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Head to Cabo San Lucas for a dazzling honeymoon destination that's perfect for spotting celebs and constellations.

Head to Cabo San Lucas for a dazzling honeymoon destination that’s perfect for spotting celebs and constellations.

The stars are out in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. With an average of 360 sunny days (and cloudless nights) a year, the cape on the southern tip of Baja is one awesome place for gazing at the heavens. The clean desert air, with no competition from city lights, makes for excellent star-viewing. Other stars—the human kind—are also out in force here, and have been since after World War II when the area first caught the eye of the entertainment crowd and John Wayne and Bing Crosby dropped in to do some sports fishing. Today, Cabo is the vacation (and honeymoon) spot of choice for Hollywood’s hip and trendy, so that incredibly well-sculpted body near the pool might just be Demi Moore or Matthew McConaughey. Pack a pair of binoculars and head for Mexico’s hottest honeymoon haven.

The Ultimate Escape

Of all the luxe resorts that line the rugged Cabo coast, Las Ventanas al Paraiso, a Rosewood Resort is one of the most attuned to stars of both the celestial and the celebrity sort. Located in Cabo Real, about 20 minutes from the airport, this retreat features whitewashed walls set against a deep-blue Baja sky and the endless sea. Inside, the hotel’s 71 suites are decorated with colorful Mexican folk art, faux antiques, raised platform beds and wood-burning adobe fireplaces for those (surprisingly) crisp nights. Each suite showcases marble bathrooms and large private patios perfect for sunbathing, dining and, of course, stargazing. (Bonus! All rooms are equipped with telescopes.)

Las Ventanas has an unparalleled reputation for service, which mandates that no request is too outrageous and no time of day off-limits. The demanding celebrity clientele has included Jennifer Lopez, Bono, Brad Pitt and funny man Adam Sandler (with his two dogs in tow). Pet service is just one of the amenities that attracts celebs; other favorites are Mini Cooper rentals, prepublication copies of blockbuster books and a “director of romance,” who can arrange anything from a special aphrodisiac dinner for two to a horse-drawn carriage ride through the desert under a canopy of stars (lasventanas.com).

Las Ventanas al Paraiso: (from left) Under a canopy of stars; poolside; setting up for some stargazing. Photography: Courtesy of Las Ventanas al Paraiso, a Rosewood resort.

*Bridal Guide Exclusive! Mention Bridal Guide when you book a five-night stay and receive a $100 spa credit to be used toward the treatment of your choice.
Go to bridalguide.com/deals for more information.

Mi Casa es Su Casa

While privacy-seeking A-listers often choose to dine on their sequestered terraces, they do occasionally venture out. One of their favorite places to hang is Mi Casa Cantina and Restaurant in downtown Cabo San Lucas. (Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox and David Arquette, as well as Desperate Housewives’ Nicollette Sheridan with better half Michael Bolton, are among those who have been spotted here in recent years.) What draws the bold-faced names is an unbeatable 80-year-old tequila bar, an excellent cuisine and décor that seems straight out of a Frida Kahlo painting. The eatery’s unbeatable menu features a wide range of fresh seafood, from the Sea of Cortez, and popular house specialties like chicken molé poblano with a thick, dark-chocolate-based sauce, tamales bandera served with three salsas and carnitas de Michoacán, a succulent roast pork with guacamole. The restaurant’s dark-blue walls are edged in deep Aztec red, and there’s loads of funky stained glass. Wicker lanterns, stone statues and murals depicting everyday Mexican life are scattered among folk-art tables and chairs. The open kitchen area gives you a chance to watch the local señoras make tortillas by hand. And a garden full of twinkling lights is the perfect spot to hunt for shooting stars (Corner of Avenida Cabo San Lucas and Lazaro Cardenas; micasarestaurant.com).

Sweet Dreams

Dreams Los Cabos is an all-suite, all-inclusive resort with luxury touches like unlimited 24-hour room service, pool and beach waiters and specialty restaurants that do not require reservations. With its unique “Moon & Stars Massage” experience for two, the resort also offers a different sort of nocturnal pleasure. The decadent treatment unfolds on the sands of the hotel’s private beach under the deep night sky. Other evening activities include a romantic dinner for two on the sand, complete with beachfront telescopes and a weekly “Stargazing Rock ’n’ Roll” group party around a giant beach bonfire.

So dreamy—night falls at Dreams Los Cabos. Photography: Courtesy of AMResorts.

The resort’s 308 rooms are housed in a cluster of adobe-colored, hacienda-style buildings that blend perfectly with the natural desert setting. The accommodations range from spacious junior suites to a humongous three-bedroom presidential suite, all of which are decorated in muted grays and greens, with large picture windows that open onto roomy private patios. From any of them, the views might be of a glistening sea, a peaceful garden or the always-fascinating desert. In addition to spending your days at the property’s awesome white-sand strand, you can play tennis or beach volleyball, learn Latin dances, golf at any one of eight nearby courses or submerge yourself in one of the resort’s three pools (two of them with swim-up bars). Or check out the indoor spa, where the hotel’s other signature treatments include a lily and green tea wrap and aromatherapy salt glow (dreamsloscabos.com).

On the A-List

After their supersecret wedding in 2003, Gwyneth Paltrow and Coldplay front man Chris Martin honeymooned at Esperanza, located at Punta Ballena. (Other famous clientele include Brooke Shields, Usher, and Courteney Cox and David Arquette.) The casitas-only resort features ocher-colored adobe villas with thatched-roof patios, perched on rock terraces high above a gorgeous golden beach. While the architecture has an old-school Mexico vibe, the interior design is thoroughly modern, with a blend of light woods, fluffy linens, glass-and-metal tables and bold contemporary art. Even the smallest casitas boast more than 900 square feet of space, plus an outdoor seating area with hammock. Kicking things up a notch or two, the luxury beachfront suites feature private pools and around-the-clock butler service. Among the other resort amenities are tequila and wine tastings, a weekly beach carnival with live music and salsa dancing and a convertible Chrysler Crossfire Cabriolet available to rent for late-night cruising beneath the starry desert sky.

Inside the luxe Esperanza Resort. Photography: Esperanza Resort.

One of the property’s most stunning features is an open-air, palapa-roofed restaurant set atop a series of stone terraces that overlook the sea. Gourmet treats range from tequila-marinated lobster on a bed of saffron fettuccini to agave chicken with sweet corn tamale and epazote broth (esperanzaresort.com).

A Royal Retreat

Marquis Los Cabos will impress you from the get-go with its open-air lobby 36-foot waterfall that plunges into a sparkling blue pool. Located along the same stretch of Cabo Real as many of the other celeb hangouts, the 238-room resort has seen its fair share of VIPs, including Dallas Cowboys’ wide receiver Terrell Owens and film director Spike Lee. Guest rooms range from comfy suites in the multistory main building overlooking the private beach to 1,675-square-foot casitas with terraces and private pools. No matter their size, all rooms come equipped with hydrotherapy tubs, luxurious goose-down comforters and decadent Bulgari bath amenities. Rooms are decorated with splashes of bright color set against whitewashed walls and white tile floors. Stay in a casita suite and the two of you can cuddle in a chaise longue on your private spacious patio for some after-dark stargazing. Or head to one of the cozy pods (modern-looking “enclosed” chairs), scattered around the resort’s serpentine infinity pool.

The sun sets at Marquis Los Cabos. Photography: Marquis Los Cabos.

Three fine dining eateries are situated on the Marquis compound, offering European and Mexican dishes. The restaurants and other public areas are decorated with more than 400 works of specially commissioned art. The resort’s spa is one of the largest in Latin America, and offers hot stone massages and the unique Quetzatcoatl Oxygenating Experience. This 105-minute treatment features a relaxing eucalyptus footbath, followed by a full-body mineral-salt exfoliation and a cucumber wrap. Marquis can also arrange off-property romps like scuba diving, sailing, horseback riding along the beach and desert outback Hummer tours (marquisloscabos.com).