Soul seeking in Baja, a Todos Santos Travel Guide

LIFE

Aug 25

Somedays your soul is screaming to take you away from the life you're living, not because you hate it or because you're so done (well maybe) but other times your soul needs a quick 3 day break to become re-inspired with life. One of my good friend and fellow creatives, Meg, sent me a text one day back in spring and it said, "Flights are on sale on Southwest to Mexico, let's go!" and without any hesitation I said, "Ok, FUCK IT, booking flights now." And so was the start of a spontaneous getaway with little to no planning on what we would do, see, or eat in Cabo San Lucas. Months passed after booking our flights and we still hadn't planned a place to stay, so again with little research, Meg called me one day and said, "I booked Hotel San Cristobal, I'm not really sure what's around there, but figured it's better for us to have somewhere to sleep, than nothing, and Vogue said it was cool."

You'll want to rent a car and be prepared to drive on quite a few unmarked dirt roads. Hotel San Cristobal is about an hour and a half away from Los Cabos Airport far far away from all the glossy all inclusive resorts and overcrowded beaches tucked away in this magical surf town called Todos Santos. The moment we arrived onto the hotel property, the little anxiety we built up of two moms without any plans on this trip faded away.

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The moment you walk onto the hotel property you're immediately in awe. It's as if you've walked into a Madewell's summer catalog and if that was the intention of the folks over at Bunkhouse Group, then they nailed it. Hotel San Cristobal is a 32 room luxury boutique hotel tucked away in dirt roads just at the tip of Point Lobos, where every morning we got to see the local fisherman launch their boats from our room balcony.

The rooms were just as delightful as the rest of the property. The blankets and robes were made from local crafters, toiletries from one of my personal favorites, Malin + Goetz, and floor tiles that you could just take shoe selfies of all day long.

It's bit pricier than other properties you'll find in Todos Santos, but if you want the option to lay by the pool all day long, drinking mezcal cocktails, and eating fresh ceviche, then its worth every penny.

We took one day to explore the town of Todos Santos with a list of places to see. Our first stop was breakfast at Cafe Felix, a local favorite, in downtown Todos Santos before fueling up to explore the rest of down town.

Downtown Todos Santos is really charming, colorful, and mixed with a little new and old. Every corner you turn you have historic architecture blended with cafes, gift shops, and art galleries.

One of the art galleries I fell in love with was AR Galleria home to the art of Arturo Mendoza, which I ended up buying pieces from our home from. And two shops that you must visit is Nomad Chic, a cute little boutique with the best curated goods and La Sonrisa De La Muerte, an awesome Graphic Art Gallery with some of the most incredible prints and work I've seen. Travel tip: Bring cash. La Sonrisa De La Muerte only takes cash both pesos and dollars, in case you want prints from the gallery.

A few other great food places in Todos Santos were La Copa Cocina (known for the best fish tacos), Cafe Sante Fe, and Jazamango, (highly recommended by the folks at Hotel San Cristobal).

Baja Beans

Just south of Todos Santos and Hotel San Cristobal is this little town called Pescadero, home to Rancho Pescadero, another awesome beachfront hotel property. Stop by Baja Beans for delicious pastries a cherry coffee shake, perfect to cool you down on a humid Baja California day.

One of our personal favorites on the trip was Hierbabuena, a restaurant known for their wood fired pizza and farm to table dining. We stopped by here twice on our trip, once in the afternoon for a refreshment, the Dusty Dog made with house made Mezcal, muddled grapefruit and basil, with a hibiscus lava salt rim. And a second time for dinner that same night where we enjoyed a lovely meal together unplugged and without distractions. Just two moms getting away and their catch of the day, a roasted poblano pepper filled with quinoa, topped with tomato sauces, fresh cheese, and beans. And of course I can't forget about their coconut flan. (I wish I had photos to share with you, but we were just too busy stuffing our faces.)

Our last meal was breakfast before our flight at Benno, the in house restaurant located on the hotel property. Their Tortitas Con Cojeta is a must, pancakes topped with banana, mango, and toasted coconut. Thinking about it has my mouth watering.

A majority of our time was spent poolside and not wanting to leave Hotel San Cristobal because honestly who would want to? The cocktails are great by the pool, they have a ceviche happy hours, and even at full capacity the hotel was absolutely peaceful and quiet. Everything we needed to have a true vacation.

They say that travel is good for your health, that it's like therapy for the soul. This trip, although was smack dab in the middle of a chaotic season in my life was needed. I was able to spend a lot of quiet time with myself, talking to Meg about my dreams, my fears, and what's in store for the long road ahead.

Don't forget to check Meg's blog post of our trip.

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Jo Portia

Jo Portia Mayari is a globally renowned sex and relationship coach based in SF Bay Area. She is deeply passionate about empowering people to embrace their sensual creativity and erotic expression to transform their sex and relationships.

She is a certified trauma-informed tantric sex and relationship coach who has dared to lead hundreds of people down a path of radical self-acceptance and sexual liberation. Her journey through unconditional radical AF self-love and wellness gained her recognition by Global Founder & CEO of Thrive Global, Arianna Huffington, as one of the Top 20 Health + Wellness role models.

http://www.joportia.com

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