If you're going to be in Cabo San Lucas, then this is the location of all locations. You are sitting right in front of (the swimmable) Medano Beach. You are a short walk away from the nightlife, the harbor and Puerto Paraiso Mall. Plus, there are plenty of nearby dining options: Mango Deck, The Office, and Gardenia.
The resort is very new, but by this point they've worked out most of the kinks. Aside from fixtures being attached crooked, everything else was in tip-top shape. We stayed in a deluxe room (on the west side away from ME Cabo), which was surprisingly very large. The two LCD TVs were a nice touch. The AC ran super cold and relatively quiet. The rooms were very clean. The bed was comfortable. The water pressure was great (although it ran murky at times). The view from our room was spectacular! We could hear/see the fireworks, but none of the partying at ME. My only one complaint is that there aren't screens to the deck and we inadvertantly let in a mosquito or two (resulting in a couple of bites). Next time, I'll just know better not to leave the deck door open.
The front desk staff, concierges and bell hops are all extremely friendly. Our bell hop Juan was particularly helpful in pointing us to the right activities and giving us a heads up on which tours to avoid.
While the concierges here are also their front line for timeshare sales, they aren't very pushy. In fact, one polite 'no, thank you' was all it took. We didn't get any follow-up phone calls, nor were we ever asked again. :)
If you're a pool person or someone who likes to lay out in the sun, then you are going to have a great time at Casa Dorada. The pool is set to a perfect temperature and looks out to the open sea. There are plenty of available mini-cabanas and lounge chairs surrounding the pool. Best of all, there's a swim-up bar/restaurant.
We dined at the Maydan restaurant on their property twice. It isn't anything to write home about. It wasn't bad, it wasn't good. For lunch time Mexican food, try Gardenia down the street. If you're by Tesoro, swing on over to the Crazy Lobster for some very inexpensive (yet, tasty) seafood.
In conclusion, Casa Dorada is a great resort/hotel to stay at. However, as another reviewer pointed out... there are much better places to vacation than Cabo San Lucas. The prices are what you'd expect to pay in the United States. The exchange rate is horrible (10:1). Airfare to Mexico is expensive. Comparable food can be found in America. It's not particularly scenic or culturally stimulating. As for the nightlife, unless you recently turned 18, watered down drinks and sexual position contests just don't cut it.







