TPC Danzante Bay’s signature par-3 17th overlooks the Sea of Cortez. (Image: TPC Danzante Bay)
Home to TPC Danzante Bay, a spectacular Rees Jones design overlooking the Sea of Cortez, Villa del Palmar Beach Resort and Spa became one of Mexico’s signature golf properties the moment it opened in 2017.
(Last updated November 2021.)
Home to TPC Danzante Bay, Mexico’s Villa del Palmar Beach Resort and Spa has reaped accolades from the moment of its full launch in December 2017.
In 2018, readers of Condé Nast Traveler voted the luxury resort, which overlooks the Sea of Cortez on the eastern coast of the Baja Peninsula, one of the “Top Resorts in Western Mexico.” The property was also named “Mexico and Central America’s Leading Resort for 2018” by the World Travel Awards. And in 2019, Golf Advisor rated TPC Danzante Bay one of “the 50 most beautiful golf courses in the world you can play.”
Villa del Palmar Beach Resort and Spa sprawls across a starkly beautiful landscape in the shadow of the Sierra de la Giganta Mountain Range, near the town of Loreto. Amenities include three restaurants, five swimming pools, the Sabila Spa, tennis courts and hiking trails.
But for golfers the highlight is TPC Danzante Bay, a dramatic 7,237-yard Rees Jones design that blends cameleon-like into the mountain setting. In April 2016, 11 ocean-facing holes close to the resort’s hotel opened for play. The remaining seven holes, which mostly twist across the floor of a canyon marked by jagged cliffs, launched in December 2017.
Along with quick shifts in terrain, golfers are confronted by swirling ocean winds that can influence shot values and strategy.
Danzante Bay’s 17th hole is absolutely unforgettable. Perched on a craggy ledge looking east over the Sea of Cortez, the 178-yard par three plays down a cliff to a long and narrow peninsula green ringed by sand. Curiously, the signature 17th was not part of the original design. Jones stumbled upon the breathtaking site midway through construction.
The property also features a spacious practice facility, including a dedicated short game area, as well as a nine-hole putting course inspired by the Himalayas putting course in St. Andrews, Scotland.
Resort guests most often arrive by flying into nearby Loreto International Airport from Los Angeles via a two-hour Alaska Airlines flight; and from Calgary, Alberta, on WestJet Airlines.
Villa del Palmar Beach Resort and Spa sits in the shadow of the Sierra de la Giganta Mountain Range. (Image: Villa del Palmar Beach Resort and Spa)
