Touring Luxury Hotel Wedding Venues in Cabo 🌴💍 | Esperanza, The Cape, Waldorf Astoria, Four Seasons

Hey y'all. What's up? My name is Sali. Today is such an exciting video because I'm finally sharing the venue that we chose to get married at. A little backstory about me and my fianceé Ryan. We started dating in sophomore year of high school. Crazy. It's been like 12 and 1/2 years. And he proposed to me in April. So, I'm so freaking excited. So happy. And originally, we thought we were going to get married in 38, Florida. We used to go to spring break there and we still go back pretty much every year. But after talking to a ton of wedding planners and actually touring a couple venues there, we just thought that maybe an international destination wedding would be more of the vibe. First thought was obviously Mexico and I've been to Cancun a handful of times. But I feel like Cabo is a little bit more elevated and that was what I was going for. And you know what's funny? I've literally been to Cabo once before when I was like a teen and then my fiance had never been to Cabo before. We actually had a family reunion already planned in Cabo for this year. So, I was like, that's kind of perfect. We'll just schedule a bunch of tours and see what we like while we're there. I did end up hiring a wedding planner beforehand. And I'm so thankful because she organized all of the tours, all of the transportation. It was so easy. And obviously, we told her everything that was important to us and what we're really looking for. And she kind of narrowed it down to all of these venues that we did tour. Before we get into the luxury venue tours, I did want to tell you guys about some random things that I jotted down throughout this whole venue touring process or just like having a destination wedding. So, these are definitely going to be out of order, but I just want to make you guys aware of some of these things because I had no idea prior to even going on these tours. Like I said, my planner put together a list of venues that she thought would be a great fit. So from there, I looked some up online and a couple weren't my vibe or just like the vibe we're going for. So I was like, maybe we should cross this off. But my dad was like, "No, just go see it. You're already here. Let's just go see it." And I'm so thankful that we did because honestly, some of those properties were my favorite. And if it wasn't for my actual wedding day, it could have been for my rehearsal dinner or welcome party, whatever we decide. All the places that we toured were hotels. I know that Cabo has a bunch of venue sites like Baja Luna Ore and Flora Farms that are just so gorgeous, but those are not on the water, I believe. And Ryan was like, "If we're not getting married near the water, like why don't we just do it in Austin?" I was like, "Good point." So, that is why we didn't tour any of those. And then just like transportation in general, you would have to worry about. One thing that for sure sucks about doing it at a hotel is that they require you to have a percentage of your guests to stay at that hotel. And obviously, since these are more luxury properties, pricing per night is not very affordable, and we didn't really want to put that burden on our guests and family. There was one all-inclusive that we were going to go tour, but we ended up just not touring at all. It's called Grand Bay, and they are a luxury property. It's actually the only Michelin restaurant, I believe, in all of Cabo. So, I think that might have been why. But the prices per night were like over $1,000 per person, and they were requiring about like 80% of guests to stay at that resort. Like, what the heck? That is insane. And they were going to make us pay $300 per person for any guest that was not staying on the site. Like, what in the world? That is crazy. One thing to know is that Mexico is not always the cheaper alternative. And I definitely found out this the hard way, especially when you're adding that tourism tax. I think it's that or just like tax in general. It's like a pretty good chunk of what you would have to pay for every single vendor. So, originally we were thinking Cabo is definitely going to be cheaper than 3A. I don't think that is true now that like I've seen everything and talked to my planner, but I do think that the wedding will be way more beautiful and a lot more unique. If you're going to tour any venue in person, I highly recommend to ask what the space looks like during your wedding month because I saw so many beautiful flowers already there and I was like, "Wow, maybe I don't have to do as much decorating as I think." But obviously the flowers probably won't be there during fall. So, just something to think about. Also, always ask for photos of weddings that actually happen there so that number one, you can get ideas of what you can do for decor or just like see how they set everything up. It's so helpful to actually be able to see it visually. I know when I go to edit this video, I'm going to be like thinking about all the things I should have told you guys in this video, but that's all I can think of for now. It's actually been about a month since we went to Cabo and toured it. I just wanted to make this video when everything was finalized and we signed the contract, paid the deposit. So, everything is good to go and I can finally tell you guys where we picked. But first, let's get into all of the tours and then I'm going to reveal it at the end of this video. The first hotel we toured was the Dune. It's a Ritz Carlton Reserve Hotel and we were not originally going to look at this place, but my dad ended up staying here, so we were like, might as well. The ceremony spot would be this big grassy area. And I believe where the arch would be, where the couple would stand would be near these two benches over here. There was also a second option. They brought us over to this grand villa. It was absolutely insane. You basically just rent out this whole villa and then you could have, you know, whatever you wanted in the backyard. It has like a full grassy area with the ocean in the back. We could even just do the ceremony here, cocktail hour here, and then go somewhere else for the main reception. One of my favorite things was the getting ready room. It just felt so luxurious. And then pretty much all these hotels had an option to get married on the beach. So, this is what that looked like right here. Next up was the iconic Waldorf Histori. I'm not going to lie to you guys. This was one of the properties that I was maybe not going to tour, but my dad was like, "Let's just go see it." And I'm so glad we did because this whole property really wowed me. Originally, I was just thinking it's not really my vibe because I thought that this was the only ceremony option. I just didn't love the wooden pegs, but they showed me a bunch of pictures where we could cover it. And they also gave me this option, which I was like, "Oh my god." I mean, like, look at these insane waves in the background of your photos. It would be so epic. Basically, the arch or like just the couple would stand on this circular thing in the water and then everyone would be seated in front of that. The biggest selling point of this venue was definitely the cliffside restaurant where the reception would be. I mean, talk about unique and epic. There would also be a dance floor right in this circular area. While touring the other venues, I was really hoping I would have that wow reaction that I had at the Waldorf Histori. The next day, we start our tours with the Cape, which is a Thompson Hotel. Now, this is not the same level as pretty much every other hotel I'm going to show you. This is a little step down, but as you can see, it is absolutely gorgeous. But I will say this was one of the hotels that I was also thinking of not touring because I just feel like I've seen so many people get married here and I want to be a little bit more unique and obviously I don't know anyone in my personal life that's gotten married here. Just a lot of, you know, me being chronically online. But for a good reason, because this hotel, number one, is stunning. Number two, it has a perfect view of the iconic Cabo Arches. Number three, the hotel rates for guests were not bad. Another reason why I didn't originally care to tour this venue is because the ceremony spot is right in front of their lobby, which I thought was so weird, but they said that they could just stop traffic while you walk down the aisle. But I still don't want people checking in while my wedding is going on. So, I thought that was a little bit weird. They did give a second option right near the pool, but it wouldn't be symmetrical. It would look a little bit off. Right below the pool where you see this concrete slab is a place that you could have an event like a rehearsal, dinner, welcome party. They took us upstairs to the rooftop area and this right here would be your cocktail hour. My only thing is that they had so much fake greenery and I just felt like that cheapened the space. But obviously I think you could probably cover that up. It's just more money that you would have to spend to do so. We loved the views up here so much that we came back the next night for dinner. And let me tell you, it was a vibe, but it also didn't feel very lux. Now, on the other side of the rooftop is where you would have your reception. It is a clean blank slate, which honestly terrifies me because I'm already having such a hard time trying to know what direction I want to go in for decor. It just seems like you'll have to have a lot of decor and florals to fill it up to make it look beautiful, which means you'll probably end up spending more money. Later that day, we went to tour Espiranza, which is an Ourge Resort. I hope I'm saying that right. And you will know this resort when you see the restaurant. It's very iconic. It's like kind of built into the cliffs. It's gorgeous. And this is actually a place that I heard so many good reviews about. I've seen a ton online. A lot of people say the service is just incredible here, but I don't know why. I just felt like it was a little underwhelming, especially with what I saw previously. And that's kind of the hard part about seeing so many beautiful venues and places. They all start to blur together or like one thing will totally throw you off and you're just like, eh, it's not that great, but like look at it. It's amazing. Basically, the reception would be at the restaurant. We would definitely have to cut down our guest list. And I just don't think that we were willing to do that. Then we made our way over to the montage, which when I hear that word, I think of celebrities. So, I definitely had high hopes if celebrities stay here. And look at it. It's perfectly manicured. It is gorgeous. I'm pretty sure this is one of the only swimmable beaches in Cabo. If you didn't know, you're not able to swim at most beaches because the currents are so rough and there's just a lot of rocks on the beach. That was definitely a plus in my head. But I didn't love the ceremony and reception spaces. This was their ballroom, which honestly it's probably the nicest ballroom I've ever seen. It's very modern and I really liked it. Um, this part was an option for like an after the wedding pool party, which I loved. I loved this so much. It's actually in their spa, but they said they could like rent out the whole space. Now, this is the ceremony option. So, it' be on the grass with the water in the back, the two palm trees right there, which I thought was so gorgeous. But overall, again, it was kind of underwhelming. I feel like I've seen better. Up next, we had a tour of Sols. The vibe here is very modern, industrial, a little bit similar to the cape, but it has a little bit more warmth to it, which I appreciated. Honestly, I cannot remember what they said for the ceremony, but I think it might have been at the pool or the beach. Um, but this is their reception space, which I thought was really cool. It had this like outdoor indoor kind of vibe and in front of it it had some cute little fire pits which would honestly be useful for the time we think we're going to get married. There was also this cute little pool for cocktail hour. We really liked the flow of this venue except for that you had to pretty much take a golf cart all the way down to all of the events. This right here was also an option for reception. A totally blank space. Last and final day of tours. We toured two venues starting off with the Four Seasons Los Cabos. They took us over to the event building which is pretty much totally separate from the resort itself which kind of gave it that exclusive vibe. I mean it's gorgeous. Look at all these arches. The wedding suite which was so cute. And this would be perfect for any touch-ups. I don't know if I would be getting ready here though because it is kind of further away from where we would have our ceremony. In here would be the afterparty. Look how cool this is. out here is kind of like a seating area. I think they said we would probably do cocktail hour here, but like the bars themselves are just so gorgeous. I feel like it doesn't really need a ton of decor. When you walk through the black doors, this is what you see. And I think this is where they usually do their receptions. Honestly, I haven't seen a ton of photos, especially from weddings, at this venue since it is new and they've only done a couple of weddings, which is good and bad. more good because I feel like it would just be a little bit more unique. If we really wanted to, we could probably get married on the screen space, but we wanted that wow factor of guests walking into the reception space and not seeing it beforehand from the ceremony. They have this space in here, which we could use for late night snacks or really whatever we wanted. Here's a couple more clips of the space. I loved all of the furniture. I feel like we wouldn't have to change much. And it kind of reminded me of Santa Barbara. We went back over to the lobby and went through the restaurant, which could be an option for a welcome party. Here's a view of their stunning pool. I just wanted to hop right in at this point cuz we were melting of sweat. But here is the ceremony spot. It'd be right on the beach, and if you didn't want to get married right on the sand, they did have this grassy area in front of it, so you still had that view, but you would have to book out all of the villas right in front of it. Another ceremony option would be near the pool, which I kind of thought was unique. I really need to see a couple more pictures to get the full vibe, but there are trees right in the middle and obviously you can't move those. The last venue we toured in Cabo was Chileno Bay, which is also an Ourge Resort. They first took us into their restaurant, and I loved the entrance. I feel like this could be really pretty at night. They have all these candles on the walls that could be lit, and I just felt like it didn't need a ton of decor. I also loved all of the furniture in the restaurant. It was very my vibe, but my planner said that we would probably have to change out the chairs just so we would be able to fit a lot more people in there. The restaurant is very compact, so on the other side of it would be like the dance floor and just kind of like the mingle area, but I didn't love the separation from the dinner tables and the dance floor because I love when people are able to just like chill at the tables and watch people dance and not feel super left out. But just in general, this resort is stunning. I love all of the modern organic furniture. And the one thing that I loved that I wish every hotel had was this little speak easy so we could have the afterparty here. I know it's a little hard to see, but it would just be such a cool vibe. I mean, there's already a bar here, too. So, those are all of the luxury hotel venues that we toured. And now I can finally tell you guys which one we picked. Can I get a drum roll, please? We are getting married at the Four Seasons Cabo San Lucas. It is the most stunning place. I didn't want to give it away in my voice over, but oh my god, you guys. Like it is it is truly jaw-dropping when I walked in there. And I feel like that is what I wanted. Like when I walk into the venue, I want to be like, "Holy shit." Like what the heck? Like I could be getting married here. And that's definitely how we felt about that one. We only toured it on our last day. And so every day we kind of like had a new favorite, but this one was by far the best one. I also loved that it was brand new, so all of the furniture and the design was so on trend and like modern organic. I don't feel like we have to add so much decor. Like it's already so stunning there. I will say that the cape was one of our second options, but when we were looking at the final numbers, it was kind of close. And I remember cape being so much more affordable. I don't really understand how it jumped up so high. Even just thinking about that blank slate that you would have to decorate from ground up, not having anything to start from, that in itself seemed costly. And so even if the Four Seasons was a little bit more expensive, I knew that the cape would probably end up being even more expensive because also the Four Seasons had linens and tables and chairs that we could use. And I've heard rental costs can easily add up. So that was definitely helpful. It's so funny because whenever we had a tour, I would ask them like, "Is this a swimmable beach? Can we swim here? What's the vibe?" And almost everyone said no, except for the places that I mentioned, but I forgot to tell you guys that Four Seasons also is a swimmable beach, but she said that it depends on the time of year because in the fall, I think that the tide isn't as high. I don't really know a lot about oceans, but I'm just very happy that it's swimmable in case my guests do choose to stay there. We also got an insane rate for the hotel block, which I'm very excited about because Four Seasons rates are like usually pretty crazy. They were very generous and got us a really good rate. So, I'm really hoping that some of my friends are willing to stay there, but totally no pressure. Overall, I'm just in love with the venue and in love with the hotel, and I'm so excited to finally be marrying Ryan after all this time. But honestly, I wouldn't have had it any other way. Like, I actually feel so ready to be married. And I feel like even 2 years ago, I'd been like, "What the hell?" Like, getting married. I'm still a child. I still kind of feel like a child, but I'm a little bit more ready, you know? Like, when are you ever actually going to be like ready to adult? Some of my friends even have babies and they're like, "No, I don't feel like an adult yet." I'm like, "Cool." So, one thing I already have booked is my wedding planner. And she has a whole team. We were able to meet pretty much all of them while we were there. Got to go to her office. And she is incredible. Number one, and number two, her whole team is just so on top of it. Like, I don't even get responses this fast in the business world. Like, they are incredibly on top of it. And I appreciate that so much. And even just like during the whole tours, they were able to just like move things around so easily. If you need a really good wedding planner in Cabo, I got you. Go ahead and DM me on Instagram and I can share her profile with you guys. But that's a wrap on this video. If you've gotten married in Cabo, please share where you got married. I'm so curious. And if you are planning on getting married, because maybe that's why you're watching this video. Let me know which one was your favorite venue. Feel free to follow me on Instagram and Tik Tok. There's going to be lots more wedding and bridal content over there. It's just so__narly without the G. And while you're here, subscribe to my YouTube channel. And I hope to see you guys in the next video. Bye. [Music]