Valveking

Just completed another flawless stay in a villa at Esperanza. They are not missing a beat with COVID. We had several meals out including at Montage and Chileno Bay. They all came off without a hitch. The area has a very stringent masking and CV protocols that were all adhered to without fail. I would not hesitate to travel to the area.

BESVISOR

Fantastic to see you guys had another great stay!

The luxury properties in Mexico really have done a superb job! On both trips, I felt safer there than in the States. lol.

KatW

This newly opening venue looks to be an excellent choice for Baja, only an hour up the road from Cabo in a quieter and more secluded location.

https://www.paraderohotels.com

EDIT 5/20/21 — Turns out this property is INLAND and has no beach/ocean access wiyjout transportation. Which is a shame.

SanDiego1K

I've only been to Todos Santos briefly, but the thought of a pleasant hotel in this much smaller town is very appealing. For water sports enthusiasts, Todos Santos is known for big wave and tow in surfing.

KatW

Appeals to me as well. Pandemic depending, maybe a late summer or fall expedition. Jim and I tarried a week near Todos Santos 10 or more years ago. Loved the town and locals but intensely disliked our accommodations at Los Pozos.

Valveking

We are spending the New Year at Four Seasons Punta Mirta and it is just fantastic. The great people and service in Mexico never ceases to astound me.

senzer

My wife and I are looking to escape Covid and travel without kids. Neither of us have been to Los Cabos, but thinking of doing 8 nights split between 4 nights in todos santos (more of a chill vibe at somewhere like San cristobal) and then four nights at Zandun.

We prefer smaller, more modern properties with great service and would love to know what others think of this pairing.

thanks in advance!

BESVISOR

If you like modern and chill vibe, I'd suggest a look at the Four Seasons Los Cabos. It's a good size property but designed in a way that makes it feel much more intimate and chill. A two mile long swimmable beach is a nice to have for Cabo as well. Sunset is fantastic and service was fabulous during my stay.
Zadun has its fans but I didn't enjoy the property at all. Staff and food were very good, actually. The property itself just didn't do it for me from a hard product standpoint (but my personal taste falls more in line with Aman and FS) and while that's subjective, I'm fairly certain that their beach should objectively be considered to be a poor location and design. The slopes make 0 sense and parts of the beach were destroyed when I visited in Oct. Could be different now. But I'd still much prefer the new FS.

Good to know at FS: If you're going in Jan, there might be strong wind. So if you can wait until mid Feb and later, it'll be much better. Aman is being built next door. It didn't bother me nor any of my clients who visited but if you're walking down the beach, you can see some work being done.

I had posted a lengthy review of FS:

senzer

Thanks for that perspective - I forgot to mention we are looking for a place with a plunge pool as well (without requiring a suite).

BESVISOR

My pleasure! FS has rooms with plunge pool. Doesn't have to be at the suite level.

sophialite

I just finished a trip very similar to this one. I can't comment on Zandun, but I loved Todos Santos. The only problem with the city is that there's no truly luxury experience. The San Cristobal isn't a particularly great property. It's also pretty expensive for what it is. A few thoughts:

1) The property is quite far from the town, so you'll need a car.
2) The beach to which the property is adjacent is not swimmable.
3) The hot tubs were not cleaned properly.
4) The food was overpriced and not particularly good.
5) The rooms are not particularly good. There are a lot of rooms, the fixtures and architecture are cheap. There's no heating, which is important during the night around this time of year.
6) The bathrooms didn't feel particularly clean.

It was definitely a unique property in that it didn't feel like a chain, but it definitely didn't feel special in any way, and especially wasn't at a level worth bringing up on this sub-forum. I'd never go again.

They're building a new property called https://www.paraderohotels.com/ in Todos Santos. I'll probably go back when it opens and try it out. Seems like it might be special.

senzer

thanks Sophia - where did you stay in TS and what did you pair it with? Any additional thoughts on places to stay or eat?

mczlaw

I was on my way to one of the Tanzania threads and was waylaid here. Headed back to Cabo San Lucas on 10Feb for the second time in the Covid era. I have vacationed here off and on for the last 30 years or so and love it. I've discovered plenty of fine places to eat (rule of thumb: further away from the Marina, the better) and enjoy buzzing across the corridor or up to Todos Santos for golf, food, shopping and general leisurely loitering. Except for hurricane season, the weather is consistently warm and dry.

As my friend BESVISOR knows, I tend toward upmarket urban hotels. While in Cabo, however, I've been content to hole up at a Villa La Estancia condominium since I found it many years ago. What the rooms lack in luxury appointments (and they can vary somewhat in quality), they tend to make up in size (standard 2BD units are about 2250 sq. ft of living space including large patios with beach and ocean views). Which is not to say the rooms are in the least bit shabby and the place isn't immaculately maintained, clean and attractive. It also has it's own section of lounges and umbrellas with drink service along lazy Medano Beach, and the adjacent bay is calm and swimmable. A short walk down the beach leads to your brunch and fake workday outpost, The Office. It's been there forever. The spa next door to Estancia at Villa del Arco is enormous, with multiple hot/warm/cold pools plus steam and sauna. Massage rooms are comfortable and the therapists highly skilled. Other amenities onsite are useful for those who want to stick around all the time, though that's not my preference. Thankfully, it is NOT all-inclusive. Its location, a five minute drive to town and with easy access to the corridor and the expressway to the airport, are peerless. Yes, I always rent a car and have never had a problem (except for one minor, inexpensive fender bender a few years back ).

Estancia is luxury to my way of thinking, if not in the manner of your standard 5* hotel. There are more families with small children and (well-heeled) let's-get-drunk-and-party crowd than I prefer, but it tends to get quiet in the evenings. My July visit was stunningly still for the most part, probably the most laid back Cabo has ever been. I'll be interested to see how much busier it will be in typical high season. So, as much as I dig a FS, Aman or like type of property, don't overlook this as an option. I book through a company called La Estancia Vacations, a cheerful spousal operation out of West Palm Beach, who can set up transfers and the like, though one can reserve through many other channels. There's a particular penthouse unit I prefer, with it's own hot tub and oceanfront location, but it wasn't available this time.

That's my unintended contribution here. Now off to find an African safari outfitter. Best to all.

sophialite

Where I ended up staying is not worth mentioning on this forum. Good place, but more of the hostel type than anything else.

Valveking

Great post mczlaw. I am heading back to Esperanza tomorrow for a few days which is my favorite place in Los Cabos. I too love the Office. It s a great place and so is Ediths up the street which is owned by the same folks I believe.