Todos Santos Gets A New High-Design Hideout

Just outside of Todos Santos, a known artist enclave, the reimagined Rancho Pescadero will prompt guests to rethink traditional hotel lobbies and the whole process of checking in for vacation.

A one-mile dirt road delivers guests to the hotel, and, upon that moment of arrival, all they’ll see in front of them is an unmarked creamy concrete building, surrounded by desert plants. Made from local sand sourced from Valle de Guadalupe, a water feature mimics the sounds of the ocean—a nice foreshadow for what’s to come.

From here, push open the slatted wooden pivot door and brace for your very own “Wizard of Oz” technicolor moment as you walk into the desert-meets-sea resort that’s home to one of the biggest spas in Mexico, has nine interconnected gardens that supply both the on-site apothecary and restaurants, and also boasts beautiful pools outfitted with daybeds that extend into the water like their own little peninsulas.

The winter debut of Rancho Pescadero, a part of the Hyatt Unbound Collection, marks one of the Baja Penisula’s most anticipated hotel openings. Once a poblano chili farm, then a small, dozen-room hotel, the 30-acre resort now has 103 suites and villas plotted in a U-Shape to allow for unobstructed views of the Sierra de la Laguna Mountains and the Pacific Ocean where whales migrate from October to April.

Plus, the high-design hotel has surprises inspired by Mexico’s landscape throughout, like the spa’s circular outdoor water fountain that’s reminiscent of cenotes and the decor in Kahal, an oceanfront restaurant opening this spring, that’s intended to look like a seashell’s interior.

In the hotel’s open-air lobby (which is more like an arty botanic garden) before there’s even an exchange of credit cards or a room wristband issued, you’re invited to set an intention for your vacation at an azure blue altar. Then, should you choose, kick off your shoes and walk barefoot along a path. This unconventional check-in experience is more like a relaxing transition to get you in the vacation state-of-mind, or, as owner Lisa Harper puts it, to “cross over,” evoking a childlike sense of wonder when you see vibrant artwork and bright pops of color set against muted neutrals and greenery.

The hotel has more unique traditions in store, too, like placing a breakfast pastry, fruit and a mini jug of fresh-squeezed juice in a neatly packed bag and hanging it on a hook outside of your room each morning. Guests can also pluck their own herbs and botanicals to create custom blends of essential oils and scrubs, learn the hotel’s secret ceviche recipes, and watch dramatic sunsets each evening from the open-air Centro bar’s rooftop, margarita in hand.

As for where you’ll sleep? Rancho Pescadero has a dozen oceanfront villas built into the dunes and an additional 91 rooms and suites, many of which have ocean views. Rooms are outfitted with pieces created by Mexican artists, like steel headboards with leather tassels crafted in Chihuahua, fabrics from Tijuana, and Talavera bathroom tiling cut and handmade in Tlaquepaque.

The food is also hyper-local, with Chef Sandro Falbo sourcing from the property’s garden and the broader Baja region. In fact, more than 80 percent of the food and beverage for the restaurants—which includes Centro Café and Botanica Garden restaurant—comes from within 50 miles of the hotel. For fresh catches, Falbo heads to nearby Punta Lobo, where fishermen strategically time waves to push them to shore with their hauls of Spanish mackerel and mahi-mahi.

From yoga shalas to relaxation gardens and beach beds on the sand, guests should have no problem following through with any relaxation intentions they set at check-in.