Mexico and minimalism are rarely seen in the same sentence, given the exuberance of this most vibrant of Latin American countries. But Nobu Los Cabos has nevertheless brought pared-back Japanese serenity to the partying province of Baja California Sur, creating a rare oasis of calm on the beautiful but busy tip of the peninsula west of mainland Mexico.
The Japanese-Peruvian fusion cuisine which made Nobu’s restaurants a global success is the big draw to the area’s most distinctive five-star hotel, which embraces a serene Asian aesthetic throughout.
Exceptionally spacious rooms are arranged across two buildings, though it came as a surprise to find those buildings were four-storey and almost urban in feel rather than low-rise, more traditionally Japanese-looking structures.
That said the rooms, all 200 of them a whopping 48 square metres or more, are dressed with a wealth of warm-hued wood, and that extends all the way into the large bathrooms, with their eye-catching teak bathtubs set below a skylight. In a Japanese hot springs resort, onsen tubs are strictly for soaking in after your main ablutions, and there is a separate open shower as well as double vanity sinks finished in Italian stone.
But the best feature — apart from the spacious balcony equipped with twin facing sofas, on which we sprawled every night to watch the sun set over the Pacific — was the exclusive-to-Nobu bed, the most comfortable I have ever slept in. Probably not stuffed with wool, which is what it felt like, but certainly dressed with organic sheets.
The main dining attraction is a large Nobu restaurant, with most of its seating on a lovely terrace overlooking the Pacific alongside heaters for cooler nights.
Many guests eat there more than once during their visit, but western fare is also available at the casual Malibu Farm restaurant with its organic focus, plus traditional dishes with a twist at the Mexican restaurant close to the beach.
In Japan, outside space is always accorded a great deal of importance, so it’s not surprising that the planting throughout Nobu’s public spaces is as impressive as the vast outdoor foyer punctuated with huge sculptural boulders.
One building is landscaped with zen-like gardens featuring native desert plants and secluded covered seating areas; the other mainly taken up with large swimming pools in a tropical setting, their loungers set into shallow water. Here, ground-floor swim-up rooms bring the pool to your own back door.
It’s not advisable to swim in the ocean in this area of strong currents, but the beach is right there outside the hotel to wander along, or better, enjoy early morning yoga on. Yoga sessions and other free classes are available later in the day, too, and there is a well-equipped gym and spa.
Secluded on its own stretch of coastline, the hotel is closer to Cabo San Lucas, the most developed town in this part of Mexico, than more laid-back San Jose del Cabo.
The latter fields an organic farmers’ market, an excellent farm-to-table restaurant and cooking school, Los Tamarindos, plus a twice-weekly Art Walk to enjoy the galleries and boutiques.
It’s worth grabbing a car at the airport to save on taxi fares to San Jose — ours was arranged with Alamo — and enjoy the scenic coastal drive on excellent roads to Todos Santos, the tiny but appealing town legendary for its colourful Hotel California.
Sadly, the Eagles never visited… but you needn’t look far for celebrities, with a good chance of bumping into a star or two at Nobu’s own Hotel Baja California!
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