I turned a corner at Tequila & Ceviche and locked eyes with Jon Hamm. Yes, that Jon Hamm.
I’d just checked into Las Ventanas al Paraíso, A Rosewood Resort in Los Cabos and headed to the hotel’s intimate alfresco spot, Tequila & Ceviche, for lunch. I thought I was bleary-eyed from an early flight, but there was no mistaking the thick wave of gray-flecked hair and eyes as piercingly blue as the surrounding Sea of Cortez.
The host sat me next to the star, which seemed to be the end of my celebrity encounter. But as my dining companion and I scanned the menu, Hamm leaned over, waited for our attention and said, “You have to try this,” pointing to his plate.
When I asked what the dish was, he called the waiter to confirm the name: the aguachile roll. “It’s so good, we had two,” he said.
Of course, there was now no question as to our choice of entree. “You won’t be disappointed,” he said after I placed my order.
“Am I having a stroke or did Jon Hamm just give us food recommendations — twice?” my dining partner discreetly texted me after indiscreetly kicking me under the table to get my attention.
The aguachile roll arrived wrapped inside tortilla instead of seaweed with chunks of octopus, shrimp, scallop, cucumber, dried chilis, cilantro, onion and chives. The Japanese-Mexican fusion sounds incongruous, but our new friend Jon was right — the roll had a deep, spicy flavor. The chilis built a slow heat, and the tortilla gave each bite more grip, sturdy enough to hold the overflowing fresh seafood together.
Not only did Hamm share his find with us, he also checked if we liked it. Watching our plates, he pointed out that we ate more of it than the other roll we added to the order (a bright, citrusy kampachi), satisfied that his recommendation was solid.
Hamm wasn’t just there for the aguachile roll. He was at the hotel filming the second season of his hit Apple TV dark comedy Friends & Neighbors. Stunning Las Ventanas opened the first episode last week and nearly stole the spotlight.
After Hamm’s character Andrew “Coop” Cooper gets into an argument with his ex-wife (Amanda Peet) at the hotel bar, he even references Las Ventanas. “[It] couldn’t stop me from relishing the fact that I was drinking smooth whiskey on the beach at a Five-Star resort when I could’ve been serving 25 to life,” Coop says. “All things considered, things were on the upswing.” (Las Ventanas holds a Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star rating — our leading man did his homework.)
Here’s a look at where Coop went on the property during his family vacation, and some other spots he — and you — should add on to a stay at Las Ventanas.
The Beach
As the show opens, Coop emerges from hotel’s turquoise waters. As someone who demonstrates in the show a detailed knowledge of the most exquisite luxury watches, Coop certainly would spring for one of the three beach cabanas. A bit removed from the 84-room resort, these spacious beachfront havens come with their own private plunge pools, Jacuzzis, Balinese beds, loungers, tables, stocked fridges, coffeemakers and safes — something that cat burglar Coop would appreciate.
Take breakfast here to hear the calming waves while you enjoy the brioche French toast, perfectly crispy on the outside, soft and pillowy inside, doused with berry cream sauce and topped with peach, plum and strawberry slices and crunchy pumpkin seeds.
The Las Ventanas staff looks to add something extra to every experience, and at the cabana, you are greeted with a large parcel of personalized sand art — mine said, “Welcome FTG,” with fish and other flourishes drawn into the sand.
Another great beach activity is a sunset horse ride, a signature hotel offering. I took a 45-minute guided excursion with Juvia, a gentle horse with a white coat and sandy brown mane. The skies over the Sea of Cortez cycled through corals and pinks as we explored the coast.
The Villas
After his beach swim, Coop readies for dinner in one of Las Ventanas’ Signature Beach Villas (Villa 1, to be precise). He rinses in the dual-headed outdoor rain shower surrounded by palms, then finishes dressing in the all-white bedroom with its cobalt-blue embroidered throw on the bed and stone floors.
The episode offers a glimpse of the room’s private infinity pool and Jacuzzi overlooking the sea. But the patio and pool are expansive, with submerged seating and tables in the water and a fire pit for breezy evenings. Walls of windows open to merge the villa’s indoor and outdoor spaces.
Villa 1 and all of the other accommodations embrace a timeless Pueblos Mágicos aesthetic with colonial architecture and authentic local touches, like colorful mosaic headboards, vibrant sculptures and wood furniture hand-carved by Mexican artisans.
While every room receives butler services, each villa gets a 24-hour dedicated host. They’ll go shopping in town with you; make guacamole and margaritas whenever you get a craving; or set up a basketball net on the beach for the kids.
The Food
The Friends & Neighbors episode features one of the hotel’s most recognizable details: the sculptural lit-up tree with large glass-blown heart ornaments near Alebrije restaurant and Sea Grill. Guadalajara-based artist David Luna crafted the distinctive sculptures with Mexican pinguica wood, which are also found in the lobby and elsewhere on the grounds.
Alebrije serves Mexican breakfasts and Italian dinners (the chefs trained at Castiglion del Bosco, A Rosewood Hotel in Tuscany). Expect dishes like lobster tagliatelle and ricotta and spinach ravioli, and a cart that rolls over to your table to make tiramisu with espresso infused with damiana, a Mexican shrub believed to be an aphrodisiac.
Sea Grill sits closest to the water, specializing in grilled fare, from a family-style zarandeado fish to a bone-in ribeye. Arbol sets a romantic mood — a candlelit circular booth in the water is the prized table — for pan-Asian dishes, like a silky bluefin tuna sashimi; a rich laksa studded with seafood; and butter chicken whose every drop you’ll mop up with cheesy naan.
The resort also runs seasonal “collection” experiences, often built around food. Last summer, popular Todos Santos oyster bar Oystera had a pop-up at Sea Grill with a menu of seafood sourced from the region, including tender chocolate clams with melted citrus butter that arrived piping hot on heated stones, and fresh oysters shucked tableside.
Special Activities and Services
As Coop reflects with a drink at the bar, fireworks blast off behind him. This isn’t Hollywood magic — any guest can arrange for fireworks displays for one to 10 minutes, customized for the occasion. When it’s time, a staff member presents a gift box on a tray. Inside, a remote with a button launches the festivities.
For something far quieter, there’s the spa. My visit began with a pre-treatment ceremony with sound bowls, a drum and sage smoke in the open-air solarium. Choose from services like the Four Hands Mezcal Massage, where two therapists work in tandem, or the Milk and Honey, which includes a crystallized honey body scrub, a warm Baja honey mask and wrap, followed by a milk and honey bath and massage. After my treatment, I received a smoothie and housemade granola bite as a parting gift.
For nightlife, find La Botica, a speakeasy/piano bar with a hidden entrance that requires a password. La Botica means “drug store,” and the bar has adopted a Prohibition-era apothecary theme, with jarred herbs lining bookshelves that slide open to reveal the liquor. Sip cocktails like No. 3 Kusuri with Siete Misterios Doba-Yej mezcal, Maestro Dobel blanco tequila, yuzu and nori. Smoke wafts up when you remove the cup’s blinking lid. Many come for the nightly live music with a band and dancers.
At the end of the trip, every guest receives a glass-blown heart ornament — the same as those on the sculptural trees. On your return, you’ll get a different version. It’s a thoughtful touch that makes everyone feel like a star, even if they aren’t an A-list celebrity.
