Puerto Los Cabos hotels: JW Marriott, La Playita, and how to reach the Cabo San Lucas marina for a yacht day

Puerto Los Cabos is the resort and marina community on the coast just east of San José del Cabo, across the estuary, and its best-known hotel is the JW Marriott Los Cabos Beach Resort & Spa. From there, Marina Cabo San Lucas, where our yachts board, is about 33.0 km away in a straight line, around 41 minutes by car without traffic. Puerto Los Cabos has a marina of its own, but our charters don't leave from it, so a yacht day starts with a drive across the whole tourist corridor.

That drive is worth planning around. We're an independent booking agency with no affiliation to the hotel.

The JW Marriott Los Cabos in brief

The JW Marriott Los Cabos opened on November 2, 2015, with 299 rooms and suites, all planned with an ocean view. It was designed by Jim Olson of Olson Kundig with IDEA Asociados of Mexico City, with architecture inspired by Mexican traditions and the desert.

A few details that set it apart:

• Inside the resort is the Griffin Club, a 45-room hotel with its own private beach and pool, plus butler and chef service.
• The Mexican restaurant is called Ña, which means home in Cochimí, a language of the Baja California peninsula.
• The art collection includes works by Jaume Plensa, Ursula von Rydingsvard, Jan Hendrix and Héctor Zamora.
• The Jasha Spa has a modern temazcal, a Mexican sweat lodge, guided by a temazcalero.

Marriott's opening release doesn't say whether the sea in front of the resort is safe for swimming, so ask at the hotel. It has six pools, including sea water and infinity pools. The resort is part of the Puerto Los Cabos community, which has golf courses by Greg Norman and Jack Nicklaus. All the hotels in this guide are in our hotel directory.

What is La Playita?

La Playita is the small beach and fishing community just east of the San José estuary, right where the Puerto Los Cabos marina opens to the sea. Los Cabos Magazine describes a family beach inside the marina entrance, sheltered from waves and roped off from boats, with palapas, a play area and parking nearby, and pangas heading out from the docks every day.

It's a good half day near the hotel if you want calm water close by, and an easy plan for the day before or after your charter, when you'd rather not drive across the corridor twice. Check the flag before you swim, as on any beach in Los Cabos.

Puerto Los Cabos marina vs Marina Cabo San Lucas

The two marinas are easy to confuse, and they sit on opposite ends of the corridor.

From Cabo San Lucas the sights are close. The Arch is about 1.9 km from the marina, Pelican Rock and the sea lion colony are next to it, and Médano Beach is the calm swimming beach of the bay. Our Marina Cabo San Lucas guide explains how the docks work.

How do you get from Puerto Los Cabos to the Cabo San Lucas marina?

Yachts don't pick up at hotels. Each yacht boards at its own dock in Marina Cabo San Lucas, and your exact dock and a map link come on your boarding pass.

We can book a private driver for the round trip. The driver charges you directly, and it isn't part of the yacht price. Cash gets the lower price; by card on the driver's terminal it's 5% more. Our transportation table puts Puerto Los Cabos in Zone 3, together with downtown Cabo San Lucas and Hacienda Encantada, not in Zone 1 with the San José hotel zone:

One way costs more than from the San José hotel zone, where an SUV is USD 75 cash (79 by card), but the round trip is the same USD 160 cash (168 by card). Book both legs: the round trip is far cheaper than two one-way rides.

Puerto Los Cabos or the San José hotel zone: what changes for a boat day

If you're still choosing where to stay, this is how the two areas compare for a yacht day from Cabo San Lucas.

The difference is about ten minutes each way. Our guide for San José hotel zone guests covers the six resorts on that beach.

San José del Cabo, next door

The town nearest to the resort grew around a mission founded in 1730 on the San José River. The river flows into an estuary, the largest body of fresh water in Baja California Sur, which sits between Puerto Los Cabos and the San José hotel zone. Our San José vs Cabo San Lucas comparison helps if you're splitting your trip between the two towns.

Back at the resort, the JW Marriott opened with seven restaurants and bars, among them Café des Artistes by chef Thierry Blouet and P'yote Rooftop Bar, and an open-air amphitheater, Sum-San, of 7,104 square feet, designed after the forums of ancient Greece. After an afternoon on the water, dinner close to the hotel saves you the drive back to Cabo San Lucas.

How much time to allow from the JW Marriott

Count around 41 minutes without traffic, plus a buffer for rush hour, and plan to be at the dock a little early. For a 10 AM departure, leaving the hotel around 8:45 AM is a sensible start. For a sunset cruise, Cabo's sunset falls between about 5:35 PM in late November and early December and about 7:10 PM in early July; boats leave about 90 minutes before. The trip guide has the times by month.

Which charter is worth the drive?

With almost an hour and a half of driving round trip, a longer charter usually makes more sense than a quick one. Prices are per boat with the 16% tax included; the suggested 15% crew tip is not included.

• A 4-hour snorkel morning. Santa María is closed for snorkeling as of October 10, 2026, expected to reopen in November, so for now the snorkel stop is Pelican Rock by the Arch. On the Sea Ray 40, for up to 12, 4 hours is USD 1,499 (MXN 28,499).
• A full day, 5 to 8 hours, covering the Arch and the corridor coves with lunch at anchor. The Sea Ray 55, for up to 15, is USD 3,759 (MXN 71,499) for 6 hours.
• A 2-hour sunset cruise if you'd rather spend the day at the resort. The Chaparral 28, for up to 10, is USD 519 (MXN 9,799).

For a couple, the Bayliner 30 takes up to 6 and is USD 799 (MXN 15,199) for 3 hours.

Book your day from Puerto Los Cabos

• Choose the departure time, then the driver.
• Ask for the round-trip transfer when you book the yacht so the pickup matches.
• Bring sunscreen and swimsuits; towels come only on the Sea Ray 36, Sea Ray 40 and Azimut 45.

Pick a date and a yacht in the planner. We reply within 2 hours, 8 AM to 8 PM Cabo time. For a night out on the San José side, see our list of things to do in San José del Cabo.

Yachts in this guide

Sea Ray 40Flybridge yacht · up to 12 guestsfrom $879 / 2 hSea Ray 55Flybridge motor yacht · up to 15 guestsfrom $2,129 / 3 hChaparral 28Sport boat · up to 10 guestsfrom $519 / 2 hBayliner 30Cabin cruiser · up to 6 guestsfrom $549 / 2 h

Questions people ask

How far is JW Marriott Los Cabos from the Cabo San Lucas marina?

About 33.0 km in a straight line, around 41 minutes by car without traffic. It is the farthest hotel in our guide from the marina, and rush hour adds more time.

Do your yachts leave from the Puerto Los Cabos marina?

No. Puerto Los Cabos has its own marina, but every yacht we book boards at its own dock in Marina Cabo San Lucas, on the other end of the tourist corridor.

Why is Puerto Los Cabos Zone 3 for transfers?

Our transportation table groups Puerto Los Cabos, east of San José across the estuary, with Zone 3 instead of San José's Zone 1. One way by SUV is USD 95 instead of USD 75 in cash (USD 100 instead of USD 79 by card); the round trip is USD 160 cash or USD 168 by card in both zones.

What is La Playita in San José del Cabo?

A small beach and fishing community just east of the San José estuary, at the entrance to the Puerto Los Cabos marina. Los Cabos Magazine describes its family beach inside the marina entrance as sheltered from waves and roped off from boats.

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