Positives: This resort is for those wishing to read, reflect and relax! Nice place for re-connecting i.e., mature couples, mother-daughters, single females. The resort's views are amazing. Free internet in-room usage (cable provided); never over-crowded restaurants/pool area.

Negatives: There's a charge to make in-room coffee; slightly thin walls & could hear walking in rooms above; only 4-5 TV channels spoken in the English language (bring your DVDs and rent a $10 DVD player from the hotel); below average spa facility. As for the time share pitch, be VERY firm--you almost have to walk away as they're talking.

THE SPA: I do not recommend the resort's spa. The Sunset's spa is by far better--trust me, we took a tour! Our massage therapists gave superb services but the facillity did not match the "zen-like" hotel atmosphere. Not even the lavender fragrance smelled in the lobby was in the spa--there was no spa scent! Too minimal of a spa: 4 chairs in what they call a "relaxation room" that was about 9x12 in size. Only 2 lounge chairs in the dated "jacuzzi/steam room" area. Tissue (kleenex) in a box was used for the nuts/snacks--no napkins! I had to inquire about a form of compensation after being cut/bleeding during my pedicure (also, horrible nail polish skills). After expressing my concern, I easily received half-off the pedicure. I was highly disappointed after a $290.00 tab.

The hotel itself is situated on a GORGEOUS beach. The wait staff are nice and the pool is relaxing.

However, you have a good chance of not getting a suite, even if you reserve one ( they even called to confirm). Upon our arrival, we were told that our room was not ready and wouldn't be for a day or two... they weren't sure. They downgraded us to a reg room. A VERY SMALL, regular room. My husband has troubles sleeping and needs a refuge to go to in the middle of the night. The tiny room they put us in felt like a cavern. FYI: All of the regular rooms are very small and don't have bathtubs.

The front desk staff weren't accomodating. If this were a Hyatt or Ritz or any other decent hotel, we would have had the suite we reserved. If not, at the very least they would have comp-ed our night in the little room.

The pool bar doesn't open until 11 am. Quite late if you want a Pina Colada around lunch time ( its Mexico for goodness sake!). The spa jucuzzi jets don't work. They forgot to bring our sake at dinner one night. You can't check out of the hotel without being bombarded by the front desk staff. They force you to sign a little card without knowing what the final charges will be.
We got overcharged and are still disputing it! Let me tell you, they do not like to keep their guests happy. Isn't word of mouth the best advertisment? Apparently Pueblo Bonita Pacifica doen't know that!!

Next time we will stay at the One and Only Palmilla. I guess you get what you pay for.

My husband and I have stayed here multiple times, at different times of year, and look forward to our next opportunity to visit. The place is beautiful!! The service is amazing - and rivals the Four Seasons! My husband and I cannot say enough good things about this hotel - the location, the food, the wine/drinks, the service, the room, the ammenities, and so on. We love the 24-hour room service. And we love the fact that there are no children. This is a relaxing oasis focused more on the over-worked crowd (my husband and me) than the spring breakers. A definite yes!!

Although I'm in my 30's, I have serious health issues and was not prepared for the bone rattling, multiple mile ride off the main road onto Via de Lerry, which is full of switchbacks and is made entirely of rough paverstones. I would not recommend this hotel for anyone with serious back problems, bladder/prostate issues, or recent surgery due to the purgatorial road.

I'd have the hotel arrange transport. Coming in we used Transcabo, who left us waiting at the airport for an hour, then a 90 minute trip to Pacifica.

Nevertheless, once we got to the hotel I was surprised to find that the pictures I'd seen didn't do the stunning landscaping justice.

At the front desk I was told they only had king bed 1st floor rooms available. I think this is their standard line. I politely mentioned in Spanish that I had emailed Sr.Ayala, the reservations manager, and expected to receive a room on the highest floor possible with 2 beds. Voila - a 3rd floor room with a great view. Most of the 1st and 2nd floor rooms don't afford ocean views, so email ahead and once you're there firmly ask for what you want. I saw whales every day from the large balcony, but the birdwatching was truly amazing. Lots of orioles - even saw a Gila woodpecker and two caracaras. Bring your binoculars!

There's no umbrellas on the beach. Pacifica is trying to force you to pay $200 to rent one of their beds instead. Bring a rain umbrella - this allowed me to sit on the beach in peace and out of the baking sun, while not succumbing to extortionate pricing. The sun is STRONG, bring #70 and a big hat.

The food prices were steep and the restaurants and room service at Pacifica were mediocre to disappointing. We ended up shuttling in to town every day to eat (And yes, the shuttles are a hassle - especially when they run out of tickets for the time you want, or the night when the driver must've been drinking something other than Starbucks out of his cup and kept roaring us around a traffic circle over and over at high speed - Yee Hah!).

Mare Nostrum at the sister hotel Rose was terrific and was never busy. We'd watch the Arches at sunset and then eat out under the stars. Their Mexican buffet night on Mondays for $34/person was a great value - they had an array of wonderful dishes including cactus salad, fish marinated in wine and mango juice with an exquisite balance of spices, non greasy chicken tamales, as well as knockout coconut cake and neopolitan flan. I'm very picky and yes, it really was that good. Steak and Seafood night was not quite as outstanding, however the lobster was superb and Mario's show of making Mexican coffee was worth the price of the dinner.

Eating at Rose gave me an opportunity to watch the supposedly "safe" Medano beach that was anything but. The hotel has a swimming area that is roped off. The ropes will not prevent you from being sucked out to sea - they are only there to warn drunken boaters not to run you down. The beach is somewhat steep, which means there is a SIGNIFICANT undertow. While it is a relatively easy to get out into the freezing water (a wetsuit worthy 67 degrees - yes that's 30 degrees below body temperature!), I had to time the waves carefully and bodysurf in to avoid being knocked down and creamed by the successive waves. I warned one clueless mother not to let her 3 year old wade alone. As she was challenging me, a grown man in water only to his mid-calf was dragged down onto his face by the tow, then a wave crashed over him, smashing him to the bottom. When he was finally able to come up for air, he was terrified. Be careful, be aware. The waves, the swell and the cold are a lot more powerful once you're in the water than how they appear from the beach. You don't want to find yourself on the next episode of "Cabo - I Shouldn't Be Alive."

To save money, we bought supplies from a bakery and supermarket across the intersection and to the left of the Hard Rock (market takes $, bakery only pesos). Some of the small tiendas had the cheapest water and soda prices - there are several on the way into the marina area from the Rose. At the Puerto Paraiso Mall on the marina there's a deli/liquor store called La Europea. Fairly inexpensive and great deli sandwiches for $5.50 that are large enough for two to share. At the marina restaurants you can bargain for your drinks and your meals - we negotiated 6 beers for $7 and two grilled cheese sandwiches for $5/each. The food at Johnny Rockets is terrible - don't bother. Ladies, bring your money to the Sergio Bustamonte boutiques - gorgeous jewelry and bags!

La Osuna Gallery is near the marina. Now, most of what they sell can hardly be called art, however they do represent a young folk artist named David Cedeno, who is immensely gifted and works in pottery and oil on canvas. This kid has talent galore and if you can't afford one of his oils, buy a Gallo de Dia hand painted trivet that he fired in his grandmother's kiln. He was so excited that we bought one that he gave us a "certificate of authenticity." The blend of enthusiasm and talent was so refreshing that I treasure the little trivet!

The highlight of the trip was on the Sea Eye. This is a high speed hydrofoil boat that has a large shady canopy and a huge interior area with a lexan bottom for fish viewing. We booked it by going to the marina side of the Plaza Bonita Mall near the boat launch ramp. At the back of the Ole Ole restaurant there is a man that looks like he works for the restaurant - he's the guy that books Sea Eye, they usually have trips at 1pm and 3pm. $45/person for an hour. Worth every penny for this deluxe boat ride - we were the only ones aboard! Alan operated the boat, his coworker gave the nature tour. Both were delightful. My husband drives navy ships for a living and was truly impressed with the boat handling - taking us through treacherous, swirling currents, nearly right up onto the rocks of Los Arcos. We could see lots of fish - they have big perricos and tons of Moorish Idols, not to mention osprey diving in from the cliffs.

Now to the less than thrilling part of the vacation. My measure of a property is how they handle problems. And Pacifica failed miserably in this regard. They are missing a substantial number of mosaic tiles from the bottom of their pools and the steps. I sliced my foot (yes, I was sober) badly enough that it bled for two hours. I was willing to let this go, however while I was in the shower, someone entered my room even with the deadbolt locked and a pair of earrings and a ring that I'd put on the nightstand before getting into the shower went missing (thank goodness they were cheap)! The hotel's response was "we're not responsible" and that continued to be the line, whether we were conversing in English or Spanish. They outright lied and said the deadbolt couldn't be opened from the outside. Well folks, I'm here to tell you that this hotel is NOT SAFE and the card key deadbolt can be opened by the staff at will. There is no other safety latch. I tried to be patient and nice, then insistent, but to no avail. Their response was to offer us breakfast - for a sliced foot and missing jewelry - I don't think so!

There was a wedding at Pacifica while we were there. I watched it from the pool. It looked like a beautifully done affair. There was a band that played for six hours (we really enjoyed the music) and then a BIG fireworks show at the end of the night. While Pacifica may have some problems, it looked like they knew how to throw a great wedding.

The Rose, Los Arcos and Sunset were full of rowdy Spring Break-ers, which is all the more argument to stay at Pacifica, despite its drawbacks. Since it doesn't have a swimming beach and its ambience (not to mention its drink prices) aren't amenable to partying, you can get a wonderful night's rest, provided you're not worried about the staff sneaking in to take your stuff. The hotels in town were packed with loud, grossly overweight and heavily sunburned people and screaming children - you won't be looking at that at Pacifica - instead you'll be watching the orioles and the whales.