Hotel El Ganzo

When we’re planning our Cabo vacation, at first we’re leaning toward all inclusive resort. But then, I saw all the reviews on El Ganzo and decided to give this place a try. I have to say their customer service is really top notch. If party Cabo is what you’re looking for, then this hotel is not for you. This hotel location is kind of off the beaten path. But, if you’re looking for quiet, relaxing getaway & amazing customer service, give this place a try.
The hotel rate is pretty pricey, but we got a decent deal booking online.
For transportation from the airport, we arranged a round trip deal with Gray Line ($ 19 one way or $ 33 for roundtrip). We were the only one on the van, so we get to our hotel pretty fast. About 30 minutes top.
As soon as we arrived, we’re greeted with friendly smile and they immediately carry our luggage in. At the reception desk, we’re greeted by Erik (who is amazing & very helpful). While we register, someone brought us a wet towel to freshen up, followed by their special refreshing icy drink. Can’t recall the name, but it has tamarind and it was pretty yummy.
We got room on the 2^nd floor (all the room facing the marina). We went at the end of January and the hotel was only at 30% capacity, so it’s pretty quiet. The bed is very comfortable and there’s free wi-​fi (good, strong signal) in the room and through out the hotel as well. Part of the welcoming package, we have a couple delicious, well presented cookies waiting for us.
After settling in, we checked out the roof top bar & pool. Our server was Alex, who is very attentive. He’s just so cheerful, remember everyone’s name and greeted everyone with their name (and on the last day, he also asked how we enjoyed our vacation, if we’re happy with their service, etc.). We snacked on the ceviche and it was just okay. Their mojito was good. On the roof top, there’s plenty of lounge chairs and cabana. The infinity pool with swim up bar is simply amazing. The hot tub is located in the middle of the pool. Very cool view while you’re chilling on the tub.
The hotel is not on the beach, but you can take a boat to their own private beach. There’s also bike available on site if you’d like to bike around. There’s a cactus garden nearby. And Flora’s Farm (which you really need to check out) is only 10 minutes away by car.
We have 2 concierge who worked with us the 3 nights we stayed there. Erik and Miguel both are very helpful. Best ones we have experienced from all our travel and we travel quite a bit. When we need to arrange car rental, they help us do that and pretty much if you want to do any tour booking, etc. they will help you and make it easy for you.
The food on their restaurants that located on the hotel are just okay. Not bad, but not super amazing either. But, still enjoyable. You can also take boat or car to The Container (part of the hotel). They have great fajitas. I ordered the shrimp fajitas and they don’t skimp on the shrimp. We went there at night and when the wind pick up, the waiter brought a blanket out to help the diners warm up. Great service.
Also, through out the hotel, there’s many cool arts. I’d come back to this hotel for their excellent customer service. Everyone we encounter always say hi & no one try to sell you anything like in some all inclusive resort. They just want to make sure you enjoy your stay. All in all, this is such a cool hotel. I am glad we stayed here.

When I vacation, I look for an adventure and something different. This trip, I really wanted a few specific things: A peaceful place for respite, upscale accommodations people and staff, an amazing feature (pool, beach, restaurant), Safety and a unique energy.
Well, I picked right. I had been anxious about my choice for months, reading every review or article I could find, because this was my big vacation of the year and it is not in Cabo– it is 40 mins north in Los Cabos, so I did not know what to expect.
I had the hotel arrange for private pickup at the airport, as I had never been, and wanted to be safe as I was traveling alone. They did charge $ 120 I believe, and the was there waiting for me right outside customs while everyone was looking for the right shuttles to take to their respective hotels, which was super convenient and luxurious. I would not hesitate to take a taxi next time though. It felt extremely safer than I imagined it would be, and is only 20 minutes from the hotel on main roads, and on my return, I took a $ 45 taxi back. Quite a monetary difference.
I checked into El Ganzo and was greeted with a specialty frozen drink, not a daiquiri, but almost an alcohol free cream less mudslide with a sugar rimmed glass– very unique. I asked them to spice it up a little; After all, I was on vacation! There were always 3 staff per guest it seemed, all with a smile on their face, all knowing my name… even after a day or two off from the hotel, upon their return, the staff were always happy to see you and greeted you by your name. It doesn’t help to be kind in return, but I always treated the staff like I would anyone else, and I have to say it was the best staff at a hotel I have ever experienced. Everyone says hello as you pass by in the hall or in a restaurant– it was very pleasant. Claudia, the front desk manager is fantastic. I think I checked in with her at least twice (maybe 3 times) a day. She did not seem to mind ;) I would get her advice on an excursion, what to do at night, if a local restaurant up the road was good or to let her know my where about just in case something happened (like when I went boating with other guests of the hotel). She was always there to answer any question I had, took her time with me and any other guest that was at the lobby desk, and always asked me how my day was and what I did. She definitely helped make the hotel experience as wonderful as it was. She was a rock star!
My room was on the third floor, which I highly recommend. Every room has a balcony overlooking the marina right on the Sea of Cortez, and every morning besides for the magnificent ever changing sunrises, you can watch the fishermen head out for the morning’s catch, and it is just a peaceful sight to see. Also, you have gorgeous light in the afternoon. All the rooms face the water, but the second floor rooms do not have balconies and the first have jacuzzis (not sure why since there is a spectacular one on the roof). Also there is a bit of noise on the marina level, though the sliding doors to the outdoor porch from your room are quite solid.
My room was just fantastic– the air conditioning worked so well, was easy to use, and adjusted from cool to cold quickly if need be. I just loved their bath products and the rosemary in them– the body lotion is one of a kind– I made sure to bring bottles home. It is not your normal generic bathroom products. The soaking tub is gorgeous and the rain shower was great– my only issue with the room was the feather bedding– the comforter and pillow top, but I am allergic, so it is an issue specific to me. They were quick to take the feather items out of my room right away and remade up my– it did not seem like a problem for them, which was lucky for me.
The next couple days were a mix of magnificent relaxation with great food, choices of things to do at the resort or in town, meeting of new guests and actually bonding with some, and sunrises and sunsets. The rooftop pool is nothing but amazing! There is never a lack of a view, no matter where you sit, and there are seats a plenty. There is a swim up bar/​sushi ceviche bar that is outstanding and Rodolfo the chef was wonderful as was Luis the bartender/​pool waiter. The sea bass ceviche with jicama, cilantro and beetroot was to die for. I highly recommend trying a lot of different things at this resort– everything I had from the basic omelette in the morning to the ceviche and the tuna trio at night was out of this world. To wrap this up– if you are looking for a low key, upscale, beautiful vacation spot, this is it. If you are looking for hustle and bustle, bars and a party place/​town, then that is not what I experienced or paid for. Oh, If you have a chance to get a massage you will not regret it!
I have been around the world, from backpacking though Europe to luxury travel in Croatia, and this was by far the best vacation I have ever taken. I cannot wait to go back

This review is just for the beach club. I guess the hotel was ruined in a storm.
The beach club has a good selection of drinks and the best guac and chips to be found in San Jose del Cabo. Nice chairs & umbrellas.
The beach /​bay is 98% enclosed by a 6-​year-​old sea wall, so the water is calm. Unfortunately, this means no views of the open ocean and the snorkeling isn’t so great as the corals haven’t had a chance to move in.
When getting the «2-​for-​1» drink special, keep in mind that ordering two different drinks results in 4 drinks being delivered. Not what I’ve expected. Now you’ve been warned.

Hotel El Ganzo was such a great find. I was never interested in going to the touristy Cabo San Lucas but this hotel and its surrounding properties changed my mind. It’s technically on the less touristy San Jose del Cabo side. It’s a very isolated hotel so you really have to go in knowing to expect that. It’s also got a hipster vibe with a big focus on art and music so the guests tend to be younger and cool I guess. The food and drink options in the hotel are all high quality and delicious but are comparable to San Francisco/​LA prices. The service was top notch.
But if you want a relaxing vacation, you’ve got everything you need at the hotel including the pool where you can comfortably spend your whole day. A quick boat ride across the harbor and you’ll reach the «private» beach. It’s always a treat to be able to swim in warm, open water. We didn’t do any excursions but in the early morning while it was still cool, we would use the hotel’s cruiser bikes and ride around the area. There’s a dolphin habitat nearby so we could get close to the dolphins. We did stand up paddling on the beach and in the harbor. There were a couple food gems in the immediate area, El Borracho Marinero and the restaurant in La Marina hotel.
We went into town a couple times. It’s quite charming with a mix of local and touristy shops. The hotel only really encourages taking taxis into town but we took the local bus just fine and it stopped close to the hotel. We took a cab to Cabo San Lucas one day to take a boat ride to the Arch. Otherwise as I suspected, CSL is not for me.
We went to Cabo in August and a month later the area was devastated by Hurricane Odile. Hotel El Ganzo served as an aid station for the locals. The hotel’s website says it’s still closed for renovations. I hope the area will be able to rebuild soon since the economy and its people rely on tourism. The hotel was a big part of the reason I was charmed by Cabo and I look forward to my return.

Hotel Ganzo is one of the coolest and most hip places to go for drinks and dinner at the fairly new San Jose Del Cabo marina. The margaritas are the best in SJDC! The staff is attentive and appetizers amazing! They even have a private recording studio… very cool!
Be careful though, the local police are now hanging out at one of the three traffic circles going into the new San Jose Marina and WILL hassles you, especially at night time, if they think you are a tourist. Don’t let the local police shake you down and scare you, take a cab or better yet, stay in San Jose and go to a local restaurant there. It’s just not worth the hassle. We went through this area 4 times on the way toFlora Farms and the East Cape for some surf this past week and got pulled over three times!
The cops don’t seem to hassle you in downtime San Jose. Try Tropicana or La Dolce for drinks and dinner instead. Sorry Hotel Ganzo, love your place but just not worth putting up with the local corrupt cops. Fair warning, they are getting more bold and greedy.

When researching hotels for an annual vacation I came across Hotel el Ganzo. Cabo was never really on our list of places to go as I tend to shy away from Mexico because I don’t speak Spanish and I live in San Diego on the Pacific so it never really seemed like much of a vacation to me. I am so glad I decided to go ahead and book this trip and I will definitely be back.
Like most of the reviews on here I booked it specifically for the pool and swimmable beach but it’s the staff and modern’ness of the resort that will bring us back! Prior to arriving I emailed the concierge like crazy to ask questions and set-​up activities prior to arriving. Each time he (Rafael) responded very quickly with lots of informative attachments and details. When we drove up we were immediately greeted by Manny who is quite possibly the friendliest and helpful doorman I’ve ever met at a hotel or resort. While waiting to check in I was awestruck by the openness and airy feel the hotel had. It’s hip (lots of concrete and reclaimed wood) without being cold or pretentious and the design maximizes the views of the marina and San Jose because everything is situated so as to face the water. When we got there there was a line to check in so Manny suggested we start our vacation at the bar and he would hold our bags and come get us when the front desk was ready and we of course happily obliged! Alex and Israel quickly became our favorite bartenders shortly after we sat down because they were so happy and so personable and eager to get to know us.
Check in was short and sweet because they were waiting for us (you provide your flight details to them when reserving and they must program keys and prepare papers for signature as an opening duty) and in less than 5 minutes they had us in our rooms WITH our bags! We took a few moments to get to know our room and familiarize ourselves with the ipad (all of the hotels details and info on the surrounding area are there) when we noticed that they had left a complimentary bottle of wine from Valle de Guadalupe as a welcome gift for us which we both though was a very nice touch. Because we didn’t plan on spending much time in our room we booked the smallest/​cheapest one they had (came to about $ 236/​night) and at first we were concerned that maybe we stumble or trip over one another getting ready in the AM but it was really more than enough space for the two of us and we often got ready at the same time. I had read some reviews with discontent on the outdoor Jacuzzi suites and honestly reviewers who complained that they weren’t private enough might have been looking to use them naked (and likely during the day) and the overall vibe of the resort is more sophisticated than that so whoever built it would have never assumed that would be how people would want to use them. While yes you can see certain decks from up above or maybe the dock I really doubt that anyone (staff or guest) would have noticed or cared if anyone was in their tub! In fact one of the things I really liked about it was that at the beach or pool the guests there really just seemed to focus on each other and the staff promoted that by making you feel like you were the only guest there! Towards the end of the vacation Peter and I were sharing a chaise lounge or hammock and laying on each other and it felt totally fine and normal (which is DEFINITELY not the case in a $ 236/​night US hotel!) At some point in our trip they found out our birthdays were in May so Alex and Israel found us on the pool deck and presented us with a dessert and sang Happy Birthday!
The food there was always very good with the breakfast buffet being my least favorite (though still very tasty). Peter and I really enjoyed the food and atmosphere of the Container restaurant so much so that we ate there 4 out of the 5 days we stayed there! The first day we found it we were so enamored by their cooking that we just kept ordering food to taste and share and of course we wound up with too much to finish. They packed it up for us — we took it back to the hotel and they held it in their refrigerator… when we were ready to eat it later that night the kitchen re-​grilled most of it to heat it back up again!
This hotel really seems to focus on all of the little things that make you NOT want to leave it. They offer a turn down service in the afternoon (which we were so not used to that we thought it was a mistake until we were gone one night while they did it and realized that that was what they were there to do!) The total for our room and food (for 6 days and 5 nights) was $ 2,200 USD and we ate and drank anything and everything we wanted and charged it all to the room which made keeping track of what we had spent very easy. Prior to selecting HeG I had researched all inclusive options and found that similar hotels (4 stars and adults only) were at OR above that price per person per day.

I have no clue where to start with this review, but please join me as I dive into sunnier times and regale you with tales of Mexican mischief.
I’m currently sitting in a coffee shop waiting for my feet to thaw in minus bajillion weather in balmy Toronto, Canada. I would do just about anything to be swept back to El Ganzo, sit on their roof and suck back margaritas.
Before I get into the amenities of Hotel The Goose, I must give mad props to the staff. The service at this place is absolutely unparallelled. We went out to dinner one night and returned to our room covered in rose pedals and towels in the shape of swans. Everyone remembered our names at every turn, and I could definitely get used to being called Miss Evelyn a little more often.
Now onto the goods…
This hotel will knock your banana hammock off with it’s beauty. The infinity pool roof with cabanas and swim up bar defies logic and gravity and is probably the prettiest place I’ve ever read a Bridget Jones novel, gotten drunk, played scrabble. Fuck, it’s the prettiest place I’ve ever done anything. Beyond being beautiful, the mission of the hotel is to be a hub for the arts with installations, a studio and arts driven events. If Gonzo were a dame, she’d be the full package.
I took their private boat to their hotel beach and indulged in quesadillas while lying on a beach bed. Like, come on. Think about that. The only thing that ruined this day was the stark realization that I had just agreed to marry someone who doesn’t like swimming in the ocean, only pools. I, of course, won’t hold this against the hotel, but will find this annoying until my dying day, so I wanted to bring it up.
The food here is fresh, lovely and definitely worth the price. Way better than any all inclusive experience I’ve ever had.
Think outside the cookie cutter Mexican travel experience and give Hotel El Ganzo a try! I guarantee you’ll be glad you did.

Cue the impromptu fireworks for the backdrop in the marina. Cue the late night, quiet patio of tequila and mariscos. Cue up every moment you have in your mind of celebration because this review has special occasion written all over it: Unilocal is in Mexico and there’s no better place to review first than Hotel El Ganzo, and I’ve been waiting to write this review of a very special occasion for months now. How many times can I write «very special occasion» in a review? Sheesh, I have no idea, but let’s find out.
When you see that the flag flying with the Goose up high, that’s when you know you’re going to have one of the most off the beaten path experiences that you’d least expect, because when you say «off the beaten path» as it’s not a shack, it’s gorgeous. It’s a boutique hotel of about 70, all Sea of Cortez facing, rooms and is of the Preferred Boutique group.
It’s completely removed from the expectations of the All Inclusive culture of Cabo. In fact, I’ve been incredibly weary of going to Cabo for a very long time because of it, and when planning a very special occasion, I had Cabo in mind but it never felt quite right… until I found Hotel El Ganzo. I started clicking through the website and I couldn’t really imagine it existing amongst the rest of the all-​inclusive resorts. Then, I found out that it’s the first major property of a new marina development. And then, of all things, I found out that Charlie Sheen owns the roof top bar. And throws his own parties there. And, well, if Charlie «Short Sleeved Button Up» Sheen showed up on this special vacation, so be it.
When booking this place you’re going ask, «wait, where? What exactly? Oh it’s not all inclusive?» Those are all fair questions. It’s in the Puerto de los Cabos, and it’s the only property there other than an incredible local taco shop (more to come on that) and a convenient store. So it’s set off about 15 minutes, separated from a national park from the rest of the resorts and it’s surrounded by the quiet marina of fisherman and yachts. Across the marina, yes that’s their private beach, bar and restaurant that they can take you to and fro. The isolation of the place is something to really take in. The rooms, the entire location is designed well enough you’re not going to want to leave, and you don’t need to… just prepare for it.
Oh, hey, a sidebar: a note on the whole all inclusive culture… you eat three, maybe five, okay six, meals a day, how much food needs to be inclusive? The food here is really high quality, including the sushi bar on the roof. I know that seems strange, until you realize there are fisherman slicing fresh fish below you in the marina. To me, I’d rather have an experience like this with pointed food and being remote. I really don’t need to guzzle a pack of beer and have the feeling I need to be eating and drinking to catch up with the prepaid bill of food. Rather, I’d love to keep it relaxed and low key like Ganzo.
We were there in October and it was really quiet other than the Saturday afternoon pool party. Most of our days were spent on the rooftop with the infinity pool, the infinity pool on top of the infinity pool (could you be any more ridiculous Charlie?) and the swim up bar. Over the course of the five days there were maybe a dozen other guests staying there and really that makes the days really special, and quiet. And the service, be it a slow time of year, was incredibly staffed and seemed to be everywhere and were on top of everything. It may have been the eight hour flight day but the first bite of the ceviche and handmade tortilla is what I want from now on whenever I’m on a rooftop.
Every room has an ocean view and a balcony. The lower levels have hot tubs on their patio. The upper levels have a canopy bed that opens out to the balcony. We took a peak at the corner suites, and next time that’s where we’ll be staying. Speaking of next time… yes, the special occasion definitely makes this place resonate deeper, but with direct flights from Virgin and this place’s ability to be consistently remote, there’s no reason I /​we /​anyone else? come down here for a quick weekend away.
I feel like I’ve gone on forever — some intense Ganzo ramblings here, much like the ramblings I got on about after a fistful of iced Cubanas — and I haven’t even mentioned the downstairs breakfast and the downstairs pool. Or the full details of the service, or that they do rotating art installations and live music, with a sound studio, and movie nights. Oh, and private drivers! They’ll take you to Flora Farms, or any other restaurant or bar in the area in their hot retro Ganzo-​embossed Land Rover.
Really, there were impromptu fireworks. There were quiet nights with their kind staff. Their were endless views of the Sea of Cortez. And, I couldn’t think of a better place to *ring* in a new chapter of our lives. Here’s to many more impromptu weekends at El Ganzo.