,
opened along the Los Cabos Corridor in March 2004 as an all-inclusive
luxury resort. This all-suite resort boasts 308 elegant suites, all with
ocean view, each finely appointed with exceptional fabrics and superior
amenities. There are three swimming pools, two with swim-up bars, two
snack bars, a full-service spa and fitness center, and five outstanding a
la carte restaurants plus lounges. Furnished patios and balconies frame
breathtaking views of the azure Sea of Cortes and beautiful lush,
tropical gardens.
Melia San Lucas,
www.meliasanlucas.solmelia.com,
celebrated the March 2005 grand opening of Nikki Beach, the world-famous
beach club that originated in South Beach, Fla., at its 150-room
style-first resort on Médano Beach. Against a backdrop of Land’s End and
the Arch, Nikki Beach’s famous posh day beds, VIP tepees, live DJ music
and relaxed atmosphere set the stage for parties that go from high noon
till first light. Guests who wish to stay the night may check into the
Meliá San Lucas’ modern-day Mexican hacienda, which brims with European
sensibility.
Pueblo
Bonito Sunset Beach Resort & Spa,
www.pueblobonito.com, already boasts 362
suites with an additional 36 opening in winter 2005, with the ultimate
intention of opening 640 suites with 60 hotel rooms. The resort
development is slated to continue through 2007. The Pueblo Bonito Sunset
Beach Resort recently added “Resort & Spa” to its name, with the opening
of a new spa, lobby bar, new restaurants and an elegant sunset wedding
chapel. At 16,000 square feet, this spa is Cabo San Lucas’ largest health
and indulgence retreat.
Sheraton Hacienda del Mar Resort & Spa,
www.sheratonhaciendadelmar.com, has
completed the addition of 100 rooms bringing the total to 270 as of 2005.
A new pool and swim up bar were built for a total of four pools and four
whirlpools. Two Imperial Suites were fully refurbished, Sweet Sleeper
beds were installed in all rooms, flat screen TV’s were installed in all
new rooms and all suites. Additionally, the popular Cactus Spa was
expanded to include additional massage rooms, a Vichy Shower room and the
exclusive Soft Pack System – the only spa in Latin America to offer this
unique treatment.
Villa
La Estancia, a five star resort from Villa Group Resorts
www.villagroup.com, proudly opened in
June 2004 to rave reviews. An all-suite, hacienda style luxury property
with pristine views of El Arco and the Sea of Cortes, Villa La Estancia
is located minutes from Cabo San Lucas on a quiet stretch of Playa Médano
and offers guests the only Certified Angus Beef restaurant in Baja
California, the elegant La Casona.
HOTELS & RESORTS COMING SOON
Pueblo
Bonito Pacifica,
www.pueblobonito.com, the first and only
luxury resort in Los Cabos oriented toward both wellness and relaxation,
is slated to open in April 2005. Pacifica will feature 154 total guest
accommodations and be based on the holistic philosophy of treating the
body, mind and spirit and using only natural healing ingredients
including many derived from cactus and the sea, the two prevailing
elements of the retreat. The property will also feature a beachside
Temazcal, a sweat lodge ritual inspired by the ancient Aztecs.
Puerto
Los Cabos,
www.puertoloscabos.com, is a
master-planned 2,000-acre resort and residential community with four
miles of beach frontage northeast of San Jose del Cabo. Included is a
marina with docking space for 535 boats slated to open in the Fall of
2006. Puerto Los Cabos will feature four gated residential communities
offering “hacienda style living,” four village-style hotels, an
ecological park, and two 18-hole golf courses.
The
Residence Club,
www.grandregina.com,
at Grand Regina is a new 32-unit, fractional ownership condominium resort
being built adjacent to The Westin Regina, a stunning architectural
award-winning resort, and the renowned vacation ownership property, Club
Regina. The Residence Club at Grand Regina offers the opportunity to own
private two or three bedroom villas with all the amenities and services
of a fine resort. Completion of the construction of Phase I, which
includes the 20 two-bedroom villas, motor lobby, swimming pool,
restaurant and amenities, is scheduled for Summer of 2005. The completion
of Phase II, the three-bedroom condominiums will follow there after.
Villa
El Arco, another five star resort from Villa Group Resorts
www.villagroupresorts.com, is set to
open their first stage of suites in June of this year. Approximately 15
suites, the pool and restaurant will all be open for guests. Located
next to Villa La Estancia on Playa Médano, Villa El Arco will offer the
same level of luxury in a distinctly different environment.
DESTINATION NEWS
Travel
statistics for 2004 and first quarter 2005 continue to prove the
destination’s success: tallies showed hotel occupancy at 64% in January
of this year as compared to 47% in 2004 and February 2005 at the
outstanding figure of 76%, up from 59% during the same month last year.
Also a 16% increase in flights from February 2004 to 2005, and a 23%
increase in passengers for the same time period.
Airline service has also expanded with additional gateways, greater
accessibility for U.S. travelers and shorter flights allowing visitors to
make the easy journey more often. Non-stop gateways, including seasonal
service, now include: Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston,
Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Newark, Oakland, Ontario, Phoenix,
Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, and Seattle.
Golf,
now one of the destination’s prime attractions with six 18-hole, one
27-hole and one 9-hole courses within the 20-mile strip of land, is
experiencing another boom. There are four more new courses already on the
drawing boards. The mega Puerto Los Cabos at the start of the East Cape
began construction of the first of two 18-hole courses, one designed by
Jack Nicklaus and the other by Greg Norman, in late 2004. At the other
end of the peninsula near Cabo San Lucas on the Pacific side, the Cabo
Pacifica development will soon be launching two more championship courses
dramatically increasing the total golf yards in Los Cabos, which at last
count was 56,034 with 144 challenging holes. About three miles south of
Palmilla lies the par 72 Eldorado. Another picturesque addition to the
Los Cabos golf scene, this 18-hole course was recently purchased by
Discovery Land Company and will be redesigned to incorporate a
first-class real estate development into the landscape. The course will
remain open for public use through April 2005.
Spa
enthusiasts flock to Los Cabos as the destination has the distinction
of having the most world-class luxury spas in all of Mexico. Some resort
spas draw upon a global palette of soothing therapies, while others
emphasize an authentic Mexican experience through signature treatments
that incorporate indigenous ingredients found on the Baja Peninsula such
as aloe, clay, herbs, and desert flowers for their healing properties.
Deep-sea fishing is of course the original tourist attraction in Los
Cabos, and continues to be to this day. Known as both the “Marlin and
Billfish Capital of the World,” Los Cabos draws thousands of sports
fishermen annually to angle for striped, blue and black marlin, as well
as sailfish, skipjack, yellowfin tuna, dorado, yellowtail, wahoo and much
more. However, the destination’s strict throwback policy ensures that
most of those fish will still be there for years to come.
Ecotourism has become a major industry in Los Cabos thanks to the
incredible biodiversity and natural beauty of the environment. The range
of activities is seemingly limitless and includes hiking, biking,
kayaking, snorkeling, scuba diving, birding and whale watching. A project
enabling visitors to have up-close encounters with dolphins is also
slated for development at La Marina of Cabo San Lucas in late 2005 or
early 2006.
RESTAURANTS
Restaurants the world over are
categorized by quality and type of fare offered, but Los Cabos’ dining
establishments add one other unique feature to the mix: a seaside
location near Land’s End. The Office Restaurant, Zippers, Sancho Panza
and Lorenzillo’s are great waterfront eateries. Away from the water’s
edge, fine specialty restaurants waiting to be discovered include
Peacocks, Mi Casa, Edith’s and Damiana. Los Cabos is quickly earning a
worldwide reputation for its cuisine as evidenced by the prestigious
award of MAITRE CUISINIER DE FRANCE recently presented to Chef Jacques
Chretien of the French Riviera Restaurant.
SHOPPING
From traditional Mexican
handicrafts to luxury, custom-made jewelry and unique one-of-a-kind
gifts, treasures await in Los Cabos. Most of the shopping action in Cabo
San Lucas is centered on the downtown area and marina district, easily
accessible from nearby beach hotels. Shopping in San Jose del Cabo tends
to be concentrated on two main streets that traverse the main sections of
town, Ignacio Zaragoza and Boulevard Mijares. Inviting boutiques and a
vast array of
traditional Mexican retail
shops are located here. The 20-mile Tourist Corridor that separates the
two towns is dotted with luxury hotels and upscale shops offering fine
golf apparel and casual resort wear.
CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS
June:
Annual Stars & Stripes Fishing
Tournament
No Nonsense Flyfish Sampler
Los Cabos International Tennis
Tournament
July:
Annual “Surf and Panga Roosterfish Classic”
August
Discover Baja’s Annual Neil Kelly Memorial Tournament
September:
Baja Sea Turtle Rescue
October:
Los Cabos Tequila and Mariachi Festival
Bisbee’s Alumni Tournament
Los Cabos Billfish Tournament
Bisbee’s Black and Blue Marlin Tournament
Western Outdoor News Tuna Jackpot
Off-Road Race Cabo San Lucas
November:
Bisbee’s Fishing Tournament
For Pete’s Sake Fishing Tournament
Annual Won Tuna Jackpot Tournament
Families, honeymooners, mature
travelers, golfers, eco-tourists, artists, photographers, sightseers and
others find what they are looking for when they visit Los Cabos. Located
at the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula, Los Cabos offers
travelers an exotic escape within easy reach of most U.S. cities.
With non-stop flights or
convenient connections available from Los Angeles, Oakland, Ontario, San
Diego, San Francisco and Sacramento, California; Houston and Dallas,
Texas; Atlanta, Chicago, Minneapolis, Denver, Detroit, Las Vegas,
Phoenix, Seattle, New York [EWR], Salt Lake City, and more, Los Cabos is
both accessible and exciting. For more about Los Cabos—and a copy of its
informative Vacation Planner—call 1-866- LOS-CABOS or visit
www.visitloscabos.org.
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