Gaze at the Iconic El Arco From Your Balcony at This Reopened Los Cabos Hotel

Los Cabos-bound travelers seeking a room with “the perfect view” can do no better than The Cape, A Thompson Hotel, an acclaimed boutique resort on Monuments Beach tucked minutes from Cabos San Lucas’ once-bustling town center.

Each of the 161 guestrooms, suites, and villas — in addition to all the common areas — feature unimpeded sights of the Sea of Cortez and Mexico’s iconic rock landmark El Arco. Having reopened this summer with thorough guest safety protocols, new socially distant amenities, and limited room capacity, The Cape could be the quick Baja getaway or “work from hotel” spot you need right now.

The Cape’s impressive panoramic features were done by design: Once Mexico City-based architect Javier Sánchez spotted the spectacular views from the pre-built land plot, he decided to build the entire resort to complement them. The two accommodation buildings curve along the crescent-shaped beach so as to not block one another’s line of sight; everywhere from the ground-level infinity pool to the sixth-floor rooftop lounge has a picture-perfect view of the coastline and the world-famous granite arch.

The Cape veers from the common white-washed aesthetic seen in most other Cabo resorts for a more sleek, dark, and urbane look. You’ll feel it most upon entering the gargantuan lobby space, after passing through the newly-installed sanitization tunnel, with black-painted concrete ceilings and a wall-less frame towards the sea. Though it’s easy to be distracted by the outdoor views, interior designer Marisabel Gómez Vázquez provides ample eye candy with mismatched leather furniture, ceramics, locally-sourced woods, and graphic antique-style tiles seen in the guestrooms and restaurant venues.

The mid-century California surfer meets contemporary Mexican guestrooms come stocked with the brand’s own 750ml bottle of tequila — complimentary for all — in addition to masks and small sanitizer bottles, and an expanded list of in-room experiences means you won’t need to leave your room or villa to experience some of the resort’s finest offerings. Learn about (and sample) the intricacies of Mexican tequila, Baja wine, and mezcal with expert tastings right from your balcony; bring the spa to your living area with in-room treatments; and for guests with kitchen-equipped villas, Mexican cooking classes led by the resort’s top-rate chefs are available as well.

Dining and drinking venues at The Cape — which includes an infinity pool-flanked swim-up bar, casual all-day restaurant The Ledge, and open-air lounge The Rooftop — is business as usual, save for paper menus being replaced by contactless QR codes. The resort’s proper restaurants The Ledge and Manta, the latter run by World’s Best 50 Restaurants chef and Mexico native Enrique Olvera, both have outdoor seating, offering the same sublime views of the Sea of Cortez and El Arco as elsewhere on the resort.

Currents, the spa tucked on the resort’s western edge, is rather quiet due to the lowered resort guest count, which makes it all the more appealing. Masseuses are masked for the duration of each service, and beyond the five indoor treatment rooms are two plushly-draped massage cabanas hovering a few steps away from the sandy beach. Don’t be surprised if you have the gorgeous, breeze-filled common area to yourself, containing a sauna, steam room, and outdoor warm-and-cold plunge pools surrounded by natural rock formations and restorative seaside vistas.

When you want to venture out of the resort and explore Cabos San Lucas’ natural offerings, The Cape’s Guest Experiences team provides a fine-combed list of trusted, COVID-cautious vendors to choose from. The Cabo Shark Dive is perhaps the region’s most hair-raising thrill, where one can snorkel or scuba dive (or simply watch from the boat) with several shark species in the open sea with a modified maximum of five guests per boat.

El Arco is too iconic to not see up-close, and charter company Pisces Yachts offers private excursions to the site and along the coast, dodging the crowds that often come with boat tours to the arched wonder. I took a solo two-hour sunset cruise on their slick 55-feet Sunseeker Chica Mala, manned by friendly and attentive crew members who kept the gin and tonics flowing as the sun descended gracefully below the horizon.

International travel is tricky to navigate these days, but The Cape might prove that it’s still possible to have a safe, sumptuous and downright satisfying getaway until things are different.