By Rosy Alvarez
In Cabo San Lucas, rugged mountain landscapes are wrapped around the turquoise-blue Sea of Cortés and enveloped in temperate desert air. Here the sun hardly stops shining, making it an idyllic escape for any time of year.
Upon entering the Las Ventanas Al Paraíso resort, guests are welcomed with a glass of a specialty foamy margarita, panoramic views of the turquoise ocean, and crisp white adobe architecture brightened by colorful tile and stonework. The resort, which is part of the Rosewood collection of properties, is serene and instantly evokes the feeling of seclusion on a private island, which makes sense since Las Ventanas Al Paraíso sits on the very tip of the Baja California Sur peninsula. Where many places that boast serenity are usually a trek from the nearest town, Las Ventanas is both serene and conveniently located only 25 minutes away from both the towns of Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo.
The popular Rosewood location first opened in 1997 and has since become the number one destination in the region. There’s an endless list of amenities that make this location special, but a popular one is that Las Ventanas Al Paraíso is one of the few resorts of its caliber to have a Department of Romance, where experts assist guests with curating ultra romantic experiences for weddings, engagements, anniversaries, or anything else imaginable. There are 84 suites, villas, and residences in total, the latter which include private infinity pools. The property has also been thoughtfully updated with multi-room suites for multi-generational families who enjoy traveling together. Even when the resort is at capacity, Las Ventanas feels like a secret escape, like the one place on earth no one knows about. This is possible in part by underground tunnels that allow staff to move through the property unnoticed.
The entire property was designed by local Mexican architects and every suite features an architectural custom bed frame and decorative stone headboard pattern, paired with custom built-in side tables that are hand-painted with patterned artwork local to the region. There is a conscious effort to incorporate artisanal Mexican craftsmanship, every piece of art in each room is commissioned from local artists and the selection of spirits include local tequilas and mezcals. All suites feature butler service, spacious living areas, wood-burning fireplaces, and depending on your mood, the option to have the room scented with aromatic oils.
The reigning star of Las Ventanas Al Paraíso accommodations is the exclusive and ultra luxe 7,800 squarefoot, two-bedroom Ty Warner Mansion, which features a separate dining area, cinema, private pool, and rooftop terrace. Usually reserved for honeymoons or weddings, the mansion offers every single amenity and service found throughout the resort with the added privacy of the mansion.
While Las Ventanas may feel laid-back throughout the day, it comes alive in the evening where guests encounter buzzing dining rooms across the resort’s five restaurants. The most popular reservation in the resort is at Alebrije, where Michelin Star chef Matteo Temperini hosted a temporary pop-up as chef in-residence of Las Ventanas to share special dishes that are typically enjoyed at Castiglion del Bosco in Tuscany, a sister Rosewood location where Temperini is based. The star ingredient of Temperini’s specially curated menu is black truffle and is perfectly complemented by Las Ventanas’ resident sommelier Genevieve Rioux, who has been with the Las Ventanas family for six years and masterfully selected every single bottle of wine found in the resort’s private dining room, La Cava. A tasting experience with Rioux will change the way you think about and consume spirits.
Temperini’s four-course menu is elegantly minimal. A thoughtful balancing act of light and dark, hearty and delicate, these themes are consistent throughout all three courses. Starters include a refined antipasti selection of lobster carpaccio, king prawns, and mozzarella antipasti which burst with citrus flavors like grapefruit, caramel, and lemon as well as a creamy homemade tagliolini topped with black truffle. The second course features the catch of the day accompanied by spring onions, blueberries, and goat milk, balancing sweet flavors with tart. The beef sirloin option is perfectly tender, juicy, and paired with garden vegetables, capers, and garlic green sauce, highlighting the freshness of the sirloin cut while also satisfying any foodie with an appetite. For dessert, the Montalcino honey parfait accompanied by spelled risotto and pollen goes head-to-head with a rich crunchy tart paired with a cup of espresso. While Temperini’s residency at Las Ventanas may be temporary, he leaves behind the dishes from the winter pop-up for guests to enjoy year-round.
There are plenty of places to enjoy a delicious dinner if Alebrije is all booked up like Arbol, which specializes in South Asian cuisine. Just like its name, the restaurant is decorated with bare trees that carry small lanterns on each branch, creating a gentle glow throughout the outdoor section of the restaurant. Arbol has an expansive menu with something to accommodate every kind of eater, but the standouts were the chicken curry and the wagyu stir fry.
Sea Grille is another popular restaurant in the resort where seafood lovers can enjoy what the Cabo region truly specializes in. The grilled octopus is prepared to perfection and is paired with potato puree and herbed flatbread stuffed with capers. They also offer fresh ceviche and traditional Mexican cuisine options for those hoping to enjoy local eats. Throughout the day, guests can take a break from lounging to enjoy fresh tacos, sake, and sushi at a sashimi bar, lunch from Sea Grille by the pool, and so much more.
When dinner is over, guests receive a mysterious letter that is sealed to protect the special code inside of it. This code is your key to enter La Botica, the speakeasy that boasts beautifully crafted cocktails, dance performances, and live music featuring Las Ventanas’ first artist in residence, Rosalía de Cuba. After a night of imbibing and dancing, guests can pick up late-night tacos on their way out of the speakeasy.
Adventurous travelers can arrange any number of excursions and activities. Las Ventanas is able to reserve private cabaña experiences, golf outings, tennis games in their private courts, horseback riding on the beach, desert excursions by Jeep or Hummer, scuba diving, windsurfing, kayaking, and even schedule an outing to Cabo San Lucas or a boat trip to see the region’s famous arches. The resort is home to a state-of-the-art fitness center where you can book a private class or workout at your leisure, as well as a spa that can arrange en-suite massages. You name it and Las Ventanas can make it happen.
With 350 days of sunshine, perfectly arid air, the smell of the sea, and the gentle caress of the sun, there’s hardly a bad time to visit Las Ventanas Al Paraíso. While there are a number of Rosewood locations internationally, each one retains its own personality reflective of the city and region it’s located in, which makes it feel less like a chain and more like a new adventure–without sacrificing 5-star service. A vacation at Las Ventanas Al Paraíso offers visitors incomparable hospitality and endless possibilities.
