My girlfriend and I had a phenomenal time staying at the Pueblo Bonito Pacifica in late November, 2007. Prior to choosing which hotel to stay at on our Cabo San Lucas vacation, I scoured this and other websites in an effort to determine the best hotel for our needs. Our criteria were simple: find a relaxing and semi-luxurious beachside resort with all inclusive amenities.

The Pacifica delivered on all fronts, and we had an amazing and relaxing time….once we got there.

Flying into the airport at Cabo is a simple, and an immigration check point is located prior to and after baggage claim. The first stop examines your passport and documents, and the second stop adjacent to bagge claim address which SPF of sunscreen you’ve brought to Cabo.

Once you’ve reclaimed your bags and exit the airport, brace yourself for the hordes of men shucking time share offers. I had anticipated that the hordes would be insistent, but was taken aback by their in-your-face salesmanship. Cabo, we found, seems to be an engine that runs entirely on timeshare sales. We had not arranged for transportation from the airport, so we were left with two choices: take a shuttle bus ($17.00 p/person), or rent a taxi ($75.00 p/person). I was skeptical that a cab would really cost that much, but later learned that that was the going rate, as the Cabo airport is a solid hour drive from the Pacifica. We schlepped onto the bus, and were assured by different people that the trip from the airport would take between an hour and two hours and fifteen minutes. Making about six stops, the bus finally pulled into the Pacifica about two hours after we had climbed on. In retrospect, taking a cab would have been a much better idea. I was initially put off by the price of the cab and was afraid of being hustled- but having an extra hour of pool time and a more relaxing ride would have been well worth the extra money. In fact, when we left Cabo, the concierge at the Pacifica arranged for a cab to the airport that worked perfectly.

The pictures online of the Pacifica don’t do it justice. It’s designed and decorated in a “Cabo Zen” motif that seems to emphasize placement, simplicity and materials over all else. The lobby features a really cool water spring that collects into a pool, and then drains away, and the whole property smells like sandalwood. Check-in was a breeze, and we found our room to be very nice. I inquired about upgrading to a suite, and learned that it would be an extra $150.00 per night. I later looked at the suite, and didn’t think it was worth the extra money. It was larger, with a sitting room and a larger balcony, but that didn’t seem to justify the extra expense.

The property is shaped roughly like a horseshoe, with the points of the horseshoe facing the water. Our room looked out over the well-manicured grounds and onto the ocean. The balcony on our room was large enough to comfortably accommodate two chairs a room service cart, and a small end table.

I found the food at the Pacifica to be very, very good. We had room service twice, and found the breakfast to be good and a decent value, but were a bit disappointed by the late night room service. (Later, I learned that room service is run by a skeleton crew late at night, which explained the food temperature.) We had a very, very good dinner at Siempre the first night, and found each course to be as good or better than the nicer restaurants we enjoy in Seattle. The kitchen didn’t have a problem with my modified requests for the steak, and my girlfriend’s sea bass was perfect. We also found the poolside food to be very good. The burgers are good size (and ought to be, for $11.00 USD), and the much talked about fish tacos are good as well.

While at the Pacifica we spent the bulk of our time lazing around the pool. The pool area is where the Pacifica shines, and you being to appreciate just how nice it is to stay at a resort where no young children are allowed. Nearly everyone at the pool seemed intent on sunning themselves, and we didn’t experience anybody squaking on a cell phone or acting in an obviously “Cabo Spring Break ‘07” manner. The vibe of the hotel is definitely one of relaxation, not ribald partying. Nearby the pool area is an outdoor fireplace that has relaxing rattan furniture around it, perfect for relaxing beside at the end of a hazy day spent poolside.

My girlfriend proved herself yet again to be tolerant and understanding, and indulged my interest in attending a timeshare presentation. We had not been pestered with timeshare requests while we were at the Pacifica, but at every other turn (at the airport, while in town, etc.) we had been. Ultimately, we elected to attend the presentation put on by the parent company of the Pacifica, “Pueblo Bonito.” The Pueblo Bonito company appears to own more of Cabo than the Mexican government, and is feverishly building all around the Pacifica. We were initially told that we could receive $300.00 (in either cash or food/massage vouchers) if we attended a timeshare presentation. However, we were ineligible for that offer because both participants need to be 30+ years old, and reside at the same address- verified by an ID check. We ultimately were given about $150.00 in credits/vouchers for attending the timeshare presentation.

I found the timeshare presentation to be generally painless. We were loaded onto a bus from the Pacifica and taken up to the main Pueblo Bonito property. We were given breakfast and lead around the different rooms and villas for about forty-five minutes. We were then handed off to the ‘closer’, a brash and somewhat patronizing Canadian who seemed put upon by us taking up space in “his” facility. The push was to sign on the dotted line for a timeshare that moment, and to become part of the “family.” I wasn’t interested, but was curious about how much it might actually cost. The gentleman who lead us thought the presentation was reluctant to talk numbers, and repeatedly emphasized the other benefits of “ownership”, and seemed to want our commitment to buy before he disclosed the price. I think he expected us to be so wowed by the presentation, his Rolex and the property that price would not even be an object for us. We politely declined, and he then switched off his magical smile and huffed off, in search of lower hanging fruit.

It was during the timeshare presentation that we learned that the Pacifica was built as a ‘teaser’ property meant to bring people into Cabo who may be otherwise uninterested in the timeshare hustle. Once there, they would be enticed to buy in and “join the family” at the other related resorts. We met couples on the trip who attended multiple timeshare presentations, and seemed intent on making money (via timeshare incentives/bribes) while on vacation. We weren’t interested in that, and it stretched our patience attending even one. From what I saw, the best timeshare incentive/bribe/deal seemed to be receiving about $300-350 (in cash/services) to attend a presentation. Some people swore by signing on with the hucksters at the airport, getting a signed voucher, and then presenting your hotel concierge with that, seeing if they could beat it.

Kudos to anyone who wants to vacation in that way.

Book your stay in Cabo at the Pacifica if you are looking or a well-appointed beachfront destination with great service, food and amenities. Our stay there was relaxing and pretty much perfect. The weather was not terribly hot, but it was November, after all.
If you are looking for a party environment, look elsewhere. The negatives about the property (a ten minute cab ride from downtown), can be seen as positives if you don’t want the ‘2 free drinks with your wristband’ vacation. I was a bit annoyed that the hotel charged $9.00 USD for the bottles of Fiji water in the rooms, but that is easy to work around: just pick up a gallon or two of water in town- but be prepared for eye-rolling from the bellhop when you come back to the hotel with water jugs in your hands. Further, keep an eye on the prices of the rooms via whichever website you use to book your stay. I found that the overall price fluctuated by $150.00 over a three week period. Depending on the penalty fees for cancelling your reservation, you may still save money by changing from one website to the next.

If you stay at the Pacifica, look into getting a massage on the beach. Purchasing any spa service will grant you access to the impeccable spa facility, and having a decadent massage on the beach is just one reason that the terrorists hate us.