Five-star resorts of every configuration are spread across the tip of the Baja California peninsula like bougainvillea, from San Jose del Cabo to Los Cabos, Loreto, and La Paz. Just outside Todos Santos and El Pescadero, the Kimpton Mas Olas Resort and Spa stands alone. The most visually striking thing about the resort is that its architecture doesn’t follow any familiar design tropes such as “beach house” or “hacienda.”

Mas Olas, which translates to “more waves,” has a distinctive ambiance credited to founder Lisa Harper, a mover-and-shaker in fashion retail. Needing a break from the fast-paced industry at one point, she bought a plot of land–a former poblano chile farm built in 1938. She had it transformed into a retreat to surf, relax, and do a little less moving. Her sanctuary, and friends’ reaction to it, led to the formation of a 12-room boutique property that opened in 2009. Over time, it grew into a sustainability-and-wellness-focused luxury resort with 103 rooms reflecting Harper’s desire to reconnect with nature–but in a more refined context.

Mexican architect Alejandra Templeton of Los Cabos-based firm Indigo Añil accomplished this by building out from the original structure through 30 acres with an indoor/outdoor blurring aesthetic. Clean geometric lines, neutral hues, and rich textures allow lodgings to blur into the desert surroundings while offsetting the ocean and tropical greenery. The upgraded incarnation of Mas Olas, which opened in 2024, includes the 25,000-square-foot Botanicá Spa, a spotless fitness center, a secluded lap pool, and an airy room for its wonderful, all-level yoga and other fitness classes. Its landscaping, outdoor waiting, and relaxation areas replace routine solariums, giving it a separate identity from the rest of the property.

Special craft classes are offered to encourage one to create meaningful souvenirs to bring back home, giving the Mas Olas-specific spa experience to everyday life. In a delightful apothecary within the Botanicá Spa adjoining the manicure/pedicure salon, one can sign up to create a spa body lotion, intention candle, garden-fresh smoothies, DIY mosquito repellent, and hand-milled soap.

Mas Olas earns additional credibility as a wellness property through its nine interconnected gardens, two farms, and a citrus orchard with a solar farm and more farming plots in the works. Behind the scenes, there’s a water-bottling plant created in partnership with environmentalist Paul Hawken, dark sky lighting, and a desalination plant. A sea turtle hatchery, tropical bird sanctuary, and a network of walking, hiking, and biking trails add to the sustainability proposition, while fitness activities and workshops on the property add to the environmentally conscious luster.

Throughout the adults-only resort, the founder’s intention and vision run through the entire 30 acres through the art, sculpture, bedding, linens, tiles, and furnishings indoors and out. Some suites boast large, circular hammocks on the roof that provide a full 360-degree view of the ocean and mountains. The villas have patios with plunge pools guaranteeing full privacy with clever landscaping yet also look out to the sea. Their slightly sunken living rooms and bathrooms with indoor and outdoor showers echo the landscape outside.

All rooms have beautiful home-y touches, wall art, and appointments that reflect the interior designers were not influenced by trends yet took care to ensure the spaces have a modern sensibility and respect for the local culture. Other extras include coffees and teas made expressly for the property, roomy closets and storage, and bathroom amenities formulated with botanicals harvested from some of the nine hotel gardens overseen by Executive Chef Sandro Falbo, a.k.a. “the vegetable whisperer of Baja.” On the other hand, televisions and other electronics are conspicuously absent, ensuring a guest’s focus remains on the area’s natural attributes.

With the food and beverage program, one could intuit that if Harper is this production’s original producer and director, Rome, Italy-native Falbo is a breakout star. That said, his work is enhanced by his young and energetic supporting cast at restaurants Botánica, Centro Café, and Kahal. He is also quick to point out that chickens, goats, and bees raised on the property contribute to its commitment to only using locally sourced meat, eggs, and honey. Throughout the property, locally produced craft beers and wines are showcased while cocktails are executed in a farm-to-table way and integrate citrus and herbs grown in the gardens.

Centro Café offers elevated versions of resort poolside staples such as fish, carne asada, and chicken tinga tacos served with spicy, hand-crafted salsa that are clearly not mass-produced. Breakfasts are also satisfying, though locally inspired dishes like the enchiladas are lighter yet substantial in flavor. Botánica, open (days, hours) offers visual and sensory parity with the property’s spa, with its impressive and flavorful offerings of salads with produce components regularly harvested from Falbo’s beloved ethnobotanical garden with native plants and biodiverse arroyo garden. While there’s plenty to delight plant-based palates, omnivores will appreciate the Mayan-inspired underground oven in which barbacoa meats are slow-roasted. Given that oven and Falbo’s background, the menu also includes hand-wrought pasta and pizza, with an assist from master pizzaiolo Daniel Sanchez.

Falbo stirs up serious alchemy at Kahal with his kitchen team and influences from his past culinary posts in Asia, Europe, Africa, and North America. A rotating offering of dishes with regional influences from Baja to Oaxaca leaves no doubt he can deftly tread the line between Mexican authenticity and international influences. His past experiences at top properties in Asia shine through in his bespoke “Eleven Eleven” dinner extravaganza with eleven genre-defining courses showcasing fresh fish and seafood.

Nearby Todos Santos has a good selection of upscale restaurants, street food fare, and emporium Agricole, noted for its artisanal produce, decadent strawberries and cream, and sandwiches. While a longer stay allows time to venture into town, the heart of the resort’s raison d’etre lies in its ties with the community. For example, unlike other five-star resorts, customers from outside can make reservations at the property’s restaurants.

It is also worth taking the time during a stay to learn more about how the management partners with local organizations and leaders to ensure a positive, respectful, and mutually beneficial relationship between guests and visitors. Future development plans include building affordable housing for full-time community residents and infrastructure projects to support the region.