One Campus, Two Clubs: The Next Chapter for Club Ninety Six and Club Espiritu
In Palmilla, the places that shape everyday life are being reimagined. Here is what is planned, when, and what it means for owners and buyers.
AT A GLANCE
- What: Club Ninety Six and Club Espiritu, unified under one ownership since January 2026, are planning a single connected campus.
- Who: master planning by Hart Howerton.
- Investment: approximately US$10 million in the club enhancements, part of a much wider wave of investment across Palmilla.
- Highlights: expanded spa with hot and cold plunges, two new pickleball courts, a bar and game pavilion with golf simulators, a Kid’s Village and an ocean-view card room.
- When: construction currently expected from summer 2027, with completion targeted for spring 2029.
- Where: inside the gates of Palmilla, serving Villas del Mar and Espíritu del Mar.
Buyers at this level rarely remember square footage. They remember how a place feels on an ordinary morning: the walk to the beach club, a coffee in the shade, the children running ahead to the pool.
For the families who live in Villas del Mar and Espíritu del Mar, inside the gates of Palmilla, much of that daily life happens at Club Ninety Six and Club Espiritu. Both are about to change, and I believe the change matters.
Two clubs, one vision.
Club Ninety Six and Club Espiritu were brought together under a common ownership and operational structure. This August, the Club shared the next step with its members: a series of significant enhancements across both properties, and the engagement of Hart Howerton, the international master-planning firm, to redefine the two clubs as a single, connected campus.
The intention is clear. Rather than two separate destinations, members will move through one setting, from the Park at Club Espiritu to the pools and the ocean at Club Ninety Six.
What is planned at the new campus?
Arrival and connection
New cart paths, parking areas and pedestrian walkways will create a more intuitive route between the two clubs, beginning with an enhanced auto court, plaza and entry courtyard. Throughout, the design aims to strengthen the connection between indoor and outdoor spaces and to frame the views across the site.
Wellness
The plans call for a refreshed gym, substantial upgrades to the men’s and women’s locker rooms and spa facilities, additional treatment rooms, spa lounges, and expanded spa gardens with hot and cold plunge pools. The lap pool and its deck will be refreshed with new hardscape, planting and seating, a new outdoor plunge spa, a shade pavilion and a fitness lawn.
Sport and play
Two pickleball courts will join the existing court complex at Club Espiritu. Beside them, a new bar and game pavilion will offer shaded seating overlooking the courts, two indoor golf simulator rooms and a bocce court.
A Kid’s Village
Around the splash pad and playground, an entirely new Kid’s Village is envisioned as a series of pavilions set into the hillside, with an indoor playroom, a craft room and new restrooms to complement the outdoor play areas.
A card room above the ocean
On the second level of Club Ninety Six, a new card and mahjong room with its own bar will offer adult members a quiet retreat overlooking the pools and the ocean beyond.
Dining, café and plaza
A new restaurant with an inviting bar is planned, and at Club Espiritu the café and plaza will gain more shaded seating for a morning coffee or smoothie, while the pavilion by the courts will serve refreshments between matches.
The timeline, plainly.
The Club has been candid that the project is at an early stage of design. Its current thinking is that construction will begin in summer 2027, with completion targeted for spring 2029. The renderings shared with members are conceptual, and the Club has committed to managing disruption thoughtfully while work is under way. I will share firmer dates as they are confirmed.
What does this mean for owners and buyers?
Amenities of this caliber do not change the setting. They deepen it.
This season, the average selling price in Villas del Mar and Espíritu del Mar reached US$1,841 per square foot, up from US$1,590 in 2025 and the highest level in our records, which begin in 2010. Buyers at the top of this market are not paying for square footage alone. They are paying for a way of life that is difficult to find anywhere else, and the clubs are a large part of it.
Demand has followed. Annual sales in the community have exceeded US$300 million, the highest ever recorded, and only 19 new oceanside homes remain in the final release of new development. With so few left, the opportunity to own here is becoming increasingly rare.
For buyers considering homes from US$10 million to US$30 million and above, I see three implications:
- Daily life becomes richer for every generation. Wellness for adults, a dedicated village for children and social spaces in between. For families who come to Palmilla with children and grandchildren, this campus is designed for all of them.
- The long-term commitment is visible. An investment of approximately US$10 million in shared amenities signals confidence in the community, and that is what serious buyers look for before they commit.
- Timing deserves a plan. Construction is expected between 2027 and 2029. Those who own when the campus is complete will enjoy it from the first day; in the meantime, owners and buyers should plan around a period of work, and we are glad to help with that.
Communities that hold their value keep investing in themselves.
In sixteen years of advising clients in Villas del Mar, I have seen one pattern repeat: the communities that hold their value are the ones that keep investing in themselves. Palmilla is doing exactly that, and the clubs are only one part of a much wider picture. Across Palmilla, Villas del Mar and Espíritu del Mar:
- Palmilla Golf Club. A US$12 million renovation of all 27 holes, with all-new turf, Augusta-style white sand bunkers, larger water hazards and a new driving range with upgraded practice facilities.
- One&Only Palmilla. Twenty new guest rooms, added to the Ocean View Rooms category, a rebuilt hacienda entry, a new grand oceanfront villa, a new beach club and reimagined restaurants.
- Water security. Villas del Mar has invested US$15 million in its own desalination plant, securing a long-term water supply. Few residential communities in the region offer this level of security.
- Wellness and longevity. Continuum, a US$20 million wellness clinic offering advanced health and longevity care, is expected to open in summer 2027.
- Hospitality and arrival. The SIRO hotel is expected to open in 2028, SIRO will add a new dimension to Los Cabos evolving hospitality landscape. Its arrival reflects the destination’s continued investment in high-quality experiences.
- Dining and entertainment. The Beach Shack offers a relaxed gathering place by the sea, and the new roundabout is complete, making arrival smoother and more welcoming.
Together, these projects bring hundreds of millions of dollars into the community’s infrastructure, hospitality, wellness and lifestyle. For homeowners, they reinforce lasting value. For buyers, they point to a market that is still rising, with fewer new oceanside homes available.
The setting cannot be repeated. The experience around it continues to improve.
If you would like to understand what the new campus could mean for your home, or for a purchase you are considering in Villas del Mar, Espíritu del Mar or Palmilla Cove, Olivia and I would be glad to discuss it with you personally.
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Frequently asked questions
What is changing at Club Ninety Six and Club Espiritu?
The two clubs, unified under a common ownership and operational structure since January 2026, plan to become one connected campus. Plans include a new arrival and walkways linking both clubs, an expanded spa with hot and cold plunge pools, two new pickleball courts, a bar and game pavilion with two indoor golf simulator rooms and a bocce court, a new Kid’s Village, and a card and mahjong room with a bar at Club Ninety Six.
Who is designing the new campus?
The Club has engaged Hart Howerton, the planning and design firm based in New York and San Francisco, to master-plan the combined Club Ninety Six and Club Espiritu campus.
When will construction begin and end?
The Club’s current thinking is that construction will begin in summer 2027, with completion targeted for spring 2029. The project is at an early design stage, so dates may change.
What happens to the clubs during construction?
The Club has said it will manage disruption thoughtfully so that the member experience remains exceptional throughout. Detailed operating plans for the construction period have not yet been announced.
What does this mean for buyers in Villas del Mar and Espíritu del Mar?
The campus will add wellness, family and social spaces to daily life inside Palmilla. Buyers should also plan for construction between 2027 and 2029. In the 2025–26 season, the average selling price in Villas del Mar and Espíritu del Mar reached US$1,841 per square foot, the highest since our records began in 2010.
What else is being invested in around Palmilla?
Beyond the clubs, the Palmilla Golf Club is completing a US$12 million renovation of all 27 holes, One&Only Palmilla is adding new rooms, a beach club and new restaurants, Villas del Mar has invested US$15 million in its own desalination plant, the US$20 million Continuum wellness clinic is expected to open in summer 2027, and the SIRO hotel is expected to open in 2028.
Michael Baldwin
Founder & Principal Advisor, Michael Baldwin Properties · Del Mar Real Estate, Palmilla, Los Cabos
About the author. Michael Baldwin is the founder and principal advisor of Michael Baldwin Properties and has advised buyers and sellers in Villas del Mar, inside the gates of Palmilla, for sixteen years. In the 2025–26 season he represented US$79.3 million in combined listing and selling volume in Villas del Mar and Espíritu del Mar, according to the Michael Baldwin Properties Market Study.
Michael Baldwin · michael@delmarre.com · +1 713 201 7436
Olivia Bailly · olivia@delmarre.com · +52 55 3106 3305
Renderings are conceptual and for illustrative purposes only. Design, scope and timing are determined by the Club and are subject to change.
Market figures: Michael Baldwin Properties Market Study, 1 November 2025 – 30 September 2026. Price per square foot refers to Villas del Mar and Espíritu del Mar. Annual sales, remaining inventory and community investment figures: Michael Baldwin, client update, 14 October 2026. Planned openings and amounts are subject to change. Not investment advice.
Sources
- Club Ninety Six, member communication “The Next Chapter for Club Ninety Six & Club Espiritu,” 11 August 2026.
- Club Ninety Six, “A Connected Campus” conceptual presentation, September 2026.
- Michael Baldwin Properties Market Study, Villas del Mar, Espíritu del Mar and Palmilla Cove, 1 November 2025 – 30 September 2026.
- Michael Baldwin, client update “A New Era for Palmilla, Villas del Mar and Espíritu del Mar,” 14 October 2026.
- Club Ninety Six: clubninetysix.com · Hart Howerton: harthowerton.com