Closed since last April for an $80 million expansion, what was the
Palmilla in Los Cabos will reopen officially this month as a
dazzling five-star property under the One&Only brand.
The grand opening is scheduled for Feb. 5, though the resort,
which is now called the One&Only Palmilla, had a soft opening
in January. All aspects of the property are up and running, except
for the spa, which is scheduled to open this month.
The Palmilla, which opened in 1956 with 15 guestrooms, has long
been known as a luxury hotel to the stars. It was founded by Don
Abelardo Rodriguez, known as a pioneer of tourism to Los Cabos, who
was the son of General Abelardo Rodriguez, an interim president of
Mexico.
In 2002, Kerzner International bought a 50 percent equity
interest in the property, as well as a long-term management
contract, along with other investors and a real estate fund managed
by Goldman Sachs & Co.
The Palmilla is Kerzner’s first luxury resort in Mexico. Though
the company is known for operating both luxury and mid-market
resorts around the world the flagship is Atlantis in The Bahamas, a
sprawling ocean-theme casino-resort on Paradise Island.
But the One&Only brand, launched in 2002, represents the
company’s high-end properties, such as the One&Only Ocean Club,
also in The Bahamas, and the One&Only Le Saint Geran and
One&Only Le Touessrok in Mauritius. More One&Only re-sorts
are planned for the Mal-dives and Cuba.
With the expansion, the One&Only Palmilla has more than
doubled the number of rooms, from 82 to 172, including 111 suites.
The one-bedroom suites offer 1,400 square feet of space, and all
rooms even many of the bathrooms have ocean views.
The new spa will offer 13 private treatment villas. There’s a
new pool and children’s play area, and a 5,000-square-foot
executive conference center. The historic chapel, built with the
original hotel, remains on a hill in the center of the property,
and is available for private wedding ceremonies. Two new
restaurants have also been added, including C, a fine-dining venue
created by Charlie Trotter, one of America’s most celebrated chefs.
The restaurant will overlook the Sea of Cortez, with a 110-seat,
dinner-only, main dining room, as well as two glass enclosed wine
rooms, a private dining room, a semi-private cellar dining room and
an invitation-only chef’s kitchen table.
Both C and the more casual poolside restaurant called Agua were
designed by Adam Tihany, who is known for creating restau-rants
such as Jean Georges and Le Cirque 2000 in New York. But throughout
the resort, the refurbishment maintains the traditional Mexican
architecture for which the Palmilla was known.
The resort is on a 250-acre portion of a 900-acre master-planned
community, which includes a 27-hole Jack Nicklaus signature golf
course that opened in 1993, and eight residential communities.
The One&Only Palmilla’s managing director and regional vice
president is Edward Steiner, who was previously at Los Cabos’ Las
Ventanas del Paraiso. The resident manager is Andre Boersma.
From Feb. 11 to April 30, the resort is offering a complimentary
fifth night promotion, subject to availability. Taxes and service
charges are not included. (Call 800-637-2226 and request the
complimentary-fifth-night promotion.)
877-472-5645
www.oneandonlyresorts.com
