Prestigious roster includes Diamante, One&Only Palmilla, and Pueblo Bonito
LOS CABOS, Mexico – Golf World, a venerable UK-based publication, has issued its first-ever roster of the TOP 100 World Resorts. Competing against enhanced global competition—resorts from 33 countries are represented, from Mauritius and Morocco to Scotland and South Africa–Los Cabos placed three properties on the list.
This new distinction reaffirms Cabo’s position as a world-class destination and Latin America’s premier golf getaway.
Golf World’s international survey assessed resorts in four categories:
- Golf – The quality of the course(s) – with second or third courses duly recognized (40%)
- Accommodation – The range, quality, and quantity of the accommodation (20%)
- Non-Golf Amenities – Additional facilities that can make a resort a family and couples attraction (20%)
- Setting – Includes standard countryside locations, but those that drop jaws (as in Los Cabos) get a boost with 18 and 19s – occasionally even higher (20%)
“Golf is clearly still the key category in all of this, but we take accommodation and non-golf amenities into account fairly strongly,” said Chris Bertram, Golf World’s TOP 100 Editor. “We wanted to include rounded resorts that could appeal to couples and families as well as those for absolute golf nuts.”
Ranked No. 16, Diamante is headlined by Davis Love III’s brilliant Dunes Course, “a World Top 100 course that weaves through Pacific dunes with views of beach and ocean from nearly every hole,” according to the report. The consensus No. 1 course in Mexico, this windswept, lay-of-the-land links is renowned for its massive undulating greens, huge blowout bunkers and exceptional pace and variety.
Diamante’s El Cardonal course, which marked the architectural debut of Tiger Woods when it opened in 2014, features an “Old California” design motif complete with bold, flashed-face bunkers.
In addition to golf, Diamante offers “luxury studios and villas, a 10-acre saltwater lagoon for water sports, plus a spa and fitness centre,” the magazine stated. Guests of the on-site Nobu Hotel and Hard Rock Hotel enjoy exclusive access to Diamante’s courses. The 1,500-acre resort community also received extra kudos from Golf World for its spectacular Setting.
The golf club at One&Only Palmilla, debuting at No. 33 on the list, opened in 1992 and was Jack Nicklaus’ first signature course in Latin America. Palmilla was also the first venue in the hemisphere to partake of the region’s unique mountain, desert, and ocean ecosystem, but Golf World’s highest praise was reserved for the resort.
“The range and quality of accommodation has few peers in this list,” the report stated. “There are non-golf experiences for families and couples. Simply a stay in paradise.”
A legendary hideaway built in 1956 by the son of a former president of Mexico, Palmilla was later transformed into an elite retreat favored by celebrities. This stylish resort, projected onto a rocky peninsula with three protected coves, reigns as the grande dame of Cabo’s 5-star hotels. One&Only Palmilla also received special commendation from Golf World for its Accommodation and Non-Golf Amenities.
Pueblo Bonito and its affiliated Quivira Golf Club also claimed a place on the TOP 100 World Resorts list at No. 62. The publication went to the source, quoting course designer Jack Nicklaus on his handiwork at Quivira:
“I’ve never seen any place that has three holes hanging out over the ocean like this. They are unbelievable.”
Arguably the most daring, eclectic (and gravity-defying) course Nicklaus has ever built, Quivira is both an engineering marvel and a strategic tour de force. On a breezy day, the challenge is a match for the layout’s oceanfront setting. Extra-special are the complimentary Mexican specialties and refreshments served at the club’s four comfort stations, notably at the open-air Oasis set above the eighth hole.
The golf course is open only to guests of Pueblo Bonito Resorts, notably Pueblo Bonito Pacifica Golf & Spa Resort, an adults-only, luxury all-inclusive resort “with facilities and accommodation of a dreamy level,” according to Golf World.
