Diamante, Cabo San Lucas: Nobu and Hard Rock, how far the marina is, the beach you can't swim at, and how to plan a yacht day
Nobu and Hard Rock in Diamante, the farthest resorts up the Pacific coast: the marina distance, the beach, and a boat day plan.
In this guide
Diamante is the gated resort community farthest up the Pacific coast from downtown Cabo San Lucas, home to Nobu Hotel Los Cabos and Hard Rock Hotel Los Cabos. Both resorts are about 7.5 km from Marina Cabo San Lucas in a straight line (7.6 km from Nobu, 7.3 km from Hard Rock), around 18 minutes by car without traffic. Neither has a beach you can swim at, so for a day in calm water, guests head to the bay, and the easiest way to do that is from the marina, by boat.
We're an independent booking agency with no affiliation to either hotel. Both have their own pages in our hotel guide.
Nobu and Hard Rock at a glance
RCD Hotels built both resorts from scratch on the Diamante site and opened them in 2019: Hard Rock as an all-inclusive, Nobu on a European plan.
| Nobu Hotel Los Cabos | Hard Rock Hotel Los Cabos | |
|---|---|---|
| Opened | Grand opening Nov 13, 2019 | July 2019 |
| Rooms | 200 | 639 |
| Pools | 4, one adults-only | 5, with swim-up bars |
| To the marina | 7.6 km straight line, 18 min | 7.3 km straight line, 18 min |
Nobu opened with a sake ceremony led by two of the Nobu Hospitality co-founders, chef Nobu Matsuhisa and actor Robert De Niro. The rooms have wooden soaking tubs and closet doors inspired by Japanese shoji screens. Hard Rock lends guests one of 20 Fender guitars at no charge, and there's a bowling alley inside its Moon Lounge.
Nobu Hotel Los Cabos
The lead architects were Monica Cuervo and Mark Yoshizaki of WATG, and Studio PCH did the interiors, mixing California modernism with Japanese minimalism. Besides the signature Nobu restaurant, the hotel has a Malibu Farm and the Esencia Wellness Spa. Its four pools have names: Pacific Pool, Cortez Pool, the adults-only Infinity Pool and the Cortez Swim-up Bar Pool. Nobu puts itself about 55 km (34 miles) from Los Cabos International Airport, roughly 45 minutes by car, which tells you how far out Diamante sits.
Hard Rock Hotel Los Cabos
Hard Rock opened with eight themed restaurants, among them Los Gallos for Mexican food, Toro steakhouse, Ciao for Italian and Ipanema, a Brazilian rodizio, plus a Rock Spa. Its biggest room, the Rock Star Suite, covers 4,000 square feet with two bedrooms facing the ocean. It's an all-inclusive family resort, while Nobu runs on a European plan, and that changes which boat day fits best (more on that below).
Can you swim at the Diamante beach?
No, and both resorts say it themselves. Hard Rock has nearly a kilometer of Pacific beachfront, but its official site says it isn't safe for guests to swim in the ocean because of strong currents, and asks them to keep their distance from the shore. Nobu's FAQ says ocean conditions can be unsafe for swimming because of strong currents and drop-offs, so guests walk the beach and swim in the pools.
That's normal for the Pacific side of Cabo. The swimming beach is Médano Beach, on the calm bay next to the marina. Our guide to Cabo beaches that are safe to swim covers the rest.
Golf at Diamante
Guests at Hard Rock get access to Diamante's otherwise private golf courses. The Dunes course is by Davis Love III and opened in 2010. El Cardonal was the first course Tiger Woods designed, and his Oasis Short Course has 12 par-3 holes around a lake. Our Cabo golf guide compares them with the rest of Los Cabos.
How far is the marina from Diamante, and how do you get there?
Our transportation table gives Diamante its own zone, described as the farthest area, up the Pacific coast northwest of downtown. The straight-line distance is short, but the road goes out of Diamante and into town, which is why the drive takes about 18 minutes without traffic. At rush hour, add more.
Yachts don't pick up at hotels. Each yacht boards at its own dock in Marina Cabo San Lucas, and your exact dock and a map link come on your boarding pass. We can book a private driver for the round trip; the driver charges you directly, and it isn't part of the yacht price. Cash gets the lower price; by card on the driver's terminal it's 5% more.
| Vehicle | Guests | One way | Round trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUV | up to 4 | USD 120 cash · 126 card | USD 170 cash · 179 card |
| Van | 9 to 11 | USD 130 cash · 137 card | USD 180 cash · 189 card |
| Escalade | up to 6 | USD 170 cash · 179 card | USD 200 cash · 210 card |
| Sprinter | 19 to 20 | USD 180 cash · 189 card | USD 240 cash · 252 card |
The round trip is much cheaper than two one-way rides, so book both legs together.
How to plan a yacht day from Diamante
Since you can't swim at the hotel, the boat day is often the sea day of the trip.
A swim-and-snorkel morning
A 4-hour charter leaves the marina in the morning, when the water is calmest, and anchors in the bay for snorkeling and a swim. Santa María is closed for snorkeling as of October 10, 2026, expected to reopen in November, so for now the snorkel stop is Pelican Rock, next to the Arch.
The 2-hour Arch run
If the day is mostly about the resort, two hours covers Pelican Rock, the sea lion colony, the Arch and Lover's and Divorce Beach, then back along Médano Beach. It's about 4.7 miles round trip.
Sunset
The 2-hour Pacific sunset cruise rounds Land's End and faces the sun as it drops toward the Cabo Falso lighthouse, on your side of the cape.
Which yacht fits a Diamante group?
Prices are per boat, with the 16% tax included; the suggested 15% crew tip is not included. Compare every boat on the fleet page.
| Yacht | Guests | 4 hours | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea Ray 40 | up to 12 | USD 1,499 (MXN 28,499) | Families, towels on board |
| Pontoon 38 | up to 18 | USD 1,619 (MXN 30,799) | Big groups, slide from the upper deck |
| Sea Ray 55 | up to 15 | USD 2,709 (MXN 51,499) | Floating pool, paddle board, A/C |
| Azimut 45 | up to 12 | USD 2,099 (MXN 39,899) | Paddle board and towels |
For a couple from Nobu who want the sunset, the Bayliner 30 is USD 549 (MXN 10,499) for 2 hours, for up to 6.
For a Hard Rock family, the Sea Ray 55 is the closest thing to the resort pool on the water: its floating pool sits on the sea next to the boat, along with a paddle board, a lily pad mat and a floating platform. The Pontoon 38 suits a big family reunion, with a water slide from the upper deck and an enclosed head with a freshwater shower.
Every charter includes snorkel gear and the CONANP conservation fee for the Arch area, and no yacht charges a dock fee. Food is optional: you can order breakfast, box lunches or a Mexican feast from our menu in the planner.
Timing the day from Diamante
Work backward from the departure. With about 18 minutes of driving without traffic and a buffer for rush hour, leaving the hotel 45 minutes before departure is a sensible start for a morning charter. For a 10 AM snorkel, that's about 9:15 AM.
For the sunset, the time moves with the season. The sun sets at about 5:35 PM in late November and early December and about 7:10 PM in early July, and sunset boats leave about 90 minutes before. In January, for example, the sun sets around 5:55 PM and the boat leaves around 4:30 PM, so you'd leave Diamante around 3:45 PM. The trip guide lists every month.
Yachts sail until 8 PM, and yachts from the marina may stay anchored in the bay until 10 PM, so a sunset charter can run into a dinner at anchor if you order from our menu.
Before you book
- Book the round-trip driver with the yacht so pickup and departure line up.
- Plan on about 18 minutes of driving without traffic, plus a buffer.
- Bring sunscreen and swimsuits, and towels unless you're on the Sea Ray 36, Sea Ray 40 or Azimut 45.
Pick a date and a yacht in the planner. We reply within 2 hours, 8 AM to 8 PM Cabo time.
Yachts in this guide
Questions people ask
How far is Nobu Los Cabos from the Cabo San Lucas marina?
About 7.6 km in a straight line, around 18 minutes by car without traffic. Hard Rock Hotel Los Cabos, next door, is about 7.3 km in a straight line, also around 18 minutes.
Can you swim in the ocean at Hard Rock or Nobu Los Cabos?
No. Hard Rock's official site says it isn't safe to swim in the ocean because of strong currents, and Nobu's FAQ says conditions can be unsafe because of currents and drop-offs. Both resorts have pools, five at Hard Rock and four at Nobu.
How much is a transfer from Diamante to the marina?
Diamante has its own transfer zone. By SUV for up to 4 it is USD 120 one way or USD 170 round trip in cash, and by Sprinter for up to 20, USD 240 round trip. By card on the driver's terminal add 5%: USD 126, USD 179 and USD 252. You pay the driver directly, separate from the yacht.
Where is Diamante in Los Cabos?
It is a gated residential and resort community on the Pacific coast northwest of downtown Cabo San Lucas, the farthest area in our transportation table. It holds Nobu, Hard Rock and the Dunes and El Cardonal golf courses.
Plan your day on the water
Pick a yacht, the hours and the food in the planner. A written reply within 2 hours, 8 AM to 8 PM Cabo time.
Keep reading
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