If you go to Cabo and want to relax at a beautiful place with great sevice go here. Without a doubt there are few that can compare in Cabo and not too many elsewhere. This is definitely better than staying at the sister resort next door and you can use Sunset Beach or Rose anyway when you stay here. I highly recommend it!!

Having worked through the holidays, our stay here in January was no less than perfect for quiet relaxation. It's extremely important that you identify the overall purpose of your trip though. If you want a low-key and peaceful vacation, this is it. If you want romance, this is it. If you want excitement, energy and a party atmosphere...keep looking. Here's my take...

ROOM: Excellent. Clean, no odors, comfortable bed and pillows--no it's not the Ritz, but then again you're not paying $900 for the same sized room.

GROUNDS: Clean and extremely well kept. They even rake the sand every morning.

FOOD: Perfect...But we are not picky eaters and expectations were not at the 5-star level. Cost was on par with other resort properties so I'm surprised at some of the complaints regarding cost.

STAFF: Extremely polite and always went above and beyond expectation. For example, upon check in we simply asked if the pool was heated. The clerk said yes, but also called someone and told us the temperature! We never received a "no" without an apology and explanation. At the Wine Bar, we asked if they had any deserts...they didn't, but 5 minutes later she came back with a menu from either Aire or Siempre and offered to run all the way down there to get our desserts! Just outstanding.

SPA: The treatments were phenomenal! But this was my first time for treatments (budgeted for one, but just HAD to go back for another!) so I have nothing to compare it to.

MISC: NO KIDS! Love 'em, but not when you want to rest, relax, and rejuvenate. NO LOUD DRUNKS! Love to party, but again, not on this trip. TIMESHARE, the 2-hr presentation was not bad...not high pressure. For us, giving up 2 hours was well worth the food and spa credits. THE BEACH...the best part is that it's private and since you can't swim in it, no one is on it! You can take a safe walk along this long stretch of peacefulness since hotel security watches you.

My job requires travel and (luckily) I'm also required to stay at 4 and 5-star properties across the US. I'm no stranger to what is expected when you enter higher end properties so it was an unexpected and pleasant surprise to find this caliber of perfection for less money. The combination of "less is more" and the overall environment--grounds, decor, staff--was simply impressive.

My fiancee' and I returned on May 21st from a quick 3 night getaway.
I selected this resort for two main reasons: No children are allowed and it is AWAY from the crowds. I always try to write detailed reports that are critical but fair. This is really the best travel site I know of that offers such a wonderful service to consumers--you get the scoop from people who are in the same boat as you--not the flowery hoopla that a paid marketer wants to portray! And as a member of the site, I would urge you to post reviews of your trips and vacations that are detailed and critical. With travel prices what they are today, vacationers deserve top notch service and accomodations- I paid $400 per night for this resort and am going to review it based on the price/value relationship. But first, just a bit about me so you can gauge where my perspective is coming from and
judge for yourself if I represent your demographic or not: I am 30 years old and in the wine business for the past three years + for an international brand (K-J) I live in the suburbs of Northern Los Angeles county and my job puts me in many upscale locales and dining environments. Obviously, LA is a hub of trendy spots catering to an upscale in general clientele who expect the best. However, even though I have spent the past decade being acclimated to the LA lifestyle I was raised in a more "down to earth" place, Dallas, Texas. I've learned to appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of both lifestyles; but enough about me...

First Impression as you drive up to resort: Beautiful, elegant and serene, but not over the top and oppulent--which is done on purpose and is a recurring theme in this resort. We were given a cool face towel to refresh ourselves as soon as we stepped out of the van and a
crowd of 6-8 hotel staff had gathered to welcome us to the resort as they held the doors open for us--nice so far! You'll notice that all employees have a "secret-service" like microphone which they whisper into in order to ready workers at key moments that guests are coming their way!

The lobby is very airy and provides immediate calm from the Zen inspired decorations, water features and the wonderful aroma that wafts through the main building. Check in was very fast and our couple of requests were met; we got a third floor room so as to have a bit better ocean view and when we arrived in the room we were greeted with a happy anniversary note made out of sunflower seeds on our bed and a plate of chocolate truffles. Signs of attention to detail and customer service--I booked 3 weeks in advance and they remembered my requests and took them seriously--excellent! NOTE- before getting to room we were given two free drink tickets and a 5 minute pitch to visit the time share next door and go through the 90 minute preview. We accepted and were given $300 in resort money and a bottle of tequila--more on this later.

We liked the minimalist in room decorations but immediately did not like the small size of the room. I'm 6'4" and like a little space, I would estimate 350 sq. ft. The other thing that we quickly didn't like (wink, wink) was the VERY firm bed. They offer a selection of various pillows which is great but doesn't really matter when the mattress is so hard. The bathroom was cute and had a shower large enough for 3; seperate enclosed toilet. We had a great view from our balcony which has two padded chairs and a table between. Great ocean and resort view. The view was best for an early riser as the aspect from building 11 is facing east for the sunrise, whereas the best sunset views were behind us and we would have to walk out our front door and stand in the hallway to view them. We were in room 1132, so the code for figuring out the layout is this: first two digits denote
the building (there are six in total, bldg's 10-15) the third digit is the floor (5 floors high) and the last digit doesn't really matter. The fifth floor is all suites. The resort layout is somewhat of a crescent shape. TIP: If you can get into bldg 10 it is nearest to the water and is positioned in a way that you will get a sunrise and sunset view! (they may be suites though--I'm not certain)

Bldg's 11-12 will have sunrise views and 13-15 will have sunset views--but these units are also the furthest from the water. It probably won't be a big deal, the resort is only 13 acres and laid out very well--most views seem like they would be very good anyhow, but I wouldn't want one on the first floor because you will have to stand up to see the water most likely. Ohh, before I forget--the rooms do have coffee makers in them which is not listed on the web-site. My fiancee' is a coffee snob and wished she had brought her starbucks! She wasn't very impressed with the strength of the resorts
coffee.

NOW it's time to be critical--I do feel that this is legitimately a 4 star property, but not a 5 star. The primary reason for me not giving that final star is over the food and dining. But I feel $400 per night entitles me to 5 star. I guarantee you, the prices of drinks and food at this resort is just like they are in Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and Newport Beach--I'm dead serious! I expected
Los Cabos to be more of a bargain than Hawaii but it is actually a tad more expensive! And when it comes to wine at this resort--"bend over Senor!" Here are some specific's with wine: Kendall-Jackson Cabernet (my brand) $60. At most in LA that is a $30-40 wine list bottle. Groth cabernet was a shocking $230 US dollars--W.T.F.!! Ok, Ok, well those are imports, what about south american wines from Chile and Argentina--most were $60 a bottle or higher. This is absolute petty larceny and the resort should be ashamed--they either think we are dumber than rocks or they think all americans are millionaires--or perhaps a bit of both. Fine I thought, I'll switch to the native liquid of tequila. Patron silver-$25 per SHOT. A house made margarita with liver putrifying tequila is $10. Resort management really needs to address this price gouging and I hope you are reading right now. I haven't seen price gouging like this since I saw a movie and bought a soda or filled up the tank with gas! :) Your best beverage bet is to go with the old reliable cerveza--it can't be watered down and can still be had for about $4 bucks.

We did enjoy our first meal at their flagship restaurant Siempre but it was $105 US and we used our free drink cards here. She had chicken and I had fish, we shared a tiny shrimp appetizer and had a brownie sundae for dessert. That was at Siempre--not Ruth's Chris. The service however was friendly and gracious and the presentation was nice. The restaurant itself is very attractive and their is a live band that plays nice soothing music in the evening. See, I'm being fair and balanced, just like Fox News. (tongue firmly in cheek)

The best meal we had value wise came from Aire which is the pool bar/restaurant. The shrimp tacos were good as were the salsa sampler and the guacamole. We also got a nice fresh salad but did not like the dressing which lacked flavor--but it is important to be fair and note that the produce was very fresh and of high quality. We had all this and a beer for about $35. The best bets with food are
to go with mexican dishes--I only wish they would realize that most people want to sample "authentic" mexican food when they are traveling there--not El Torito mexican food--which is what it compares to. Contrary to the belief of many; American's love culture and variety and are very open to experiencing what others have to offer. Making it "sterile" for us doesn't do us any favors. It's important to note that we never left the resort area to venture into the town of Cabo San Lucas. I met some travelers who had very good mexican food (still expensive though) in town. You could also find, I'm sure, cheap taco stands. One man on the plane home absolutely raved about a place called "Edith's". He said service, ambiance and food were all "10's".

What else was disappointing: The GYM. It is sufficient in size and was not crowded. It had plenty of cardio machines, resistance machines and free weights--but the location of it was botched. Everyone knows that when you have a beachfront resort you situate the gym so it faces the water and people can gaze at it as they sweat off the cerveza! This gym is totally walled in and a bit on the dark side. I workout every day while on vacation so I feel like I can splurge on food and was disappointed by the gym. By the way, if you are not having a massage or spa treatment that same day, you will be charged $10 to use the gym. That makes me plain mad. When you pay $400 per night--the darn gym better be gratis!

The SPA: Too small and not very many things to do while you wait for your treatment. Just a steam room, cold plunge pool and a hot tub. I did enjoy the relaxation room that played a nice and serene video collage with room lights that changed, dimmed or grew more intense to follow the on screen pictures--neat and well done. To be fair, the prices in the spa were not outrageous--they were on par with most
I have been to. $100 for a 50 min. swedish massage. However, I wasn't
too impressed with my therapists skill level, it was probably the most blasse' I have ever had from a supposed professional. Not very good pressure and not a good enough selection of strokes.

Of NOTE: When you stay here, you really have access to two resorts, the other being the Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach. It is primarily a time-share property and it allows kids. Every half hour a shuttle comes by to take people up the hill to the PB sunset. Each resort has a great view of the other and in between them lies the 29,000 sq. ft. house of the owner of the PB chain, Ernesto Coppel. It looks like the Getty Museum or the Skirball center for those S. Cal natives
familiar with those properties. Other homes right by are those of Arnold Schwarzenneger and Bill Gates. I had no intention of buying the timeshare but I actually did! We got a junior suite room for one week (all face the ocean and have jaw-dropping views) every other year for 8k. It didn't seem too expensive and the interest rate was only 6% over 3 years. What is not readily discussed until the paperwork is going is that the purchase is only for 30 years, not forever like most timeshares. With the $500 per year of use maintenance fee it will cost me right around 1k per vacation week, or 15k total. We got two weeks in a two bedroom/two bathroom unit for "free" as an incentive to buy and I took it.

The two resorts actually work much better when you consider them as one and use both facilities as you are allowed to do. Then the best of both worlds are offered. The PB Sunset has much more affordable prices for food and drink as it must because many of the clientele are resort owners--just as if it were a country club that you paid thousands to join. The Gym at Sunset is perfect because it has awesome ocean views (must buy timeshare to use) and it has spinning cycles. The spa is larger and better equipped at Sunset too. I was very impressed with the grandeur of this property. It is literally carved into a high hilltop overlooking a vast expanse of wide white sand beach. The resort looks huge at 50 acres in size but it only has 327 rooms so it never feels crowded even at full capacity--the same is true about Pacifica. Obviously, the sunrise and sunset views from the PB Sunset are jaw dropping. The kicker is an amazing infinity pool called the "SKY Pool" it is at an altitude of about 900-1000ft up the hill. You really feel on top of the world while up there. It has a swim up bar, brick oven pizza offerings and more. Very, Very well done here.

Overall: I know I really hammered this place in a couple of ways--but we really enjoyed ourselves despite our internal dissatisfaction with some areas. We never complain to regular workers and always treat them very kindly and with a warm smile. We found them to be very kind and gracious in return, they really do want to please and work very hard. We tipped $5 per night to the maid and $2 one way for the shuttle between resorts and $1-2 for others who deserved it. I obviously will return as I bought a timeshare here. The serenity of the Pacifica and no kids allowed blends very well with the more lively atmosphere at the Sunset. When you tire of one aspect just take the shuttle to the other resort. Both resorts are beautiful and immaculately clean. Just how peaceful is it? Alaska airlines lost my luggage and I never had any of it for the entire trip of 3 days and 4 nights; clothes, IPOD and car keys lost! This resort after 15 minutes had me feeling like I didn't care--I made the most of it going "commando" and had a great time. I disagree with the high prices but the setting is spectacular. Please feel free to drop me a line and ask any question and I will get back to you quickly I promise. I average about 15-20 responses from fellow travelers when I post on Vegas or Hawaii properties--I'd be happy to help you too! ryan.omalley@regalwineco.com

PS: If you want to be in the middle of town and have the 24 hour party, do not stay here. It is 15 minutes outside of town and only the two PB resorts are there. PB Rose and Villa la Estancia are right
by Medano beach if you want one big and loud party. And if you are a millionaire and must have 5 star extravagance and constant royal treatment, there are only 3 resorts that are uber expensive that will please you: Las Ventanas, One and Only Palmilla, or Esperanza. Have Fun!

Unbelievably manicured grounds and staff were extremely friendly. Can't miss place. If you don't like this place, then you must be a 19 yr old college fraternity punk, looking to score.... If you are, you should have known better than to come here.

Go eat at Ediths --- simply amazing food!