Aman Group, the Swiss-based luxury hotel chain known for its ultra-private properties across 22 countries, is opening Amanvari on the East Cape of Baja California Sur. The resort sits within the Costa Palmas development, about 65 miles north of San José del Cabo, and bookings are now open. With just 18 casitas, it is one of the smallest and most exclusive hotel openings on the peninsula in years.
Costa Palmas Spent a Decade Building the East Cape’s Luxury Corridor
Amanvari’s arrival did not happen in a vacuum. Costa Palmas, the 1,000-acre private development that hosts the resort, broke ground around 2015 on a stretch of coastline near the town of Los Barriles. The project was developed by Jason Grosfeld’s Irongate, a firm that also developed Four Seasons resorts in Anguilla and the Dominican Republic. Costa Palmas already includes a Four Seasons Resort that opened in 2019, a Robert Trent Jones II golf course, a private marina, and a growing residential community.
For years, this corridor between La Paz and San José del Cabo was known mainly to sport fishers and backpackers. The East Cape’s appeal rested on its emptiness: dirt roads, small ranchero towns, and proximity to Cabo Pulmo National Park. That park, located about 40 miles south of Costa Palmas, earned UNESCO recognition in 2005 as part of the Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California World Heritage Site. Cabo Pulmo’s reef is one of only three living coral reefs in North America. Its recovery from overfishing in the 1990s is considered one of the most successful marine conservation stories in the Western Hemisphere.
Yet the East Cape’s isolation has been eroding steadily. The Mexican federal government paved long sections of Highway 1 between Los Barriles and San José del Cabo over the past decade. The La Paz international airport sits about 45 minutes north of Costa Palmas, and the San José del Cabo airport is roughly 90 minutes south. Both airports receive direct flights from major U.S. cities.
Aman itself operates 35 properties globally, from Bhutan to Tokyo to Montenegro. The brand targets a clientele willing to pay well above typical luxury rates for extreme privacy and low guest counts. Amanvari’s 18 casitas each span 82 square meters (about 880 square feet) and feature heated plunge pools, outdoor showers, and hand-applied white concrete walls built by local artisans. The resort includes four restaurants: Arva for pasta, Sesui for a 10-seat omakase experience, Luma for open-fire Mexican cuisine, and a lounge and pool bar for lighter fare.
East Cape Land Values Have Climbed as Luxury Brands Arrived
The practical effects of this development wave are visible in real estate prices. Lots in and around Los Barriles that sold for under $50,000 a decade ago now routinely list above $200,000, based on regional MLS data. Costa Palmas itself sells residential lots starting above $1 million. The arrival of both Four Seasons and Aman within the same development puts Costa Palmas in rare company globally, and it accelerates the area’s shift from budget destination to exclusive enclave.
That shift creates tension. The East Cape’s small towns, including Los Barriles, El Triunfo, and La Ribera, have limited water infrastructure. Baja California Sur is Mexico’s driest state, and groundwater aquifers in the East Cape region face pressure from both agricultural use and resort development. CONAGUA, Mexico’s national water commission, has classified several aquifers in the southern Baja peninsula as overexploited.
Road infrastructure also lags behind the development pace. While Highway 1 is paved, secondary roads to beaches and smaller communities remain unpaved in many areas. Emergency services in the East Cape corridor are limited compared to the Los Cabos hotel zone, where private hospitals and bilingual clinics serve a large foreign population.
Conservation groups have also raised concerns about development creeping closer to Cabo Pulmo. The park’s marine ecosystem depends on low coastal disturbance. So far, Costa Palmas sits far enough north to avoid direct impact, but the broader trend of luxury development along the coastline has drawn scrutiny from organizations including the Mexican Center for Environmental Law (CEMDA).
Amanvari offers guided excursions to Cabo Pulmo for diving with manta rays, sport fishing for yellowfin tuna, horseback riding in the Sierra de la Laguna mountains, and off-road vehicle tours. The resort also maintains organic gardens on the Costa Palmas property. Nightly rates have not been publicly listed, but Aman properties globally typically start above $1,500 per night and often exceed $3,000.
Bookings for Amanvari are open now through Aman’s website. The resort’s opening adds a second marquee hospitality brand to Costa Palmas, cementing the East Cape’s position as the peninsula’s fastest-growing luxury corridor. This story was first reported by Quién.