New Supermarket Opening Stalled. Mayor Oscar Leggs has stated that the controversial new Soriana next to Costco Wholesale Store will not be allowed to open unless they build a pedestrian bridge, which was a condition for the construction permit. That could take months. Soriana has already posted banners to interview new employees, traffic is becoming a mess with all the equipment being delivered for opening, and now this. Will they open using an “amparo”? That’s a legal injunction that could shield them from government actions. Oh, the store will be the first one in Cabo that will be open 24 hours. If they open. Stay tuned.
San Jose Among 12 New Magical Neighborhoods. Early this year we announced that Mexico’s secretariat of tourism was planning to add “Magical Neighborhoods” to their Magical Towns program, which highlights beautiful areas of traditional Mexico. Well, the good news is, our very own San Jose del Cabo downtown was named among the 12 debuting barrios! This should bring San Jose additional funding to keep it as pretty as it is! No, Cabo San Lucas was not included. Maybe when they come up with a Party Neighborhoods program! Hahaha…
Local Resort Celebrates 50th Birthday. It was 50 years ago that tourist developer Luis Bulnes opened the Solmar Hotel on the Pacific side of Cabo San Lucas, just past our famous arch. It was one of the very first hotels in Los Cabos along with the hotel Hacienda. Bulnes’ partners back then were Raul Arechiga and Luis Coppola, who later developed the Finisterra resort.
Today, the Solmar group includes Grand Solmar Land’s End Resort & Spa, Grand Solmar Pacific Dunes Resort Golf & Spa, Playa Grande Resort & Grand Spa, The Ridge at Playa Grande, Solmar Resort and Rancho San Lucas. Bulnes was honored with a statue that sits on the marina malecón just outside the Breathless Cabo San Lucas Resort. Congratulations Solmar Group!
Los Cabos Hotel Rates on the Up and Up. It seems that we should have invested our retirement funds in hotels. The average hotel room rate has increased 65% since 2019, reports the Los Cabos Tourism Fund (FITURCA). In spite of the high prices, hotel occupancy increased by 35% in the same period. Rodrigo Esponda, the FITURCA honcho, said “We will continue to bet on ultra-luxury resorts for the ultra-wealthy.” So there. Go out and make some extra money if you want to hang around with us.
Why Was Villa Serena Restaurant Closed? It was not the Ejido, according to Hessau González, one of the representatives, who told us that it was the Civil Protection Agency, which found some security issues that weren’t fixed as requested.
The word out there is that the restaurant will be remodeled and open again, but a message to Manuel Bobadilla, the owner, was not responded to yet. Stay tuned.
Cabo Among the 10 Most Affordable Destinations. That is, If you are a celebrity. Experts at U.K.-based BacanaPlay.com researched top travel spots to find the most affordable Luxury Destinations and Los Cabos ranked 4th on the list, just below Copacabana, Brazil, Hvar, Croatia and the Dominican Republic. Copacabana is the most affordable luxury destination on the list, offering a 7-day trip for just $595. Says BacanaPlay: “Cabo San Lucas comes in as the 4th most affordable luxury destination, priced at just $756 for a 7-day trip for two. Accommodation here is relatively expensive, but transportation and food prices balance the average price to make the beaches visited by Jennifer Aniston and George Clooney affordable.” (Source: https://www.bacanaplay.com/br/)
Baja Peninsula Highway to Be Expanded. One of the areas where President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum said she will work when she takes office on October 1, is infrastructure. Among her plans are 13 new or improved highways with an investment of about US$2 billion. One of them is the expansion of the road between Tijuana and Los Cabos, with a highway bypass between Ensenada and Tijuana. Given the facts that she won the presidential election with an impressive 59.36% of the vote and her MORENA party has a virtual majority in Congress, there’s no doubt she will get the needed funding.
How Big is Airbnb in Los Cabos? 50,000 people are visiting Los Cabos per month through Airbnb, said the undersecretary of civil protection of the state. Add to that around 9,000 more in the rest of the state, and we have 59,000 rooms, apartments and homes paying 4% tourist tax. This gets invested in infrastructure (1%), tourist promotion of each municipality (80%), tourist promotion of the state (17.5%) and the rest to operational expenses. Thank you, Airbnb!
New Public Buses Coming Soon. La Paz will receive 18 new, flashy, modern and friendly buses in July, said the newly reelected Mayor, Milena Quiroga. Their nickname is Urban Sharks and are very pretty and attention-getting.
They come with some yellow seats for the elderly, pink for pregnant women and a braille system for those with eyesight problems. They will arrive in La Paz between July 10 and 23 at which point chosen drivers will get trained in their use and should be providing rides over the thousands of potholes and speedbumps in early August. Good luck!
New International Flight Announced for La Paz. Alaska Airlines has just confirmed that they will return to fly between Los Angeles and La Paz with a 76-seat Embraer 175 starting November 20. The flight will be twice a week on Wednesday and Saturday and will switch to Monday, Friday and Saturday early in 2025. Come on, book your trip now!
New Ambulances Donated to Our State. Baja California Sur Governor Victor Castro received 25 new ambulances donated by the Fund for Public Charity, whose representatives attended the ceremony. Two will remain in La Paz, 1 in Mulege, 1 in Loreto, 1 in Comondu and 1 in Los Cabos, while the rest will go to rural areas. The donation also included wheelchairs, walkers, canes and other items. The Fund for Public Charity was founded in 1861 by then President Benito Juárez to generate funds to disperse health equipment and services among Mexicans in extreme poverty conditions. Thank you!
