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Los Cabos Golfing Glories Continue with a Spectacular New Course from Greg Norman

March 11, 2020 by Leave a Comment

Another golf course has opened in Los Cabos. That makes 18 currently operating courses in the area, 17 of which are championship level layouts from the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Greg Norman.

Norman, the two-time major champion who was nicknamed the “Great White Shark” for his aggressive playing style, has designed the most recently unveiled course – Rancho San Lucas – centerpiece of an 834-acre resort and residential community set on a pristine stretch of beach on the Pacific Ocean 15 minutes from downtown Cabo San Lucas.

Known for his ‘least-disturbance’ design approach, Norman has created a low-profile, links-style layout that features sweeping ocean views from every hole. Earthmoving was kept to a minimum: the site’s contours and topography, Norman said, were ideal for the routing of a world-class course.

Spanning three different ecosystems, the 7,210-yard, par-72 golf course rambles through huge windswept dunes at the start, climbs through a thick cactus forest creased by meandering arroyos in the middle of the round, and returns players to the beach and sea on the back nine.

Tailored to the site’s terrain, Norman and his design team integrated indigenous landscapes and grass varietals that use the least amount of water, creating an eco-friendly golf experience that flows naturally with the dune and desert landscape. The club has applied for enrollment in Audubon International’s Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses.

“Rancho San Lucas is the most spectacular piece of oceanfront property I’ve seen in a long time, so to have the opportunity to build a course on this site was truly once-in-a-lifetime,” Norman said. “My goal was to keep it as natural as possible while showcasing the site’s arroyos, dunes and view corridors. We wanted to build a sustainable course that is playable from all perspectives, including the forward tees. We’re committed to making a global impact by creating courses that withstand the test of time, and I truly believe this golf course is one of the best we’ve ever built.”

The layout’s defining characteristic is its re-vetted pot bunkers. These sharp-edged, steep-walled sandy pits were constructed from recycled artificial turf and are nearly identical to the natural sod-walled bunkers found on British links courses. Resistant to washouts, the club’s synthetic, low-maintenance bunkers are a first in Mexico. Norman used them sparingly.

Tees, greens and fairways at Rancho San Lucas are surfaced in papsalum, a salt- and drought-tolerant cultivar that uses a fraction of the insecticides and fertilizer required by normal grasses.

The versatile, well-groomed layout has five sets of tees and offers exceptional pace and variety. The par 5’s are brawny, the par 3’s are varied. The par 4’s, angled to all compass points, range from long and stout to short and fun.

Featuring a dramatic 300-foot elevation change, the well-strategized course has a handful of holes on the beach, notably the par-3 third, which parallels the sea and will give players fine views of breaching whales during the winter months. There’s also a signature island green at the par-3 17th hole. Corridors are wide and targets are generous: four of the putting surfaces exceed 12,000 square feet.

Mindful of the seasonal windy conditions, Norman devised a 12-hole ‘course within a course’ at Rancho San Lucas. This innovative 4,964-yard, par-49 layout consists of low-lying holes sheltered by the dunes and shielded from Pacific breezes. It promises a pleasant outing on a windy day in May.

With two on-course comfort stations, each providing Mexican specialties and ice-cold refreshments, players can enjoy an all-inclusive experience during the round.  A handsome ranchero-style clubhouse overlooks the fairways and sea. The practice facility features a basin-shaped driving range, an 18-hole putting course, and dedicated chipping, pitching and sand play areas.

Rancho San Lucas is a private club with exclusive access available to guests of Solmar Group hotels and rental properties.

For more information about events, activities and villa rentals in Los Cabos, call us TOLL FREE at 1-888-655-4548, visit https://www.loscabosvillas.com/, or email us at Info@LosCabosVillas.com.

Photo credit:  Rancho San Lucas

Upcoming Events Calendar

March

Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – Mar. 5, 12, 19, 26

Baja Shakespeare Festival – Mar. 6 – 8, 11 – 14

Sabores de Baja in Miraflores – Mar. 8

East Cape Arts Festival – Mar. 15

Festival Artesanal El Triunfo – Mar. 15

Todos Santos Film Festival – Mar. 26 – 29

April

Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – Apr. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30

Semana Santa – Apr. 5 – 11

NORRA Mexican 1000 – Apr. 17 – 24

Warren Hill’s Los Cabos Jazz Festival – April 30 – May 3

May

Warren Hill’s Los Cabos Jazz Festival – April 30 – May 3

485th Foundation Festival in La Paz – May 3 – 5

Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – May 7, 14, 21, 28

El Dia de la Madre – May 10

Gastrovino Food & Wine Festival – Dates Not Yet Announced

White Party at ME Cabo/Blue Marlin Ibiza – Date Not Yet Announced

June

Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – June 4, 11, 18, 25

7th Cabo Summer Slam/Pelagic Triple Crown of Fishing Tournament – June 11 – 13

Los Cabos Open of Surf – Dates Not Yet Announced

Fiesta de la Musica in San Jose del Cabo – June 20

24th Stars and Stripes Golf and Fishing Tournament – June 24 – 28

July

Pitahayas Harvest Fair in Miraflores – Dates Not Yet Announced

East Cape Dorado Shootout – July 18

Los Cabos Open of Tennis – July 20 – 25

Ladies Only Fishing Tournament in Los Barriles – July 23 – 27

Mango Festival in Todos Santos – Dates Not Yet Announced

August

Bisbee’s East Cape Offshore Fishing Tournament – Aug. 4 – 8

East Cape Gold Cup Wahoo Jackpot Fishing Tournament – Aug. 22

September

Mexican Independence Day – Sep. 16

 October

Bisbee’s Los Cabos Offshore Fishing Tournament – Oct. 15 – 18

Bisbee’s Black & Blue Fishing Tournament – Oct. 20 – 24

 November

Day of the Dead – Nov. 2

Los Cabos Film Festival – Nov. 11 – 15

53rd Annual SCORE Baja 1000 – Nov. 16 – 21

Revolution Day – Nov. 20

 December

Feast Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe – Dec. 12

Las Posadas – Dec. 16 – 24

Nochebuena – Dec. 24

Navidad – Dec. 25

Nochevieja – Dec. 31

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Spring Break for Adults: A Guide to March Events in Los Cabos

February 28, 2018 by Leave a Comment

It’s easy to tell when March has arrived in Los Cabos. Playa El Medano, the longest and most popular beach in Cabo San Lucas, is awash in bikini and board shorts clad college students, many of whom are packed into Mango Deck for bawdy entertainment (banana eating and sex position contests, anyone?) and beverage service from Big Johnson, a mustachioed Pancho Villa look-alike whose holsters are packed not with pistols, but bottles of tequila.

For those whose idea of a good time no longer includes copious amounts of tequila shots – which is to say, more mature adults – the cape cities still have plenty to offer in March. In fact, March is one of the best months to experience traditional regional festivals, culture-oriented events that celebrate art, film, drama, and music…with plenty of regional food thrown in for good measure.

Here are five of our March favorites…

Todos Santos Film Festival (March 7 – 11)

This annual showcase for Mexican and Latin American films was founded in 1994, and is based each year at the historic Teatro-Cine Manuel Marquez de Leon, a landmark 70+ year old movie theater that overlooks the town square in Todos Santos. The 15th edition will include full-length films, as well as shorts, documentaries, and projects from the local Youth in Video program. Additional screenings will take place in nearby Pescadero, and Baja California Sur’s capital city, La Paz.

Baja Shakespeare Festival (March 9 – 11, 14 – 17)

For nearly 20 years, Baja Sur’s beautiful East Cape has welcomed visitors for fun-filled theater twists on cultural classics…often but not always Shakespeare. This year’s selection, The Baja Shake Up!, shows what happens when star-crossed lovers (from Romeo and Juliet) meet gangsters and gun molls (inspired by Woody Allen’s Bullets Over Broadway). The highly anticipated Camilla Ford directed theater production will be held during consecutive weeks at Hotel Buenavista Beach Resort.

Wine & Cheese Festival at Sheraton Grand Hacienda del Mar (March 10)

Want to know how locally made cheeses and wines from Baja’s Valle de Guadalupe stack up against the fancy competition from France and elsewhere? Then we recommend attending the 6th annual Queso & Vino Festival on March 10th at Sheraton Grand’s scenic and stylishly appointed Hacienda del Mar property. Each year, the resort packs its Salon Hacienda ballroom with wines and cheeses from around the world, adds live music for a more festive atmosphere, and later donates the proceeds to local charities for children.

El Triunfo Arts Festival  (March 11)                        

El Triunfo and San Antonio, two mountain hamlets about 35 and 40 miles south of La Paz, respectively, are the two oldest secular communities in the Californias (yes, that includes the U.S. state of California). Both were built on gold and silver mining, and in fact during the latter part of the 19th century El Triunfo was the wealthiest community in Baja California, with reportedly the highest concentration of pianos per capita in México. It was the first Baja town to boast luxuries like electricity and telephones, and its largest smokestack, dubbed Ramona, was built by none other than Gustave Eiffel. Today, the populations of El Triunfo and San Antonio number in the hundreds, but both retain their old-fashioned charm and offer abundant historical artifacts and attractions. The best time to visit the former is during its annual Festival Artesanal, when vendors line the streets hawking traditional food, art and clothing, and colorfully costumed men and women waltz around the town square.

Traditional Fiestas in San Jose del Cabo (March 14 – 19)

During the Spanish colonial period, many towns in Baja California and elsewhere in Mexico and Latin America were named according to the Catholic calendar. San Jose del Cabo’s first Spanish name, for instance, was San Bernabe, so named by Sebastian Vizcaino when he landed there on June 11, 1602, during the traditional Catholic feast day for Saint Barnabas. San Bernabe replaced Anuiti, the name given to the place by the indigenous Pericues, and was itself later replaced by San Jose del Cabo, the name of the Jesuit mission that opened in 1730. The city’s fiestas tradicionales, or fiestas patronales (as the patron saint festivals are typically known in Spanish), encompass nearly a week of celebrations, and include parades, live music, regional food and drinks (the ceviche preparation contest is an annual highlight), plus the coronation of an event king and queen. The festivities culminate on March 19, the official feast day of Saint Joseph.

NOTE:  Mexico has its own traditional Spring Break period, which coincides with Semana Santa (the Catholic Holy Week that concludes with Easter Sunday). Outside of Christmas, this is the busiest holiday period in the country, as students and families flock to coastal beach resorts for some well-earned rest and recreation. What this means for U.S. and Canadian tourists is an increased competition for hotel rooms. Thus, while we always recommend villa rentals as a more luxurious, memorable, and surprisingly affordable alternative to the resort experience, there is no better time to find out just how true this is than during Semana Santa.

For more information about events, activities and villa rentals in Los Cabos, call us TOLL FREE at 1-888-655-548, or visit www.LosCabosVillas.com, or email us at Info@LosCabosVillas.com .

Photo courtesy of Michael Kull.

Upcoming Event Calendar

March

Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29

Todos Santos Historic Homes Tour – March 4

Todos Santos Film Festival – March 7 – 11

Baja Shakespeare Festival – March 9 – 11, 14 – 17

Wine & Cheese Festival at Sheraton Grand Hacienda del Mar – March 10

El Triunfo Festival Artesanal – March 11

East Cape Arts Festival – March 18

Traditional Fiestas in San Jose del Cabo – March 14 – 19

El Ganzo Music Presents: Jenny & The Mexicats – March 24

Semana Santa (Holy Week) – March 25 – 31

Rancho Pescadero Yoga, Surf & Nutrition Retreat – March 28 – April 1

April

Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – April 5, 12, 19, 26

Paws n’ Claws Golf Tournament and Dinner – April 8

NORRA Mexican 1000 – April 20 – 26

Los Cabos Culinary Awards – April 25

2018 Taco Fest Los Cabos at Casa Dorada – April 28

 May

483rd La Paz Foundation Festival – May 3 – 5

Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – May 3, 10, 17, 24, 31

Cinco de Mayo – May 5

Día de la Madre (Mother’s Day) – May 10

Gastrovino Food & Wine Festival – May 19 – 20

Rancho Pescadero Yoga, Surf & Nutrition Retreat – May 30 – June 2

June

Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – June 7, 14, 21, 28

Los Cabos Open of Surf – June 11 – 17

Fiesta de la Musica – June 21

Stars and Stripes Golf & Fishing Tournament – June 28 – July 1

July – August

East Cape Dorado Shootout Fishing Tournament – Jul. 21

Los Cabos Open of Tennis – July 30 – Aug. 4

Bisbee’s East Cape Offshore Fishing Tournament – Jul. 31 – Aug. 4

September

Día de la Independencia (Independence Day) – Sep. 16

 October

Los Cabos Billfish Tournament – Oct. 14 – 18

Bisbee’s Los Cabos Offshore Fishing Tournament – Oct. 18 – 21

Bisbee’s Black & Blue Fishing Tournament – Oct. 23 – 27

Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) – Oct. 31 – Nov. 2

 November

Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – Nov. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29

IRONMAN 70.3 Latin American Tri Club Championship – Nov. 4

WON Tuna Jackpot – Nov. 7 – 10

SCORE Baja 1000 – Nov. 14 – 18

Día de la Revolución (Revolution Day) – Nov. 20

Día de Acción de Gracias (Thanksgiving) – Nov. 22

December

Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – Dec. 6, 13, 20, 27

Virgin of Guadalupe Feast Day – Dec. 12

Nochebuena (Christmas Eve) – Dec. 24

Navidad (Christmas) – Dec. 25

Nochevieja (New Year’s Eve) – Dec. 31

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Finding Your Paradise On Baja Sur’s Beautiful East Cape

August 9, 2017 by Leave a Comment

Los Cabos booming real estate market has, along with a concurrent explosion of new luxury resorts, transformed the coastline from cape cities Cabo San Lucas to San Jose del Cabo, so that even the 20-mile coastal “tourist corridor” which connects them is awash in ambitious developments with spectacular Sea of Cortez views.

The big question now for those seeking their own slice of paradise is what’s next? Where is the next big real estate frontier?

The answer lies nearby, on the Los Cabos municipality’s gorgeous East Cape, a belly-shaped arc that juts seaward some 70 miles from the outskirts of San Jose del Cabo to Los Barriles and the Bay of Palms. Although Los Barriles and neighboring Buenavista have attracted fishermen and retirees for decades, the East Cape as a whole has, until quite recently, remained largely undeveloped, a sparsely populated paradise home to small, scattered off-the-grid homes and communities.

The East Cape is now seeing larger developments, however, headlined by the new Four Seasons Hotel & Residences at La Ribera.  Long thought of as the last bastion of “old Baja” in Los Cabos, the East Cape is experiencing its own growth spurt, and for those aspiring to coastal property in one of the most gorgeous and sought after vacation home destinations in the world, the time to buy is now.

Coastal lots have recently opened up at Boca del Salado, a breathtaking beachfront development nestled between San Jose del Cabo and Cabo Pulmo, between the mountains of the Sierra La Trinidad and the Sea of Cortez; at prices that are still incredibly affordable for such stunningly situated seaside property.

In addition to the incredible views, future Boca del Salado owners will also have easy access to the world-class water sports that put the East Cape on the map in the first place: fishing, diving, surfing, windsurfing and kiteboarding.

Bisbee’s East Cape Offshore tournament draws big-game anglers each summer, but the fishing is magnificent year-round. Nearby Cabo Pulmo is home to one of the oldest and largest living coral reefs in the Western Hemisphere, a protected marine sanctuary that now boasts the highest abundance of fish in the Sea of Cortez. It is unquestionably the best snorkel and dive site on the peninsula. Surfaris to gorgeous breaks at Shipwrecks and Nine Palms have long been popular among destination surfers; and each winter, strong El Norte winds turn East Cape community Los Barriles into the wind sports capital of the world.

In other words, your paradise awaits.

For more information about Boca del Salado, and the Los Cabos real estate market in general, call Los Cabos Real Estate toll free at 1-866-568-7859, visit www.LosCabosRealEstate.Pro, or email us at Info@LosCabosVillas.com .

Photo courtesy of CONANP.

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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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