For anyone who’s dreamed of having their own little private pool with infinity views out over the ocean, the Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal delivers — and for the points and miles enthusiasts among us, award nights can be surprisingly accessible.

Not every piece of this rugged paradise is perfect, though my recent stay came pretty close. Here's a closer look at the Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal.

The basics

The resort, part of the Hilton Honors portfolio, is located on the southern tip of Baja California Sur in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. It first opened in 2009 and was rebranded to a Waldorf in 2019; it's one of just 34 Waldorf Astoria properties worldwide.

One of the resort's two beachside pools. (Photo by Brad Walters)

Other things to know at a glance:

Standard check-in time: 3 p.m. (earlier for some Hilton Honors elites if available).

Standard check-out time: Noon (later for Hilton elites if available).

Cancellation policy: Varies from as little as 14 days out during the off season to 90 days out during peak times.

Room types: Starting with standard rooms up to larger casitas and multi-bedroom private villas. There are 115 rooms and suites in total on the property.

Transportation: Los Cabos Airport (SJD) serves several hubs on all the major U.S. carriers. The hotel is about a 40-minute drive or cab ride away (Uber isn’t allowed to do pickups). If you’re adventurous and packed very light, the slow but comfortable Ruta del Desierto bus from the airport’s domestic terminal can get you as far as Puerto Paraiso mall, a mile from the resort, for $5. On the other end of the cost spectrum, private transport can be arranged with the hotel.

Parking: Complimentary valet parking.

Location: Along the southernmost stretch of beach in town, a 15-minute walk from the tourist center.

Interactive resort map.

Balcony with plunge pool. (Photo by Brad Walters)

This property stands out even among other luxury properties in Los Cabos because every unit, from the standard rooms on up, comes with its own (small) heated pool. We’ll have plenty more on those pools below.

Booking with points

Paid rates all-in start at just over $1,200 a night for a standard room, but at high season those rates can more than double.

Awards start at 120,000 points per night for a base room, in which case your redemption would be worth no worse than 1 cent per point and easily north of 2 cents per point at peak periods.

NerdWallet values Hilton points at 0.5 cent apiece, so award bookings here can represent an outstanding value.

As with many things in award travel, fortune favors those with the flexibility to drop everything and go. When I booked this with points in mid-March, every single day for the rest of the month was available at low-level award pricing:

If you have a Hilton free night award certificate, it’s usable if you see the 120k rate.

What’s more, Hilton elites get every fifth night free when booking five or more consecutive standard award nights, which can effectively reduce the per-night rate to 96,000 points.

Watch out, though: Rates can jump to over 1 million points per night based on demand.

At last check, no 120,000-point dates remained for the winter 2023-24 travel season. If that’s when you want to go, watch award availability like a hawk, as it seems to come in waves.