We were in November, and we enjoyed our stay. Overall we preferred Los Cabos because of the sea life and lower density than Cancun.
Here are my answers:
Is there a shuttle from the airport to the hotel?
As JimInNC said, the hotel contracts with Baja Pacific. The fees $80 (1-way)/$160 RT are for up to 6 people.
We rented a car and had no problems driving around the area. DH is used to roundabouts.
Some of the highway on-ramps are very short, even shorter than Hawaii on-ramps
Are there any good restaurants/ casual dining at the resort or close by - are prices reasonable?
Even tho' there is the Raintree resort next door, we didn't try to seek out their restaurants. The Westin concierge thought Westin's restaurants were better. And I did see several people from the neighbor resorts at the Westin's pool, dining poolside.
Prices are reasonable by resort standards. In town, the restaurant prices are much better.
Is there a grocery store nearby that you can purchase drinks / basic food for breakfast/ snacks
The grocery store isn't stocked as well as at the Lagunamar Cancun resort's store. But prices were not as high. And I did get fresh tortillas from them .
There are 2 large grocery stores , about 10 min drive away, to shop for drinks and food. They are at the main roundabout at the south end of San Jose del Cabo. The Chedraui store is larger, more modern. I can't remember the name of the one on the other side; it has a large green pelican icon. That one is older, and looks like more locals shop there. We shopped there too since it was easier to approach from our direction from resort.
Is it far to the major towns and what is the best way to get to them - don’t really want to use the local bus
San Jose del Cabo hotel zone is about 15-20 minute drive. Cabo San Lucas (aka San Lucas del Cabo) is farther (depending upon how fast you drive
). The hotel operates a shuttle to both towns, but much more frequently to Cabo San Lucas. I think it was $15 RT pp to San Lucas.
It's about a quarter mile or more from the resort, uphill, to the highway where the buses run. We've seen various bus lines on the highway, and mainly locals at the bus stops.
The buses are not as frequent and organized as in the hotel zone in Cancun.
IMO, very easy to get by without a car in Cancun hotel zone. Much harder & longer taking buses, or more expensive taking shuttles/taxis in Baja.
Does Uber operate in the area
Per our concierge, Uber is operating, expanding more this year. He seemed to be looking forward to it.
We have been to the Westin in Cancun a few years ago - how does it compare
Lagunamar in Cancun is in a dense developed area. The Baja resorts are more far-flung from each other. The terrain is hilly, not flat like on the hotel zone strip.
At Los Cabos, almost every room has a good view or the ocean. Even tho' the pool area is smaller than Lagunamar, it was never really crowded. We saw fewer people out in the public areas, or walking up to the lobby. By contrast Lagunamar's main pool was more congested.
The pool/outside dining service at Los Cabos was light years faster than Lagunamar. During out Lagunamar stay, we had to wait nearly an hour for our food on 2 separate occasions. They definitely had a kitchen problem then; hope they've fixed it.
Los Cabo's 2 bdrm units (at least the one we were in) only had a kitchenette, and was much smaller than Lagunamar's 2 bdrm lockoffs. So Lagunamar definitely has the edge on villa size and interior.
Both resorts had themed nights: Mexican, Italian, Seafood, Steak (at Los cabos).
We ate at the Mexican and Steak ones, which were very good. $20 pp
Per my BIL, the Los Cabos westin margarita was $20, but 80-90% tequila.
He was pretty loony after drinking 2 of them !
