Grand Solimar at Lands End

[James G]

I'm scheduled to be at Grand Solimar at Lands End during the first week of Sept. I need all the tips, tricks, advice, and words of wisdom. I've never been to Cabo before. I'm in a 1 bedroom exchange through interval. I've been emailed spa specials, which look affordable, but I'm reluctant to purchase the all inclusive meal plan until I hear from you experts. What advice can you give for all things Cabo?

 

[buzglyd]

That’s funny. I will be there also. We are doing the AI for the first three days to check it out. They said we can add more if we want. $99 a person. Not too bad.

 

[oldbuyer]

Here's a trip from a Cabo regular that owns TS contracts at the sister resort and several others in Cabo.
If you are mobile and can walk 1/2 mi to dinner you can eat at least 20 resturants within that distance. This gives you a chance to try out some nice casual places very close to your resort. It is nearly impossible to spend $100/day per person on food and drink in Cabo unless you are a very heavy drinker and will be consuming very expensive dishes. For example, my wife and I average $50/day per couple!
The food is good at GS but it's the same old thing after a few days and is more presentation than taste. If you like white linen and having your chin wiped for you then perhaps AI is a good deal. We tried AI for 3 days once and never did it again. We try and keep the town alive but frequenting the local places. 3 of them are even owned by the Solmar group.

If you are not an owner at Solmar consider taking a TS tour to have them pay you to sample their food. TS presentations are a pain but $300+ in resort credit for wasting 2 1/2 hours in the morning one day is worth it to some of us and you get to see all of the new resort. Besides you will get a nice breakfast so you have experienced one meal already.

Tip: if you are considering a TS tour at GS get the invitation from the shark tank at the airport-just after you press the exit button as they have the largest budget 300-400 in resort credit is typical The in-house gals who greet you after you check in have a much smaller budget typically 200-250 maximum. The presentation is the same matter how big or small the budget is. The TS presentation is not bad at Solmar. we've done it in 1 1/2 hours but take your time and look around but please don't buy from the developer as that means more work for us TUGGERS to help you rescind the contract
PS only 5 days allowed to rescind and the Profeco office which can help you is within that 1/2 miles radius of GS. How convenient!

Enjoy a great vacation and try to tip in MXN Pesos if it's available to you.

 

[buzglyd]

Lots of great places to eat nearby. It just depends on how adventurous you want to be and I"m not sure how dining out is being handled right now. You can also take the water taxi from the marina over to Medano beach if you like to swim in the ocean. You won't be doing that on the Pacific side unless you're Aquaman.

We booked transportation with Cielito Lindo. Sometimes we rent a car because I like to drive around but due to the current Wu Flu, we plan on staying close to the resort. Don't be afraid to drive around if you like to explore. It is very easy to drive in the area. It's basically one road up and down the coast.

I'm planning a fishing trip one day and you can take your catch to a restaurant in the Marina and they will cook it for you.

You mentioned your first trip to Los Cabos. If it's your first trip to Mexico, make sure you know how to get through the shark tank after you clear customs. Head down, no talking until you're clear of the exit to the great outdoors.

 

[James G]

Is there a certain floor or building that's preferred? I don't mind giving something extra to get it, but I'm not one to attend a presentation. Also, is a La Paz excursion worth doing? Thanks in advance for everyone's comments.

 

[buzglyd]

I’m not sure what you would do in La Paz that you couldn’t do in the Los Cabos area unless it’s a whale shark swim or something. I would say spend time exploring San Jose and Todos Santos. San Jose is just booming right now with high end homes and hotels going in.

And no the Eagles did NOT write Hotel California in Todos Santos but there will still be plenty of tourists taking pictures in front of the hotel.

 

[geist1223]

If you want to swim with the dolphins do it at the Harbour in Jan Jose del Cabo. This is in the actual Harbour water. The others are large pools like Sea World. We found Todos Santos to be a waste. The two main local snorkeling areas are Chileno and Santa Maria. You can take a boat tour or you can drive to the Beaches yourself and snorkel from the Beach. We get there about 8am. Few people, no wind, and calm sea. Almost every activity will provide round trip transportation. We will be in San Jose del Cabo for 3 weeks in February. This is not a good time of the year for Whale Sharks (neither a whale or a shark) in Las Paz. Better in the winter.

Do you have your transportation set up from airport to resort?

 

[Rich S]

I'm scheduled to be at Grand Solmar at Lands End during the first week of Sept. I need all the tips, tricks, advice, and words of wisdom. I've never been to Cabo before. I'm in a 1 bedroom exchange through interval. I've been emailed spa specials, which look affordable, but I'm reluctant to purchase the all inclusive meal plan until I hear from you experts. What advice can you give for all things Cabo?

The wife and I were scheduled to be there this week, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic we postponed our trip to next year. We, like you, exchanged through II last year and spent a week there in August. We were so impressed and pleasantly surprised that after we got home I bought a 1 bedroom EOY even year. Resale of course. I found a great deal that I couldn't pass up.

We did the all inclusive for the first three days to give it a try. My wife also wanted to eat locally as a part of the vacation experience as well. It worked out great. I was planning on doing the three day all inclusive again this year. It is really convenient, well presented, and tastes good too. I think I just like the feeling of being catered to at the resort.

The rooms are amazing and all have ocean front views. There is plenty of room in the kitchen for cooking small dinners or snacks if you so choose.

You are in walking distance to the Marina and the mall, there are a lot of places to eat there so you will have plenty to choose from.

Due to the pandemic, I am not sure what will be open or the dining situation in the Marina so the all inclusive would be more appealing to me for that reason.

Take a stroll on Lover's and Divorce beach it's free and within walking distance of the resort. Be advised you will have to hike over rocky terrain so wear appropriate shoes. The hike is not arduous but you need to be aware it's not for everyone.

 

[James G]

Can someone advise me the best way to pay for things, whether it's pesos or credit card. I recently exchanged some dollars to pesos with my local bank a couple of months ago when the peso got especially weak due to the pandemic and price of oil, so I have some local currency. When I went to Aruba a month ago, everything was in US dollars. It was like their currency didn't exist in the tourist areas.

 

[buzglyd]

Can someone advise me the best way to pay for things, whether it's pesos or credit card. I recently exchanged some dollars to pesos with my local bank a couple of months ago when the peso got especially weak due to the pandemic and price of oil, so I have some local currency. When I went to Aruba a month ago, everything was in US dollars. It was like their currency didn't exist in the tourist areas.

I pay for almost everything with credit card. Make sure you have one with no foreign transaction fees. I keep a small amount of pesos for tips and small purchases. The dollar is widely accepted in the Cabo area but the exchange rate won’t favor you.

 

[geist1223]

We use Pesos almost exclusively. USA dollars for tips. Only do major purchases on credit card with no foreign transaction fees. Have been paid $400 USA to attend timeshare sales pitch. Then negociated it into Pesos and the exchange rate.

 

[bjones9942]

When in México, please use pesos for everything, including tips. Most of the workers won't tell you, but they often work 6 days a week. Many don't have bank accounts. Then they have to find a bank that will accommodate them, stand in line (rarely is there no line) on their one day off and pay the exchange fee to convert your dollars into pesos.

BEST is to use your debit card in a bank ATM and withdraw pesos. As has been said, there are cards (Charles Schwab) that don't charge exchange fees - and the Charles Schwab debit card even refunds the ATM fees. If the ATM asks you to accept THEIR conversion rate, decline - you'll still get your money, but not at widely inflated rates. Use your credit card with a modicum of caution - don't let it out of your sight like you may do in the USA though .... that's NOT normal practice most countries.

México - Pesos. France - Euros. Hungary - Forints. USA - US Dollars. Canada - Canadian Dollars. Please.

 

[jules54]

Never do all inclusive as I don’t drink and hubby only drinks beer. So so many spots to eat in Cabo. Eating local and going to the store is part of the experience. I do understand if your only going to be on vacation for a week why AI sounds good. I have been to Cabo many times, but not since the Covid. We always go to the grocery store or many a small corner store for fruit, pop,beer etc. We use our credit card for everything and everywhere we can. No foreign transaction fees. Your best rate of exchange comes with using your credit card. We change dollars to pesos at Wells Fargo before we leave. Most of the time we use pesos for taxi and places to dine that don’t take credit card. The best spot to change dollars to pesos in Cabo is the money exchange next to Teroso Hotel. You will need your passport to change in Cabo. We take 100.00 in 1 dollar bills for convenience. We have asked many wait staff many times if they prefer pesos or dollars as tips, they always want dollars.We love Mexico especially Cabo and Playa Del Carmen. Since we retired 4 years ago we spend 2 to 3 months in the winter.

 

[travelhacker]

When in México, please use pesos for everything, including tips. Most of the workers won't tell you, but they often work 6 days a week. Many don't have bank accounts. Then they have to find a bank that will accommodate them, stand in line (rarely is there no line) on their one day off and pay the exchange fee to convert your dollars into pesos.

BEST is to use your debit card in a bank ATM and withdraw pesos. As has been said, there are cards (Charles Schwab) that don't charge exchange fees - and the Charles Schwab debit card even refunds the ATM fees. If the ATM asks you to accept THEIR conversion rate, decline - you'll still get your money, but not at widely inflated rates. Use your credit card with a modicum of caution - don't let it out of your sight like you may do in the USA though .... that's NOT normal practice most countries.

México - Pesos. France - Euros. Hungary - Forints. USA - US Dollars. Canada - Canadian Dollars. Please.

I lived in Mexico about 15 years ago, and I wouldn't say they prefer pesos since they're easy to use anywhere.

At the time the exchange rate floated between 12 and 14 pesos to the dollar and every store I went to just gave you 10 pesos for a dollar -- so they valued it at that. They were happy to take it at that since it was easy math and it favored them.

At the time, people didn't really spend much extra time exchanging, if they happened to have dollars they would take the lower rate or they may hold out for a better exchange if they were running errands and wanted to swap out. Heck, there were people in a neighborhood that would give you a better rate quickly (say 11 pesos the dollar) and spend the time to go to the bank.

I would say that if you tip in dollars be generous with the exchange rate or just tip in pesos. Since it's at 22 pesos to the dollar now, I'm guessing most stores are fine with a 20 to 1 ratio.

 

[easyrider]

We order pesos from our bank before we go to Mexico. At the resort and major retailers we use our credit card. We use the pesos at the restaurants, bars and flea markets.

Cabo has really changed in this last decade. There are many restaurants and there are big grocery stores in Cabo. If I was planning on staying at the resort for the most part I might consider the AI for at least half my stay. We rarely do AI. We usually go to Costco for some things we like. Years ago we found where most of the restaurants get their fish, breads and produce. The area is a short walk from the marina. The blue building on the linked map is the fish market. Best shrimp is here. The map will move so online exploring is easy.

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

We always rent a car so we do explore the area. Chileno Bay is a really nice place to snorkel. Free parking, nice parking lot and clean restrooms with showers.

Bill