Celebrity Hideaway Past and Present
In the ‘50s, even before there was a paved road or a public airport, the area achieved a cult-like status as a getaway for celebrities like Lucy and Desi, Bing Crosby and John Wayne who arrived by private jet or yacht. Then the Mexican government invested in the development of infrastructure that led to the creation of the Aeropuerto Internacional Los Cabos in 1984 and to the construction of a major road parallel to the coastline (Highway 1) to increase tourism.
Despite its rapid growth, Los Cabos still remains among the most elite and expensive vacation spots in the world. Eva Longoria, of Desperate Housewives, was recently seen romping with pacific bottlenose dolphins at the new aquatic facility at the Cabo San Lucas marina. The posh Esperanza resort was the honeymoon hideaway for actress Gwyneth Paltrow and Coldplay singer Chris Martin. Singer John Travolta celebrated his 50th birthday with 280 of his closest friends at the elegant The One & Only Palmilla resort. Superstars Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony were also seen walking hand in hand up the hill to the historic Palmilla Chapel to pray for her fertility.
A Place of Abundance
It’s not surprising that celebrities and others who can afford to pay for luxury are drawn to Los Cabos. Why? To sum it up: location, location, location. The region offers access to world-class resorts, boutique hotels or private villa rentals—as well as ownership opportunities at one of the growing number of destination clubs and fractional developments.
With eight championship golf courses, many with stunning ocean views, the area has become a mecca for serious golfers. (Green fees on the exclusive courses routinely top $200.) It also holds a special lure for rabid sport fishermen. Each October, anglers converge there to compete in Bisbee’s Black & Blue Marlin Tournament, one of the most highly publicized fishing competitions in the world, with a pot in excess of $1 million.
Because of the riches of the environment, ecotourism is another big draw for those who enjoy hiking, biking or horseback riding on the rugged desert landscape—or kayaking, snorkeling, scuba diving or whale-watching on the beautiful waters. For those who seek the sun and sand, there are more than 20 main beaches that dot the coastline.
For relaxation, pampering and beauty treatments, Los Cabos boasts more luxury spas than any other place in Mexico. The region is also home to a growing number of master chefs who have won accolades and international awards for their culinary flare. Whether you opt to dine at a fine restaurant or at one of the hacienda-style eateries, there are choices available to please every palate.
Los Cabos has three components: The Corridor, San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas.
A modern four-lane highway (30 miles long), The Corridor, links the two anchoring towns. It is also where you’ll find many of the golf courses, gated communities and most of the large resorts. Though connected by culture and the busy road, each of the two towns has a distinct personality. With its small craft shops and outdoor restaurants awash with vibrant colors, San Jose del Cabo retains the character of an old Mexican village with a mission, jacaranda trees, narrow streets and a central square called the Plaza Mijares.
Cabo San Lucas is more vibrant and bustling. In the early morning, anglers arrive at the modern, full-service marina to fish for snapper, mahi-mahi and marlin in the waters of the Atlantic. Day-trippers disembark from cruise ships, flooding the restaurants and souvenir shops that line the modern marina. Cabo San Lucas even has an enclosed shopping mall, Puerto Paraíso, with a theater that offers English-language films. At night, the intensity of the downtown area hits its peak. Crowds fill the bars with wacky names like Cabo Wabo, Squid Row and Billigan’s Island, drinking and dancing until the wee hours of the morning.
Luxury Three Ways
But in a land of plenty where do you hang your hat when you want a vacation experience that is truly over-the-top? If cost isn’t a consideration, it depends upon your preferences and lifestyle. Three contenders are Las Ventanas al Paraiso (one of the top resorts in Los Cabos), Casa de La Roca (a private villa owned by the destination club, Leading Residences of the World) and Grand Regina (a fractional property adjacent to the Westin Hotel).
An Ocean View Suite at Las Ventanas al Paraiso
Owned by Beanie-Baby magnate Ty Warner, the sprawling five-diamond Las Ventanas al Paraiso resort is managed by Rosewood Hotels and Resorts. We booked a two-bedroom ocean-view suite that came with a dedicated butler who’ll unpack your bags, set up your laptop, and answer his cell phone 24/7 whenever you need him. At the airport, we were warmly welcomed by Jorge, an English-speaking driver. He whisked us away in an air-conditioned white Suburban that had iced bottled water and lemon-infused washcloths placed on the armrest for the brief (less than 20-minute) ride to Las Ventanas.
No need to check in. We were greeted by a small bevy of staff at the outdoor reception area who introduced us to our butler who carried our bags and led us along a path of inlaid stones to our room. Our private residence unit was housed on a third floor, at one end of a five-story white stucco building with fuchsia bougainvillea hanging from the terraces. It had two large bedrooms, each with a telescope for whale-watching or star-gazing through the soaring floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the sea. The beautifully landscaped grounds were punctuated with infinity pools and “lawns” of sand, perfectly manicured by a crew who create symmetrical designs with hand rakes. Water, water everywhere. Not just the pools and sweeping water views. Both bathrooms had inviting Jacuzzis and marble stall showers.
The tastefully furnished living room and kitchen offered us all the conveniences of home and then some. On the dining room table inside, was a welcoming bottle of champagne and fresh fruit. But we were drawn to the latilla-shaded, white-and-blue pillowed banquette on the deck to watch the sunset. Although the resort was at full occupancy, there were surprisingly few people to be found anywhere. The staff to guest ratio is 6:1 but service never feels intrusive. In fact, a discrete underground tunnel system is used by staff to get around the grounds.
The resort had every imaginable comfort and amenity: 400-plus thread-count sheets, overstuffed duvets and extra pillows, a gym that overlooked a cactus garden, location-free TVs at the pools, pool butlers to spray you with Avian or get you a drink from the bar, a choice of aromatherapy in your casita each evening to lull you to sleep, and a spa with a desert-inspired theme that offers nature walks and treatments with heated stones to restore balance and harmony.
In the evening, we gravitated to one of the restaurants on the grounds, either The Restaurant or The Sea Grill, one more formal than the other but both offer a remarkable fusion of Mexican spices with traditional cuts of meat and seafood. At night, the resort magically transformed its character with the lighting of hundreds of candles marking the curved pathways and framing the pools. Native dancers performed around a log fire on the beach to the sound of beating drums and we became enveloped in the moment.
Rates for a two-bedroom ocean view residence at Las Ventanas vary based on the season. Between January 2 and December 18, the cost is $3,000 per night. During the Christmas holidays, the rates increase to $3,350; in summer (June 1–October 15) the same suite can be had for $2,100 a night.
A Stay at a Multi-million-dollar Private Villa Owned by Leading Residences of the World
On our visit to Casa de La Roca, we were picked up at the airport by a friendly, English-speaking local named Alberto, who would serve as both our driver and concierge. In advance of our visit, by clicking through a gallery of pictures on the club’s Web site, we were able to decide which of the two Leading Residences of the World (LRW) homes located in Cabos to book for our stay.
About 25 minutes from the airport down Highway 1, we turned off onto a dirt road and headed toward the water. Alberto used a key to open a graceful ironwork gate at the entrance to the property. Admittedly, the sight of this contemporary whitewashed home of palatial proportions (more than 6,000 square feet of living space) left us breathless. The house was perched atop a craggy inlet at water’s edge with unobstructed views of the Sea of Cortés, Land’s End and Medano Bay. With floor to ceiling windows and all the decks of the house wrapped in white rails, once inside, the views and design of the house gave you the feeling of being on a large ocean liner.
The house was tastefully appointed with art and sculpture that gave it an elegant home-like ambiance. From the foyer, we entered the large great room that dominated the center of the house with a gourmet kitchen, pantry, wine cellar, dining area and powder room on its periphery. The two housekeeper/cooks, who worked each day from dawn to dusk, had prepared Margaritas and a platter of freshly made salsa and chips for our arrival. We plunked ourselves down in front of the plasma TV, put our feet up on the super-size stone coffee table, and immediately felt at home.
Alberto reappeared about a half-hour later to show us around the house, making sure we were familiar with all it had to offer, including the sound-system and high-speed Internet connection. The house was conveniently divided into two parts separated by a pool area. There were two bedrooms on one side (below the great room) and two bedrooms on the other side (each with a tumbled tile bathroom suite that included ample closet space), a layout that could easily accommodate a large family with children or several couples. In the open-air courtyard connecting both sections were a Jacuzzi and heated infinity pool whose edge seemed to cascade into the Sea of Cortés. Colorful striped beach towels were sprawled over the inviting lounges that flanked an open-air barbeque pit and refrigerated wine bar on the pool deck.
In advance of our visit, a LRW concierge helped us plan our itinerary for the week. Since we had visited Cabo before, we really wanted to relax in this sumptuous sanctuary by the sea so we purposely kept our schedule light. But with Alberto’s connections, we made reservations for a fishing expedition on the Pacific Ocean, squeezed in a round of golf at the magnificent Cabo del Sol Ocean Course, experienced an afternoon of snorkeling off a beach, and arranged a shopping trip to pick up some folk art and silver trinkets at the quaint shops in San Jose del Cabo. Several nights, we stayed “home,” eating regional cuisine that was cooked and served by our housekeeper/chefs. Most evenings, we asked Alberto to secure reservations at some of our favorite restaurants. Since parking in the bustling streets of either town can be a hassle, it was a delight to have access to our own driver.
LRW is affiliated with the prestigious Leading Hotels of the World brand and is backed financially by the Fortune-500 Cendant Corporation. Much like membership in a private golf or country club, LRW members don’t own any equity in the club. They pay a one-time fee of $325,000, 80 percent of which is refundable upon resignation; annual dues run about $15,000. The club currently has about 25 properties around the world; the estimated average net worth of its members is between $2 million and $35 million.
A stay at Grand Regina, a Fractional Resort Property
To reach Grand Regina, your driver will exit The Corridor on the same road that leads to the luxurious Westin Resort & Spa, a hotel that has achieved the status of an icon because of its bold architectural design. Grand Regina is an elegant fractional resort that calls itself a “private residence club.” Owners purchase shares in segments of two or more weeks, either fixed or floating. The purchase gives them deeded access to the property in perpetuity. We stayed in a four-bath, three-bedroom unit with its own private deck and outdoor Jacuzzi overlooking the sea. The unit was furnished with a contemporary minimalist flair; making extensive use of white upholstery and light woods to bring the sparkling blue waters outside to the foreground.
Fractionals are more upscale cousins of timeshares, differentiated by their amenities and cost. Grand Regina met that standard. There was complimentary pickup and drop-off at the airport, 24/7 concierge service, and the opportunity to preorder groceries for our arrival. Wherever we stepped, we couldn’t escape the views. The resort has its own restaurant, an elegant pool, and a canopied sitting area with posh overstuffed white cushions—like those you might find in a friend’s living room.
We enjoyed long walks along the sandy beaches, taking a stab at cooking our own Baja-style meals using fresh local ingredients, and taking day trips to Todos Santos (an artist’s village an hour north of Cabo San Lucas) and East Cape (a 90-minute drive up the eastern edge of the peninsula to a less developed area). Because the resort is located adjacent to the Westin, we also had access to all the hotel facilities including its restaurants, night spots and private beach.
A fractional property like Grand Regina assumes the character of a second home for its owners because they return regularly to the same place, during the same time of year, and get to know the area and other homeowners. While it was far less service-intensive than Las Ventanas or the LRW home, it provided many of the same services one might expect to find in a five-star hotel. The cost of our unit was $149,000 for a 1/25 (two-week) fractional share with annual maintenance fees of $2,200 during prime season in February.
Whichever luxury option you choose, to experience Los Cabos is to find a special paradise. Like the stars of yesteryear, it’s a place you’ll want to return to time and time again.
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