The mention of Los Cabos likely conjures images of the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, where the stunning El Arco de Cabo San Lucas is a symbol for the region. Here, desert and ocean create a unique landscape that is undeniably dramatic and picturesque. Resorts of varying hospitality offerings line the coastline, recreation possibilities abound, and local markets display artisanal goods. It's lively and…maybe a bit crowded. But there is another side to Los Cabos; a side that is slightly stealthy in its sheer beauty and miles-long swimmable coastline. It's a side of Los Cabos known to those who prefer—and sometimes require—a bit of anonymity while enjoying the finer things in life, such as gourmet cuisine, destination adventure, luxurious accommodations, and decadent hospitality. This side of Los Cabos is Baja's East Cape, along the Sea of Cortez and in the shadow of the Sierra de la Laguna Mountains, and the home of Costa Palmas, the premier residential resort community that put this new Cabo on the map.
Favored by A-list celebrities, titans of industry, professional athletes, and others seeking luxurious refuge, Costa Palmas is a destination unto itself within the greater Los Cabos region. The 1,500-acre beachfront resort community is located 45 minutes from Los Cabos International Airport. Thoughtfully and sensitively designed by Irongate, a full-service real estate development firm known for its luxury hospitality and residential projects, Costa Palmas introduces lavish hospitality set among organic farms and on an international marina. A versatile selection of real estate offerings features beachfront, golf course, ocean, and marina panoramas. Residences (priced from $685,000 to $45 million) are designed to take advantage of the picturesque location, and each offers a high level of personalized service.
In addition to the private residences, Costa Palmas is currently home to Four Seasons Resort & Residences Los Cabos at Costa Palmas, a Robert Trent Jones II 18-hole golf course, 18 acres of orchards and farms, destination restaurants, a superyacht marina, and its own private, 2.5 mile long beach. Coming soon are Amanvari Resort and Residences, a Costa Palmas Yacht Club, and Casa Blake, a branded residential and hospitality offering set in the community’s chic Marina Village.
The ultra-luxurious Four Seasons Resort opened in 2019 and has been providing guests with a peek at what the entirety of the community will soon become. And the resort’s private marina, the only within the Four Seasons brand, is a harbinger of the luxury that currently exists, and that which awaits. An exclusive port of call for superyachts in the area, the private marina offers complimentary water taxi transportation for both guests and members, and will soon be able to accommodate up to 300-foot yachts and offer 24-hour mooring assistance by professionally trained and qualified staff, access to professional captain and crew, drydock services, restroom facilities, and a fuel dock with diesel supply and pump out station.
The Costa Palmas Marina draws comparisons to other popular yachting destinations along France and Italy’s Riviera, and newly opened beach club Delphine contributes to some of the similarity. This elevated, open-air club features daily entertainment, a stylish and lively bar, sandy lounging areas, and culinary offerings from Los Angeles-based, Michelin-starred Chef Ludo Lefebvre, known for his innovative culinary creations and his award-winning Petit Trois restaurants, L’Original in Hollywood and Le Valley in Sherman Oaks. Guest at Delphine have the option to dine in the sand under the shade of an umbrella or in the pavilion’s al fresco patio.
Costa Palmas’ vibrant Marina Village, inspired by global seaside gathering spots, offers additional dining options such as Mozza Baja at Costa Palmas which melds a distinct Baja spirit with the relaxed atmosphere of the Los Angeles favoritesby James Beard Foundation Award winner, author, and restauranteur Nancy Silverton, Casena, a locally inspired cafe serving Coffee Lab Baja java, and Chiki, the East Cape’s first nightclub and lounge, designed in a mélange of color and texture by the famed Martin Brudnizki. All of this is easily accessed by daily water taxi service to and from the Four Seasons Resort, which features its own array of culinary destinations, such as estiatorio Milos, a chic Mediterranean beachside restaurant where international flair is paired with local ingredients, Limón, offering farm-to-table, open fire, al fresco dining amidst the shade of a lemon grove, open-air, Baja-style brasserie Casa de Brasa overlooking the resort’s largest pool, and cevicheria and sushi bar, El Puesto. The resort’s most recent culinary attraction is Zest, the smallest restaurant in Cabo with only one chef’s table. Zest offers a private, ten-course chef’s table experience held in the Limón culinary gardens under a canopy of twinkle-lights. Additionally, Costa Palmas resident members have access to their own private dining experiences: The Costa Palmas Nursery, featuring open flamed cooking and an outdoor clay oven, and the Costa Palmas Beach Club, the main hub for Costa Palmas members.
The community’s world-class Robert Trent Jones II golf course harbors perhaps one of Costa Palmas’ best-kept restaurant secrets. At the 13th hole, you’ll find Lucha Libre, a palapa-roofed taco stand offering outstanding cooked-to-order grilled shrimp and adobada pork tacos, as well as the world’s greatest selection of tequilas and mezcals. It’s worth a lesson with the course’s golf pro just to find your way to this lowkey, culinary gem.
For the Costa Palmas curious, a stay at the Four Seasons Resort showcases the best of the development and the region. Featuring a low-density layout spread of 141 guest rooms and suites across multiple buildings with sea and mountain views, the resort fronts over two miles of pristine beachfront, much of which is raked daily into intricate, artistic patterns by the resort’s team of landscapers. A dedicated mercado features multiple retail experiences (including a recent YSL pop-up). There’s a sports complex and fitness center, six expansive pools, a teen center, a Kids for All Seasons program, and the decadent Oasis Spa and Wellness Centre. Inspired by the healing energy of the desert, mountains, and sea, spa treatments utilize Baja’s plentiful natural ingredients for the ultimate in mind, body and spirit renewal. Complimentary wet areas, saunas, steam rooms, and hydrotherapy whirlpools can be enjoyed by all resort guests.
Additional on-site adventures range from horseback riding, waterfall hikes, off-road ATVing, surf lessons, zip lining, sunset cruises, flat rock hiking, spearfishing, tequila tasting, and snorkeling at Cabo Pulmo a UNESCO World Heritage Site which Jacques Cousteau called the aquarium of the world.
Costa Palmas’ second resort venue, Amanvari, will feature luxurious bi-level hotel pavilions and residences ranging from beachfront to golf lots. Amanvari is designed to meld into the landscape with expansive indoor-outdoor living spaces. The resort will feature a striking infinity pool, wellness facilities, three dining concepts, and a lounge, all sure to create a new wave of excitement within the already vibrant landscape. Also on the horizon is Casa Blake, a water-surrounded Costa Palmas landmark residential and hospitality offering, created in collaboration with JSa Architects, Martin Brudnizki Design Studio, and David Bowd and Kevin O’Shea of SALT Hotels.
Costa Palmas’ allure can be attributed to its laidback nature. The East Cape region is reminiscent of what Los Cabos used to be: beautifully stark desert bordering the crystalline turquoise Sea of Cortez. The allure is surely also in the vision; that of a community sensitive to the environment, caring of its ever hospitable employees, and catering to those who seek the best that life has to offer.
Photos courtesy of Costa Palmas
