The L-shaped rooftop infinity pool, with its all-glass Jacuzzi, may be the hottest feature of Los Cabos’ new Hotel El Ganzo. Unlike most area resorts, which overlook the beach, El Ganzo has views of a picturesque, active marina. Here, something intriguing always engages the eye — fishing boats and luxury yachts coming and going, pelicans dive-bombing for fish, sea hawks and frigate birds gliding overhead. Those views are memorable and unique, just like the hotel itself.
The 69-room El Ganzo was one of the properties most damaged by Hurricane Odile, which devastated Los Cabos in September 2014. It took more than a year before the boutique property reopened. We had loved its artistic focus before the natural disaster, so we were delighted to discover on a recent post-hurricane visit that the adults-only hotel still celebrates art and music in a big way.
And we mean big.
Every wall of the all-white hotel is a canvas upon which artists-in-residence, who are invited to stay for up to two weeks, leave their fanciful creations. There’s a giant stormtrooper from “Star Wars” painted on the roof; a colorful mural of 1950s-era bathing suit models brightens the reception area; and Rorschach test-like etchings decorate halls and guestroom walls.
A trapdoor in the main restaurant also leads down to an underground music studio, where Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash has hung out and R&B singer Allen Stone and others have recorded videos for El Ganzo’s music channel. At the end of their stay, musician guests perform a live show at the hotel.
Room categories begin with the 360-square-foot Jacuzzi, Terrace, Balcony and Ocean View Suites and range to the two-bedroom Very Large Suite. Our 760-square-foot corner Master Suite came with a distressed-wood, king-size canopy bed and an oversize balcony. All rooms and suites feature polished concrete floors, rustic wood furnishings and organic rosemary bath products.
A special activity — unique to El Ganzo — is a guided 9 a.m. complimentary bicycle ride around the Puerto Los Cabos marina. We cycled along a part-paved, part-red-sand path lined with whimsical bronze sculptures of imaginary sea creatures, past white sailboats and yachts, to the Sculpture Garden. This grassy expanse, surrounded by palm trees, showcases 11 massive stone sculptures carved on-site by Mexican surrealist artists. Next, we admired the different types of cacti in the adjacent Wirikuta Desert Botanical Garden before pedaling on to an estuary reserve. There, under towering palms, stately blue herons and white egrets fished undisturbed in the shallows.
After the energetic morning, there was only one thing to do: take a small boat to the resort’s private swimmable beach club for an afternoon of relaxation.
At dusk, we settled in the hotel’s rooftop pool bar. There, the setting sun bathed the marina in a beautiful golden light.
The Details
Hotel El Ganzo
www.elganzo.com
