El Perdido

Style

Days of the jacales

Setting

Cactus country

El Perdido leaves the drama of Baja California Sur’s wild Pacific bluffs and uncharted mountain peaks outside. Cocooned inside this diminutive resort, days are spent in such energy-sapping diversions as devouring ripe mangoes by the pool or snoozing in the hammock out back of your thatched jacal, beers chilling in the fridge and a classic album spinning on the in-room record player. There’s mezcal, marshmallows and tequila to be had by the fire pit in the evening, while cacti-lined paths lead the ‘way to Mars’. Well, not quite, but that’s what the sign says. Instead, stargazers can get a little closer to the constellations up top of the observatory tower, while those seeking more earthly pursuits will find a huge sunken Jacuzzi concealed underneath, its water glowing an otherworldly red.

Facilities

Rooms

Seven private jacales with traditional thatched roofs.

Checkout

Noon. Check-in is at 3pm. El Perdido is very flexible on these when availability permits, and guests arriving early or departing late are welcome to use the facilities as long as the resort isn’t booked for exclusive use by a private group.

More Details

Rates include breakfast in the communal living and dining area. Tuck into Mexican classics like chilaquiles, avocado toast and pancakes laden with locally grown strawberries and mangoes, washed down with fresh juices and sweet Mexican coffee.

Also

Sociable owner Polo Perez is a regular fixture at El Perdido and will gladly challenge you to a round of ping-pong or, if you have two left hands, a cocktail in the bar.

Free Internet Access

Laundry

Pet Friendly

Pool

On-Site Restaurant

Room Service

At the Hotel

Free WiFi, games area with ping-pong, foosball and board games, sand volleyball court, use of buggies for getting to the village and beach. In rooms: kitchenette and dining area, goblet of mezcal and DIY guacamole kit on arrival, tea and coffee maker with local Café Distrito 23410 coffee, fridge with beer, milk and water (replenished daily), books, board games and vinyl records, Bluetooth Bose sound-system that pairs with the record player and your own devices. Enclosed deck and garden with bath tub, shower, hammock and telescope; bathroom with organic toiletries and mosquito repellent.

Our Favourite Rooms

All jacales at El Perdido were born equal so it’s impossible to play favourites as they’re identical in almost every detail. We’re talking rustic natural wood interiors with quirky luxury touches that include record players (complete with a collection of retro vinyl classics to spin) and an actual telescope on the deck, though the widescreen starlit skies are equally sublime when viewed from your garden bath tub. The guacamole station (with DIY kit) and welcome jug of mezcal make for excellent amuse-bouches to the Mexican feast you’ll be preparing in your kitchen later, using a basketful of fresh vegetables, fruits, herbs, leaves and other ingredients plucked from the resort’s garden and mini-market.

Poolside

The cactus-lined outdoor pool is open 24 hours. As if by some sort of desert magic, a cart laden with fresh fruit appears here every day around midday, meaning you never have to stray far from those huge day-beds to grab a handful of ripe strawberries or a refreshing wedge of sweet local papaya.

Spa

There’s no spa but therapists can be booked to visit the hotel on request, for in-room massage, facials, manicures and pedicures.

Packing Tips

Sure, there’s WiFi here, but El Perdido’s seriously off-grid vibe invites more analogue pursuits. Leave the e-reader at home and pack a couple of beat-up paperbacks instead. This is whale-watching country so there’s never been a better or more appropriate moment to get around to finishing Moby Dick. Pack flip-flops and plenty of pool wear (trust us, you’ll be using these a lot…) and a fleece for those chillier desert evenings. Oh, and don’t forget the Alka-Seltzers in case you find those mezcal and marshmallow evenings by the fire pit are still in full swing at sunrise.

Also

Competitive types can work up a sweat over a round of ping-pong or foosball in the communal living area. There’s also a sand volleyball court in the grounds.

Children

Kids are welcome (a baby cot is US$30 a night) and babysitting is $40 an hour (book 24 hours in advance). There are games, pool toys and a picnic area; staff have even been known to show little Smiths how to make lemonade using fruit from the garden.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

Sure, the restaurant is intimate, but nothing beats dinner served under starlit skies on your own private deck, with your outdoor tub and a chilled bottle of bubbly for afters.

Dress Code

Keep it casual in light linens and floaty fabrics but feel free to up the ante with bold Mexico-influenced colours: cactus greens, mezcal oranges and sunset purples for the win. A fleece should be considered essential for al fresco desert evenings.

Hotel Restaurant

Coyote is about as atmospheric a desert dining experience as you’re likely to find. Immerse yourself in this intimate restaurant’s neon-red glow as the sun sets and the night sky commences its galactic light show. Here, diners huddle over colourful cocktail apéritifs at tables set amid lofty cacti and giant boulders, awaiting great platefuls of chargrilled prawn tacos and wagyu burgers, harissa-spiced lamb wraps and wood-fired pizzas that emerge steaming from the airstream trailer that doubles as a kitchen. Open for lunch and dinner, with live music on Saturdays.

Hotel Bar

The alfresco Coyote bar is open until 10pm daily, serving up beers, wines and cocktails beneath atmospheric red neon lighting; go full native with a smoky signature Prickly Pear Mezcalita or citrusy Lime Orange.

Last Orders

The bar stays open until 10pm daily.

Room Service

The in-room menu is available from 8am to 9pm.

Planes

International flights serve airports at La Paz and San José del Cabo, both around a 70-minute drive from the hotel. Transfers can be arranged if requested at least 24 hours in advance, and the typical cost of a round-trip is around $400.

Automobiles

You’ll need your own wheels if you want to fully immerse in the region’s surreal desert landscape, all pristine beaches, soaring mountain ranges, extraterrestrial rock formations and towering saguaro cacti that point their long arms skywards. Cars are available to rent at both major airports and the atmospheric drive to El Perdido is as good a place to start your adventure as any. There’s free secure parking at the hotel.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Borrow an off-road buggy at El Perdido if you fancy taking the bumpy ride along dirt tracks to one of the nearby sandy beaches. Being a tad more perilous to access makes Playa San Pedrito the quieter local option, but Playa Los Cerritos is the more popular choice for surfers, swimmers and, well, anyone for whom heaven is sprawling on white sands with a mango in one hand and a margarita in the other. Look out for surf dudes wiping out in the wild Pacific waves. You’re also near-guaranteed a sighting of grey and/or humpback whales migrating during calving season, December to April. A reassuring lifeguard presence also makes Playa Los Cerritos a big hit with families.

You’ll need your own set of wheels for forays to the pristine beaches, whale-spotting hotspots and crazy rock formations on the peninsula’s southern tip, where the restless Pacific meets the Gulf of California. Also known as the Sea of Cortez, the gulf’s warm, sheltered waters are home to such a rich diversity of marine life – pufferfish, giant manta rays, sea turtles, even migrating blue whales – that Jacques Cousteau himself once dubbed it ‘the world’s aquarium’. In other words, if snorkelling and scuba diving are your bag, Baja has you covered. Glass-bottomed boat rides also operate around Cabo San Lucas and its ever-popular Pelican Rock.

Don’t miss some of Baja’s finest selfie opportunities: posing against the backdrop of the golden-hued El Arco sea arch erupting from the waves at Cabo San Lucas; admiring vibrant street art in the hip pueblo mágico (magic town) of Todos Santos, or seeking shade in the veritable jungle of prickly plants that is the epic Cactus Sanctuary botanical gardens, a few miles north of El Perdido towards the regional capital of La Paz.

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .