A Design Lover's Guide to the Baja Peninsula

From ELLE Decor

Just a short hop from Los Angeles, Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula has long been a surfer’s paradise. But as I discovered on my recent trip with my family, Baja is quietly evolving into a more sophisticated travel destination, with stylish hotels that cater to everyone from hipsters to luxury seekers, plus great shopping and a foodie scene that ranges from farm-to-table to star chef-driven to our favorite: the freshest fish tacos around. Here are my favorite Baja California destinations for design buffs.

HOTEL SAN CRISTOBAL

With her Austin, Texas-based Bunkhouse Hotels group, Liz Lambert has taken the hip hotel concept to a higher level. Her first resort in the region is the Hotel San Cristóbal, a 32-room beachfront boutique hotel about 45 minutes north of Cabo San Lucas on an atmospheric stretch of desert dotted with elephant cacti. The hotel’s architecture, by Austin-based Lake Flato, is as elegant as it is Instagrammable, with a swimming pool with two inset hot tubs overlooking the spectacular fisherman’s cove of Punta Lobos, and rooms and public spaces lined with colorful handmade tile and accessorized with textiles and furnishings from Mexico and Guatemala. Best of all is the lack of light pollution or traffic-at night the only lights are the stars and moon above, and the soundtrack (in addition to the hotel’s own groovy Spotify channel) is the whistle of the wind and ocean. Don’t miss the hotel’s stunning restaurant, Benno, with its wall of shimmering teal-and-aqua fish-scale tiles, handmade ceramics, carved-wood furniture, and its nuevo Mexican menu and small-batch mezcals.

TODOS SANTOS

This small Mexican town on the Pacific side of the Baja peninsula is one of 36 in Mexico to be designated a Pueblo Magico (magic town) by the government for its natural beauty and historic importance. Todos Santos’s cobblestone streets are lined with art galleries, restaurants and boutiques, and its taquerias make tacos with fish that’s fresh-off-the-boat. Don’t miss the Centro Cultural Nestor Agundez Martinez, with its charming courtyard and 1930s revolutionary murals. For shopping, Nomad Chic has bedding and blankets, in addition to boho-chic beachwear. Etnica curates handmade clothing from all over Mexico.

SAN JOSE DEL CABO ART WALK

At the eastern end of the Baja peninsula is San Jose del Cabo, a preserved colonial town with a lively main square shaded by jacaranda trees. The 18^th century architecture has been meticulously restored since Hurricane Odile ravaged the area in 2014. The weekly Thursday evening Art Walk is the best time to visit, with folkloric dance performances and artists selling their work in the square. San Jose del Cabo also has a serious gallery scene. Two picks: the pioneering Patricia Mendoza Gallery, and En Blanco Art, who represents artist Marcelo Legrand and photographer Flor Garduno.

MONTAGE CABO

The Montage Cabo, which opened late last year, is one of the new crop of next-level luxury resorts opening on the Baja peninsula (it joins the recently launched Viceroy Los Cabos and the upcoming Four Seasons and Aman hotels). The first international resort from the California-based hotel collection, the Montage Cabo has a minimalist lobby in Mexican travertine that overlooks Santa Maria Bay, a marine sanctuary framed by two bluffs. The understated architecture by Mexico City-based Bernardi + Peschard includes infinity pools that cascade over several levels down to the sea, stylish guest rooms located in discrete two-story buildings (no big hulking towers, like some of its neighbors), and a 40,000-square-foot spa with a signature mezcal-infused massage, which ends with an actual shot of mezcal. Olé! I must add that the highlight of our vacation was a sunrise sea kayak expedition in Santa Maria Bay, where we found ourselves surrounded by humpback whales leaping out of the water. Needless to say, we had a whale of a time.

FLORA FARMS

This 25-acre organic working farm in the foothills of the Sierra de la Laguna Mountains in San Jose del Cabo is a world unto itself, with its own restaurant, cooking classes, guest rooms, ranch, and a spa. The restaurant-featuring vegetables grown on the farm, meats and charcuterie from the ranch, and homemade ice cream-is a charming outdoor affair where diners sit under palapas surrounded by gardens. Nearby are the Shops at Flora Farms, with boutiques from James Perse, Anne Sidora, and jeweler Eduardo Sanchez.

And I'll leave you with this.

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