Cabo Trip 2010

[Dean]

I have back to back weeks reserved at the Grand Maya in Cabo for 2010, Fri-Fri. I would have preferred to have 2 different resorts, possibly one in near Cabo San Lucas but as a minimum, to try 2 different resorts. So given these were relatively cheap exchanges and I have other cheap exchange options, I was considering trying for another resort during part of this time. The quality of the resort and units is important to us but we would prefer to be closer to town to have more dining and shopping options. We are early 50's, healthy, will have no kids along this trip, and will likely not rent a car though we haven't made that decision final. I've read through the reviews but simply can't get a feel for what would be the best resorts in our situation.

My question is simply this. If you had 2 weeks booked for Cabo (at the other Cabo) for the same resort but were willing to pay to get a second week at another resort, what resorts would you be willing to do so at. And of those resorts, which are easy access to town. We were looking at some of the resorts under development given we have enough time for them to develop before our trip.

Resorts I was looking at are. For II, the 2 Casa Dorado options, Hacienda Encantata, and Playa Del Sol. For RCI mostly the PB resorts, Club Regina and Hacienda del Mar. Any others you'd add, any you'd remove? Which are close and which are not?

Any info is appreciated.

 

[Karen G]

The quality of the resort and units is important to us but we would prefer to be closer to town to have more dining and shopping options. . . . will likely not rent a car

Your best bet with II would be Casa Doado Medano Beach and for RCI either Pueblo Bonito Rose or Blanco. You could easily walk to town from any of those three; they all are high quality; and they would give you a nice contrast between San Jose and Cabo San Lucas.

The other resorts would really require that you have a car or use taxis, which are expensive. Hacienda Encantata is brand new and is closer to Cabo San Lucas than Club Regina or Hacienda del Mar. Playa Del Sol in in San Jose, I believe.

Others I would add: Playa Grande--nice units, close to town; PB Sunset Beach--nice units, free shuttle to PB Rose & then you can easily walk to town. You can't swim in the ocean from either of these two because of the dangerous undertow. The others mentioned above are on Medano Beach, the safe, swimmable beach.

 

[Dean]

Your best bet with II would be Casa Doado Medano Beach and for RCI either Pueblo Bonito Rose or Blanco. You could easily walk to town from any of those three; they all are high quality; and they would give you a nice contrast between San Jose and Cabo San Lucas.

The other resorts would really require that you have a car or use taxis, which are expensive. Hacienda Encantata is brand new and is closer to Cabo San Lucas than Club Regina or Hacienda del Mar. Playa Del Sol in in San Jose, I believe.

Others I would add: Playa Grande--nice units, close to town; PB Sunset Beach--nice units, free shuttle to PB Rose & then you can easily walk to town. You can't swim in the ocean from either of these two because of the dangerous undertow. The others mentioned above are on Medano Beach, the safe, swimmable beach.

Thanks. If we have to rent a car we will, it's not that big of a deal. I generally rent a car for most trips but MX worries me more than most for some reason. Thanks for the info. We would prefer the contrast if possible both for location and resort and given we have 2 weeks already, we can be flexible as to start date as I don't mind leaving and returning to the GM.

 

[Kenrabs]

In,II,I,would,add,Villa-Del-Arco.

 

[Barbeque]

Solmar and Finnestera would also come to mind. Check the reviews. We own at Solmar and have been happy with it.
You cannot swim on the beach at either of these resorts.

 

[Dean]

thanks for the additional issue. Fortunately, swimming in the ocean is not an issue for us.

 

[nazclk]

Cabo

If that's the case stay at Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach, wonderful resort on the Pacific side.

 

[Deer Path]

We love Playa Grande and will be there the first week in November. We can walk to the Marina, town and the Mall and walk or take a $10 taxi to Mendano Beach. It is RCI.

Our 2nd week will be at Cabo Villas Beach Resort (the new bldgs.) It is II.
We will be in a one bedroom executive with a jacuzzi on the balcony. We love it.
The older bldg. is RCI. It is right on Mendano Beach and easy walking from anywhere in Cabo also.

Haceinda Encandta is out of town a little but they have a shuttle that runs every few hours into their sister resort the Marina Fiesta. HE is II.

You will enjoy Cabo san Lucas wherever you stay.

We are looking forward to our weeks in Cabo.:whoopie:

 

[nazclk]

Cabo

Wish I was going in November, we are going in February instead to see the whales, and enjoy the cool weather.

 

[CaboColl]

We own week #8 at Hacienda Encantada (HE)

HE is still in it's construction phase, but that will not affect your stay.
The 2nd of 3 buildings is supposed to open up in November.

This resort is wonderful, and the rooms are beautiful, 5 star quality.
I stink at travel reviews, but check out the reviews on Trip Advisor, Cabo section.
We own a studio, but it is 800 sq. ft. and ocean front.

The weather this past February (week 8) was 80 degrees for all 10 days. I spent most of those 10 days poolside - enjoying the view of the whales "frolicking" in the ocean. My binoculars were always by my side, with my sunscreen. On the other hand, my husband spent his days golfing.

It all depends on what you are looking for in a vacation.
I like to be away from it all..... but, in 10 minutes (by car)... I can be in it all.

Enjoy,
Colleen

 

[sjuhawk_jd]

Club Casa Dorada Golf and Beach resort (Dreams)

thanks for the additional issue. Fortunately, swimming in the ocean is not an issue for us.

Then you should also look at Club Casa Dorada Golf and Beach resort, managed by Dreams. Available through RCI. Optional all-inclusive available if you are an owner (or rent from owner), AI is mandatory if you exchange via RCI.

I own 4 weeks at this resort. Everything is upscale and top notch and you do not get the feel of staying at a timeshare resort since it is full service (daily maid service, nightly entertainment, fully stocked refrigerators, free tennis clinics, free kid's club, etc.).

 

[Dean]

Then you should also look at Club Casa Dorada Golf and Beach resort, managed by Dreams. Available through RCI. Optional all-inclusive available if you are an owner (or rent from owner), AI is mandatory if you exchange via RCI.

I own 4 weeks at this resort. Everything is upscale and top notch and you do not get the feel of staying at a timeshare resort since it is full service (daily maid service, nightly entertainment, fully stocked refrigerators, free tennis clinics, free kid's club, etc.).

Thank you for your information. As I noted in my OP, this is one of the resorts I am looking at, along with what appears to be it's sister resort on Medano beach. However, I am looking for those resorts through II as I tend to avoid AI options with timeshares due to the inevitably inflated price and often mediocre and/or reduantant offerings.

How far is out is Villa Del Arco compared to the rest?

 

[Karen G]

How far is out is Villa Del Arco compared to the rest?

Villa Del Arco would be walking distance to town. Here's how the resorts line up along Medano Beach starting with VDA:

VDA, Cascadas de Baja, Pueblo Bonito Rose, Pueblo Bonito Blanco, The Melia (or "M" as it's called now), Casa Dorado at Medano Beach, Cabo Villas, and then a new development of wholly owned condos, and then you'd be at the marina and downtown.

If you were walking to town from the VDA, you'd want to take the streets that run along in front of the resorts as it's a lot easier to walk on the street than the beach.

The other resorts that have been mentioned in this thread (Hacienda Encantada and Casa Dorado Dreams) are along the corridor and would require a rental car or taxi to get to downtown. Playa Grande, Solmar, & Finistera are on the Pacific side and close enough to walk to the marina or take a short taxi ride. PB Sunset Beach is further out on the Pacific side, but has a free shuttle to the PB Rose.

 

[Dean]

Villa Del Arco would be walking distance to town. Here's how the resorts line up along Medano Beach starting with VDA:

VDA, Cascadas de Baja, Pueblo Bonito Rose, Pueblo Bonito Blanco, The Melia (or "M" as it's called now), Casa Dorado at Medano Beach, Cabo Villas, and then a new development of wholly owned condos, and then you'd be at the marina and downtown.

If you were walking to town from the VDA, you'd want to take the streets that run along in front of the resorts as it's a lot easier to walk on the street than the beach.

The other resorts that have been mentioned in this thread (Hacienda Encantada and Casa Dorado Dreams) are along the corridor and would require a rental car or taxi to get to downtown. Playa Grande, Solmar, & Finistera are on the Pacific side and close enough to walk to the marina or take a short taxi ride. PB Sunset Beach is further out on the Pacific side, but has a free shuttle to the PB Rose.

Thanks, that's helpful. I didn't realize that Casa Dorado was out of town so I'll remove it from my list given I'm in the situation where I can affort to be picky.

 

[Dean]

I wanted to update what I've done and get a chance to ask a few f/u questions. What I ended up with was back to back weeks at the Grand Mayan with an overlapping week at the Hacienda del Mar. I have a 1 BR for the first week and 2 BR the second at GM and a 3 BR at Hacienda Del Mar. We'll be there for 14 days total, have air on FF miles with a good schedule. This means we'll really need to rent a car which I was hoping to avoid but that's life. At this time I need to start planning restaurants and esp need to get one (possibly 2) SIM cards for our unlocked GSM phones. I seem to recall a place in Cabo San Lucas but not SJ del Cabo to go this. I've looked at the reviews but any info would be helpful including an idea of how much a rental car should be and a good company to use.

 

[Karen G]

What I ended up with was back to back weeks at the Grand Mayan with an overlapping week at the Hacienda del Mar. I have a 1 BR for the first week and 2 BR the second at GM and a 3 BR at Hacienda Del Mar. We'll be there for 14 days total.

How many days total will you be at Grand Mayan? I think I might see how it goes at GM without a rental car. You should be able to walk to downtown San Jose del Cabo with no problem, and you could walk to the Mega grocery store and take a cab back with groceries. I'd see everything possible in SJD while you're at GM and save the stuff in Cabo San Lucas when you move to Hacienda del Mar. Get the rental car for the time you'll be at HDM.

There is some general information about rental cars in Mexico in a sticky post at the top of the Mexico forum list that might be useful for you. You can also check out the restaurant recommendations in the Cabo post of the Mexico information sticky post.

 

[Dean]

How many days total will you be at Grand Mayan? I think I might see how it goes at GM without a rental car. You should be able to walk to downtown San Jose del Cabo with no problem, and you could walk to the Mega grocery store and take a cab back with groceries. I'd see everything possible in SJD while you're at GM and save the stuff in Cabo San Lucas when you move to Hacienda del Mar. Get the rental car for the time you'll be at HDM.

There is some general information about rental cars in Mexico in a sticky post at the top of the Mexico forum list that might be useful for you. You can also check out the restaurant recommendations in the Cabo post of the Mexico information sticky post.

Thanks. We took the 2 weeks back to back at GM to make sure we had the trip set. But I really wanted some variety for the trip and looked for second week. I was hoping for a week that was very close to Cabo San Lucas to I could experience that town as well and not get a rental car. When the 3 BR came up at HDM, I decided to take it because I really hadn't seen as much as I expected for the area and most of what I'd seen had been studios. The HDM week starts a day after the first GM week which is a 1 BR (week 2 is a 2 BR). My plan is to check in at the GM and see how things stack up. Then go to HDM the next day and check in there and compare rooms/views.

I had hoped not to do the rental car but HDM is too far out not to it appears. What I have been thinking of is get a car just for the week that matches HDM since the GM has transportation to the resort from the airport. That will really only leave us the time the second week at the GM without a car and as you say, it's walking distance there. Then a shuttle back to the airport. The question then becomes can I get a car for a reasonable price from that area since it won't be at the airport.

Thanks again, just starting serious planning now for this trip.

 

[pammex]

I have not as yet been to Cabo but I am sure you can get a SIM card in Mexico for your phone.....at any telmex, telcel, maybe USAcell ( oosacell Ponunciation), or moviestar cell phone place....not sure what they may have there in Cabo.

 

[carlrocky]

Good car rental companies

these two companies seem to make most people happy and have a good reputation for service and are competitively priced.
1. Dominic at www.dominicloscabos.com
2. Eduardo at www.turimazrentacar.com
you do not need to rent them at the airport and they make drop off easy.
A good site to see where everything is in relationship to Cabo is
www.wikimapia.org zoom this map in and all the Hotels and restaurants are listed and it even has a distance tool in the tool bar

 

[lovemylabradoodle]

good rental companies

Does anyone have the names of a good rental company in Riviera Maya similar to the service you get to the rental companies carlrocky posted???

Thanks!!!!!

 

[KevJan]

We had a 2-bedroom unit at Hacienda Del Mar for the first week in March of this year and fell in love with it. We don't swim in the ocean and so that wasn't an issue for us. Arose early every morning to watch the sunrise and walk along the beach which was a beautiful sight! We rented a car from National at the airport but found we could have rented at the resort as well. When we go again, (we most definitely will) we'll pick up our rental car and stop for homemade torillas and produce (fresh oranges to make fresh juice using the juicer in the unit) in San Jose. We'll check into our unit and unpack, go on a sunset dinner cruise that includes whale watching, then stop at Costco for our groceries. The next morning we'll go to Medano Beach (park at the mall) for kayaking, jet-skiing etc. We'll return the rental car at the Hacienda (we only have the car for 24 hrs.) and then relax at the pools and activities at the resort the rest of the week. We liked to explore around the rocks and check out the marine life after the tide goes out. We also saw whales from the pool and restaurants. If we choose to eat out, which we usually do a couple of times, we'll eat at Guerisolie's, a restaurant at the resort that's not too pricey. Arrange for the resort to provide transportation back to the airport and return home fully rested and ready to meet the world again. Hope you enjoy your vacation at least half as much as we did!

 

[Dean]

I'm getting back to update some of my planning for Cabo for Jan. I do appreciate the info previously provided on this thread and elsewhere. I do have a few questions though that I am still not comfortable with.

We will stay for 2 weeks split between the Grand Mayan and Hacienda Del Mar, just the 2 of us though we'll have a 1 BR and 2 BR at GM and a 3 BR at HDM. We stay 1 night at GM, 7 nights at HDM then back for 6 nights at GM as it is currently planned.

We were hoping not to rent a car but HDM likely necessitates that. My plans now are to get a car just for the week we're at HDM either by renting from National picking up at Hotel Posada or from one of the private rental companies recommended here on TUG. Any thoughts on this plan? It looks like Hotel Posada would be walking distance.

I don't believe GM has W/D in the units. I've seen that some of the units, esp the 3 BR at HDM, do have W/D otherwise it's very expensive to wash at their coin operated machines. I've tried without success to determine if ALL 3 BR at HDM have a W/D and if they are free or pay within the units. I was hoping someone here could tell me for certain.

I am told the shuttle from the airport to GM is free but there is a charge for the return trip. If this is not accurate, please let me know.

Forgot to add. Is there anywhere in SJ to buy a SIM card?

I've done a fair amount of investigation on dining options but won't go there on this thread. Again, thanks to all future and past TUG members who offer help or suggestions.

 

[Toughbeat]

Hi. I own a 1br at HDM and was just there the 2nd week of August..coincidentally Karen was there at the same time. Karen and I shared some info thru these boards while there.

The 3br is the largest unit, a Penthouse. I have stayed in the 2br and have an exchange into a 3br for late Aug. 2010. I saw the Penthouse model used for the TS presentations and noticed that the units no longer have washer/dryers. The resort does have laundry facilities where you can do your wash.

You will love the Penthouse...it's absolutely beautiful. The HDM is a great resort. I'm sure you'll be pleased with it. After pricing several car rentals, I finally decided on National Car Rental. I booked it directly with the HDM as they have a National on premises. You may pick up the rental at the airport or at the resort itself. They also gave me the option to drop it off either there or at the airport.

For dining, I made use of the car rental and drove all over and into town. I like to get to know the city, the outskirts, and get a feel for the local flavor. I found a great open-air seafood restaurant called El Toro Guero. Loved it! I think KAREN will agree it was a very good place. You can aslo try Gordo Lele's where they have great tacos and Javier will sing some Beatles and Sinatra for you...u can youtube him by searching under "gordo lele cabo." This one is located in the downtown are behind the Mar de Cortez hotel.

BTW, if you want to see the 3br penthouse, go here http://www.haciendadelmar.com.mx/ then click on 'accomodations and floor plans,' then on Penthouse.

 

[Karen G]

I found a great open-air seafood restaurant called El Toro Guero. Loved it! I think KAREN will agree it was a very good place. You can aslo try Gordo Lele's where they have great tacos and Javier will sing some Beatles and Sinatra for you...u can youtube him by searching under "gordo lele cabo." This one is located in the downtown are behind the Mar de Cortez hotel.

Yes, I absolutely agree about both places to eat--if you like seafood do try El Toro Guero. It is a popular place with the locals--we were the only gringos there. Gordo Lele's is a lot of fun and the tacos were delicious.

 

[Dean]

Hi. I own a 1br at HDM and was just there the 2nd week of August..coincidentally Karen was there at the same time. Karen and I shared some info thru these boards while there.

The 3br is the largest unit, a Penthouse. I have stayed in the 2br and have an exchange into a 3br for late Aug. 2010. I saw the Penthouse model used for the TS presentations and noticed that the units no longer have washer/dryers. The resort does have laundry facilities where you can do your wash.

You will love the Penthouse...it's absolutely beautiful. The HDM is a great resort. I'm sure you'll be pleased with it. After pricing several car rentals, I finally decided on National Car Rental. I booked it directly with the HDM as they have a National on premises. You may pick up the rental at the airport or at the resort itself. They also gave me the option to drop it off either there or at the airport.

For dining, I made use of the car rental and drove all over and into town. I like to get to know the city, the outskirts, and get a feel for the local flavor. I found a great open-air seafood restaurant called El Toro Guero. Loved it! I think KAREN will agree it was a very good place. You can aslo try Gordo Lele's where they have great tacos and Javier will sing some Beatles and Sinatra for you...u can youtube him by searching under "gordo lele cabo." This one is located in the downtown are behind the Mar de Cortez hotel.

BTW, if you want to see the 3br penthouse, go here http://www.haciendadelmar.com.mx/ then click on 'accomodations and floor plans,' then on Penthouse.

Thanks, I have been on that website. I've emailed the concierge a couple weeks ago and again yesterday but haven't heard anything from them. Thanks for the info. We're actually in the area for 2 weeks with only part being at this resort. The car is a problem because we likely won't have one for 2 weeks but only the week we're here. I did look at National picking up at Posada a few door down from the Grand Mayan but the price is well over $400 for a week for an automatic with the extra insurance. National is my preference since we are Emerald Club members but I am not paying that much for a car. Hopefully as we get closer there will be discounts that will drop it enough to make it workable.