You turn left off of a sleepy road in San Jose Del Cabo’s newly developing marina area.  Bump bump bump.. the pebbles in the road kick up behind you.  You climb up a dusty path past piles of decaying cactus’ and prickly tumbleweeds, a few modest cement homes.  Not much to look at here. Your eyes squint as they attempt adjust to the brightness of the open sky’s unforgiving blanket of sun. Not a speck of shade, you note.  As you dip down into the valley and your map says you are approaching ACRE Baja and you think to yourself, “Where exactly are we going here?  I sure do hope we aren’t close.”  And then you arrive and allllllll that shit changes!

• 

• 

• 

• 

A lush oasis of palms stands before you and one skinny path of concrete bends geometrically to the right and left. As you begin your winding walk into the property that unfolds before you come to a stop…  “Oh hello, there!” a fuzzy donkey shimmies on your right down the narrow path as if he owns the place.  You will later come to know this little man as “burrito” one of the over 100 animals rescued by Acre Baja since inception.  Peering just above the line of the palms the outlines of treehouses hide in the distance. Yes, this place is love.  I am falling here.  Deeply in love with all of these plants and all of these textures.

The entrance to the common spaces sits back in the property.  A concrete breezeway and a 250 year old cactus greet you along with a friendly young (and might I add beautiful) face of a handsome man; a sleeps… cradled in his arms.  Welcome to ACRE, the young man says. Yes, welcome indeed. I shall be fine here for the next 72.

Josh and I spent three days and two nights here for a wedding that I was photographing.  A whole three days, baby free to enjoy ourselves, and the property, relaxing by a pool.  Do you know how magical it feels to wake up with the only task at hand.. to make it downstairs, grab a cup of coffee, play with puppies and then get to complimentary morning yoga? (Shout out to Liliana for teaching a great Vinyasa flow)  That scenario, my friends, is what I’m talkin’ bout.

If I haven’t convinced you yet, here’s why ACRE IS RAD.

Ambition

I met one of the partners as he buzzed around the grounds over the three days we were there.  He was high on creative energy and it was palpable.  He had just dropped, yet another 200 year old cactus into the ground; all before 10am might add. This is the kind of resume drop that gets to my soul!  He explained how they are building condos to be available for ownership. This property is only three years old, but expansion is not just a distant dream. It is a current reality.  It’s crazy people like this that make my world go round.  His gleaming energy, his drive to create this insanely beautiful oasis in the middle of nothing makes my heart go pat-pat.  It is these kids of people, the ones who don’t rest, the ones who makes places worth visiting, who should be dreaming up our futures.  They are not practical in any way and because of that they don’t see limits.  I love these people.

Eco- Minded

If you aren’t buying it yet, I’ve got the kicker to seal the deal.  ACRE saves animals!  Since staring the program they have rescued over 100 dogs from rough conditions in the area.  The pups live on site, receive proper veterinary care, and eventually get adopted by Canadian or American parents. During my last stay, I met Rachel who spearheaded the program. She had also just rescued a horse who had been abandoned in the desert because of old age. Her kind heart and the success of the ACRE animal program is why Josh and I have been talking about getting a puppy from them ever since.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

The GARDEN

A morning walk through the garden became my tradition while there. I feel like it is essential to find your little rituals while you are on vacation even if they are quick getaways. This can mean venturing out on your own to grab coffee from a local café, or reading by yourself in a perfectly sunlit nook. This trip was asking me to take my time gliding barefoot through the garden before the rest of the hotel awoke. Taking photos, and chatting with the gardener in my gringa Spanish grounded me into the rhythm of the day, and gave me a few ideas for my own garden back home.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

The Restaurant

The food here is bomb.  Enough said.  Donald Trump screwed up the whole Mexico US thing right before we got there so the exchange rate was ROUGH but that did not stop me from eating cheddar biscuits and drinking some of the most tasty Mezcal cocktails I have ever had.

I hope you enjoy my few travel photos and you should go pay a little visit yourself.  You won’t regret it!

• 

• 

• 

• 

Travel Tips:

TRANSPO

UBER is not yet widely accepted by local traffic enforcement though it is significantly cheaper than private transport and taxi and is emerging in San Jose Del Cabo. This could all change but be sure to give it a shot before you spend 60 dollars returning to the airport or 25 dollars getting to town. You will have difficulty finding a ride that will pickup/drop off right at the doorstep of the other resorts and similarly pick you up from the airport curb but you can walk a bit and hail an Uber from close locations at most places for a quarter of the price.

WHEN TO GO

We traveled there at the end of May just before the end of peak season. In fact, we were literally split between peak and high season rates. ACRE treehouses have no AC yet but I would venture to say that the end of May and beginning of June can present some beyond perfect weather there. You are at the pool most of the day anyways. Besides there are less crowds and spring breakers. The treehouses stay well ventilated. The sounds of the peacocks on property in mating season make some noise but are actually super soothing and wild as you lay perched high up in your lofted bed.