One to watch
Raffles Estera East Cape
Raffles' first resort in North America, an Olson Kundig design on a quiet East Cape beach with its own Long Bar.
When Raffles chose the site for its first resort in North America, it passed over the busy Corridor and picked the East Cape. Raffles Estera East Cape Resort & Residences will sit on beachfront between San José del Cabo and Los Barriles, about an hour from the airport, on a stretch of the Sea of Cortez still better known for whales, kitesurfers and empty sand than for hotels. The brand and its developer, ONE Development Group, announced the project in May 2025 and are targeting 2029.
What is planned
The first phase calls for 80 guest rooms and 46 Raffles-branded residences. Seattle architects Olson Kundig are designing the buildings, with interiors by Studio Paolo Ferrari and the private residences by Huber Design. Tom Kundig describes the guiding idea as “prospect and refuge”: low structures that shelter guests while opening wide to the sky, the desert and the water.
The programme is generous for a resort of this size. Plans include seven places to eat and drink, among them a signature restaurant and a version of the Raffles Long Bar, as well as a full spa, several pools, a watersports centre, kids’ and teens’ clubs, and beach and mountain clubs for residents.
Why it matters
Raffles is one of hospitality’s oldest names, and it rarely opens anywhere it isn’t the destination’s statement hotel. Alongside Amanvari, Four Seasons at Costa Palmas and the planned Delano, it confirms the East Cape as the new address for very quiet, very expensive Los Cabos.
Our view
2029 is a long way off, and East Cape projects have a habit of slipping. We will follow the permits and the first sales releases closely. If Raffles brings its famous service to this coast, expect it to be one of the most talked-about openings of the decade.