Mexico’s Hidden Getaway: Todos Santos, Playa Cerritos

You’ve heard of Los Cabos, right? While it's the official name of the southern corner of Baja California, it's most famous for its popular resort town Cabo San Lucas, Mexico’s premiere spring break destination. The birthplace of Sammy Hagar’s Cabo… It’s the perfect place for an all-American vacation, that is. But if you want to avoid the crowds, go off the grid, and have a more authentic experience, but still be on the beach, consider other alternatives. First, keep driving on the (mostly) four-lane Highway 19, past the desolate mountains, dazzlingly beautiful beaches, and tiny and remote taco stands, until it turns into a dirt road with a few stop lights (seriously, watch out for those stop lights, they come out of nowhere). Welcome to Todos Santos, population just over 5,000. It’s one of only 30 communities in Mexico to receive the honor of a “Pueblo Magico,” or “Magical Town,” a designation awarded for retaining its authentic historic and artistic charm. There are at least 20 art galleries on these dusty streets, such as the Galeria Logan and Gabo, and the Faces of Mexico Ethnic Art Gallery, which features some of the area’s traditional masks. A surfers’ haven, there’s still plenty of places to have a drink—in a more relaxed fashion than the crazed nightlife up the road in Cabo. Take the Hotel California (no relation to the popular song, despite what so many tourists believe) located on the main drag, Calle Juarez. The hotel is home to two restaurants, La Coronela and Santo Vino Bistro, and even makes its own Hotel California Tequila. Founded in 1947 by a Chinese immigrant named Mr. Wong, “El Chino” brought ice from nearby La Paz to serve the only cold beer to Todos Santos. Along with the lobby and the restaurants, the hotel’s 11 rooms are decked out floor-to-ceiling with artwork, representing the true feel of the town. There’s something for music lovers too—in 2012, Peter Buck of REM started the Todos Santos Music Festival with the Hotel California to benefit the Palapa Society, a nonprofit that benefits local children and their families. The 2013 festival, which ran for three weeks in January, included The Minus 5, The Posies, The Baseball Project, The Elected, Jon Langford, Joseph Arthur, and Alejandro Escovedo & the Sensitive Boys. Stick around for February, and there’s the Todos Santos Art Festival, five days of folk dancing, music, and theater performances. There’ are also workshops teaching local music and folk dancing, and guest speakers on everything from turtle conservation to domestic violence prevention.