Capella Pedregal (Cabo San Lucas)

We flew UA first class via IAH on the outbound and SFO on the return. These flights were called international, but they used the same planes and offered the same services as UA domestic flights…warm nuts and hot chocolate chip cookies, etc.

Perhaps more interesting was the fact that we booked our Capella Pedregal stay using a combination of UA miles and cash. The flyertalk community would tell us that this was not a good value for our miles compared to long-range business and first class tickets, but we had so many miles we figured, why not? Capella Pedregal viewed the reservation as a prepaid travel agent package and the entire booking experience was easy and uneventful.

We were looking for a luxury getaway to celebrate our anniversary with the number one priority being sun. Cabo San Lucas, being more of a desert destination, was a better choice this time of year than other locations in Mexico or the Caribbean. We had mid-80s (F) during our stay, full sun and gentle breezes. Perfect.

As for the resort…..wow! Capella Pedregal was so near to the town of Cabo San Lucas yet so far, thanks to a long chandelier-lit private tunnel. The property sat on a quiet and nearly private stretch of beach with a cliff backdrop that provided screening from Cabo. There were nice water views from everywhere, even the lowest level accommodation. And the décor embraced the desert (sandstone, cactus, aloe) and the sea (palm trees, sea turtles) with a slick combination of traditional and contemporary Mexican influences. The quality of the materials was amazing…. heavy woods, iron lanterns, hand-tooled leather, pottery, fire pits…. and little touches like perfectly groomed sand Zen gardens. 

Entrance Tunnel

View from Lobby

Walkways

Ambient Lighting

Since all of the rooms had ocean views and plunge pools, we weren’t too worried about our accommodations. We simply requested the “best possible view with some privacy”. But because it was our anniversary, a fellow flyer-talker mentioned our stay to a friend at Capella and we were upgraded to the Estrella suite. The suite had fabulous views (right on the water, no rooftops) and privacy (top floor, corner suite with a cliff on one side). It was located in the Vistamar building above the entrance to El Farallon at the end of the property.

In addition to the 1600+ square feet of interior space, there were three separate terraces; one facing the cliff edge at the back of the suite, and two facing the ocean with an infinity edge plunge pool and gas fire pit, lounge chairs, and a dining table. Inside, there was an entry hall, a large living room with a dining table, a bedroom, a large bathroom….all with spectacular ocean views and sliding glass doors that opened almost completely to create a wall-less affect. The furnishings were very rich; sandstone, natural marble, iron hardware, bare timber ceilings, seriously heavy doors and weighty drapes. The bed and bedding were equally fine and we had the same fabulous bathroom that was in all the accomodations with bronze fixtures, Mexican ceramics, an iron chandelier a freestanding roll-top tub, open-concept shower, etc.

Estrella 141 View

Firepit

Estrella 141 Bedroom

Estrella 141 Bathroom

We heard from this forum that Capella service could be iffy, but we had a very nice experience. Here are some examples of Capella Pedregal’s excellent service and amenities.

- We were assigned a personal assistant ahead of our visit to assist with transfer and restaurant reservations. - Security staff asked for our welcome drink preference before we entered the tunnel. Then we were greeted with the drink (margarita) upon entering the resort. 

- Reservations staff listened to our pre-arrival room requests and fulfilled them.

- We were asked what times we preferred for room cleaning and turn down, and housekeeping followed through.

- We were given lots of complimentary items; bottle of Don Julio tequila, cashews, fruit basket, Nespresso pods, juices and bottled water (all replenished daily). There were also binoculars in our room.

- We received Coronitas, chips, salsa and guacamole each afternoon, and homemade treats each night with turndown.

- Staff members asked for our room number once, then addressed us by name with each subsequent contact. They were very friendly and good at making conversation.

- Waiters offered to carry our plates from the buffet and provided little tables for purses at breakfast.

- We were warned when the mosquitoes were biting and they left mosquito repellant on our table in case we needed it. 

- Waiters saw us peeking into the wine cellar window and arranged to get the key for a private tour once we had finished our meal.

- We were given one of the best tables at El Farallon for our anniversary and complimentary glasses of sparkling wine. El Farallon also accommodated my dislike of fish by suggesting various dishes and getting a chicken breast from one of the resort’s other restaurants.

- At the pool, we were asked whether we preferred shade or sun, then staff members continued to adjust the umbrellas throughout the day without having to be asked. We were given complementary water in an ice bucket, and surprise treats and mini drink samplers as the day progressed.

- The front desk helped us avoid hurricane Sandy by extending our stay at the best available rate and allowing us to keep our upgrade. - We were presented with sea turtle-shaped shortbread cookies on departure, along with wishes that everything at home was OK.

Daily Coronitas

There were three main restaurants at Capella Pedregal.

Don Manuel’s served a full breakfast menu, but we always opted for the buffet since it was a great way to try a little bit of everything. We loved the manned juice maker, the local pastries, the homemade mango yogurt, and the egg station where they recommended fun Mexican dishes like migas. Who knew you could put tortilla chips in eggs? For dinner, we enjoyed Don Manuel’s Study of Mexican Chocolate, which featured Yucatan-sourced cocoa.

El Farallon sat on a cliff with spectacular views looking back to the resort. It had a very special ambience with torches, lanterns, and pounding waves. The dining concept was diverting; Mr. Ericka selected from the day’s fresh caught fish by sight, and then viewed a chalkboard to select starters, sides, and a dessert, all for one price. We were also able to try some nice Mexican wines.

The Beach Club served snacks all day by the residence pool. We highly recommend their guava margarita.

In addition, there were some good less expensive restaurants in Cabo, some even within walking distance of the resort. We enjoyed tamales one night at Hacienda Cocina y Cantina at one of their tables in the sand.

View from El Farallon

The Capella Pedregal gift shop had an extensive selection. It was full of many of our favorite items from around the resort ….the Mexican pottery (including sinks!), all sorts of hand-tooled leather, etc.

The beach was not swimmable due to the tremendous surf, but they made up for it by placing long stretches of infinity pools facing out toward the ocean. Upscale vinyl lounge chairs were perched on the pools’ specially-built shallow ledges to allow sunbathers to be simultaneously in and out of the water.

It’s worth noting that we did not get any treatments at the Auriga Spa though it had rave reviews and certainly looked beautiful. We also chose not to do any activities, but we saw the season’s first whales pass by the resort.

Residence Pool

Our only real criticism of the resort would be the bathroom lighting which was, as at an Amanresort, more ambient than functional. I managed to get a better view by perching myself on the bathroom counter, but other guests might want to ask for some sort of lighted tabletop mirror.

Also, it would have been nice if the personal assistant who had so much contact with us prior to our stay would have followed up with us once we were on property. We didn’t need anything else from her, but a simple mid stay check-in could have made the service feel downright perfect.

In summary, we had a great experience at Capella Pedregal. We will likely seek out their other hotels in the future and would strongly consider a return visit to Cabo. The service was very good overall. And while we were in a nice suite, it was our understanding that there really wasn’t a bad room in the house. They all had fabulous bathrooms, ocean views with doors that opened wide to the sounds of the surf, and little plunge pools on their balconies. 

Sand Zen Garden

Other Details