Todos Santos Boutique Hotel Is a Luxury Oasis in One Of Mexico's Coolest Small Towns

The old inn is one of the most exquisite and sensitive renovations we've seen.

The bullet holes didn’t scare me. An unknown 19th-century outlaw had sprayed a constellation of them into the wall just inside the arched foyer of the Todos Santos Inn, located in the surfing and art oasis (and literal oasis) of the same name between Cabo San Lucas and La Paz. This was six years ago, but the gunshots were much, much older, back when this handsome brick building served as a private hacienda. The imposing wood doors hadn’t stopped the perpetrator, but just inside the foyer, the black wrought-iron gate did.

The bullet holes didn’t scare me, but the Inn itself…

I first visited Todos in 2010 on a day trip from Cabo, wandered its main drag of galleries and cafes, and had a margarita — renowned as the region’s best — at the Inn’s elegant La Copa bar. The property then was radiant, warm, and dignified, and I knew I had to return with my wife to stay over. But when we came back together in 2018, it felt like it was on life support. The monastic rooms were dingy and cold. There were no other guests and, more unsettling, no overnight staff. When I woke early the following day, I found we’d been locked inside. I rattled and rumbled the barred metal gate until, half an hour later, a blasé employee showed up for work. We didn’t stay for breakfast.

The Inn closed and changed hands during the pandemic, reopening in January 2023 under the direction of the Batarse family, who own Gruppo Batta, one of Mexico’s largest retailers. “We came to town for a day trip but wound up staying later than we originally intended,” says Krischa Batarse, who owns a luxury lifestyle shop in San José del Cabo and ran point on design for the reopening. “We decided to stay the night at the Inn and woke up in the morning, enchanted by the lush vegetation, the architectural features, and the singing birds.” (No word on whether they were also locked inside.)

Now called the Todos Santos Boutique Hotel, it’s one of the most exquisite and sensitive renovations I’ve seen.

“From the moment we set foot on property, we were in love and knew that we could revitalize it and honor its history,” says Batarse, who accomplished that vision by restoring and preserving the original Spanish Colonial architecture and features of the historic hacienda, including the bullet-kissed mural inside the foyer (holes intact).

The hotel is home to 10 impeccable rooms, a new restaurant whose tiled open kitchen gleams like an emerald mine, and the expanded La Copa, all surrounding a chic sunken pool that feels part cenote, part Palm Springs. I floated through the warm water during the last hour of February daylight, the whole place to myself.

The town of Todos is just outside, but it’s understandable if you’d prefer to stay put. I could have holed up for a week in this villa like an exiled aristocrat, sustained on an IV drip of La Copa’s California cocktail, a botanical fizz of fino sherry, gin, soursoup, and hoja santa. The sense of privacy and unpretentious luxury the hotel, its owners, and its staff have cultivated are narcotic; it’s frankly shocking the Batarses have no hospitality experience. I stayed a few weeks after the grand opening, and the place ran smoothly as the $70 worth of Le Labo hinoki lotion I slathered myself with before bed.

Breakfast (included in the rate) is an a la carte menu at 1890, the main restaurant facing the pool. I had house-baked croissants, cappuccinos in a thick ceramic mug, and the sweetest pineapple before reluctantly packing up my things and checking out. The entrance gate swung open easily. Damn.

Todos Santos Boutique Hotel

• Historic Baja missions lend the rooms their names (Francisco, Luis, etc.) and their focal art pieces: desert-hazy amber murals of the churches painted by local artist Nef Espino.

• Chile-dusted dried strawberries, chocolate-covered cashews, and other jarred minibar snacks come from Agricole, the Pescadero farm and gourmet market in which the Batarses are partners.

• The oasis-like pool — lined in tasseled khaki umbrellas and avocado-striped loungers — really understood the assignment.

• The private-feeling hotel huddles two blocks back from Calle Benita Juárez, 10 seconds from everything but sheltered from the day-tripping lookie-loos wandering Todos Santos’s main drag.

• To the lip balm in the hotel bath amenity spread: Where have you been all our lives?

The Rooms

Hope you’re here for the drama. The 10 rooms, which range from $995 to $1,295 per night, exude it with scarlet velvet, chocolate woodwork, brass fixtures, and lighting so soft and ambient it feels like twilight even in the middle of the hot, bright, desert day. Accommodations are split between the historical building, which encompasses four entry-level rooms and two master suites along the stunning original brick arcade, and the new-build casita across the pool, where you’ll find four “villas,” one of which (Santiago) features a private courtyard garden and plunge pool.

Food and Drink

A staircase from the lobby leads down to the patio of the main restaurant, 1890. It takes its name from the year the hotel’s main property was built, and many of the textbook continental dishes prepared by talented chef Gaz Herbert, an alum of London’s River Café, seem to come from the same era — oysters Rockefeller, Wagyu strip astride pommes puree — with Mediterranean crudo and pasta sprinkled on top like confetti. Todos is a causal tacos-and-avocado toast-type town, so this is a different and duly noted look, complemented by a robust wine list curated by Sinaloan sommelier Cesár Caro. The aesthetic is conquistador supper club: charcoal wainscoting, delicately patterned green wallpaper, oxblood marble tables framed in horseshoe banquettes, and studded leather chairs.

Upstairs, the old La Copa lounge has tripled in size with a grand floor-to-ceiling bar, wraparound mural, and gold-fringed lampshade chandeliers floating above the tables like parasols. Burgers, oysters, and other casual bites are available here, but the cocktails, both classic and original, make it feel like a proper gathering place instead of a bubble for hotel guests.

Activities and Amenities

The Todos Santos Boutique Hotel’s intimate footprint limits the amenities, so head to Cabo if you need a Peloton studio, hammam, or three pools. Here, it’s just the one pool — small by resort standards but large for a hotel whose max capacity is 20 guests, each of which has their own thick-cushioned lounge chair sheltered by oversized umbrellas. The concierge curates an extensive menu of activities, from horseback riding to whale shark diving in La Paz to mezcal tasting in Caro’s cellar, and guests who book three nights have a complimentary helicopter ride included.

The Spa

There is no spa, but massages can be organized in-suite.

Family-Friendly Offerings

Though kids are welcome, the vibe here definitely skews adult.

Accessibility and Sustainability

Besides the innate sustainability of preserving the historical architecture, the connection between the food-and-beverage program and Agricole farm, situated 10 minutes down the road, is the largest driver of sustainability at the hotel. All the produce is organically grown, and Herbert is there harvesting most mornings. None of the rooms are ADA-compliant or wheelchair-accessible.

Location

Todos Santos is a compact town, and all the boutiques, galleries, cafes, and restaurants are a quick walk from the hotel. To explore the pristine Pacific beaches nearby, you’ll want a car (or at least a bike), though a hotel beach club with shuttle service debuts soon.

How to Get the Most Value Out of Your Stay

The Todos Santos Boutique Hotel is a part of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, whose members receive benefits like early check-in and late check-out (upon availability) and 10 percent off every booking for stays booked through SLH. It’s free to join.

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