Wellness Guide To Todos Santos, Mexico

7 min readOct 17, 2023

Todos Santos is a sleepy, bohemian small town in the desert in Baja California Sur, Mexico — a little over an hour north of Cabo. Surf breaks, cobblestone streets [+ plenty of bumpy dirt roads ; )], very aesthetically pleasing boutique hotels, mezcal margaritas, healthy organic eats, artisan shops, + incredible sunsets.

I was surprised by how remote it was… we definitely felt like we were “out there” in the middle of the desert. Also, when we visited [early October] a lot of restaurants / shops were closed due to low season. It was very, very HOT + I don’t recommend visiting when we went lol. Apparently starting in November is when high seasons starts + the weather more desirable. There was a lot of construction going on, which made me think that Todos Santos will eventually become a much larger tourist destination. But for now, it’s a slow pace of living + very “retreat-esque.”

Coffee + Cafes

My go to breakfast or lunch order everywhere was chiliquiles. So, so good!

Taller 17 — The cutest hole in the wall coffee shop with pastries. Smells like chocolate chip cookies!
La Esquina — Perfect for a bite after yoga [it’s right next to Cuatro Veintos]. Beautiful vibe + authentic healthy Mexican food. Get the chilaquiles with half red sauce + half green sauce! It’s also had a little playground, which was a bonus since we were traveling with our 1.5 year old!
MOON Friendly Kitchen — The only thing I regret is not going here more often. Plant-forward, beautiful healthy plates for breakfast + lunch. The best avocado toast of my life!
Jazamango Cafe — Sister restaurant to Jazamango. Coffee, pastries, + both a breakfast + lunch menu.
Doce Cuartenta — Coffee roasters + cafe. Great place to work!
Cabanas Las Tunas — Coffee, bakery + breakfast cafe in a beautiful organic garden [open 8am-1pm].
Pura Vida — Health food store + cafe with lots of organic options… smoothie bowls, juices, lunch specials, + more!

Restaurants

Jazamango — Everyone’s favorite restaurant in Todos Santos. Farm to table style restaurant with a beautiful outdoor vibe + garden. Menu changes often, + many items are directly “from the garden.”
Agricole Cooperativa —Organic market + cafe on a 37 acre field farm filled with healthy, delicious options.
Pacifica Fish Market — Apparently the best fish tacos in town, but it was closed when we went sadly! However, I trust my friend who raved about it + went multiple times when she visited Todos Santos.
The Green Room—Famous beachfront restaurant at Hotel Villa Santa Cruz. It’s about 20 minutes north of the “downtown” Todos Santos + you’ll spend a lot of time driving on a dirt road. Nevertheless, it’s gorgeous + if you have time, I’d recommend going at least for a drink at sunset to soak up the beauty.
Oystera — Oyster bar + restaurant inside an old sugar mill. The decor is beautiful. Lots of great raw seafood dishes. Get the tostadas + ceviche!
Palmas Del Pacifico — Rooftop sushi restaurant. Go for sunset here, too!
El Refugio Mezcaleria — Mezcal bar + outdoor restaurant with authentic Mexican food. They also offer cooking classes + mezcal tastings!
Siempre Viva Restaurant — Farm to table organic restaurant in a gorgeous setting in El Pescardero
Amaya — Laid back beachfront restaurant with live music, great drinks, tacos, + of course an amazing sunset in El Pescadero
Hierbabuena — Farm to table restaurant in the middle of a garden in El Pescadero.
Baracude Cantina — Seafood restaurant at Cerritos Beach, which is a swimmable beach!
Get a drink [+ maybe a meal] — Benno [Hotel San Cristobal] or Paradero Restaurant / Pericúe Omakase [Paradero]. These restaurants are at trendy, yet $$$$ hotels. Do you need to eat there? No. But I definitely think you should grab a drink at one of them [or both!] just to see the beautiful architecture + hotel concept. They are all stunning!
Cerverceria Punta Lobos — Craft brewery
La Confianza Wine Bar — Natural wine bar

Wellness + To Explore

Cuatro Vientos — Seemingly the only yoga studio in Todos Santos, but it was amazing. They offer yoga, as well as Zumba, HIIT Classes, + meditations, + more. The yoga class we went to was the highlight of our trip!
Cross2Box — Crossfit + open gym!
Dos Marias Day Spa — Get your massage on here. They have a lot of massage specials.
Day trip to La Paz — I wish we would have went here! I heard it’s stunning. Definitely check out Balandra Beach. The water is calm + swimming friendly… as opposed to Todos Santos where it’s not recommended to swim because of the rough waves.
Wander around town + hop into all the cute artisan stores — Nomad Chic, ULULA, + Hilo Rojo Stores were a few of my fav!
Explore all the ice cream + popsicle shops — Our fav was Neveria Rocco… but there are so many! Try them all!
Take a picture at Hotel California ; ) — The hotel that the song “Hotel California” was written about
Whale watching season is November-March. Apparently you can see them from the beach, but there are also tours that you can go on!
Go surfing— This totally depends on the season if you’re able to go to a break in Todos Santos nearby, or if you need to drive to Cabo. DM me @elisabethsinnott if you are looking for an amazing surf instructor that Isaac worked with!

Stay

We stayed at Los Colibris Hotel, which is owned by a super sweet couple — but unfortunately the hotel was not baby friendly [it was located on the side of cliffs, + Noah is at the running stage… to give you a little context lol] + we ended up cutting our trip quite short. We looked into staying at Airbnbs, but there was nothing available that was desireable / well suited for Noah! Overall, I didn’t think Todos Santos was very kid friendly [especially the time of year we went, because it was so HOT]. The beaches aren’t swimmable, so most of the activity is in the village.

If we were to go back to Todos Santos, I would do it as a long weekend getaway with just Isaac + I. I would love to splurge + stay at Hotel San Cristobal or Paradero [both of them don’t allow kids].

Pro Tips

You’ll definitely need a car — prepare yourself for lots of bumpy, dirt roads. The airport is a little more than an hour away.
Hot, hot, hot! The best time to visit is November-March.
Also, the water temperature was HOT…. it was 93 degrees when we were there!
Get as many “sueros” as possible — sparkling water with lots of lime juice + a salted rim. Perfect remedy for the heat.
It’s expensive. Prices were similar to LA, which shocked us!
As mentioned above, most of the beaches near Todos Santos are not swimmable because of the strong currents. The closest swimming beach is Los Cerritos Beach.
If you love the desert [Joshua Tree, Marfa, etc], I think you’ll love Todos Santos. I didn’t fall in love like I thought I would — I realized that my heart is moreso with lush vibes [Bali, Costa Rica, Kauai, etc].
2–3 days is perfect. If you want to stay in Baja longer, I would pair it with La Paz / La Ventana area. I haven’t been, but I’ve heard great things!

Have you been to Todos Santos? Let me know any recs that you have!

Love,
Elisabeth