Zadún, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve in San Jose del Cabo is perched among sand dunes and offers A-list experiences like spa treatments, great dining and long walks on the beach.Supplied
A short hop from Los Angeles, Los Cabos has long attracted Hollywood’s finest, starting in the 1940s when John Wayne and Errol Flynn flew in for some of the best game fishing in the world, followed years later by a stream of A-listers who came for privacy and pampering along the coastline of the Sea of Cortez.
Having never been to Cabo, I was thrilled to get an invitation from Ritz-Carlton Reserve to spend a few days at their Zadun resort, a gorgeous property perched among sand dunes (Zadun is derived from the Spanish word “dunas”) where I knew it would be easy to tap into my inner Jennifer Aniston and bask in spa treatments, great dining and long walks on the beach. However, I also knew that after a day of lounging I’d be itching to see the “real” Mexico, to chat with locals, try their favourite foods and explore.
I asked our tosoani named Ariadna – each suite comes with a dedicated staffer who handles all your personal needs – if she had some recommendations for off-site excursions. She didn’t skip a beat: “You must unpack, eat and go immediately to the Art Show in San Jose del Cabo. There you will meet lots of locals, many great artists and probably some of my family!”
San Jose del Cabo is a charming town of cobblestone streets about 10 minutes away, where families gather in the town square, in front of the adobe church, to catch up on their week, while tourists mill in and out of quaint boutiques and galleries showcasing the work of local potters, painters and textile weavers.
On Thursday nights, the town’s main drag, Alvaro Obregon, is closed to traffic so people can safely wander. Everything is colourful: the food, the costumes of the Mariachi band on the grandstand, the banners strung across the alleys. My husband and I stop in a courtyard to admire the intricate metal work of artist Juan Sotomayor, who has created a peacock, roughly the size of a compact car, with a train of purple feathers made from screws, gears, chains and bike locks.
He’s a fascinating guy who explains that, for almost 40 years, he has been creating sculptures out of what other people consider junk. “But what I see is unlimited potential. The shapes and colours feed my soul,” Sotomayor says.
Thirsty, we stop at a restaurant, La Revolucion, where the bartender asks if we’d like to try Venom Sotol. He points to a large jar of distilled liquor with a dead diamondback rattlesnake fermenting inside. He assures us the liquor is delicious – earthy-tasting and smooth, like an aged tequila. As much as we’re tempted, it’s one local tradition we can’t get behind.
At Zadún, Ocean-view plunge pool rooms start at US$749 and the hotel is near to the 26-hole Puerto Los Cabos Golf Club.Edgardo Contreras/Supplied
This excursion was the perfect introduction to Baja California Sur, but one that left me a bit confused since I’d always thought of Los Cabos as a party destination. What I learned is that San Jose del Cabo is often lumped in with Cabo San Lucas – together, the two towns are known as Los Cabos (“the capes”). However, the two are very different: San Jose del Cabo, known as the “Old Town,” prides itself on its rich history; while Cabo San Lucas, the “Party Town,” has evolved into a package-deal destination that celebrates the Cabo Wabo way of life.
At 7 a.m. the next morning, I head out of town to Rancho Cacachilas, about two and a half hours northeast, not far from the capital, La Paz. This 40,000-acre ranch sits in the rugged Sierra Cacachilas mountains and is a vastly different landscape than the sun-drenched beaches and the frothy surf of Los Cabos.
Here, guests don’t just come to play outdoors (although there are 193 km of biking and hiking trails) but also to learn about sustainable farming and to immerse themselves in rural Mexican life. My guide, Luis Felipe Estrada, is a young man from Colombia who has a master’s degree in land preservation. He excitedly introduces me to the vaqueros who tend to the livestock, including the goats (Florentina and la Unicornio are particularly friendly) that provide milk used to make award-winning artisanal cheese.
We then head off on a seven-kilometre hike through a scrubby terrain rich with desert flora such as flowering prickly pears, low-growing cholla and stately cardon cactuses, whose massive branches bend like arms up to the sky. Luis warns me not to touch the cacachila plant, whose fruit can cause paralysis of the limbs.
San Jose del Cabo is about 10 minutes away from Zadún. The town offers quaint boutiques and galleries showcasing the work of local potters, painters and textile weavers for tourists.Supplied
Estrada explains that Rancho Cacachilas is part of a collective of businesses known as iAlumbra, founded by Christy Walton (widow of one of Sam Walton’s sons), who over the years, has been buying up ranches in the mountains, where the land had been overgrazed. “Mexico is a country with a water problem,” he says. “It is very serious, and Baja California will be the first [Mexican] state without water. We are trying to show people how to best preserve the resources we have.”
The next day is unplanned, so we explore the 113-room resort, an architectural gem, built using raw materials such as steel, stone, marble and wood that blends seamlessly into the desert environ. I also finally get a chance to explore the spa. I decide on a treatment that has me scrubbed down with Mexican chocolate exfoliant, followed by a warm bath of citrus coconut milk. I then fall asleep while having a chocolate oil massage. No surprise, I woke up hungry.
On the last day, I push the floor-to-ceiling glass walls open to reveal the ocean sea, make coffee and settle down to watch the whales. It is early December, when hundreds of humpback and grey whales migrate from the frigid waters of the Arctic Ocean to have their calves in the warm, calm waters of the Baja Peninsula.
Hikers take in the sights at the Sierra Cacachilas mountains at Rancho Cacachilas, an all-inclusive adventure camp.Alfredo Martinez Fernandez/Supplied
When I left, Ariadna gave me a gift. Wrapped in small burlap bags were tiny people made out of fabric and twigs. According to local legend, these were warriors called the Cochimies, who waited patiently for an order to make a surprise attack on an enemy. Only the order never came, so the gods transformed them into cacti. Over time, their feet merged with the earth and their skin became covered with thorns as they became part of the land.
As we drove away, I looked at the cacti surrounding me and realized the valleys of Zadun are in good hands.
If you go
Private jets land at Cabo San Lucas airport while most visitors arrive via Los Cabos International Airport.
Art Walk runs from June to November, every Thursday night. Bring cash if you want to try the street food (highly recommended). If you hire a taxi, agree on a price before you get in. Uber is also widely available.
Hire a driver to reach Rancho Cacachilas or chances are you’ll never find the place. My day excursion (including the hike, cheese tasting and gourmet lunch) was approximately US$120. The mountain-bike trails attract enthusiasts from around the world and overnight packages are available in glamping-style safari tents and in main lodge. ranchocacachilas.com
Splurge and stay at Zadun, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve. Ocean-view plunge pool rooms start at US$749. The 26-hole Puerto Los Cabos Golf Club, designed by Greg Norman and Jack Nicklaus, is adjacent to the property.
The writer was a guest of Zadun and the Los Cabos Tourism Board. They did not approve or review the story before publication.