This vacation wasn’t supposed to be Los Cabos.

We had been looking at another destination, somewhere within driving distance of our Southern California home. Then we started doing what families do when planning a vacation: we did the math. By the time we compared the costs and considered what we actually wanted from those four days, returning to Mexico wasn’t only within our budget it sounded more like a vacation.

So, Los Cabos it was.

There wasn’t an agenda. We arrived, found something to eat, changed into our swimming trunks and got into the water. Later that evening, we ordered room service, rested and reserved a cabana for the following day. In one form or another, that’s how the next four days unfolded: we ate, swam, relaxed and figured out tomorrow when tomorrow arrived.

HL | STUDIO • 4k

A One-Minute Visual Story

Voiceover • Photography • Music

A production of HL Studios | HL Media Network

August 2026
Los Cabos, Mexico

It Takes Me a While to Disconnect

Even on vacation, I’ll find myself walking around noticing things. I’ll wonder how something works, start thinking about an idea or see something that sends my mind in a completely different direction.

Eventually, I slow down.

Water helps.

Warm water helps even more.

I always find it amusing when someone at a resort asks where we’re visiting from.

“Southern California.”

Then comes the inevitable question: Don’t you have beaches there?  Of course we do. We have some beautiful beaches. But they’re not like these.

There is something about getting into warm water, looking toward the horizon and realizing there really isn’t anywhere else you need to be.  At least not today.

Returning to Cabo

We had visited Cabo San Lucas before, around 2023.  There was plenty we enjoyed about that first trip. Beautiful beaches. Jet skiing. Snorkeling. Walks along the beach and around the marina. We ate at The Office, the well-known beachfront restaurant a colleague had recommended, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Our resort experience on that trip was less memorable. The room was fairly basic, the food wasn’t particularly good and there were some challenges with the property. There’s no reason to identify it now. Resorts change, management changes and sometimes you simply experience a property at the wrong time.

What mattered was that we enjoyed Cabo enough to know we’d eventually return.

This time, however, we stayed at Hilton Los Cabos, along the resort corridor between Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo.

And this trip felt different.

We Really Didn’t Go Anywhere

It wasn’t until after we returned home that I realized how much of our vacation we’d spent at the resort.

We hardly left.

And nobody complained.

We walked the beach. We spent time in the warm waters of the Sea of Cortez. When we’d had enough of the ocean, there was the pool. When we’d had enough of the pool, we could head back toward the ocean.

Nicholas kept up with his workouts at the fitness center.

We rented a cabana for a day. At roughly $100, it represented good value for us—a comfortable home base with food and beverage service nearby.

We spent time in the adults-only area with its infinity pool, Jacuzzi, cabanas and ocean views.

And sometimes we did absolutely nothing.

That’s allowed on vacation.

The property was family-friendly without feeling chaotic. There were children and teenagers around, but we never encountered the overwhelming party atmosphere that can sometimes change the personality of a resort.

It was comfortable.

And it raised a question I hadn’t really considered while we were there:

Has the resort itself become part of the destination?

The Resort Is No Longer “Base Camp”

My curiosity eventually got the best of me.

After we returned home, we reached out through some of our industry colleagues, which led to a conversation with Antonio, general manager of Hilton Los Cabos.

Antonio brings an interesting perspective to the subject. He previously spent 14 years working in Los Cabos before leaving the area and working in luxury hospitality in Los Angeles. He returned to Los Cabos two years ago.

When I asked how the resort vacation has evolved as Los Cabos itself has evolved, he described a shift that sounded remarkably similar to what our family had just experienced.

“The resort is no longer base camp. It has become part of the destination.”

Years ago, Antonio explained, a resort was often viewed primarily as the place where travelers stayed between excursions. Today, guests are looking for more: dining, wellness, personalized service, meaningful experiences and a sense of place.

He also confirmed that they’re seeing more guests spending time on property.

But he made an important distinction.

“The goal is not to keep people from leaving the resort. It’s to make them feel that they don’t have to leave just to have a memorable day.”

That’s it.

We weren’t avoiding Los Cabos. We simply weren’t waking up every morning wondering where we needed to go. Some days, the answer was nowhere.

And that was perfectly fine.

What Kind of Vacation Do You Want?

Another part of my conversation with Antonio stayed with me.

When people are choosing among the many resorts in Los Cabos, he believes they should begin by asking themselves a simple question:

What kind of vacation do I want?

Look at the location. Look at the beach. Consider the dining choices, service and experiences available on property. Understand what’s included and what isn’t.

But Antonio also suggested understanding something less tangible: the personality of the resort.

A family may be looking for something completely different from a couple. Golfers and fishermen may experience Los Cabos differently than someone whose primary objective is to find a cabana, get into the water and disconnect for four days.

“There are many wonderful resorts in Cabo,” Antonio told me, “but they aren’t interchangeable.”

Our two visits proved his point. Same broader destination. Very different vacations.

A Few Bumps Along the Way

As with most vacations, not everything went exactly as planned not that we really had a plan. We experienced a few minor issues during our stay, but what mattered to us was how they were handled. When something needed attention, the staff responded, listened and worked to make it right. None of those moments defined our experience.  What we remember is a comfortable resort, a beautiful setting and a staff that made us feel welcome throughout our stay.

Of Course, We Ate

Food is always part of the way our family travels. We photographed quite a few meals during this trip, although somehow our room-service dinners escaped the camera. Our package included complimentary breakfast for two, despite three of us staying in the room. It’s one of those details that reminds me why travelers should understand exactly what’s included in a vacation package.

For our final evening, we continued one of our family traditions. We splurged on dinner. This time we chose Vela, the resort’s Italian restaurant. Our entrées generally landed in the high-$30 to low-$40 range in U.S. dollars. It wasn’t inexpensive, and the portions weren’t enormous, but the food was good. A piano player added to the atmosphere.  And on the final night of a summer vacation, atmosphere counts for something.

THE PHOTO JOURNAL

A Few Things We’d Do Differently

We booked our vacation through Costco Travel, something we’ve done on other trips largely because we find the service convenient and reliable.

One thing worth remembering when comparing travel packages is that the first hotel or room option presented isn’t necessarily your only choice. We upgraded our accommodations, and it’s worth looking at those choices and deciding what represents value for your family.

I’d also seriously consider another upgrade next time: private airport transportation.

The flight from San Diego to Los Cabos International Airport was only about an hour and 45 minutes. But driving to San Diego, parking, arriving early for an international flight, flying, retrieving luggage and then traveling to the resort made the door-to-door journey closer to six or seven hours.

Our shared transportation worked fine. But shared transportation also means potentially stopping at other resorts before reaching yours.

Private transportation is an available option when arranging some travel packages, and next time I’d probably spend the extra money.

After a long travel day, there is value in getting into a vehicle and going directly where you’re going.

There’s another airport lesson we learned the hard way during our first Cabo visit.

Follow the instructions provided by your transportation company.

After leaving the baggage area on that first trip, we encountered people who appeared to be directing us toward our Costco Travel transportation.

They weren’t.

We spent a good half hour or more talking with them before realizing they were trying to sell excursions and get us into a timeshare presentation.

And despite believing I’m reasonably savvy when it comes to aggressive salespeople, I got caught up in both.

Lesson learned.

This time, we knew where we were going.

Looking Back From the Water

There was one day when we did venture away from the resort.

Our friends at Los Cabos Tourism arranged a catamaran and snorkeling excursion for us.

It became one of the highlights of the trip.

We were greeted with champagne. There was plenty of food from sliders and chicken sandwiches to shrimp cocktail and a few piña coladas along the way.

Eventually we stopped to snorkel in calm, beautiful water. We didn’t see as many fish as we’d hoped, but that hardly diminished the experience.

And then something happened that I hadn’t expected.

I looked back toward shore.

From the water, you get an entirely different perspective on Los Cabos. Resort after resort stretches along the coastline. Some properties appear enormous. Others seem almost tucked into their surroundings.

Then I saw Hilton Los Cabos.

For several days, we’d been standing on the beach or our balcony looking outward toward the Sea of Cortez.

Now I was on the water looking back.

Same place.

Completely different perspective.

Later, when I told Antonio about seeing his property from the catamaran, he acknowledged that he hadn’t experienced that particular view from the water himself.

He said he wanted to.

Sometimes stepping away from something really does allow you to see it differently.

One Thing Led to Another

That’s really how this entire trip happened.

One thing led to another.

We started by considering a vacation somewhere within driving distance.

Then we did the math.

That led us back to Mexico.

We arrived without much of an agenda. One swim led to another. One meal led to another. We reserved a cabana and figured we’d worry about the next day when the next day arrived.

Somewhere along the way, I started making mental notes.

Those notes led to questions.

Those questions eventually led to Antonio.

And a summer vacation that wasn’t supposed to become a story became one anyway.

Maybe that’s part of returning to somewhere you’ve visited before.

The place may have changed.

The experience may have changed.

And perhaps you’ve changed a little, too.

We didn’t travel to Los Cabos looking for a story.

We went there to spend four days together.

Turns out, that was the story.

This is The Way We Travel

MORE ARTICLES