I visited Esperanza with a friend for 10 nights in November 2006. We had room 38, a top floor Palapa oceanview (with outdoor hot tub on valcony). Ask for a high room if you have the choice - the view gets more spectacular the higher you go. We had an oceanview room and frankly I would not pay the extra for a Seafront room - the difference is minimal and you are interrupted by any noise from the people at the pool.

This is an adult and grown up resort but without the stuffy attitude! We had a fabulous time - the resort is far more attractive than the website suggests and the crashing of the ocean waves is audible everywhere and makes it very special.

We enjoyed fabulous service on all fronts - called by name within 12 hours of arriving, an avocado allergy acknowledged automatically at every meal. Small things but it makes a huge difference. We rented a car for a half day (8 hours, is usually long enough) and there was a small problem on our return journey. Almost without us asking for it the charge for the car ($128+25% tax and service) was removed from our bill. A sensible gesture but it doesn't often happen!

The "main" resort hotel pool is an infinity edge, about 30 metres long and by its side is a smaller pool and a 12 seater hot tub overlooking the sea. Amazing for a sunset cocktail, but too hot if anything for use during the day!

The food is good, although as you would expect at such a hotel not cheap. We had a wonderful candle lit meal where it was so dark the waiters gave us little torches to read the menus. Very atmospheric. Breakfast is the best meal of the day.

We had wonderful experiences at the Spa where the service and prices are in line with 5* hotels the world over - a 60 minute massage was about $140 including tip. Almost every day we received a free pool-side foot massage and a million popsicles and smoothie samplers; again much appreciated.

This is not a resort for people who love the nightlife. Evenings are spent on the balcony of your room or around a firepit in one of the many corners of the outdoor bars listening to live (but quiet) music. If you want to relax it is a great place! Having said that it's 10 minutes to Cabo ($18 each way per car) and there's as much drinking and clubbing as you could ever need there, if you insist!

Arriving at Esperanza begins at the airport (coordinate a ride beforehand) when we were wisked away in an SUV. The property is gorgeous, photos on their website don't do it justice. We checked into a "Palapa" room which features a private, outdoor, hot tub. The rooms are large and bathrooms immense by all 5 star standards. Our room was adjacent to the pool with a full, french door wide view of the ocean. Service at Esperanza is Four Seasons with personality, after a day, we were remembered by name at the restaurant. Most of our time was consumed poolside, there's an adults only pool & 2 others. The only downside to this paradise in Cabo is you'll need a bank loan to pay for it all; the average hotel meal is $60! If you want to explore the area, you'll need to rent a car. Esperanza offers cars for rent at an outrageous $228/day (plus tax).

The hotel staff were super friendly and approachable. The environment didn't seem stuffy (as someone else mentioned) but it's also not a party resort. We had some mixed service experiences with the restaurants at the property, nothing uncommon for a hotel stay longer than a week.

Esperanza exceeds Four Seasons Maui, Bacara in Santa Barbara, etc. in all dimensions.

My husband and I just returned from Esperanza. We were there to celebrate our 20th anniversary. We were picked up from the airport in a white Escalade with cold water and towels waiting. Our room was not ready,( we arrived about 1:00) but we were treated to lunch in the restaurant at no charge and then brought to a beautiful room in one of the residences area to change and lounge at their pool until our casita was ready.
Our casita was beautiful with floor to ceiling glass doors that opened up to a huge terrace with an awesome view of the ocean!!
We can't say enough about what a wonderful time we had, we loved every minute of our stay!!
We also recommend an atv tour on the beach and a sunset cruise.
We felt completley pampered and felt we made the right decision to stay at the Esperanza!!

We stayed at the Esperanza the last week in September. Prior to our arrival, the Esperanza,sent us a form to fill out and fax back. We were a little annoyed we couldn’t email it, but not a big deal. The form asks about arrival time, special dietary need/restrictions, spa/golf/dinner reservations, slipper/bathrobe size and whether this is a special occasion. Although the form asked if we wanted (and we did) additional info on horseback riding, fishing, sailing etce, none of these things were addressed during our stay. The hotel is somewhat difficult to find, but once you go down the winding road, a security guard greets you at the gate. Once you provide your name, the Esperanza is aware of your arrival because the security guard announces you via the walkie talkie on his chest so the valet is able to greet you by name. We arrived at 12 and were given a brief tour of the grounds then told we should eat lunch and wait for our room. We went to the restaurant overlooking the ocean. Service was slow, although there were only two other tables seated. The flies were extremely annoying but the server lit a citronella candle to discourage them (didn’t really work, but nice touch). We had shrimp quesadillas (ok, but for some reason the ones I had pool side were prepared differently and 10x better) , a chicken sandwich, and 3 mixed drinks. W/ tax and tip it totaled $80. The view is beautiful and the waves crashing underneath were very relaxing, but I wasn’t completely blown away. Mainly because we split our vacation between the Marquis Los Cabos and the Esperanza and at nearly twice the cost I was expecting a little more from the Esperanza. I am posting a review there as well. Overall, I would not stay at the Esperanza again (we stayed in room 18, on the terrace level). We will probably split our time between the Marquis and Las Ventanas next time. We had dinner at the Ventanas and it was INCREDIBLE. However here is our take on the Esperanza.

The positives
1.The Spa- wow can these women give a massage! They worked every muscle in my back, some I didn’t even know I had! Be sure to speak up if you can’t handle it; my husband was too chicken to admit it!
2. The Esperanza pool is beautiful; the purple water makes you feel like you’re on a movie set. The grounds are well manicured, but not quite as well manicured as say, the Four Seasons Maui.
3. The rooms are rustic and the terrace is huge. Nice touches include Pilate’s equipment in the room, great Baja Lime bath products (shampoo and condition A++), CD player, DVD player, nice honor bar and INCREDIBLE robes and bed linens. I have never slept in a more comfortable bed or been in a more uxorious robe.
4. Poolside service extremely attentive
5. Over a dozen red roses on the bed, bottle of champagne and nice letter from the manager.
6. They remembered my birthday. On our last day, we returned to our room to find a delicious birthday cake waiting for me.
7. Although the bathroom reminds me of a locker room, the dual showers make it easier for both of us to get ready and you can see the ocean as you bathe.

The negatives
1. For some reason, we had to ask for washcloths every day, but the oh so soft extra large towels made up for it.
2. The hotel also has a residential area. The hotel portion is quite small, as is the pool and beach area. There is a larger pool and swim up bar on the residential side but the chairs are not nearly as comfy. Also the pool on the residential side allows children, but the hotel side is adults only.
3. The dinner menu at their famous restaurant is way too pretentious.
4. No pay per view movies (we like to enjoy a tasteful adult movie when we’re on vacation).
5. You can only use the laptops in the reception area. They have a free music and DVD library, but the system is antiquated and you have to go in person to thumb through a binder.
6. At $600 a night, I expected a little more. We paid close to $400 a night at the Marquis and really didn’t see much of a difference. Other than the pool at the Esperanza, we actually enjoyed the services and room at the Marquis better. The Marquis turndown service was a lot more enjoyable i.e. candlelit, bubble bath in a Jacuzzi tub with roses and small dessert treat. The Esperanza tub didn't have a jacuzzi

Overall the Esperanza is a rustic, laid back vacation retreat.