The better Cabo
When I think of Cabo San Lucas, I think Rihanna, ultra-luxurious resorts or Spring Break. The owner of Drift San José, the Canadian-born designer Stu Waddell has definitely changed that, creating a hotel experience that’s nothing like the resorts that line up all along the coast. Drift is one of the best discoveries I made earlier this year because it perfectly suits my kind of independent travel style and obsession with design and pretty things – without ruining my budget. It’s located just 20 minutes from the airport of Los Cabos, in the Art District of San José del Cabo, a charming little colonial town with lots of galleries, shops, and fantastic restaurants. The perfect basecamp for you to explore all the beauties southern Baja California has to offer!
The fire pit in the courtyard is the perfect spot to socialize with other travelers
Baja Ranch meets industrial loft
Stu basically converted a classic apartment building into an 8-room Hotel with a team of local workers, replacing all doors with huge sliding glass windows. Each room has a queen bed, a bathroom with an open concept shower, a small wall-hung closet and a writing desk. The style is best described as a combination of industrial loft and rustic Baja ranch with materials such as concrete, steel, and wood. The design is urban, simple and the concrete floors offer a nice cooling effect when it’s 30*C degrees outside.
Spacious rooms with nice cooling concrete floors
Designed to be social
In place of a restaurant, the hotel has a bar where you can make yourself a coffee or squeeze your own orange juice. There’s also a food cart event every Thursday and Saturday night. It’s a Do-it-yourself kind of place with little amenities, but who really still needs a phone or a MiniBar in their hotel room, right? Instead, Drift tries to keep the costs down offering rooms from €60EUR/night. This way you can spend your money on adventurous stuff like diving, surfing, whale-watching, road trips through the desert or cultural activities. There is also a small retail store selling innovative Mexican design stuff and artisanal Mezcal from small family-run distilleries. Designed to be social all rooms face the central courtyard where there’s a cozy fire pit and a Mezcal Tasting Bar. Convinced? I would say their rooftop lounge with the surrounding agave garden is a pretty nice place to hang out at, right around January next year!
Common Space on the second floor, facing the central courtyard
Mezcal Tasting Bar
Sunsets are best spent at their rooftop lounge – I love these comfortable handmade Acapulco chairs!
Sundowners at the rooftop terrace – happy place!
You can book your stay at Drift through AirBnB here or directly through their homepage www.driftsanjose.com
(Photo credits: Jessie Schoeller, @bajacowboy, Rafael Gamo, Francois Cavalier, Inside Elsewhere)
THE BETTER PLACES