Halogen Guides occasionally has the opportunity to stay at fractional residences and destination club homes to get an idea of what a stay might be like for owners or members. While we’re not under the illusion that our experience mirrors the experience of a owner, such visits do give us a chance to see the properties, sample amenities and investigate first hand how these developments measure up to their marketing materials. Recently, we got a preview of Capella Pedregal, a luxury development in Cabo San Lucas opening in January.

Cabo San Lucas has been nothing less than a hotbed for vacation home developers. The area has grown into a popular second home destination for American buyers, destination clubs have scooped up more than 65 homes in the area, and luxury resort developers are continuing to construct new hotels and residences despite the economic crunch in the U.S. Early next year, Capella Hotels and Resorts will open its first hotel and fractional residences in Cabo San Lucas.

We arrived into Cabo San Lucas’ International Airport over Labor Day weekend and a representative from the resort escorted us to the development in a white Range Rover, a perk that Capella will extend to all guests. Forty-five minutes later, we arrived at our temporary residence, Casa Capella, the first home built in the development. The resort sits on a sprawling 24 acres near the foothills of Cabo’s acclaimed ‘Pedregal’, an exclusive gated mountainside community just a few minutes from downtown.

Perched on the hilltop, Casa Capella is indicative of what the development’s future homes, including fractional and whole ownership residences, will look like. Cacti and small trees accent a home made of locally quarried stone and tiles. Custom contemporary Mexican interiors like wrought iron finishes and leather-bound headboards compliment modern conveniences like Viking appliances and wireless internet access. The home also has a plunge pool and sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean.

Developed by the Diaz Rivera family and helmed by the West Paces Hotel Group’s Founder Horst Schulze, formerly of the Ritz-Carlton, Capella Pedregal promises a bespoke level of luxury and service. Guests at each home will have their own personal assistant, or Majordomo, that will do everything from pre-arrival shopping and cleaning to preparing meals. They can squeeze fresh orange juice in the morning and prepare homemade salsa and tortillas in the afternoon. Our Majordomo, a lovely local woman named Chayito, made a breakfast of chorizo and eggs, granola, yogurt, pastries, and fresh fruit, along with the best chilaquiles we’ve had in years.

We also ventured to Capella’s Yacht Club, which overlooks part of the development and enabled us to glimpse some of the property construction. Capella Pedregal is unique in that the main property—the Capella Resort and most of the fractional residences and Casonas, or whole ownership homes, are reached via the only privately-owned tunnel in Mexico, carved through the heart of the mountain separating Cabo from the Pacific Ocean. At the time of our visit, the tunnel was being reinforced and was closed, however from the Yacht Club, we were able to see some of the residences now underway. The homes are perched on the mountainside, the foundations up, but are several months from completion.

When complete, the property will have a 66-room resort, a spa, 38 fractional residences sold in one-eighth slices and whole ownership homes. Fractionals are priced at $475,000 for three-bedroom homes and $540,000 for four-bedroom residences. The fractionals, clustered beachside near the hotel, will offer panoramic views of the water, the Cabo Marina, and the village of Cabo San Lucas. Whole ownership villas start at $3 million for a four-bedroom home, $6.2 million for a six-bedroom home, and $9 million for the single estate villa perched on the summit of the entire development.