Mexico has long been a top choice for American second homeowners, and for golf, this is especially true of the Los Cabos region, filled with excellent courses and lavish communities anchored by big name luxury hotels. But Cabo has become a bit of a victim of its own success, very expensive, especially for Mexico, and often crowded. For this reason, I have become fascinated with lesser-known Islands of Loreto, an incredibly beautiful area on the Sea of Cortez, on the same Baja Peninsula but about 200 miles north of Los Cabos. The Bay of Loreto National Park is a marine sanctuary that has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and spans nearly 800 square miles. It offers pristine diving, kayaking and exceptional offshore sport fishing. Called the “world’s aquarium” by legendary undersea explorer Jacques Cousteau, it is home to 850 species and the most diverse whale population on earth.
Danzante Bay Water
An 800-square mile oceanic National Park sits alongside Danzante Bay.
In addition to golf, the big appeals here are eco-tourism, and mountains rise from the sea, offering great hiking. The charming town of Loreto was founded by Spanish missionaries in 1697, with its cathedral, historic central plaza and cobblestone streets still intact and oozing charm. Streets are lined with shops and restaurants serving authentic Mexican cuisine.
Danzante Bay is the golf community here, with a jaw dropping course, TPC Danzante Bay, that hugs the edges of cliffs overlooking the bay. The TPC network (Tournament Players Club) is a group of courses developed by the PGA Tour, originally designed specifically to host tournaments and be spectator friendly, though many are now just private clubs or resort courses without Tour events. The most famous are TPC Sawgrass, home to the “Fifth Major,” the Player’s Championship, and TPC Scottsdale, host of the world’s most attended tournament, the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The Rees Jones designed Danzante Bay is the only TPC course in Mexico, and in addition to be being pretty amazing in its own right, members of all TPC clubs get access to the other courses and free golf at the private TPCs. The network includes 30 facilities across the U.S., Asia and the Caribbean, some with multiple courses.
Danzante Bay has four “neighborhoods” of second homes, a private members beach club, and a resort that allows both overnight stays and public access to the golf course, Villa del Palmar.
The resort features four restaurants, an enormous spa, five pools, fitness center, tennis court and there is even a dog park. Pre-designed homes start at $1.7 million, with lots from $370,000 and golf memberships at $5000 ($7500 for family).
This is an extract from the article in Forbes
