Why here?
Among the dizzying variety of destinations in Mexico are urban centers of art and culture, tiny traditional pueblos and, of course, beach resorts. The St. Regis Punta Mita (its Mita Mary Boat Bistro pictured) is a luxury escape that hints at the rustic simplicity that makes the shore here so alluring.
Guadalajara Goings-On
• The 142-room Aloft Guadalajara opened its doors last year in Mexico' second-largest city. The sleek hotel is in Colonia Country Club, a financial district, and has six meeting spaces.
• The 220-room Hyatt Regency Andares Guadalajara, now rising alongside a high-end retail complex, should open in 2016 with two restaurants, a spa, a pool and 29,000 square feet of meeting space.
Pacific Star
Sitting between the surf town of Sayulita and the golfer's paradise of Punta Mita is the 452-room all-inclusive Iberostar Playa Mita, a group- and family-friendly gem with 5,000 square feet of meeting space.
Fresh Flag
The 235-room Marquis Los Cabos, formerly a Secrets property, recently completed a $10 million redesign. The all-inclusive, all-adults resort has 12,000 square feet of indoor/outdoor meeting space.
LOS CABOS
Local Update
• SBE Entertainment, which operates the SLS hotel flag, is opening five new resorts in Mexico. A 200-room SLS Lux Hotel on Medano Beach in Cabo San Lucas is slated to be the first to debut, in 2017. That project also includes 250 residential membership units. Subsequent openings are planned for Cancún, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico City and Punta Mita.
• Nobu will expand its lodging business into Mexico with the 200-room Nobu Hotel Los Cabos, scheduled to open in 2017. The luxury hotel, Nobu's ninth, will include a beachfront Nobu Restaurant and Bar overlooking the Pacific Ocean, along with meeting space, a spa, retail stores, and several other food-and-beverage outlets.
• The 169-room Breathless Cabo San Lucas Resort & Spa, an adults-only, all-inclusive property, is set to debut Dec. 1, 2015. The Medano Beach resort will have several bars and restaurants.
• The Cape, A Thompson Hotel, a 161-room boutique property, opens this month on Monuments Beach in Cabo San Lucas. The hotel offers views of the iconic Los Cabos Arch from every guest room. Amenities include two swimming pools, a spa and a signature restaurant from famed Mexican chef Enrique Olvera.
• Most hotels have reopened following the devastation of last September's Hurricane Odile. The following remain closed but are scheduled to reopen on the dates indicated: the 83-suite Las Ventanas al Paraíso, A Rosewood Resort, June 4; 213-room Dreams Los Cabos Suites Golf Resort & Spa, July 1; 375-room Hilton Los Cabos Beach & Golf Resort, July 1 preview/partial opening; 157-room Hyatt Place Los Cabos, July 29; 619-room Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos, Aug. 15; 332-room Cabo Azul, Sept. 30; 53-room Zoëtry Casa del Mar, Oct. 1; 72-room Hotel El Ganzo, Oct. 1; 306-room Meliá Cabo Real, November; 243-room The Westin Resort & Spa, Los Cabos, Mar. 1, 2016; 151-room ME by Meliá Cabo, TBD.
Oaxaca
The southern state of Oaxaca boasts beaches (Huatulco, Puerto Escondido), folk art, mole and mezcal, that smoky, typically rougher-hewn cousin of tequila. The mountains surrounding Oaxaca city are the birthplace and cradle of mezcal production, its artisinal micro-distilleries seemingly around every bend.
Meeting Hotels: Among the larger resorts in Cabo San Lucas are the 902-room Riu Santa Fe, 650-room Riu Palace, 635-room Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach Golf & Spa Resort, 465-room Villa del Palmar Beach Resort & Spa, 287-room Sandos Finisterra, 286-room Wyndham Cabo San Lucas Resort, 260-room Playa Grande Resort & Grand Spa, 260-room Pueblo Bonito Rosé Resort & Spa, 217-room Villa Del Arco Beach Resort & Spa and 206-room Grand Solmar Land's End Resort & Spa.
San José del Cabo is home to the 390-room Royal Solaris Los Cabos; 333-room Barcelo Grand Faro Resort; and 173-room One&Only Palmilla, Los Cabos.
In the 20-mile corridor between the two towns are the 500-room Secrets Puerto Los Cabos; 270-room Sheraton Hacienda del Mar Resort & Spa; 249-room Fiesta Americana Grand Los Cabos Golf & Spa Resort; 235-room Marquis Los Cabos; and 57-room Esperanza, An Auberge Resort.
To find and compare hotels, and send RFPs, visit mcvenues.com.
Convention Center: Los Cabos Convention Center; exhibit space, 72,000 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 2; bit.ly/1BcREFy
Airport Transit: Los Cabos International Airport, about 7 miles from San José del Cabo. Transfer cost by shuttle, about US$12 to US$22 each way depending on location
Taxes: Sales tax (IVA), 16%; room tax, 3%; total tax on hotel rooms, 19%
Group Venue: Should you need to plan a memorable meal for exactly 22 people, none of whom is afraid of heights, consider the unique Dinner in the Sky Los Cabos. Diners are strapped into their seats and then raised by crane to a height of nearly 150 feet. Once hoisted, they are served a gourmet meal that might feature a fresh seafood and filet mignon pasticho (Venezuelan lasagna), along with a full selection of cocktails. It's like any other fine dining, but with high-security seatbelts. +52 624-129-6145
Contact: Los Cabos Tourism Board, +52 624-143-5531