Hyatt Hotels Corporation announced today the opening of Rancho Pescadero, the newest addition to The Unbound Collection. Immersed in the uncomplicated pleasures of Baja California Sur’s striking landscape, Rancho Pescadero raises the bar on responsible development with an environmentally conscious mindset and an elevated guest experience that redefines the traditional concept of destination wellness.
Rancho Pescadero, or ‘Rancho’ as locals call it, has been the area’s most sought-after hotel since it was first opened with just 12 rooms by Founder/Owner Lisa Harper in 2009. Inspired during a camping stint on a secluded beach in El Pescadero, just outside the town of Todos Santos, Harper purchased the land, a former poblano chili farm since 1938, planted neem and palm trees and built a small Hacienda. She, in turn, created a relaxed and intuitive atmosphere that soon became a home away from home for guests for almost a decade before its temporary closure. Now, after a four-year respite, the beloved Rancho returns, debuting a long-awaited transformation that marks the arrival of a new level of beachfront luxury in Todos Santos – a prolific farming and fishing community and Pueblo Mágico known for its historic significance and unbridled local charm.
Edged between the desert and an expansive stretch of coastline, the 30-acre resort features 1,100 feet of ocean frontage with nine interconnected gardens, two farms and a citrus orchard that drive its culinary and wellness programs. There’s also a sea turtle hatchery, a tropical bird sanctuary, and hiking/biking paths throughout. Designed by Mexican architect Alejandra Templeton of Indigo Añil, a firm based in Los Cabos, the resort’s light and airy aesthetic is characterized by neutral tones and clean lines juxtaposed by playful textures that seamlessly blend with their surroundings. From the moment travelers arrive, Harper believes they ‘cross-over.’ An unmarked concrete entry serves as a portal to a paradise dripping in lush vegetation with vibrant artwork and bright pops of color at every turn, creating a childlike sense of wonder as visitors shed the weight of reality and settle in. From here, two paths – one made of brick and the other sand – invite guests to choose how they journey through the property.
Twelve oceanfront villas built into the dunes that dot the shoreline come with direct beach access, outdoor showers, spacious patios with plunge pools, and fire pits. The additional 91 rooms and suites, the vast majority of which feature ocean and coastal views, include private roof decks and outdoor living spaces with plush day beds. Bohemian-chic décor takes travelers on a journey through Mexico with touches like Talavera bathroom tiling handmade in Tlaquepaque, steel headboards with leather tassel detailing made in Chihuahua, and copper vases from Michoacán and fabrics sourced from Tijuana. These pieces are custom-made for the resort with the artisans hand selected by Templeton, who ensures everything is purchased fair-trade.
Three dining concepts overseen by Culinary Director Sandro Falbo draw from the natural bounty of Baja’s unspoiled terrain, which is perfectly primed for a year-round growing season. Falbo is no stranger to the land; he works with two farmers under his tutelage and meets the local fishermen daily to secure that evening’s catch. Botánica garden restaurant honors ingredients from the property’s Huerta with an emphasis on locally grown produce and tables set amidst the gardens enveloping diners in the native flora. At Centro, a social hub and gathering spot, travelers can enjoy classic Mexican fare while lounging by two outdoor pools. The resort also features a cocktail bar where recipes tout the healing benefits of medicinal herbs, and a rooftop breakfast bar where guests can count the whales migrating in the distance as they sip their morning coffee. Wrapped around an infinity pool that hugs the curves of the coastline, Kahal seafood restaurant is the perfect end to a day of sun-worshipping with an elegant raw bar and selection of caviars, fresh seafood sourced from nearby Punta Lobos, and international flavors fused with avant-garde techniques, like a Shucked & Shocked duo of local oysters and a house-made guacamole with seaweed chicharron. By day, guests can slip away in cenote-style jetted tubs and floating double-loungers. By night, fire pits cater to conversations over the sounds of the ocean.
The resort’s 25,000-square-foot spa evokes the feeling of being in a sacred space with a wellness philosophy rooted in the wisdom of nature. At the onsite apothecary, guests create their own blends of home-grown herbs, which they forage for in the gardens and transform into oils, tinctures and scrubs for spa treatments rendered in cozy outdoor treatment nests. The resort also features a hydrotherapy circuit with an ice fountain, steam room, expansive shower and Himalayan salt sauna; Reformer Pilates; a mix of traditional and aerial yoga; a lap pool edged with palm trees; Pickleball courts; and an indoor/outdoor gym with TRX and state-of-the-art equipment. A shaded pavilion offers a tranquil resting place before or after treatments while a variety of daily rituals, including sound bath healings, earthing meditations and native cacao ceremonies, best enjoyed with a backdrop of the sun dipping over the horizon, occasionally meeting the moon that rises over the eastward mountain ranges.
Rancho sits on an underground aquifer fed by rainfall that rolls off the Sierra Laguna Mountains, with arroyos that act as natural catch basins for rainwater and are used for landscape irrigation. To preserve the local landscape, large swaths of land were left open, offering direct, unobstructed beach access, and a complex system of GPS cataloguing was used to replant native plants, which were moved into a nursery during construction and transplanted onto berms built on the backsides of buildings with a 90% success rate. With an intentional design that’s true to the local landscape, select materials were chosen due to their native abundance; fencing made with Palo de Arco wood creates shade in outdoor spaces while white clover planted in lieu of grass grows locally and requires far less water intake. Zero single-use plastics, composting and dark sky lighting are some of the basics employed. A brand-new desalination and water bottling plant ensures a constant supply of fresh drinking water. In an effort to reduce carbon emissions and conserve energy, only electric carts and bicycles are used throughout the property and a large solar farm is being added to support Rancho’s goal of converting to its own fully sustainable power grid. Harper and her team’s regenerative efforts go far beyond the resort; to start, they are building 170 homes for Rancho’s employees and breaking ground on a technical school that will be open to all residents of the area.
Rancho Pescadero is located an hour north of the San José del Cabo International Airport, with direct, nonstop flight service from nearly a dozen U.S. cities including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Houston, Dallas, Denver, Atlanta and Chicago. The hotel can coordinate airport transportation, car service to Todos Santos and nearby surf breaks, and activities that range from hiking, fishing, golfing and ATV tours to whale watching, snorkeling, scuba diving and swimming with whale sharks. All reservations include a wide range of complimentary “discovery” activities that encourage travelers to experience Baja authentically at their own pace. Ceviche-making, sunrise meditations, yoga, sustainability tours, gardening workshops and aromatherapy at the apothecary are among the experiences offered at no additional charge to guests.
Rates start at $895 per night. For a limited time, travelers can take advantage of Rancho Pescadero’s opening offer, which includes 20% off best available rates, 15% off spa services, complimentary discovery activities, a welcome and sunrise amenity and the use of bikes, surf boards, yoga and fishing equipment. Booking is available through January 31, 2023. For more information or to book a stay, visit www.ranchopescadero.com. Follow the hotel on social media @ranchopescadero.
The adults-only resort is owned by Lisa Harper of Rancho Resorts LLC, participant of Virtuoso and part of The Unbound Collection by Hyatt portfolio, a collection of luxury one-of-a-kind properties with a unique history and an immersive, enriching guest experience. The opening of Rancho Pescadero marks the first hotel to open within The Unbound Collection by Hyatt portfolio in Mexico.
