You’re a high flyer. Your deluxe golf weekend in Los Cabos is going to be extra-special because you’re…heading to Diamante Cabo San Lucas!
Upon arrival—you’re either flying private or first-class—your chauffeured limousine will take you along a new interior highway that heads due west to the Pacific side of the Baja peninsula. Soon you’ll arrive at Diamante, a 1,500-acre private resort community with 36 holes of world-class golf plus a 12-hole short course. Other amenities: the 10-acre Crystal Lagoons saltwater pool, 1.5-miles of pristine beach, a state-of-the-art spa, a health and fitness center, several bars and restaurants, six miles of walking and hiking trails, and more. Basically the whole enchilada.
According to LINKS Magazine, “Diamante is luxurious and exclusive with guard gates and massive estate lots overlooking the ocean, but tucked unobtrusively on the home page of the development’s website is a small box that says, ‘Visit Diamante.’ Although Diamante is unquestionably a private enclave, the club does make privately-owned units available for rental stays with golf privileges, with most stays requiring a three-night minimum.”
Alternatively, you can book accommodations at the on-site Nobu Hotel Los Cabos, an oasis of serenity that offers access to Diamante’s courses. Opened in 2019, Nobu blends contemporary Japanese minimalism with handcrafted décor from Mexican artisans. Your room of choice is an ocean-view Sake Suite, an ‘open concept’ corner suite featuring a spacious bedroom plus separate living and dining areas with ocean views. Sliding glass doors open to a private balcony set with comfortable lounges. The large bathrooms feature double shower heads, double vanities and traditional Onsen teak soaking tubs for a truly spa-like experience.
Now for the golf. The Dunes Course, a Davis Love III design opened in 2010, is a truly spectacular layout carved into massive sand hills perched above the Pacific. Ranked No. 1 in Mexico by Golf Digest and GOLF Magazine, this windswept, lay-of-the-land links rambles through towering dunes and weaves around big blowout bunkers on its journey to and from the sea. Breaching whales are a common sight from the course during the winter months. Be sure to drop by the on-course comfort stations, which serve delicious tamales and hand-shaken margaritas. One of the sturdiest holes on this prodigious layout is the 590-yard par-5 18th, arguably the most challenging finishing hole in Los Cabos. Multiple landing areas offer a choice of routes, but eventually players must hit a lofted approach to a shelf-like green perched 50 feet above the fairway.
Not hitting them the way you like? Diamante has a staff of golf professionals who will get you back on track at the club’s 14-acre practice facility, which features hitting bays carved into the rock—and piped-in ‘80s rock music.
Diamante’s El Cardonal, a strategic layout with an “Old California” design motif, marked the architectural debut of superstar (and part-time resident) Tiger Woods when it opened in 2014. Featuring panoramic ocean views, the course meanders through sand dunes on the outgoing holes before climbing to higher ground on the back nine, where winding arroyos crisscross the fairways. With its wide landing areas and open-entry greens, El Cardonal, while Tiger-tough from the tips, was designed to accommodate players at all ability levels. Diamante’s on-course comfort stations are available here as well.
As a place to warm up or chill out, the club’s Oasis Short Course, a versatile 12-hole, par-3 layout designed by Woods, is a perfect choice. The par 3’s range from 41 to 143 yards, but this mini-links can also play as a three-hole loop featuring a mid-length par 4, a short par 3 and a long par 5. With lush vegetation, a large lake and nearly 400 palm trees, this sporty layout is an oasis in the desert.
Can’t get enough golf, Golf, GOLF? Diamante’s newest golf amenity is the Dunes Putting Course, which sits adjacent to the clubhouse and is sheltered by an enormous dune. This undulating putting green has 15 holes arranged in a continuous loop that changes direction daily. One day you play the East course, the next day the West. Today’s downhill putt is tomorrow’s uphill putt. There are three par 2s and 12 par 3s. If you’re traveling with family and children, the Dunes Putting Course is ground zero for fun.
A special dinner to cap off the weekend? Nobu Hotel’s culinary lodestar is its Nobu Restaurant. Classically trained in Tokyo and influenced by his time abroad in Peru, Chef Nobu Matsuhisa continues to set the pace for new-style Japanese cuisine. The eclectic menu features dishes found in other Nobu restaurants worldwide (such as rock shrimp tempura, miso black cod, and yellowtail sashimi with thinly sliced jalapeño peppers) as well as dishes created especially for his gastronomic outpost in Los Cabos. The open-air restaurant, oriented to the sea, is adorned with gold cherry blossom décor, washi paper art and traditional Japanese lanterns. A large square bar with tall glass walls adjoins the restaurant and serves specialty cocktails, from Spicy & Tart to Rich & Bold.
As departing Diamante guests have been known to remark, it doesn’t get any better than this.
Details: https://diamantecabosanlucas.com/
