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Sometimes, the road can get a little trying and one just needs one pit stop to fulfill all of their desires. Food, drink, pool, farm, bed. With those five elements confined to one seductive location, you can be in heaven in a matter of moments, especially when put together on a master class level. There are not many places in Baja that offer that level of immersive divinity, but the relative newcomer Acre, situated on the fringes of SJD Los Cabos, fits the bill perfectly.
When you arrive, the first thing that takes your breath away is all of the tropical foliage. How they got the place so lush so quickly is a mystery but winding concrete paths meander over acres of land connecting an organic farm and restaurant with a mezcal tasting room with a sprawling pool area with tucked away treehouse suites. Whaaaaa? Talk about never needing to leave an establishment.
The folks behind this wonderland are catering to a set of society that they believe take pleasure in smaller, more bespoke experiences and they could not be more correct in that philosophy. But even if you just head there for the food, you are in for an experience. Being Baja, the specialty is of course seafood. That said, we went rogue out of the gate and started with the immediately addictive housemade artisanal bread and chicken liver mousse. Hate to say it, but we are chicken liver snobs and weren’t sure what to expect down a dirt road near the Sea of Cortez, but the coupling of chunky strawberry preserves and bits of olives in the bread made the bite a sensation of sweet, smooth, and tart all at once. It was the perfect layup for the seafood about to hit the table.
Staying true to land and sea, the crazy talented chef keeps the menu completely local to the region, so all of the seafood we loaded up on was almost too ridiculously fresh to believe. However, it was the coupling of global influences that took every dish to the next level. Pickled cabbage, dried chile sauce, tatsoi salad, cashew cream, opal basil, charred scallion ponzu, tamari – all of these precise ingredients married with very simple slivers of scallop or seared ahi or delicate piles of raw beef or platters of plump oysters made for a trip to my favorite place in the world, a place I like to call Exoticland. We kept ordering the craft cocktails because each and every one of them transported us to a whole new landscape, while still keeping us grounded in Baja’s dusty roots. The Beatriz Enamorada (pisco, carrot, egg white, passionfruit, kaffir lime) was a special revelation and truly enlightened me to what can be done with my kaffir lime tree once back at home.
The element I respected and reveled in most about Acre though was the elegant design and layout – it’s just so unexpected. Speakers hidden, colors bold but discreet, clean concrete lines, and rich craftsman details populated every corner of the compound – from the menu to the bathroom to the pool bar. This is not an easy task no matter where you are in the world and it’s especially hard to perfect in a very raw landscape such as Mexico. And you really appreciate it when you tuck into one of their treehouse rooms perched in the jungle of palms surrounding the property. These cocoon-like gems are set up in style, with high speed internet, outdoor showers, private patios, and plush sheets. Yet another slice of heaven, but this time in the actual sky.
That then brings me to the activities you can play around with. For the chillax crowd, there is yoga, massage, badminton, bocce. For the sunbather – you might never leave the gorgeous cactus flanked pool. The animal lover may spend all day with the donkey, Burrito, not to mention keep company with the dwarf goats, roosters, and my favorite, the sassy peacocks. They can usually be found chilling in the mezcal tasting room where you can get a one-on-one from a legitimate mezcal master. Every single bottle is sourced from small batch family operations where premium flavor is the only thing they know how to create and bottle.
This is just the kind of establishment that Baja needs – a hidden enclave where to life is meant to be celebrated in every single form under the sun. And yes, much like their neighbor Flora Farms, they are crafting stunning villas with private plunge pools in the garden so that you too can call Acre home. That all said, this is not at all the kind of escape I look for when perusing all my Baja back roads, however…it is the perfect refresh spot where 24-hours indulging can set me up for weeks more of sandy off-grid adventures up and down the coasts. Heck, even just a simple lunch there can realign my soul and spine…and that was just a three-hour affair.
Final Deal Sealer Note: They recently started AcreDogs, a wonderful 25-acre paradise for strays to rest their weary heads while waiting to be adopted. After this new piece of intel, consider me 100% SOLD!
