THE DESIGN of NIZUC Resort & Spa, occupying a coastal enclave south of Cancun on Mexico’s east coast, comes from the stable of Jean-Míchael Gathy, one of the major players in the ultra-luxury hotel design business. If your sense of luxury demands a sense of space, privacy and exclusivity, then this is it.
The suites are gloriously spacious and the earthy hues of the resort work with basic elements – water, air, fire and stone – to create an aesthetic that favours simplicity over extravagance; Cancun without the commotion. Colour and light is inseparable from the experience of being in Mexico and the sea and natural greenery of trees and plants are always a presence at NIZUC.
NIZUC Resort & Spa
Swimming pools and non-motorised sports – snorkelling, zayaking and kayaking – are freely available and there is yoga as well as an ESPA-branded Spa, the first of its kind in the Mexican Caribbean. The beach, effectively a private one, is not wide but sandy.
Of the many restaurants, Ramona hits the spot with Mexican fine dining while Peruvian dishes will delight at tables facing the sea in Ni. At Terra Nostra, a wood-fuelled oven indicates an Italian influence and the food pairs naturally with wines from one of the oldest wineries in Mexico, Bodegas de Santo Tomás. Be intrigued at breakfast in Café de la Playa with a quesadilla that includes a Mexican delicacy, huitlacoche.
Poolside at Grand Velas Boutique Hotel Los Cabos
Custom-curated luxury is also found on the west coast of Mexico, at the southern end of the Baja California peninsula, at the adult-only, all-inclusive Grand Velas Boutique Hotel Los Cabos. The setting for the tasting menu at one of the restaurant is exquisite: subdued colours, passive lighting and food applauded as ‘Mexican at its heart’ by Michelin (awarding it one of their stars). The menu’s drink pairings may come as a surprise. Mexico’s wine production is less than 5% of Italy’s, but there are some exceptional Sauvignon blancs from Bodegas Magoni in Baja California’s Valle de Guadalupe.
It makes sense to want to experience all of the restaurants but calls on your time include relaxing at the infinity pool, gazing at the shimmering ocean, grabbing a caffeine fix at Bar 51, attending cooking classes, tequila tastings, surrendering to in-room dining and, of course, bodily indulgences at the spa. Whatever treatments you book at the spa, a visit begins with a wellness procedure that brings you though a sauna, steam room, ice room and a jacuzzi.
The entrance to the spa at The Montage Los Cabos
The Montage Los Cabos, another out-of-this-world resort and only fifteen minutes away, is so attractively landscaped and caters so well for your needs that any visit to the nearby and very touristic town, San José Del Cabo, is going to disappoint.
At The Montage, a meal at the Mediterranean-style Marea Patio, with lapping waves from the Sea of Cortez only metres away, will have you feeling you’ve been transported to a small island in the Aegean. Or, if Thailand was your holiday utopia before discovering Mexico, dinner at the resort’s Talay restaurant will conjure up a Thai hideaway with coloured lamps dangling from trees.
Talay began life as a pop-up but, as the only place offering good Thai food on the peninsula, its popularity has earned it permanent residency without losing its informality. For a strong reminder that you are not in Greece or Thailand, the Agave Experience at the hotel introduces Mexico’s signature drinks – tequila and mezcal – plus lesser-known specialities like agave-distilled bacanora; less smoky than other mezcals, it is only produced in the state of Sonora.
The Montage Los Cabos
Whale-watching trips are a big draw on the peninsula, but if you are there out of their season, dawn kayaking at The Montage allows witnessing aggregations of mobula rays as they form vast schools near the shoreline. All year round, the most popular trip is out to the arch, a granite rock formation at the very end of the peninsula, the point where the Sea of Cortez meets the Pacific and pterodactyl-like brown pelicans swoop overhead.
These three hotels are magnificent for getting out of the fray. They share a respect for seclusion and combine this with an unparalleled range of activities and amenities, enthralling cuisines from around the world, especially Mexico, and impeccable attentiveness.
by Sean Sheehan
All three hotels belong to the Legend Collection, the highest category of Preferred Hotels & Resorts, the world’s largest independent hotel brand; for details and booking, see preferredhotels.com/collections/legendary-hotels