What
Paradero sits down a dirt road lined by farms near the Tropic of Cancer in the relaxed town of Todos Santos, an hour north of Los Cabos. A series of brutalist-inspired buildings surrounded by palm trees and centuries-old cacti, the remote locale is designed to connect visitors with this utterly unusual landscape pinned between the Pacific, the desert and the Sierra La Laguna mountains—and to serve as a launching pad for Baja’s first experience-oriented hotel on one of the last unsullied swaths of the peninsula.
Who
The hotel’s owners, Mexico City-based business partners Josh Kremer and Pablo Carmona, hatched the idea for Paradero when they met on vacation with mutual friends and discovered a shared interest in building an upscale hotel grounded in authentic experiences rather than shiny amenities. With many years of shared Baja knowledge, the duo visited 75 properties along the coast and landed on a 5-acre plot amidst a web of small farms 20 minutes from the beach, in keeping with their resolve to tread lightly and preserve the pristine local coastline.
The surroundings
The focus of nature and sustainability is grounded in the 100,000-square-foot botanical garden at the center of the property, planted with dozens of endemic species from Mojave yucca to agave. (There’s even a 200-year-old cactus charmingly intertwined with a tree that is referred to as “the lovers.”) Guests can also grab a bike or set out on foot to explore trails that look out onto rows of farmland. There are several beaches a short drive away, our favorite being Playa Las Palmas—which, true to its name, is forested with green palm trees that stretch across a quarter-mile crescent. Behind the tree line is a freshwater lagoon, where you might spot wild horses running around. Punta Lobos, bordered by rocky outcroppings, is a surf spot where the local fishermen return each evening with their catch of the day, a sight not to miss.
It’s easy to get into the town of Todos Santos (just 15 minutes by car), which has a smattering of ancient haciendas and tiny timber cottages left over from when this was a sugarcane-growing region. More recently, Todos Santos has drawn a steady influx of expatriate surfers and countercultural nomads to its uncluttered beaches and well-preserved cobblestone streets. The locals are keen to keep it that way too, with a strict adherence to architectural codes and commercial guidelines, which keep the Starbuckses at bay.
The design
Built by Mexican-born architect Ruben Valdez and Yashar Yektajo of Yektajo, the bones of the place feel more rigorously brutalist than Disneyfied Mexican—think tawny concrete monoliths with tornillo timber incorporating subtle triangle motifs, a sacred Mayan symbol. The trapezoidal guestroom building overlooks local farmland, best viewed from a hammock on the rooftop suite. A communal spirit is captured in the Living Room, a multi-purpose, open-air hub with a massively long table, which also doubles as a nomad's workspace for those who can’t completely abandon their laptops. Amping up the visual drama is the long infinity pool (a relief after the dusty days here) at one end of the property, a sort of stage overlooking endless cacti.
The scene
Expect a crowd of chic Mexicans long-lunching and Americans from the East and West Coasts clad in linen and leather sandals.
The staff & service
Baltazar Gomez, the hotel’s sales & marketing manager, is from the area (most of the staff is hired locally) and is the authority on Paradero and, by extension, Todos Santos. He can conjure a mezcal watermelon margarita in an instant and knows all the town’s hidden taco spots.
The rooms
The hotel’s 35 suites, all designed to blend in with suitably natural palettes and textures and furniture handmade in Oaxaca and Guadalajara, overlook the fields that encircle the property. Make sure to request one with a soaking tub. We enjoyed the rooftop suites, all of which have “star nets”—sort of like huge hammocks sprawled under the sky (it hardly ever rains). Families (it's an 18+ property) or groups of friends should take a look at the three-floor Master Casita, which sits off on a corner of the property, with its own pool and kitchen/dining room.
