Los Cabos shopping: Ánima Village and the Cabo del Sol revival

Architectural steadfast Sordo Madaleno has a distinguished past successful Los Cabos, dating backmost to its iconic arch-like plan for the Westin Los Cabos, which opened successful 1993. In caller years, Sordo Madaleno has besides designed the luxury edifice Solaz Los Cabos and served arsenic pb designer connected the Park Hyatt Cabo del Sol, 1 of respective breathtaking caller projects astatine Cabo del Sol, a 1,800-acre luxury edifice and residential community six miles extracurricular Cabo San Lucas. 

Sordo Madaleno is besides liable for the newest eye-catching plan to get astatine Cabo del Sol: a boutique buying destination for implicit 80 luxury brands.

Ánima Village opens successful Los Cabos

The archetypal signifier of Ánima Village premiered astatine Cabo del Sol successful aboriginal December 2025, with implicit 1,500 guests showing up to observe the opening. Already unfastened are much than 2 twelve shops featuring brands specified arsenic Abercrombie & Fitch, Guess, Hugo Boss, Lululemon, the Mac Store and Nike. More upscale brands are connected the mode successful the adjacent phase, scheduled for aboriginal this year, including Cartier, Dior, Prada, Valentino and Louis Vuitton. 

When complete, Ánima Village volition beryllium by acold the astir blase buying destination successful Los Cabos. In summation to its anticipated 84 luxury brands, it volition diagnostic divers eating options, creation exhibitions, open-air walkways with botanical gardens and a scope of regular events and programs.

“Art and civilization are cardinal to Ánima Village’s identity,” notes SOMA Group, the Mexican existent property improvement institution led by members of the Sordo Madaleno household that operates Ánima Village. “The task features Arte Abierto, a dedicated assemblage abstraction that hosts rotating exhibitions, imperishable installations passim nationalist areas, and an progressive taste program. This inaugural invites visitors to prosecute straight with the originative process, making them portion of the ongoing creator narrative.”

Of course, fixed Sordo Madaleno’s architectural reputation, this aspect, too, is first-class. Buildings “rise and autumn successful volumes ranging from 6 to 9.5 meters, creating a dynamic bushed reminiscent of a coastal village. This stepped geometry not lone frames shifting views of the scenery but besides incorporates passive clime strategies — terraces unfastened to nationalist plazas, portion shadows and landscaping supply comfortableness and shade, encouraging visitors to intermission and bask the environment.”

Despite being located beyond the gross astatine Cabo del Sol, Ánima Village is unfastened to the nationalist regular betwixt 11 a.m. and 8 p.m.

The past of Cabo del Sol

Cabo del Sol owes its beingness to the visionary foresight of legendary Los Cabos developer Don Koll. During the mid-1980s, the Southern California existent property heavyweight made a bid of moves that would everlastingly alteration the scenery of Los Cabos. In 1985, helium purchased the onshore for what would go Cabo del Sol successful concern with Robert Addison Day from Bud Parr, different Los Cabos pioneer. The adjacent year, Koll bought the landmark Hotel Palmilla (now One&Only Palmilla) and brought successful Jack Nicklaus to plan play courses for both, the archetypal world-class layouts successful the area. 

Cabo del Sol is simply a 1,800-acre master-planned edifice and residential assemblage established by Don Koll and Robert Day successful 1985. (Cabo del Sol)

“Koll knew from clip successful the country processing Palmilla Hotel edifice that this spot [Cabo del Sol], with its gradual sloping terrain and 2 miles of pristine water frontage, was the champion spot successful Cabo,” Day told Cabo Living Magazine successful 2019. “Anywhere you enactment your digit connected the map, you had an water presumption from the property. So Don and I struck a woody to bargain the spot successful a associated task betwixt our 2 companies. Don took the relation arsenic relation and pb developer successful those years, leveraging the expertise and squad they already had successful spot astatine Palmilla and instantly began adding value.”

Two parcels were sold disconnected to hotels for capital: the Sheraton Hacienda del Mar (now the all-inclusive Hacienda del Mar) and Grand Fiesta Americana, some of which opened successful 1999. Accompanying these aboriginal Cabo del Sol structure poles were Jack Nicklaus’ stunning Cabo del Sol Ocean Course (now the Cove Club), which opened to acclaim successful 1994, and Tom Weiskopf’s Desert Course, which followed successful 2001. 

Koll whitethorn person been the visionary, but Day was, practically speaking, the astir important fig successful Cabo del Sol’s history. The grandson of William Myron Keck, laminitis of Superior Oil Company — aboriginal sold to Mobil for US $5.7 cardinal successful 1984 — Day made his ain fortune, selling the Trust Company of the West, which helium founded successful 1971, for $2.5 billion. The Oakmont Corporation, which helium began successful 1980 and for which helium served arsenic CEO, would aboriginal bargain retired Koll for ownership of Cabo del Sol and oversee its improvement for decades earlier Day passed distant successful 2023.

Cabo del Sol’s revival

Cabo del Sol’s golf courses were designed to merchantability the accompanying existent estate, which they person been doing for 40 years and counting. But implicit the past fewer years, a bid of luxury edifice openings, on with Ánima Village, person ushered successful what tin lone beryllium called a resurgence. This has been led by the accomplishment of respective properties from big-name hospitality brands that not lone supply stylish accommodations to visitors but besides amenities similar restaurants and spas that residents tin enjoy.

The archetypal to unfastened was Four Seasons Resort and Residences Cabo San Lucas astatine Cabo del Sol, which premiered successful May 2024 with 96 impermanent rooms and 61 branded residences, the second including luxe villas and estates. The pursuing year, saw the announcement that Hacienda del Mar would modulation to an all-inclusive resort, arsenic good arsenic the opening of Park Hyatt Los Cabos astatine Cabo del Sol, with its 163 guestrooms and tremendous 59,000-square-foot fittingness and wellness center, the largest successful Los Cabos. 

This year,  trendy Soho House volition unfastened its archetypal signifier astatine Cabo del Sol, showcasing 15 bedrooms, 12 casas and 3 spacious casonas, on with a branded Soho Health Club. Phase 2, inactive to come, volition diagnostic 45 backstage residences, ranging from two-to four-bedrooms and 5 villas with 3 and four-bedrooms. Yes, Soho House, too, is being designed by Sordo Madaleno.

Ánima Village is 1 of galore breathtaking caller openings astatine Cabo del Sol, respective of which person been designed bythe renowned Mexican architectural steadfast Sordo Madaleno. (Los Cabos Tourism Board)

This flurry of openings, combined with the accomplishment of Ánima Village, has established Cabo del Sol, 40 years aft its birth, arsenic the astir awesome edifice and residential assemblage successful Los Cabos. Interestingly, perhaps, fixed this ascendance, Oakmont Corporation sold a controlling involvement of 51% successful Cabo del Sol holdings to RLH Properties, a Mexico City-based plus absorption institution in September 2025. 

But that doesn’t alteration the edifice inventory oregon the galore existent property offerings inactive available. Or the determination of the champion caller buying destination successful Los Cabos.

Chris Sands is the erstwhile Cabo San Lucas section adept for the USA Today question website 10 Best and writer of Fodor’s Los Cabos question guidebook. He’s besides a contributor to galore websites and publications, including Tasting Table, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Porthole Cruise, Cabo Living and Mexico News Daily.