Hotel of the Week: Zadún, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Partners with Larry Ellison’s Sensei for Singular Wellness Experiences
From activities to design, the San José del Cabo, Mexico, resort celebrates the best of the Baja region’s natural bounty and traditions
The dramatic coastline of San José del Cabo, at the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula in Mexico, is a natural marvel. Crashing ocean waves, expanses of pristine beaches, and cloudless skies convene in absolute harmonious beauty. Tucked into the dunes of Puerto Los Cabos, Zadún, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, perfectly melds with the splendor of this special place where the desert meets the Sea of Cortez.
With 113 rooms and suites—including many with individual terraces and pools—the resort strikes the perfect balance between being both intimate in scale and expansive in its offerings. At Zadún, guests can experience a destination spa with programming by Sensei, multiple restaurants and bars featuring local flavors, and a robust menu of activities that celebrate the environmental bounty of the region. Accommodations situated in separate villas are tucked into the sand dunes and desert plantings featuring cacti animate the grounds that slope down to the sea.
Rooms are outfitted in a soothing palette of beiges with rough natural stone complementing expressive woods. Conceived by Mexico City-based design firm Uribe Krayer, each space is a celebration of Mexican craft with layers of handwoven textiles bringing warmth. Connecting with nature is also a major factor in the design. Vast, glass walls can be pocketed back to expose rooms to nature during the day for a full indoor-outdoor feel, while at bedtime, wooden floor-to-ceiling shutters layer on top of them for a dark, peaceful night’s rest.
The generous bath available in some rooms also offers a decadent seamless flow from indoors to out with a deep soaking tub situated inside in front of a large glass wall that encloses an expansive outdoor shower. The private terraces not only feature sculptural artworks but also really invite ordering from in-room dining and feasting there. Overall, the effect may leave some guests wondering if they’ll ever leave the room.
One excellent reason to venture out is Zadún’s extraordinary spa, which features services connected to nature, housed within a private sanctuary on the property. A lagoon-like pool offers a variety of water treatments, a special sauna is dedicated to an experience led by a shaman, along with a cold plunge and dry sauna. The spa also recently launched programming with Sensei, the well-being company founded by Larry Ellison. The tech innovator behind Oracle has teamed up with Dr. David Agus, a leading physician and scientist, to elevate the well-being space. The Sensei spa menu allows guests to add treatments and wellness assessments tailored to specific needs.
There are also many ways to indulge at Zadún—with a selection of restaurants with distinct points of view. Humo serves grilled fresh seafood and artisanal meats in the traditions of South America featuring the smoky elegance of asado along with 400-label wine cellar and over 100 different agaves. El Barrio elevates the flavors of Mexican street food with tacos, ceviches, and a kicky softshell crab sandwich. On certain nights, there’s a special menu that honors the cooking of Mexican abuelas in a family-style presentation.
For many Cabo is synonymous with world-class golf, and Zadún delivers on this front as well with Puerto Los Cabos Golf Club, a 27-hole course designed by legends Greg Norman and Jack Nicklaus. Designed as three nine-hole courses, they can be mixed and matched to form a variety of 18-hole rounds with breathtaking views of the ocean, challenging inclines, and the occasional turtle in a sand bunker.
Families with children will be thrilled to know there’s a kids club with education and conservation at its heart. Operated by Ambassadors of the Environment, a special program by Jean-Michel Cousteau, young visitors can learn how to make hot chocolate from raw beans, learn about the local wildlife, go birdwatching, study the night sky, and more.
To navigate all the property has to do, Zadún provides a private attendant known as a tosoani who is on hand to book a treatment at the spa, arrange for a private whale-watching tour, set up a tequila tasting class, or simply to just recommend the best pool for reading a good book.