Zadún, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve

Set where the Baja desert runs down to the Sea of Cortés, this reserve sits on a stretch of beach outside San José del Cabo, with the Sierra de la Laguna foothills at its back. The address is quiet. The water in front carries whales in winter, along with manta rays and leatherback turtles passing offshore, and staff run private boats out to watch them. Rooms, suites, villas and residences make up the accommodation, and several of the villas and suites open onto private plunge pools facing the water. El Barrio pool serves families, while Equis is reserved for adults only, with cabanas and a swim-up bar added recently. A spa built around wellness practice, called Sensei, works alongside a 24-hour gym with its own lap pool. Golf reaches beyond the property line: three nine-hole courses at Puerto Los Cabos, designed by Greg Norman and Jack Nicklaus, run through dunes and desert scrub a kilometre away. Inland, San José del Cabo holds its own history, from murals in the city hall courtyard to the 18th-century mission church. Guests can also book snorkelling on nearby coral reefs or a desert hike organised through the resort's conservation programme with Jean-Michel Cousteau. Check-in and dining both run onsite, with breakfast, lunch and dinner served daily.