Between sea and sky in marvellous Mexico

At the dramatic entrance to Esperanza, a hotel perched on cliffs at the southernmost tip of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico, three whale tails rise majestically from a lagoon. The life-size bronze sculptures represent species most often seen feeding in the sun-drenched Sea of Cortez: blue, grey and humpback. 

Thousands make the pilgrimage here throughout the year, which explains why the resort’s rocky promontory in Los Cabos is called Punta Ballena, or ‘Whale Point’. My husband and I were still checking in at the hotel reception, an open-air courtyard with panoramic views of the ocean, when we spotted the tell-tale spray. A member of staff immediately produced binoculars and, sure enough, there was a pod of humpbacks breaching a few hundred yards offshore. As they raised their fins above the water, it was as though they were waving to us.

The ocean vistas are one of the many elements that make Esperanza so magical. Mexico’s Baja peninsula is among the longest in the world, stretching more than 750 miles from the Californian border to Los Cabos, a 20-mile stretch of coast between the two towns of Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo. Just over two hours by plane from LA, the region has transformed from a sleepy fishing community into a go-to destination for Hollywood stars. George Clooney and Oprah Winfrey are regular visitors, while Jennifer Aniston reportedly refers to it as her ‘happy place’. There’s a lot to love: 350 days of sunshine a year, world-class hotels, and a captivating landscape where desert dotted with cacti culminates in caramel-coloured cliffs that plummet to the sea.

Esperanza enjoys a spectacular position on an ancient bluff overlooking two private coves, so that nearly every room has a view of the water. Our villa was vast. As well as two ensuites, a living room with a play-tent pitched for our small children and a kitchen equipped with a more impressive selection of appliances than my own, the highlight was a jade-green plunge pool on our garden terrace. The villa’s personal butler José had barely introduced himself before our two young daughters leaped in. While they splashed among the agave plants, José handed my husband and me a pair of spicy mango margaritas and talked us through the hotel amenities.

The list of activities seemed endless: playing golf, diving, desert-driving, ziplining, stargazing, painting, pottery-making, tequila-tasting… And that’s if you have spare time between frequenting the four restaurants, five swimming pools and spa. We would begin our mornings by meandering through the grounds to the signature restaurant Cocina del Mar, to be confronted with baskets of just-baked croissants, an open kitchen with chefs cooking eggs to order and a rainbow selection of freshly squeezed juices. We’d then hail a golf cart to a pool and, after that, one of the restaurants.

Our favourite was Las Estrellas, a collection of turquoise lagoons next to a vine-covered pergola serving wood-fired pizzas. There was also La Palapa, complete with an infinity pool that appeared to drop off into the ocean and a swim-up bar where we enjoyed an evening of Mexican wine-tasting with the hotel’s sommelier.

Esperanza is fortunate to have one of the only private beaches on the peninsula. We spent one afternoon reading under the fronds of a beach palapa—a two-storey hut with a daybed, hammock and, if requested, an acoustic concert. (We didn’t take advantage of the latter but were treated to a Jack Johnson medley performed for the couple nextdoor) As our shadows started to stretch across the sand, a bonfire was set up and we toasted s’mores filled with marshmallows that matched the blush pink of the sunset. 

On another day, we hired a car to explore the local countryside and drove west towards Land’s End (also known as El Arco), a spectacular collection of rocks that signify the point where the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific Ocean meet. These granite monuments have been worn down over 30 million years to create a natural arch, which at low tide is surrounded by an idyllic sliver of white sand. We rented paddle boards and floated in El Arco’s shadow as flocks of pelicans soared overhead. The arch’s jagged curve reminded me of Durdle Door on the Jurassic Coast—except Dorset doesn’t also boast a coral reef teeming with tropical fish (one of only three on North America’s west coast) and a resident colony of sea lions. As some of the more inquisitive animals approached, we dived into the turquoise shallows to swim with them. Some came so close that their tails brushed our legs as they whipped past.

Back on land, we headed east to San José del Cabo, the quieter of the two peninsular towns, inviting with its 18th-century cathedral and cobbled streets adorned with colourful murals, flags and festoon lights. On Thursday evenings from November to June, the town’s many galleries stay open late to entice collectors. We particularly loved the abstract work of the painter and sculptor Frank Arnold, a Cabo resident. The blues in his painting -'Looking Man' were reminiscent of the water from which we had just emerged.

On our final evening at Esperanza, we returned to Cocina del Mar. This extraordinary restaurant hugs the cliff edge of Punta Ballena to such an extent that our table seemed to defy gravity. We dined on grilled oysters with Oaxacan chilli butter, aged-beef tartare and shrimps slick with black garlic chimichurri as waves caressed the rocks below our feet. Gazing out at the moon’s reflection on the water, I saw another familiar tail. A few seconds later, a fin emerged as the whale rolled beneath the surf. This time, I couldn’t resist waving back.

This piece originally appeared in Harper's UK print edition

Feature and sq image credits: esperanzaauberge/Instagram