VILLA DEL FARO
THE STORY
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AND SEE HOW IT ALL STARTED.
It all began with a fish lit up in the waves by the rays of the setting sun…
The owners of Villa del Faro had been coming to Baja California with their family to travel up and down the coast of the peninsula for years by then. It was finally time to put down some roots in their paradise. Now, they just had to find the perfect spot. The children grabbing that red snapper right out of the wave sealed the deal for the family: they’d found their place. Nearby was a “baby beach,” so named by the family for its safe waters and gentle waves. It was the perfect place for their children, lovers of swimming and fishing alike.
They had arrived!
Over the next 12 years, they would construct what is now Villa del Faro, an isolated and luxurious beachside haven on the tip of the Baja peninsula’s East Cape. As their family grew, so too did their spectacularly beautiful home on a hill where the desert met the sea.
The structures on the land came together slowly and organically. The family started out essentially camping on the land as they built, little by little. A camper was attached to a large outdoor kitchen, whose cook would feed the family and the workers helping to build their dream home every day (incidentally, that cook now owns a restaurant in nearby La Ribera). Even when the main house was merely a shell, a large table was placed inside what would be the dining room for large shared meals.
From the start, the family wanted to ensure that they left the natural beauty of the land they were building on as untouched as possible. They received permission from the local government to rescue local native plants and planted many more over the years, many (like the date palms) much before structures had been completed. The “casitas” (houses; there are seven total) draw from solar power, and the casitas themselves were spread out to make sure that the natural surroundings had room to grow and breathe; wiping out all of the plants and animals in the area in order to build a gigantic structure was never in the plans.
The property is and was, as they describe it, a labor of love, a fact more than evident by the amount of detail put into the ornate décor of the various buildings. To say that Villa del Faro was a collaborative effort would be an understatement: over the 12 years that it was built, children, grandchildren, friends, and extended family lent their work and creativity to the project, many of whom have gone on to careers in architectural and artistic fields. As their parents like to say, “they all cut their teeth here.” Villa del Faro was, above all, a family project.
A wood carver created most of the doors and much of the furniture. A local ironworker produced many of the windows. Floor tiles were made from molds, and balustrades were designed and produced on-site. The result has been constructions both impressive and integrative with the natural beauty surrounding it, which seems to pop up in every natural nook and cranny available.
The structures are elegant but not overwhelming, cozy but not cluttered.
EXTERIOR SPACES
POOL
THERE IS A STORY BEHIND EVERY FEATURE.
The vast, glistening pool was built in a day, resulting in some well-planned logistical feats by Richard involving eight cement trucks from Guadalajara.
12 acres
PROPERTY SIZE
225 M
BEACHFRONT
55 FT
POOL
While the “Casa Central” is opulent in its décor, the other casitas have the feel of a close friend’s beautifully curated vacation home that they’ve let you borrow for the weekend. While nature on the outside astounds, the coziness and the beauty on the inside embraces.
The main house gives one the feeling of being in a Mexican hacienda and an Italian villa at once, with design elements from both dominantly present. The wide staircase leading up to the home is lined with balustrades which open to a double door lined with Mexican tiles. A large balcony sits on top, looking out on a circular garden at the entrance and the ocean beyond. Both lined, concrete paths and rustic trails allow visitors to meander around on the property while enjoying the natural beauty that surrounds it.
In many ways, the design of the main house especially is a mosaic of different elements the family admired and brought with them from both other places and other times. The library, for instance, had its boveda ceiling built over the course of 12 days by two people after Richard had been inspired by their presence in Guadalajara, while the corner cabinets in the room were rescued from a construction site in Los Angeles.
13
BEDROOMS
9
FULL BATHS
6
HALF BATHS
LIBRARY
THERE IS A STORY BEHIND EVERY FEATURE.
The room also served as a screening room, in which 700 film reels were stored; Jessie says that the projector for watching movies was installed even before they had furniture.
STAIRCASE
THERE IS A STORY BEHIND EVERY FEATURE.
The staircase in the main house, which looks remarkably like it came out of a real-life version of the movie Encanto, has balustrades that were lifted from a remodel completed in Los Angeles of an old Beverly Hills mansion; according to Jessie, there is a picture of Greta Garbo going down that staircase.
FIREPLACE
THERE IS A STORY BEHIND EVERY FEATURE.
The symbol of family life. The inaugural central piece set the trend for the great room and lit up the idea of having a fireplace in every room.
The accommodations are beautiful, but the views from those accommodations are what really shine. Care has been taken to let the natural wonders around them breathe and stay present wherever one might be on the property, and choices range from an upscale penthouse in Casita Uno to a rustic thatched-roof stone hut right on the beach with an outhouse up a trail.
STONE BEACH COTTAGE
THERE IS A STORY BEHIND EVERY FEATURE.
Built on the spot where the youngest child, Justine, would always stake out as her own personal camping spot.
Villa del Faro today serves as a secluded yet luxurious retreat from the fast-paced cities that, from the ocean-facing balconies, might seem to be a million miles away. At the same time, the connectivity through the Los Cabos international and private jet airport makes it an easily reachable destination.
For sellers, it is an everlasting reminder of the family effort that went into making a beautiful piece of nature even more beautiful and an example of how humans can peacefully coexist and nurture the nature around them.
It is time for the new owners to start creating their own paradise, whether by continuing the legacy or exploring new potentials of the investment.
