Last Updated on July 14, 2026 by Lauren Belzer Sanford
There’s a version of me that plans everything. The spreadsheets, the saved maps, the dinner reservations locked in weeks before we’ve even packed a bag. And then there’s the version of me that booked a mid-week trip to Mexico, Cabo San Lucas, to be specific, thirty-six hours before our flight. All because a travel credit was about to expire, the timing felt like a challenge (in a good way), and sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself is not overthink it.
We booked it on a Sunday evening and left on a Tuesday morning. There’s something a little rebellious about that — slipping out of the ordinary week while everyone else is answering emails…trading the typical Tuesday for a beachfront getaway on a whim. Three nights. No agenda beyond rest. Seriously, I didn’t make a single dinner reservation until we were already there.
It might have been one of the most needed trips we’ve taken. And I’ve been thinking ever since about why.
The Case for Visiting Los Cabos in July
Here’s the part that made this trip possible, and the part I most want you to steal: we went in Cabo’s off-season, and it was reasonable in a way Cabo rarely is.
The off-season here runs roughly July through October — the hottest, most humid stretch of the year, when the air goes a little bit thicker and the afternoons climb in temperature. It’s also (not coincidentally) when the crowds thin and the rates soften. The savvy move is usually to aim for the shoulder months — late spring or November, that sweet spot of good weather and gentler pricing. But if you’re willing to trade a little sweat for a quieter timeframe, off-season Cabo is a well-kept secret.
Because here’s what the heat buys you: a resort that feels like it’s yours. Pools with room to breathe. A pace so slow it borders on criminal. We stayed at a property I might have hesitated to book at peak-season rates, and off-season, it was suddenly, wonderfully within reach.
That property was The Cape.
Three Nights at The Cape, a Thompson Hotel
The Cape, a Thompson Hotel (part of World of Hyatt, in case you’re interested in using points), is perched on the rocks above Cabo San Lucas, with El Arco framed in nearly every view. We arrived in the afternoon, checked in, and were handed the kind of room upgrade that makes you feel like the trip already knows it’s going to be good to you. We dropped our bags, poured a little tequila (as one does in Mexico), and stood on the balcony just looking — Land’s End and the El Arco out in front of us like the hotel had arranged it personally. A late lunch at the Sunken Bar, the sound of waves crashing behind us, and the feeling of the week we’d left behind starting to loosen its grip.
That first evening set the tone for everything after. Sunset drinks and an appetizer at The Rooftop — because you don’t come to a place with a view like this and not watch the light go golden from up high — and then down to The Ledge for dinner. The Huancaína Risotto was so decadent that I understood, in one bite, exactly why it’s their most popular dish. (Order it. You’ll thank me.)
And then we found our rhythm, and we kept it, gladly.
Two Slow Days Spent by The Pool
Our two full days looked almost identical, and that was the whole point.
Breakfast at The Ledge, which does the elevated-morning routine beautifully. A proper buffet if you want it, and a menu worth ordering from when available (I loved my açaí bowl). Then off to the pool, for most of the day, because that’s what this trip was for. I lived in soft fabrics, linens, and swimsuits on this trip…all my favorite vacation-ready outfits and resort wear in full effect.
Worth knowing: the pool bar runs a happy hour from 9:30 to 11:30 in the morning, which is how we ended up with half-off mimosas before noon on a Wednesday, and no, I have no regrets. Whether this was solely an off-season special or not, I’m not sure, but it was definitely a bonus. Lunch both days was spent poolside at Point Break, which meant not having to get up from our loungers (get the carne asada tacos), and then back up to that balcony we loved too much not to at least spend a little bit of time enjoying. The view was simply too good to pass up.
The FIFA World Cup was on while we were there, which added a fun layer to the days. Point Break had the games playing right by the water on day two, so we caught the first half from our loungers, then wandered up to the Sunken Bar with a drink to watch the rest. There’s a particular kind of contentment in that — sun-tired, a little pink on the nose and forehead, nowhere to be, the game on, the person you love beside you. Oh, and the delicious passionfruit ginger mocktail that I tried to take a small break from alcohol consumption…that added to the contentment.
For dinner on our first full night, we did the Chef’s Menu at Manta. If there’s one tip I can give for anyone opting for this, it’s: come hungry. It is a generous amount of food, but not over the top. They paced it beautifully for us so it didn’t all land on the table at once, which I appreciated more than I can say. The grilled a la talla fish was the standout of the whole meal. The kind of dish you’re still thinking about on the flight home.
By the second day, we’d stopped checking the time. Which is exactly when a trip stops being a “getaway” and starts being truly restful.
The One Night We Left the Property: A Sunset Dinner at Comal
We’re hotel people. Deeply, incurably. Even on a relaxation trip, the pull to go see a property we’ve been curious about is strong. So on our last night, we ventured off to Chileno Bay Resort & Residences, part of the Auberge Collection, for dinner at Comal.
I’ll be honest about our motives: we wanted to see the place. Chileno Bay has long been on my list — it’s one of the properties I love most in my full Los Cabos luxury roundup. Plus, I’ve never met a hotel bar I didn’t want to sit at before dinner. So we Ubered over early, ordered cocktails I’m still thinking about, and let ourselves be charmed by the property in the last bit of daylight. Needless to say, this is a pretty special place, and it very much reaffirmed my Auberge obsession.
Then it was time for dinner. And what a dinner.
Comal became one of our favorite meals across all four of the trips Max and I have taken to Cabo together, and a good part of that was Bernardo, our server, who had the biggest smile and the kind of warmth you simply can’t fake. We started with the kampachi — spicy, bright, unforgettable — and the short rib “doraditas.” I had the charred blue shrimp; Max had the roasted totoaba. Both extraordinary (but Max’s choice: exceptional). It was the sort of night that reminds you why you leave the resort at all: for the one meal you didn’t plan, that turns out to be the one you remember most. And they sat us right at the edge by the fire pit, too, lending us stunning views of Chileno Bay as the sun illuminated the sky in stunning pastels while it set.
A Slow Final Morning Before Departure
Our last morning was the proof of everything I’d started to believe on this trip.
A slow breakfast at The Ledge, one more unhurried lap through the property, an easy 11:00 am checkout. We’d booked a round-trip airport shuttle before we left home, so our ride to SJD was waiting exactly when we needed it. No scramble, no last-minute panic, just a calm drive back to the airport for a midday flight. That shuttle-both-ways move is the one we’ve booked a few times, and I’d always recommend it, especially if you want to skip the resort shuttle markups.
I flew home rested. Not “I need a vacation from my vacation” tired — genuinely, deeply reset. Which almost never happens, and which I’ve come to think had everything to do with how little was planned.
Steal Our (Semi Un-Planned) Trip to Cabo
Here’s what three spontaneous nights in Cabo taught me, and what I most want you to take with you:
You don’t have to agonize over a trip for it to be wonderful. Sometimes, not planning is the luxury — no weeks of built-up expectations to live up to, no lengthy itinerary to manage, just a room with a view and permission to do nothing. Go when the rates are reasonable, and the crowds are elsewhere. Book the pretty room. Say yes to the chef’s menu. Leave the property once, for the meal you’ll remember the most.
If you want the exact bones of what we did: the hotel, the reservations, the shuttle — I saved the whole thing in a Boop itinerary, ready to “steal.” And if Cabo’s on your mind but you want to do a little resort shopping, my guide to where to stay across both sides of Los Cabos is the best place to start dreaming.
I still love the version of me with the spreadsheets and the saved maps. She has her place, and some trips genuinely need her. But these three nights in Cabo San Lucas reminded me that she isn’t the only one who knows how to build a beautiful trip — that sometimes the loveliest ones are the ones you let unfold on their own. No expectations to manage, no plan to perfect. Just warm light, a good meal, and the person you love beside you. The flight credit was going to expire either way. I’m so glad we spent it on this.