Hotel Guaycura - Boutique Hotel & Spa

As we say goodbye to 2011 we look back at the strides we’ve made over the past year. The highlights being joining Small Luxury Hotels of the World and hosting two food and wine festivals one with award winning Chef Weinberg and one with Chef Jose Uribe from Spain. The food and wine festivals, consisting of cocktail parties and cooking classes, were a huge success. Now as we welcome the New Year, we have a lot to look forward to in 2012. The first of which is the introduction of our all-new quarterly newsletter. This newsletter will keep past and future guests up-to-date on events, excursions and newsworthy announcements happening in and around Guaycura. We will also be sharing specials the hotel is running, so if an event sparks your interest you can find out what packages to take advantage of when booking your visit to Todos Santos. We hope you find the newsletter informative, but if you have a suggestion or comment on how to improve the newsletter please send us your feedback (find the link on the newsletter).

Another exciting announcement for 2012 is Stephane Coutu will be joining the hotel as General Manager. A native Canadian, Coutu has extensive experience in the hotel industry. With 10 years at hotels in Mexico he has worked in Ixtapa, Los Cabos, and Merida. Most recently Coutu served as Resident Manager at Hacienda Temozon, a member of the Starwood Luxury Collection, just outside Merida. “I am thrilled to join the team at Guaycura,” said Coutu. “I am looking forward to helping Guaycura become one of the top boutique hotels in the Cabo area and get people talking about Todos Santos. I think there is a lot of potential for the hotel and the town.”

One of the unique and most fascinating activities in Todos Santos is whale watching. Every year from mid to late Fall whales that feed in northern waters around Alaska migrate south to the shallow protected lagoons of Baja to mate and give birth. The 6,000-mile journey through the Pacific Ocean is the longest known migration of any mammal and takes 2-3 months. Although there are eight whale species that make the journey to the Baja Peninsula, the Gray whale and Humpback whale are the most spotted species.

A naturally social and curious species, the gray whale is known to showoff. During the months of January, February and March, it is common to see them swimming, breaching (leaping out of the water), and spy hopping (rises & holds position partially out of the water) along the shores of Todos Santos.

While you can enjoy watching the whales from the sandy shores, there are many boat tours that offer up close encounters with the whales. Reception at Guaycura can arrange a whale watching boat tour through Todos Santos Eco Adventures (www.tosea.net). Rates include a guide and transportation.

4 person tour                        USD$300

8 person tour                        USD$350

Interesting Facts:

• After being hunted to near extinction at the turn of the century for their blubber and oil, these gentle giants have grown in population to about 23,000 today.

The Gray Whale

• Baby gray whales consume 50-80 pounds of their mother’s milk a day!
• Most gray whales live 50 to 60 years.
• They grow to about 12 meters (39 feet).
• Gray whales can weigh between 20 & 40 tons.

Humpback Whale

• To impress nearby females, male humpbacks put on a tail smacking display.
• Humpbacks are known for their magical songs that travel for great distances underwater.
• They grown to about 14 to 19 meters, and do not reach their full size until they are 10 years old.

Guaycura’s location in the artsy colonial town of Todos Santos, proximity to the beach, and Aena spa make it an ideal long-weekend retreat. Every year the holiday season can bring upon unwanted stress in fighting crowds at the mall, meeting end-of-the-year deadlines at work, and planning holiday parties and dinners. Now that the holiday season has passed, a retreat to Guaycura where you can be pampered may be just what you need.

This winter beat the stress of the holidays with Guaycura’s Signature Deep Tissue Massage! Therapists at Aena use aromatherapy along with traditional Mexican techniques to help loosen your muscles while working the deeper tissues of the body. The treatment concludes with a soothing soak in a bath with mineral salts, leaving your skin hydrated and radiant.