Al Pairo at Solaz

Few MICHELIN-listed dinners sit on the corridor itself. Al Pairo, the signature restaurant at Solaz (the Luxury Collection resort at kilometer 19 in Cabo Real), is one of them. The kitchen reworks pre-Hispanic Mexican cooking, using native ingredients and old techniques, and the dining room looks out over the sea.

MICHELIN's inspectors singled out a bluefin tuna tostada with fried pork belly, grilled avocado and salsa macha, the octopus, a wagyu steak with plantain purée and roasted onions, and churros with dark chocolate ice cream and tequila cream. We couldn't find a public menu, so treat those as a guide. The cocktail list is one of the draws here, so arrive early and start at the bar.

Dinner runs daily from 5:30 PM to 10:30 PM according to the resort. Dress is smart casual: collared shirts and long trousers for men are the safe choice. MICHELIN puts it in its top price band. The resort's dining page links to OpenTable for bookings; if you're not staying at Solaz, book ahead and give your name at the gate.

It's about 25 minutes by car from Villa 1. We'd pick Al Pairo over the big-name resort dinners when you want modern Mexican cooking with a bit more ambition than the usual resort menu, and it's a shorter drive than the MICHELIN places in downtown San José. If you'd rather have Mexican food in a garden setting, Mezcal at Montage is closer to the villa.