Marbella Suites has lots of potential. It is a beautifully designed property, the rooms are clean and neat and It is on a beautiful stretch of the beach, wonderful, peaceful view of the ocean. Pleasant staff for the most part but that's really where the positive review ends.

I would not recommend staying there. We were there for four nights in the Presidential Suite-- close to $400 per day-- and not a day went by without roaches, gekos or various spiders crawling around. I literally could not sleep for fear of being bitten and the only reason I could not leave is b/c my family was with me and they have a high tolerence for wildlife and didn't want to hassle with it. But if there are any other ladies out there like myself who aren't into killing roaches every day-- don't stay here.

The place was clean so I think the roaches were coming in from under the door and through the walls. It is not an upscale resort. The sheets, bedding amenitites are no more than you'd find in a Motel 6, Holiday Inn or Ramada Inn. They have AC units in each room but they are so loud that my husband had to turn them off at night which made the room sweltering hot.

One other thing to keep in mind. This hotel is a "smaller boutique hotel" so they quote you a price but then charge you another exchange rate which can be more than the going rate, i.e. even if the exchange rate is 10.5 pesos to the dollar they may charge you 11.3 pesos to the dollar in order to make a little more money. They said that this was standard in the area for smaller hotels, which is probably true but we were not aware of it.

Overall-- I cannot recommend this hotel. If you're going to Cabo-- spend a little more and stay at a nicer place.

Marbella En La Playa is a great place to stay if you're looking for a private beach and peaceful, serene surroundings. The place is like a villa nested on the beach. The staff was pleasant, the restaurant food was good and reasonably priced, and the pool and bar were very nice and clean.

I think my room was priced a bit on the high side for what it was (we rented the royal suite for a family of four). It was large, but the air cond. in the living room did not work very well even after asking to have it serviced.

The house keeping people were very dilligent and our suite was maintained nicely and consistently.

Pros:

Beautiful and well-maintained surroundings (trees, gardens, pathways, tiled stairs, etc. Place was like fantasy island.

Very nice restaurant--excellent views from every table, sun shaded with bamboo overhang, and very picturesque. Food was priced well and quality of food was super--never had a bad meal.

Staff is cordial--not necessarily jumping out of their skin to help you and their English (waiters, pool people) not as good as some of the larger hotels, but nonetheless they did a great job. I speak Spanish so this was a non-issue for me. Front desk staff always there to help and service by all was very good indeed.

Beach is excellent. Probably one of the best beach experiences I have had in Mexico, chase lounges are padded, you get nice, big pool towells at the pool bar to use anywhere, and the beach is clean and has virtually no traffic.

Safety/security: nobody in my family ever felt scared or insecure while at Marbella. They provide a safe in your room, and staff watched over things carefully.

Parking was great--they let you park inside the compound near the fountain if there was room, and have a small parking area right outside. It was like coming home each night and parking in your own carport.

WiFi Access is free in the relaxing lobby of the front desk area. It is an outdoor area with comfortable furniture and gorgeous views of the ocean.

Free telephone room with two phone lines linked to the USA--you can call home for free to USA and Canada. Nice feature, considering roaming cell phones will likely cost you 1.00/1.50 per minute for calling back home.

Satellite TV (we had a huge Sony TV) - nice.

Cons:

Lots of stairs and no elevators--those with weak knees or cardio/pulmonary issues should consider this fact. The trip between the front desk and our suite was a work out. If you buy groceries, you'll have to carry them to your suite. They do have a non-staired ramp for a section of the stair area, but most areas are Mexican tiled stairs. They are pretty, but will still excersize your legs.

Telephone room and computer room were not air conditioned, while we were there, making them very uncomfortable to use. The computer room appeared to have air, but when I turned it on, it did not work. Hey, you're supposed to be on vacation anyway, so what the heck! That's what my wife told me, anyway.

We had three power outages whlie there during a week's time. Not sure if this is the local facility pushing their breakers too hard or what. My parents were staying up the road and did not have any power outages. Hmmm.

Beer selection: it appears that the local distributors of beer must make good deals if hotels and time shares only sell certain brands. I found this the same at the TrendWest Coral Baja. They only sell Tecate, Dos Equis, and Sol--three beers I cannot stand the taste of. If you don't like those beers or you like something other than your typical "coke and sprite" selecton of soft drinks, you best be visiting Costco of Cabo or Megafoods. I like Modelo, Pacifico (made in Mazatlan), and Carta Blanca--none of those were available here.

Screens: there are no screens on the windows or for the giant sliding glass doors. I'm blaming the huge cockroaches on my leaving windows open during the day. So, if you don't like bugs, keep the windows and sliders closed.

View: the view from our Royal Suite was very pretty, but partially obscured by a red roof in front of us, which was of another suite. You could see the ocean, but could not see the sand on the beach. I'm not sure that the view is like of the smaller suites.

Room quality. The rooms have nice amentities, but our particular suite, the Royal Suite, had dilapitated grout, some bathroom doors in bad shape, and though nice and clean, seemed a bit outdated. We were still happy with it, but if you're picky about things like that, it is something to consider.

Sewer smell: two days when the wind was not strong, there was a horrible sewer stench. One day it was so bad we stayed inside until it passed. I think this is a Mexico (Cabo) issue, not Marbella, as we experienced this at two other resorts in the area while visiting.

All in all, I'd recommend the Marbella. I don't know what the smaller rooms have for amentities, but the reservations manager is excellent at communicating via phone and email and can answer any questions you have. I think this would be an excellent place for a couple going on a honeymoon or a family looking for an alternative to the noisy and crowded hotel scene. And for those wanting to tan on the beach without being disturbed, this place is super for just that.

Marbella Suites En Playa has SO MUCH potential. The structure of the building is beautiful... but the place really needs some fine tuning.

We stayed there because it was one of the few hotels on the beach that wasn't a mega-resort or mega-expensive. It's a boutique-style hotel right in the middle of everything, on a really nice beach.

My frustration with the place was the lack of staff and the lack of attention to small details. With just a little more renovation, this hotel could be amazing.

The people who work there are really lovely and very helpful. But there are so few of them.

The pool/restaurant area is so well designed, but they need better furniture and bettter music. Just a little more ambiance.

The hotel is on one of the best stretches of beach in Cabo. It is just beautiful. It's also nice because it's surrounded by private homes -- so there are not a lot of people on the beach, it's very quiet. At sunrise you can see dolphins just off the shore.
On the down-side, they need more than the four lounge chairs that they supply for the beach. And waitress service would be nice down there too!

When we first checked-in we were given a room on the ground-level in the back. Not good. It was damp and dark, and there was a dead roach in the shower. That really turned me off.

We went back to the front desk and upgraded to one of the rooms closest to the beach, on the upper level. It was really well furnished, really clean and very big.

As I understand it, they are slowly renovating the hotel... so hopefully this will change things for the better.

If you decide to try it, have an open mind and don't expect it to look like Las Ventanas or the One and Only.

I would stay at Marbella Suites again.

PS. I had one of the best massages of my life at Marbella Suites.
What a surprise.

We loved the peace and quiet. The Mexican hacienda-style architecture and price were what attracted us. My husband and I speak Spanish and we wanted a place where we could feel comfortable doing so with the staff. It was a real treat to meet and speak with Edgar and Umberto and the young woman tending bar whose name I forget but who resembles actress Salma Hayek. Perfect for those who don't want crowds, drunken parties, and all-inclusive over-indulgences. We visited in November 2006; unfortunately I see from the hotel's Web site that room rates have gone up significantly for 2007, and that the powers that be are starting up "vacation club" ownership.