Villa Santa Cruz

Small, Intimate Wedding on Spectacular Supermoon Eve at Villa Santa Cruz

Tuesday, May 08, 2012

Congratulations to Sara & Tim who tied the knot on a gorgeous Cinco de Mayo night at Villa Santa Cruz, Boutique Hotel on the Beach, in Todos Santos, Baja Sur, Mexico. With an intimate guest list of just immediate family and close friends, their wedding ceremony and celebration was personal yet understated with elegant details.

They stood beneath a rustic palo de arco wedding trellis draped in gauzy white curtains to exchange vows while the surf gently rolled in behind them.

After their officiant/best man, Nick, announced that they were husband and wife, a lively troop of mariachis serenaded the couple under the Palapa and then led the wedding party up to the Villa's Roof Terrace for cocktails and appetizers.

The Villa was beautifully decorated by Barb & Jan of Pueblo Magico Weddings, with green succulents, driftwood and bold proteas (the bride specially requested this flower).

The cupcake table - delicious german chocolate, carrot cake and coconut lime cupcakes prepared by caterer, Catherine Edwards.

After cocktails on the roof, everyone headed downstairs for a sunset champagne toast.

At sunset, the supermoon rose over the mountains...

...and the sunset glowed, turning the sky pink.

Sara & Tim stole a dance under the beautiful canopy of lights.

What an elegant wedding! We are thrilled to continue to host Sara & Tim this week for their honeymoon. We wish them the best in their new life together.

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Neil Patrick Harris Officiates Wedding at Villa Santa Cruz in Todos Santos

Monday, April 30, 2012

Villa Santa Cruz, Boutique Hotel on the Beach in Todos Santos, Baja Sur, Mexico was proud to have hosted the beautiful wedding of Emma Bates & Joshua Zar on Saturday, April 28, 2012, with celebrity officiant Neil Patrick Harris. NPH shared his love of Villa Santa Cruz by sending out this tweet to his 3.2 million Twitter followers:

@ActuallyNPH - And here's a view from the rooftop of the Villa where the wedding was held. villasantacruzbaja.com. Thanks Matt & Jessica! pic.twitter.com/b1PmTvEs

Check out the lovely write-up and photos on the infamous, Pink is the New Blog, in which blogger Trent Vanegas describes the Villa as "one of the most beautiful estates I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing." Don't forget to visit his follow up blog post that has another great photo of the newlyweds with NPH.

Here are more details and photos of the beautiful wedding:

Under a canopy of papel picado streamers and a bamboo chuppah decorated with flowing white fabric, the couple exchanged vows while their friends and family cheered them on.

After NPH declared that Emma & Josh were now husband and wife, mariachis poured on to the balconies overlooking the back lawn and congratulated the couple with lively Mexican music.

The couple headed inside for another kiss...

The guests then found their way up to the Roof Terrace and out to the Pool for delicious cocktails and appetizers.

The weather turned a little cool, so the party moved inside for dinner and toasts. The beautiful candles around the fountain, gas lamps, and calla lily centerpieces made for a warm and cozy evening.

After dinner, the party moved outside under a canopy of lights to dance the night away. The evening was capped off with the release of Chinese Wish Lanterns from the Villa's Beach. We wish Emma & Josh the best in their new life together!

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sherman silber commented on 01-May-2012 06:35 PM

dear josh and emma, i am so very sorry that i got that emergency dental abscess and could not go to the wedding. i was halfway there when i realized that i just had to go back to st louis and have my abscessed drained by an oral surgeon. but i rejoice
for you, and just wish i could have shared this great moment with you. uncle sherman

Food & Wine Pairing Event Wildly Successful - Benefited Todos Santos Orphanage

Thursday, December 22, 2011

On Monday evening, December 19, Villa Santa Cruz, Boutique Hotel on the Beach, hosted a lovely Food & Wine Pairing Event to benefit the Hogar del Nino, the orphanage in Todos Santos. From the sales of dinner tickets, silent auction items, raffle tickets and individual donations, the evening raised an astounding $7,000 USD that will be put to great use at the Hogar. We are grateful for the efforts of dedicated event coordinators, Nancy Naigle, Nancy Serfas, and Lisa Welsch, who put together such an elegant and successful evening.

Seventy guests arrived at 5:30pm and were welcomed with fresh sangria and bruschetta, lovingly donated by Chef Sergio of La Casita Tapas & Wine Bar, who also catered the dinner. Serenaded by the sweet voice of Tracy Durland, guests mingled on the back patio while bidding on silent auction items and watching the sunset.

After dark, it was time for dinner. Chef Sergio prepared an exquisite five course menu that was enhanced by the wine pairings selected by Mac Sutton of La Bodega de Todos Santos. Here’s a look at the delicious menu:

Salad of Organic Greens, Roquefort Cheese, Pears, Walnuts and Mandarin Vinaigrette

20120 LA Cetto Sierra Blanca Sauvignon Blanc

Shrimp with Tricolor Pasta and Jalapeno Cream Sauce

2009 Vinas Pyoan Paulina (46% Merlot, 46% Zinfandel, 8% Petit Syrah)

Chicken Skewers with Peanut Sauce

2010 La Bodega de Todos Santos Prologo (80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Petit Syrah)

Prime Ribeye with Red Wine Shallot Sauce

2009 Calixa (80% Cabernet, 20% Syrah)

Chocolate Mousse Cake with Passion Fruit and Berry Sauces

Santo Tomas Tipo Oporto

Throughout the meal, guests learned about the activities and needs of the Hogar. The directors of the orphanage, Joel & Alicia Hernandez, gave a heartfelt thanks to everyone in attendance and to the event coordinators and volunteers who work diligently to ensure that the Hogar has what it needs to care for its 20 children. Lisa Welsch, who founded the Lunch program at the Hogar, explained that she organizes volunteers to cook weekly meals for the children. Nancy Serfas encouraged everyone to visit padrinoproject.com to sign up to make automatic monthly donations to the Hogar to ensure its basic necessities are met.

Event Coordinator, Lisa Welsch, with Hogar directors, Alicia & Joel Hernandez

We were honored to host such a loving evening that benefited a charity that deserves so much. We look forward to next year!

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Fun Beach Wedding Inspiration Photo Shoot by Chris Plus Lynn Photographers

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Villa Santa Cruz, Boutique Hotel on the Beach, is the perfect backdrop for a hacienda-style wedding. Todos Santos based photographers, Chris+Lynn, captured the true essence of the Villa with a beachy, cowboy inspired wedding shoot. Read the excerpt below from their blog and then click the link to see all the fun photos!

From Chris+Lynn's Blog:

"We love shooting in Mexico, and we love exploring new venues. So we were super-excited to discover what must be one of the most romantic boutique hotels in Baja, just a few minutes down the road from us! Our neighbors, and good friends Jessica & Mateo, designed, decorated, and run Villa Santa Cruz, a one-of-a-kind Todos Santos Hotel.

Imagine driving down a dusty dirt road, past acres of palm groves, deserted ranches, ancient cacti, and the odd cow, only to come to a golden hacienda set right on the beach. Guests convinced they must have been . . ."

Click here to jump to their blog to read on and see all the AMAZING photos!

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Food & Wine Pairing Charity Event on December 19, 2011

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

On the evening of December 19, 2011, we will proudly host a Food & Wine Pairing Event at Villa Santa Cruz to benefit one of Todos Santos' most important charities, Hogar Del Nino (orphanage). This special evening, limited to 60 guests, promises to be a gastronomic experience! Chef Sergio of La Casita Tapas & Wine Bar will prepare five amazing food courses, each to be paired with specially selected Baja wines. The evening will include music, a small silent auction of select items and a cash raffle. All net proceeds go directly to the Hogar for support of basic needs such as food, clothing, transportation and utilities.

Don't hesitate to reserve your ticket - the evening is almost sold out!

Event tickets are $75 USD (or $1,000 pesos) and raffle tickets are $50 pesos each. All ticket purchases include a ticket for a 50/50 cash raffle. 50/50 raffle tickets are available to those not attending the event, as well.

Please contact the following ladies for more information:

Nancy Serfas - nancyserfas@aol.com

Lisa Welsch - lwelsch@cbriveras.com

Sylvia St Clair - sylviainbaja@gmail.com

Nancy Naigle - nnaigle@att.net

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Greening Up the Garden

Tuesday, November 08, 2011

The Villa Santa Cruz garden has a new look this year. In the spirit of being “green,” we scoured the property and found all sorts of discarded building materials that we repurposed to create raised planting beds. You can see that old concrete blocks hold our zucchini plants, a spare tire contains our cabbage plants, and extra roof tiles surround the spinach and sunflower seedlings.

When you walk through the garden, you can brush up on your Spanish vocabulary – all the signs that name the vegetables and flowers are in English and Español. One day soon, we’ll be picking betabels (beets), zanahorias (carrots), and albahaca (basil), just to name a few.

While we patiently wait for the seeds to grow and produce, we'll be collecting new breakfast and lunch recipes that incorporate the fresh veggies into the meals served here at the Villa. If you have a favorite, please send it our way!

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Palabras De Amor commented on 19-Apr-2012 05:20 AM

Hi, just wanted to say, I enjoyed this post. It was inspiring. Keep on posting!

lawn mulching commented on 18-May-2012 02:31 AM

Hi there! This article could not be written any better! Reading through this article reminds me of my previous roommate! He always kept talking about this. I will forward this post to him. Fairly certain he's going to have a great read. Many thanks for
sharing!

Organic Basil Field at Villa Santa Cruz

Monday, October 03, 2011

Even in the hot summer months, produce abounds in Todos Santos and at Villa Santa Cruz. We are co-oping with a local organic farmer, Sueño Tropical, to grow beautiful basil in our southernmost lot. The seedlings were planted in early August and are already producing boxes full of healthy, fragrant basil. Picked in the cool early mornings, the subtle smell of basil gently drifts through the Villa and out to the beach. The expansive green field is a delightful sight from our Roof Terrace and Guest Suites.

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When Life Gives You Mangoes...

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

When life gives you mangoes, it is time to get creative in the kitchen! With over 40 mango trees on our property at Villa Santa Cruz, our trees are just dripping with fruit. In fact, the entire Pueblo Mágico of Todos Santos is overflowing with mangoes. We love to incorporate mangoes into the meals we serve our hotel guests – fresh mango slices at breakfast and mango salsa to liven up fish tacos at lunch.

Here is our favorite mango salsa recipe. Enjoy!

Mango Salsa

1 large ripe mango, peeled, pitted and diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
2 tablespoons minced red onion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Prepare the mango salsa by combining the mango, red bell pepper, red onion, cilantro, and jalapeno pepper in a bowl. Add the lime juice and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and toss well. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Buen Provecho!

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Downward Dog, Anyone?

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Villa Santa Cruz, Boutique Hotel on the Beach, was the ideal setting for 20 yogis from San Diego to take a deep breath and find their inner calm. From July 16 – 20, the Villa was the main headquarters for a Yoga Retreat organized by Asana in Paradise. The Retreat’s yoga instructor, Roxanne DePalma, led morning and night classes on the Villa’s Roof Terrace and at the Pool. Combined with a week of warm weather and delicious meals prepared by Todos Santos local Dominique Sawyer, the Yoga Retreat was a huge success!

Yoga photographers, Todd LeVeck and Micaela Malmi of Epic PhotoJournalism, were on site capturing the experience. Click here to see their complete photo album of the Yoga Retreat on Facebook. Additionally, you can read Micaela’s Blog Post about the Retreat here. We love the sentiment captured in these lines from her Blog, "Lunch is followed by another yoga class by the poolside where our yoga teacher reminds us that we should really feel the surfaces beneath our feet - the grass, the sand, the ocean. It is a beautiful reminder to just stop and observe. And to take time to feel."

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Sunset Photo Shoot with Sofft Shoes

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Villa Santa Cruz was ready for its close-up yesterday evening when the internationally recognized shoe company, Söfft Shoes, came to do a photo shoot for its Spring 2012 collection. The team arrived just before sunset and headed out to the beach to take advantage of the beautiful golden light of Todos Santos. The model, Gabriela, was absolutely stunning as she posed on the winding path that leads from the hotel out to the beach – the Villa’s version of a runway! After hundreds of camera clicks and a wardrobe change, the photographers got their shots and excitedly said, “It’s a wrap!” Check out the pictures below to see a few photos of the shoot.