Opposite a golf course, between the Casa del Mar and the Melia Cabo Real, this upscale property makes a statement from the moment of arrival.
The lack of signage makes it clear that if one does not know how to get here, one does not belong here. Exclusivity is part of the appeal of this exotic desert resort, where pool boys spritz sunbathers with Evian spring water, ballboys chase after tennis balls and clean sunglasses, and pets enjoy their own spa treatments. Personal butlers cater to all guest rooms regardless of size.
The palapa reception area shows a lively design incorporating small waterfalls, fountains, reflecting pools, stone retaining walls, a stone bridge and four pools. Telescopes are set up for watching passing whales.
The oceanview restaurant, simply called The Restaurant, serves all meals and competes with the C at the One & Only Palmilla for the rank of top hotel restaurant in Los Cabos. Its menu is a mix of Mediterranean and Mexican dishes.
The Sea Grill, catering largely to the pool and bar crowd, serves lunch and dinner from 10 am to 10 pm in an oceanview setting at the water's edge. Private dining on the beach is popular, especially among honeymooners. A special table is set up right on the sand, and for an extra $200, a bonfire is lit as well.
A tequila and ceviche bar is one of the hotel's most popular features, and guests with a more sensitive palate can quench their thirst in the more than 2,400-bottle wine cellar. Even diners can partake in the wine experience by booking a table in La Cava and being surrounded by the hotel's cellar.
The spa features eight treatment rooms and a sand pavilion on the beach. The gym provides cardiovascular machines, free weights and steam rooms, and attendants hand out cool damp towels while guests work out.
The gracefully curved infinity pool overlooks the ocean, and guests reclining on the cushioned lounge chairs under canvas parasols are supplied with personal iPods or small TVs, chilled bottled water and lemon-scented washcloths. The resort's oceanfront setting inspires fishing, diving, sailing, kayaking, sailboarding and yachting (although swimming in the rough water is not an option).
An independently run Robert Trent Jones, Sr., golf course is next to the premises, and a fitness center and two lighted, recently renovated tennis courts are on-site. The property's luxury tennis program provides world-class pros and even staffers to chase and clean balls upon request.
Function rooms, one of the few places here without ocean views, are designed for small conferences of up to 36 people, though receptions of up to 60 can be hosted. Wireless Internet access is available throughout the property without charge, and two computer stations offer guests e-mail access.
Although all accommodations are called suites, only luxury suites have separate bedrooms, and their sitting areas are in fact just furnished balconies. The majority of units are studios. All feature artistic decor, Conchuela limestone floors, air conditioning, terra-cotta wood-burning fireplaces, cable TVs, dual-line phones with voice mail and data ports, CD and DVD players, king or two queen beds, welcome tequila, minibars, complimentary wireless high-speed Internet, safes, irons, ironing boards and hair dryers.
The pebble inlay of the floors is repeated in the headboards, and baths display hand-painted ceramics. Baths sport marble floors, bottled water, sumptuous bath sheets, deluxe toiletries, magnifying mirrors and hair dryers.
Gardenview rooms are huge, measuring 960 sq ft, and feature marble showers and private patios. Oceanview rooms cost 25% more for better dead-on views of the crashing surf, and another 10% jump in price bumps guests up to the prized choice for those that can afford it, Oceanview Rooftop Terrace rooms, which feature large terraces, telescopes and whirlpools on private patios.
Also available are oceanview and oceanfront one-bedroom suites, which come with private infinity-edge pools or whirlpools. Unlike those at the Twin Dolphin, units here have phones with data ports and TVs with DVD players. Former residences have been converted into two- and three-bedroom suites, and spa suites come with saunas and in-room treatments offered.
Housekeeping is top-notch, and room service delivers 24 hours a day. Turndown service arrives nightly and replenishes the bowl of fresh fruit regularly. Pets are welcomed with their own menu including the option to hire a dogwalker or order Fido's own private cabana.
Las Ventanas has been described as "relentlessly romantic," so single travelers be forewarned. Most package deals and special services at the resort cater specifically to couples and honeymooners thanks to the new Director of Romance Services who will do anything from delivering hand-written love letters or floating them in a bottle while guests dine on the beach. Rose petals are even scattered on guest beds in the shape of a heart.
Those traveling to Las Ventanas alone may feel a bit self-conscious.
