Mexico’s Baja California peninsula’s reputation as a sordid spring break partying scene isn’t completely undeserved. It can get wild down in Cabo San Lucas. But those in the know steer the other direction toward San Jose del Cabo, the more low-key and luxurious Baja Peninsula lifestyle destination buoyed by a vibrant local art gallery scene. The Hotel El Ganzo – a Preferred Hotels & Resorts property located at the mouth of Puerto Los Cabos – represents a Baja where art, design, and music play front and center.
Guests entering the Hotel El Ganzo will immediately note a subterranean entry, stairs leading down into the hotel’s onsite recording studio, The Underground, where live musical performances are recorded and then shared online via Hotel El Ganzo’s YouTube channel.
Artists from around the globe are invited to participate in the hotel’s artist-in-resident program, offering a week’s stay in exchange for their creative imprints in their room and across the hotel’s public spaces. Thus, the hotel is in a state of constant transformation, redefining itself with every new artist-guest.
The Hotel El Ganzo hosts 69 guestrooms and suites ranging in size from 380 square feet to a palatial 3,900 square feet. Whether the largest or coziest of quarters, every room is characterized by a bright and spacious rustic-contemporary decor and ocean views, with some rooms showing the artistic marks of the hotel’s artist-in-residence program.
An elevator to the rooftop rewards guests with not only a picturesque view of the marina and nearby private hotel beach and estuary (the hotel offers a small ferry ride over every few minutes), but also a spectacular infinity pool topped by a smaller aquarium-like pool to gaze out from.
What: Hotel El Ganzo
Where: San Jose del Cabo, Mexico
How much? Rooms from $255.00
Highlights: Situated near the Puerto Los Cabos marina and shouldered by the verdant Estero San Jose, the Hotel El Ganzo is only 20 minutes from San Jose International Airport, but it can feel a world apart from the party-on vibes of Cabo San Lucas. That’s not to say there isn’t a festive atmosphere at this art-centric boutique hotel. With its own Instagram-worthy infinity pool looking out at the azure waters, a step-down underground recording studio, a rooftop live music venue, and an ongoing artist-in-residence program, there’s plenty to paint a stay with colorful, relaxing, and worldly memories.
Design draw: The modernist hotel was designed by architect Pablo Sanchez-Navarro, but the entirety of Hotel El Ganzo is an ever-evolving canvas designed to display the artwork and installations of visiting visual and musical artists intermittently. Tip: preview the hotel’s regularly updated YouTube channel to scope out the room and artist pairing you want to stay in.
Book it: Visit the Hotel El Ganzo website