To Whom it may concern,



On our recent trip in November 2012 and stay at the Solmar Beach Resort we found one of the security guards Ruben Figueroa exceptionally courteous and friendly.

He spoke perfect english and was very willing to answer any of our questions and give us directions. He is definitely an asset to the resort.



William & Jane Thompson

Cathedral City, California

I had never visited Cabo before. This resort is a bit older, but has a prime location at the tip of the penninsula between the Pacific and Sea of Cortez. This means you are close enough to hear the surf and see the ocean, but the resort strongly discourages you from spending much time on the beach or in the water for liability reasons. This is of little consequence, because there are plenty of other things to do from this location. The marina and downtown features of Cabo are a short walk away from the resort, so I did not feel like we were deprived.

Our travel package was "all inclusive" for both food and alchoholic/non-alchoholic drinks, which meant I was in paradise. The whole four days I was there, I did not encounter any food or drink I disliked, and the service was exceptional. They were in the midst of expanding the property and there was a construction site next door to where we stayed, but this noise somehow managed to blend into the background along with the pounding surf.

One thing I will remember about this stay is the amazing sunsets. We were at a location where we could see the sun slip below the horizon and also see the moon rise at the same time. I took some pictures, but don't think my camera did full justice to the beauty of what I witnessed.

Purchased one week from a timeshare owner here at Solmar who bought in '85. The suite #2201 consisted of one beautiful bedroom w/ super king bed containing bathroom w/shower plus Jacuzzi, closet with safe, flat screen TV, balcony overlooking the pool on the 2nd floor. We liked the fact that it had a kitchen (four burner stove, microwave, full refrigerator/freezer, dining table w/4 chairs). Off the kitchen was another full bathroom minus the Jacuzzi. The living room had a couch (not a sleeper) and a chair (this was the sleeper) which sleeps one person comfortably. It also had it's own balcony overlooking the pool.

The building we were in was right by the main pool. It's balconies overlooked the pool with a side looking Pacific Ocean (typical of most resorts) view and it's suite entry on the opposite side. We liked this because it was a quick walk to the pool or to the pacific beachfront. Walking to the office was up 2 terraces with another pool between the main pool and the office level. The other buildings farther away from the beachfront had a direct view of the ocean though a longer walk to get there.

The main pool was popular because of it's swim-up pool bar and bathroom access. It is also the place people had most of their meals. Adjacent to the pool was a Sushi bar, Jacuzzi, and Massage services. On at least two nights, couples had their dinner served to them at a table on the dune above the beach at sunset. From here you can watch the Pirate ship go out from the marina and back each night too! During the day, you can watch one or more cruise ships coming into the Sea of Cortez which is named after the Spaniard who came here looking for riches only to satisfy his stomach and not his wallet.

Solmar is very clean and the staff works very hard in each of their perspective jobs. We tipped the maid our first day and thus she spent a bit more time and gave us ample toiletries and took care of cleaning our dishes. She also voiced her appreciation for the tip which we left for her in an envelope in the bedroom. We also rented a car which they valet at no extra charge. We went out in the car at least once if not twice a day. Costco, Sam's Club, and Walmart are just a 10 minute drive down the hill from Solmar which is situated aside Pedregal. The Marina and Mall are just 3 minutes from Solmar. Pedregal is a private custom home community where gorgeous homes overlook the Pacific and Sea of Cortez.

Earlier posts mention construction. This is for the new Grand Solmar. The building nearest Solmar is almost complete and there is little noise. Most if any noise that you may notice comes from a piece of equipment which drives a shaft into the sand/rock and removing the material to make room for a poured concrete pylons or vertical footers. The Grand Solmar is already taking weekly occupants, the grounds and pool are very beautiful and also come at a significant price increase as well.

We believe we spent much less money by having meals in our kitchen verses the inclusive meal package offered. Though when we arrived they talked about a new meal package which now includes the restaurant at the bottom of the road leading up to the Solmar and Grand Solmar. This restaurant is called the Puerto San Lucas which serves steaks, seafood and also Mediterranean dishes. We did not try it so we can't comment on the food or the service. We did have one lunch and one dinner at one place on the ground floor of the Puerto Paraiso Mall right on the Cabo Marina called Baja Brewing Company. If you like micro-brews this is a place to visit while out walking around the marina or at the mall. Or you can go to its original location 20 miles up the road. They have awesome beers! And dinner was gourmet (Yum!)

I gave this an excellent rating because of the quality of service and reasonable price. Now be aware that you can get this partly due to the recession. Everyone down here is working 3X as hard as normal to make ends-meet as they say. Even some condo groups have been lowering property prices to get people interested though it isn't that hard to attract investors here in comparison to other places.

Also note that I also gave the high rating because of the privacy of this property vs. those on the Sea of Cortez side on and near Medano Beach. And also along with the privacy you have absolutely NO Vendors soliciting here. If you want to go from clean and comfortable to more upscale and luxury-like then you will want to check out the Grand Solmar next door. Both properties are adjoining and they also have free morning tours with transportation when you register at the Solmar.

If you like medium to more exercise than just sidewalk walking, you should try walking from the Marina side of the peninsula across Medano Beach to the Riu Santa Fe. The sand provides the workout. Walk up to the Santa Fe from the beachfront and see their big pool and beautiful grounds. If you are not up for the walk back, take a cab from the Riu lobby for just $12 for two people.

I did not realize that the week we were here it was Sammy Hagar's birthday week. When we realized this it made sense why so many hotels were packed as this is a popular week next to spring break in which some resorts refuse college aged occupants. I was shocked at how much smaller Cabo Wabo was in person vs. watching all the videos. Nevertheless it was a popular place from noonish through late night this week with most of the dinner concerts sold out in advance.

I have previously stayed at the Riu Santa Fe. While I thoroughly enjoyed the Riu due to its immense size and feeling it was your own country :() I like the Solmar because it was smaller and more private being on the pacific ocean side rather than the far more crowded Sea of Cortez side. And like I said, NO VENDORS at Solmar. Though I can't fault people from trying to get some business as Cabo is wholly a resort town. Go to the marina and you'll get approached many times one right after another. But again, it is recession time here too. They are respectful of your answer (most of them anyways). Some will banter on if you give them the tiniest attention.

I would come to the Solmar again depending on the situation and who I came with. Though I am intrigued by the Grand Solmar and would also like to try it out some week. I plan to continue coming to Cabo instead of Cancun mainly because of the much better weather. Hurricanes are far fewer here as we have come to know traveling to the Caribbean and Atlantic side of the Americas.

Solmar - the old Solmar was a jewel of a resort situated on a stretch of beautiful beach at the tip of Baja. Whether from the pools, the beach or the porch of your unit, you could watch the sun sink into the Pacific. At night the quiet was punctuated by the swoosh of waves hitting the steep beach, early morning was a great time to walk along the beach often accompanied by the slap of sting rays leaping out of the waves and soaring briefly. Days at the pool could give you views of the whales migrating into the Sea of Cortez their spouts visible with the naked eye, the smooth backs through binoculars adding to the lazy rhythm of the waves undulating against an endless sky. While this natural beauty remains, it is now intruded upon by the owners greedy development of a sleek but greatly oversized extravaganza resort - Grand Solmar, better called Greedy and Brash Solmar- built out upon the beach and hemming the gentle old Solmar in. Guests at Solmar have lost some of their pools, their open air access to the stretch of beach leading to Lands End and are treated as unwelcome guests by the owners of both properties. Yes, the new resort was built to replace the oldest Solmar units - former modest two story adobe style buildings the did need either significant repair or replacement - but the owners used that as an excuse to build a mega-glitz resort to maximize profits. Now instead of a quiet place to enjoy the meeting of sand and sea, there is a maze of buildings and the feel of a gated community. The construction noise is intrusive but that applies to both the old and new Solmar areas. If you stay in the new Solmar, the rooms will be luxurious and very grand , in the old Solmar buildings the furnishings and decor though scrupulously clean and reminiscent of an older Mexico adobe hacienda are outdated. My last visit was in Jan 2012 and I have heard that the old Solmar has been refurbished with more modern furnishings. I still give the resort 4 out of 5 for location and the natural abundance of ocean, beach, viewable wildlife and walkable proximity to town but feel depressed by the destruction of what was a simple hotel that didn't try to out compete nature. If you want the anywhere -in- the-world experience of a mega glitz resort then by all means stay at Grand Solmar and try to focus your gaze out to sea and away from all the towering buildings.