Inaugural GOLF Magazine rankings honor top properties in Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula
Four outstanding resorts in Los Cabos, Mexico’s premier golf destination, have been named to GOLF Magazine’s roster of the “Top 100 Resorts in North America,” 2019-2020. The results are featured in the publication’s October issue.
The GOLF Magazine editorial team evaluated 243 resorts across North America, tapping “resort industry veterans and well-heeled travel writers” for guidance as well as conducting an online poll of 3,700-plus golfers. Each resort was rated on five key variables: golf experience, accommodations, service, food and ambience. The top resorts were then placed into at least one of four experience categories: Luxury, Buddies, General Excellence and Families.
The four award-winning Los Cabos resorts, unsurprisingly, covered each of the categories, demonstrating the destination’s broad-based appeal to all types of golf travelers.
One & Only Palmilla/Palmilla Golf Club
In the Luxury category, reserved for properties where the golf on offer “must reside somewhere on the continuum from top-shelf to memory-searing” and also include comparable service, cuisine, aesthetics and off-course experiences, Los Cabos had two winners. One & Only Palmilla, a landmark property that claims the first Jack Nicklaus Signature course in Latin America (1992), was saluted for the superb Mountain, Ocean and Arroyo nines at its 27-hole golf club; for the steak and seafood restaurant Seared (“another nirvana run by Jean-Georges Vongerichten”); and for whale-watching tours on private yachts offered between January and March. One & Only Palmilla is also recognized for General Excellence.
Pueblo Bonito Beach Resorts/Quivira Golf Club
The second winner in the Luxury category was Pueblo Bonito Beach Resorts / Quivira. The golf course, according to the report, scales the heights at Land’s End: “This coastal layout dazzles unlike any other Jack Nicklaus-designed track.” In addition, “Four comfort stations will sate your appetite, especially the Oasis above the 8th fairway.” The VIP Whale-Watching Lounge in the Towers at Pacifica, where guests “can nibble on snacks and scope out the humpbacks during their seasonal migration,” was cited as the best non-golf amenity. Pueblo Bonito Resorts is also recommended for Buddies.
The Resort at Diamante/The Dunes, El Cardonal and Oasis Courses
Among the top-ranked resorts in the Buddies category, spotlighting golf getaways that “celebrate and share in our passion for the game,” is The Resort at Diamante. The resort community’s headliner is the Dunes Course, a seaside links by Davis Love III that meanders through massive dunes beside the Pacific and is ranked in the Top 100 in the world; El Cardonal, a resort course by Tiger Woods (his design debut) with panoramic ocean views; and a TGR Design short course. Players can satisfy their “love of tamales and tequila at the Dunes Course comfort stations.” Diamante is also rated good for Families.
Cabo del Sol Beach and Club Resort/Cabo del Sol Ocean and Desert Courses
Cabo del Sol Beach and Club Resort, the peerless facility that put Los Cabos on the international golf map when it opened in 1994, was honored in the General Excellence category. “Warm welcomes, friendly yet polished service, superb golf, high-end amenities and off-course experiences—it’s a sign of greatness to be good at all,” the report stated. On what he called “the best piece of golf property I’ve ever seen,” designer Jack Nicklaus built the Ocean Course 25 years ago on sloping terrain that touches the sea. The resort’s Desert Course is a solid upcountry design by Tom Weiskopf. Noteworthy as well are the private infinity pools at the villas; and the resort’s direct beach access. Cabo del Sol is also recommended for Families.
Villa del Palmar/TPC Danzante Bay
While not located in Los Cabos, a fifth property in Baja California Sur, Villa del Palmar Beach Resort & Spa / TPC Danzante Bay in Loreto, was voted to the “Top 100 Resorts in North America” list in the Buddies category. “Imagine Sedona, Ariz., crashing into the sea—that’s TPC Danzante Bay,” the magazine reported, noting that designer Rees Jones built one of the world’s most stunning par 3s at No. 17. The resort’s best non-golf amenity? Exploring the Bay of Loreto National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, by boat. Villa del Palmar is also good for Families.
Contributed by Brian McCallen/Los Cabos Board of Tourism
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Saludos from Co-Founders…
Chris Sands – Writer and Michael Mattos