A dirty weekender with Sophie Monk

Thursday, May 20, 2010

The hardest thing to get your head around with Baja California is that it is actually Baja Mexico. The 1250km-long peninsula runs south from Mexicali to Cabo San Lucas and st separates the Gulf of California from the Pacific Ocean.

It's been the destination of wealthy Americans for many years and we asked Sophie Monk to take us there for a look around.

Las Ventanas al Paraíso is a playground for the very rich and the very famous and is so exclusive it doesn't even have a sign on the door. You could drive right by if you didn't know exactly where to enter. It's an easy two-hour flight from Los Angeles and many guests arrive in private jets.

The resort sits on the beach with stunning views of the Sea of Cortez and is very, very romantic — something management emphasises. It has a romance menu and their Department of Romance will even assist to arrange the setting for a marriage proposal, spicing up an existing one or setting up a candlelit dinner on the beach. Every day is Valentine's Day at Las Ventanas.

Staff members outnumber guests four to one and each room has a personal butler. Most of them carry out their duties via underground tunnels, maintaining an aura of peacefulness, even at busy times.

There are seven pools with varying temperatures and the award-winning spa uses ancient Mexican rituals to get your spirits in good shape. The Pet Program includes massage for your dog, special menus and a portable pet cabana so your best friend can relax and be protected from the sun.

Pool butlers take care of every need, including sunscreen, refreshments, frozen sorbet, the latest novels and cooling Evian spray mists. They will even clean your sunglasses.

Mexico's national drink is tequila. It's made from the succulent agave plant and with an alcohol content of up to 40 percent it packs a punch. Las Ventanas's bar has 110 of the best to choose from including one costing about $285 a shot. A bottle of it goes for around US$2000!

The restaurant is a beautiful room where every table has views of the pool area and Sea of Cortez. Cuisine is described as Mexican-Mediterranean and meals are served outdoors or indoors. Decor features a meandering hand-painted mural and tables are set with the finest hand-painted Mexican crockery.

Guaycura dinners enable diners to sample a traditional Mexican barbecue with tableside preparations and fire dancers on the beach.

As you would expect, rooms are richly appointed. They have marble showers, Conchuela limestone floors, terracotta wood-burning fireplaces and fresh fruit and bottled water is replaced every day. Each room has a telescope for star-spotting.

Related: Lonely Planet: Mexico

Location

Los Cabos in Mexico, a two-hour flight from Los Angeles.

Cost

Las Ventanas al Paraíso rooms start at around $680 a night.

V Australia has flights to Los Angeles from:

Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane $1229
Adelaide $1529
Perth $1829

Connections to Los Cabos are available.

For further information

V Australia
www.vaustralia.com.au

Las Ventanas al Paraíso
San Jose del Cabo
Baja California Sur 23400
Mexico
Ph: +52 624 144 2800
www.lasventanas.com/en
lasventanas@rosewoodhotels.com

Visas: Australians do not require a visa to enter Mexico.

Electricity: 120V at 60Hz.

Time zone: GMT -6.

Currency: The peso.

Telephone code: +52

Mexico
It is recommended travellers to Mexico see their doctor at least six weeks before departure as there are specific vaccinations recommended for Mexico. Other health precautions and preventions may also be recommended and are best discussed with your doctor. For further information, visit www.smartraveller.gov.au

User comments

Sorry but she seriously lowers the tone of Getaway. When she opens her mouth she is embarassing. She makes the reports all about her and not about the place itself. Channel 9, couldn't you have found someone with a bit more class?

Great location but her eyes were glazed over and she looked drunk. She stumbled at one stage when she was haggling with a market vendor. Not a good look and she looked wasted!

Sophie Monk is friendly, down-to-Earth and hilarious. She's not ashamed to make fun of herself (I don't see very many attractive celebrities using self-deprecating humour these days) and she's very to the point. She's doesn't romanticise things in a forced way like other presenters, and this makes her so refreshing! What is not to love about her? The fact that she is also gorgeous? Her beauty only serves to highlight the rarity of her other traits. Don't change the way you speak for anyone, Sophie.

Botox - is one word which jumps up when I see her - the episode was bitter sweet - the location was sweet by Ms.Monk was the bitter bit. Please no more of her.

Well im glad to see how everybody support Aussies on here (not). We all spit on our talent when they are trying to pursue stardom.Our attitude quickly changes once their famous. Micheal Jackson was a perfect example of an extreme case of surgery but was love by millions. this girl has pumped her lips and we don't support her . so sad

I thought she was great. So she's a little rough round the edges, that's how we like our ladies here in Australia. Who are these people calling her a Bogan? Step away from your chardonnay and get out meet some real Australians.

I was under the impression that this article would be about Baja California...... what happened,all I got was Sophie Monk !!!! All ***.......no class !!

Sorry but you did the wrong thing by having Sophie Monk on. She is hardly a presenter and has no class. I try to see the good in everybody but all I can see with her is a plastic doll. She use to look nice but has spoilt the look by all the plastic. Those lips are just awful. Please do us a favour and not use her again.

I trust that will be the only eposode Sophie Monk will be on...... how embarrassing

Her comments are always Gold digger. Really it's not a wonder she is single. She should have embraced the cleansing of her soul it might have given her a chance of being a decent human being.