RELATED LINKS Return to 10 Great Golf & Spa Getaways

Hotels

• Esperanza is perched on a headland between two lovely stretches of sand. Rooms are large and luxuriously furnished, all with exceptionally spacious balconies that have ocean views affording glimpses of whales and other marine life. Avoid the rooms on the Garden Level. Golf, tennis, fishing, scuba diving and ATVs into the nearby mountains are all available in the area. Doubles from about $350 USD.

  866-311-2226
  www.esperanzaresort.com

• Hotel Palmilla, built in 1956, is Cabo's oldest resort, but it has been totally refurbished and is now one of the area's best properties. There are 172 spacious rooms comfortably and tastefully furnished. Bathrooms are large and efficiently arranged, and lighting is good. Each room is serviced by a well trained and attentive butler. Doubles from about $350 USD.

  866-829-2977
  www.oneandonlyresorts.com

• Casa Natalia is a boutique hotel in the small town of San Jose del Cabo. It offers 20 large, brilliantly colored rooms set in a tiny grove of palm trees and vivid bougainvillea, all facing a remarkably designed combination of water channels and swimming pools. You will not miss the ocean here. Doubles from about $180 USD.

  888-277-3814
  www.casanatalia.com

Dining

• The well-publicized Chicago chef, Charlie Trotter, operates C Restaurant at the Palmilla, and it is superb. The emphasis is on seafood, with delicacies such as Baja lobster tail and tuna maki in a spicy ponzu sauce or yellowtail snapper with sweet corn agnolotti and wild mushrooms. Topping the dessert list is a mango white chocolate bread pudding. Dinner for two, without wine, about $150 USD.

  866-829-2977

• Casa Rafael is a good choice for sophisticated versions of light Mexican cuisine. The menu changes frequently as dictated by what's available in the market that day. If available, the lobster medallions with Oriental black bean sauce are a wonderful choice, as is the Black Angus filet mignon with morels. Good wine list. Dinner for two, without wine, about $80 USD.

  624-143-0739

• Damiana, long considered one of the best restaurants in the Cabos, is housed in a picturesque 18th century townhouse, with lovely outdoor areas. Mainly known for seafood and steaks, all done with a Mexican touch. The restaurant is named for the legendary herbal aphrodisiac that's used to spice up their unique margaritas. Dinner for two, without wine, $50 USD.

  624-142-0499

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