I read several reviews on TA and was a little hesitant after hearing some of the bad reviews. Upon arrival the professionalism of the staff and courteous nature was evident. Check in was a little long but overall very smooth. Now they will sit you down and attempt to sell their goldcard and make you commit to an appointment for a timeshare presentation. Understand that this is a timeshare property, as many in Cabo are, so they do try to sell you. If you politely say you are not interested take the travel guide and go on. Do not get upset that they are trying to get you to see their property. Its like going into a bar and getting aggravated because they are trying to sell you a beer. And if you do commit and don't go you should lose the nominal deposit for bailing. For the record it is twenty bucks for the appointment not per person.

We did attend the timeshare presentation and enjoyed a wonderful breakfast. It was a little longer than expected but overall it was pleasant. The sales rep was a little pushy at the end which was uncomfortable but we continued to say No. Oh and yes you do need to attend to receive the discounts on the goldcard. Which honestly you will be surprised how much you save. Track your spending and be sure you get the discount, that is what responsible adults do. They are really good about deducting it.

The rooms were gorgeous. We had a one bedroom suite and it was amazing. Beds were comfortable, ambiance relaxing, and a balcony that overlooked the pool and ocean. I have to compliment room service because they were prompt and cleaned our room well. One thing, they only provide coffee for one day so be sure to take the first day to purchase some coffee while at the Marina or Downtown.

The pool area is the place to hang out at least for one day if possible. Nothing better than soaking in the sun, drinking some cold Pacificos, and eating fresh guacamole. The servers were great. Unlike others, we did bring down some extra beers we had left. Instead of a "rule" the server brought us our ordered beers and a bucket with ice for the extras. Additionally, be weary of those looking to get prime spots by the pool. As we observed by 9am towels were laid out on lounge chairs. The owners of the towels would show up around noon or 1 to stake their spot. They do leave a card on the chairs stating that the Hotel will not allow guest to reserve chair.

The restaurants are overpriced in my opinion. With such great food and if you have the time take the short taxi ride to the Marina for better options. Not that the quality isn't there but you do pay resort prices.

Note that everything is charged to your room. So budget that in when traveling and staying there. In some cases it is convenient because while at the pool you do not need to carry much.

I have to say that overall it is a great place to stay. The staff is very helpful. One in particular, Ivan, gave us great dining locations.

We were a party of two couples staying in two rooms. We are not kids, we are mature experienced travelers. The check in process at Villa Del Arco is a nightmare. Long waits, broken promises to the reservations and no compromise on the part of the hotel. We reserved two rooms overlooking the pool and ocean by telephone conversation with the resort. We were told at check in that our reservation papers did not spell that out in writing so nothing could be done. We did recieve one room that overlooked the pool and ocean and another that over looked the parking lot of the neighboring public beach. Rule #1 ; at Villa Del Arco always getting everything promised in writing, accept nothing verbally.

You are offered a time share sales pitch offer appointment, no more than 45 minutes. As an incentive you are offered a free breakfast ( at the sales pitch), discounts on your purchases at the hotel, free drinks. Then you must pay them $40 as a deposit to assure that you will show up to your appointment. But you are getting the discount, right! The appointment will actually take over two hours, the breakfast is fine, the condo sales staff is polite, professional, personable, the drink coupons turn out to be only good at the pool and only good for beer and cokes, written in the fine print on the coupon (we did get the waiter to finally go for a pina colda), the discount they promise, requires that you carry a gold colored paper card with you everywhere to obtain the discount. If you don't have the card, no discount, it's the "rule". Be sure to inspect every ticket you sign to make sure the discount is given, because at check out no adjustments will be made for missed discounts. Once your sales pitch is over you will need to retreive your $40 deposit. Be quite careful at the return counter as they will do a little paper work suffle number and forget to hand you the cash. " Oh but I gave it to you already Senior!" " Not a chance lady, this outfit has no pockets and I'm not holding any cash, so pay up!"

The pool has it's special rules. To recieve a towel at the pool you must have a pool card, it's the "rule". If you fail to return your towel at the end of the day it's a $25 charge, "rule". You can not bring drinks, food or towels from your room to the pool area, "rule". (Mothers with small children were told they could not have snacks for their children at the pool they would have to return to their rooms) If you leave your pool side chair for an hour the pool staff will remove your personal belongings, towel and anything else, "rule" , so don't take a leisurely lunch and expect to return to your chairs by the pool. The pool management thinks it quite funny when the tourista complains they all their stuff has been stolen. They laugh and tell you it's at the towel station. It's a "rule" so nothing will be done, and no apology will be offered.

One of my favorites. Even though they have your credit card for incedentals upon check in, if you wish to pay for a meal charge with a credit card at the time of purchase you will need an ID beyond the gold card you purchased. Once your check is presented for signature your ID and credit card are not with the check. These are held until you sign the check. Then they are returned. I guess the theory is you may run out and skip the check. That would be a huge problem for the resort. Oh wait, your sleeping in their resort, they have your credit card on file (presigned), they have your home address, they are a USA company so not foriegn country issue, the reason it's a (you guessed) "rule".

In fairness to the resort, I wish to end on a positive note. The facility is top notch. The pool area is beautiful and huge. The exterior of the structure is a bit bland, but the rooms are well appointed, and a pleasure to return to. The staff for the most part was a joy to be with. In a few days they knew your name and greeted you happily. They were eager to please and did all they could within the rules. (If I thought the guest have rules the employees have more) The place is super clean. I thought the staff would rub the paint off of every surface before we left. Only when management was involved was our party disappointed. The average employee was as good as it gets for service, any where in the world. The rules do give a certain consistency to the overall operations of the facility. The rules apply to everyone we were not singled out.

In closing, do not exclude this property from your considerations. It is a very nice complex. If you are not inclined to follow the masses, this may not be your place. If your are going to kick up your heals in Mexico, this would be a great place to stay when you come back next time with Mom.

3 friends and I stayed at the Villa Del Arco May 16-23 2009 and thought the location was perfect. Spent alot of time laying on the chairs down on the beach....the guys and girls selling stuff down there got a little much after a while, although that is where we bought most souviners, but just put my headphones in and was not bothered. The sea doo rentals are right there and it is a fairly short walk to the office for mexican fiesta thursday night. Phone conceirge for reservations. We took a taxi there and walked back. Was a nice stroll and a short taxi ride. The hotel grounds were beautiful and the rooms were sufficient. Bring your own laundry soap in a ziploc bag and some bounce as they do not provide much detergent. Wal Mart and Costco were very close for shopping which was nice for a beer run or two or three. The nowhere bar was neat ,ladies drink free tues or weds night I think it was. We ate a nice meal at Baja Lobster at the marina. The staff around the pool was amazing especially Mario who made sure we were all happy and did not need anything, Gilder the towel boy was also very nice, staff around the pool was great. Rooms got cleaned everyday, not spic and span but beds were made, towels changed ect. Overall was a good stay and would stay there again. Took a glass bottom boat tour to lovers beach, was sooo hot over there bring a cooler bag with lots of drinks and no bathrooms over there either sooo...also lots of sunscreen. Sea doo's were awesome to check out the sea lions and arch....overall was an amazing trip and thanks to villa del arco for making it all the better. If the timeshare people ask you just politly say no and you will not be bothered again.

Me and my boyfriend along with another couple (all in our 20's) recently took our first trip to Cabo and really enjoyed our time at the Villa del Arco!! We were a bit worried by some of the other reviews that talked about the timeshare scams, but we really didn't have a problem. They asked us after we checked in if we wanted to attend the presentation (of course they tried to sell it in a good light) but we declined and that was the last we were ever asked about it.

We had a one bedroom suite, which was the perfect size for 3 people or for 2 couples. We did not do the all inclusive but instead took a trip to Walmart when we got there and bought food for breakfasts and lunches, it definitelly saved us money. We ate lunch by the pool twice and the food was decent, but sort of pricey for the quality. Although it said that we had a garden view room we stil had a partial view of the ocean which was nice. We also didn't have any problem finding pool chairs like some people have said, but that may be because it is the slower season and it was especially slow due to the swine flu scare a few weeks ago.

I will say that although they claim that Medano beach is the best beach around for swimming, still be careful!! There is a strong undertow and it definitelly knocked us around on the choppier days. The water seemed to be a little bit calmer the closer to town you got. When it wasn't too windy though the water was fine, and the pool was always nice.

Overall I'd say that we had a great stay del Arco!! The staff were always helpful and nice, the room was exactly what we needed, and the views were amazing. I would definitelly recommend the hotel for peopel who want a nice vacation without spending the forture. I would definitely stay here again.