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Driving Down The Baja – August 4, 2017

August 4, 2017 by Leave a Comment

This article/info is supplied by Greg Jackson who I have known for over 50 years. I made my first drive down the Baja with Greg & Phil Smith in October of 1985.

Hi Mike,

It’s easy to get the visa at the San Ysidro border crossing at Tijuana.  After crossing the into Mexico, you drive about 500 meters along the border fence before reaching the immigration/customs area.  They need to stay to the far right and enter the separate parking area adjacent to the government building and then walk through the lobby exiting the building and turning immediately to the left to find the immigration office.  Usually there are some tables outside the office with the forms they will need to fill out.  Then you go into the office where the officer will give them paperwork to take back into the lobby area where there are two bank cashier windows, one on the left and one on the right.  Sometimes only one of the two is open.  You pay about $25 USD per visa and the teller marks the paperwork paid which is then returned to the immigration officer who will then endorse the visas and stamp the passports.  Upon exiting the parking area, they can merge into lanes that take them through the customs area.

Upon exiting customs, stay to the right and follow the signs to the toll road.  Some of the signage might also say Playas de Tijuana or Rosarito Beach.  There will be 3 tolls of 33 pesos or $1.90 USD collected on the way to Ensenada.  A nice alternative is to take the “Ruta de Vino” through the Baja wine country with lots of good dining and boutique hotels.

Driving the highway is a great adventure and I am sure your people will enjoy it.  Here are a couple of tips just in case they are first time Baja drivers:

  1. Buy car insurance.  Baja Bound is an excellent source  and the policy can be purchased online and printed out.
  2. Don’t drive at night.  I like to keep it to about 6-8 hours a day of actual driving.  An excellent place to stay for the first night is at the Baja Cactus hotel in El Rosario.  The place is very well run with nice rooms and good king size beds.  A few steps away is historic Mama Espinosas restaurant for dinner.  It’s important to fill up in El Rosario at the station next to the hotel since the next station is about 4 hours  down the road.
  3. The new edition of the Moon publishing Baja is an excellent resource for the trip.  It was written by Jennifer Kramer who has a wealth of experience traveling the peninsula.

Thanks for all your help with our last trip down.  I will get the tuna shipment out to your dad taken care of in the next couple of days.

Greg

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Jim Flick Invitational Returns to Cabo del Sol Golf Courses in November

August 1, 2017 by Leave a Comment

Los Cabos currently has three courses ranked among the 100 Best in the World, but only one of them regularly hosts tournaments. That’s the Cabo del Sol Ocean Course, which along with its neighboring Desert Course, is the site of the annual Los Cabos Pro-Am and the Jim Flick Invitational.

The latter also showcases a pro-am format, with professionals competing for $100,000 over 72-holes of stroke play, and foursomes (featuring one professional and three amateurs) battling in handicap-adjusted best ball formats to win a 5-day trip to the birthplace of golf, St. Andrews in Scotland. The 2017 Jim Flick Invitational is scheduled for November 7 – 12.

Formerly the TaylorMade Invitational, the tournament was recently renamed in honor of the late Jim Flick, a PGA Professional and golf instructor for more than 50 years. Flick taught golf in 23 countries and worked with pros like Tom Lehman and Jack Nicklaus, with whom he founded the Nicklaus-Flick Golf Schools.

Nicklaus’s breathtaking Ocean Course is of course the star attraction. Ranked in the top 100 in the world for 15 years running by GOLF Magazine, the Ocean Course hugs the coastline, offering stunning mountain, desert and Sea of Cortez views before concluding with what Nicklaus himself has called “the three finest holes in golf.”

Although lacking the same accolades as its Ocean neighbor, Tom Weiskopf’s Desert loop also offers an unforgettable golfing experience, and is certainly worthy of sharing the Cabo del Sol imprimatur.  The scenically sculpted layout is currently rated as the 6th best course in Mexico, and was included among Golf Week’s 50 top courses in Mexico and the Caribbean for 2017.

The inaugural Jim Flick Invitational in 2016 was won by Michael Block, head professional at the Arroyo Trabuco Country Club in Mission Viejo, California; and in the team category by the foursome of Jason Marciniec, Alan Marthinsen, Chris Raftis and Bill Sarris. As a bonus, nearly $40,000 was raised for the PGA of America’s Junior League Golf during the post-tournament Trophy Night.

Jack Nicklaus was honored with the first ever Jim Flick Trophy last year, an appropriate selection given the relationship between Nicklaus and Flick, Nicklaus’ unrivaled status as 18-time major champion, and his contributions to Los Cabos golf.

Nicklaus effectively put Los Cabos on the golfing map in the early 1990s with spectacular layouts at Palmilla, Eldorado and Cabo del Sol (Ocean); and has since built upon this legacy with the magnificent Quivira, challenging Campestre, and a unique collaboration with Greg Norman at Puerto Los Cabos. His son Jackie accepted the trophy on his behalf.

This second edition of the Jim Flick Invitational will boast an impressive list of sponsors, headlined by the PGA, Corona, Pepsi and Adidas. For registration and other information, visit jimflickinvitational.com.

For tips on resorts or rental accommodations, including luxury villas, Call Us TOLL FREE at 1-888-655-4548, visit www.LosCabosVillas.com, or email us at Info@LosCabosVillas.com.

Photo courtesy of the Jim Flick Invitational.

 

 

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Los Cabos Fishing Report – July 30, 2017

July 30, 2017 by Leave a Comment

July 30, 2017

We are really starting to feel like the tropical desert climate is dominating. With a series of tropical storm system developing in succession from the south, before following western paths. The latest on the list being Hurricanes Irwin and Hilary, both moving further off to the west and now downgraded to tropical storms. In Los Cabos the impact felt was increased ocean swells, to 8 to feet or more, more cloud cover, higher humidity and some isolated rai squalls on Thursday, moderately heavy in certain areas. Looks to be clearer in the coming days, though this time of year it is very hard to predict weather patterns more than a couple days in advance.

Ocean swells were definitely much larger early this week and will continue moderately for the next week, this commonly is the time of year that we see this. Though winds have been mainly increasing later in the morning or afternoon, morning hours on the water were relatively nice. Water temperatures are now averaging 80 to 84 degrees throughout the region. Clarity a bit stirred up closer to shore, due to currents and swells, but clean blue water is being encountered within a few miles of shore. Early in the week there were sardinas found in limited quantities, as well as caballito and mullet. With increased wave activity it is has been not possible to safely reach where the sardinas were schooling, though there are some sardinas found inside of the marina channel area. Other bait options has been using strips of squid, which is just beginning to prove to be a successful option.

Most common areas now being targeted by local sportfishing fleets have been from off of Chileno Bay and north towards Vinorama, for the most part during summer months the waters are calmer in the direction of the Sea of Cortez, rather than on the Pacific.

In recent days the billfish action has improved, decent numbers of blue and striped marlin were being hooked into while trolling lures in open offshore waters most of the stripers being under 100 lb., blues were averaging 150 to 200 lb., with one blue marlin, estimated at 500 lb., lost due to tangling lines of a commercial fishing boat, not a good way to lose a trophy fish like that. Dorado have still been slow, but most days we are seeing some do-do’s striking on various trolled lures, small in size, ranged up to 15 lb. Wahoo became a bit more active for first time in a while, as more hook ups on the ’hoo were reported later in the week, as these fish were striking on trolled lures in the La Fortuna to Vinorama, so this is encouraging, A possible good chance now for another quality option.

Bottom action has been slim recently, strong current being part of the issue, also warmer waters, this often means certain species move to deeper and cooler zones. Most common species now being targeted for panga, cruisers and center console charters, was the yellowfin tuna action. This week the best bite was near Vinorama and on most days later in the morning was better than early. Perhaps the currents slacked near higher tide, you never really know when fish will be more aggressive towards feeding. These yellowfin tuna ranged from 5 lb. to 80 lb. Most consistent action was found on sardinas, as well as on caballito, some strikes on strips of squid. Trolling small to medium Rapalas and hoochies produced mainly the smaller grade of yellowfin, with the larger specimens taken on bait. You also had to fish persistently, with patience, waiting for your chance when the fish would come up and be actively feeding. Also these yellowfin were also line shy, finicky, often anglers needed to go down to 30 lb. line to buy a strike, some of these larger tuna can take close to two hours to land when using such light line. Catching one, two or three of these nice tuna was average, some boats had up to five or more, these fish are definitely on these grounds, using more chum was better to help entice them, but being there when they actually would come to the surface and feed was the key factor

The combined panga fleets launching out of La Playita, Puerto Los Cabos Marina sent out approximately 84 charters for the week, with anglers reporting a fish count of: 16 striped marlin, 8 blue marlin, 42 dorado, 18 wahoo, 4 amberjack, 12 bonito, 18 yellow snapper, 6 barred pargo, 175 yellowfin tuna, 7 leopard grouper, 73 huachinango, 16 jack crevalle, 18 roosterfish and 38 triggerfish.

Good fishing, Eric

—

GORDO BANKS PANGAS

Eric Brictson / Operator

619 488-1859

Los Cabos (624) 142-1147

e-mail:gordobanks@yahoo.com

WWW.GORDOBANKS.COM

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Three Great Reasons to Buy a Home in Los Cabos

July 25, 2017 by Leave a Comment

Los Cabos is currently in the midst of an unprecedented growth spurt, with a boom in both resort and residential developments. And why not?

There’s a reason – actually, quite a few of them – that Hollywood movie stars and professional athletes have been flying down for decades, relaxing with friends and family in 5-star resorts, or their own seaside villas.

Here are three of the most obvious:

Lifestyle

Los Cabos unique geographic features – mountains descending to desert, desert transforming to gorgeous beaches at the boundaries of the Pacific Ocean and Sea of Cortez – translate to an almost unlimited choice of outdoor activities, from zip-lining and mountain climbing to off-road racing and surfing, diving and sailing.

Golf and fishing have proved the most perennially popular, however. The sport fishing remains among the best in the world, and Cabo San Lucas holds the world’s richest marlin tournament, Bisbee’s Black & Blue, with million dollar plus payouts to winning teams each October. Three of the municipality’s 15 operating golf courses are currently ranked among the 100 Best in the World by Golf Digest, and new loops are on the way from Greg Norman and Fred Couples.

The food and wine scenes are also now first-class, thanks to the arrival of celebrity chefs like Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Nobu Matsuhisa, Enrique Olvera and Richard Sandoval, and a regional renaissance in San Jose del Cabo at restaurants like Flora Farm, Acre, and Huerta Los Tamarindos. The wine explosion in Valle de Guadalupe, outside of Ensenada, has not only provided plenty of excellent pairing options, but has also resulted in more advanced wine programs, with onsite sommelier service at many upscale restaurants and resorts.

More importantly, perhaps, for families, is the foreign culture component; and the area now boasts several excellent bilingual schools.

Value

Look at the cost of ocean view properties in the U.S. and then compare that with properties in Los Cabos. When it comes to value, there really is no comparison. Los Cabos is the better value by leaps and bounds.

For true value, however, one must also take into account the lower cost of living in Mexico: the lower cost of consumer goods, the lower cost of utilities, and the lower cost of labor; specifically, domestic workers.

Investment

As Los Cabos continues to add both infrastructure and additional population, the price of its most impressive ocean view properties will only continue to rise. Not only is buying a home here an investment in a more enjoyable and more relaxed lifestyle, it’s also an investment with huge upside in terms of future returns.

What’s the old saying? “Buy land, they’re not making it anymore.”

They’re certainly not making any more at Land’s End, where the sun shines over 330 days a year, and the fish are always biting.

Those are a few of the reasons, but far from all why buying a home in Los Cabos is a desirable option. There is also the benefit of fast and easy Mexican residency, favorable exchange rates, a largely English fluent workforce, and the fact that you can have belongings shipped via ground rather than air transport.

Did we mention the year-round sunshine?

For more information about the Los Cabos Real Estate market, Call Us TOLL FREE @ 1-866-568-7859, visit www.LosCabosRealEstate.Pro, or email us at Info@LosCabosVillas.com .

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Los Cabos Fishing Report – July 23, 2017

July 23, 2017 by Leave a Comment

July 23, 2017

Another week with light crowds and increasingly warmer weather. The latest tropical storm which has developed off of Southern Mexico is named Greg, it is following the recent trend and heading on a westerly track offshore, all we felt from this system was perhaps more tropical climate with increased humidity. Winds were relatively light, morning calmer, with breeze picking up mid-day on. Ocean temperatures are back up in the 80 to 84 degree range on the Sea of Cortez side of the Peninsula and on the Pacific Banks it is about 78 degrees.

Sportfishing fleets have been fishing from Chileno, Palmilla, Gordo Banks, to Iman and San Luis. Action was spread out now. Largest fish we heard of was early in the week, a 428 lb. black marlin which was hooked into while trolling a lure around the Gordo Banks, other highlight was a 100 lb. class yellowfin tuna landed on Thursday. Most common catches were for a smaller grade of 10 to 20 pound yellowfin, these fish were scattered throughout the inshore region, striking on trolled hoochies and smaller Rapalas. This action started out strong early in the week, was more spread out by the weekend. These schooling tuna were not associated with porpoise, just found in open water, along the inshore drop off.

A few more numbers of dorado, though most of these were under 8 lb., only an occasional larger specimen seen. Tolling same type of tuna lures was the best bet to find these fish. Inshore there was decent action for roosterfish, hot spot perhaps off of the San Jose Hotel zone, fish to over40 lb. were landed, also many juveniles mixed in.

The action off the bottom was up and down, one day good, next day slim, mainly targeting red snapper (huachinango), in the 4 to 12 lb. range, found near San Luis Bank and hooked up  with yo-yo style jigs. Only a few amberjack were found. No dogtooth snapper to speak of either, only a couple of small ones. The months of July and August is when we normally to find the largest of amberjack and dogtooth snapper, so our fingers are crossed that these normal patterns are just running a little being typical schedules.

Bait supplies consisted of mullet and caballito, some anglers are starting to try their luck with strips of squid, but so far noting has been consistent with that, need a larger grade of yellowfin to move in, it is the time of year we do regularly see the quality grade tuna move in.

Some limited wahoo activity was reported this week, more strikes missed and lures cut off than fish caught, this happened while trolling for the tuna, though a couple of wahoo up to 25 lb. were landed. First of these we have seen in a while. With inshore waters cleaning back up, blue water is what wahoo prefer. If water temperatures become too much warmer these fish often become more sluggish.

We heard of one 45 lb. class snook landed off the beach in the evening, these world class fish are in the area, though you have to put in some serious effort and be fortunate to land one.

The combined panga fleets launching out of La Playita, Puerto Los Cabos Marina sent out approximately 59 charters for the week, with anglers reporting a fish count of: 1 black marlin, 4 striped marlin,24 dorado, 2 wahoo, 8 amberjack, 16 bonito, 11 yellow snapper, 4 barred pargo, 185 yellowfin tuna, 10 leopard grouper, 2 dogtooth snapper, 84 huachinango, 9 jack crevalle, 68 roosterfish, 2 pompano and 22 triggerfish.

Good fishing, Eric

—

GORDO BANKS PANGAS

Eric Brictson / Operator

619 488-1859

Los Cabos (624) 142-1147

e-mail:gordobanks@yahoo.com

WWW.GORDOBANKS.COM

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Los Cabos Fishing Report – July 16, 2017

July 16, 2017 by Leave a Comment

July 16 2017

Light crowds of tourists were feeling the real heat of the summer season now, as weather patterns have stabilized, feeling more tropical, higher humidity and lighter winds. Surf conditions were larger, as a result of two distant hurricanes, Eugene and Fernanda, which formed off Southern Mexico and headed off on northwesterly tracks. No impact on land was felt, except for larger ocean swells and high humidity. Ocean temperatures have warmed up into the 82 degree range on the Sea of Cortez side, the Pacific is still slightly cooler. Water clarity has continued to improve, green water inshore is showing improvement each day.

Live bait options consisted of caballito and mullet, some chihuil and bolito were being found and used for trolling on the offshore grounds. Inshore fishing action slowed with higher surf conditions, a scattering of roosterfish and jack crevalle. Most fleets are working the grounds from Iman to the San Luis Banks, this is where the most productive all around action was encountered.

With the warming currents, the fast action for huachinango has slowed down, though there were still some to be caught, all on yo-yo jigs, off of Iman and San Luis Banks, also a mix of Eastern Pacific bonito, up to 10 lb. These were the same grounds that quality sized yellowfin tuna were schooling, not in huge numbers, but tuna in the 30 to 80 lb. range were being hooked into on a daily basis. These yellowfin were also striking the yo-yo jigs well this past week, not something they commonly do, usually they prefer various whole or cut baits. Besides striking on yo-yo jigs, these tuna also would hit while drift fishing or slow trolling baits. Most charters were having chances at least for one or two tuna, other landed as many as three of four. Many fish were lost as well, because these yellowfin were a bit line shy, most anglers were using 40 to 50 lb. leaders in order to have better chances at hooking up, resulting in a greater percentage of lost fish as well.

As the ocean water temperature has warmed back up and as the present surf swell resides, this could be the opportunity for dogtooth snapper to finally go on the bite, so far this season we have seen very limited activity from these larger of all pargo species. We did see a couple of nice sized amberjack recently, this is the time of year when we see the largest of these ambers of the season, not uncommon to see fish up to 80 lb. or more this month.

The combined panga fleets launching out of La Playita, Puerto Los Cabos Marina sent out approximately 61 charters for the week, with anglers reporting a fish count of: 3 striped marlin, 16 dorado, 7 amberjack, 32 bonito, 11 yellow snapper, 3 barred pargo, 89 yellowfin tuna, 13 leopard grouper, 165 huachinango, 12 jack crevalle, 24 roosterfish and 26 triggerfish.

Good fishing, Eric

—

GORDO BANKS PANGAS

Eric Brictson / Operator

619 488-1859

Los Cabos (624) 142-1147

e-mail:gordobanks@yahoo.com

WWW.GORDOBANKS.COM

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The Luxury Traveler’s Guide to Los Cabos

July 12, 2017 by Leave a Comment

Why fly coach when you are able to fly first-class? Or, better yet, private?

Air travel, like just about every other life experience, is available at a wide variety of levels…from no frills to unfettered opulence.

For Los Cabos bound vacationers, accommodations have traditionally run the gamut from low-budget bungalows to luxurious beachfront resorts, the latter complete with pampering spas and private butlers. But the truly top-of-the-line luxury options nowadays aren’t found in even the poshest of five-star hotels. To really go big, you want your own private villa.

The most appealing thing about Mexico in 2017 is that between the lower cost of living and the extremely favorable exchange rate,  luxury travel is accessible and affordable to a much greater percentage of U.S. citizens than ever before. And Los Cabos, with its movie star enclaves, world-class golf and fishing, and gorgeous golden sand beaches, is the perfect place to take advantage of this sunny economic situation.

Nestled in the hillside enclave of Pedregal, easily the most prestigious and exclusive address in Cabo San Lucas, Villa La Roca is in many ways the apotheosis of gracious living, Cabo style. Breathtaking views of the half-mile Land’s End headland and the crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean are available from 7 bedrooms (on three levels), not to mention the clifftop pool, where you can meditate on the majesty or your new surroundings to the gentle cascading sounds of your own private waterfall.

Villa La Roca is the ultimate stress reliever. Try a workout in the fitness facility, or ask the private chef to whip up an order of  Moules à la crème Normande, perhaps with a glass of perfectly chilled Muscadet.

Estrella del Mar (Star of the Sea) is another persuasive argument for the private villa experience. Set in Puerto Los Cabos, a luxurious development located just outside San Jose del Cabo, this seven-bedroom villa features marble floors and top-of-the-line appliances, plus swimming pool and rooftop whale watching terrace, and of course easy beach access to beautiful La Playita.

Did I mention the nearby golf course, the world’s only composite design between Jack “The Golden Bear” Nicklaus and Greg “The Great White Shark” Norman? How about the yacht-friendly marina, or the sculpture garden filled with artworks from famed Mexican surrealist Leonora Carrington?

Villa life is sweet in Los Cabos, but to truly live the ne plus ultra Land’s End lifestyle you’ll also need to charter your own luxury yacht. Snorkel or romantic sunset cruises aboard the 56’ Tokase are a good start, with Champagne to sip as you watch whales breach, dolphins frolic, and the sun explode in a fiery burst of color behind an 80-million-year-old granite arch.

After the sunset, have the captain set a course for home while you enjoy a dinner buffet of fresh locally caught seafood.  The mate will be standing by to refill your Champagne flutes, while back at the villa the staff are warming up the clifftop jacuzzi, fluffing the goose down pillows, and turning back the covers on your 400 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets.

Still want to fly coach and sleep in a hammock?

For more information about luxury villas, luxury yachts or the local real estate market, call us TOLL FREE @ 1-888-655-4548, or email us at Info@LosCabosVillas.com.

Click on Los Cabos Vacation Rentals

 

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Fishing Report July 2, 2017

July 2, 2017 by Leave a Comment

July 2, 2017

Through another month, we now begin the first of the three true summer months. Up until now we have felt relatively mild heat, a bit cooler than normal throughout June. These conditions feel great for local residents, as we know that soon enough we will endurance much warmer and humid times. Last week Hurricane Dora formed and passed as a category one storm about 250 miles southwest of Cabo San Lucas, locally there were some limited isolated rain squalls, did not amount to much at all though, as this system quickly weakened as it passed over cooler Pacific waters.

We did feel some south winds, but much less and lighter than the previous week. Though the ocean conditions remains turned over, as slack currents are delaying the time it takes for conditions to rebound. Water temperature is back up into the 74 degree range in the direction of San Jose del Cabo and Los Frailes, out to about 10 to 15 miles the water is green, slowly clearing, offshore the water is cleaner and up into the upper 70 degree range. Though better fishing action is still be found closer inshore near the Iman to San Luis Banks, charters that scouted grounds further offshore did not reports much, some scattered yellowfin tuna early in the week for charters out of Cabo San Lucas, but that action dissipated later in the week. Not much being reported for billfish action, some striped marlin being seen, but very few actual hook ups.

Bait supplies remained steady for caballito and mullet, not much else now, even bolito on the fishing grounds vanished, as conditions eventually recover we do expect the offshore grounds to attract the baitfish schools and more gamefish following. In the meantime fleets found that the most productive action was off the bottom, mainly on yo-yo type jigs for red snapper and a few amberjack. The snapper, or huachinango were found mainly on the San Luis bank, best bite was early in the day and these excellent eating fish averaged 4 to 10 lb. We saw a few amberjack off these same grounds, weight from 10 to 30 lb.

Only a few small sized dorado reported in recent days and a couple of reported missed wahoo strikes. There were some quality sized yellowfin tuna hooked into on the grounds from Iman to San Luis, anglers drift fishing or slow trolling various baits had opportunities when putting in enough time, there was one yellowfin close to 100 lb. landed mid-week, other days we would see a few tuna in the 40 to 70 lb. class for all charters combined. A few smaller football sized tuna were also hooked into on yo-yo jigs or trolled hoochies, but numbers were light. Though with this grade of yellowfin schooling in the green water, over the bottom structure we do expect for the bite to become much more consistent as the clarity of the water improves. Crazy now how the action is still better closer to shore where the water clarity is greener, rather than further offshore in the blue water. The deal is that there is more baitfish close to shore than further out, the fish do need to follow their food supply.

For the charters that did try inshore areas for roosterfish, they did find some activity, though these fish were more scattered due to off-colored, cooler conditions, as well as the swells increasing earlier in the week due to the passing of Hurricane Dora..

The combined panga fleets launching out of La Playita, Puerto Los Cabos Marina sent out approximately 68 charters for the week, with anglers reporting a fish count of:  4 dorado, 8 amberjack, 28 bonito, 18 yellow snapper, 7 barred pargo, 29  yellowfin tuna, 9 leopard grouper, 1 dogtooth snapper, 1 broomtail grouper, 235 huachinango, 10 jack crevalle, 12 roosterfish, 3 sierra and 28 triggerfish.

Good fishing, Eric

—

GORDO BANKS PANGAS

Eric Brictson / Operator

619 488-1859

Los Cabos (624) 142-1147

e-mail:gordobanks@yahoo.com

WWW.GORDOBANKS.COM

Filed Under: Cabo San Lucas Blog, Fishing Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Los Cabos Open Tennis Tournament Returns This Summer

June 28, 2017 by Leave a Comment

There are only two professional tennis tournaments played each year in Mexico. 

The first is the Mexican Open, a staple of the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Tour since 1993, and a rite of spring in Acapulco since 2001. The second is the Los Cabos Open, an ATP mens singles and doubles competition that premiered in 2016 at a newly constructed tennis complex just outside Cabo San Lucas.

The Los Cabos Open returns for its sophomore edition July 31 – August 5, bringing back some of the world’s best players to compete for nearly $800,000 in prize money, and offering plenty of off-the-court festivities, from high-end food and drink concessions to invitation-only special events (last year’s media cruise showcased top players volleying on a luxury yacht based tennis court in front of Land’s End).

The primary forces behind the first Los Cabos Open were banking and financial services giant Mifel, and Cinemex, the largest movie theater chain in Mexico. Both return as primary sponsors in 2017, and will help to grow the impressive facilities that have sprung up around the event.

The tournament host is again Delmar International School, a private bilingual educational institution, where last year six separate courts – including a 3,500 seat stadium and a 1,000 seat grandstand – were specially built, as was an enormous exhibit area and food concession center featuring spectacular Land’s End views. Attendees will not only enjoy brilliant tennis, but be able to sample movie quality Cinemex popcorn, savor fresh local seafood, and sip world-class wines from Baja’s Valle de Guadalupe. Players and special guests, meanwhile, will be lodged at the nearby Sheraton Grand Los Cabos Hacienda del Mar Resort.

Last year, mammoth-serving Croatian Ivo Karlovic beat major champion Feliciano Lopez in the singles final. Lopez, a dashing Spaniard with major championship credentials (he won the French Open doubles in 2016 with countryman Marc Lopez), was the media darling of the first event, fawned over by the Spanish speaking Los Cabos press corps. He returns in 2017, as do six other players ranked in the top 100 internationally. Thomas Berdych, a former Wimbledon finalist currently ranked 14th worldwide, joins Lopez as the marquee attraction.

Tickets for this year’s event are available by the day or week at www.abiertoloscabos.com, or at select box office locations like Koral Concierge in San Jose del Cabo. For stylish accommodations during tournament week, peruse the private villa options at www.loscabosvillas.com.

Photo courtesy of Abierto Los Cabos.

 

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Wine Culture Flourishes in Los Cabos

June 20, 2017 by Leave a Comment

When Ralph Amey published his benchmark guide Wines of Baja California in 2003, there were fewer than two dozen wineries in Valle de Guadalupe and the smaller grape growing valleys located between Ensenada and Tecate. Thirty-five years before that, the grand total was four.

Today, there are well over 120 wineries, and publications as august as Vogue and The New York Times have compared the region to Northern California’s Napa Valley.

What does this Baja California wine boom – in both quantity and quality – mean for visitors to Los Cabos, some 700 miles further south in Baja California Sur?

Cape cities Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo may set the peninsular standard when it comes to hotels and resorts, but when it comes to hospitality bedfellows like food and wine, they often follow the trends set in northern Baja communities like Tijuana, Rosarito and Ensenada.

The Baja Med movement which developed in the early 2000s – pioneered by Tijuana chefs like Miguel Ángel Guerrero and Javier Plascencia – exercised (and continues to exercise) a profound influence on the Los Cabos dining scene, most notably in the emphasis on local and organic produce, farm-to-table restaurants, and creative international fusions. The success of the peninsula’s wine industry, which is responsible for upwards of 90% of all Mexican table wines, has also affected hospitality trends in Los Cabos.

Although a few hardy souls are attempting to harvest grapes and bottle wine between Los Cabos and La Paz, hotter temperatures and a lack of the peculiarly saline water that gives the Valle de Guadalupe its distinctive terroir ensure the wines of El Sur will never rival those being made near La Frontera.

No, the real inroads made by Valle de Guadalupe producers in Los Cabos are their prominent billing in five-star cartas de vino, spots previously reserved for high-profile wines from France, Italy, Argentina, Chile and the U.S.  These Baja based wines are also being heavily promoted to visitors who once thought little of pairing their dinners with a lime-wedged bottle of Corona, or a salt-rimmed margarita.

Tadd Chapman’s Don Sanchez in San José del Cabo is not just one of the city’s finest restaurants, it’s a legitimate wine destination, with an onsite sommelier and a carry-out shop featuring over 300 labels. Solomon’s Landing offers monthly wine pairing dinners on the Cabo San Lucas marina boardwalk during high tourist season, and the Los Cabos Winery offers tasting flights near the town square.

Resorts too are jumping on the bandwagon. The Resort at Pedregal’s annual The Art of Taste Festival brings chefs as well as sommeliers from around México and beyond, and Grand Fiesta Americana boasts a wine themed spa, SOMMA WineSPA, with treatments and therapies built around wine varietals such as Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Vinotherapy, anyone?

Photo of a Valle de Guadalupe vineyard courtesy of Cbojorquez75 and Wikimedia Commons.

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