ESPERANZA.....YOUR HOPE, YOUR PROMISE, YOUR EXPECTATION

We recently got back from a trip to Cabo. This was not our first trip there. And I still think it is very very far to go to when you are a New Yorker. NY/LAX/CABO and reverse.

When the Caribbean got hit this past fall, we were in a tailspin as to where we were going to spend our winter vacations. Panic set in. Where should we go?! Sometime within the next week or two, I received an email from Auberge hotels. The email was very appropriately timed. I still wonder if it was intentional, being composed a week or so after the Caribbean had been wiped out.......Caribbean reports were awful and only got worse as days went on.

The last time we were in Cabo, which was about six years ago, we stayed at Esperanza. There were 11 of us on that trip and it had been planned 10 months prior. While we were there, we checked out The One and Only property, Las Ventana’s and Pedregal, so we would have a frame of reference. All are top resorts. The One and Only was the only hotel with a swimmable beach, but the property was too massive for me. Esperanza the most intimate.

The email from Auberge indicated that the property had just undergone a complete renovation and by booking in October, they were offering some pretty decent deals. Mind you, the rooms still cost in excess of $1000 a night, with the deal.

We were not disappointed. They had a car waiting for us. The drive to the property was not terrible. The worst part was the long flights, but they are doable. Our room was stunning and every thing was done right.....and it felt fresh and clean. The beds were ultra comfortable. The pillows were fabulous. The duvet was delicious. The AC kept the room very cold. We had trouble getting out of bed in the mornings. Our terrace, which was separated from the room by a sliding glass wall, was lovely and large with a great big square jacuzzi to the side. The bathroom was big and spacious and functional with correct lighting and great products and amenities. The shower was huge and open with wonderful windows onto the jacuzzi and the property beyond.

The service is good. They assign a concierge to each room and you communicate via a little cell. When it works, it works. When it doesn’t, it is a major pain because there is not really a manned front desk. I did not like that in order to leave the property, wherever you want to go, they have to call a taxi. Ride to town $25. Ride to resort next door $25. They have that market locked. I think part of it is for the security of the guests because they are very thorough with guest names, in and out times, taxi numbers, etc. The other part is the monopoly on travel. And waiting for a car is annoying, but I am not sure if there is even an alternative. No one seemed to have a rental car.

The property, even with the lack of a swimmable beach, is two steps above stunning. They have three newly done pools. They are magnificent. They are tiered, and they are infinities which run into one another, and they are cantilevered over the beach. This is an all adult resort. It’s a very relaxing place. No little children running around screaming. I seem to have lost my patience for that since mine have grown up. Esperanza is a very grown-up and very sophisticated resort. (They may allow teenagers.) There are multiple restaurants on the property, and I cannot say we had a bad meal (except breakfast was only fair, but we only gave it one chance). We tried each of the restaurants. Each has a different type of food. Lunches were very good and they do know how to put together a mean margarita. Two is even better. The views are eye candy. The sea crystal. The whales playing while you are lunching. The sky was a perfect cloudless blue. And I must say that the weather in Cabo may be THE most incredible weather anywhere. No humidity so you always look good, and feel good. Hot during the day but not unbearable. Always a breeze. The nights are cool. Little jackets and scarves work.

Last but not least.....the spa. Incredibly relaxing. And I am not very good at that. I like to get my treatment and move on. Everyone was very polite. They ran on time. Services were very good.

The property is in a nice neat little package. You don’t have to take a golf cart. Everything is walkable and condensed without feeling crowded or confined. Cozy is a good word to describe Esperanza. The staff is extremely pleasant and helpful. They will never point you in a direction.......they will walk you there. It exemplifies great training. Everyone who works there was spotless and smiling always. Says a lot.....either that or they are great actors.

P.S. Auberge opened another hotel in Cabo. The look is the opposite of Esperanza. Esperanza is Mexican adobe and stone. The new hotel is very modern. Glass. Chrome. Marble. We went for drinks one night and stayed for dinner...... after we toured a few rooms. So we saw rooms. We saw the magnificent pool, and the gorgeous restaurant, but it was too dark to see beach. The food was INCREDIBLE.....so much so that we returned two nights later with our new friends from Esperanza. The restaurant did not disappoint on the second go around either. One of the best meals any of us had ever eaten......right, guys??? We will return!