Hotel San Cristobal

I spent a long weekend here with a friend and had an awesome stay. The hotel is small and chic and a lot of attention was paid to the details. The structures blend in with the backdrop and compliment a truly gorgeous stretch of mostly empty beach. The food and drinks were awesome (we ate all our meals at the hotel) and the rooms themselves are comfortable (GREAT bed) and clean. Note that there is no tv or mini bar. The staff was levels and helpful. Two points of caution: the hotel says that it accepts kids over the age of 12, but there were several families there with much younger children. It wasn’t disruptive to me, but it really wasn’t a great fit. And on our last night, there was a group of overserved frat boys singing Sublime at top volume in the bar. Given the hotel’s layout and size, they were audible from everywhere, including inside my room (though not once I turned on the AC). I think the hotel should have intervened—especially because it was a total disconnect with the rest of the place’s mellow vibe—but it was a Saturday night so...

Hotel San Cristobal is the very best beach hotel I have ever experienced...I am sorry Hotel Saint Cecilia, I found a new favorite Bunkhouse property. David the concierge provide the kind of kind and attentive service one would find from a concierge of the 1960s Hong Kong Peninsula Hotel. A rare hotel serviceexperience in this day and age. I would trust David to plan an entire Baja trip. Virginia in hospitality is perhaps the kindest person I have ever met, she made our stay very special. I imagine we will stay at Hotel San Cristobal at least once per year.

We loved the hotel and its friendly, helpful staff but were turned off by the influx of day-trippers. The draw here is that it's a lovely, intimate hotel with perhaps 30 rooms and a hip vibe. Other than lounging poolside/swimming in the pool (or floating on one of the pink, inflatable pool rings), there isn't anything to do--and that's why we sought it out. We wanted a peaceful refuge. So too, it seems, did the guests we met at the pool, the focal point of this tiny hotel. That's why we really resented the constant presence of day-trippers who purchased $28 passes to enjoy the same "exclusive" facilities for which we paid dearly.

When hotels in Mexico start asking USD$600 plus per night for a decent room, start questioning what you are trying to get from the experience. For us we wanted a beautiful environment in the perfect BCS beach and with great food and drinks. Hotel San Cristobal pretty much gave us what we wanted. The reservations process was not so easy though; online the hotel was asking for a 2 night deposit when we were intending to stay only 2 nights and a $1,200++ deposit is not a good deal when you have to pay 6 months ahead of the peak season in December. In the end the reservations staff held an Ocean King room for us without deposit but with a guarantee credit card. The hotel is hard to reach unless you drive or hire a car from Los Cabos. Alternatively you can fly to La Paz and drive (1 hr 30 mins approx), which is what we did. The building and surrounding gardens are very well appointed. The beautiful interior decor (fabrics, tiles, art and accessories) matches the Todos Santos bohemian vibe and indeed attracts plenty of Californian visitors from the USA. The Ocean King (room 32) we had was just perfect - the view, the access and the seclusion from the main pool bar and restaurant noise. There is not much to do in the hotel except relax, eat nice food and have great drinks. Todos Santos is worth visiting (10 min from the hotel) for the day to see craft shops, local art galleries (mainly run by USA expats who cleverly inflate the prices and charge in USD$) and eat in the local establishments - a much cheaper alternative than the hotel restaurant (average meal price per person is USD$50-75 including drinks). The beach is pristine and although the sea can be quite rough, it invites for a swim when the wind is calm and tide is low. The local fishermen use the south end of the beach for launching the boats early in the morning and docking before sunset, so do the noise and fanfare associated with Mexican fishermen activities (boats are brought every day to the beach in large trucks) comes with the San Cristobal experience. This we found very interesting, however it was brought to our attention that the fact that the hotel is very close to the fishermen's working area is a problem for them... The best - the little shop with an amazing selection of gorgeous things to buy The worst - the inflated prices...we are not in Malibu! In three words - secluded, original, beautiful

I had a great stay at the San Cristobal. The rooms and the grounds are beautiful, the vibe is super chill, ceviche was off the hook and the staff was great. David, the concierge in particular was super helpful and gracious. I was on my own and he dealt with renting me a car--which can be tricky in Mexico--and everything was seamless. Can't wait to go back.