Nobu Hotel Los Cabos Review: Is It Worth It? What It Really Costs

The short version: a modern, desert-style resort in a quiet, gated golf community outside Cabo San Lucas, with some of my favorite hotel pools anywhere. The room is clean and modern, with no issues on either of my stays, and the food is actually quite good. But it’s expensive, especially at peak season, and for the price, the service could be better.

I’ve stayed at Nobu Hotel Los Cabos twice: a week over Christmas 2022, and three nights in August 2025, both in a Deluxe Double. Neither trip was sponsored.

Pros

• Some of my favorite hotel pools: large, spread out, clean and never too crowded
• Free cabana-like areas by the pools
• Secluded, private and quiet, in a gated golf community by the ocean
• A clean, modern room, with no issues on either stay
• Good food, especially at Ardea, and beautiful sunsets

Cons

• Very expensive at peak season, from the room to the food (around $15 for one piece of nigiri at Nobu)
• No breakfast buffet
• Service is friendly, but not as helpful as it should be at this price
• It’s fairly far from the airport, and a bit of a drive from Cabo itself
• The beach is just OK, and not really swimmable

Arriving

The Nobu Hotel is a little far from the airport, about 34 miles, or roughly 45 minutes by car. Even so, it’s easier to get to than the hotels around Cancún. The Los Cabos airport isn’t as chaotic, and there isn’t the same taxi problem.

The hotel can pick you up. Before my Christmas stay, they sent a welcome letter explaining that their representative would be waiting at the exit in a purple shirt, holding a wooden Nobu sign. It advised us to walk straight past the timeshare sellers in the arrivals hall. Good advice.

On my second stay, I rented a car instead. If you like to drive and explore, it can be nice. The rental process is fairly simple, and Cabo San Lucas itself is only about 20 minutes away, with some lively, fun spots within half an hour of the hotel.

Being farther out is actually quite nice. Compared with the hotel zone, it feels much more secluded, more private and much quieter. That said, if you rent a car, you’re still fairly close to Cabo itself. You enter through a gated community, a large golf community right by the ocean. It feels very private and quite safe, and it’s big enough that the entrance is a bit of a drive.

The first thing you notice is that Cabo is a desert, so it’s quite different from Cancún, which is much more tropical. The whole landscape is desert, and it feels nice. The architecture matches it: modern, in beige and sand-like tones.

You check in at an open-air lobby overlooking the landscape. You can’t really see the ocean from it, but it’s a nice view, with the homes of the golf community in the background. The lobby also has a small bar and snack area, Nobu Café, though its hours aren’t great.

The room: 7.5 out of 10

When you walk into the room, there’s a welcome card and a small welcome gift waiting for you. Over the holidays, it was a chocolate marshmallow flavored with Mexican fruit punch, with tamarind, guava and hibiscus, along with a Christmas note from the executive chef.

The room overlooks the pools, with a balcony that has a few chairs and a small table. Despite being right by the pool, not much noise gets into the room. I’ve had a Deluxe Double both times, and I never had a single issue with it. There’s nothing super special about it, but it’s clean and modern.

The food: 7 out of 10

There are several restaurants, and the food is actually quite good, especially at Ardea. It’s just too expensive. There’s also no breakfast buffet, which hurts at this price.

Nobu

Of course, there’s the Nobu restaurant. It’s very modern and sleek, it overlooks the water, and it’s never really too crowded. The sushi is great, and the setting is excellent. The food is quite good, but it’s extremely expensive. One piece of nigiri is about $15, which is crazy. It’s very overpriced, probably even more than in the US.

Ardea Steakhouse

Ardea, the steakhouse, is actually my favorite restaurant at the hotel. The setting is very cool, with dark undertones that make you feel like you’re in an upscale New York restaurant, like Tao. It doesn’t have an ocean view, though, which would have been nice. If you go, definitely get the bone marrow, the steak and the pasta. The pasta was very good, and here’s a tip: ask if they can make you a special pasta. They made me one that wasn’t on the menu, which was a nice touch.

Malibu Farm, for breakfast

Breakfast is at Malibu Farm, which was actually one of my favorites. It sits in the middle of the hotel, right below the lobby, and overlooks the grounds. The smoothies are pretty good. There’s no buffet, though, just the menu.

Playabar

Below Nobu, right next to the pool, there’s Playabar. It’s not fancy, but it’s a little romantic at night, and it’s easy, since it’s close to the pool and the rooms. The food leans Mexican, though it’s not very authentic, and it wasn’t too memorable.

The setting: 7.5 out of 10

It’s private, beautiful and unique. You’re in a desert overlooking the ocean, and the sunsets are beautiful. For its size, the hotel doesn’t feel too spread out, and it’s easy to get from one spot to the next. The one downside is that it’s quite far, both from the airport and from Cabo itself.

The pools

The pools are really nice. Honestly, they’re some of my favorites. They’re large and spread out across the hotel, they’re clean, and they’re never really too crowded, so they feel pretty private. There are also little cabana-like areas that you don’t have to pay for. A lot of hotels like to charge a lot for the cabanas, so that’s nice.

The beach

The beach is OK, nothing too crazy. As a tip, many of the beaches in Cabo aren’t really swimmable. And one more thing: don’t drive along the empty beach next to the hotel. I thought I could, the car got stuck, and I needed a tow truck. More on that below.

The spa and gym

The spa is nice, and the massages are quite good, though not too memorable. The gym is good too, but nothing too special.

Service: 6 out of 10

The service is friendly, but not as helpful as you’d hope at this price, and it can be a little rigid.

The staff help you with your suitcase when you arrive, and you get a dedicated butler you can reach on WhatsApp. The butler was quite friendly, but not super helpful. I asked one for an authentic Mexican restaurant, and they didn’t really have one. They did send us to a place, but it was more of a tourist trap, so we ended up going somewhere else.

When the car got stuck in the sand, we called the butler. He said he was on his lunch break and couldn’t help. The hotel did eventually send someone to “help,” but it was a security guard who basically just scolded us, which is fine, but not really helpful. In the end, we found a tow truck online ourselves.

Another time, the lobby bar was closing. The counter was shut, but the staff and the food were still there, so we asked if they could just give us something and charge us for it. They were hesitant, I think because they didn’t want to reopen the register.

What it cost

All prices here are for one person: the room, plus one person’s share of the food.

My first stay was seven nights over Christmas, from December 22 to 29, 2022, in a Deluxe Double booked through Expedia. The room came to about US$868 a night before taxes, or about US$1,174 a night all in, including taxes, fees and booking protection, for a total of US$8,221. Food was on top of that. I don’t have the exact figure, but with dinners at Nobu and Ardea, my share was probably around US$100 to 150 a day, so call it about US$1,300 a night all in.

My second stay was three nights in August 2025, from the 10th to the 13th, also in a Deluxe Double, room only. The room was US$1,071 for the three nights, or about US$357 a night, and my share of the food and incidentals at the hotel came to about US$186, or about $62 a day. All in, that’s roughly US$419 a night, for one person. Keep in mind that was the off-season, and we barely ate at the hotel on that trip, so for most stays, expect more like $400 to 500 a night.

So timing matters a lot here. August is the off-season and Christmas is peak, and the same room was more than three times the price. The $419 figure is also a little deflated for that reason.

Value: 6.5 out of 10

It’s quiet, relaxing, beautiful, modern and clean, and the value really depends on when you go.

At off-season rates, around $419 a night all in (and that’s with barely eating at the hotel), it’s a good value, about a 7.5, especially for a Mexican resort. At $1,174 a night over Christmas, it’s more like a 4: overpriced, especially for the food. On average, you’re probably looking at $400 to 500 a night, so I’d call it a 6.5. Either way, for the price, the service can definitely be improved.

Vs. other hotels

Nobu is actually the most expensive of the Mexican resorts I’ve reviewed, more than NIZUC and even The St. Regis Costa Mujeres.

The St. Regis, near Cancún, feels more luxurious, private and exclusive. Both are similarly quiet, both are far from things to do, and both are more for relaxing. The St. Regis is more tropical, and its service is better.

Viceroy Los Cabos is livelier and busier, and architecturally more unique. It’s closer to town, near San José del Cabo, and similarly priced, and it has one Michelin Key, which Nobu doesn’t. But the room isn’t as good.

What to do nearby

If you rent a car, Cabo San Lucas is about 20 minutes away, and there are some lively, fun spots within half an hour.

• Mi Casa: a very traditional Mexican restaurant in Cabo San Lucas, with mariachis.
• Dive Cabo: a two-tank dive in the Cabo San Lucas Marine Park, out near the Arch, for $150. Great for first-timers too, and Cabo San Lucas is about 20 minutes from Nobu. More in my Cabo diving guide.

• Diving: the waters around Cabo are very good.
• La Lupita Taco & Mezcal: tacos and mezcal, though it’s in San José del Cabo, which is an easier drive from the Viceroy.
• Skip the clubs in Cabo. They’re a little overrated, and the area feels a little seedy.

Who it’s for

It’s good for families and couples, or for anyone who just wants to relax. And if you like to drive and explore, Cabo is close enough to get out for dinner.

Tips if you go

• Go in the off-season. In August, the room was about a third of the Christmas price.
• If you like to drive, rent a car. It’s easy, and Cabo San Lucas is about 20 minutes away. As an FYI, my Jeep rental through National at the airport came to about US$1,175 for six days, covering this stay and my Viceroy stay right after it, so about US$195 a day.
• Know that Nobu is very expensive, around $15 for a single piece of nigiri.
• At Ardea, get the bone marrow, the steak and the pasta, and ask if they’ll make you a special pasta.
• Have breakfast at Malibu Farm, and get a smoothie. There’s no buffet.
• Grab one of the free cabanas by the pool.
• Don’t plan on swimming at the beach. Many Cabo beaches aren’t really swimmable.
• Don’t drive on the beach next to the hotel. I got stuck.
• Be prepared for weather swings. It can get very hot during the day, but nights are pretty reasonable. Over Christmas, it was quite pleasant by day but quite cold at night.
• Go to Mi Casa for traditional Mexican food and mariachis.
• Skip the clubs in Cabo.

Verdict: 7/10

It’s a nice hotel in a nice area. It’s modern, the room had no issues, and it’s pretty well-rounded: relaxing, with Cabo close enough if you want to get out. But it’s very expensive, and for the price, the service should be better.

Would I stay again? Maybe, in the off-season. Among the hotels I’ve reviewed, it lands in the middle, alongside The St. Regis Costa Mujeres and The St. Regis Langkawi. It’s well below favorites like The Peninsula Bangkok and the Grand Hilai Sun Moon Lake.

Deciding between coasts? See Cancún vs Cabo, and my guide to where to stay in Cancún.

FAQ

Is Nobu Hotel Los Cabos worth it?

It’s a nice, well-rounded hotel with great pools and good food, but it’s very expensive, and the service is just OK for the price. I’d give the value a 6.5 out of 10: a good deal in the off-season, overpriced at Christmas.

How far is Nobu Hotel Los Cabos from the airport?

About 34 miles, or roughly 45 minutes by car. Cabo San Lucas itself is about 20 minutes from the hotel.

Is there a breakfast buffet?

No. Breakfast is à la carte at Malibu Farm.

Is the beach swimmable?

It’s OK, but many of the beaches in Cabo aren’t really swimmable.

How expensive is the food?

Very. At Nobu, one piece of nigiri is about $15.

Nobu Los Cabos or Viceroy Los Cabos?

Nobu is quieter, more private and more for relaxing, with a better room. Viceroy is livelier, architecturally more unique, and closer to San José del Cabo, at a similar price, and it has one Michelin Key.

Does Nobu Hotel Los Cabos have a Michelin Key?

No. In Los Cabos, Viceroy Los Cabos has one Key, and resorts like Las Ventanas al Paraíso, One&Only Palmilla and Montage have two.

When is the best time to go?

It can get very hot during the day, though nights are pretty reasonable. Over Christmas, it was quite pleasant by day but quite cold at night, so be prepared for swings. I’ve also been in August, which was hot. Price-wise, the off-season is a much better deal.

Is it good for families?

Yes, it’s good for families and couples.

Would you stay again?

Maybe, in the off-season. It’s a nice hotel, but at peak-season prices it’s very expensive, and the service is just OK.