We absolutely loved this resort. It is stunningly beautiful with great sunrises and sunsets over the ocean.....amazing. The staff was very friendly and efficient. The pools are beautiful, we never had a problem finding chairs. We were in a studio.....plenty of room for four....just not a lot of privacy. I'm not sure what the other reviewers were talking about with the maid charge. We had 33 peso a day added to our bill at the end of our stay. There is lovely music coming from the restaurants in the evening, not loud and obnoxious, just great backgound sounds. Walks on the beach are beautiful. Plenty of people, my family included, swam in the ocean when the flags were yellow. We bought boogie boards at Sorianna's when we bought our groceries and used them frequently, then sold them before we left. We rented a car from Alamo and loved the freedom it gave us. We brought snorkel equipment from home (cheap at Sam's club) and used it 3 times. We especially loved nearby Chileano beach and Santa Maria beach.
We would recommend this resort to everyone.

Dont be Fooled by other reviews, this place is great . The welcome parties and the great service is what you get here. Prices are high ,YES , But what do you expect ,you are in a resort. Convert to pesos , you will save. Happy hours a must thru out the day.. Want to go on a snorkling trip? You must go on the TROPIE CAT to Chilian Bay , Best bang for your Buck...

Have a Great Vacation,

Bob C

We spent 08/14-08/20 at the Hacienda Del Mar and had an excellent time. The advice we recieved on the forum was very helpful. Hopefully we can provide some useful information as well.

Accommadations:
Our room did not have an ocean view, but the grounds were beautiful and we really did not spend much time in the room. There was lots of space and the housekeeping service was excellent. The pools were beutiful and we could always find a chair poolside. The beach was great too, but a bit rough for much swimming. They actually had to close it one day during our trip do to the large waves. We only ate at the resort once as we had heard it was quite expensive. We mainly bought groceries in town and used our kitchen.

Transportation:
We rented a car which was great as it allowed us to come and go as we pleased. Driving was not diifcult in Cabo and we didn't have trouble with parking.

Fishing:
We fished on a 23' panga with Red Rum. We caugt and 7 foor marlin, a baby marlin and a dorado. Our boat captain was an excellent fisherman, but his english was very limited. We had wanted to catch and release the marlin and he ended up hooking and clubing it. At the shore they wanted $900 to mount it. We ended up giving the fish to our captain, but really had wanted to catch and release so make sure you make that clear before you leave if that is the case. We had our dorado cooked and the fish hut in Cabo and it was our best meal of the trip.

Snorkeling:
We went on a tour to chileano beach. There were lots of fish here, but it was very, very crowded and the water was murky. We spent two days on our own at santa maria beach and it was wonderful. The water was clear and not too crowded. The tours were there between 12 and 2 but it wasn;t even too bad with them there. There are umbrelas to rent on the beach as well.

Shopping:
We did a majority of our shopping at the flea market in cabo. They seemed to have something for everyone and were easy to bargain with. We did notice that the prices jumped significantly on the weekend. Somethings (vanilla) almost doubled in price from thrusday to friday.

We had a great trip. Hope we have provided some useful information.

My girl friend and I just returned from a week at the Hacienda Del Mar. I also read all the posts before we went and pretty much agree with everything written. Thanks to comments regarding renting a car, we managed to get a FREE car at Thrifty by agreeing to attend a time share presentation at Pubelo Bonito Sunset Beach. Can't beat that deal! We were approached as soon as we walked out of customs at the airport. It was great having the car as we went shopping in Costco and were able to go to town nearly every evening at no extra cost.
The hotel is everything that has been written about it. The rooms are great. We had a studio which had a huge bathroom (including shower and jacuzzi) two very comfortable beds, high quality linens, and a large kitchen, inlcuding a large fridge. I've stayed at quite a few resorts and this was definitely the best room! We especially appreciated all the fresh towels provided on a daily basis.
The resort is very spacious and you never feel like anyone is on top of you. There are always plenty of chairs and the many pools offer lots of choices. However, I think that their pool service is poor. They could do with more waiters! When we were there people often had to go find their own drinks and/or food. It was very hard to catch a waiter. One gripe I have is that they don't offer 2 for 1 on the non alcholic drinks during happy hour. Not everyone drinks! This is the first resort I've been at where they penalize you for not drinking alcohol! Drinks are expensive and the food too, but as mentioned in previous posts, it is to be expected!
One great little restaurant we went to (my husband and I have also been to on previous trips to Cabo) is the La Palapa (The Gus) which is right behind Squid Roe in the downtown area. I can highly recommend it! Gus is the owner and he will take good care of you. Food is great. I don't know the exact street address but any taxi will know it.