The only property in Los Cabos to earn AAA's Five Diamond Rating (and it has earned that distinction for eight straight years), Las Ventanas al Paraiso ("Windows to Paradise") does a lot more than simply gaze out on paradise. This magnificent, dramatic resort combines a pure-white façade with azure waters; soaring mountains and endless sea; and the perfect symmetry of Old Mexican elegance and modern luxury.

The resort, which lies off Highway 1, is located along the corridor

The only property in Los Cabos to earn AAA's Five Diamond Rating (and it has earned that distinction for eight straight years), Las Ventanas al Paraiso ("Windows to Paradise") does a lot more than simply gaze out on paradise. This magnificent, dramatic resort combines a pure-white façade with azure waters; soaring mountains and endless sea; and the perfect symmetry of Old Mexican elegance and modern luxury.

The resort, which lies off Highway 1, is located along the corridor between the Two Cabos (Cabo San Lucas and Los Cabos), facing the Pacific Ocean. The first thing that will grab you about Ventanas is its stunning architecture. The white-washed adobe walls and thatch roofs are marvelously rustic, maximizing the open space and giving the place an open, almost ethereal feel. The "ventanas" (handmade, pebbled rainbow glass) provide splashes of color. Combined with the landscape of sloping hillsides, rugged mountains off in the distance, and the nearby shimmering ocean, Ventanas is an unequaled visual treat.

The hotel offers a variety of suites, all of which carry through the minimalist texture of the place. Depending on your taste and budget, you can choose from junior to three-bedroom suites, with either garden or ocean views. Every suite has native Mexican Conchuela limestone floors, seaside fireplaces, personal telescopes for nighttime stargazing, and marble showers. Each also comes with an aromatherapy turndown service. One unique option is the Spa Suite, which includes two private terraces and an outdoor infinity-edge Jacuzzi, a spa treatment room with it's own terrace, an oversized steam room, and a fitness studio complete with cardio and weight-training equipment. In addition to suites, the hotel also offers The Residences at Las Ventanas, a separate cluster of condominiums done in a similar style as the suites.

As much as the accommodations offer, they are only a fraction of the hotel's exquisite offering. Start with the Spa at Las Ventanas, which has a full menu of ceremonial treatments and therapies, and a team of healers specializing in remedies native to the region. Then there are the four spectacular golf courses designed by some of the biggest names in the game: Jack Nicklaus, Robert Trent Jones II, and Tom Weiskopf. The hotel also offers tennis, horseback riding, cooking classes, and a cinema on the beach.

If you prefer the water, the hotel offers sailing, fishing, snorkeling and scuba, sunset cocktail cruises, and whale-watching expeditions. And let's not forget the infinity pool, one of the most beautiful places to relax in the resort.

Finally, with a staff that outnumbers hotel guests by a ratio of four to one, Las Ventanas deservedly prides itself on its outstanding service. The hotel offers special touches for those who are here on a romantic getaway, including a Director of Romance ready to cater to all of your heartfelt needs.

Kim Grant has been writing about the best places to stay in North America since the day after graduating college in 1984. Since then she has written over 35 guidebooks and for countless websites and print publications. She is also the editorial director of a forthcoming website on the best places to stay and the travel acquisitions editor for Countryman Press.