“Was it always this loud?”
I was having breakfast with one of my new real estate owners here at The Cape, a Thompson Hotel. We were watching a small group of surfers paddle out from Monuments Beach when he asked me this question. Puzzled, I scanned my immediate surroundings. No racket I could detect, or music, no traffic noise, or construction sounds. Not even chismes from the guests at a nearby table.
My client pointed to the beach. “I grew up surfing these waves. Seems like so much has changed in Cabo that it wouldn’t surprise me if the waves are louder now too!” We laughed, but his comment hit the nail on the head.
Change in Cabo is good!
Cabo HAS changed. I’ve heard it so often that I even thought about designing a bumper sticker to replace the “No Bad Days” stickers frequently seen on dusty, sun-bleached pickup trucks with surf racks. I remember the time there was one Hummer in town and everyone would gawk when they saw it in the streets. Fast forward to 2019 and you wouldn’t be faulted for not even noticing two Hummers double-parked outside of LuLu’s while their drivers run in to pick up hot-off-the-parrilla tortillas de harina.
Luxury cars at the tip of the Baja peninsula are not the only recent changes. Luxury branded-residences have recently made a strong entry into the Cabo real estate market and the satisfaction of these residence owners is a clear indication that the trend is here to stay. In a resort town like Cabo San Lucas, high-end residences attached to a branded hotel are so aligned in their goals and functions; the only surprise is that this pairing was not developed sooner.
For the vacation-home buyer, a branded residence satisfies the desire for a property in a location they love and eliminates the factors that can make owning a second or third home in another country a challenge. Owning a Cabo vacation rental property that is producing serious net income is fantastic but owning a Cabo vacation rental property and having renters calling you late in the evening because a light bulb went out is the opposite of fantastic.
Branded residences attached to a high-performing hotel offering a full-service rental program and 24-hour on-site staff to respond to emergencies on behalf of their homeowners is the evolution of this niche of the Cabo real estate market.
Brand familiarity
Vacationers choose luxury resorts like The Cape, a Thompson Hotel, Las Ventanas al Paraiso, Montage Los Cabos or Ritz Carlton as they know what to expect. Superior service, restaurants with renown chefs, amenities designed for maximum enjoyment and a friendly staff that becomes like family over the years. Features including on-site property management, 24-hour security, no-hassle rental programs managed by the hotel, room service, concierge, valet, fitness centers, pools, rooftop bars, and trademark parties make up a typical day of the week. More than likely the property is also located on a premium beachfront lot developed to take full advantage of its geography. Best of all, when it comes time to sell, there is already an established client base familiar with the brand and the positive experiences connected to the hotel operator.
Continuing on with our morning, we finished breakfast and decided to catch some waves. Just like riding a bicycle, my buddy paddled out and popped up on his first wave of the day riding it all the way into the sand. He looked at me with wide eyes and a big grin and had one more thing to say.
“I’ll tell you this about Cabo… the stoke will always be the same.”
