I wanted to be a musician; I had never imagined becoming a chef, my eyes bright with anticipation. Only a few minutes remain before the night service begins at Cocina de Autor, the flagship restaurant of Grand Velas Los Cabos that has been steered for four years now. On the terrace, the tents drift freely in the pond beside the tables where several couples squeeze in their cocktails, savoring the sunset: a blazing sun casts its rays over the Sea of Cortez. Inside, everything is prepared. The glassware immaculate, the cutlery checked, reservations confirmed.
Who would have imagined that the chef, instead of banging an electric guitar on a stage, would end up leading the only restaurant in this little corner of Baja California Sur to date distinguished with a star. Because indeed, Los Cabos has landed forcefully on the scene of haute gastronomy. And it has done so to prove that it is not only home to exuberant beaches that embrace the arid desert and to hotels transformed into exclusive refuges with golf courses.
Waters That Seem Impossible and Eternal Sands Forge the Landscape in Cabo San Lucas
But let’s not fool ourselves: a trip to Los Cabos must —indeed must— alternate fine banquets with exploration. So the next morning we pack a bag that includes not only the bikini but also sunglasses and sunscreen, and we head to the Cabo San Lucas marina. Aboard a small yacht and holding on to our hat —just in case— we stand before its most famous natural lure: the Cabo San Lucas Arch, a cliffs-and-rocks formation shaped by the wind, the sea, and millennia, which also marks the exact point where the Pacific and the Sea of Cortez meet. A glass of wine, a varied array of bites, a necessary anchor, and a dip among so many other boats confirm that we are neither the first nor the last to choose Los Cabos for a getaway. But what does it matter!
