Private yacht with a chef in Cabo: the one yacht that includes one, the one that adds one, and the menu on the rest

Which Cabo yacht has a chef on board, what the chef cooks, what it costs, how the Azimut 70's chef add-on works, and how the menu in the planner covers every other yacht.

The McKinna 70 anchored in clear green water off a sandy cove below the granite cliffs of Land's End in Cabo San Lucas
In this guide
  1. The McKinna 70: chef included
  2. The Azimut 70: a chef as an add-on
  3. Every other yacht: the menu in the planner
  4. Chef or menu: how to decide
  5. What's the same on every yacht
  6. Booking a yacht with a chef

A private yacht with a chef in Cabo San Lucas means the McKinna 70, a 70-foot luxury motor yacht for up to 12 guests. A chef cooks a multi-course menu on board, the crew serves welcome snacks, fresh guacamole and complimentary drinks, and three hours cost USD 4,499 (MXN 85,499) per boat with the 16% tax included. It boards at Marina Cabo San Lucas; the exact dock comes with your confirmation. The Azimut 70 can add a chef at an extra charge, on top of the menu and complimentary beer and cocktails it already includes, from USD 4,199 (MXN 79,799) for three hours. The other eleven yachts have no chef, so the food comes from our menu in the planner or from your own cooler.

The all-inclusive page lists the three yachts with food included side by side.

The McKinna 70: chef included

The McKinna 70 listing includes:

  • A bilingual crew of five, including the captain and deckhands
  • A chef on board
  • A multi-course menu cooked on board
  • Welcome snacks and fresh guacamole
  • Complimentary drinks, served by the crew

The chef cooks during the charter, course by course, while you're under way or at anchor. The McKinna 70 page doesn't publish a fixed menu, so tell us about allergies, kids or preferences when you book and we pass them to the crew. The drinks are a courtesy of the crew. Alcohol is never sold on any yacht in Cabo.

The McKinna 70 minimum is three hours. Prices are per boat, tax included, 15% crew tip not included; the per-person column assumes 12 guests.

Set your group size and hours to see what each yacht costs per person.

What it costs per person

Hours
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Per boat, 16% tax included, tip not included. Pick a yacht to see its page.

Hours McKinna 70, per boat Per person for 12
3 USD 4,499 / MXN 85,499 about USD 375
4 USD 5,999 / MXN 113,999 about USD 500
5 USD 7,299 / MXN 138,699 about USD 608
6 USD 8,599 / MXN 163,399 about USD 717
8 USD 11,199 / MXN 212,799 about USD 933

Three hours on the McKinna 70 covers the Arch route with a long stop at anchor for the meal. Four hours is enough for a sunset dinner: leave about 90 minutes before sunset, eat at anchor off Médano Beach with the town lights on, and stay until 10 PM if you like, since the McKinna 70 boards at the marina. Our private dinner cruise guide has departure times by month.

The McKinna 70 seen from above with its aft deck and shaded flybridge seating

The Azimut 70: a chef as an add-on

The Azimut 70 is the other all-inclusive yacht, with a crew of three, a set menu on board (fish ceviche, sashimi, beef or chicken fajitas, guacamole with chips), complimentary beer and cocktails served by the crew, water, sodas and ice, two cabins and an A/C salon. Three hours is USD 4,199 (MXN 79,799), four hours USD 5,299 (MXN 100,699).

If you want dishes cooked to order instead of the set menu, the Azimut 70 can take a chef on board at an extra charge. The chef has no published price; we quote it with your booking once we know the date, hours and headcount, and it goes in writing before you pay. Our McKinna 70 vs Azimut 70 guide compares the two 70-footers in detail.

The Azimut 70's flybridge with cream seating and the sea behind it

Every other yacht: the menu in the planner

Eleven yachts in the fleet are boat-only. Nobody cooks on board, but food ordered in the planner is waiting when you arrive, and the crew sets it out. Prices are cash prices in pesos; paying by card adds 16%.

Time of day What people order Cash price
Breakfast Chilaquiles and beans, huevos rancheros, French toast, banana pancakes, yogurt and granola MXN 325 each
Breakfast Sirloin steak sandwich, chicken sandwich, serrano and burrata focaccia MXN 520 each
Lunch Turkey or tuna box lunch; burrito box lunch MXN 238; MXN 289
Lunch, group Mexican feast for 6 to 8; for 14 to 16 MXN 2,600; MXN 4,550
Lunch, sharing Burrito platter MXN 901
Sunset Boards: small, medium, large, XL MXN 780, 1,440, 2,520, 3,120

Here is how it adds up for 12 people on the Sea Ray 40 for four hours: the yacht is USD 1,499 (MXN 28,499), a Mexican feast for 14 to 16 is MXN 4,550 and a large board MXN 2,520. Food comes to about USD 372 at 19 pesos to the dollar, so the whole day is about USD 1,871, about USD 156 each before the tip and before your own drinks. The Sea Ray 55, for up to 15 with A/C and cabins, works the same way at USD 2,709 (MXN 51,499) for four hours.

You can also bring your own food. Every yacht includes a cooler, and several include ice, so a group that wants to pack its own lunch can. Guests 18 and over bring their own drinks on every boat-only yacht.

A Mexican feast from the onboard menu laid out on a yacht table

Chef or menu: how to decide

McKinna 70 Azimut 70 Boat-only yacht plus menu
Who cooks A chef on board, included Set menu served by the crew; chef at extra charge Nobody; food is prepared ashore and set out by the crew
Drinks Complimentary, served by the crew Complimentary beer and cocktails Bring your own (18 and over)
Guests Up to 12 Up to 12 Up to 18 on the Pontoon 38
Minimum 3 hours 3 hours 2 hours
4 hours for 12 USD 5,999 USD 5,299 plus the chef quote if added About USD 1,871 on the Sea Ray 40 with food

The chef makes sense when the meal is the reason for the trip and nobody in your group should be handling a cooler, like a client dinner or an anniversary with the parents on board. Our corporate yacht events guide and anniversary dinner guide cover those days. The menu works better when the food just needs to be there, when the group is bigger than 12, or when you want to bring your own drinks.

The top of the fleet is on the luxury yachts page, and our all-inclusive yacht guide goes through every included item on the three all-inclusive yachts, including the Sea Ray 65's all-inclusive option, which adds food but no chef.

What's the same on every yacht

  • A professional photographer can join for USD 180, with all the photos, paid directly to the photographer.
  • The CONANP conservation fee for the protected area around the Arch is included.
  • Departures run from 7 AM to 7 PM, yachts sail until 8 PM, and marina yachts may stay anchored in the bay until 10 PM.
  • The 15% crew tip is not included on any yacht, chef or no chef.
  • If the Port Captain closes the harbor under a storm threat, mostly between September and mid-October, you get a new date or a full refund.

Booking a yacht with a chef

Open the planner, pick the McKinna 70 with your date and three or more hours, and put allergies and the occasion in the notes. For the Azimut 70 with a chef added, pick the Azimut 70 and write "chef" in the notes so we quote it. We reply in writing within two hours, 8 AM to 8 PM Cabo time, or on WhatsApp at +52 624 300 8029, and send a secure Stripe link once the date is confirmed.

Yachts in this guide

Questions people ask

Is there a private yacht with a chef in Cabo San Lucas?

Yes. The McKinna 70 includes a chef who cooks a multi-course menu on board, with welcome snacks, fresh guacamole and complimentary drinks served by a crew of five, for up to 12 guests, from USD 4,499 (MXN 85,499) for three hours with tax included.

Can you add a chef to a yacht charter in Cabo?

On the Azimut 70, yes: a chef on board is available at an extra charge, quoted with your booking, on top of the menu and complimentary beer and cocktails already included. On the other yachts there's no chef; you order from our menu in the planner or bring your own food.

What does the chef cook on the McKinna 70?

A multi-course menu cooked on board during the charter, starting with welcome snacks and fresh guacamole. The yacht page doesn't publish a fixed menu; tell us about allergies or preferences when you book and we pass them to the crew.

How much is a yacht with a chef in Cabo per person?

On the McKinna 70, three hours is USD 4,499 per boat, about USD 375 each for 12 before the 15% crew tip, with the chef, food and complimentary drinks included. Four hours is USD 5,999, about USD 500 each.

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.

Check availabilitySee the fleet

Keep reading

Yacht chartersAll-Inclusive Yacht Charter in Cabo: What's IncludedWhat all-inclusive covers on each of the three Cabo yachts that offer it, what each costs by the hour, and how a boat-only yacht plus our menu compares.10 min readYacht chartersMcKinna 70 vs Azimut 70 in Cabo: Which One to CharterThe two 70-foot all-inclusive yachts in Cabo compared: who's on the crew, who cooks, what's served, cabins, docks and hours.7 min readCelebrationsCabo Dinner Cruise on a Private Yacht: Times and PricesDinner on your own yacht in Cabo: a chef on board or our menu, when to leave for sunset and what it costs.8 min read

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