We send our warmest congratulations to New York couple, Katherine & Mason, who were married on Saturday evening at Villa Santa Cruz, Boutique Hotel on the Beach, in Todos Santos, Baja Sur, Mexico. A select number of close friends and family joined them on their special day, making their wedding both intimate and elegant. They married under a palo de arco arbor lightly draped in gauzy white curtains, while being serenaded by a local Todos Santos guitarist, Tolin. Katherine looked gorgeous in her wedding dress, complete with the perfect “accessory” for a ceremony in the sand – bare feet!
Barb & Jan of Pueblo Magico Weddings brought Katherine & Mason’s wedding vision to life with this beautiful table setting in hues of purples, beautiful roses and soft candlelight.
After cocktails on the roof terrace, the wedding couple toasted their guests on the back patio under the Villa’s canopy of lights.
The Hotel California created a wedding feast for the group. Using fresh local ingredients, the menu highlights included grilled arrachera steak brochettes on rosemary skewers, chile rellenos with shrimp, scallops and cheese in a creamy dill sauce and churros for dessert.
It was a beautiful night for a beautiful couple. We wish you a lifetime of love and happiness. Felicidades!
Whether you live in Todos Santos or are just passing through on vacation, the beautiful landscapes and warm light are sure to inspire your creative side. With spectacular surroundings – the crashing surf, green mountains, unique sunsets – it is no wonder that Todos is an artist haven, home to more than 31 artists. While you should definitely tour through the many art galleries in town, one of the best ways to experience the Todos art scene is to jump right in and create your own masterpiece. Try your hand at a Paper Tile Mosaic Art class taught by well known Todos Santos artist, Nanette Hayles. In her Paper Tile Mosaic Art Class, students will learn to create a mosiac with paper tiles. Using high-end slick quality paper from magazines such as Architectural Digest, Vogue and Vanity Fair, your designs will come to life, one piece of paper at a time. With a “hands on”, step by step approach, Nanette will lead you through the entire process. This course is great for everyone – beginning and advanced artists alike (and even for novices who wouldn’t even deign to call themselves “artists”).
The class takes place in Nanette’s beautiful home/studio/garden setting. The relaxed atmosphere her home offers makes the creative process comfortable, fun and productive. During the class, you’ll have ample opportunity to get to know Nanette, learn about her life as an artist and ask questions about what life is like as an artist in Todos Santos. Whether you participate in a full day class (9am to 5pm), or a half day class (10am to 2pm), one of the highlights of your experience will be the delicious lunch that Nanette personally prepares for you. Our guests rave about her cooking! After a day spent watching your artistic vision come to life through paper tile m, you’ll be sure to have a deeper understanding about the magnetism of Todos Santos and why so many artists have made it their home. You can arrange the class through Villa Santa Cruz, or contact Nanette directly at nehayles@gmail.com.
N.E. Hayles in Studio More Details: – Pricing: $1,200 pesos for all day session; $700 pesos for half day session (both with lunch). – Classes include materials except magazines, please bring four. – Minimum 2 participants, Maximum 8 participants. – Visit the N.E. Hayles website at https://www.nehayles.com/ More Information about N.E. Hayles: Artist N.E. Hayles has lived in Todos Santos, Mexico since 1990 and has exhibited works in the United States, Japan and Mexico for over 25 years. With degrees from the University of California at Santa Barbara and U.C. Berkeley in social sciences and education, she is a self taught artist and a master of the paper tile mosaic. Her art has been on display in the Galería de Todos Santos for a number of years and is currently displayed in her own gallery in Todos Santos. Known for her unique paper tile mosaics, her pieces range from small to large format. They are available as commissions, originals, Nash Limited Edition Iris Prints, Epson Archival Prints, posters and postcards and cover such varied art themes as portraits, angels, florals, landscapes, seascapes, abstracts, architectural interiors and exteriors. In addition to working in paper tile mosaics, N.E. Hayles also works in oils, ceramics, venetian tiles and one of a kind furniture.
Sushi has a certain mystère that makes it feel impossible to master at home. So many unknowns are involved….how do you work with seaweed? how do you make that perfect sticky rice? how do you it roll up tightly? what is spicy tuna? Even thinking about the practicalities of preparing sushi at home makes me throw up my hands in frustration and head to a restaurant. Luckily for our guests at Villa Santa Cruz, Boutique Hotel on the Beach, sushi is made easy through lessons put on by La Sirena Eco-Adventures, an activities company here in Todos Santos, Baja Sur, Mexico.
A few weeks ago, Villa guests Johnny, Bonnie, Robb & Barb had the good sense to partake in sushi lessons to celebrate Bonnie’s birthday. Francesca Dvorak and Ira Nevius from La Sirena came to Villa Santa Cruz, armed with all things “sushi” – knives, wasabi, siracha, seaweed paper, bamboo rollers, veggies & fish. The crew quickly got to work thinly slicing cucumbers, green onions and carrots for the sushi rolls. Ira taught the group how to properly fillet the tuna for sashimi and gave instruction on how to prepare spicy tuna – finely dice the tuna and then mix in mayonnaise, siracha and green onions.
The trickiest part of the operation was assembling and rolling the sushi rolls tightly. Fran & Ira explained how to lay out the seaweed paper, add the rice & toppings and roll it will the help of the bamboo mats.
They turned out great – well done, Bonnie! The group made all kinds of sushi rolls – rice on the outside, rice on the inside, some topped with the spicy tuna, others just with veggies, another with tuna and mango. The sunset that night was worth taking a moment to peek your head out the kitchen.What a feast! Our thanks to Fran & Ira from La Sirena for the sushi lessons in the Villa Santa Cruz kitchen – a perfect way to learn something new and enjoy fresh Baja foods. Who knew sushi was easy after all?
More Details: $60/person (small groups of 4-7), $50/person (groups of eight or more). Includes all ingredients, tools, and instruction. Fish selections will depend on the season, but usually include Dorado, Yellowtail, Tuna, and Sierra Mackeral. Vegetarian selections also available upon request.
With barely any rain over the last three years, the Baja desert was dry, dusty and thirsty. The aquifers were low, the landscapes were brown and the sand was hot to the touch. But, the month of August changed all that by bringing glorious rainstorms to Todos Santos and Villa Santa Cruz, Boutique Hotel on the Beach. Raindrops in the Pool.The rain fell in sheets for several days, washing dust off the agave at Villa Santa Cruz, greening up the desert brush and cooling down the earth. The air, cleaned by the rain, was amazingly pure and clear. The best part, without doubt, were the spectacular sunsets. Night after night, we were entertained by the vibrant colors that lit up the rain clouds. From orange and red streaks, to pink and purple hues, and even a few rainbows, these sunsets were some of the best ever. As the summer season continues, we hope for more rain. I’d say it’s time for a little rain dance…
One of the very best things about visiting Baja and Todos Santos is the amazing food. From the abundance of fresh produce and seafood to the chefs who magically whip these ingredients into gastronomical delights, visitors to our area are in for a treat. And, if you are looking for a way to take your culinary experience to the next level, we have just the thing – gourmet cooking lessons at Villa Santa Cruz with Chef Dany Lamote, head chef at the legendary Hotel California.
On a recent Sunday afternoon, Chef Dany arrived at Villa Santa Cruz ready to guide me, Matt and our friends through the preparation (and consumption) of an exquisite four course dinner. Chef Dany was ready to get down to business, armed with everything needed for a serious gourmet cooking class – fresh shrimp and yellowtail fish, colorful produce and aromatic herbs, and, of course, a creme brulee blowtorch. We were celebrating a milestone birthday for one of our dear friends, Laura, and loved the intimacy and group togetherness of the cooking class. The Villa, with an open social kitchen, butcher block island, ample counter space, and big chairs (aka “king and queen thrones”) in which to relax, is a perfect venue for a group cooking experience.
After toasting to the promise of a great meal with a crisp glass of white wine, Dany gathered the group to introduce us to his cooking philosophy. Originally from Belgium, he explained that his signature style is to combine Mexican ingredients with European techniques. He loves to make exotic Mexican foods more familiar – we’d be incorporating nopales (cactus paddles), cuitlacoche (corn mushroom know as “Mexican caviar”) and ancho chile peppers into our meal. He then split the three couples into three groups – each in charge of a different course – and we were on our way down the culinary road.
Max and Laura were in charge of the appetizer course. Their menu included yellowtail sashimi marinated in soy sauce and ginger, shrimp skewered on rosemary sprigs with an orange-saffron-habanero-coconut sauce, pineapple salsa, and crab and goat cheese stuffed peppers (the stuffed peppers were definitely a group favorite). Amy and Dustin were assigned the salad and dessert courses. The dessert, an ancho chile creme brulee, was the most time intensive dish, so they started on that first – boiling the ancho chiles, cream and cinnamon, melting the chocolate, combining the ingredients, pouring into ramekins, and baking for 35 minutes. Once the desserts went into the oven, they jumped over to the preparation of the salads and crostini. They worked on a nopal cactus salad with goat cheese and tomatoes, a mixed salad with agave glazed pecans topped with duck and arrachera steak, and a crostini of puffed pastry, nopales, goat cheese and cuitlacoche. Matt and I prepared two sauces for the fish course, one with tomatillos and one with tamarind. We peeled and roasted the tomatillos and then boiled and strained the tamarind, creating two flavorful bases for fresh yellowtail and halibut. We also made a sweet potato gratin spiced with ginger and Chef Dany’s amazing flavored curry salt. At this point, we were all starting to bulge around the middle, but were ready for the evening’s grand finale – creme brulee adorned with huge strawberries. We all gathered in the kitchen to watch Dustin wield the blowtorch to create a perfectly caramelized crust. With a hint of ancho chiles, it was a winner – definitely a recipe to keep in your back pocket to recreate for your friends at home. It was tough to get a lot of birthday candles into those little ramekins, but we made it work! We send our warmest thanks to Chef Dany for such a fun and special evening. Sitting outdoors under the covered patio, listening to the crashing waves, enjoying the warm ambiance of the Villa’s gas lamps and soft candlelight, delighting in a gourmet meal with good friends over glasses of wine…life doesn’t get much sweeter than this. We highly recommend that all our Villa Santa Cruz guests put it at the top of their Todos Santos “to do” list.
Classes offered daily from 11am to 2pm at Santo Vino (Hotel California’s Bistro Restaurant). Chef Dany is available to host an evening class at Villa Santa Cruz on Sunday nights (4+ persons). $100 USD/person for basic class, $175 USD/person for upgrade with wine/tequila (includes 1 glass wine/tequila per person per course)
Villa Santa Cruz, Boutique Hotel on the Beach, in Todos Santos, Baja Sur, is an amazing wedding venue for a bride and groom with beachy boho style! Just take a look at Kea & Lorrin’s fun and festive wedding from Saturday night. The couple’s funky and creative details brought the wedding to life – we love the seating chart mounted on a custom surfboard, their colorful sparkle sombreros and tasty margarita cupcakes made with tequila!
With a simple wood trellis decorated with strands of beach shells, Kea & Lorrin exchanged vows in front of friends and family. Local Todos Santos officiant, Steve Monaco, presided over the ceremony. After escorting his mother down the aisle, the groom gave her a sweet hug. The guests enjoyed cocktails and delicious appetizers catered by the Hotel California. The menu included pineapple salsa, flautas with roasted peppers and goat cheese, and, of course, margaritas. And This custom surfboard, a gift to Kea & Lorrin from a friend who owns a surfboard shaping company, has an illustration of the Villa and agave fields right on the front! It was the perfect set up for the seating chart. Barb & Jan of Pueblo Magico Weddings were on point with the flowers & decor for Kea’s beachy boho theme. From the handmade rag ropes and antique lace tablecloths to the succulents, paper flowers and beer bottle rose vases, the table settings were fun, bright and authentically Mexican. The Villa’s aqua beach buggy funks up this photo shoot! Kea & Lorrin enjoyed tooling around Todos Santos in this crazy rig during their wedding week. After hours of dancing on the Villa’s back patio, the party moved to the beach where guests kept warm next to a bonfire and released Chinese wish lanterns into the night sky (notice that the rag ropes that decorated the reception chairs became “stylish” headbands as the night wore on!). It was a gorgeous wedding for Kea & Lorrin. We wish them love to last a lifetime.
Considering a destination wedding in Mexico? Look no further than Villa Santa Cruz, Boutique Hotel on the Beach, in Todos Santos, Baja Sur. Recently featured on The Destination Wedding Site, Villa Santa Cruz is highlighted as an ideal venue for an authentic Mexican beach wedding. Their post vividly describes the experience at Villa Santa Cruz, noting that it is “probably what most people picture when they close their eyes and try to imagine the perfect beach wedding.” We certainly agree!
Click the image below to read the full article and watch the slideshow and video of beautiful Villa images
Congratulations to Sara & Tim who tied the knot on a gorgeous Cinco de Mayo night at Villa Santa Cruz, Boutique Hotel on the Beach, in Todos Santos, Baja Sur, Mexico. With an intimate guest list of just immediate family and close friends, their wedding ceremony and celebration was personal yet understated with elegant details. They stood beneath a rustic palo de arco wedding trellis draped in gauzy white curtains to exchange vows while the surf gently rolled in behind them. After their officiant/best man, Nick, announced that they were husband and wife, a lively troop of mariachis serenaded the couple under the Palapa and then led the wedding party up to the Villa’s Roof Terrace for cocktails and appetizers. The Villa was beautifully decorated by Barb & Jan of Pueblo Magico Weddings, with green succulents, driftwood and bold proteas (the bride specially requested this flower). The cupcake table – delicious german chocolate, carrot cake and coconut lime cupcakes prepared by caterer, Catherine Edwards. After cocktails on the roof, everyone headed downstairs for a sunset champagne toast. At sunset, the supermoon rose over the mountains…… and the sunset glowed, turning the sky pink. Sara & Tim stole a dance under the beautiful canopy of lights. What an elegant wedding! We are thrilled to continue to host Sara & Tim this week for their honeymoon. We wish them the best in their new life together.
Villa Santa Cruz, Boutique Hotel on the Beach, is featured on OutsideOnline.com as one of the Top Ten Desert Getaways in the world. Coming in at #4, we are thrilled to represent Todos Santos, Baja Sur on a list that includes locations in the United States, Chile, Bolivia & Namibia.
The write-up in Outside Online highlights the eco-friendly nature of the Villa (solar electricity, organic vegetable garden) and wonderfully describes the guest experience at Villa Santa Cruz. Here are a few of our favs:
It is an ideal spot for surfers with walk-off access to nearby breaks – right “out the front door and a five minute walk down the beach surfers can head to La Pastora, with its giant breaks and minimal crowds.” It also highlights the amazing whale watching opportunities from the Villa – “Later in the season – from November to April – guests can watch migrating humpback whales from the rooftop terrace.”
Villa Santa Cruz, Boutique Hotel on the Beach in Todos Santos, Baja Sur, Mexico was proud to have hosted the beautiful wedding of Emma Bates & Joshua Zar on Saturday, April 28, 2012, with celebrity officiant Neil Patrick Harris. NPH shared his love of Villa Santa Cruz by sending out this tweet to his 3.2 million Twitter followers. Check out the lovely write-up and photos on the infamous, Pink is the New Blog, in which blogger Trent Vanegas describes the Villa as “one of the most beautiful estates I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing.” Don’t forget to visit his follow up blog post that has another great photo of the newlyweds with NPH.Here are more details and photos of the beautiful wedding:Under a canopy of papel picado streamers and a bamboo chuppah decorated with flowing white fabric, the couple exchanged vows while their friends and family cheered them on. After NPH declared that Emma & Josh were now husband and wife, mariachis poured on to the balconies overlooking the back lawn and congratulated the couple with lively Mexican music. The couple headed inside for another kiss… The guests then found their way up to the Roof Terrace and out to the Pool for delicious cocktails and appetizers. The weather turned a little cool, so the party moved inside for dinner and toasts. The beautiful candles around the fountain, gas lamps, and calla lily centerpieces made for a warm and cozy evening. After dinner, the party moved outside under a canopy of lights to dance the night away. The evening was capped off with the release of Chinese Wish Lanterns from the Villa’s Beach. We wish Emma & Josh the best in their new life together!
