Baja California, Mexico

Hotel San Cristóbal

Style

Reel Baja

Setting

Punta Lobos lookout

Just outside Todos Santos in Baja California, Hotel San Cristóbal is an art-driven ode to this Pueblo Mágico’s storied spirit. Calming hues allow coastal views to anchor contemporary rooms, with a duo of restaurants to showcase its land-and-sea bounty over wood-flamed Mexican favorites. Your Sierra de la Laguna setting and abutting beach are a paradise for hikers and surfers, but the hotel’s private beach club and pool satisfy sun-seekers all the same.

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Facilities

Photos Hotel San Cristóbal facilities

Need to know

Rooms

32, including six suites.

Check–Out

Noon, and check-in is at 3pm. Both are flexible, on request and subject to availability.

Also

Two of the Poolside King rooms have been specially adapted for guests with limited mobility; there are reserved parking spots for placard holders, and the communal areas are all accessible. However, please note that the swimming pool does not have a lift for wheelchair users.

Please note

Cosecha restaurant takes a seasonal break, opening from November to June each year.

At the hotel

Private beach club, library, boutique, open-air lounge, yoga deck, charged laundry service and free WiFi throughout. In rooms: Tivoli radio, climate control, ceiling fans, minibar, free filtered water, custom bathrobes and Laguna Cyprien bath products.

Our favourite rooms

Some ocean-facing options can be a little louder due to the water’s crashing waves, but their scenic views more than make up for the Pacific playlist on repeat. If you find your peace from silence, the Mountain View Studio King is your best bet; or, opt for a plunge pool room for easy beach access and your own spot to soak.

Poolside

Rougher waters mean this Pacific stretch draws more surfers than swimmers, but you’re welcome to float or practice your form in the hotel's heated outdoor pool whenever you please. Shading palms and parasols adorn its lounger-lined edge, and there's a yoga deck above if you prefer your stretches soaked in sunshine.

Spa

There’s no formal spa here, but the hotel’s concierge can arrange in-room massages on request, for an additional charge.

Packing tips

A penchant for tall tales — the local fishermen skippering your boat tours have quite the collection of stories.

Also

If, like us, you find yourself taken with the kaleidoscopic robes in your room, there’s a small boutique downstairs where you'll find their bright form alongside Mexican-made handicrafts.

Pet‐friendly

Up to two dogs (under 25 kilograms each) are welcome in all rooms for $25 a night, per pet. This includes a bed, bowl and selection of treats. See more pet-friendly hotels in Baja California.

Children

Hotel San Cristóbal is for over-15s only.

Sustainability efforts

Hotel San Cristóbal has been built to protect the natural environment that surrounds it with comprehensive water and waste management schemes, including greywater reliance that saves an equivalent of 360 water tanker trucks each year. You’ll be encouraged to actively engage with the land, attending hands-on workshops and educational talks with the same local fisherman and biodynamic growers that supply the hotel’s restaurants touring the organic on-site gardens; participating in bimonthly beach clean-ups, and learning about the hotel’s fundraising efforts and NGO support work.

Food and Drink

Photos Hotel San Cristóbal food and drink

Top Table

Secure yourself a coveted seat at Cosecha’s open-fire barbecue, hosted every Thursday on the beach.

Dress Code

Leave the waders and deck boots behind and embrace breezy linens instead.

Hotel restaurant

The hotel’s bordering beach has been beloved by local fishermen for centuries, and now, they’re the skilled suppliers behind Michelin-recognized restaurant Benno. Dishes depend on the season and waters, but you're guaranteed favorites like oysters, dorado, yellowtail and octopus, marinated in zaatar and spices, tossed through salads and risottos, and grilled in smoky house sauces by head chef Jorge Cuadros.

The second restaurant (open November to June) — Cosecha — shifts its focus to the land, where you’re invited to pick your way through the organic gardens, before sampling its yield in citrusy salads, seasonal soups and tortilla-paired dips. Breakfasts feature house-made granolas and perfectly fluffy pancakes, served at both restaurants throughout the week; and come Sundays, Cosecha delivers quite the final bow with brunches of huevos rancheros, steak and avocado-topped toast and caramelized puff pastries. 

Hotel bar

You’ll find time is a construct at the Pool Bar, where refreshing cocktails, tacos and quesadillas start flowing from mid-morning until early evening. As the sun starts to set, Benno’s Bar takes the baton with small-batch mezcals and Mexican-made beers. 

Last orders

Benno and Cosecha both serve breakfast 7am–10.30am and dinner 5pm–10pm; the latter also does brunch every Sunday from 10am to 2pm. The Pool Bar is open between 10am and 8pm.

Room service

Available during the restaurants’ opening hours.

Location

Photos Hotel San Cristóbal location
Address
Hotel San Cristóbal
Playa Punta Lobos Carretera Federal 19 Km 54+800
Todos Santos
23300
Mexico

Between the Punta Lobos shoreline and Sierra de la Laguna mountains, Hotel San Cristóbal is perfectly perched on Mexico’s Baja California peninsula just outside the small town of Todos Santos.

Planes

Los Cabos International Airport is in San José del Cabo and your nearest landing strip; private transfers can be arranged at an additional cost for the 75-minute drive. Alternatively, there’s a slightly smaller international airport in La Paz, which is a 90-minute drive away.

Automobiles

Todos Santos itself is walkable but fairly small, so you’ll need a car for further-afield adventures. There’s a carpark on-site, just be sure to let reception know in advance if you’re bringing wheels as spots are limited.

Worth getting out of bed for

Hotel San Cristóbal’s coveted locale between land and sea means adventure is aplenty. Gather your bearings by hiking and biking around Sierra de la Laguna’s sprawling trails; or allow locals to guide you, with fishing trips, horseback rides and coastal runs. Cooking classes are hosted back at base, balanced by garden tours, poolside games and rooftop yoga sessions. Water babies here for the world-class breaks will find their flow at nearby Punta Lobos, or out at Los Cerritos and San Pedrito. And for those seeking a slower pace, Todos Santos’ cobbled streets, artisan shops and historic haciendas are well worth a wander.

Local restaurants

Just north of La Pastora, The Green Room’s beachfront setting (and occasional whale sighting) makes its seafood-focused offerings and salty margaritas all the more alluring. Family-run Tre Galline has earnt star status in Todos Santos for home-cooked Italian classics and an intimate atmosphere. Despite its setting inside the town’s old sugar mill, there’s nothing sweet about menus at Osytera, where over 10 varieties of the prized shellfish anchor elevated coastal classics. 

Local cafés

Expertly crafted coffees and pastries aren't all that attract locals to Taller 17 — this dynamic spot doubles up as an exhibition space for Baja’s up-and-coming artists. Just around the corner from its creative counterpart, El Iconico Café has a more traditional feel but serves a no-less-impressive selection of blends and breakfast bites. 

Reviews

Photos Hotel San Cristóbal reviews

Anonymous review

Every hotel featured is visited personally by members of our team, given the Smith seal of approval, and then anonymously reviewed. As soon as our reviewers have returned from this intimate hotel near Todos Santos and told their stories of the sea, a full account of their Mexican break will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside Hotel San Cristóbal in Baja California…

Todos Santos has something of a bewitching beauty — so much so that it’s earnt star status as one of Mexico’s Pueblo Mágicos. But a little beyond its borders, along a particularly scenic stretch of Punta Lobos, Hotel San Cristóbal casts an enchanting spell of its own.

You might not notice its shell-white walls at first; working fishermen and award-winning Pacific breaks command something of a presence along these golden sands. But step inside and you’ll find an abundance of color that echoes Baja’s exuberant spirit, from brightly woven blankets and hand-stamped tiles to art-adorned corners. Reading nooks are framed by sketches of Frida Kahlo, restaurants serve up the day’s catch and chalkboards detail the latest line-up of adventurous activities. You’ll want for little when it comes to slower pursuits, too, with a pool, beach club, organic garden and yoga deck to flop and frolic between.