to December) · wildlife35 min drive · 20 mi

Amenities

Adults-Only Pool

Fishing

Snorkeling

Nightly Entertainment

Buffet Dining

Spa

Beach

Seaweed & sargassum

Cabo San Lucas is not a sargassum destination.See the month-by-month guide →

Every all-inclusive in Los Cabos →

Google Reviews★ 4.1 · 3,096 reviews

Brian G.

4 weeks ago

“We had a two bedrooms, a pull out couch and three baths which served us well with six people. The room also had a frig and stove top. The water temperature was off as we had a few cold showers. We had both all-inclusive and not all-inclusive. For the...”

Spencyre H.

2 months ago

“We visited Nov 10-17 and had a magical stay! ✨ We had a room with a balcony, beautiful ocean view, and full kitchen which allowed us to cook meals in the room (we shopped at Costco and the grocery store nearby; a short uber ride away). The pools and...”

Ben M.

3 months ago

“Visited late April/early May of 2025. The vibe was very relaxing, all of the staff we interacted with were friendly and helpful, and the food was great. Sonny at the Sports Bar was particularly helpful and thoughtful, remembering my wife's gluten fre...”