CABO SAN LUCAS – The winter months can be tough on golfers, particularly those of us that live in the northern U.S. We can either brave the elements to get some practice and rounds in (if courses are even open) or find indoor alternatives, but even if you can venture out into 40 or 50-degree weather for a round, it’s just not a particularly fun experience.
As such, we’re all looking to find opportunities for a trip to warm weather where we can get out on the course and take in some sunshine. Southern California, Arizona, Las Vegas, and Florida are all popular golf destinations in the winter months for golfers, but Mexico has steadily grown its presence in the golf world, with Cabo San Lucas becoming a particularly fertile ground for golf courses on the Southern tip of the Baja California peninsula.
I recently got to take my first trip to Cabo when I was invited down to play in the second annual Swinging For Scholarships tournament put on by the Auberges Resort Collection’s Chileno Bay Resort and Residences and Esperanza Resort at Solmar Golf Links. The event itself was a lot of fun and raised money to provide full four-year scholarships for six local students from the Cabo area. The tournament (which was previously the Cabo Open) is now in its second year as a charity event, with the field playing in a two-person scramble, bringing in a cool mix of local golfers, business owners, and resident owners at Chileno and Esperanza to support some local youth and give them a pathway to college that may have otherwise not existed.
As for Solmar as a course, I thought it provided a great taste of Cabo golf, which blends beach golf and desert golf in a way you don’t get in a lot of places. There are gorgeous views of the Pacific Ocean from much of the property that provides the chance for some long-distance whale-watching between shots. The holes themselves wind through massive sand dunes at the base of the property, while weaving through a desert landscape of cacti and shrubbery that wait patiently to swallow up errant drives as you climb the hill to the East.
Some of the course will feel familiar to those who have teed it up in Vegas or Phoenix, but that familiarity ends when you pick your head up and see the ocean a few hundred yards away. It’s not a particularly long track, but longer hitters will need to pick their spots to be aggressive, or else you’ll run the risk of dumping a sleeve of balls or two into the desert as many holes have generous landing areas further back that tightens considerably the closer you get to the green. In calm conditions, it’s a pretty comfortable place to play, but as the winds picked up in the middle of the day there were some treacherous shots, particularly off of the tee.
Solmar is one of a handful of courses in Cabo available for public tee times, with pricing that falls in line with what you’ll find throughout the area ($390 before noon and $295 after noon during peak season). Price is unquestionably something to be aware of before a golf trip to Cabo, as the publicly available offerings — Cabo Real, Puerto Los Cabos, Palmilla, Cabo San Lucas Country Club — all run between $200 and $400 (USD) depending on time of day during the peak season in the winter. There are also the courses tied to resorts (which include many of the highest-rated courses in the area) that are only available to resort guests, members, and those who know members. Chileno Golf Course is among those and runs $450 on weekdays and $550 on weekends for resort guests who can book through the concierge at least 48 hours ahead of time. I didn’t get a chance to play Chileno, but talking with some others who did they all spoke highly of the condition it was in and said it was a bit more forgiving off of the tee than Solmar but with a bit more challenges on and around the greens.
As for Chileno Bay Resort itself, well, it’s a 5-star resort for a reason. It’ll run you four figures per night, but if you’re looking for a high-end experience in Cabo, I find it hard to imagine many better options come with the same kind of combination of amenities, comforts, and views.
Pool
The three pools are the centerpiece of the Chileno Bay resort property, descending down towards the Sea of Cortez. There’s a kid’s pool up top, a family-friendly pool in the middle, and an adults-only pool at the bottom, where you’ll find most folks on a weekend. You can rent daybeds and cabanas, but the pool chairs are all first come, first serve with umbrellas and tables with space to stash your belongings. The views are tremendous, the vibes are laid back, with chairs almost always available right by the pool, and the food and drinks are spectacular, as you can order poolside from their beachside restaurant, TnT (Tacos N’ Tequila). The staff is friendly and attentive — if they see you baking in the sun too long they’ll double check to make sure you don’t want an umbrella adjustment to get a reprieve via shade — and there’s a good chance on a Friday or Saturday in peak season that you’ll catch a wedding on the beach below.
Restaurants
TnT
We’ll start with the aforementioned TnT, which is open for lunch and dinner on the small beachside patio adjacent to the bottom pool and also offers ordering from the pool deck. The tacos are terrific and loaded with whatever meat or filling you choose, with my favorites being the quesabirria, gringa al pastor, and asada offerings.
The street corn is a must and the guacamole is a delight, but if you’re by yourself or even just two people, you might want to ask for a half order as it comes in a gigantic molcajete otherwise. Also, the hot salsa provided with the tacos is very good but very hot, so tread lightly at first until you get your bearings with it — basically, don’t do what I did and stick a whole chip in there for your first bite. I had lunch here all three days of my trip and probably would be happy having those tacos every day for the rest of my life, to be honest.
Comal
The standout restaurant at Chileno Bay Resort is Comal, which is open for breakfast and dinner, and lived up to the hype on my visit. On my dinner trip I got the steak and potatoes, which come three ways, all of them being good but their “crispy potato situation” preparation is the standout, and so was the street corn.
All of it was delicious and well cooked, and just about everything that walked by to a different table looked great as well. For dessert I indulged in the churro, which was absolutely the right choice, coming with chocolate and caramel dipping sauces and some hot chocolate on the side — it’s also way too much for one person, but that’s alright.
For breakfast, I recommend the enchiladas over the more traditional breakfast items (the french toast wasn’t my favorite), but the little corn gorditas they give you as a complementary appetizer of sorts steals the show.
YAYA
YAYA is Chileno Bay’s Mediterranean restaurant, and I thought it was solid even if not my absolute favorite thing I ate over the weekend. I will say all of the breads and doughs were fantastic, with the pizza being the standout of the things I had — the baby gems salad was also quite nice for those looking to get some vegetables.
Amenities
One of the selling points for Chileno Bay is being on the Sea of Cortez with a swimmable beach on property. At the beach is the H20 Cave, where they will provide you with kayaks, paddleboards, or snorkeling gear to venture out and explore on your own — I got a kayak one morning and spent about an hour paddling around, making for one of the highlights of the trip. You can also book some of their guided excursions out into the water, including whale-watching trips in the winter.
They also have The Well, which is their spa and wellness center. Resort guests can reserve a time to use the complementary plunge pool and facilities through the concierge, or add a treatment or massage from a lengthy list of options. There is also a gym, three pickleball courts, and a half-basketball court for those looking to work up a little sweat on vacation.
Rooms
As one would expect, the rooms at Chileno Bay are spectacular — which is what you should expect from a 5-star resort with a starting price point of $1,050 per night. They’re spacious and well laid out, with extremely comfortable beds, a good-sized closet, a full bar, and an extremely large bathroom with a large soaker tub, waterfall shower (some rooms also have an outdoor shower), and a double vanity. Some even provide your own hot tub out on the patio and have either views of the garden areas or the Sea of Cortez off in the distance.
Staff
The staff at Chileno Bay really set it apart from any hotel or resort experience I’ve had previously. They’re extremely friendly and helpful, and the staff-to-guest ratio is very high, meaning service is quick and attentive across the property, whether at the pool, restaurants, H2O Cave, concierge, or front desk. Upon arrival, you’ll receive a text from the concierge and can text back throughout your stay to get answers to any questions you may have, assistance with reservations on and off the property, and anything else you might need. The staff is unquestionably one of the biggest benefits of the price point, as they can provide a level of service very few places can match.
Takeaway
This was my first trip to Cabo and I can see why it’s become a big destination for golfers looking for a winter escape, and I’d definitely go to Chileno Bay again. That said, the value of going to Chileno Bay is staying on the property and enjoying all of the amenities available to you. So if you’re planning to spend most of your time playing different courses and going out in Cabo at night, it’s probably not going to be worth your while. But if you’re wanting to play one of the area’s top courses and enjoy a relaxing weekend at a high-end resort, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better place for that experience.
Uproxx was invited on a hosted trip to Chileno Bay Resort for reporting on this piece. However, Chileno Bay Resort did not review or approve this story in any way. You can find out more about our policy on press trips/hostings here.
