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This 18-room, luxury boutique hotel, operated by husband and wife Nathalie and Loic Tenoux, is tucked into the center of the historic Mexican village of San José del Cabo. Set opposite the town square, the hotel is European elegance transplanted into the heart of Spanish colonial Baja California.
When Señor y Señora Tenoux discovered this narrow slice of commercial real estate on San José’s main street—a two-story house with a huge garden—they were looking for a home. “In the beginning,” says Nathalie, “we thought we might open a restaurant downstairs.” (A native of Paris, and raised in France’s Bordeaux country, Loic was born into the restaurant business.)
“And then,” Nathalie says, “we thought we might add a small store and a few hotel rooms.” (She’s a native of Switzerland who came to Mexico to work for Westin Hotels.) But after they turned the concept over to a sister and brother-in-law, both architects, the project mushroomed.
Guests who walk through the glass double doors from Boulevard Mijares find themselves in a modern oasis of tropical bougainvillea, mature palm trees, waterfalls and soaking pools. The architecture is starkly modern; the hand-plastered walls tend to vivid blues and yellows. The rooms, each with its own theme, feature 12-foot ceilings, private dining terraces (with hammocks for impromptu siestas), handcrafted wood furniture from Guadalajara and original art.
The Tenouxes’ original dream of a small restaurant also came to life in Casa Natalia. The hotel’s Mi Cocina held instant rank among San José’s finer restaurants when it opened last fall. The owners describe the menu as “Mexican-Euro,” which means ambitious variations on the local cuisine—at European prices. A dinner of mushroom soup, beef fillet with potatoes au gratin and one glass of house wine at Mi Cocina costs about $50 for one, including tax and gratuity.
But in Mexico, too, you get what you pay for. And at Casa Natalia, you’re getting some of Baja’s best.
IF YOU GO: Rooms at Casa Natalia range from $180 (plus tax and service charge) in low season (June 1 to October 31) to $220 in high season (November 1 to May 31). Spa suites are $295 to $345. For reservations, dial 888-277-3814. San Diegans flying to the Los Cabos region have two nonstop options: Alaska Airlines (800-426-0333) and AeroMexico (800-237-6639). Round trip for the 2-hour flight to Los Cabos can cost $350, including hefty Mexico taxes.
—Tom Blair
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