Review: Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal

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1. Introduction

I have heard wonderful things about the Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal and the Waldorf brand in general. With Hilton certificates to burn, I decided to book a quick getaway to Mexico to experience Cabos’ number one rated resort.

Found in the west coast, the Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal is conveniently within a few minutes’ walk to Cabo San Lucas’ downtown. Carved into a picturesque cliffside mountain, it overlooks the Pacific Ocean in the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula. This 24-acre resort has 115 rooms comprised of beachfront suites, villas, casitas and guest rooms.

2. Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos – Booking

The cash rates for my dates were averaging just over $2,000 USD per night. This is for a standard room –  Pacific View King Bed, which included a plunge pool.

If you find this room available on points it comes up to 120,000 points. Otherwise, booking any other room type on points will jump to 600,000 points or more starting with the Ocean View King bedroom.

The key to finding the standard rate is to book last minute. I booked four nights redeeming three Hilton Free Night Rewards (FNRs) and 120,000 points for the fourth night. Suffice to say, this is a property where you can get outstanding value by redeeming your points or FNR certificates.

3. Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos – Arrival and check-in

The Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal is around a 45 minute drive from the Los Cabos International Airport (SJD). Our driver pulled up to the gate of the hotel and staff greeted us and inquired if we would like margaritas or water hibiscus drinks as our welcome drink. Past the gate, we drove through a private tunnel that’s carved into the mountain leading to an outdoor lobby/reception area.

This outdoor reception/lobby area complete with the private tunnel entrance was out of this world! It had ground water fountains in the centre with palm trees and aloe vera plants lining up the sides. With the rocky cliff backdrop, there was a seating area in the centre that faced the Pacific Ocean.

Like a well-oiled machine, we were welcomed by multiple hotel staff members. Each had a role a role to play. First, we had one staff member explain to us the lay of the land, informing us about the different facilities on offer at this resort. This was followed by another member that led us to the lounge chairs to relax with a magnificent view of the ocean as they completed our check-in.

Another member of the team introduced herself as the supervisor. She offered to provide her assistance should we have any questions or concerns during our stay. She informed us of the Hilton Honors (HH) benefits we would be entitled to and handed us a sheet that summarized these benefits. They then let us know that we have been proactively upgraded to the Dos Mares Junior Suite. This was unexpected but a welcome surprise.

I only have Gold status with HH and we were staying during a busy period. Hence, I didn’t bother inquiring about an upgrade. I knew that a typical upgrade at this property would be the Ocean view room instead of the Pacific view, so I was quite pleased that we were upgraded to a suite.

Tip: the hotel offers private transport from the airport to their property at $160 USD one-way. If you’re looking for cheaper transport option, I recommend using a rideshare service. Just head upstairs to Departures area and request an Uber from there. I paid $42 USD for our ride to the resort. The return trip to the airport was more expensive at $57 – still a fraction of what the hotel charges.

4. Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos – Dos Mares Junior Suite

We were then greeted by Alberto, who led us to our suite to provide us with a tour. Our suite number was 26, which was situated in a corner, one level below the lobby area.

Although the Dos Mares is a junior suite, it was impressive in size measuring 1,410 square feet. This included the terrace. The entire suite was decorated with wooden handcrafted furnishings, including the ceiling. The bedframe was simply stunning.

To the left of the bed was a small terrace with a hammock.

There was a console with a Nespresso machine to the side and within it was a fridge stocked with soft drinks, juice and water that were complimentary.

To the right of the bed was the star of the show, a terrace with lounge chairs and a plunge pool with views of the ocean.

Past the bedroom was a bathroom with a mesquite wooden sliding door separating it from the hallway. The bathroom was huge, with an enclosed toilet, while the sink, rain shower and soaking tub were in an open space. I loved that there was a seating area by the shower. I also liked the glass doors on the other side that conveniently opened up to the terrace. There was also another sink directly across the bathroom by the closet.

Shortly after our arrival, they brought us guacamole and chips along with water hibiscus drinks. If you drink alcohol, they’ll bring you two small bottles of Coronas instead. This is something they offer daily between 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. to their guests. During turndown service, they would also leave a small treat of cookies. The welcome amenity is a bottle of tequila. However, if you don’t drink, you don’t receive a welcome amenity 🙁

One thing to note was that the A/C was located in the top left top corner facing the bed. If you’re sleeping or sitting on the chair on the left side, the A/C will be blowing air directly in this direction, so you may find this to be a minor annoyance.

We really enjoyed our suite, and made great use of the plunge pool as it was our own private oasis. Our suite was located in the main building in very close proximity to many of the resort facilities. It was definitely convenient, yet it did come at a cost of being near a busy traffic area.

There was a ramp facing our suite that led up to reception area and gym, and a nearby staircase that led down to the pool and Don Manuel’s restaurant that had nightly musical performances that you can hear loud and clear. If you’re looking for peace and quiet, suite 26 may disappoint.

5. Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos – Dining (Breakfast)

This resort features four different restaurants. The main one is Don Manuel’s which is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and serves mostly Mexican food.

We had our breakfast daily here which runs from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. If you have Gold or Diamond status with HH, you will receive complimentary continental breakfast, which consists of:

• A basket of pastries
• A fruit plate
• Yogurt with granola
• Oatmeal
• Coffee/tea and juice

You also have the option of upgrading to the Mexican buffet for $20 per person. This comes up to $26.20 per person when including taxes and service charges. If the buffet isn’t to your liking, you can also upgrade to the à la carte menu for the same charge.

We tried the continental for one of the days and didn’t like it. The pastries didn’t taste fresh, and we didn’t care much for the oatmeal or yogurt. We upgraded to the buffet on another day, and we found it had decent variety.

They had an omelette station and after placing our orders, the omelettes arrived with uncooked veggies inside. That was a first! We decided to skip the buffet for the rest of our stay as the food was very average and was not worth the upgrade for us.

Instead, we ordered from the à la carte menu, which was much better quality. For example, the avocado toast with poached eggs cost $27, but we were charged $20 for the upgrade. Similarly, we were charged $20 to upgrade to the smoked salmon dish, which cost $30. Of note, these upgrades used to be $10 per person only two years ago, so prices have increased substantially at this property.

Overall, we found the service at breakfast to be mixed. In some cases, they were attentive and quick to take our orders. In other times, it was painfully slow. We found the later in the morning we went, the busier it was, which negatively impacted the service.

If you prefer a light breakfast or just coffee, you do have the option of going to Neutral Coffee Lab. They serve coffee, baked goods and some sandwiches. It’s located near the reception area.

6. Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos – Dining (Lunch and dinner)

Beach Club

Another restaurant available at this resort is the Beach Club which is open for lunch. You can eat there or just order food poolside. This restaurant serves a mix of American and Mexican fare.

We had a late lunch here once and ordered the chicken fajitas and steak tacos. The waiter brought us a complimentary fruit/veggie plate and then also brought us a bowl of guacamole. Our server was friendly and attentive. I think it helped that there weren’t many other diners when we had our lunch there.

Don Manuel’s

We had dinner at Don Manuel’s twice. During the weekends, they have traditional Mexican musical performance and on weekdays it was just a generic band that played acoustic guitars.

During our first visit, we started with the Heirloom Tomato Salad followed by the Beef Enmoladas and Roasted Free Range Chicken Pibil for our mains along with a side of potato wedges.  We found the food to be delicious and the service was five stars. Our waiter was exceptional, and treated us like royalty.

During our second visit, the waiter we had the first time wasn’t working. While the waiter we had this time was relatively friendly, he was completely absent-minded. We noticed that even though there were other servers working, ours was the one that was tasked with taking down orders for most of the diners.

The level of service we received was night and day between our first and second visit. Thankfully, the food was just as great as the last time. This time, we ordered the Grilled American New York Wagyu and the Pan Seared Sea Bass as our mains. We decided to finish it off with churros because we thought we’re in Mexico, so why not? The churros and caramel sauce were on point.

El Farallon

For a fine dining experience, we decided to splurge and try El Farallon. This oceanfront restaurant sits on the edge of the cliff primarily serving seafood dishes.

The dining experience starts with taking a seat in their Champagne Terrace facing the ocean as they get your table ready. After being seated, our server took our drinks order and then another server approached us with a blackboard that listed their sea-to-table menu.

The way it works is they serve a 4 course meal. Prices on the board are inclusive of the full-course dinner. The appetizers and desserts are the same for all diners. For the mains, you have the choice of several protein options, and also a choice of two sides. The appetizers included a crab chipotle soup, watermelon salad and raw octopus’ dish. For our mains we chose the 6 oz steak and the shrimps. For the sides, we ordered the charred tomato with basil, the baked eggplant, baked potato and the Mexican noodles with avocado.

Overall, we found the service to be very lacklustre. At no point did our server ask if we liked the food. Although our server noted our dietary restrictions, my baked potato arrived with bacon despite letting him know that we don’t eat pork. The baked eggplant was undercooked and was hard to chew. The food was disappointingly average at best.

Tip: I would time the reservation to be there for sunset. For ladies, I would avoid pointy heels because of the rocky terrace grounds.

Dining at the resort is very pricey, so you have to budget for it. If you’re on a tight budget, I recommend eating at one of the restaurants just outside the resort. You can order an Uber or have the hotel drop you off on their golf cart to the gate entrance of the resort and walk from there to Cabo San Lucas’ downtown to dine there.

7. Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos – Facilities

The resort grounds were astatically gorgeous. Throughout the resort, there were cactus trees, palm trees and aloe vera plants dotting the grounds. In the centre, there was a dome structure, which housed the spa, located near a beautiful waterfall.

If you are looking to indulge in spa treatments, a facial starts at $350 USD, excluding taxes and gratuities. If interested, be sure to ask if they have any special offers because they don’t advertise them. When I inquired, they had a 30% discount on certain treatments.

You can find the gym on the main lobby level, open 24/7. On certain days of the week, they offered yoga classes. The gym was well equipped and there were two other rooms, one that had more weights and another used for yoga classes.

They also have a Tortugitas Kids Club, which offers activities such as building sand castles and scavenger hunts for the little ones.

There were three different outdoor pools spread out across the property. The adult pool includes a bar that overlooks the ocean. This bar also served seafood dishes. While the pool is long in length, I found that it was really small and it lacked privacy as right behind it is the Don Manuel’s restaurant. This meant that if you’re sunbathing by the pool, you’re in full view of the people dining at the restaurant terrace.

There was also a similar pool overlooking the ocean further to the right corner of the resort dedicated to families. Near it, was the Beach Club restaurant.  Further inside the resort, there was a circular kids pool.  When lounging by the pool, you could order food and drinks from either Crudo Bar or the Beach Club. The poolside service was great and they immediately provide you with complimentary bottles of water. I found the staff to be very friendly and happy to assist.

While you have access to the beach, you’re not allowed to swim in it because of the really powerful rip currents that make it dangerous. You can however enjoy walks along the shores and breathe in the salty ocean air.

You can sign up for various water activities like scuba diving, snorkeling or going on a whale watching cruise via the resort, but the prices are steep.  Just a 10 minute walk outside the resort is the Puerto Los Cabos Marina, where you can sign up for various tours/activities at lower prices.

While we didn’t end up going on a whale watching cruise, we did see a whale in the ocean while having breakfast on the last day of our stay! The picture isn’t clear, but you can see the tail if you look closely. It was a great way to conclude our trip.

8. Take Away

I loved our suite, appreciated the strong elite recognition and found the resort grounds to be incredible. Yet, there were some areas that needed improvement and could have made my stay even better. For instance, the plunge pool was dirty and wasn’t cleaned before we checked into our suite. I had two make two calls before someone came and cleaned it the next day.

For an upscale resort, I would have expected an à la carte breakfast as opposed to the continental offering. I also found that the upgraded buffet wasn’t much of an upgrade in terms of quality of the food. Finally, the level of service I experienced at the resort restaurants was inconsistent. It really depended on the server and sometimes the time you dined.

Despite a few misses, the Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal is a worthy property to redeem your certificates or points. This is the perfect place to relax, where you’ll be enveloped in the beauty of the rugged mountain and the Pacific Ocean.