Los Cabos: Present Perfect and Future Progressive

Feb 04, 2013

Los Cabos has its evergreen attractions, such as the annual whale migration; new attractions, such as its impressive multi-million-dollar convention center; and attractions on the horizon, including a slate of glittering high-end resorts. No one can accuse the destination of resting on its laurels.

Each year in early autumn, hundreds of whales migrate from the frigid waters of the Arctic to the warm waters surrounding the Baja Peninsula. The whales make their way south at an average speed of four miles per hour and complete the 12,000-mile migration by late December, staying until late March, when they begin their journey northward. The ideal climate, shallow waters, salinity and abundant marine of the bays and lagoons north of Los Cabos make it the perfect place for whales to bear and rear their young. The beaches of Los Cabos also provide a prime spot to observe these huge creatures. Many local tour companies offer whale-watching trips onboard all-weather inflatable speedboats, ensuring a comfortable and educational ride for travelers.

Los Cabos recently celebrated the grand opening of the Los Cabos Convention Center. The convention center represents a $100 million investment by the federal government and a $1.5 million investment from the State of Baja California Sur, as well as an endowment of 15 acres by the municipality of Los Cabos. The facility offers 72,000 square feet of functional space and the capacity to accommodate up to 5,000 people for meetings and 3,000 individuals for banquets. It includes a spacious lobby space, three exhibition areas, seven exhibit halls, a business center, a mezzanine, a service area, a loading area, 567 parking spaces and outdoor garden areas. Equipped with solar panels and environmental technology, the Los Cabos Convention Center was designed with energy efficiency and sustainability in mind and has been designated a green facility. It has the largest green wall in the world, which serves as an insulator and prevents the building from overheating in the warm summer months.

New Airlift

Spirit Airlines is now offering new daily flight service from Los Cabos (SJD) to San Diego (SAN), with a connection flight to Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW). The flights depart San Diego at 10:10 a.m. and arrive in Los Cabos at 1:15 p.m. The return flight to San Diego departs at 2:15 p.m. and arrives in San Diego at 3:15 p.m. This flight will be supplemented by a daily connecting flight from Dallas/Fort Worth, with departing flights leaving DFW at 8:30 a.m. and returning flights arriving at 9:35 p.m. Furthermore, Spirit Airlines has announced it will launch nonstop service between Dallas/Fort Worth and Los Cabos in June. The service will be available four times per week (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday) with flight times of 1:35 p.m., arriving at 3:15 p.m. for DFW-SJD and 4:15 p.m., arriving at 8:00 p.m. for SJD-DFW.

New Hotels and Resorts

The newly-opened Hotel El Ganzo will offer 66 deluxe rooms, four master suites and two signature suites, all of which are oceanfront. El Ganzo, an independent member of Preferred Boutique Hotels, will offer hip travelers a sushi fusion restaurant, an organic seafood restaurant, a vodka bar and a rooftop nightclub. El Ganzo is located at the Marina in Puerto Los Cabos, five minutes from San Jose del Cabo.

Diamante Cabo San Lucas, a 1,500-acre private oceanfront community, is on track to open by the end of the year. The property recently began construction on an 11-plus-acre swimmable saltwater lagoon. Surrounding the lagoon will be multiple two-bedroom, three-bath villas and four-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bath bungalows, as well as private beach cabanas. Also under development is a new championship golf course designed by Tiger Woods. The new course will complement the existing course, the Dunes Course at Diamante, and will be Woods’ first course outside the U.S.

The adults-only Secrets Puerto Los Cabos is an all-suite beachfront property that recently broke ground in the Puerto Los Cabos development. It will feature 500 suites, each with a private balcony or terrace with a Jacuzzi for two, eight gourmet restaurants and a 12,000-square-foot spa. The opening is scheduled for later this year.

Also opening in 2013 in San Jose del Cabo is the 157-room Hotel Hyatt Palace, which will be geared toward business travelers.

Ritz Carlton Los Cabos is on the drawing board for 2014. It will be a single-story property with 124 private oceanfront villas with panoramic views.

Slated for 2015 is the JW Marriott Los Cabos, a 300-room luxury property covering 14 acres of land overlooking the Sea of Cortes and offering guests 820 feet of beachfront. JW Marriott Los Cabos will be located seven miles from the Los Cabos International Airport.