My boyfriend and I booked our all-inclusive stay at villa del palmar 3 days prior to going on a random travel website. We arrived 1.5 hours before "check-in" but were pleasantly suprised that we not only was our room ready but we had a complimentary upgrade to an ocean view suite. The room was beautiful and very clean. The all inclusive plan is the way to go! The food was outstanding and being able to eat just feet away from the water was truly spectacular. The service was impecable- everyone was SOOOO nice and helpful. We also booked excursions through the hotel which was so easy and they found not only the best rates but services for us. We are already planning our next trip to Villa del Palmar.

Ok first off, VDP is not new, like the 2 adjoining hotels on same property. And as others have noted, if you don't have the "gold card," you are second class. They really hounded you about that dang gold card. My sister is an owner there and she gets zero benefits of the gold card without having to go to a "owners breakfast" and be talked into a "gold membership". I think that as an owner you should automatically get the gold card and any other discounts. But that is just my opinion.

I stayed there over Memorial day week and it was fine. I have stayed at VDP 3 times over the last 4 years. I would say it has definatley declined.

It used to be that the beach vendors could not come up to you if you were in the roped off area. Now they are swarming all over. Here I was, by myself, just trying to relax with a book and my Ipod and I was constantly bombarded every few mintues by the vendors. Now, I understand that is the way they make their living, and I do buy things from them every single visit. But I am on vacation, the last thing I want is to be interupted every couple of minutes and say "no gracias". That was my major complaint of the trip, the other days, I avoided the beach and hung out at the pool.

Of course the market is way overpriced, but if you need something small and need it now, it will do. I have always liked the deli on the property, they have great soft bread and pretty darn good sandwiches. Last time I was there I had the pizza from the bar by the pool, they have a brick oven and the pizza always was great. The buffett (tortuga) is not very good, as a previous poster stated, "if you want your scrambled eggs swimming in water", so very true. The eggs were bad, the bacon and sausage were ok, not too much grease, the chiqaquiles were really good (that was my favorite), the fruit looked either like it had been out too long or wasn't ripe yet.

My room was ok, I stayed with my sister, her husband and 15 month old baby in a 1 bedroom suite. I had the sofa bed, it was hard, but sleepable. They had the bedroom, and let me tell you, I could hear everything that went on in there. The baby would cry in the middle of the night, I could hear them "shushing" him, whispering! Wow, the sounds really carry. Also all the room doors are heavy and they shut with a huge loud "THUD". The worst thing about the room was the view, now I could see the "partial ocean view" just fine, even with the giant house that is being build right next door, I would have had a better view. I mean this house is right next door, it shares the wall with VDP. So all the room on that side of the property have this house obstructing the once beautiful view.

The best thing about this trip was the massage at the Desert Spa at the Arco. Oh my goodness, that place is amazing! I had a 50 minute relaxing massage, I wanted more. It was one of the best massages I have ever had. Highly recommend having a spa day at the Desert Spa!

I guess that is about it! Thanks for listening!

After being told by the Arco that they were full they gave us a one bedroom suite at the Palmar. We were disapointed and we knew the rates were a lot lower at the Palmar. We were told that we would have all-inclusive to the 4 restaurants and bar. It turned out to be The Tortuga (buffet style) and Cafe Bella. We could go to the deli and the pizxza bar too. We had breakfast at Cafe Bella everyday we stayed there. The buffet is mediocre. If you like your scrambled eggs swimming in water or your bacon dripping in grease then you might find it appetizing. We stuck to cereal and yogurt and the mini waffles were pretty good. we went into town for dinner. We found this great place called the Crazy Lobster that serves AWESOME tails for 12 bucks. The margaritas were outstanding as well as the baked potato. We had a great meal with drinks for under 50 dollars. We also walked down the beach to The Office and The Mango Bar. Both places were a lot of fun. I suggest booking activities away from the hotel because they are much cheaper down the beach. We had dinner at The Tortuga our last night. It was an Italian buffet. We had to ask 3 people to get our drinks. We finally asked the hostess if anyone could serve us after waiting for 15 minutes. Don't even think about asking for a refill. You'll never see them again. You also have to wait forever to sign off on your bill. The food was terrible. There was nothing good about it and we both got sick from it. I recommend not eating at this place and going close to the many restaurants on the beach or in the marina. The walls are paper thin and expect to hear every toilet flush and footstep above you. This place wasn't all bad though. the room was nice enough, but not as nice as the one we expected at the Arco. The pool was great and didn't need to be heated. The jacuzzi was warmone day but not the next so we went to the one under the cove. That should be for adults only but that rule isn't really enforced. I had a great time and loved Cabo, I'd definitely go back and stay somewhere else.

The problem with the Villa del Palmar is the Villa Del Arco!!! The Villa Del Arco is newer and like everything else, you learn with experience. The Palmar does not have laundry facilities within the unit nor does it have the expansive patio or the murphy bed. The Villa del palmar just needs to be updated then people will want to stay there as bad as they want to stay at the Villa Del Arco..You would think the developers would update so they would quit getting bad reviews and pull more visitors to the Villa del Palmar. Put decent chairs in the living room and have seating for six. Put a washer and dryer in the third bathroom and make it a half bath. Finally quit treating your Villa del palmar owners like second class citizens by not giving the gold card for discounts. All you are doing is driving people to the Walmart and Costcos for breakfast and lunch and drinks instead of getting this business for the resort. Get smart!!!!!!! You have a wonderful resort, with what I have found, very friendly efficient workers. Spend some money, like our maint. fees. and make the Villa Del Palmar CINDERELLA INSTEAD OF THE WICKED STEP SISTER!!! C. McDonogh