By Kathryn Romeyn, Brides
Picture this: You fly into the Los Cabos airport and then don’t go to one of the many, many luxury resorts in Cabo San Lucas
or San Jose del Cabo. Instead you lovebirds ride north along the coast.
After one and a half cactus-strewn hours, you see it: Todos Santos, a
so-called Pueblo Mágico, named for its natural beauty and cultural or
historical relevance. This one is beyond charming and carries with it a
lively spirit, enthralling design (the architecture cannot be changed thanks to its designation) and sweet, hospitable locals.
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There’s
the Hotel California, which may or may not be the inspiration for The
Eagles’s song. Either way it’s a lovely place for a margarita or
michelada (Pacifico beer with clamato juice and a salted rim)—at the
colorful bar or outside on the idyllic patio—with a side of live tunes
by a local musician. Down the streets of low, sometimes
aquamarine-painted buildings dotted with massive and impressive
succulents are more reasons to stroll: art galleries, shops like Besame
Mucho and Nomad Chic, bougainvillea-lined courtyards, and even a fairly
new artisanal brewery. But as great as the proper town is, some of the
best parts of it are on the outskirts.
Rancho Pescadero
is the prime example. The adults-only boutique hotel feels as if it
were designed for romance, but really the female owner first came to
surf, camping on the beach and buying land to build her own place and
later adding rooms for friends as word spread. It’s where the area’s
first farm-to-table food was served, by a former French Laundry chef,
and where 28 villa-like rooms (with candles scattered about, the
dreamiest beds ever and endless places to lounge) now draw couples
seeking luxury and relaxation on an intimate scale.
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not tucked comfortably in your private space, there are daybeds that
seem to float atop the turquoise pool, hammocks in a dreamy palm grove,
and palapas on the nearly deserted beach (you’ll likely not see anyone
else on the sand unless it’s sunset) in which to hang. There is no
excuse not to spend time being pampered in a pair at the spa, especially
after a flowy morning yoga class with resident surfing yogi Teddi. (Watch for Rancho Pescadero to amp up the wellness quotient even higher in coming months.)
Activities
abound, like surfing in nearby Cerritos—take the scenic drive there,
over the hills with an ocean view, for beautiful scenery, vivid
bougainvillea and perspective on the coastline. From October to March
you may spot whales breeching, too. Mario Surf School
can help beginners learn to ride the long, rolling waves out front,
which gain in size as the paddle-out grows longer, and rents boards as
well, for more experienced surfers. (San Pedrito is a more challenging
break also close by.)
By
night, bonfires beside beach beds prove the best situation for cuddling
in privacy while watching the blazing sunset, while steep crystalline
waves crash at the edge of the sand dramatically. If fishing is your or
your SO’s thing, the new Hotel San Cristóbal,
situated on a popular public fishing beach where families pull right up
on the sand with their rigs and rods, might be the place for you.
(Rancho Pescadero’s lobby also has fishing poles for guests to take to
the beach.) The design-forward new bolthole does allow children, but is
so chic and perfectly curated you’d never know it. The opening has
invited more comparisons of the area to Tulum, but for now, at least,
it’s much, much sleepier—there’s always Los Cabos if you need a party
night.
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In Todos Santos, so-called “Baja midnight” is about 10 p.m. But that doesn’t mean you can’t sip mezcal
or Valle de Guadalupe reds long into the night, and it’s certainly no
indication that the town’s dining scene is boring. Try lunch at Hierbabuena,
a farm-to-table restaurant down the road from Rancho Pescadero, which
has a guest series that, along with a pair of eateries, keeps things
lively. The Garden restaurant is, appropriately, encircled by organic
gardens (whose produce is used in dishes, naturally) and features an
outdoor grill and wood-fired pizza oven, which produce incredible
flavors from around the globe and Mexico. Start with a tiquitita
(mezcal, passion fruit and basil) and the mouthwatering queso fundido
before moving on to bites of ceviche, tacos, and the freshest of fresh
fish that will add to the list of reasons to return to this Eden
annually. (They’ll also set up incredibly romantic meals around the
property for even more of a seductive vibe.)
Coffee addicts shouldn’t miss Baja Beans,
where they brew their own java and make pastries and sandwiches. On
high-season Sundays there’s an organic fair with delicious things to
nibble, as well as tarot card and angel readers, live music and artisans
selling wares. Paleteria la Paloma in town is the stop for creatively
conceived ice creams
and popsicles—think avocado and basil, or bacon and tequila. And in the
nearby Tres Santos development (where shops and a cafe are also worth a
browse), a must-have dining experience is had at the new open-air
eatery Jazamango,
by acclaimed chef Javier Plascencia whose Valle de Guadalupe restaurant
Finca Altozano is always a hit. The decor and dishes are not just
photo-worthy—they’ll without a doubt turn up in your dreams, like the
whole of Todos Santos.
