Industry Insider: A Deep Dive on Los Cabos with Nicolas Cejas, General Manager at One&Only Palmilla
“While Cabo certainly offers some of the most beautiful coastlines in Mexico and great nightlife, the destination is so much more than that.”
Nicolas Cejas
General Manager, One&Only Palmilla
Nicolas’s Recommendations
At the Resort
Agua - Cliffside dining over the Sea of Cortez, with a Mexican menu built around local seafood
SEARED - The resort's steakhouse, built around wood fire and paired with one of Mexico's deepest wine cellars
Suviche - Developed with chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, pairing sushi and ceviche with live jazz
Lucille's - All-day restaurant at Palmilla Social Club, serving Baja-driven cuisine
Beyond the Resort
Los Paisas - Taquería in downtown Cabo San Lucas
Cabo Pulmo - National marine park roughly an hour up the East Cape best reached by boat.
Whale Watching - Available by boat between November and March
San José del Cabo Art District - Historic town center with galleries and family-run workshops
Corazon Playero - Female-founded hatmaker collective for custom toppers
The Estuary - Wetland in San José del Cabo with excellent bird-watching
Sol de Mayo - Waterfall and natural swimming lagoon
Todos Santos, La Paz & Barriles - Smaller coastal towns north of Los Cabos, reachable as day trips
Since 1956, One&Only Palmilla has sat at the tip of the Baja California Peninsula, where its desert landscape runs into the Sea of Cortez. The hotel opened as a 15-room hideaway for Don Abelardo Rodríguez, son of the former Mexican president, and has since grown into a 174-room oceanfront resort with two villas, a swimmable beach, and three private rocky coves. It’s a stretch of coast that draws its fair share of visitors in town for golf, margaritas, and time at the pool, but there are cultural treasures and geological surprises around ever corner in Los Cabos, if you know where to look. We spoke with Nicolas Cejas, who recently became General Manager after three years leading sister property One&Only Mandarina, about what separates Los Cabos from the rest of Mexico's coastline, and where to go once you leave the resort.
Cejas's path to Palmilla started as a bellman in Buenos Aires, his home city, before moving through front office, housekeeping, and guest-experience roles across multiple luxury brands, a career path that saw him involved in the openings of 14 hotels. Most recently, he ran One&Only Mandarina in Riviera Nayarit, before taking over the helm at Palmilla. “My time at Mandarina taught me a great deal about blending hospitality with a strong sense of locality and authentic cultural connection,” he says. “Those lessons translate perfectly to Los Cabos, a destination that combines natural beauty, world-class leisure experiences, and an established reputation as one of the world's leading luxury destinations.”
“One of the most common misconceptions is that Los Cabos is simply a beach destination for celebration or spring break,” Cejas says. “While it certainly offers some of the most beautiful coastlines in Mexico and great nightlife, the destination is so much more than that.”
On the Water
Right off the bat, one of the major differentiators at the One&Only is its swimmable beach, Palmilla Bay. It’s one of the few swimmable beaches in a region better known for surf and riptides. "Unlike many beaches in Los Cabos, we have calm, swimmable waters," Cejas says. "They’re also crystal-clear, which makes it easy to spot marine life or snorkel alongside turtles." Guests can also depart directly from the bay on a private boat to explore the coastline and Cabo’s famous El Arco, where the Pacific meets the Sea of Cortez, and between November and March, Cejas recommends a whale-watching trip to catch the migrating greys and humpbacks, who head south to calf.
The surrounding area’s geography makes Cabo a true natural playground, with rugged desert mountains that run directly to the coastline, and the Sea of Cortez, recognized as one of the most biodiverse marine environments on the planet, on the other side. Cabo Pulmo, the national park an hour or so up the East Cape, is a world-class underwater destination. After Mexico protected it as a marine park in 1995, fish biomass there increased by 460 percent within a decade, one of the largest recoveries ever recorded in a marine reserve worldwide, and the park is now home to over 800 species and a 20,000-year-old coral reef. It’s an easy day trip by boat from the hotel, and one Cejas recommends to anyone serious about their marine life. “Cabo Pulmo offers an extraordinary opportunity to experience the rich biodiversity of the Sea of Cortez firsthand,” Cejas says. “It's best to visit by boat, directly from the resort, which gives you direct access to private coves and their coral reef.” This side of the peninsula offers a different flavor of the region than the resorts and homes along the Cabo corridor, and Cejas encourages people not to miss it. “On the way back from Cabo Pulmo, I recommend stopping in one of the small coastal communities along the East Cape to enjoy fresh local seafood and take in the slower pace of life that makes this region so special.”
On the Property
That slow pace pervades the property, too. Lush landscaping and meandering stone paths meant that rooms feel tucked away and private. And this has always been the point - to be a place where people can get away from it all and enjoy the pink sunsets so specific to Cabo. In its early days, the resort attracted presidents, movie stars, and cultural icons, from John Wayne to Lucille Ball, Bing Crosby to Ernest Hemingway.
Cejas loves to spend time wandering these pathways, happening upon little plazas and courtyards under the palms. “The immaculate gardens of the resort are so special - we are in a desert destination, and our landscaping is unique for Los Cabos,” he says. “I actually have a favorite hidden spot on property, located within the Tres Palmas building, between the resort’s main entrance and the Agua Pool. Among the lush trees, there is this intimate seating area with a beautiful colonial-style Mexican fountain at its center. I try to take a few moments here, sitting quietly to read, reflect, and admire the architecture around me, and it’s a perfect place to appreciate one of Palmilla’s most iconic features: the stunning staircase adorned with colorful Mexican mosaics.”
And when he’s ready to get back into the action? It’s time for a cocktail. “My other favorite place is the Agua terrace at sunset. There is something truly special about sitting there as the sky changes colors over the Sea of Cortez, enjoying a margarita or one of our local cocktails. Agua perfectly captures the spirit of Palmilla: elegant, relaxed, and deeply connected to its surroundings.”
Happy hour is a key part of the day at the One&Only, and one Cejas encourages guests of all types to incorporate into their schedule during their time on property. For a couple, Cejas suggests breakfast overlooking the Sea of Cortez, a spa treatment, and an afternoon at the adults-only pool, followed by sunset cocktails and dinner at the resort's steakhouse or its Nikkei restaurant. For a family, the day starts at Palmilla Bay for swimming and paddleboarding, continues through the resort's family pools and activities, and ends with a Mexican dinner at Agua or at Lucille's, the restaurant at Palmilla Social Club by the golf course.
On the Town
During a longer stay, Cejas is keen to embolden guests to explore their surroundings. “While many guests find it difficult to leave Palmilla, I always encourage them to experience the destination beyond the resort,” Cejas says. San José del Cabo's historic town center and Art District are his first recommendations, for colonial-era streets, galleries, and family-run workshops, including Corazon Playero, an all-female collective of hatmakers who customize sombreros on-site. Nearby, the Estuary is a quieter find, a wetland where desert, freshwater, and ocean ecosystems converge, good for bird-watching and rarely visited by guests who simply don't know it's there. Further out, Sol de Mayo is a waterfall and natural swimming lagoon Cejas visits with his own family, and day trips north to Todos Santos, La Paz, and Barriles reach smaller coastal towns at a slower pace than Los Cabos itself.
And if learning more about the Baja Peninsula has you in the mood for Mexico, Cejas loves to remind travelers that this doesn’t just have to be a beach destination, or a one-stop trip: Los Cabos can be the finale of a wider itinerary through the country. “A wonderful itinerary could combine the culture and gastronomy of Mexico City, the colonial charm of San Miguel de Allende or Oaxaca, and the adventures in the rainforest of Riviera Nayarit, where One&Only Mandarina is located, concluding in Los Cabos, where guests can unwind,” he says. The history of the property, location in a singularly beautiful part of the world, and the deep ties to a destination that reveals itself to travelers curious enough to look make it a perfect place to do so.
