At the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California region lies the city of Cabo San Lucas, much beloved by the many tourists that visit for its natural beauty and vibrant nightlife. However, turning left out of the airport instead of right will take you towards the lesser-known East Cape and Costa Palmas, an enormous beachfront complex featuring luxury hotels, resorts, private residences, restaurants and an exclusive superyacht marina.
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Nicknamed the “aquarium of the world” by the French environmentalist and oceanographer Jacques Cousteau, the Sea of Cortez in Mexico is home to some 900 species of fish, 695 vascular plant species, 39 percent of the planet’s marine mammals and one third of its marine cetacean species. This makes it one of the most biologically diverse marine ecosystems in the world. Sheltered by the Baja California peninsula, the Sea of Cortez is calmer and warmer than the Pacific Ocean further to the south and west.
A particularly attractive location, therefore, for the first and as of yet only development of its kind on the East Cape, which Irongate Group, a Los Angeles real estate company specialising in luxury branded residential and resort communities, put on the map. From the outset, Costa Palmas has deliberately preferred to remain understated and under-the-radar, letting whispers of elemental isolation do the talking instead of loud branding and flashy marketing campaigns.
“It’s chic, it’s simple,” said Michael Radovan, managing director for residential sales at Irongate Group. “Mother Nature has given us an amazing palate on the East Cape, so we really don’t need or want to overcook it. From a development standpoint, our job is to put all the right pieces in the right place, to make sure that we are complementing the environment and not overdoing it. Enjoyment should come naturally, it shouldn’t be forced.”
And force enjoyment Costa Palmas does not. It is a low-density complex spread across over six square kilometres boasting three kilometres of pristine Baja California beachfront, as well as a multitude of high-end branded residences, hotels, restaurants, boutiques, sports and leisure facilities, and a golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones II. The 141-room Four Seasons Resort Los Cabos opened in 2019, while the Amanvari resort and residences - the first of their kind in Mexico - are scheduled to open in spring 2026 with a total of 18 pavilions.
The East Cape’s first full-service, luxury marina
The marina, owned and operated by Costa Palmas themselves and open only to real estate owners or guests at the hotels, is the first of its kind on Baja California’s East Cape. With phase one of construction now complete, the larger Marina Village docks can berth 28 boats up to 45.7 metres in length, and the smaller Four Seasons docks can berth seven boats up to 30.5 metres in length. Numbers can be deceiving, however, and the marina has ambitious and ongoing plans for expansion and growth.
Over the next three years Costa Palmas will expand the number of berths to over 300 across the whole complex. The Marina Village docks at the centre of the resort will expand to 84 berths up to 73.2 metres and the Four Seasons docks near the entrance to the marina will expand to 29 berths up to 30.5 metres. The Four Seasons private villa docks to the east of the resort will accommodate 59 vessels up to 30.5 metres and the Costa Palmas private villa docks will accommodate 111 vessels up to 18.3 metres.
“But these statistics don’t paint the full picture,” said the Costa Palmas yacht club manager Francesca Greco. “At one point in 2025 we had three huge superyachts all over 60 metres each moored up next to each other. So even now, while we are still developing and expanding the marina and the wider complex, we can see that the popularity and room for growth is there.”
The whole marina was designed by the coastal engineering business, Moffat & Nichol, with Bellingham Marine docks. Marina Management & Consulting, part of the French company Wearth Group, acted as a strategic consultant.
Speaking to Marina World, Marina Management & Consulting’s Cedric Le Rest said that they supported Costa Palmas through an 18-month consultancy, expanding from an initial sixth-month mission as the project evolved. “Marina Management & Consulting helped the project define, plan and unlock its full potential, working closely with ownership and on-site teams. The assignment combined hands-on operational leadership, organisational structuring, guest experience enhancement and advisory support on design and construction coordination,” he said.
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“Unlimited adventure”
Marina Village is the social hub of Costa Palmas, currently home to a triad of unique, high-end waterfront experiences. These include Mozza Baja by the James Beard Foundation Award winning chef Nancy Silverton; Chiki, the East Cape’s first and only nightclub and lounge, designed by Martin Brudnizki; and Casena, a café-cum-boutique selling coffee and local products to residents and guests. For those wanting a serene, soft sand, seaside experience, a short water taxi ride away is the Delphine beach club with a French-inspired restaurant by the Michelin star chef Ludo Lefebvre.
Casa Blake, a Costa Palmas-branded luxury waterfront hotel and residence complex located in Marina Village, broke ground in summer 2025 with the cheapest studio flats starting at $830,000 USD. Designed by the Mexican architect Javier Sánchez of JSa Arquitectura, Casa Blake’s construction is being led by Build Group and Grupo Hermosillo.
Leisure at Costa Palmas does not stop at gastronomy and shopping, however.
“It's unlimited adventure,” said Radovan. “You want to go sailing? Francesca's got sailboats. You want to go sport fishing? Obviously, we have that. You want to go spear fishing? I've got a guide and I've got equipment. You want to go scuba diving? Caboulos, 20 minutes down the beach. You could decide the next day that you want to go drive an all-terrain vehicle up in the mountains, go horse riding, go hiking, pickleball, tennis, the list goes on.”
With Irongate Group’s Costa Palmas resort being targeted at families where parents want to relax by themselves with the knowledge that their children are safe and preoccupied elsewhere, another unique selling point is its all-inclusive family membership structure. “An unlimited number of family members of all generations are all covered by the same membership dues,” explains Radovan. “This is an important part of how we work. Everything is programmed around this concept of keeping families together and invested in Costa Palmas.”
“But we also understand that it's essential to keep the crew happy, especially with these big boats coming in,” continued Greco. “We are going to build a gym for the crew in 2026 and we are also going to start organising shuttle buses for if they want to go downtown into Cabo. We can also give them access to the public beach and we will also be working with some of the local restaurants in town to create more of an experience for the crew when not on the boat.”
In March 2026, in association with YATCO, Costa Palmas will welcome a familiarisation trip of “high-end industry professionals” including “captains, chief stewardesses, pursers and department heads”, to “explore firsthand what makes this East Cape retreat an exceptional opportunity for ultra-high-net-worth guests, owners and charter clients”.
An article published by YATCO in August 2025 wrote that the goal of the visit is to “equip key decision-makers with insider knowledge of the destination, its hospitality and yachting infrastructure - enabling them to confidently promote Costa Palmas as part of bespoke client experiences”.
The Costa Palmas Foundation
Although access to the resort and marina remains highly prized and highly exclusive, Costa Palmas recognised the moral obligation to support the local communities to whom the development owes its existence. According to the Costa Palmas website, the Costa Palmas Foundation was founded in 2021 “as a bridge between Costa Palmas and nearby residents” that “wanted to find meaningful ways to give back”.
“The energy felt through a sense of community can completely transform a destination,” said Karla Flores Espino, the director of the Costa Palmas Foundation. “This has been the motivation for the Costa Palmas Foundation to join forces with the East Cape and the neighbouring towns of La Ribera, Santiago and Miraflores, working toward a brighter future for their children, their environment and their community.”
For example, upon seeing an abandoned high school in La Ribera, which is right next door to the resort, the Costa Palmas Foundation led a collective effort to restore and equip the classrooms, playground and library. School dining halls and local medical centres were improved with new facilities being supplied with equipment and medicine, said Flores. The Foundation has also been involved in developing an environmental education programme for the East Cape school system that incorporates activities such as English classes.
The Foundation’s work is also directly tied to the Sea of Cortez, to which the resort and marina gives guests access. “Volunteers and residents of La Ribera come together to maintain and protect the beaches. Animal care is also essential, with programmes such as sea turtle conservation efforts, pet sterilisation campaigns and wildfire prevention in El Palmar.”
