Solmar Hotels and Resorts: A Family of Cabo Escapes for All Kinds of Families

Solmar, one of the leading independent “families” of Cabo San Lucas hotels and resorts, also happens to still be on the vanguard of what luxury-minded travelers want. In fact, the influence of founder Luis Bulnes Molleda in shaping Cabo’s tourism industry and culture is so profound the 1974 opening of his first property, Hotel Solmar, is listed on several Cabo San Lucas history sites. Today, his sons are not so much continuing the vision as they are pushing its boundaries.

The Grand Solmar at Rancho San Lucas, the company’s most ambitious endeavor to date, is slowly rolling out along a sun-dappled and Pacific Ocean-hugging stretch of desert. Even as construction continues on the hotel as well as luxury homes on the adjoining Greg Norman Estates, the epicenter of its family offerings are up and running, including its innovative swimming pool/lagoon hybrid, dozens of rustically lavish suites and Anica, the resort’s sophisticated, high-end dining venue.

Solmar Kids Crafts Rancho © Elyse Glickman

It is no doubt easy to envy those who will be able to afford the Rancho’s customizable palatial homes and condos outfitted with their choice of chic Mexican, Moroccan and Mediterranean appointments and architectural features. However, a week at the newest property is pointedly designed to make short-term guests of all ages feel just as special. The lagoon is a self-contained Cabo adventure, especially for kids, thanks to two different waterslides, a “jungle swing,” canoes and kayaks and a comprehensive kids’ club program involving a themed calendar of arts-and-crafts activities and other cultural experiences.

In addition to the spa, fitness room and Greg Norman golf course, adults can work off the calories taken in at Anica and other property restaurants with aerobics classes staged on specially designed paddleboards, as well as mountain bike tours, yoga and other pursuits. As completion will set in over the course of 2019 and 2020, one can only assume life on this Rancho will become all the more unforgettable.

Most of the other Solmar resort properties are centrally located steps from Cabo San Lucas’ busy marina and downtown area, yet are ingeniously shielded from the city’s bustling young adult party scene. It’s truly a best-of-both-worlds scenario, offering easy access to the many attractions of the city partnered with the intimacy of the higher-end resorts/spas located along the corridor between San Juan del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas and Los Arcos.

Solmar Land’s End Cabo Kids Club © Elyse Glickman

While Playa Grande Resort is regarded as the “entry level” and the most family-friendly of the group, its spa (offering an intense Temazcal Ceremony for adults using herbs from a small garden flanking the sweat lodge, as well as traditional spa treatments) adds an extra dimension of glamour. The main outdoor area leading to the beach has an appealing “hacienda” village feel that makes a colorful backdrop for family portraits.

Just up the beach, the more upscale Grand Solmar at Land’s End features spacious suites outfitted for longer family stays, a newer incarnation of “flagship” restaurant La Roca (built for the original Solmar Resort), the Sea Spa and a sprawling expanse of pools for kids and adults that mirror the waves active on the Sea of Cortez/Pacific shoreline. Its kids club, for guests ages 5–12, has daily themed full- and half-day programs with cooking and arts and crafts, as well as a fun indoor “tree house” space where kids can enjoy a part of their beach vacation shielded from the powerful midday sunshine. On Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, the resort offers evening theme night gatherings for children, allowing parents and grandparents to enjoy a relaxing evening enjoying La Roca, the Sushi Lounge or Don Luis Restaurant (named after the hotelier family’s patriarch).