A short drive away from the bustling, resort scene of the Corridor is a quiet, isolated stretch of uninhabited beach and tranquil waters. Though not yet on the radar of many Cabo visitors, the East Cape may soon be in for a change as the upscale Costa Palmas Beach & Yacht Club will soon make its home here along with the brand new Four Seasons Resort Los Cabos, Mexico’s third property of the ritzy brand. With a level of amenities and offerings not found anywhere else in Cabo, Costa Palmas is preparing to set the luxury bar at a new height, on a whole new chart. We had the opportunity to talk to Michael Radovan, Vice President of Sales for Costa Palmas to get the details on what we can expect from the community and the vital role it will play in helping to reshape the idea of Cabo by drawing attention to the diverse environment and one-of-a-kind experiences only found in the East Cape.
InMexico: Costa Palmas seems quite separated from the other large resorts in Cabo. What was the thought process that went into choosing the East Cape as the location for this development?
Michael Radovan: In the East Cape the first thing you’ll notice is the beach is completely different. It is more like the Caribbean: calm water, white sand, no shore break or riptide of any significance. Immediately you feel like you’re in a different spot and that is attractive for obvious reasons. It is still close though; it’s only 45 minutes from the airport to the sand. For example, if you went to the tip of Cabo, give or take a couple of minutes, it’s equal distance. You really feel like you’re in a different part of the world, which is kind of fun. The second major component to this is that we have our own marina. When you have your own marina you’re able to control what’s happening on the water far more significantly. You can have your own boats and your own stuff—and a lot of it—without it being difficult. It keeps you really connected. From that perspective, the families that are coming to visit your resort and the members of the club can have a completely different experience on the water and for us, that’s the reason you’re there is to be on the water.
IM: In respect to the calm atmosphere and some of the photos I’ve seen, the property seems somewhat minimalistic and modern. Is that a good representation of what the whole community—both land and architecture—is going to be like?
MR: It feels a little bit more like you’re in old Mexico; it’s a little bit more authentic in comparison to the Corridor, which has become pretty busy. You feel like you’re driving around San Diego a little bit in the Corridor. So if you’re trying to get back to a place that’s a little more relaxing and less hectic than your normal life at home, this seems to be checking the box with respect to that. Even from the drive all the way out there, the optics of the whole experience are really completely different. It’s like a rethink on Cabo and the architecture was meant to complement that experience in that we wanted the environment to be the star of the show and we thought the best way to do that was to keep it simple, a bit more contemporary and to use timeless materials. We use types of stones and wood that you would find in this environment.
IM: What is going to set the Four Seasons Resort Los Cabos and Costa Palmas community apart from the rest of Cabo?
MR: I think the activity level that our families will be able to experience will be very different and far deeper than anything in the Corridor. I would emphasize different because there are some fantastic places in the Corridor but you have a menu of things that are completely different here that are integrated into the resort and club. It’s not that you can’t go sport fishing at a great development in the Corridor but you can’t take a golf cart three minutes to your club boat or your own boat in your own marina. And your 11-year-old son can’t get on his bike with his buddies and ride over to the yacht club and go diving for the day with his own club guides. That’s life in Costa Palmas; our families, in a quick second, being able to get with their own guide that they know and be on the water doing whatever they choose to do. Whether it’s sailing, snorkeling, diving, or sport fishing one mile off the coast, or turning around and going the other way on a hike where you’re at a waterfall in half an hour.
IM: Is the Four Seasons Resort going to offer a lot of these amenities for visitors that you have mentioned?
MR: Absolutely, most definitely. The owner gets sort of a “one-up” because there’s more amenity built in, but the resort will be deep in the program.
IM: Can you tell me a little about the private residences?
MR: We’ll have a wide variety of everything, from one-bedroom condos to five- bedroom townhouses, to four- and five-bedroom cottage-type products, to villas on more than an acre of land. All the residences will be on the beach, marina, or golf course and all with a beach view, mountain-view, marina view, or golf course view. There is not a type of real estate that doesn’t exist here. It’s very diverse and with the marina on top of it we will also offer lots of boathouses with your own dock. Having a home on the beach with a 100-foot dock out your front door is pretty rare in Cabo. Actually, it’s not pretty rare—it doesn’t exist.
IM: What are the expected prices for the residences?
MR: The prices you’re looking at are in the mid-to-high $1’s up to $20 million and everywhere in between. Some will be Four Seasons-branded, which offer anything in your home that you would be able to receive in a hotel and there will also be some non-branded residences.
IM: When are they expected to open up for pre-sale?
MR: We’re doing tours now so we’re pretty close. I just spent four days there touring clients.
IM: What’s the reception been like from people?
MR: It’s been unbelievable. People are so delighted and surprised by the environment that it’s almost like sensory overload at first. They don’t quite know what to think because they’re so used to Cabo as they know it. It’s a very emotional response. We’ve had a number of tours where we’ve picked up families on vacation and the kids haven’t been in the water for four days and they get to our place and within three minutes they’re on the water with our guys.
Resort Restaurant
IM: Can you tell me about the dining options that will be available in the community?
MR: We’ll have a number of different themed restaurants which are to be determined. We’ll have restaurants on the ocean, marina and farmland and all with different concepts, from traditional seafood, to sushi to different types of casual fare. It will be fairly diverse but there will be a number of different outlets. This is not a one- or two-restaurant-resort; this is more like five or six.
IM: Can you tell me a little about the other features of the resort like the golf course and spa?
MR: The golf course is going to be fun. It’s going to be a Robert Trench Jones II golf course. Mr. Jones was actually just there and I walked the course with him and his team over a couple of days. It will be a course that will be completely diverse. It will be a sea-dunes type of style, which some people might mistake as a links course but you’ll play to the ocean. You’ll have more holes on the ocean side of the development and you’ll play up into the farmland through orchids and crops, and then back down into the marina where you’ll have a couple of negative-edge greens up against some of the large boats and the marina activity. There’s a lot of fun golf with all of these different types of views and topography and different wind conditions. It’s a course that will really challenge the strategy of the player, which is fun; you’ll have to use every stick in the bag.
I think the spa will be right up there too. It’s going to be the latest and greatest Four Seasons spa in the world. It will be a bit oversized to accommodate friends and family, and owners will have their own private beach club and yacht club to use up against the hotel. You’ll have a beach club, pool, spa, restaurant and likewise with the yacht club. The hotel will also have sport courts, tennis courts, a playground, and the beach club will have it’s own ball field and sport court.
IM: What in your opinion is the most attractive aspect of this entire development?
MR: I think the ability to have all of the environment’s natural gifts offered through the Aventura program of Costa Palmas—which is our adventure guide—at the tip of your finger, any time you want. There are only a couple places that I’ve been to in the world that will offer programming as diverse as this. It’s not a development that will compete from an offering standpoint with Cabo; this is more of an international destination offering. When you can bring in a 250-foot motor yacht and offer kid’s sailing programs out of the same place, you have a really cool, special diverse spot. It’s going to be very high-end and extremely luxurious. I know our clients are going to enjoy it.
Resort Lobby
IM: The resort is set for a 2018 opening. Any idea when in 2018?
MR: I would say the end of the first quarter, or the first of quarter two. It’s not a terribly difficult build. The hotel is modular so a lot of different pods. It’s not one big vertical tower, which makes it a little bit easier to build. The golf course is also easy to build. It’s a simple construction because the ground is good and you can move it around fast because it’s flat.
IM: Since there are not a whole lot of resorts in the East Cape area do you think this is going to set off a wave of a new area of Cabo?
MR: Obviously I hope so. I think at the very least people are going to have a much deeper appreciation for the East Cape and understand quickly, within 35-45 minutes, how different the environment is up there. I think the Secretary of Tourism for Mexico believes that this is going to open up the East Cape. They are big Four Seasons fans because of Punta Mita and the success they’ve had there and this is a similar situation to that. I think the East Cape is going to definitely become a destination to go see that is different from Cabo.
For more information, visit: costapalmas.com
Photos: Courtesy of Four Seasons and Costa Palmas