I am not going to waste anymore time on this place with a lengthy review.
1. Timeshare salesmen (only men) everywhere. You walk down the stairs while they are having a meeting and it's like blood in the water. All through breakfast all you can hear is the chitter chatter about what a great "deal" this is.
2. Lucia Lucinda in the VIP check in area broke every standing rule of customer service. Not sure how many more times she could tell us "no" and "no your room is not ready (for the 4th time)" and "no" we can't change your room even though it is right next to the front door of the hotel and we could hear crazy people coming in all hours of the night. Perhaps I should not have said "no" to the timeshare guy until we were checked in.
3. The Hacienda next door is fantastic! Restaurant is amazing, pool is gorgeous. Spent some time there and all I heard was "yes". And no one tried to sell me anything other than lobster enchiladas and a margarita (which they got right on the first try).
4. WHatever you do, don't look (or inhale) behind the pool bar area (or up top where the food is). You will lose your appetite, even for drinks, immediately.

We just returned from a 5 night stay during Thanksgiving week. The resort is on Medano beach part of which is behind the Mango Deck beach bar. The location is great if interested in a combination of beach (with a lot of action) and marina/downtown activities. If looking for a more relaxed atmosphere, going further down Medano beach would be a better choice. The water was great and it was a short walk to the marina where there are a lot of restaurants and other activities (5-7 minute casual walk from the street in front of the lobby). We usually prefer to relax on the beach so we started by hanging at the beach when we arrived but quickly decided to switch to the pool for several reasons:

1) The beach setting was very noisy and busy with vendors and nearby beach bars.
2) The beach chairs were not as comfortable as the padded pool chairs.
3) The beach area slopes to the water making the chairs even more uncomfortable.
4) With all the boat activities along Medano beach, the fumes was pretty obvious and became annoying quickly.

The room we were in had a great ocean view and most rooms (especially upper rooms) should also have a great view. The weekend prior to Thanksgiving had 2 weddings (Sat and Sun) at 12 Tribes restaurant. The noise from the weddings was very loud and very obvious even with the balcony doors closed in our room. The music played until 11 or 12 midnight and the partying continued until 3am. I talked to the concierge the next day and she said the party should have moved to the Maydan after 11pm, but a lot of people continued to hang around 12 Tribes and the pool area. The other nights were fine and I was worried about noise from the Mango Deck at night, but that wasn't a big issue. Suprisingly the on property noise was much worse.

Overall, I would rate this resort 3 star+ to 4 star. My personal preferences lean more to a quieter more relaxing atmosphere as opposed to a party atmosphere.

We just got back from a week at Casa Dorado and we were extremely happy with our stay. The resort is well kept up and they go out of their way to make you feel comfortable and welcome. The Bell Captain, (I think that is his title) Tomas Rodreguiz does an outstanding job managing this very busy hotel entrance - he and his staff were so accomodating and brought our car around within minutes of the request. Front desk, housekeeping, 12 Tribes, and beach and pool staff also incredibly nice and excellent service. Yes, you may pay for some extras but it is well worth it - There is enough staff at this place to man a small army - therefore no customer need goes un -noticed.

Great location near marina and right on Medano beach. Hotel is not to large where you feel overwhelmed, just the right size! Great staff and met a lot of friendly people at the swim up bar. Room were very nice with great cleaning service every day.