destinyhixon-blog

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Todos Santos gets a teeny tiny fraction of the visitors of Cabo San Lucas, plus many of the people who do visit are just there on a day trip. This is one of the most interesting destinations in Baja, however, and definitely a place worth spending two or three nights in. There's plenty to do in this area, especially if you connect with Todos Santos Eco Adventures.

We have mentioned this company a couple times before. I first did some mountain bike riding as part of this Baja adventure tour years ago, then one of our contributors went on their memorable Isla Espiritu Santos kayaking and glamping adventure. They have one of the best reputations of any tour operator in the Baja Peninsula and they offer all kinds of multi-day trips from their home base, across the mountains, and around La Paz.

I stayed put when I went to visit them on their home turf, however, wanting to really get a feel for the Todos Santos area. My wife was with me on this trip and we shared a lovely room at Los Colibris Casitas, the guesthouse they own. Here was the view from our terrace:

We went on two great adventures while we were there, both of them starting just a few minutes' drive away from Los Colibris.

First we went on a horseback riding adventure that started near the oasis area of Todos Santos. It went through an impressive array of microclimates as we rode along, from mossy trees and marshes to forest to beach to cacti-studded mountains. The horses were docile and patient with us as we rode along the lagoon and the Pacific Ocean and then climbed up over rocky paths into the hills and back down.

What was even more surprising was what we saw on our hiking trip the next day. We set off in a van to the starting point, which was just down the hill and to the end of a long beach. We climbed up from there and got a terrific view of the beach, then walked along some dramatic cliffs that wouldn't be out of place in northern California or even Scotland. If it had been earlier in the year we might have seen lots of whales offshore, but most of them had already headed north at this point in late April, so we just saw one water spout in the distance.

While this is a rather sleepy area now apart from a few residents, expats, and some tourists, it played a key role in history for a while. Back in the mid-1800s, ships heading to or from California for the gold rush would sail into the little bay near Todos Santos at the top of this post to pick up supplies from the oasis. This was one of the few spots along the coast with fresh water, fruit, and vegetables. Mules would make the trek over the hills like we did on foot.

After passing several small bays and inlets, we rounded a corner and found San Pedro beach stretched out before us. Since you can only get there on foot, it was almost empty. After splashing in the surf a bit, we walked to the other end of the beach where a picnic lunch was waiting for us, supplied by Todos Santos Eco Adventures. After we had our fill, we walked out past a marsh to a waiting van and came back to Los Colibris for an afternoon of lazing by the pool. Take a video tour to get a taste of both days:

If you're headed to Los Cabos at some point and looking for an adventurous getaway, rent a car and drive the main road north to Todos Santos. It's a whole different look and experience, especially if you go exploring by hiking or on horseback.

Video from YouTube produced by Invideo from footage shot by Luxury Latin America.

The post Todos Santos Hiking and Horseback Riding in Baja appeared first on Luxury Latin America Blog.

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There's more to do on Belize vacations than you probably think. Sure, you can go diving, snorkeling, or fishing as you can all along the Caribbean coast of Mexico and Central America. You may have even thought about a surf and turf vacation that includes the jungle and the beach in one package. It doesn't stop there though.

There are a few great benefits of traveling to Belize from the USA. It's a relatively short trip, first of all, not much further than flying to Cancun. Unlike in Cancun though, the water is warm all year and doesn't vary much in temperature. There are also more hotel rooms packed into that one stretch of beach than there are in the entire country of Belize---and there's no Senor Frog's or Hard Rock Cafe logo in sight.

The environment is the star in Belize and if you spend your time in Placencia, you've got a nice beach and bay, a calm lagoon, and the Caribbean Sea to explore, then a drive inland takes you to nature reserves, jungles, and Mayan ruins. Here are some other Belize vacation options to consider for your trip to the tropics.

Chabil Mar and Wild Orchid Sailing Package

If you'd like to spend some time on the water, but you're not sure you want to sleep every night on a yacht, this luxury catamaran adventure package in Belize combines three days and two nights of island-hopping on a 48-foot catamaran with five nights at Chabil Mar Resort.

You spend the first night at the resort upon landing, then head to the boat for a few days of fishing, snorkeling, and lounging on empty beaches where you might be the only visitors to the island. You pay one package price and everything except alcoholic beverages is included after you step off the plane. You'll even have a golf cart available for heading the short distance to Placencia Village. See more details here.

A Belize Vacation Double: Resort + a Private Island Getaway

There are not many places left in the Americas where you and a few guests have an island to yourself, but in Belize you'll find quite a few of them. One of the best options is Ray Caye Resort, just an hour or so from Placencia but right by one of the greatest coral reefs in the world.

With a one week Belize island vacation package you spend three nights at an oceanfront cabana on Ray Caye and four nights at Chabil Mar. So you get some unplugged time in nature right on the reef, then some time near Placencia Village to try some different spots for a drink and a stroll. (See our detailed review of Chabil Mar Villas here.) On the island you'll have a snorkeling trip and can take out kayaks or a Hobie Cat to explore. From Placencia you can choose two adventures from a menu list. See all the details here.

Yoga by the Beach in Belize

Want to get loose on your Caribbean vacation? Really loose?

Book a Yoga Retreat and Vacation Package to stretch out in a great location. With a program run by a certified instructor who has lived in Belize since 2012, this yoga retreat can accommodate from 2 to 40, with the possibility of a group renting out the whole resort and having it to themselves. The package includes everything but alcohol, but you'll get some fresh juice to charge up on instead.

In general, you have yoga and breakfast in the morning, then free time or a tour in the afternoon. In between you can take out a provided kayak, paddleboard, bike, or golf cart. See the full 8 day/7 night yoga retreat itinerary here.

Visualize what it's going to look like in six months where you live. Will there be snow, ice, biting wind, and gray skies? Here's what it looks like in winter in Belize...

Check your flight prices now:

The post Unique Belize Vacations: Sailing, Yoga, or a Private Island Experience appeared first on Luxury Latin America Blog.

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Did you know that you can play golf or lush fairways and greens in northern Chile, then sleep nearby in a well-equipped boutique hotel? Thanks to the addition of CasaMolle in the Elqui Valley of northern Chile, the seemingly impossible is possible.

There are several problems with the oft-repeated but incorrect statement that the Atacama Desert of Chile is the "driest place on Earth." There are those pesky floods that happen every few years, snow in the winter sometimes, the oases filled with water and trees, hot springs, and...a golf course?

The Sahara this is not, which is a good thing for visiting tourists coming to this region to the south of that desert. Thanks to a prime location next to a river, at CasaMolle you can even tee off and putt on a nine-hole course that sprung out of nothing thanks to the dedication of owner Karim Daire.

Daire had to truck in loads of soil from southern Chile just to convert the rocky riverbed into what are now fields of grass. Once the blades of green appeared, he planted trees, carved out bunkers, and punctuated the course with tranquil lagoons ripe for leisurely paddles in the waiting kayaks. Head to hole 9 for a serene glass-encased clubhouse that's a superb spot to hide away and answer some emails.

The hotel itself has 12 rooms that can sleep a maximum of 30 guests, so you don't have to share this little oasis with a whole lot of other people, even when the place is full. Outside there's an inviting swimming pool, a sauna, yoga area, and hiking trails. The hot tub is a prime place at night for gazing up at the ample stars you can see in this region.

This Elqui Valley area became the world's first International Dark Sky Sanctuary in 2015, so it's a popular spot for scientists studying the galaxies. Two observatories in the area are open to the public, however, plus CasaMolle has its own outdoor amphitheater  for star gazing.

The well-designed hotel had a real expert putting it together, the same designer who worked on Awasi Atacama and Hotel Wara in Chile. Against the backdrop of the nearby mountains, the adobe-style buildings are joined by cactus gardens, mature trees, fire pits, plush outdoor loungers, Andean textiles, and ceramics from the namesake Molle people who settled here around 200 BC.

The property has its own brand of pisco to serve and all the wines are from the local region. There's a strong locavore aesthetic in the kitchen as well. "Nearly every fruit or vegetable that reaches your mouth can be traced right back to the organic gardens and orchards that surround the 17-hectare property.

The chef likes to share what he's working on: waiters come looking for you on the property to share small bites of what's coming out of the kitchen.

This sumptuous oasis in the Elqui Valley is a welcome addition to the local scene, providing a nice alternative to the crowds and popular sites of San Pedro de Atacama, with the added unique offering (for northern Chile) of a golf course. See our full review of CasaMolle in Chile.

The post CasaMolle is a Great Atacama Hotel Alternative With Golf appeared first on Luxury Latin America Blog.

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We recently got to return to one of our favorite beach resorts in Mexico: the intimate all-inclusive Casa de Mita north of Puerto Vallarta. It was even better the second time around.

Unlike most travel sites out there covering hotels, we actually set foot in every single hotel or resort we write about. Sometimes we look up and a few years have gone by, so we get back to the place to update our review. Often we do the whole thing over to give a more accurate picture of what it's like there for our readers.

That's the case with our updated review of Casa de Mita in the Riviera Nayarit. We got to spend a few days there recently and did a whole lot of nothing most of the time. We took a paddleboard out for a while and did plenty of long walks on the beautiful beach. Otherwise we lounged around in a day bed by the pool with a cocktail in hand or admired the view you see at the top from the balcony of our room. Come take a tour!

If you want the kind of service you would get in a high-end rental villa---with a chef cooking meals and staffers that are concentrated on making sure you have a great vacation---Casa de Mita can give you that. But they can also give you the expectations you have with an all-inclusive beach resort. You don't have to send a shopping list or pore over prices you're going to get charged for individual items and services. You just pay the rates and then relax, knowing you won't have to look at pesky menu prices or sign a slip of paper for every beer.

Unlike with most of the big all-inclusive resorts though, here there's no bracelet to wear and not even any key to carry around. The staffers know who is staying here (by name even) and since it's just a seven-room boutique hotel with good security on an dirt road, there's very little reason to lock any of the doors. (Rooms do have a safe where you can put your valuables if you're concerned.)

Everything is well-designed and impeccably maintained at this small beach resort or the far side of the Punta de Mita Peninsula. This is a beach mostly known to a smattering of locals and the home owners facing it. Those homeowners are not around half the time or more though, so often you're only sharing this crescent of sand with a few other people.

Sometimes it's hard to make it much further than the swimming pool, however. It's a very inviting space with cushioned lounge chairs and a swim-up bar under a shaded palapa. You rarely have to do more than think about what you want to drink before someone appears asking if you need anything. All the efforts are focused on your needs, including when and where you want to have your meals and how you want them prepared.

Every meal I've ever had here has been excellent, from chiliquiles and fresh fruit at breakfast to fish tacos or ceviche at lunch to our memorable dinners of lobster, grilled octopus, or rib-eye steak. You can choose to have dinner under the palapa, but when the sun is setting late, it's hard to beat the romantic view from a patio table.

If you do feel like getting some exercise, there's a small gym on site, a long beach for walking, an ocean for swimming, plus kayaks and paddleboards to use. On a more mellow note, there are also books to borrow, magazines to read, and Netflix on the TV for chilling out at night.

See more pictures and our detailed review of Casa de Mita in Mexico.

  The post Casa de Mita Updated Review and Video Tour appeared first on Luxury Latin America Blog.

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Swimming with whale sharks is an experience like no other. Often the adventure involves being out on a boat in rough seas though, far from shore, and the giant creatures may or may not be near the surface. It's much more pleasant in La Paz in Mexico, however, where they like to hang out in relatively shallow waters in a bay close to the city.

Whale sharks are the biggest fish in the world and it's not just their size that is mesmerizing. The white spots on the body seem to glow when you are swimming up close to them as a diver or snorkeler and their mouths are simply huge. They're mysterious in many ways, swimming vast distances throughout the year to visit the best feeding grounds. They're not meat-eaters though like most other sharks. They feed on plankton, krill, and other small sea nutrients that flow into their big bocas.

The Whale Shark Snorkeling Experience

In some parts of the world you need to be a scuba diver to get close to whale sharks, but near La Paz you just strap on a snorkel after a 15-minute boat ride and hit the water with your guide when he or she spots one from the boat. And they're almost sure to spot one without much of a wait: the whale sharks here are sticking around a relatively small area where the buffet is especially good.

If this all sounds too good to be true, well there is a slight trade-off. A fully grown adult whale shark can reach 40 feet in length (12 meters) and weigh as much as 20 tons. The ones swimming around the Baja Peninsula are juveniles, however, usually three to five years old. They're more likely to be 12 to 20 feet long instead, so no fears here that you're going to encounter one with a mouth big enough for you to fit into whole! These kids have a long life in front of them: they'll likely live as long as you will or more, as in 70 to 100 years.

Even those these may be youngsters, they're still an amazing site to see and they will dwarf any other fish you've seen in the water while snorkeling. They're docile and not all that fast, however, so you can swim along beside one and look it in the eye. It probably won't seem to bothered, just like it's not too bothered by the sucker fish attached to its body here and there. Here's a video from the footage I took when we were whale shark snorkeling in La Paz:

After this great experience, you'll usually go see some sea lions on an island and possibly snorkel with them, but it's generally crowded and can be kind of a bust. (It's much better to do it off Isla Espiritu Santo national park on a separate tour.) Then you head to Balandra Bay, however, where you have lunch on a stunning beach.

Whale Sharks Swimming Regulations

I've done this tour twice now, first on my adventure tour through Baja Sur, then a second time a few months ago. The regulations were pretty solid the first time I went, but they've been tightened up more since.

First of all, the boats are only allowed in a certain part of the bay. The sharks get a quiet zone in the rest of the area where nobody can bother them. They're coming to this part by choice and can leave when the pesky humans start getting on their nerves. Here are the other regulations in place, enforced by a government ranger that boat captains have to check in with on the water:

- The season allowed to view the big fish is October through May.

- Only six people at a time max are allowed in the water, though the good companies keep it at four and alternate passengers.

- Snorkelers must stay 16 feet away from the head and 20 feet from the tail. No touching allowed!

- No flash photography

- The business owner, boat captain, and guide all have to have certificates of training completion

Booking a Whale Shark Tour

Since the regulations above have eliminated a lot of the bad actors operating in this space, it's harder to get onto a bad tour than it used to be. There are still reportedly 85 licensed operators in the La Paz area though, so that's a lot of boats still competing to take you out on this popular tour.

I don't feel really comfortable recommending specific local operators since they frequently change names and staffers with regularity, but if you book through a well-known adventure tour company that has been active in the area for a long time, with a good reputation, you're probably going to be fine. I've personally deal with Todos Santos Adventures, Baja Outdoor Activities (BOA), On Board Baja, and Sea Kayak Adventures. If you want some extra peace of mind, you'll have someone to complain to if you book through Viator.

As always, the best advice is to shop around and rely on personal recommendations. This is not an activity where you book the cheapest trip from some tout on the malecon to save five bucks. Go with a professional company that puts the well-being of the whale sharks as high as the well-being of their bank account and has a long-term vision. The trip cost rarely rises above $80 unless you're having a gourmet lunch or something extra is added on besides sea lions and the beach, so do it right and make this a special day.

The post Swimming With Whale Sharks by La Paz in Baja appeared first on Luxury Latin America Blog.

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WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY RATES + INFORMATION

Whether you choose hourly coverage or a custom collection, you’ll receive the following:

Photography by Susan Stripling

A password-protected online image gallery for easy downloading of digital files

Your collection of hand-edited full size JPEG files delivered in color and in black and white

Your images delivered within six weeks of the wedding date

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PLAN

Number

minutes

Action

6 HOURS

$4500

(a savings of $600)

8 HOURS

$5500

(a savings of $400)

10 HOURS

$6500

(a savings of $200)

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PLAN

Number

minutes

Price

Price for 1 minute

Price for 1 minute

Price for 1 minute

Action

COLLECTION ONE

$9900

10 hours

10x15 Album

Two 8x12 Albums

Second Photographer

(a savings of $600)

COLLECTION TWO

$7100

8 hours

10x15 Album

(a savings of $400)

COLLECTION THREE

$5300

6 hours

8x12 Album

(a savings of $200)

  What next? Here are some popular questions :

How do we book you?

A $1500 retainer with a signed contract is required to book your date. 50% of your balance will be due ninety days before your event, with the balance due one month prior to your wedding.

Please know that dates book quickly, and we cannot hold dates without signed contracts and paid retainers. For this reason, dates are first-come, first-served!

Can we talk more? Can we customize a collection other than what we see here?

Absolutely. I’m available to meet in person at my studio in Brooklyn. We can also set up a FaceTime, Skype, or Zoom meeting if that’s easier for you and your schedule. We can also always hop on the phone and chat that way, if you prefer!

Collections are completely customizable. If you have a certain number of hours you need on your wedding day, a specific album (or multiple albums) that you want, and wish to create a unique collection you can absolutely do that. We’re here to make sure that your day is covered in the best way possible, and to provide you with the exact products you’d like to display those images later.

We don’t see videography on your price list. How much is that?

I am a still photographer only. Once you book with me, I will send you a list of videographers who work beautifully alongside me to create work with a similar feel in lighting, composition, storytelling, and client experience. It’s crucial that your photographer and videographer have a similar style and approach, and the companies that I refer are masters in their field!

Can we see galleries from weddings at our venue?

While I do share images on social media from most of the events I photograph, I do not open up all client galleries to the public. I take the privacy of my clients’ entire galleries very seriously, and therefore all galleries are not open for public view. I have curated a wide range of galleries for you to look through, and I hope these give you a deeper insight into my work and process.

Indoor Long Island castle winter wedding and reception

Three-day Indian wedding : all images shown in color only

Outdoor summer wedding and indoor barn reception in the Hudson Valley

Engagement session, church ceremony, and historic home reception

Manhattan wintertime indoor ceremony and reception with all portraits after sunset

Autumn church ceremony and historic mansion reception

Outdoor daytime ceremony and tented reception

Outdoor waterfront Brooklyn wedding and indoor warehouse reception

Country club indoor ceremony and reception

City rooftop elopement and portraits in Brooklyn Bridge Park

City nighttime rehearsal dinner, indoor ceremony and wedding reception, minimal portraits after sunset

Outside summer beach wedding and portraits, outside tented dinner, indoor reception

Nighttime Manhattan church ceremony and private club reception, minimal portraits

Central Park Boathouse indoor wedding and reception, outdoor Central Park portrai

Do you have associates?

Victor, Kamila, and Amanda are all incredible photographers. If you are interested in learning more about their rates, please let me know. Their coverage begins at $2,900 for six hours of photography

What is the difference between an assistant and a second photographer?

My assistant is with me at every wedding that I photograph. They help with parts of the day, such as aiding in getting family formal photographs together, helping keep the day organized, helping light parts of the reception, and more. They are accomplished photographers who also add their coverage of the day to key elements, most noticeably other angles on the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception.

A second photographer is a dedicated photographer only. Their only job is photography coverage of the day. Adding a second photographer is helpful if you’re getting ready in a completely separate location from your spouse, if your wedding is very large (over five hundred guests), if there are multiple religious ceremonies taking place at once, and so forth. Not sure if you need a second photographer? Just ask! I’d love to hear about your day and help you decide if another photographer is something you should add to your collection.

What else should we know?

I know this is a thrilling time, but I also know that wedding planning can be incredibly complicated and time-consuming. For this reason, I’ve made my rates as simple as possible. You can stay simple, or build a collection to suit your needs. We’re here to help you do just that!

Please do not hesitate to email me or call the studio at 917-209-8425. I’d love to set up a time to chat further. I would love to be a part of your wedding day, and I hope to hear from you soon.

To learn more about the studio, get answers to your questions, find suggestions for other vendors, and more, follow the links below:

Frequently asked questions

Album designs, styles, and additional details

New York portrait location suggestions

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Vendor recommendations and referrals

Engagement session details and information

Putting together your timeline

The wedding photography process

General wedding photography planning information

Contact us!

  The post Susan Stripling Wedding Photography Pricing appeared first on Susan Stripling Photography.

[destinyhixon-blog]

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Americans are in more of a spending mood this year, with the average vacation budget expected to top $2,000 for the first time. This is a rise of 23% since the beginning of the decade, in 2010. Total vacation spending in the USA is expected to top $101.7 billion, a new record.

Those are some of the findings from the annual Vacation Confidence Index survey conducted each year by Allianz Global Assistance travel insurance company. In conjunction with Ipsos Public Affairs, they have been polling American consumers by telephone for a decade now, giving them a year-by-year comparison of spending, vacation time taken, and confidence that they will take a vacation this year or not.

Here at Luxury Latin America, we tend to attract readers that are 100% confident about getting away since most of our readers take several international trips per year. Our readers are not average, however, since the survey depressingly found that more than a third of respondents had not taken a vacation in two years and half hadn't taken one in a year.

Vacation Confidence is Up

The ones who are enjoying that much-needed getaway are in more of a spending mood this year, however, probably thanks in part to an unemployment rate that has been dropping every year since 2012. Whether it's for family vacations in the US or honeymoons in Costa Rica, those who are taking their time off work are willing to make their vacation budget a little larger this year.

Back in 2010, the survey respondents' vacation budget figures averaged out to $1,653, then dropped to $1,565 in 2012, following a year where we had hit 26 straight months of job losses and 3% inflation. The figure has bounced up and down a little since then, but overall has been rising. This year's figure is up more than 5% over last year.

Besides the employment figures and a higher minimum wage in many places at the low end of the income scale, we are also seeing strong stock market gains and solid business profits in most sectors fueling the high end. You only have to look to Los Cabos to see the outcome of this: just in the past couple years we've added reviews of new Los Cabos luxury hotels from Montage, Nobu, Viceroy, Le Blanc, and the Luxury Collection, while a Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton Reserve are on the way. Real estate in Baja is booming too as buyers feel the confidence to invest in a vacation home.

In addition, fuel prices have remained relatively low in historic terms, which means more affordable gasoline for road trips and more affordable flights to far-flung lands, including in business class. Family vacation packages get a lot cheaper when jet fuel prices are low and now that Argentina and Brazil aren't charging $160 per person for a visa, it's a lot more affordable for Americans to head to those countries or Chile. The strength of the dollar has also helped, making many Latin American countries more attractive financially.

All these factors are contributing to record spending. The survey estimates "the total spend will cross the $100 billion mark for the third consecutive year in the index’s history, amounting to $101,700,000,000." See the historic results of the survey here.

Naturally, Allianz wants you to protect that vacation travel investment by getting travel insurance before you go. Or if you're taking more than one trip per year, it might make sense to just get an annual AllTrips plan like I do. You will likely spend between $125 and $450 per year depending on reimbursement limits and trip cancellation coverage, then you can travel over 12 months with real confidence that you've got back-up no matter what happens.

How about you? Has your vacation budget gone up this year? Are you feeling more confident about taking the time off that you deserve?

This post is made possible by the sponsorship of our travel insurance partner Allianz Global Assistance (AGA Service Company) and we have received financial compensation via an ongoing advertising relationship. As always, all thoughts and opinions are our own.

The post The American Vacation Budget Tops $2,000 This Year appeared first on Luxury Latin America Blog.

[destinyhixon-blog]

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[destinyhixon-blog]

What do you get when you mix a Hollywood legend, a Japanese celebrity chef, and the top luxury travel destination in the Americas? That would be the long-anticipated opening of Nobu Hotel Los Cabos, just up the coast from Cabo San Lucas.

More than a few observers have noted similarities between Mexicans and Japanese when it comes to politeness (especially in the everyday language patterns) and it's not a big leap from ceviche to sushi. Nobu Matsuhisa actually came to fame as a fusion chef mixing Japanese and Peruvian ingredients when he was working in Lima after leaving Japan. He met Robert DiNiro after eventually opening his own restaurant in Beverly Hills and the two partnered up for another Nobu in Tribeca, New York City. 

The partnership thrived and grew from there, probably well beyond the wildest dreams of either one. They now have dozens of Nobu restaurants scattered around the world. Nine hotels of the same name are open at this point, with others on the way from Sao Paulo to Chicago to Warsaw.

Few markets are as crowded with luxury lodging names than Los Cabos. Just in the past two years we've added reviews of new openings from Viceroy, Montage, Auberge Collection (Chileno Bay), and Luxury Collection (Solaz). A Ritz-Carlton Reserve and Four Seasons are both on the way in the region.

The Nobu Los Cabos manages to stand out though, with its Japanese-influenced minimalism and restaurants that are often stars of the show. This is one of the few hotels in the region where the signature restaurant may be one of the main reasons guests book here. It certainly was a highlight for our correspondent:

We start with a cup of warm sake and an entrée of edamame with spicy ponzu. It's followed by a salmon sashimi: thin slices of salmon arranged on a plate with a ginger and garlic touch, soaking in warmed sesame and olive oil. Weeks after leaving, this is a dish I crave now and then. Afterwards, a platter with fresh Tuna Nigiri and California Rolls are brought to the table, served with wasabi and soy sauce. We continue with a spinach salad with dry miso, truffle oil and parmesan cheese, then soft Black Atlantic Cod with miso inside a lettuce leaf, eaten with the hands in just a few bites; it's small but full of flavor.

This is just one of several excellent restaurants on site though and you can be sure you'll be eating the freshest ingredients the chefs are able to source at the distant tip of this desert peninsula.

The Nobu is 4.5 miles up the Pacific Coast from Cabo San Lucas, near the Diamante golf course designed by Tiger Woods, on a stretch of beach where there are more housing developments than hotels. The waves are too rough for swimming, so you'll probably spend more time kicking back by one of the four swimming pools with an artistic-looking cocktail in hand.

The 200 rooms are spacious and well-equipped, including 65-inch TVs, Japanese tea sets, robes, double vanities, and Nature Bisse products in the baths. All have showers and separate teak soaking tubs. Some face the golf course, while others have some kind of view of the water, which in winter may include whales swimming by. Several categories of suites offer upgrade options.

See more photos and our detailed review of Nobu Los Cabos Hotel.

The post Nobu Hotel Los Cabos: a Bit of Japan Comes to Baja appeared first on Luxury Latin America Blog.

[destinyhixon-blog]

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