fbpx

A Unique Resort on the Baja Peninsula—Employing a Seldom-Used Architectural Style—Boasts Shapeliness and Serenity

Some suites contain gardens with concrete soaking tubs overlooking organ pipe cacti; others offer rooftop spaces outfitted with hanging nets that allow you to stretch out and stargaze.

It isn’t often that a new resort unveils itself with contemporary brutalist architecture. Brutalism, with its focus on exposed building materials and harsh geometry, after all, was a branch of modernism that took root in the mid-twentieth century to be used in a utilitarian way, for government buildings and public housing. And prisons. Locations in The Handmaid’s Tale make use of the austere style—all those endlessly high walls, some of them with bloody bodies hanging off them.

Happily, the newish resort Paradero, set inland from the coast in Baja, California against the Sierra Laguna Mountains, doesn’t bring to mind such dystopian thoughts. The brainchild of Mexican hospitality impresarios Pablo Carmona and Josh Kremer manages to be at once luxurious and minimalist–no easy trick. The wing of suites features an exterior that undulates boldly and enigmatically, and even though the monochromatic concrete facade is unadorned and devoid of windows, its shapeliness is mesmerizing. Ruben Valdez and Yashar Yektajo of CDMX-based Yektajo Valdez Architects are responsible for the effect.

And this unique design makes for privacy: No one can walk past your accommodation and see what you’re doing; however, your sunny, outdoor space is ample and private. Some suites contain gardens with concrete soaking tubs overlooking organ pipe cacti; others offer rooftop spaces outfitted with hanging nets that allow you to stretch out and stargaze.

In moments like these, Paradero feels like a destination spa, a welcome oasis tucked into the arid Mexican moonscape. You enter Paradero through a mysterious indoor-outdoor portal, an imaginative liminal space that is bathed in a sound feature that tells you to leave the world behind. Other wellness industry markers soon appear: the property, surrounded by the La Mesa farm, blends into the starkly beautiful desert landscape; the resort contains no hardscape paths; the rooms have no TVs. The beds are notably comfortable, and bathrooms, reached across your private courtyard (at least on the ground floor units) are pleasing in their spareness. (Guadalajara-based B-Huber conceived the earthy interiors.)

The resort’s open-air living room, which contains the lobby, is filled with comfy, unstructured seating, big floor pillows and round sisal rugs, and this gathering place is protected by the sun by vast sail shades that bend from the rooftop overhangs to the floor. Between the strips of fabric, shards of perfect blue sky peek through, as if in a carefully thought-out visual composition. The grounds, dotted with tasteful foliage (60 endemic species) spread over 100,000 feet, seem destined for quiet reflection.

Silence among the crisscrossing trunks of the Mexican fan palms becomes an amenity. And when you finally encounter the thin blade of the green infinity pool—which evokes an Aman swimming pool—the feeling of uninterrupted serenity is complete.

Photos by Drew Limsky

You May Also Like

Bar Fight!

The winning drink emerges at the Visit Lauderdale Food & Wine Festival.

South Florida Hotels Introduce Unique Offerings: Divorce Party Packages

Discover where to celebrate new beginnings.

Visit Lauderdale Announces Plans for 2024 During Its Annual Marketing Luncheon

Hotel revenue was up 4% year-over-year.

What Becomes a Legend Most

A $200 million facelift has transformed the century-old Boca Raton, which was purchased by tech billionaire Michael Dell in 2019.

Other Posts

Alex Akel Has a Master Plan

At 32 years old and a second-generation homebuilder, Alex Akel really means business. A native of Delray Beach, the president of Akel Homes learned the ropes from his dad, Ramsey.

Hard Work Pays Off

A food empire is growing in South Florida because of Mike Linder’s focus on food and service and a twist on locations.

Pagani Joins Luxury Car Branded Condo List in Miami

Fortune Development Sales will lead sales and marketing. Pagani Residences are priced starting at $2.4 million.

A Curator of Culture: Jessica Goldman Srebnick

Painting the town with a Miami art icon and the curator of Wynwood Walls.

Drew Limsky

Drew Limsky

Editor-in-Chief

BIOGRAPHY

Drew Limsky joined Lifestyle Media Group in August 2020 as Editor-in-Chief of South Florida Business & Wealth. His first issue of SFBW, October 2020, heralded a reimagined structure, with new content categories and a slew of fresh visual themes. “As sort of a cross between Forbes and Robb Report, with a dash of GQ and Vogue,” Limsky says, “SFBW reflects South Florida’s increasingly sophisticated and dynamic business and cultural landscape.”

Limsky, an avid traveler, swimmer and film buff who holds a law degree and Ph.D. from New York University, likes to say, “I’m a doctor, but I can’t operate—except on your brand.” He wrote his dissertation on the nonfiction work of Joan Didion. Prior to that, Limsky received his B.A. in English, summa cum laude, from Emory University and earned his M.A. in literature at American University in connection with a Masters Scholar Award fellowship.

Limsky came to SFBW at the apex of a storied career in journalism and publishing that includes six previous lead editorial roles, including for some of the world’s best-known brands. He served as global editor-in-chief of Lexus magazine, founding editor-in-chief of custom lifestyle magazines for Cadillac and Holland America Line, and was the founding editor-in-chief of Modern Luxury Interiors South Florida. He also was the executive editor for B2B magazines for Acura and Honda Financial Services, and he served as travel editor for Conde Nast. Magazines under Limsky’s editorship have garnered more than 75 industry awards.

He has also written for many of the country’s top newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Miami Herald, Boston Globe, USA Today, Worth, Robb Report, Afar, Time Out New York, National Geographic Traveler, Men’s Journal, Ritz-Carlton, Elite Traveler, Florida Design, Metropolis and Architectural Digest Mexico. His other clients have included Four Seasons, Acqualina Resort & Residences, Yahoo!, American Airlines, Wynn, Douglas Elliman and Corcoran. As an adjunct assistant professor, Limsky has taught journalism, film and creative writing at the City University of New York, Pace University, American University and other colleges.