What's the deal with this place? Tell us all about it.
San Cristobál feels super on-trend design-wise, but also totally place-specific, with polished concrete walls, hand-stamped tiles, and equipales (traditional rustic chairs made from tanned pigskin and woven cedar strips) found throughout. The tiny town of Todos Santos has long been a retreat for expat artists, hippy-turned-bougie retirees, and scrappy surfers in RVs who are just psyched to be eating epic tacos and surfing some of Baja's best breaks—and, like Bunkhouse did with its Austin and Marfa hotels, they've channeled this local vibe to turn Hotel San Cristobál into the place where the cool kids want to be. Every design and hospitality detail is well thought out, but the overall result feels easy and casual. You're barefoot, but you're also drinking really great mezcal backed with ice-cold Mexican beer, and eating fresh ceviche and organic produce grown on a farm down the road.
Who else is here?
Surfers, hippy-chic women in Isabel Marant and Ulla Johnson, and those who dig Bunkhouse's vibe and want to see how it's channeled it in Mexico.
What was your room like? Paint me a picture.
All of the rooms are great: simple, but perfectly designed and decorated, and exactly the feel you want in a Mexican surf town. White plaster walls, concrete tiles, bright handwoven Mexican bedspreads, and private or shared patios, depending on the room type. The splurge is the ocean-facing room with a king bed and a private outdoor soaking tub that looks out at the Pacific, where you can beer, bath, and sunset at the same time. Pretty ideal.
Any amenities you really loved? Goodies you wanted to sneak home with you?
Everything is so good! A not-so-sexy but legit perk is the unlimited filtered drinking water—no small thing for your wallet and the environment. The wifi is free and strong. I'd probably steal the brightly colored Mexican blanket-turned-kimono robes in the rooms (which you don't actually have to steal, since the tightly curated hotel boutique sells them, along with huarache sandals and the perfect straw beach bag).
What's the dining situation?
The restaurant Benno is so much fun and so good (the camorones agua chile with shrimp, cukes, and jicama is a must, as are the flautas de camote with spicy sweet potato, avocado, and black beans).
Give us the highlight reel. What stood out to you?
The location right on the ocean is pretty epic, especially if you surf. Even if you don't, though, the beach is lovely to just hang out on (there's a really nice hotel pool, too, crucial since this stretch of the Pacific is really too rough for casual swimming) and you're surrounded by miles of great biking and hiking trails through the foothills of the Sierra de la Laguna mountain range. You're also an easy four-mile drive from the colonial town of Todos Santos, with its art galleries, taco joints, and boutique shops. It's the best of all worlds, basically.
So, should we do this thing? Is it worth the cost, the flight, and all that?
Absolutely worth it. If you want a Mexican beach vacation that feels a little sceney and cool, in a part of Baja that still feels undiscovered, you can't beat it.
Playa Punta Lobos, Carretera Federal N°19, Km 54+800, Todos Santos, Baja California Sur 23300
Mexico
http://sancristobalbaja.com/
(888) 344-9288