My husband and I had the pleasure of staying at a villa resort called Villas del Mar. This gated community, consisting of oceanfront and oceanview villas and casitas ranging from two to six bedrooms, is situated next to One&Only Palmilla resort. The casitas are built along the cliffside offering stunning views of the ocean and wonderful breezes off the Pacific. We stayed in one of the oceanfront villas. Each casita and villa is individually decorated, as we discovered when we visited the rentals of some of the guests we met during our stay. All of the rentals—casitas and villas—appeared to have the same level of luxurious furnishings and state-of-the-art kitchens.

The service we received during our stay was a dream. In-villa butler service that includes breakfast and lunch preparation was only the start. Our butler, Joseph—who could not have been more cordial—was able to arrange just about anything we requested, from dinner reservations to in-villa spa treatments. One evening, he even arranged for a chef to come our villa and prepare a romantic gourmet dinner for us. You name it, and it’s likely to be arranged.

As guests of Villas del Mar, we also enjoyed resort services, including private access to an excellent fitness center, pools with butler service, a fantastic restaurant, and a private beach. In every way imaginable, it was truly a memorable experience, and we would definitely go back.

On the other hand . . . the villas our friends stayed at were truly remarkable as well and it would be hard to overlook the option of staying somewhere else next time we return to Cabo.

Along with her four children, our friend Julie stayed at Cabo del Sol, a villa resort overlooking the Sea of Cortez and situated on the Jack Nicklaus-designed Ocean Course. The community, made up of villas and condos, is positioned along the Corridor next to the Sheraton Hacienda del Mar, and guests of Cabo del Sol can use resort facilities and services, including the children’s program, which kept Julie’s little ones quite busy throughout her stay.

The villas of Cabo del Sol—which I got to see when I attended a dinner party with Julie—are beautiful. Each has elegant yet comfortable furnishings, spacious living areas both up and down stairs, state-of-the-art kitchens and generous-sized pools. The condos were really large, and, for this reason, they seemed more like private residences to me. Each condo building has its own pool area, so you never feel crowded at the pool and it almost feels like your own. In fact, it seemed like Julie’s kids were the only ones who were ever in the pool when I was there. Overall, these rentals may not be quite as luxurious as those at Villas del Mar, but they are really nice.

Our other friends rented three villas run by the same management company. Since these three homes can be rented together and they’re set side by side, they were perfect for our friends (three large families.) As much as I loved Villas del Mar, these homes were to die for, and, now that I think of it, I amend what I said earlier about returning to Villas del Mar. I would prefer to stay at one of these incredible rentals, but they are all probably too large for just my husband and me. Each has a different layout and ambiance, but all have open floor plans, huge kitchens, large bedrooms, bathrooms built of granite and marble, and Jacuzzi tubs in the master suites. With huge outdoor terraces with covered palapas for outdoor dining, comfortably sized pools with hot tubs, and walkways down to the beach, the exteriors of these villas are also similar—and perfect for families. If I ever have kids and we take a vacation to Cabo, this is definitely where I would want to stay.

Here are the details of each home that I gathered from the Villas of Distinction website. (For more information, click on the villa name link.)

Villa Amanda: 5,808 square-foot exclusive beachfront residence containing five bedrooms and five and a half bathrooms; King, King, Two Queens, Two Twins, Two Fulls and 1 Twin Trundle – all bathrooms are en suite

Villa Annie-Lie: 6,835 square-foot exclusive beachfront residence containing four bedrooms and four and a half bathrooms; King, King, Two Queens, Two Fulls and 1 Twin Trundle – all bathrooms are en suite

Villa Serena: 6,103 square-foot exclusive beachfront residence containing five bedrooms and five and a half bathrooms; King, King, Two Queens, Two Twins, Two Fulls and 1 Twin Trundle – all bathrooms are en suite

My Bio
Jennifer Taylor started her career with Creative Leisure International in the summer of 1996. After a few years as a reservations agent, she moved on to become Creative Leisure’s Marketing Manager. Soon, however, she realized that her true passion was selling, so she moved back into Creative Leisure’s reservations department. In early 2007, she was promoted to her current position in the reservations department of Villas of Distinction where she sells the company's luxury villa brand. Jennifer has also used her experience as a reservation agent combined with her marketing experience to assist the Creative Leisure's marketing department in writing copy and content for company literature.
When Jennifer isn’t chasing after her two year old or working on home improvement projects with her husband, she enjoys traveling, reading, and exploring Northern California where she grew up and currently resides. Email Jennifer