Review of Pueblo Bonito’s Sunset Beach Resort – Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

As a snowstorm rolls in while I write this post, I’m happy to be reminiscing on these warm and fun memories from our recent parent’s getaway! I hope you enjoy this photo-filled review of Pueblo Bonito’s Sunset Beach Resort in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico!

If you’re hoping to get away for a warm-weather vacation anytime soon, I hope you’ll consider Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. We recently took our fourth trip to Pueblo Bonito’s Sunset Beach Resort, which is located in Cabo. (You can read how we got prepared for this trip here and here)

And in full transparency, I’ll say that these trips were earned through my (former) place of work. While we only had to pay for off-resort and incidental expenses, I’m convinced we’d still feel the same way if we’d paid our own way (and hope to do so in the future!). This post is not sponsored in any way.

After going multiple times to the same place, we’ve had consistently wonderful service each and every time. Therefore, it’s hard for me to fathom that we’d have a different/bad experience had we gone on our own. It’s a wonderful getaway, regardless of how you get there!

Let’s start with basic facts first, to get you acclimated geographically.

Where is cabo San Lucas, Mexico?

If you go south out of California and follow the coast all the way down into Mexico, you’ll run into Cabo San Lucas as you approach the very tip of land there. The state is considered Baja California Sur (south). This is where you’ll find the beachfront city of Cabo San Lucas (aka Cabo)!

To get to Cabo, you’ll fly into the San José Del Cabo (SJD) Airport. It’s roughly a 45-minute shuttle to get to Sunset Beach Resort. You’ll drive through Cabo proper, as well as it’s sister city, San José del Cabo. You can pay for the resort shuttle with your other accommodations, which we’ve found to be well organized and safe.

Sunset Beach Resort

Sunset Beach Resort is part of a family of resorts under the Pueblo Bonito brand. It sits on the west coast of Cabo, which has an amazing front-row view of the Pacific Ocean. There are two sister resorts in Cabo proper, which are beachfront properties on Médano Beach (more on this later). They are the Rosé and Los Cabos (or Blanco) Resorts.

Sunset Beach Resort is situated on the side of a mountain. It’s very majestic and beautiful. If you are into being active and getting a workout just by walking the resort grounds, this is the place for you. The pathways connecting all of the buildings are winding and seemingly endless. After about a day of roaming around, you start to figure out the lay of the land.

The tide and current are so strong on this side of the peninsula that there is no swimming allowed. You can take walks, run, maybe get your toes wet, or just sit and watch as the massive waves rhythmically crash into the shore… but absolutely no swimming.

Lodging Options at Sunset Beach Resort

We’ve only stayed in what is referred to as a Junior Suite with a King Bed at Sunset Beach. The awesome thing about this resort is that no matter which room you are assigned, you’ll have an ocean view! We prefer being up farther on the mountain so that you can overlook more of the resort and get incredible views of the ocean and sunsets.

Although we’ve never experienced any other room types, the Junior Suite with a king bed is more than enough for us! There is a nice tiled bathroom, sitting area, furnished kitchenette, and a lovely balcony with ocean views!

You can also rent one of their Monte Cristo houses, which is like a luxury condo…they come with their own pool and hot tub, full kitchen, etc. That would be a nice option if multiple families were staying together, or if you preferred to cook all of your own meals (is that really a vacation though?!). To each their own, I suppose. There are a variety of lodging options available besides these two I’ve listed.

Here’s a peek inside the rooms over the years below. They’ve recently updated all of the suites and I love the new artwork and furniture they selected – so vibrant and welcoming!

Food and Spirits

Let’s talk a little bit about all-inclusive packages. Simply put – just.do.it. I cannot tell you how amazing having an all-inclusive food and beverage package is. It is so worth it, even just to free your mind of worrying about price constantly.

Think about that… when have you ever had the luxury of not comparing items based on cost (I definitely haven’t). Sure, you are paying for it upfront, but when you’re actually in vacation mode, it is such a freeing feeling to just order what you want, eat it/drink it, and move on with your day.

Go back for seconds (or thirds). Eat the dessert (first?!)… shoot, try five different kinds! Enjoy a coffee, water, orange juice, and a bloody mary every morning for breakfast. There’s no guilt, just pure pleasure and enjoyment.

Let yourself indulge. It’s a vacation! I think this is especially empowering and freeing when you are a SAHP who’s used to carrying soooo much responsibility. Taking an all-inclusive trip, with literally zero responsibilities, is as close to heaven as you can get here on Earth.

Treat yo’ self! Live like a queen/king for a few days. It’s good for the soul, I promise! It’s also really nice not to worry about carrying money wherever you go.

At Sunset Beach, there are multiple on-site restaurants for you to enjoy (some do have an up-charge and require reservations). Our favorite is the sushi restaurant – Tazuna. They also have a large buffet (La Nao) that hosts themed meals and a lavish Sunday Brunch, as well as swim up bars with full menus. Take a look at the full list of dining options here!

Here are some photos of our food from over the years… so good!

Getting Around Sunset Beach

No worries if you don’t want to be walking everywhere all the time (like us) – they have 24-hour cart service at the Sunset Beach Resort! Whoop-whoop!

These things are everywhere! You actually have to be careful and pay attention because the cart traffic is so abundant. In our opinion, you might as well grab a cart and enjoy the ride. We’ll make the trek down and back up (most of the time our room is located towards the top) a few times during the course of our stay. Otherwise, we take advantage of the cart service.

It’s also fun to chat with the other cart-goers as you’re making your way to your destination. We meet people from all over. It’s actually funny how often we meet fellow midwesterners! During almost every visit we run into a Hawkeye or Cyclone fan. We also meet a lot of Canadians and west-coasters. We occasionally meet some people from the east coast, but not very often.

Pools at Sunset Beach Resort

There are a total of five pools at Sunset Beach. Each one serves its purpose and has a different vibe. We really like the sky pool and the main pool just because they always have music going and are more lively. There are a couple of other pools that are much quieter and chill. Those are nice to go to when you need a more relaxing/quiet day.

This resort has an adults-only pool, as well as a kids pool. There are lots of options for soaking in the sun by water! I believe each pool has a hot tub, too. You can enjoy a meal or snacks, drink service, and even watch whatever big game is on at the moment. They’ve really thought of everything!

Things to do in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Medano Beach

On the other side of the mountain, which is the Gulf of California (or Sea of Cortez) side, you’ll find the lively Medano Beach and Cabo San Lucas proper. There is a large marina here, and Medano Beach is lined with resorts (two of which are sister resorts under Pueblo Bonito Properties – Rose and Los Cabos/Blanco), bars, and restaurants.

You’ll also be greeted by many beach vendors (more commonly known as hagglers) who always have “the best deal” for you! Eric enjoys interacting with these folks. He enjoys getting the best deal possible and working them down on price.

It’s also fun to talk to them and learn about their livelihood. Every year we ask each other how they can wear so many layers and long sleeves/pants every day! We’ve gotten some decorative pottery dishes, a henna tattoo, sunglasses, hats, and other items from them over the years.

Because we’re with the Pueblo Bonito Resorts, we can shuttle over to Medano Beach for free, and at any time throughout the day. Another nice perk of sitting on the beach in front of the resorts is that the beach vendors can’t cross the yellow rope and approach you. We can initiate a conversation with them, but they cannot come past the rope. You also get drink/food service at your beach chair… another great perk for sure!

The Office

And I can’t write the post without highlighting our favorite part about Medano Beach – The Office!

Now, I know you might be thinking… why would an office be enjoyable on vacation?? Don’t be silly, this office is a famous restaurant called The Office! And it is amazing. Such a great beachfront atmosphere and the best fresh seafood in Cabo. We don’t go to Cabo without making a trip to The Office. This is worth the splurge since it’s not a part of our all-inclusive package. I’ll just share some photos because they’re worth a thousand words, right?!

Excursions in Cabo

Over the years, we’ve done a few excursions. The first year we went, we did zip-lining and ATVing, as well as a catamaran sunset cruise. We’ve gone on a whale-watching boat cruise, and we’ve gotten a couples massage every year we’ve gone. So good! Here are some photos:

More about PUeblo Bonito’s Sunset Beach Resort

Sunset Beach is secluded and tucked away from the hub-bub of the city, but everything is in one place for you. It’s like its own little community. They’ve done an excellent job of creating environments that can please just about anyone within this one property.

Here are some random photos of the beautiful landscaping at the resort, as well as some other areas I didn’t really touch on in the post.

Safety in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Safety may be a big concern of yours, so I wanted to touch on it a bit. We have never felt unsafe traveling to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Are we smart? Yes. Do we pay attention and stick together? Yes. Do we go out at night to unfamiliar places? No. Do we roam far off the beaten path? No.

Basically, we’re fairly conservative in our tourism of the city, so we don’t really create a lot of opportunities for anything to happen. Could you go and look at way more than we do safely? Absolutely. I think the key is to use common sense, don’t travel alone, be aware of your surroundings at all times, and do your exploring during daytime hours.

We met a couple of Canadian gals our age on our most recent trip and they had rented a car, traveled a few hours away to other areas of interest by themselves, stayed at other resorts in the area, etc. They were perfectly fine and didn’t mention any incidences of feeling unsafe.

This is another reason why I enjoy Sunset Beach so much… it’s away from the city, and they do a great job of taking care of guests and making them feel safe and secure at all times. If you have reservations about traveling abroad or would prefer a more secluded beach vacation, I’d highly recommend you look into Sunset Beach Resort in Cabo!

Are You Ready to Book Your Trip to Sunset Beach Resort?

We’ve had so many great trips to Cabo, and we always look forward to our next one. I hope you enjoyed this Review of Pueblo Bonito’s Sunset Beach Resort in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico! Please tell me your favorite place to get away in the comments! We need ideas!

To the Chaos!

-MG