Be prepared for a pushy rude time share sale that they guise as a welcome breakfast. It is not an introduction to activities like other vacations be forwarned. The maid took all the towels and left none. The arco was very loud at night and the food was more than awful. Roomservice took almost 2 hours and was bad. Pass on this place. the only good part was the pool.

I just got back and the trip was Fantastic not just great.
they say its all in the details and I was impressed.
For a small start let me provide a quick list
1) If you stay at the pool all day it might be worth the 80 bucks each for all inclusive

2) Change your money to Pesos as soon as possible - you end up giving a ton of money away using american dollars probably saved me hundreds over just 5 days
and carry lots of small bills for cab fare and tips

3) Go to COST CO or CITY MART and stock the fridge this will save you money and time waiting for service

4) The Best Beach is actually CHILITO or Santa Maria BAY up the Road - twords the airport on the Right you will see a parking lot with cars - the bus goes there for 150 pesos (1.50) but you can always pay 50.00 for a taxi or 30.00 each for an excursion which is all the hotel would tell me about - GO FIGURE -
the buses are BIG and Either LIME GREEN or Blue And Orange they will pick you up at bus stops or on the side of the road just drop your packages and wave
tell the driver where your going w/tip and he should stop or just say Bravo when you see the parking spot cove in the distance
the waves lap the sand and there is good snorkeling - the fish like frietos or dry bread a little bit in a plastic bag goes along way and don't touch the corel - your touch is deadly to corel and kills the reef - free cabanas, showers and batherooms are there
with little or no vendors - now that the secret is out it will I hope it will not get overrun - no trash please I didnt see any dont start a trend --- TO LIVE A LONG LIFE USE SUNSCREEN EVEN SPF 2 PROVIDES SOME HELP FROM THE EXTREAMS OF THE SUN

5) DONT DRINK ANY WATER FROM ANY OPEN FAUCET EVER HOTEL SINKS INCLUDED!!!!!

6) If you plan on attending a time share presentation get your deal in writting and make sure you have enough time to book and take advantage of it - I got free scuba for CABO Pulma - only corel reef around - but could not use it because I had to leave before a spot was available - more about time shares below -

7) I did not see any roaches in the hotel but I did see some at the airport and at another hotel for a time share presentation - its the tropics - desert or not take efforts to keep a clean room and you should not see any - but they are around - actually I have seen more roaches in Palm Springs in the evening at the Spa Hotel next to the water fountain and they get big down there! eesh!!

8) Teen Age Kids - I talked with some kids who were reciting the list of food places they were going to go to when back home - they got stuck hanging around the pool all day for 7 days little else to do - The golden arches and Bk are in town just ask a cab driver - find time to take them to CHILATO Beach, bring cheap beach toys or what ever - there kids low attention span and lots of energy

9) the Hotel key is good for Vill De Palmer - I went to check it out it was loud and happening for some try it out - the rooms I heard were not nearly as good and smaller, the Estencia has a no visitor policy but I walked in a side enterance and was not unhappy or impressed, seemed like a great old mansion nothing wrong just a romantic yet seemingly boring place I can get that at home,
NOTE: the Marina Fiesta Hotel in the marina which Has HIGHER MARKS is a total compound with electric gates makes you feel incarcerated just looking at it - it was a cramped facility showing age definately a not my cup of tea - thank god I did not stay there with all the sites and shoping withing arms reach its probably good for some who came not so much for the sceinary but the shopping, eating or maybe fishing the beach in that area is a total zoo

10) I was a single traveler on this occasion just one of my just go now vacations - the hotel has a policy of no visitors after 8:00 pm
now if you meet people and try to plan dinner, drinks maybe more at your hotel FORGET IT they will not let you in with visitors period.
So After paying hundreds or thousands of Dollars to travel and stay in a palace you cannot envite a guests over - reminds me of when I was a kid "DAD CAN I HAVE A FRIEND OVER" NO!!!!

11) Cost to Value - its mexico and way way way to expensive for a third world country - Honestly Hawaii has so much more going for it with twice the activities and no one hitting you up on the beach and in Cobo everyone seemed to expect and want a tip for even the smallest thing - though I was amazed to see no real poverty only gave one hand out to a mother and kids at the marina and I felt safe at all times even alone late at night on quiet streets. I could see in the eyes that people are mostly poor and envy us while the hotels get very rich they still pay little to the help
so its up to you.
for me the trip proved to be extreamly relaxing and that is what I needed - over a week and I would have been running for the door

THE ROOM: I stayed on the new side of the hotel - right side as you face the enterance - must say the room I had - a 1 bedroom with 13/4 baths was far better than I had expected especially for mexico - good competition for Mandalay bay in Las Vegas the view was ok I could see the ocean but not with a direct view - my room faced town and the road primarily, but I do not own a time share there, and they told me an ocean view upgrade was available for a bit more money (if a new hotel were put up its hard to say what the view would be like) I was close to the road the room was quiet with little or no road noise
The air conditioning was controllable seperately from the living dining area or the room -DON'T SLEEP WITH THE WINDOWS OPEN and the AC off - at around 3 in the morning the on shore breeze from the ocean turns to a off shore breeze and you will wake to a smell like a sewage back up - really bad fish - wafting into the room its not continuous but you may get some powerfull wiffs now and again - woke me up
its just part of going to a third world country
with the AC or at least the fan on you get a positive pressure in the room which lets you sleep with the windows open and no early morning smells
yes there were some suttle issues with the closets I heard of closet doors coming off - this is a new hotel and all the bugs have to be worked out
the staff is helpfull but they are not as smooth as they will be in coming years and it shows make calls to the right place or try different places to get faster service front desk for questions, room service for towels etc.

NOTE: I HAVE READ ABOUT PEOPLE GETTING SICK HERE AND OTHER HOTELS - I ASKED THE HOTEL AND THEY TOLD ME THE WATER WAS NOT SAFE TO DRINK!!!! TO MY KNOWLEDGE NONE OF THE HOTELS HAVE DRINKABLE WATER FROM THE FAUCET - YES THE BACTERIA LEVEL IS LOWER by Some Filtering BUT IT IS STILL NOT SAFE TO DRINK - JUST BECAUSE IT IS A FANTASTIC ROOM - THE HOTEL DOES NOTHING TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THE WATER FROM THE TAP
I USE ONLY BOTTLED WATER FOR BRUSHING MY TEETH AND DRINKING - Do remember this is Mexico - nuff said

THE GROUINDS: Well manicured and maintained with good attention to detail. The pools have really large water areas and The Pirate ship turned out to be a neat center piece for the lower pool and made for a great drink and lunch stop - at some fairly high prices I might add - around 14 bucks for a cheese burger - 12 if you get a gold card - more about that later-
do where sandles on the unshaded parts of the deck - too hot to handle - the service was painfully slow some times - it will be ready in a mexican minute - I was told once by a mexican staff here or another hotel - at least he was honest - though a good tip is not a bad motivator.
the upper pool is cooler which keeps it more an adult setting
the lower pool had some good areas for young children with only a few inches of water and short fountains to play with while still having deep enough areas for some good fun and play for older kids and adults

THE OCEAN: The waves come in pretty fast and can surprise you but they loose energy fast so its still fun to swim, there were some vendors as usual but it was not as much a zoo as the hotels down by the Marina - man was it crowded down there and no doubt the crowds will move up the beach in the coming years as things grow over time

NIGHT LIFE: This is an interesting place for night life though if you are over 30 don't expect to see too many of your age crowd at the giggling marlin or squid rough - mostly just cabo wabo - or smaller beach clubs, remember for kids 18 is drinking age so its kind of like hay its party time no adults allowed - like a friend said on a previous trip "who invited the dead guy" - they showed me respect but were aprehensive like I was some parent looking to find out what my kid was up to

TIME SHARE DEAL: Well the room is great you love the place might consider getting a time share - Best Deals on Free Bees it seemed come from the airport hawkers just tell them you want to ggo deep see fishing or scuba and make them write it down - don't hold back you also want transportation to and from the start point and you want a drink cruise for two - the are absolutely making bank on every sale don't get me wrong its a good deal for some people I just have my fears - in a few years not just 30 is the hotel going to be the sight or the blight what about hurricans when or if they rebuild how much will it cost YOU !!!
HILTON, MARRIOT, SHERRITON all have pretty big bank for rebuilding but what about the off the shelf Baja Builder of that complex - looking at 200-300 million to rebuild -read the fine print before you go and buy one

We stayed at the Villa del Arco for 2 nights. We loved the location, though you really still need to drive or get a cab to get into town. We had some challenges. The front desk showed our reservation canceled and we were told they did not have any rooms at all. After we insisted that they protect us at their sister prperty, La Estancia, miraculously they found a room for us without telling us about the construction that was right next door. 8:00 a.m. the next morining there was a huge amount of noise and as the buildings face each other it echos which makes it worse. Also all of the workers were using the same elevators as the guests and it smelled of construction supplies. We also had a problem with our room with a sewer smell which was never resloved by the hotel crew so the next day we were moved to another room. All in all the rooms are beutiful. The terraces are huge and if you like to be outside on your terrace this is the place for you. The kitchens were very nice and had everything that we needed. The pool is also very nice, just shallow. It is great for kids, though.

Drinks by the pool.... $17.00US for one rum and pinapple drink. Best to go to the store and bring your own.

Note on the views of the rooms. Most of the rooms are angled towards the ocean. You will have some view. Best to request rooms closer to the beach. This property has two buildings with the pool area in the middle. The terraces all face each other so there is limited privacy during the day.

The front desk crew were not the most helpful, but with constant reminders that we needed something, all was taken care of. On a positive note about the staff. Due to the challenges we had the manger of the property provided us with dinner at their nice restaurant.

Warning ~ as soon as you get checked in they send you to the vacation desk....yes, time shares. They want you to sign up for the breakfast with the promise of the 20% off restaurants and activities around town card. The 20% is not worth it. You are better with making your own deals directly. All of the restaurants in town are a little pricey, you cannot get away from it.

I would stay at this resort again given the opportunity just to see if they have made all of the necessary improvments as they are a brand new property.

Just arrived back yesterday from a fabulous vacation at the Villa Del Arco--my family--including 2 boys, ages 7 and 10 enjoyed the wonderful hospitality and the great service we got at the hotel--the food at the hotel was great--try the Del Arco burger at the Buccaneer Restaurant. This hotel is new---so everything was in perfect working order--It was no problem avoiding the time share presentation--upon check in I told them my contact lenses were bothering me and I need to rinse them out--They showed me to my room immediately--I got an ocean view room although I did not pay for it. The housekeeping service came everday and she got all the sand off the floor that my kids brought in---when we got tired of our pool, we went over to the pool at the Villa del Palmar which had a great "whale slide"--the beach was pristine and the sand very clean. We stocked up on breakfast foods at the Palmita Store and I used my Costco card for the 25% discount. Since I read all the warnings posted on this website about the time share presentations, I didn't answer the phone when in rang in my room--we avoided all sales pitches and had a great time. Try the "Trailer Park" restaurant for faboulous food or Pochos by the marina--