I have been the personal guest of the owner of Marbella Suites a couple times now, both at his large compound just down the beach, and in the hotel itself.

There are a couple things a potential guest should know. First and foremost; this hotel is now owned by the American Leadership Academy, which is a Trust organization set up by the former owner, committed to the education and charachter development of members of his alumnus fraternity. Originally, he bought this hotel and it was used exclusively as a retreat for the fraternity members. Gradually, he has been converting it to a self-sustaining hotel, the proceeds of which benefit the trust. At first, this hotel was a dump; having been abandoned by the former owners for years, and then ravaged by young frat boys away on spring break retreats. But with time, the quality of the facility and service, has vastly improved.

Still, you would be wise, when making your reservation, to inquire as to whether any Phi Psi groups will be there. If there is a chapter visiting, it might be best to avoid this hotel. The owner has really put the screws on the guys to behave in the hotel, and it has gotten to the point where they rarely cause damage or problems, but there is a certain amount of noise that comes with having 20-30 young frat boys all in the same hotel. On weeks when there are no chapters visiting, this is a quiet, quaint hotel where you will likely be one of only a few guests. It's an excellent hotel to book a block of rooms for a private event, such as a wedding. The restaurant is accustomed to serving large groups and is very flexible.

The beach is beautiful, and open to the public up and down the shoreline. This hotel is in a section of the beach that is surrounded mostly by large private residences, most of which are vacant most of the year, so you can easily find a spot on the beach and have all to your self.

Yes, the hotel has LOTS of stairs. That's just a factor of the topography. The nice thing about this is that it does create a lot of privacy in the rooms, and makes you feel more like you're in a home in the hills above the beach, rather than a hotel room in a resort. Although I think the entire resort is supposedly handicapped-accessible, if you're in a wheelchair, or even just not as "sprightly" as you used to be, and have a problem with climbing stairs, you might want to stay elsewhere. Even I, at 29 years old and in decent health, was winded and usually sweaty after climbing the stairs.

A word on cockroaches: They are everwhere down there. Even at the owners private compound down the beach with it's acres of manicured lawns and 24/7 groundskeepers, cockroaches are everwhere. You just can't keep them out. Like my dad always says, "just stay out of their way and don't piss them off". You'll usually only see them when they're dead. The rest of the time they are in hiding. At night you will hear them. At first you'll think they're birds.... but they're not. Welcome to Mexico.

Overall, this is a cute little "botique" hotel. If you want a giant resort, with 5 star restaurants and spa services.... go elsewhere. But if you're on a budget and basically just want to relax on the beach, do some swimming, and throw back a few pina colladas....this is as good as any place. And the money goes to a very good cause.

This Hotel was terrible . No phones to call front desk or the restaurant in the regular rooms. We moved into the presidential suite (so we could have a phone)and it was almost as nice as most Holiday Inn expresses.
We were there 5 days and They ran out of everything . oh yea, and we were the only ones there most of the time.
No OJ for screwdrivers,no bottled water,no pineapple juice, no Margarita's.
This place is in the middle of nowhere with nothing around it.
$70.00 taxi fare to Cabo and back(35.00 each way) The Staff on the other hand were very accomidating and helpful.
They felt bad because they were out of everything but their hands were tied.
Don't even get me started talking about the 72 steps to the pool or the front desk.
If they spend some money to renovate,change the manager and get someone in there that knows something about the hospitality industry this place could be a gold mine.

This place was fabulous! We had outstanding
service the whole time we were there. From the
hotel management to room staff to bartender.....
just wonderful! The food and drinks were great.
We had "our own" private beach and during this time
of the year we basically had the hotel to ourselves.
When I return to Cabo this is where I will stay again
and will definitely recommend this hotel to anyone
going to Cabo San Lucas!!!

We stayed in room 403; 66 steps from the registration desk and some hundred from the pool. Bus stop right outside was convenient. Our first night we ate at the on-site restaurant; the waiter shooed away a huge cocroach, but it was the only one we saw. Our last night (Jan 1-2) was apparently the start of a fraternity sell-out, and there were kids yelling and breaking things until almost 4:00 a.m. We were glad to go!