Some thoughts on our recent Cabo trip to Pueblo Bonito Rose

[Karen G]

1. Road construction continues in the downtown Cabo San Lucas area. The main drag just beyond the mall is all torn up and blocked. Driving on the side streets was a little crazy, but we managed without any major problems. Hopefully this will be finished by next year's trip.

2. Instead of using ATMs for pesos this year, we took cash and exchanged right at the resort. PB Rose's exchange rate was 12.5 and that seemed fair enough for the convenience and not having to pay ATM fees .

3. Went to Walmart & Sam's Club for groceries this year and that was really convenient to PB Rose. Coming from Cabo, right after the main traffic light there's a clearly marked bridge that goes over the highway specifically to get to Walmart/Sam's Club. In addition to those two stores, there are several other shops in an open air mall that even has a nice little food court.

4. With the road construction they've made the road in front of PB Rose one-way going to the right as you come out of the resort. That was kind of a surprise when we arrived as we had to go back to the main road and come back a block or two over. Coming from the airport into Cabo, you go through the traffic light and turn left at the first street you come to. Then you can turn left onto the road in front of PB Rose and make a right into the resort.

5. Prices at the resort for food and drink seem to be about the same as last year. Made-to-order sandwiches at the deli are the best buy.

6. Construction continues all over the place with some new projects starting along the corridor and a lot of building going on in San Jose. Don't know if they are hotels or timeshares.

7. They are tightening the rules for people whom they invite to timeshare presentations. You have to be 30 or over and under 65 for most resorts. We didn't do any presentations this year and didn't miss them! Our daughter and son-in-law did Cabo Villas for $200 cash. It was one of the few that allowed a 29-year old (son-in-law) to attend.

8. PB Rose continues to be meticulously maintained, but I noticed a couple of cost-cutting measures. They no longer have a welcome party with free drinks and snacks. They no longer have the big, beautiful fresh flower arrangements in the lobby--just had three large, clear class vases with rocks and dark green large leaves of some kind. Noticed PB Blanco had the same thing. They no longer offer a wine & cheese tasting event, just a "wine class." Didn't attend. All other activities are still offered.

9. Our own unit is still in great shape after 11 years. This year we got a new cooktop and some new artwork. Over the years they have replaced the sofa, bed linens, comforters, pillows, refrigerator, cookware (nice non-stick kind), blender, chairs, recovered some pieces of furniture, and replaced some outdoor furniture on the terrace. Hopefully, someday they'll replace the tv's with flat screens.

10. Senor Sweets was open in their new location and it was wonderful!
The new Luxury Avenue collection of high end jewelry and stuff is open in the part of the marina/mall where Senor Sweets used to be. I wonder who buys those diamond-encrusted gold watches??

11. All the roads between the mall and the PB Rose & Blanco are paved now so you don't have to walk on dirt roads.

There always seems to be something new each year so it's fun to see the changes every year.

 

[easyrider]

thanks for the up date

 

[Carol C]

Hi Karen, I would really like to go back to Cabo. I'm sure I'd be surprised by all the changes, since it has been at least 5 years since I've been. I'm wondering about all that road construction; is it happening to support new timeshare resort and year-round resorts that have been built? Would you say the most construction newly built is in SJC or in Cabo san Lucas...or is it spread all along the corridor?

Thanks so much for your post which I find fascinating!

 

[Karen G]

The road construction is right in the downtown section of Cabo and seems to be just an upgrade. Last year someone said they were installing underground wiring or some kind of pipes or something like that, and the newly redone paving from last year's work looks nice.

Some new stuff built in the last five years: the new Casa Dorado on Medano Beach--It's between the Cabo Villas and the Melia (now known as the ME--it's a lovely light tan color, a big improvement from the mustard yellow it used to be). Further down the beach on the other side of the PB's the Villa del Arco has been built next to La Estancia which is next to Villa Palmar. Going further there are two new all-inclusive hotels--Riu Palace and Riu Santa Fe.

Forgot to mention another project: On the marina side of Cabo Villas is a full-ownership housing development called Hacienda. We stopped by and talked with a salesman and he showed us one of the units. It was a three bedroom/three bath 2500-sq. ft. unit that had an incredible view of the ocean and Land's End. He said the
price was $1.8 million. The project is impressive with beautiful interior finishes, gigantic underground parking garage, rec center, pools, etc. He said no one lives there full time but everyone uses them as second homes. He said the monthly HOA/management fees amount to about $2500!!! Of course, that includes insurance, a bill paying service for utilities, property management if you rent your unit out, membership in the health club, etc. A little too rich for us!

The new Walmart/Sam's Club complex and the bridge over the highway to get to it are new in the last couple of years. In San Jose we noticed several projects going up, but I think most of those are hotels. The Grand Mayan has been built in the last five years along that same stretch of oceanfront.

A couple of new businesses along the corridor closer to San Jose were kind of surprising to see: Applebee's Restaurant and a Hummer dealership. There are a couple of other new car dealerships nearby--I think Volkswagen and Toyota.

There is a ton of building going on at PB Sunset Beach. They are developing some high end housing sort of between the main resort and Pacifica Hotel. There were also some townhouse-looking units going up and a huge structure that looks like another lobby/clubhouse.

Along the corridor we saw a couple of really large sections of land that are being leveled and prepared for something--not sure if it's for hotels or timeshares, but something is being developed there.

From the number of housing units you can see in the city, the Los Cabos economy seems to be booming.

 

[Karen G]

I remembered the name of that new development over by Sunset Beach and it is Quivira. The developer is the same guy that developed the Pueblo Bonitos.

Golfers may enjoy watching the video interview with Jack Nicklaus discussing his plans for the two golf courses on this property.

The more I look around that website the more interesting things I'm discovering. This video is a nice overview of Cabo.

 

[easyrider]

Is the golf course at Sunset Beach finished ?

 

[Karen G]

Is the golf course at Sunset Beach finished ?

No, I don't believe they have even started it! Didn't see anything.

 

[pianodinosaur]

Karen:

Glad you had a pleasant vacation. Our last trip to the Los Cabos area was in 2004. We stayed at the Hilton Los Cabos on a HHonors redemption. We have really fallen in love with the Riviera Maya but will return to Los Cabos in the future. Thank you for the update.