Guests staying in the minimal rooms at this small hotel in Los Cabos, Mexico, can also dine from on-site food carts, sample local booze and shop products by Mexican designers.
Photograph by Rafael Gamo
The Drift San Jose hotel sits in the historic centre of San José del Cabo, a resort town at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula.
Photograph by Rafael Gamo
Once a yellow block of six one-bedroom apartments, the building was acquired by new owner Stu Waddell in 2012 with the aim of creating an option between an upscale hostel and a budget boutique hotel. It is marketed as "for independent travellers who value adventure and culture over all-inclusive package holidays and expensive luxury resorts".

Waddell worked with architect Pablo Torrestrueba to renovate the 600-square-metre property, in phases and on a tight budget. First to complete were its eight guest rooms, followed by a concrete plunge pool, an outdoor bar and a courtyard for food carts, each in consecutive years.
The building was painted white, windows were enlarged, and brown aluminium frames were replaced with industrial-style rolling panels.
Split over two storeys, the rooms are minimally decorated and furnished. Concrete is used for flooring, bed platforms and bathtubs, while steel forms frames for glass doors, mirrors, shelving and furniture. Walls and ceilings are painted white.

"Inspired by modern Baja ranch life, guest rooms are utilitarian with rustic poured concrete, and custo...