Why book?
Located on a five-and-a-half-acre plot within a farming community in Todos Santos, Paradero claims to be the first ever experience-based hotel in Mexico and is an ideal stay for guests eager to adventure through the wilds of Baja California Sur.
Set the scene
This 35-suite property is set before a palm tree oasis about twenty-minutes from the beach and makes for a delightful departure from the all-inclusive, mega-resorts of Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo and the more bohemian hotels of Todos Santos. Here, you will find a well-heeled, active set of travelers who have discerning tastes—they’re as excited about a morning hike in the wilderness as they are about a hotel dedicated to architecture and fine dining.
The backstory
Mexico City-based founders Pablo Carmona and Joshua Kremer tasked the architects Ruben Valdez and Yashar Yektajo to create a property that blends into the natural surroundings. The result is a series of desert-hued, brutalist-inflected structures that surround a 100,000-square-foot botanical garden where endemic plants like red sand verbena, Mojave yucca, and Shaw’s agave grow. A landscape project first and a hotel second, it’s the mission of the founders to preserve over 160 acres of family-owned farms. An experience-based hotel where activities like surfing, hiking, and biking are included in the rate of the stay, Paradero is the first of its kind in Mexico, with the only comparable, experience-based models in continents like South America and Africa.
The rooms
Guest rooms at this all-suite hotel were intentionally designed to maximize communion with nature. Interiors skew minimal and elemental (raw wood, concrete, metal) and spotlight a muted palette of sand and dusty olive green; shades that pull from the sunbaked landscape dotted with palms and agaves. The rooftop suites have outdoor seating areas with views of the cactus-studded desert below and, importantly, “star nets”—flat hammocks bolted into the walls and suspended over the outdoor spaces. Lying in one creates the sensation that you're floating above the landscape while looking up at the sky above. The garden suites don’t have the same view or star nets, but they do have other perks like traditional hammocks and outdoor soaking tubs.
Food and drink
Though the included adventures are meant to be the selling point of a stay at Paradero, the food rivals the experiences. Led by chef Eduardo Ríos—an alum of Enrique Olvera’s Mexico City restaurant, Pujol—the restaurant turns out classic seafood dishes like chocolata clams and fried soft shell crab tacos. Meals are usually served with corn or flour tortillas warmed in a traditional Oaxacan clay oven alongside a flight of salsas made from the 12 different types of chili peppers grown on the property. And don’t miss the cocktails—especially the Desierto Silvestre, a mezcal-based wonder served with Jamaica salt, anise, cinnamon, and rosemary, basil, and honey.
The spa
Shaded by almost 100 palm trees and other endemic plants, the Ojo de Agua (watering hole) spa has hot and cold dipping pools. Treatments happen beneath open-air, palapa-style structures and incorporate traditional sound healing; most end with a visit to the temazcal or sweat lodge.
The neighborhood/area
The hotel isn’t beachfront, like many in the area are, but rather a solid hike or short drive to the Pacific. Its location along the Tropic of Cancer means a wide variety of plant life; guests can adventure through five different ecosystems. The nearby town of Todos Santos, about a 15-minute car ride away, is small but offers a cultural punch, with fine-dining restaurants by chefs like Javier Plascencia, good cafes and plenty of art galleries. The surf town of Pescadero (with one of the area’s top breaks) is also nearby and has a number of delicious, low-key places to eat and drink like Barracuda Cantina, which was recently featured on the Netflix series, Taco Chronicles.
The service
Your wish is their command. The property has its own fleet of cars and drivers that are there to take guests into Todos Santos for dinner or to visit surrounding natural sites. They have their own line of custom-made surfboards, too, and the team will do just about anything to ensure your time in the area is memorable.
Eco effort
Sustainability is incorporated into virtually every part of the hotel, from the on-site organic garden to the reusable water bottles they give to guests upon arrival.
Anything left to mention?
Head’s up—the property is designed to get you out of the rooms and enjoying Baja’s natural wonders, or even the property’s own amenities like the spa, infinity pool, and the open-air common area known as the living room (hammocks, rattan lounge pillows). The rooms don’t have TVs, or even phones to call for room service (they don’t offer it). So if you’re looking for a lazy beach getaway, this is not the place.
Carretera, La Mesa Kilometer 59, Cabo San Lucas 23300
Mexico
https://www.paraderohotels.com/
+52 612 204 6957