Marina Cabo San Lucas
About 2.1 km in a straight line, around 9 minutes by car without traffic.5
Photo of the area: Alexis Doine, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
Hotels · adults-only all-inclusive beach resort
Riu Palace Baja California
El Médano · Zone 3 · 2.1 km in a straight line
- Zone
- Cabo San Lucas
- From the marina
- 2.1 km
- Opened
- 2018
- Rooms
- 602
- Swimmable beach
- No
The hotel
Riu Palace Baja California is a 602-room, adults-only all-inclusive resort on Playa El Médano in Cabo San Lucas, opened by RIU in December 2018. It is about 2.1 km in a straight line from the Cabo San Lucas Marina, around 9 minutes by car without traffic, longer at rush hour. It was RIU's 20th hotel in Mexico and its first adults-only property in Los Cabos.
The hotel sits on the sand at Playa El Médano, but RIU notes that the beach's swimming area is about 2 km away. Plan to swim in the four pools, or walk west along Médano toward the marina.1
History and curious facts
The story of Riu Palace Baja California
RIU built Riu Palace Baja California from the ground up and opened it in December 2018 as its 20th hotel in Mexico. It joined two other RIU resorts on the same stretch of El Médano, Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas and Riu Santa Fe, and it was the chain's first adults-only hotel in Los Cabos.
RIU called the layout a 180-degree change from its usual design. The public areas, restaurants and daytime bars were raised to sit right at the seafront level so guests see the ocean while they eat, and 32 rooms were raised too, for a total of 82 rooms with full sea views. The rooms use light tones and wood. At opening the hotel had four pools, two of them with swim-up bars, and themed restaurants that include Taj Mahal, an Indian restaurant, and Yu Hi, a Japanese one.
Things you may not know
- RIU raised the restaurants and daytime bars to seafront level, a layout it called a 180-degree change from its usual hotels.2
- Raising 32 rooms gave the hotel 82 rooms with full sea views out of 602.3
- It was the third RIU-branded all-inclusive in the Los Cabos area, after Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas and Riu Santa Fe.4
- Guests get free access to the RIU Party events held at the neighboring Riu Santa Fe.1
Around the hotel
What is near Riu Palace Baja California
Getting to the marina
From Riu Palace Baja California to Marina Cabo San Lucas
Riu Palace Baja California is 2.1 km in a straight line from Marina Cabo San Lucas, and the closest boarding dock is Fisherman's Landing. The trip is about 9 min by car without traffic, according to the route OSRM calculates with OpenStreetMap data. At rush hour the drive takes longer, so give yourself a margin before boarding.
We can book a driver who picks you up at the hotel, takes you to your yacht and brings you back. Riu Palace Baja California is in Zone 3: Cabo San Lucas, Hacienda Encantada, Puerto Los Cabos. The prices below are per vehicle and in USD, and you pay them to the driver on the day, separately from the yacht: the first price in cash, or the second by card on the driver's terminal, which adds a 5% fee.
- 2.1 km
- in a straight line
- 9 min
- by car without traffic
| Vehicle | Guests | One way | Round trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUV | up to 4 | USD 95 cashUSD 100 card | USD 160 cashUSD 168 card |
| Escalade | up to 6 | USD 115 cashUSD 121 card | USD 180 cashUSD 189 card |
| Van (Hiace) | 9 to 11 | USD 95 cashUSD 100 card | USD 160 cashUSD 168 card |
| Sprinter | 19 to 20 | USD 125 cashUSD 132 card | USD 220 cashUSD 231 card |
Boarding docks
Where the yachts board
There is no single dock for every boat. Each yacht boards at its own dock in Marina Cabo San Lucas, and your boarding pass has the exact one with a map link. These are the meeting points and the yachts that use each one:
Your yacht day
A day on a yacht from Riu Palace Baja California
Riu Palace Baja California is adults only, so most guests are couples or groups of friends, and that shapes the best yacht day. The sunset sail is the classic choice for couples, and a group trip for a birthday or a bachelorette party works well too. Our driver picks you up at the hotel and gets to the Marina in about 9 minutes without traffic, then leaves you near your yacht's dock. Since the water in front of the hotel is not the swimming area, a snorkel charter is the easy way to get into the sea. From December to April you can add a whale-watching outing. The driver brings you back to the hotel when the boat docks.
Bayliner 30
Up to 6 guests · from $549 for 2 h. See the yacht
Sea Ray 36
Up to 12 guests · from $659 for 2 h. See the yacht
Azimut 45 Flybridge
Up to 12 guests · from $1,249 for 2 h. See the yacht
Sea Ray 55
Up to 15 guests · from $2,129 for 3 h. See the yacht
McKinna 70
Up to 12 guests · from $4,499 for 3 h. See the yacht
Charters that fit this hotel
Questions
Riu Palace Baja California: what guests ask
How long is the drive from Riu Palace Baja California to the marina?
About 9 minutes without traffic, and about 2.1 km in a straight line. Allow extra time at rush hour.
Is Riu Palace Baja California adults only?
Yes. It opened in 2018 as RIU's first adults-only hotel in Los Cabos.
Can I swim in the sea in front of the hotel?
RIU says the beach's swimming area is about 2 km away. The hotel has four pools.
Do you pick up at Riu Palace Baja California for a charter?
Yes. Book the transfer with us: the driver collects you at the hotel, takes you to the yacht's dock in the marina and brings you back.
From your hotel to the water
Tell us your hotel and your group. We plan the pickup and the boat.
A written reply within 2 hours, 8 AM to 8 PM Cabo time.
Sources
- Riu Palace Baja California, official page
- RIU blog, 20 hotels in Mexico! Meet the new Riu Palace Baja California (11 Dec 2018)
- Travelweek, RIU opens its 20th property in Mexico (10 Dec 2018)
- Caribbean Journal, Riu Opens New All-Inclusive in Los Cabos (12 Dec 2018)
- router.project-osrm.org
- Los Cabos Magazine, Los Cabos Beaches, Issue 15 (Winter 2007)
- Distances: OpenStreetMap/OSRM (straight line from the hotel to the closest boarding dock in the marina; drive time without traffic with OSRM). Hotel location: INEGI DENUE and OpenStreetMap.
- Pickup prices: our price list by zone and vehicle (data/transport.json), paid to the driver.
Private Charters Cabo is an independent company with no affiliation with Riu Palace Baja California. The hotel's name and information are shown for reference only; photos carry their author's credit and license.