Dirty, noisy, foam beds, towels were old, bathroom filthy, sheets stained, rooms door locks are not secure, pool not clean. checked in and out same day.

This is the first place I stayed in Cabo, and that was 10 to 12 years ago. I went there with a buddy of mine, and since neither of us had been there we didn't know where to stay so he booked us in at the Westin, which was brand new at the time. We were just 2 guys looking to check out the town and have a good time. When we got to the Westin it was pretty obvious we were in the wrong place. It was very nice, and as it turned out a few years later I bought a time share there and I love it, but at the time it was expensive beyond belief. $4.00 beers, a $20.00 cab ride to town (one way), and a lot of other reasons caused us to re-locate into town. The cab driver deposited us at the Mar de Cortez, the room was about $30.00 a night, had a pool, a bar, a restaurant and was a block or two from everything. Just what we were looking for. If you want fancy you can find fancy. If you want to drop big bucks, you can do that too. But for a place right in the heart of town, that won't break your bank, this one is hard to beat. I might add that while we were there I saw the biggest cockroach I have ever seen in my life. But hey, is this Mexico or what?

I stayed for a week at the Mar De Cortez with my GF. We chose one of the "Garden" rooms on the 2nd floor and it was definetly worth it. This hotel really was the best thing about the whole vacation and I would wholeheartedly reccomend it to any other "middle class" traveller's out there. The Good: CLose to EVERYTHING to do in Cabo San Lucas. The in house restaurant "Spencer's" is a good breakfeast place though the owner is a stupid gringo prick who wouldn't let me watch football in the bar, despite the fact that it was empty, 9 O'clock on a tuesday night. Waddya gonna do ? ;) The staff are really nice and helpful, the pool is immaculate, the rooms as well. I loved not having a TV in the room but I admit it would have been nice to have a little fridge - we got an icebox (actually, our maid gave one to us!) and that little problem was fixed. The Bad: The AC is more like a big noisy fan - we went there in January so we didn't care but if you're going to go in the summer that might be something to consider.

We also had a bit of a problem with a guy who tried to sneak into our room early on the last morning before we left. He was obviously a down and out dirtbag, not a very scary looking guy, but it was obvious he thought we were gone and he wanted to rob the room. When he saw me he jumped back onto the roof, handed me some line about "fixing the AC" and scampered away. We told the front desk and her was arrested later that day when he tied to come back! What an idiot. In any case, it was happily resolved. The point is the Hotel is not really "secure". They offer free "lockboxes" so if you're carrying valuables, or even passports, it might be a good idea to leave them there. Hope this helps - Good Luck. BTW, yes, the roosters crow every morning - it was just barely audible from our room but if you're facing the street - who knows? If you can spare the extra $10 a night for one of the better room I think it's probably worth it.

I stayed at four hotels in Cabo over the period of a week. I am bringing down a large group and wanted to find the best deal under $70. Following is my summary.

Cabo Inn- worst of the four but not bad.
Siesta Suites- Decent option but nothing great.
Norman's the Mexican Inn- Cute clean place but no pool. Better than the preceding two hotels.
Mardi Cortez-The best bargain hotel going. The service was great and the pool area was nice. Also, great location. Only knock, the rooms were just fair and the place is really loud. In the case of our group, that might be a plus.