Cabo Azul Daily Amenities Fee Interval vs RCI

[Hobokie]

We do not pay a Resort Fee for any DRI Resort if we are Booking with DRI Points.

How many points does a week at Cabo Azul cost in high vs low season for, let’s say, a 1 bd or 2 bd?

 

[Hobokie]

Ugh, that isn't good news, but thanks for the heads up, @Hobokie. I exchanged in with a Marriott studio, so I have MF's + exchange fees + unit upgrade fees, plus now the extra $500 resort fee that wasn't disclosed when booking. I sure hope Cabo Azul is worth it, because I don't see another resort I can retrade into for that week, but I'll keep looking. I can't imagine getting ANY additional value for $70/day that I'm not going to get at Vista Encantada.

I have only been to Cabo twice and both times I have stayed here (Cabo Azul), but I gotta tell ya, we walked over to the Vidanta Los Cabos next door and I this is definitely nicer… this place is definitely nice! How much are the MFs for Marriott you traded to get this?

 

[PamMo]

…How much are the MFs for Marriott you traded to get this?

Well north of $2K for the 2BR lockoff in Hawaii. I used the studio side for the trade.

 

[geist1223]

How many points does a week at Cabo Azul cost in high vs low season for, let’s say, a 1 bd or 2 bedroom

It is all High Season. The number of DRI Points needed depends on the View. A 1 bedroom will run from 7,500 for a Blocked View to 13,300 for an Ocean View. A 2 bedroom will run from 9,000 for a Blocked View to 17,380 form Ocean View.

We normally Book a Pool View. Then request Serenity Pool.

 

[hurnik]

Ugh, that isn't good news, but thanks for the heads up, @Hobokie. I exchanged in with a Marriott studio, so I have MF's + exchange fees + unit upgrade fees, plus now the extra $500 resort fee that wasn't disclosed when booking. I sure hope Cabo Azul is worth it, because I don't see another resort I can retrade into for that week, but I'll keep looking. I can't imagine getting ANY additional value for $70/day that I'm not going to get at Vista Encantada.

While I agree the daily resort fee is "atrocious" (regardless of unit size, the fee is the same), the major (and big difference) between Cabo Azul and Vista Encantada is that with Cabo Azul you can very easily walk to downtown and get cheap/local food and experience the culture. With Vista Encantada you will be paying for a cab/shuttle/taxi/uber (and it adds up very quickly) to go anywhere (plus the 20 minutes or so depending on traffic).

However, if you just wish to stay on resort and not go anywhere, then it's a diff. story.

 

[PamMo]

I totally agree on the convenience to town aspect, @hurnik. On the San Lucas side, DH and I stay at Grand Solmar @ Land's End for a month every spring, and we love walking everywhere! The San Jose location is why I chose Cabo Azul for a follow-up week after a "resort-style vacation" at VE with my sisters. It's the added after booking $500 resort fee that I think is just wrong.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

I agree. The $500 resort fee is probably the worst I have ever seen for an exchange other than AI only resorts which are worse.

Did I understand this correctly that the fee is also charged for II trades?

 

[PamMo]

Yes, @CalGalTraveler, the MXN 1200 nightly fee is clearly written on the Interval resort information now.

My beef is that when I made my exchange in Interval, the only fee disclosed was an "Environmental / Infrastructure fee per night, per unit: MXN 33.68"

According to @Hobokie's post above, Cabo Azul used the generic Interval disclaimer "You are responsible for imposed utility/energy surcharges, occupancy or similar taxes, service charges, telephone connection fees, long distance phone charges, personal charges, and applicable amenities usage, housekeeping or resort fees" (which is on EVERY confirmation you get from Interval) to charge a nightly MXN 1200 resort fee.

(Sorry to sound like an Old Grump, everyone! I just don't like throwing away $500.)

 

[CalGalTraveler]

Thanks for explaining. $500 on top of the exchange fee adds almost $1000 to the cost. Not to mention the underlying maint fee.

 

[melissy123]

@PamMo @Hobokie What type of rooms did you get when exchanging? View/no-view? Most resorts seem to give the worst rooms to folks who exchange in.

 

[hurnik]

@PamMo @Hobokie What type of rooms did you get when exchanging? View/no-view? Most resorts seem to give the worst rooms to folks who exchange in.

I think it depends on how you're exchanging.

My understanding that RCI and Interval and SFX don't have choices (ie: 1 BR, 2 BR, etc.) There's no "ocean view, etc."
HOWEVER

If you had DRI (now HGV, sorta/kinda) and used DEX (the "internal" Diamond Exchange--that's still separate from HGV), then DEX (or possibly DRI ownership AT Cabo Azul) you definitely have choices/listings of the units in terms of pool view, partial ocean, etc.

 

[PamMo]

@PamMo @Hobokie What type of rooms did you get when exchanging? View/no-view? Most resorts seem to give the worst rooms to folks who exchange in.

We aren’t going until later this fall. From what I’ve read, we will probably be looking at another building. I’m not expecting any kind of sea view.

 

[LEMONLEE]

We just booked an exchange into a 2 bedroom ocean view thru DEX and the agent handling this (b/c the DEX website sucks big time and all you get is the spiral of doom ‘Please Wait’ on your screen when you try to book online) checked with her supervisor and assured me there was no daily resort fee charged because we were booking through DEX. Tons of availability currently thru 2025 on DEX website.

 

[Hobokie]

Thanks for explaining. $500 on top of the exchange fee adds almost $1000 to the cost. Not to mention the underlying maint fee.

In my case, I booked a $229 getaway (studio) so the 1200MEX per day isn’t too too bad, but if I had exchanged my WM and used the 7,000 credits I believe this would’ve cost, I would’ve been annoyed!

 

[Hobokie]

We just booked an exchange into a 2 bedroom ocean view thru DEX and the agent handling this (b/c the DEX website sucks big time and all you get is the spiral of doom ‘Please Wait’ on your screen when you try to book online) checked with her supervisor and assured me there was no daily resort fee charged because we were booking through DEX. Tons of availability currently thru 2025 on DEX website.

I’ve never even heard of DEX!! What is the site and how do you have access to it (which one of your timeshares?)

 

[Hobokie]

@PamMo @Hobokie What type of rooms did you get when exchanging? View/no-view? Most resorts seem to give the worst rooms to folks who exchange in.

I have an amazing room, can’t complain! I’m on the first floor and basically walk out to the serenity (adults only) pool. It is a studio though (bummer due to no kitchen, only a mini fridge), but it is very spacious and I was told I could ask for a microwave and they would bring it.

 

[hurnik]

I’ve never even heard of DEX!! What is the site and how do you have access to it (which one of your timeshares?)

DEX is the Destination Exchange (I believe) and is only available for DRI owners.
So unless you actually own at DRI, you cannot access it (AFAIK, it's not like RCI/Interval/SFX where you can join or deposit "affiliated" units).

Kinda like the internal Interval International Marriott-Marriott exchanging.

 

[geist1223]

I have an amazing room, can’t complain! I’m on the first floor and basically walk out to the serenity (adults only) pool. It is a studio though (bummer due to no kitchen, only a mini fridge), but it is very spacious and I was told I could ask for a microwave and they would bring it.

We love being at the adult only Serenity Pool. It is our preferred location.

 

[LEMONLEE]

DEX is the Destination Exchange (I believe) and is only available for DRI owners.
So unless you actually own at DRI, you cannot access it (AFAIK, it's not like RCI/Interval/SFX where you can join or deposit "affiliated" units).

Kinda like the internal Interval International Marriott-Marriott exchanging.

I’ve never even heard of DEX!! What is the site and how do you have access to it (which one of your timeshares?)

Yes, DEX is Destination Exchange (DRI's internal exchange system for deeded weeks). We own a week at Ka'anapali Beach Club. We normally trade that week through II, but in Fall of 2020 after Covid hit, II wasn't accepting any more deposits, so our only option was to deposit into DEX. Pluses of DEX: DEX gives you 5 years to use your banked week vs. II's 2 years, but have it appears to me that they have fewer of the higher-end resorts compared to II.

 

[enma]

We are here now. Ended up coming on II accommodation certificate. Was about $400+ in exchange fee but saved my Marriott 1 bedroom week being used for this. We are in a 2 bedroom.
Our daily resort fee is $80. My friend is here also. She has two 2-bedroom units thru RCI. One she got in December. That unit has $70 daily resort fees. Her other unit she got in the spring and the resort fee is $80 a day on that one. The check in person said it depends when you got the exchange. But from spring 2023 on it looks like the resort fees are the same for II and RCI exchanges. This unit ends up costing us about $1000 in exchange and resort fees. But the unit is beautiful and the resort is so nice. Just wish we could swim in the ocean,

 

[PamMo]

From earlier questions about what kind of unit exchangers get, we just returned from Cabo Azul. It was an Interval trade into a 2BR (#7301), and we got a sliver of an ocean view over the kids’ pool which was very nice, but the location next to Royal Solaris meant we listened to their roaring air-conditioning units and loud music. You couldn’t hear it so much with all the sliding doors closed, so we just didn’t spend much time on the balcony.

The resort is lovely, though!

 

[PamMo]

Also, the resort fee was $1,392MXN or USD$80 a day per my credit card statement.

 

[TheHappyWanderer]

Does the $80+/- per nite resort fee you pay when exchanging thru II apply to both Cabu Azul resort codes? The resort directory shows MCZ (Hilton Grand Vacation Cabo Azul), and MC3 (Monarch Grand Vacation Cabo Azul).

 

[PamMo]

I believe so.

 

[rpennisi]

From earlier questions about what kind of unit exchangers get, we just returned from Cabo Azul. It was an Interval trade into a 2BR (#7301), and we got a sliver of an ocean view over the kids’ pool which was very nice, but the location next to Royal Solaris meant we listened to their roaring air-conditioning units and loud music. You couldn’t hear it so much with all the sliding doors closed, so we just didn’t spend much time on the balcony.

The resort is lovely, though!


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PamMo, Ironically we had the same unit as you this past January for two weeks. Loved it and the resort.

Ron