Coastal Seclusion in Baja California
At the very southernmost tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, this hillside villa peers to where the sky touches the sea, acting as a bridge to the rugged natural beauty that surrounds it.
There’s nary a pause between the indoors and the outdoors at Laderas 13, a sprawling six-bedroom, six-and-a-half-bathroom retreat set high on the slopes in Querencia, a private community in San José del Cabo. Spanish speakers find the word querencia to be almost untranslatable, using it to describe a location where one feels entirely at home, or what the journalist John Jeremiah Sullivan once defined as “the place where you are your most authentic self.”
And indeed, the private community of Querencia, which broke ground in 2000, is aptly named. Enter a home here and the environment feels like the physical manifestation of one long exhale, a place where you can, indeed, live your truth. Laderas 13 is a particularly stunning residence in Querencia, set on one-and-a-half oversized lots, overlooking the Sea of Cortez and surrounded by natural beauty in every direction.
Almost every room opens directly onto a private outdoor space, an integral theme of the home’s layout. In addition to the cinematic pool and terrace, there’s also the backyard’s wide expanse of lawn, backed by the rugged hills and the piercingly blue sky, plus an exterior entryway featuring a small patio and a stone-wall entrance framing the landscape beyond. And on the side of the house, there’s an orchard with mango, citrus, and avocado trees.
Inside, the home is graced with large windows where they matter most. The living space is generous, and the bedrooms and bathrooms are equally spacious. In the primary suite, a particularly delightful soaking tub is set before a floor-to-ceiling glass wall (with a shade that can be lowered for privacy). Multiple bedroom suites boast glass doors that open to either the backyard or the terrace. There’s also a media room with built-in shelving, as well as a casita, currently being used as an art studio, which could also be transformed into a home office or even guest quarters.
Off-property, Querencia’s grounds not only offer superlative amenities but also a real sense of community. Most famously, Querencia’s golf courses, both designed by Tom Fazio, are the star of the show: The Campo Bajo has consistently ranked among the best golf courses in the world by the likes of Golf Digest and Golfweek, thanks to Fazio’s careful balance of risk and reward over the span of the course, while maximizing views of downtown San José del Cabo and the Sea of Cortez. The Campo Alto, expected to open by the end of 2026, is designed to take advantage of the course’s dramatic elevation changes, with play running from the desert to the sea.
Beyond golf, there’s a private beach club that’s walking distance from Playa Acapulquito, a favorite destination for surfing and SUP excursions, as well as snorkeling and scuba diving trips. Querencia is the place to truly become your truest, best self, whether it’s enjoying the world-class facilities for everything from rock climbing to pickleball, dining at the many great restaurants and cafes in the community, or treating yourself to a spa day.
