Not to toot my own horn, but I’ve stayed in my fair share of luxury hotels… but few places have pulled together comfort, aesthetics, ambiance, and hospitality quite like Hotel San Cristóbal. This latest edition to Bunkhouse Group’s collection of hotels is the perfect place to escape reality for a bit. The 32-room sanctuary is situated on basically a private beach between Todos Santos and El Pescadero. Once you’re there, its hard to find an excuse to leave… all of the food is amazing, there’s a large c-shaped pool fully equipped with two hot tubs, and the atmosphere in general is just so damn relaxing. For the aesthetically inclined, their attention to detail is spot-on… from all of the custom-made tile, perfectly considered landscaping, and the small details in the rooms. Even the music circulating throughout the grounds is exactly what I would have wanted to listen to had I put headphones in my ears. If you ever have the pleasure to visit this place, before you even go to your room, do yourself a favor and sit by the pool and get an order of their to-die-for ceviche and a cocktail and take a second to soak in the magic of this place.

I’ll be honest… I’m a bit of an asshole when it comes to coffee. I’m one of those people that travels with my own mobile coffee kit and beans so that I’m not stuck drinking the sludge that many places serve. However, all of that became unnecessary once I discovered Baja Beans… a friendly coffee shop tucked off a back road in El Pescadero. Not simply a coffee shop… they roast their own beans, which are sourced from the mountains of Mexico. Surrounded by farmland and with an expansive patio of outdoor seating, this is a nice spot to spend your morning. Everything you’d want from a place serving quality coffee… without the fuss or pretention.

Driving through Pescadero and Todos Santos, the roadsides are littered with taco stands. It’s kind of like a choose your own adventure game… if you aren’t in the know you could end up praying to the porcelain god afterwards, or with the best taco you’ve ever had. Not wanting to play taco roulette, I decided to ask a local where the best spot for a street taco was and he instantly said Carnitas Puro Michoacan in Pescadero. I probably never would have stopped by this unsuspecting little place on my own accord, so damn am I glad I asked for a recommendation. They serve one thing and one thing only… mouth watering, fork tender, pork tacos. A woman works a pile of pork onto a tortilla from a large slab of perfectly marinated meat, and you are given a range of salsas and vegetables to top your taco with. Just be careful… they are addicting.

When you think about drinking in Mexico, people’s minds probably go straight to margaritas. Which is fine… who doesn’t love a good margarita? However, if you want to be a little more sophisticated with your drink choices, you need to find yourself so good mezcal to sip on. And the best place to do that is at El Refugio Mezcaleria. Situated in basically a small house in Todos Santos, this little place packs a punch. They have a selection of a wide range of mezcals to choose from, all of which you would never be able to find outside of Mexico. And even though they served it to you in a shot glass… don’t you dare shoot it, this firewater is meant to be sipped. And if you decide to put down a flight of mezcals are worried about finding your way back to your hotel… they serve absolutely incredible authentic pre-Hispanic cuisine that will definitely help sober you up a bit.

I’m sure you’ve heard the term “farm to table” thrown around by so many restaurants trying to hop on this food trend bandwagon.  Well Hierbabuena in El Pescadero puts anyone else claiming that practice to shame. This little pizza spot surrounded by the gardens they pull all of their produce from provides the most quintessential alfresco dining experience. They serve a variety of options beyond pizza… but do yourself a favor and just order a pie cooked in their proper stone pizza oven on some of the best dough I’ve tasted. This spot is literately a breath of fresh air.

I think I’ve had dreams about driving down a dirt road and happening upon a pristine bowl that no one was skating. Well in Pescadero that dream came true. Drive down a random, bumpy dirt road and you end up at this skatepark complete with a massive bowl, a cradle, and rails… definitely not what you would expect in this tiny little beach town. When I rolled up there was only one person pushing around, Jose, a local who happened to also be a bartender at my hotel. If you want to find this hidden gem just ask any of the locals and I am sure they will point you in the right direction.