With its strong angular lines and contrasting hues, think cobalt next to crimson and lavender and fuchsia, you might think that this small private hotel would be a hard-edged, over-designed sort of a place. But the renowned British interior designer  who arrived here via Spain and LA, has created a haven of harmony and tranquility in this intimate inn. Striking Modernist style buildings are set amongst tropical plantings, and filled with beautiful design touches.

Her insistence on top quality materials means that the four cottages are supremely comfortable; each has blissful beds, hammocks and a shaded outdoor terrace with loungers.

The villa has three ensuite bedrooms: two light-filled rooms decked out in sunshine yellow and pastel pink with kingsize beds and balconies, and one smaller one off the terrace. Its large open-plan living room comes with fireplace, big sofas, and TV and DVD player. As in the cottages, you’ll find vintage furnishings that the owner has collected through her career, as well as artworks from modern pieces on the living room walls to black and white photographs of Mexico in the bathroom.

The house has a fully equipped galley-style kitchen, complete with fridge freezer, microwave, stove and dishwasher. You dine al fresco at a large table on the terrace just outside the kitchen door; there’s also a dining table tucked to the side in the large living room, and a barbecue outside. A welcome breakfast basket includes marmalade, bread, fruit, tea and coffee. Olive oil and vinegar and other basics are in the house.

Desert gardens and terraces wrap around the building, which is next to the horse paddock; you also get a laundry room.

Further lounging opportunities await beside the hotel’s saltwater pool; and you’re just a few minutes walk from the stunning and usually deserted beach of La Cachora. Breakfast is taken on a terrace filled with primary colours; you can gorge on home-grown mangoes as hummingbirds drink their fill from bright bougainvilleas. There are yoga and Pilates classes, horse-riding on the beach, not to mention the fabulous surfing and whale-watching which put Todos Santos on the map.