San José del Cabo: Art and Property on the Baja California Peninsula

Located at the southern tip of Mexico’s ruggedly beautiful Baja California Sur, the Los Cabos municipality is changing rapidly. After Hurricane Odile left a deep wound in the landscape in 2014, the two neighboring towns of Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo—the former a lively destination for visitors and the latter a quiet locale for residents—have quietly healed, and there are more exciting developments on the horizon for 2019.

A Change Is Coming

“We have seen a number of new buyers make Los Cabos their permanent residence thanks to new luxury hotels and new residential developments, which are adding high-end inventory to the market,” says Ramiro Palenque Bullrich, Owner-Broker at 2Seas Los Cabos, the exclusive affiliate of Christie’s International Real Estate in the region.

“These luxury hotel brands—such as the Four Seasons, St. Regis, and Aman—are elevating the expectations of affluent home buyers. Access to lifestyle offerings, fine finishes, and premium amenities are increasingly sought after,” and the property market is poised to deliver.

Adding to this is a new direct flight path launching in October 2019 from London Heathrow to Los Cabos International Airport, which will cut the journey time from London from 17 to 11 hours, opening up the destination to more European buyers and travelers.

An Art Gallerist’s View

Someone who has seen change happen in real time is local gallerist Dana Lieb, a South Carolina native who moved to Los Cabos in 1998 and opened her gallery Pez Gordo in San José del Cabo a year later. Today there are 18 independent galleries in the town, and Dana now represents 40 artists from Mexico, both natives and expats.

“Long story short, I was working at LACMA in Los Angeles when I started coming down here on short vacations with my girlfriends. There were two independent gallerists working in San José del Cabo, but nothing like you see today. I saw all this construction taking shape and recognized an opportunity for a gallery that represented various artists. I simply took the leap. I figured if it didn’t work then I could hop on a plane and be home in an hour. But it never even got close to that.

Lieb has seen Los Cabos go from an off-the-beaten track destination, to a vacation spot beloved of North and South Americans and Canadians, many of whom have bought second homes on the peninsula. More recently she says, the changes have been architectural.

“The architecture of the homes in and around San José del Cabo is definitely changing. Before, it was all dark woods and Spanish hacienda-style homes. Now you get a lot of modern properties with big open-plan spaces that maximize the ocean and the view.”

An Artsy Enclave

Lieb’s gallery is located just outside of San José del Cabo in the upscale residential neighborhood of Palmilla, but it started life in the town. Along with friends, Lieb founded San José del Cabo Art Walk in 2014, which takes place every Thursday evening from June to November. The evening offers tourists and locals the opportunity to weave in and out of the independent galleries, speaking to gallery owners and artists while enjoying a glass of fine local wine, and watching the mariachi bands that gather on the cobblestones.

“The art walks provide an opportunity to socialize and support the artistic community of Los Cabos,” says Lieb. As the gallery grew, Lieb inadvertently found herself acting almost as an interim stylist for some of her clients, selecting multiple pieces to decorate their homes in Los Cabos and even their homes around the United States. “We go with them to their house to see the space and then we bring them recommendations. We do all the installation, all the delivery, everything.”

San José del Cabo Destination Guide

Where to stay
While looking for that perfect property in Los Cabos, you’ll want a base that feels like home already. Voted by Forbes as one of the finest five-star properties in the world, Esperanza set the bar high for other resorts in Los Cabos when it opened in 2002 and again in 2015 after extensive renovations.

A sprawling collection of casitas, suites, and villas—each with a sea-view terrace and most with an outdoor spa pool—perches atop a dramatic clifftop location. There are two privately owned beaches—a rarity in Los Cabos—four restaurants, and four large infinity pools with plush day beds draped in billowing white linens.

aubergeresorts.com/esperanza

What to do
As well as the almost year-round sun and the stunning beaches—Palenque Bullrich recommends Chileno and Palmilla for swimming, both of which have Blue Flag certification, and his personal favorite, the surfers’ paradise Nine Palms, on the East Cape of Los Cabos comes alive in October, during the Bisbee’s Black & Blue fishing tournament. Acting as the opening event of the season, the buy-in in 2018 was $40,000, with a first prize of $3m.

Cabo Pulmo National Park on the East Cape—beloved of Jacques Cousteau—is considered the best place in Baja for scuba diving. During high season golf is king, with several Jack Nicklaus-designed courses to swing for, including the 27-hole course at the One&Only Palmilla resort. There’s also mooring for super yachts at Puerto Los Cabos.

bisbees.com

Where to eat
Some of the most highly rated restaurants in and around San José del Cabo are at the luxury resorts, and one of the best is at the Esperanza resort. Cocina del Mar is a gastronomic seafood restaurant and bar perched on the precipice of Punta Ballena. Locally caught seafood is expertly cooked with Mexican flavors and paired with smoky mezcal cocktails. This is one of the best spots in Baja to watch the gray and blue whales that visit the Sea of Cortez from January through April. In the center of San José del Cabo, head for La Lupita, a buzzing eatery where the Baja fish tacos reign supreme.

Flora Farms, the original farm-to-table restaurant in Baja, is a truly unique offering. Spanning 45 acres (18 ha), this working farm and restaurant supplies most of the resorts in the area. Loved by the A List and chefs such as Thomas Keller of The French Laundry in Napa Valley and Per Se in New York, Flora Farms has added an event space, cookery school, luxury fashion and homewares boutiques, and sumptuous accommodations since it was founded in 1996.

flora-farms.com

 On the Market

Modernist Ocean-Facing Masterpiece with Eco Credentials

Located in the upscale neighborhood of Located in the upscale neighborhood of Fundadores at Puerto Los Cabos is Casa Tierra. 465sq ft (5008sq m) of masterfully designed space includes a fully open-plan kitchen-living-dining room that frames views of the Sea of Cortez, five bedrooms, a two-car garage, housekeeping quarters, an infinity-edge swimming pool, volleyball court, and more. Eco-friendly construction elements include rammed-earth walls and fine wood and stone furnishings, while an immaculate garden features endemic plant life.

Ocean-View Family Home in a Prestigious Neighborhood 

This five-bedroom residence is located in the sought-after community of Palmilla, home to a world-class Jack Nicklaus golf course and all the amenities of the One&Only Palmilla resort. Wide open, airy spaces with spectacular views of the Sea of Cortez make this the perfect home for entertaining.