Cabo Luxury Resorts Showdown: Which Of These Four Properties Is Best?

My background and why I picked Cabo

Being based in Southern California, Cabo is perfectly situated as an easy, quick getaway to a luxury beach resort. Now with a baby in tow, it came into focus as the perfect destination to dip our feet into our new reality of traveling with a little one.

Our go-to spot in the past has been the venerable Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal, but given the ghastly devaluations to the Hilton Honors points rate here, this property is now exclusively a place to burn FNCs for us. But with only one cert left in the chamber, we needed to look beyond our usual abode to fill out the trip. It was finally time to expand our horizons and see what other high-end Cabo resorts had to offer us.

The competition

2 nights at Montage Los Cabos in a Coastal View King room with Plunge Pool, booked through Chase Edit Points Boost (2 cpp at time of booking), plus a $250 semiannual Chase Edit credit, plus the $250 Chase select brand credit for 2026. As an Edit booking, breakfast was more or less covered ($40/pp per day credit), and the standard $100 dining credit was used to partially offset dinner charges.

1 night at Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal in a standard Coastal View King room, booked with Hilton FNC. While continental breakfast was covered through Hilton status, we used a $200 semiannual Hilton Aspire resort credit to upgrade to the full breakfast buffet, plus (almost) cover dinner.

1 night at Park Hyatt Cabo Del Sol in an Ocean View Plunge Pool Suite, booked with Hyatt points. Lowly Discoverist status and an award booking meant breakfast and dinner were paid for completely out of pocket.

1 night at Zadun Los Cabos, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve in an Ocean View King Plunge Pool room with Terrace, booked in cash through Amex FHR (with the help of the $300 semiannual FHR credit). FHR covered breakfast (“American” breakfast of 1 coffee or tea, 1 juice of fruit plate, and 1 main dish per person came included), and the property offered a slightly more generous $150 credit which we used to partially offset our dinner charges. Additionally, they also offered a complimentary one-way airport transfer which we took advantage of upon departure.

Note: Prior to our trip, we communicated with each resort requesting a crib and any other available baby amenities, while also noting our dietary preferences and that we were celebrating a birthday. 

The breakdown

Arrival experience

Montage: We received a welcome drink and cold towel upon stepping out of the car. Both hosts assigned to our room (one day shift and one night shift, but both happened to be on duty at the time) were on hand to greet us and connect via text. Chase Edit benefits were explained. No upgrade was offered, as the hotel claimed they were sold out of higher category rooms (a quick check online confirmed this).

The room was not ready (we arrived one hour before the hotel’s stated check-in time), so the front desk agent who checked us in drove us to the family pool to wait, giving us a quick property tour en route. The room was ready in 20 minutes, and the same front desk agent returned to escort us over, where our luggage was already placed.

In terms of baby amenities, we received a crib, diaper pail, bottle sterilizer, bath products, bath toy, slippers, a personalized pillowcase, a few diapers, a high chair, and a hand-written note. In terms of birthday, there was a cake, balloons, and a hand-written note. Additionally, we received a plate of fruit and a vegetable crudités platter. Our request of a 2 pm checkout was granted.

WA: We received a welcome drink upon stepping out of the car. The host assigned to our room was on hand to greet us and connect via text. Our status benefits were explained, but there was no resort overview (I assume because we mentioned we had been there before). No upgrade was offered, as the hotel claimed they were sold out of higher category rooms (a quick check online confirmed this).

We arrived at the hotel’s stated check-in time and our room was ready with our luggage already placed. In terms of baby amenities, we received a crib, diaper pail, bath soap, slippers, and robe. In terms of birthday, there was a small ornament as a gift (we initially thought this was a welcome amenity and not for the birthday) and a printed card, but no additional welcome amenity. We requested a 2 pm checkout but were only granted 1 pm.

PH: We received a welcome drink and cold towel upon stepping out of the car. The host assigned to our room was on hand to greet us, but she connected via text an hour or so later on. There were no status benefits to explain, but we were given an overview of the resort and asked to help ourselves to complimentary Mexican candies on display by the reception area. No upgrade was offered as we had booked the top room category (at least for rooms with a plunge pool) before the private villas.

We arrived an hour before the hotel’s stated check-in time and the room was not ready, so our host gave us a tour of the property. By the time the tour was complete the room was ready. Our luggage arrived shortly thereafter. In terms of baby amenities, we received a (very nice, noteworthy) crib, diaper pail, baby bathtub, and bath products.

In terms of the birthday, we received a cake and hand-written note. Additionally, we received a platter of oranges and a chocolate bar from their coffee/pastry shop. Plus, we received one complimentary round of the in-room minibar. We requested a 2 pm checkout, which was granted with the caveat that they had to move us to a Partial Ocean View King room at the hotel’s stated checkout time. However, they were okay with us staying in that room past our 2 pm request, and also let us raid its minibar with compliments.

Zadun: We received a cold towel upon stepping out of the car. The host assigned to our room was on hand to greet us and connect via text. A welcome drink was presented after the check-in procedure was complete. FHR benefits were explained and the resort overview covered. We were pleased to accept a generous upgrade (3 categories) to a 1 Bedroom Ocean View Plunge Pool Suite with Terrace.

We arrived at the hotel’s stated check-in time and the room was ready, but we didn’t get a property tour en route. Our luggage arrived simultaneously. In terms of baby amenities, we received just a crib and bath soap. No diaper pail at all which was strange, but our host did bring the baby a plushie the next day. In terms of birthday, there was a box of chocolates infused with some traditional flavors of Mexico and a printed note, but no additional welcome amenity. Guaranteed 4 pm checkout via FHR was acknowledged, and we arranged for the complimentary airport transfer to depart at 5:30 pm.

Winner: Montage

Room

Montage: The room was spacious (particularly for an entry level room) and comfortable, but not particularly stylish. Not really any sense of place, just vaguely modern with lots of lighter wood accents. The walls were a bland taupe color and mostly bare, with no texture or adornments. The bathroom’s open wet area was nice with a large tub that could easily fit two, but the shower head was very basic (this was the only room without a rainfall head). An outdoor shower was available as well in a private, enclosed space.

The furniture was comfortable, especially the bed, and I appreciated the large ottoman in front of the couch. The highlight of the room was the spacious, shaded, well-furnished outdoor space with a generously sized plunge pool–which was deep enough to easily submerge oneself while standing. There was a nice garden area to look at in the foreground with a small lawn and lots of plants, and you could catch just a sliver of ocean in the distance.

WA: The rooms were refreshed last year to bring in a lighter color palette, with some lighter wood beams in the ceiling, colored tiles around the minibar and fireplace, and an emphasis on green as a secondary color. I still really like this room. It gives off an elegant, traditional feel with the heavy wood doors, decorative bathroom fixtures, and tiling.

I preferred the two armchairs that served as the previous lounging space to the new curved couch built in to the foot of the bed, but the outdoor furniture is more comfy now. The best part remains that every room, even the entry level like this one, features at least a decent ocean view and a plunge pool (albeit one you can only really sit in). 

PH: This room was a stunner to me. Some may find it too modern, but that’s right up my alley, and while it doesn’t necessarily evoke Mexico specifically, it feels very desert chic to me and that gives me enough sense of place. I loved the color palette of creams offset with lighter woods and black accents. I’m also a sucker for a minibar enclosed in a nice hutch or sideboard. Some other design choices I vibed with were the textured stone counters and wet area walls in the bathrooms, and the fused, angled mirrors in the main bathroom that gave off an accordion look.

I thought the suite’s space was utilized perfectly, with a half bath off the entry, plenty of counter space to lay things out, comfortable furniture that took up just enough room, and a spacious main bathroom with walk-in closet. The only thing that was proportionally off was a large shower stall but small bath tub (this was the only room without a freestanding tub). The terrace–accessible from both the bedroom and living room–was lovely, with plenty of space, three different seating arrangements, and a large rectangular plunge pool (deep enough to easily submerge while standing) with a beautiful turquoise hue.

I’ll just note that there is a tradeoff here between prioritizing a plunge pool (these rooms are only on the ground floor) or a true ocean view. There was a decent view of the ocean from our terrace, but it was not commanding, i.e. the roof of the beach club–which was down a flight of steps a little ways beyond our terrace–was in the line of sight. And when in the plunge pool itself, you could only see a sliver of ocean at one particular angle. Also, there is a lack of privacy being on the ground floor just a few feet from the resort’s pathway with only sparse vegetation as cover. So while I recognize there could be several aspects of this room that will be a deterrent for some folks, those were minor quibbles for me and I was a big fan overall.

Zadun: Absolutely massive suite, about 1.5x the size of the PH suite. And yet…the space just felt underutilized to me, particularly the living area which I ended up almost avoiding. There was a lot of dead space that made the place feel a little cold. The half bath next to the door was laid out in an odd manner, with one full wall of reflecting glass next to the toilet and an interesting shaped sink that took up most of the space. The bedroom was quite nice though, and had a narrow balcony you could step out on. Still thought it was a tad bare, but all the furniture that was in each room was quality and comfortable.

The flow into the bathroom and walkthrough closet was nice, though the shower stall was a little tight. The terrace was awesome though, with three seating arrangements, a fire pit, and a commanding view. I did think the plunge pool (which was not deep enough to stand) could have been a bit bigger. I’m not sure why there needed to be a small walking space in front, and I think they missed an opportunity for an awesome infinity-edge pool.

Winner: PH

Property grounds, pools and beaches

Montage: The grounds mix desert landscaping with some lush lawn areas and non-desert plants/flowers. It didn’t totally work for me, I think because I found the lush parts to be lacking. The footprint is very compact, which makes it easy to get around, but not fun to just stroll around. There are two tiered pools, the top section being the family pool (with a separate splash pool for kids) and the bottom being adults only.

I really appreciated that you couldn’t see one from the other so they felt really separate, and both got great views of the bay. The family pool was huge and hardly anyone was there during my stay so it felt like you had a ton of space to spread out and enjoy. The adult pool was split into three sections, with a narrow strip of plunge pool in the back exclusively for the cabanas, a main area with all the loungers, and an infinity pool perched above the beach. This area was very crowded during my stay so it didn’t appeal to me as much.

The beach is probably the main draw here, as it’s one of the few swimmable options in Cabo in a cute little protected bay. The downside of that is the beach is extremely busy with non-guests the whole day, and a ton of boats anchor in the bay too, so don’t expect the atmosphere to be as calm as the water. Also, the beach was gravel and not sand, and that made me not want to linger on it.

WA: All desert landscaping here, but beautifully done, with meticulously raked sand and numerous water features throughout. The property spreads out horizontally along the cliff it backs on to, but even though essentially one main path runs the length of it, I still get a sense of exploration as I walk along it, with staircases shooting off in all directions, and curves that make me wonder what’s coming around the corner.

I’m a fan of the architecture here as well, and it feels very photogenic from almost every angle. There are two beachfront infinity pools that are in separate areas, so you can get a different vibe from each one. There’s also a fairly large kids pool that has zero entry and splash areas along with a deeper section as well. The beach is not swimmable, but is nice and sandy. It’s also quite long and doesn’t get much traffic–I really enjoy walking it at low tide. 

PH: Very stark desert landscaping with sparse vegetation. It feels very modern with wood paneling contrasting the cream exteriors on all the buildings. There are several large tower-style room blocks here, which are not as nice as the lower density detached units at the other resorts. Just feels like there’s a lot more concrete around, especially with the minimal vegetation. That said, the common areas are very nice, and the pools are all a beautiful shade of blue.

There is a main pool area for families that’s just massive and has a kids splash area next to it. The adults only pool is in a separate location in front of the beach club, and faces a different direction so you can mix it up and get a different view of the coastline instead of just an endless expanse of water. The beach is not swimmable and the sand area is not very large or prominent here.

Zadun: Desert landscaping rules the day here too. The common areas are nicely designed, but the grounds are steeply stacked so in some areas it just feels like you’ve got rooms looming right above your head. That also makes traversing the property much more difficult without the use of buggies (walking from the beach to our room at the top of the property was quite a hike in the sun).

I do like the architecture here as well, but the color palette was a little too muted for my taste, though some will appreciate how the buildings blend into the surroundings a little more. The L-shaped pool splits the two legs into family and adults, but it’s basically the same pool area with no separation. The beach area is small, and not swimmable, but has nice sand and is very private. You can walk along it for quite a ways.

Winner: WA 

Dining and restaurants

Montage: I’ll begin with a quick note on how well they handled our dietary needs. As soon as we arrived to the hostess stand for dinner our first night, the chef immediately came out to greet us and talk through what they had available, while also informing us that they were sourcing additional protein options for us for the next evening’s dinner and assuring us that the kitchen team at that restaurant would be prepared (which they were). Our preferences were as generously accommodated as we’ve ever experienced in regards to this particular request.

There are 3 restaurants available for dinner on property. We tried two of them, and both were quite good. The highlight meal for us was at Talay, a vibrant outdoor garden venue meant to evoke Thai street food stalls. The curries were phenomenal and full of flavor, without pushing the pedal down too hard on the spice meter. Breakfast was also a delight. I judge Mexican resort breakfasts on their chilaquiles, and this rendition was good enough that I ordered it again the second morning instead of trying something else. The other dishes we sampled (eggs benny and enchiladas veracruzanas) were also delicious. I appreciated that they came by after your order with a selection of pastries to choose from, along with a tray of different jams and salsas (all of which were tasty).

Lastly, I’ll note that we received a complimentary dessert at the first night’s dinner and a complimentary fruit plate at the first morning’s breakfast to celebrate the birthday.

WA: Our dietary request wasn’t really addressed here, other than acknowledging at check-in that it was in our reservation notes. It could be because we opted for in-room dining rather than sitting at a restaurant, so I won’t make it a demerit.

What I will deem a demerit though, is the breakfast on offer, which has been in steady decline over our visits. Since we were cashing in an Aspire resort credit, we upgraded to the buffet spread, and it was underwhelming. Essentially, it felt like I was just paying ~$32 for the privilege of eating unlimited quesadillas. And, while they were perfectly fine, I got severely diminishing returns after, like, 2 of them.

For dinner, there are now 3 dining outlets to choose from, which feels much needed given that the inimitable El Farallon is a one-and-done experience for most guests. Alas, that third restaurant is still only open on weekends currently. At any rate, we wound up ordering an in-room dinner due to some service faux pas I’ll cover below, and it arrived in a reasonable amount of time (~40 minutes). We chose a mish-mash of fish tacos, nachos, and fried rice (because why not?) which were all solid, if unspectacular. I’ll note that we received no extra goodies at either meal for the birthday. I was a little put out at breakfast when the table next to us received a complimentary slice of French toast (and oh, what fond memories I have of their French toast!) to celebrate their occasion.

PH: There are only two restaurants open here for dinner, though a complimentary shuttle to the neighboring Four Seasons puts a couple more options within easy reach. Said shuttle also runs to the work-in-progress shopping mall within the Cabo Del Sol development, which…could have additional eateries forthcoming? The signature dining venue at the PH is still under construction (we were told it was on track to open its doors soon after our stay), so for the time being both outlets shared the same kitchen at dinner.

We chose the Mexican-focused Mesa Madre menu over the Levantine-inspired Silan. Our dietary request was handled…just not in the most timely fashion. Unfortunately, it was the chef at Silan who seemed to be tasked with addressing our needs, and he did come to our table to chat to us about them–only he did so after we had already ordered our dinner. He was very gracious and visited with us again later on so I still appreciated the care. He also assured us that he would prepare the team to have whatever we liked at our disposal for breakfast.

Dinner was good, bordering on great (the seafood tumbada main course could have used a touch more salt, but the totoaba main and octopus appetizer was excellent) and we received a delicious complimentary dessert for the birthday. Sadly, however, the breakfast staff didn’t get the chef’s memo, though after we explained our conversation with him from the previous night they recovered to follow through.

The breakfast venue (Mesa Madre again) splits the open kitchen into three sections, and we were seated right in front of the comal. The sight of fresh masa and smell of toasted chiles demanded that I scrap my vaunted chilaquiles benchmark exam and order a selection of items from the comal instead. All were scrumptious, and happily the accompanying salsas elevated each dish. 

Zadun: I was impressed that our dietary request was handled immediately in our pre-arrival communication. I was informed of the options they had available and basically reserved the proteins I wanted at our disposal. There are three restaurants to choose from for dinner, though we were informed upon arrival that one of them was closed the night of our stay. We were not informed, however, that another outlet which typically only serves lunch was also open that evening for a special event, and that led to quite the head-scratcher at our dinner.

I’ll dig into the details a bit more in the Service section below, but long story short we had a reservation for their signature restaurant, Humo, yet ended up dining at the special event instead. Go figure. It was served buffet style with cold appetizers and dessert set up at a self-serve table, and a menu of three main course options cooked to order. We spent most of the meal confused and a little flustered that we were in the wrong place, but thankfully all of the food was quite good. The salmon and rib-eye were both cooked to perfection. And, I mean, unlimited guac?? Don’t threaten me with a good time! I’d wager I recouped my FHR property credit in avocados alone.

I did mention this up top, but since that was, oh, about 4000 words ago, I’ll quickly reiterate that the included “American” breakfast consisted of 1 coffee or tea, 1 juice or fruit plate, and 1 main dish. You could take breakfast in the main restaurant or have it delivered to your room. I wasn’t going to risk winding up in the wrong place for a second meal in a row (kidding…I think), so we took it in the room. They gave me an estimated time of delivery when I placed the order and were only off by one minute–impressive!

Equally as impressive was the quality of the food. I was back on board the chilaquiles train, and they passed the test with flying colors. I didn’t personally try the enmoladas due to my nut allergy, but I have it on good authority that they were also yummy, with a satisfying depth of flavor in the mole. I also appreciated that they added a couple small jars of yogurt with some homemade (and nut-free, yay for me!) granola to our meal with compliments.

Finally, with some time to kill between checkout and departure–and due for a late arrival back home–we indulged in an early dinner on departure day at the beach club’s seafood-focused restaurant, Equis. I’m a fiend for Baja fish and shrimp tacos, so this may have been my most purely pleasurable meal of the entire trip given the quality. There were no extra treats for the birthday at any of the meals, but maybe there would have been if we had made it to our actual dinner reservation?

Winner: Tie–Montage and Zadun

Customer service

Montage: Absolutely sublime care. What blew me away was how cohesively the team worked together. It seemed like every person at every touchpoint of the property knew our particular circumstances and were ready to assist. The way they handled our dining preferences was a great example, with the chef greeting us at the door and talking through what they had on hand, what they were already trying to gather for us, and what else we may like that they could source immediately. Then relaying all that info seamlessly to the staff at our next night’s venue so we didn’t have to explain our story at all.

This was the resort where our hosts felt more present, and not just like an anonymous texting service. If they ever spotted us around the property they stopped what they were doing to come and chat and try to seek out our needs rather than simply responding to our messages. We felt extremely well looked after.

WA: Unfortunately, given the level of care we received before and after this particular stop, the service missteps here, while not egregious, felt magnified. To wit, the team member who settled us in our room asked us when we would like turndown and informed us that the delightful afternoon chips and guac amenity (always a crowd pleaser!) would be delivered between 4 and 6 pm. We figured we’d enjoy the amenity and then head to dinner after 6, so 7 pm would be a great time to turn down the room. As the clock ticked by there was no sign of the amenity, until finally we got a knock on the door at 6. Great, we couldn’t wait to chow down, but alas, it wasn’t our beloved afternoon snack, it was housekeeping here for turndown…a full hour before the time we had specifically requested. Okay, that’s fine.

So in they came and we had to text a reminder to the staff that the promised amenity was yet to be delivered. And since we were already getting the room done, we thought we might as well order dinner to the room. When our meal arrived (happily, just as we were polishing off the chips), they left a call button that would signal them to clear the dishes afterward. Well, we pressed it when we were done and no one came. Pressed it again an hour later. Again, no one answered the bell. In the end, we had to text them to clear the dishes after I moved all of them to the entry foyer myself so they wouldn’t disturb our sleeping baby while retrieving them.

But to end on a positive note, upon checking out I mentioned to them that I was a little disappointed there wasn’t really anything done for the birthday. Our previous visits had also been to celebrate birthdays and we were showered with treats, cake upon arrival, French toast (did I mention I love their French toast?) at breakfast, etc. That’s when they informed me the little heart ornament I had thought was a welcome amenity was actually intended to be a birthday gift. I felt a tad sheepish after that and tried to brush off my previous disappointment, but they still had a manager come and apologize, and also sent us off with a couple more parting gifts (luggage tags and a plushie for the baby) as they loaded the car during our departure. I did appreciate the recovery attempt.

PH: Just about at the level of the Montage. Only a couple of very minor things dropped them a hair below. One, as previously outlined in the Food section, was the lack of clear communication between the dinner and breakfast staff on our dining preferences that delayed our breakfast order as we explained the whole conversation we had with the chef the night before. That really highlighted to me how in sync the Montage team were across the board.

The other nit I’ll pick is that when I visited the main pool with my baby I did not receive any offer of service. Now, a major caveat here is that I wasn’t looking for service–I just wanted to dip my feet in and enjoy the view while my baby napped in the stroller–so I intentionally posted up away from all the other guests at the far end of the pool where they weren’t seating anybody. But still, even though I was there for a good half hour or so, no one ever approached me to ascertain whether I would like a chair set up or not. And when they were passing out little poolside treats to all the other guests, no one came over to offer me any.

Aside from these tiny niggles, I found the hospitality warm, engaging, and attentive. It could be because they’re new and trying to court repeat guests, but everyone we interacted with seemed extra enthusiastic to make sure we were enjoying our stay, and I genuinely felt well looked after.

Zadun: Service was mostly on point. A couple minor things fell through the cracks, but one curious miscue kept them firmly behind Montage and PH. I was slightly annoyed that the buggy drivers never helped us carry our stroller up and down the flight of stairs to our room, when they could see us struggling with it. There was also one instance where I texted our host with three requests. I asked for a bucket of ice, if we could get any shade over our plunge pool, and to have the pool cleaned. He arrived with the ice 40 minutes later, it took another 90 minutes to get an umbrella delivered to our terrace, and the pool was never cleaned.

But the real puzzler was the aforementioned mistaken dinner reservation. I had made a booking for our party at Humo. When the buggy driver arrived to take us to dinner, I told him we were headed to Humo. He dropped us off outside a restaurant, and a staff member immediately approached us to ask if we had a reservation. We replied in the affirmative and gave our name. She gave us an approving nod, welcomed us inside, and got us seated. They even seemed to be aware of the dietary preferences I had outlined in my pre-arrival communication. Then when they described the buffet setup I was confused because that’s not what I had seen online at all. But, I mean, we had given them our name, they seemed to confirm our reservation, and also seemed to know who we were, so we kept going along with it. I even deluded myself into thinking that perhaps they conjured this entire setup just for us, so how lucky were we?

Well, I chucked that theory right out the window when other diners began arriving and it became clear that was some type of special event for a group of guests that appeared to all know each other (plus, after we exited I peeked around the corner of the building and saw the restaurant we were actually supposed to dine at). We had already had a couple rounds of apps and ordered our mains, so we just finished the meal.

What really surprised me, though, is that this error was never mentioned. Not by the restaurant staff who must have figured out at some point that we weren’t supposed to be there, not by the other restaurant checking on why we never made it to our scheduled reservation, not by our host, not at checkout, not ever. I didn’t bring it up either because I also didn’t catch the mistake and ended up satisfied with the meal anyways, but I just found it odd. But hey, at least it makes for a fun story, right? First party I’ve crashed since college.

Winner: Montage

Facilities and activities 

Note: We only indulged in the spa at one of the resorts, and didn’t participate in (or frankly, even bother to look up) any activities, so I’ll just highlight what I saw or experienced that may be of note without passing much judgment.

Montage: There were two pickleball courts and one tennis court on property with baskets of balls set out for each. I liked that there was a shaded area with chairs in between the courts to rest and get out of the sun. The fitness center was sizable and well-stocked with snacks. We picked up some small jars of cut veggies with guacamole to dip in. The spa had its own pool. There was corn hole and table tennis at the beach, where they also had snorkeling equipment available (not sure if it was complimentary). There is a kids club on site.

WA: There is tennis/pickleball available on property though I still have yet to see the courts in person. The fitness center is pretty nice and seems to have gotten some updated equipment during the recent refresh. The spa had its own pool. There is a kids club on site.

PH: This is the one resort I did use the spa, partaking in their hydrotherapy circuit. It was a pleasant, relaxing experience, and the attendant who walked me through it was awesome. He told me that this was the largest spa in Cabo at the moment, but from what I saw it didn’t look that big. Therefore, I can only assume that I didn’t see most of it. I’m not even sure if there was a pool or not.

There was one water feature that I walked past in an outdoor relaxation area that the attendant expressly told me was just for decor and not for getting in. Also, it didn’t give off particularly luxurious vibes. Like a lot of the rest of the property, it felt like I was looking at a lot of concrete. I didn’t peek into the fitness center. The sand area in front of the family pool had a couple of lawn games like corn hole and spikeball, and there was table tennis by the kids splash pool. There is a kids club on site.

Zadun: I didn’t use the spa, but ducked in to get out of the sun and rehydrate while strolling the grounds. It felt like a little jungle hideaway with much more lush greenery than the rest of the property, and had a nice pool. I didn’t check out the fitness center, but there is a lap pool right outside it that I’m sure would be a welcome feature for some. A small lawn area just off the pool had a volleyball net set up and a couple of mini soccer goals available for use as well. I didn’t see a kids club, but our host did mention there was kids programming on property.

Winner: Push

Final tier rankings

My main takeaway is that there was little to separate these four resorts in the grand scheme of things. All of them were excellent properties. Prior to this trip, we’ve only known life at the WA and have always loved it.

While the experience there has been pared back a little–and it was technically the least successful of these four stays if we were handing out a raw score–it’s still great and I would happily return (on FNCs, of course). Which is why I prefer to rank hotels by tier, broken down by category to try and get a little more of an apples to apples comparison.

I’d classify each of these properties into the “Beach Resort” bucket and slot them in thusly:

• Montage and PH: S Tier
• Zadun and WA: S-/A+ Tier (I had to create an extra tier–there are just too many great beach resorts out there so we need to get a little more granular)

So, to summarize the last ~6000 words into a TL;DR–the margins are very fine, and I believe guests would thoroughly enjoy their stay at any of Cabo’s top resorts. Except, apparently, Amanvari. Please don’t call the cops on me!