Todos Santos is a refreshing, sunny town full of local artisans, fresh seafood, tacos, giant cacti, gorgeous unpopulated beaches, and a calming atmosphere that exudes both relaxation and beauty. Most Texans flee to Cabo San Lucas for vacation, but Todos Santos is the spot I desire for my getaway with all of its culture, local shops, natives speaking Spanish, fish shacks on the beach, Mexican blankets, sunsets, and zero commercial hotels or chain brands.
How to Live the Best Weekend at Todos Santos’ Hotel San Cristóbal
I love immersing myself into a town like this as I enjoy talking to the locals and learning about other ways of cooking, clothing brands, and art. While I came here for a yoga retreat three years ago, I can now say that Hotel San Cristóbal, operated by Bunkhouse, is one of the most incredibly-designed hotels I’ve ever been to. Each corner is perfect with pillowcases, well-placed palm trees, colorful tiles puzzle-pieced together in the showers and floor to carry a theme, the green-tiled pool, and hot tubs facing the beach so you can heat up as the sun goes down. I mean, I could go on and on about the bedspread blankets, chairs, and little painted details around the resort. It even rustled up inspiration for me to redo my backyard and couch. This place puts you at ease truly no matter what is going on in your head or in your life back at home. That’s what vacation is all about, right?
HOTEL:
My favorite part about the hotel was the connecting Pool King Rooms. We had our cute room with a yellow Mexican blanket cover and wooden bedside accessories, but the main event was the outdoor patio terrace we shared that made traveling with a group of friends so fun. The wrap-around couch, wooden table, and lounge chairs topped with green Mexican blankets sat upon the yellow, green, red, and purple swirl-colored tiles populated throughout the shower and pool bar area. The way the light hits the tile through the shades and pergolas everywhere in this hotel creates tasteful shadows that could make you lose your breath for a moment. This is without even looking at the pool and sunset views yet!!
We loved hanging out here to have private space away from the pool. The centered pool is the main event, surrounded by palm trees and a view of the ocean and fishermen catching the day’s catch! You feel like you’re a part of the surrounding community, and since you can’t swim at this beach due to the heavy waves, it’s not crowded, making it ideal for a sandy walk. As soon as the sun starts to set, each chair facing the water is filled and everyone is pretty quiet, just present and enjoying the sky in awe. It’s a beautiful sight to see — not just the sun — as people calmly enjoy their views.
The gracious concierge is super helpful for booking activities before or during your trip, and the staff at the pool and restaurant seem like they enjoy their lives there. If you end up meeting Raul, give him a hug for me! Never have I met someone so sentimental and kind without even speaking the same language. My mediocre elementary school Spanish skills got me by a little bit, but he was so happy to greet us every day when we arrived or left. He had a daughter named Alejandra and called me Alejandrita with tears in his eyes everyday, especially on my birthday, when he was so excited to hug me. His heart is the definition of hospitality.
Back to the activities, the hotel offers sound baths, guided hikes, yoga, s’mores on the beach, and more. On every day except Sunday, the hotel offers a complimentary activity, like yoga on Monday or a guided hike on Tuesday, and on other days, you can book your chosen activity privately, or you can book a masseuse too.
FOOD:
Jazamango – Jazamango means “arugula” in Spanish, and as you creep through an art gallery on the main street in Todos Santos, you’ll emerge into a gorgeous garden full of trees, plants, flowers, and some tables that feel somewhere in between an outdoor coffee/juice shop and a restaurant. The seating is surrounded by art, and we enjoyed brunch here after a lovely, soft yoga class. In Texas, we think of Mexican food as heavy, but if you’ve traveled enough to the beautiful country of Mexico, you know it’s not heavy at all — that’s just Tex-Mex. We started with the Fresh Fruit Bowl with toasted coconut and Greek yogurt, then smashed the Sweet Corn Pancakes with lemon butter and berries (wow, they were SO fluffy and probably better than most American diners), before eating the Ranchero Eggs that tasted so fresh, and finally, we enjoyed the Creamy Soft Scrambled Eggs with Parmesan Cheese. This café is open for breakfast, and they have another restaurant further away also called Jazamango that is only open for dinner.
Tenoch at Paradero Hotel – I’ve always had this hotel saved on my Instagram travel folder as the pool looks AMAZING. Most of these hotels are secluded, but trying to find this place in the dark really took us for a spin! We missed the turn and ended up driving on the beach almost into the ocean before we realized we should try going back — haha! Once we arrived, the staff was waiting patiently for us (oops) and we chose to sit at the counter to watch all the magic happen, which is my favorite way to dine. I loved chatting with the chefs, and the menu had a mix of Oysters, Aguachile, Tacos, Shrimp, Catch of the Day, Roast Chicken, and more. We loved the Octopus Taco with black bean purée, Raw Yellowtail Tostada with Kosho, and Burned Avocado. They said they were recognized by Michelin because of their Soft Shell Crab Taco, but their Josper oven made their Hoisin Chicken dish the star of the show for me. Yes, hoisin! It’s baked in the oven ,and the best chicken skin I’ve ever had — it’s not crispy or stretchy, but just cuts perfectly with your knife as if it’s all in one with your fall-off-the-bone chicken bite. I literally ate this for dessert because we were so full, but I couldn’t let any piece go to waste. It felt luxurious even in the dark, so I’d love to come back during the day to see the grounds.
Barracuda Cantina – This Vogue article that my friend Kelly sent me gave me a lot of headway for my travels, but my friend Hudson also recommended Cerritos Beach as one of the only swimming beaches to visit, plus it’s home to a seafood shack called Barracuda. This place was 15 to 20 minutes from our hotel, and there were ZERO signs for it. With all the twists and turns down the dirt roads and signs for other places, like La Tuna, which I really wanted to see, I was shocked to find that there really was a place called Barracuda with no references.
This meal, which was on my actual birthday, was a moment in time where everything stopped, and I was fully submerged in and surrounded by joy. The moment of just looking at the Tuna Tostada, seeing how large and perfectly cut each piece piled on the guacamole-topped tostada with salsa macha sauce was — I truly couldn’t believe my eyes. As my mouth started to water, I knew that this was exactly where I was supposed to be!! We dove into the fresh-as-can-be tuna on what was truly the best Tuna Tostada I’ve ever had. A close second would be the one here at La Condesa! We enjoyed a Hibiscus Mezcal Margarita, Ceviche, Battered Fish Tacos, and a Grilled Shrimp one, but all in all, I’d order two Tuna Tostadas just for myself next time. One for my meal and one for dessert Tacos were less than $4, and the tostada was $16. Snoozing on the beach after and dipping our toes in the cold ocean was a moment of heightened feelings I’ll never forget!
The Green Room – This restaurant on the beach is known for sunset drinks or dinner. Families and people of all ages gather here to watch the sun disappear and the sky turn neon orange and hot pink for an hour after it has set. We had some sushi bites, but I recommend skipping the dumplings, and we enjoyed the Steak, Shrimp, and Salmon Skewers.
Taller 17 – This bakery feels like it should belong in Brooklyn with their perfectly-little station and incredible array of offerings. The Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookie, covered in massive chunks of sea salt, won my heart even with its crunchy outside texture. I loved the large chunks of chocolate and salt and the soft interior. They also had Chocolate Cake, Muffins, Cheesecake, Cinnamon Rolls, Oat Cookies, etc. Closes at 3 p.m.!
Benno at Hotel San Cristóbal – We dined for breakfast and dinner at the hotel restaurant, which is obviously decorated beautifully with a fireplace, blue shell and fish-like wall tile, green paint, and stark structure. At dinner, go for the Corn Ribs with Salsa Macha (it’s everywhere!), Charred Romaine Salad, Grilled Shrimp with a Macadamia Nut Purée, and Catch of the Day with Green Mole. I did have my eye on that Scallop Gnocchi. I’m not one to dine at a hotel, but I’d say they really do everything well here and have a large variety! For breakfast, they have traditional Chilaquiles and Huevos Rancheros, but I prepared with a day of travel home ahead with the Huevos de La Huerta with two pan-fried eggs, mixed greens, garden vegetables, and hashbrowns.
ACTIVITIES:
As you know, I’m not someone that can lay around on the beach all day. I need to have some movement, whether it’s walking around the city streets to get to a destination, look at art, shop, dine, or take part in an actual workout class. We drove to town on our first morning for a lovely and enriching Hatha Yoga class at Cuatro Viento Baja with teacher Liz. Located inside a jungle and park-like area with a structure that had windows and fresh air, we started the practice listening to her speak a little, and I love that she had a vase of fresh flowers in front of her. Everything she offered was so gentle, and it was the Breath of Joy movement that got me out of my head and into appreciating my weekend ahead. The cost is 250 pesos or $15 cash.
Hiking is my favorite activity, and the fact that Hotel San Cristóbal is located right next to the Punta Lobos mountain had me giddy all weekend. We hiked up to the top in the morning, saw the gorgeous teal waters splashing up on the rocks, and then made our way over a little more to the right to catch the sea lions basking in the sun and hanging out. They are difficult to spot because they blend in, but they are there and even had a little baby “cub.” You can walk down to the beach if you take the left side trail, and it was all in all 5.5 miles for us to explore.
My favorite boutique, just down the street from Taller 17, was called El Taller. Owned by an American woman who has lived there for years, she carries an array of caftan dresses, pillow cases, linen clothes, denim, and silver jewelry that she had handmade for the store. I fell in love with a Mexico City designer called Zii Ropa and got some great linen pieces for our warm weather. There was an artisan market on Saturday afternoon with art, jewelry, and soap to peruse. Make sure to stop in Corazón Nativo Apothecary for the small batch, organic skincare they are making in the back of the room like after sun care, sleep spray, sunscreen, cleansers, and more. I also bopped around the Sterling Silver store — it has a sign outside that says silver — for a pair of turquoise and silver earrings.
Overall, this Michelin Key-rated hotel has my absolute praises, and if anyone ever asked me to go back with them, I’d immediately book my flight. The bliss comes in seeing so much natural movement, like whales shooting water into the air that you can see from the hotel and the beach, birds chirping, surfers catching a wave, fishermen speeding on their boat and the sun setting, and then it all repeats the next day. I feel so at home and inspired and taken care of here. I’d recommend it for a girls’ getaway, bachelorette party, or even honeymoon!
Tips: Definitely rent a car from Cactus! You’ll want to drive into town and to dinner, and it’s much cheaper than a private ride from the airport. For a Jetta for Friday to Monday, we paid $200, and the rate for a private transfer was $160 from a friend’s recommendation and even more expensive through the hotel. The roads are pretty sandy and bumpy so you might want an SUV.