San Jose del Cabo
Mexico


The Experience

Las Ventanas al Paraíso redefined a region when it opened a decade ago, making Cabo San Lucas and Baja an option for super-refined getaways. Today, it purveys an atmosphere of desert starkness wrapped in a good-times-for-all beach resort. Throughout, the intimate resort attempts -- often successfully -- to be a part of the landscape. A magnificent punched-tin star chandelier hangs from the white adobe entrance framing the dark blue Sea of Cortez, while the low profile of the resort buildings melts toward the sea. Three sinuous infinity pools curve along the sand, giving the impression that the resort grew up organically from the beach. Wide hammocks scattered artfully on the sand only add to the illusion.

The Rooms

The resort ethos is echoed in the size and style of the rooms. A junior suite is still a rather grandiose 960 square feet, with smooth tiles that cool your bare feet. Decorated in whites and neutrals, the rooms are havens of simplicity, with wood-burning, terra-cotta fireplaces filling the open space with literal and figurative warmth. Or warm up on the private balconies and roof terraces in the Jacuzzis. And train the powerful telescope on the brilliant Milky Way or annual whale migrations.

The Service

Check-in is simply being taken to your room -- by staff members who already know your name and have your favorite drink waiting. While most workers surreptitiously cross the resort via underground tunnels, poolside service is very much in evidence with attendants handing out fruit sorbets, spritzing Evian or offering preloaded iPods. They'll also provide a broadband wireless TV if you can't bear to miss your favorite show or have a burning desire to check your email from the pool.

The Highlights

A fair number of guests come here to celebrate, and the celebrity quotient is high (J. Lo, Jessica Simpson and Pink, for those who care). The spa uses native Baja flowers, plants and herbs in their holistic treatments and rituals, and golfers tee off on four surrounding championship golf courses. Fortunately, the restaurant shines, combining Continental preparation with Mexican flavor and flair in dishes such as merlot-glazed tuna with pinto beans and lobster bisque with coconut. Dine down in the enchanted La Cava, where the lamps sway in the sea breezes, or à deux on the beach.

-- Sunshine Flint

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