As with many a hot new destination on the Mexican coast, artists and surfers were first to pull the spotlight toward Todos Santos. Now this Baja beach town is being careful to shield its eyes.
Pueblos Mágicos. It’s the name of a Mexican government program designed to recognize towns with important cultural and historical value and to invest in their future by improving infrastructure, beautifying landscapes, preserving traditions, developing attractions, and creating jobs. The main goal of it all: to increase tourism.
You may have heard of some of the places that have earned this prized designation. Valle de Bravo, Bacalar, Mazunte, Zihuatanejo, and yes, Tulum. Also: Todos Santos, a small town on the southwestern coast of Baja California, about an hour’s drive north of Cabo. We’d heard rumblings about this charming fishing village not long after it received its Pueblo Mágico status in 2006. But it really wasn’t until 2017 and the opening of the Hotel San Cristobal that it truly seized our attention.
Developed by Liz Lambert and the Bunkhouse Group — the Texas hospitality legends behind iconic properties like El Cosmico and Hotel Saint Cecilia — Hotel San Cristobal immediately shot holes through any possibility of Todos Santos staying a secret. Cafés and restaurants sprang up faster than ever, and it was no longer just artists and surfers spreading the word. Tailored for Instagram, Todos Santos invaded social networks. “The past 5 years have shown the most significant changes. We’ve seen growth of almost 1,000 new hotel rooms on top of more Airbnbs”, testifies Thelma Esquitin, the General Manager at the San Cristobal.
This is exactly where things could have gone wrong. Fortunately, despite the tourism boom of recent years, the town has managed to retain its authenticity by opting for a sustainable approach to tourism. Rather than large, soulless resorts, Todos Santos has enriched itself with eco-responsible hotels and farm-to-table restaurants, catering to a more sensitive type of traveler.
The San Cristobal — named appropriately after Saint Christopher, patron saint of travelers, surfers, and sailors — goes to great lengths to celebrate the identity of Todos Santos. The furniture showcases regional craftsmanship, the mattresses are handmade from coconut, cactus and seaweed fibers, and the locals teach surfing, yoga, and traditional medicine.
But it wasn’t the first of such hotels on the scene. Nearly a decade earlier, the couple behind Villa Santa Cruz fell in love with the town and set out to build the delightfully hand-crafted hotel compound you see today. They started with just one beachfront villa, then gradually expanded over the years to more than twenty unique accommodations. The growth of Villa Santa Cruz mirrored that of its surroundings.
A former missionary colony, Todos Santos enjoyed prosperity in the 19th century thanks to the cultivation of sugar cane. But the collapse of the sugar industry in the mid-20th century left the town deserted, with the exception of a handful of fishermen and farmers. Then, in the ’80s, the main highway was paved and a dormant freshwater spring miraculously came back to life.
In this idyllic setting — the meeting point of the Pacific Ocean, the desert, and the arid terrain of the Sierra de la Laguna mountain range — artists and surfers jumped at their chance for tranquility and affordability. Pueblo Mágico followed. Workshops and galleries flourished among the cobbled streets and colorful houses. Painters, photographers, and nomadic travelers mingled with fishermen on the golden beaches. Peter Buck of R.E.M. launched a music festival to aid to local children. The hotel scene expanded to meet the new demand.
As of publication we have seven Todos Santos hotels in our selection, all listed below, with more surely to come. One of the more recent openings, Paradero Todos Santos, perhaps signals a new phase for the town. The hotel is an architectural masterpiece, a luxurious Brutalist wonder of monumental proportions. It’s the type of modern marvel you might expect find in the wilds of Scandinavia, or Patagonia, or lately, Oaxaca.
Still, Todos Santos has lost none of its bohemian character. With all the new boutiques and cafés, fishermen are no longer the only ones to stroll here, but the streets never give the impression of being too crowded or superficial. “The town has definitely managed to preserve its vibe. Artists and surfers remain the core community who understand and inhabit Todos Santos,” confirms Esquitin.
At Hotel San Cristobal, as at the other establishments, travelers are invited to meet the local community and take part in their environmental protection initiatives: caring for an abandoned dog for the duration of their stay, helping to free baby sea turtles or discovering permaculture. “We have many repeat guests who have continued to choose us for close to eight years. They are our best promoters,” Esquitin enthuses. Unlike overnight tourism, Todos Santos has found that the secret to sustaining its magic lies in creating bonds with its visitors. They return year after year, falling more deeply under its spell.
Hotel San Cristóbal
Todos Santos, Mexico
If you’ve spent time in a Bunkhouse hotel you know they get the balance right: a bit of boutique polish and a whole lot of charming authenticity. It’s no different here; there’s a bit of boutique style in the form of plush Coco-Mat mattresses, Tivoli radios and Malin + Goetz bath products, but mostly there’s a fun, chill little hotel, right on the beach, with rooms arranged around a central pool and lounge area.
Todos Santos Boutique Hotel
Todos Santos, Mexico
The Todos Santos Boutique Hotel, as the name implies, distills the locale’s timeless Jesuit heritage down to an intimate, ten-room affair just off the main drag. Ivy-wreathed brickwork defines the public spaces, giving way in the rooms to an ornate vision in dark wood and gilt-framed mirrors. Each of them even boasts a unique, full-wall mural of a frozen-in-time colonial scene.
Casa Blanco Madera
Todos Santos, Mexico
Just a bit up the coast from Todos Santos, a string of stylish boutique hotels line the beach road. The intimately sized Casa Blanco Madera is one of the finest. Run by a Mexican couple who fell in love with the region on a road trip through the Baja California Peninsula, it’s made up of just three rooms housed in a low-lying whitewashed building surrounded by desert gardens.
Desierto Azul
Todos Santos, Mexico
Desierto Azul is eco-friendly and minimalist, with just four cottage-like rooms set around a quiet saltwater pool. Inside, they’re open-concept, lined in polished concrete and artisan-made tiles. Each is unique, but they’re all outfitted with natural materials, from linen duvets to woven raffia lampshades. Bonus: Desierto Azul doubles as a foodie hotspot, and runs a plant-based cooking studio.
Kimpton Mas Olas
El Pescadero, Mexico
A few minutes down the coast from Todos Santos, in El Pescadero, Kimpton Mas Olas feels like it’s in the middle of nowhere. Wedged between the desert and the sea, this boutique resort sits on a large oceanfront property, its gardens stretching out toward the sand dunes and the dramatic silhouette of the Sierra de la Laguna. Indoor-outdoor living is the ideal in a setting like this — and Kimpton nails the assignment.
Villa Santa Cruz
Todos Santos, Mexico
The primary aim of Villa Santa Cruz is to provide guests with an opportunity to unwind in a style that’s both luxurious and as casual as can be. Its owners started with a single villa, then added a second, then a handful of bungalows and poolside mini-villas, and four beachfront tented suites. The resulting boutique hotel feels handmade in the best possible way, with a character that’s evolved over the years.
Paradero Todos Santos
Todos Santos, Mexico
Paradero Todos Santos is a luxurious all-suite boutique hotel in a highly disciplined Brutalist style which draws the eye outward to the landscape architecture and surrounding ecosystems. Its raw concrete exteriors blend into the desert, and in its interiors provides a counterpoint to the soft luxury of its rooms and suites. It turns out nothing about Brutalism precludes lavish creature comforts.