Editorial Policy

What We Cover and Why

Cabo Pulmo was built around a specific geographic commitment: Baja California Sur and the destinations that orbit it meaningfully — Mexico broadly, and the global destinations that help experienced travelers calibrate what they are looking for when they arrive here. We do not write about every destination. We write about places we have visited, understand well, and believe are genuinely worth the effort for the kind of traveler we are trying to serve: high-end, experienced, and increasingly skeptical of content that exists to rank rather than to inform.

A destination earns a guide when it meets a straightforward test: would a well-traveled person who has already done the obvious things find this guide genuinely useful? If the answer is no, we do not write the guide. This is why our coverage of Baja California Sur is deep — we have lived here for a decade and can speak honestly about what the peninsula offers and where it falls short — and why our coverage of destinations we know less intimately is more measured and explicit about its sourcing.

How We Write Guides

Every guide on this site is written in English for a US-based audience of sophisticated travelers. We do not translate, aggregate, or repurpose content from other sources. When we describe a restaurant, hotel, or experience, it is because we have been there or because we have spoken directly with people whose knowledge we trust and can verify.

We do not publish exact prices. Prices change, and a guide that lists specific prices becomes wrong quickly and damages credibility in a way that is difficult to repair. We describe relative value levels — budget, mid-range, luxury, ultra-luxury — and we provide enough context for travelers to assess whether a destination or property aligns with their expectations and budget.

We do not invent statistics. Any numerical claim in our guides refers to a documented source — a peer-reviewed study, an official conservation programme report, or a verifiable government record. When the number is widely reported but not precisely sourced, we frame it appropriately rather than asserting it as fact.

Editorial Independence

We do not accept paid placements, sponsored posts, or content written by or on behalf of hotels, tour operators, or tourism boards. When a hotel or operator offers a complimentary stay or experience in exchange for coverage, we disclose this in the relevant article. If we accept a complimentary experience, we apply the same critical standards to it as we would to a stay we paid for ourselves. We do not guarantee positive coverage in exchange for access.

Affiliate relationships may exist for some booking links. Where they do, we disclose this in our disclosure page. Affiliate relationships do not influence which properties or experiences we recommend — we do not recommend something because it carries an affiliate link, and we do not exclude something because it does not. The recommendation comes first; the monetisation structure is secondary and separate.

How We Select Recommendations

Our recommendations are based on personal experience first, credible third-party reporting second, and reputation among a knowledgeable local community third. We do not compile lists from press releases or aggregate review platforms. When a property appears in one of our guides, it has been assessed against the specific question: would an experienced luxury traveler, arriving with appropriate expectations, leave satisfied?

We are not a review site. We do not score properties numerically or maintain user-generated content. Our assessment is editorial — opinionated, informed, and transparent about its basis. We will say clearly when a destination has limitations alongside its strengths, because a guide that omits the limitations is not useful to a traveler who will discover them on arrival.

Content Freshness and Updates

Travel information changes. Restaurants close, hotels change ownership, roads improve, and regulations affecting visas and permits shift. We review key guides on a regular cycle and update them when conditions change materially. When a significant update has been made to a guide, the last-updated date reflects this.

Readers who encounter information that appears out of date are encouraged to contact us. We take corrections seriously and update guides promptly when errors are identified. Our email is listed on the contact page.

Who We Are

Cabo Pulmo is written and published by Sarah and Daniel, a couple who relocated from California to Baja California Sur in 2015 and have lived here since. The site was built from the accumulated knowledge of a decade of first-hand exploration, relationships with local operators and communities, and a conviction that the travel writing available for this region did not adequately serve the kind of traveler who would most benefit from being here. The full story is on the about page.

Questions about our editorial standards, corrections, or partnership enquiries should be directed to editorial@cabopulmo.net.