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Holiday Inn Resort Los Cabos All-Inclusive: Traveler Reviews

3.5 of 5
Blvd Mijares S/N | Zona Hotelera, San Jose del Cabo 23400, Mexico (Formerly Presidente Los Cabos Resort)
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Holiday Inn Resort Los Cabos All-Inclusive
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1,593 reviews from our community

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Rating summary
  • Location
    4 of 5 stars
  • Sleep Quality
    3.5 of 5 stars
  • Rooms
    3.5 of 5 stars
  • Service
    4 of 5 stars
  • Value
    4 of 5 stars
  • Cleanliness
    4 of 5 stars
Date Rating
Elora, Canada
1 review
13 helpful votes 13 helpful votes
“First trip to Cabo”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed January 20, 2013

We stayed at this resort from January 10 to 17, 2013, at which time it was reportedly less than half-full, so there was really no waiting in line for anything. The rooms are OK, though showing their age a bit. While we were there, visible efforts were being made to replace some older furnishings.

The resort itself is wide from left to right, and shallow front to back. The effect is that you don't have to walk very far to get anywhere, but it's spacious all the same, with numerous pools, bars and restaurants. The cactus throughout the resort are impressive and the grounds overall are quite beautiful. Staff are friendly and attentive, and they remember you when you tip. Alma at the quiet pool makes the best drinks.

Rooms have a safe (combination), coffee maker and fridge. There is free wifi throughout the resort, as well as hand sanitizing stations! The fixtures in the resort's public washrooms -- toilets, urinals, taps -- are all hands-free; haven't seen that in Mexico before.

The Beach

The beach is spectacular, clean and very wide -- it's a bit of a hike to get to the waterfront, and well worth it. The water, however, is not swimmable due to the strong undertow. There are some local vendors on the beach, but they don't hassle you. It appears they are not allowed to approach the resort, and keep a respectful distance. If you want to see their wares, you have to go to them. Unlike some other parts of Mexico and the Caribbean, there were no bugs or biting insects, at least not at this time of year. A welcome relief!

Food

Unfortunately, food was not the highlight. Full disclosure: I cook a little, and there are virtually no foods I don't like, so this wasn't a matter of personal taste. It was a matter of temperature. With the exception of breakfast omelettes, most meals were warm at best and cold at worst. Even when fresh buffet items came straight out of the kitchen, they were cold. Maybe not all the time. But often enough to make food the low point of this resort.

Selection also left something to be desired. The quality was actually pretty good, especially salads, but there was simply not the variety of food to choose from that we have grown accustomed to in other resorts over the years. This may have been because occupancy was low, so I can't really fault them for this. Was it the worst food I've ever had at an all-inclusive? No. (Roatan holds that record.)

The à la cartes are not much to write home about either. Soup and salad are self-serve; the main and dessert are brought to the table. We joked that the only difference between the buffet and the restaurants was that, at the à la carte, the buffet was in the kitchen. Again, the problem was simply food temperature. (By the way, reservations were never a problem. You just book at the Napa breakfast buffet on the morning of the same day.)

Only one à la carte was open on any given night, and the sit-down restaurants and buffet rotated between the various locations. A funny moment came one night when we sat down in one of the à la cartes, and were presented with exactly the same menu we received at a different restaurant two nights earlier. We all cracked up.

Whales

One of the main things we wanted to do in Los Cabos was go whale watching, and we were not disappointed. We booked through our Sunwing guide with Cabo Adventures who have a fast boat for about 25 people, and we were lucky to be able to follow a small pod of whales up the coast for quite a long time. If you have an SLR camera and a long lens, bring it. You have to be patient and quick though. If not, there's a photographer on board who will sell you a CD of all trip pix for the price of $99. At half the price, I might have bought one.

A shuttle bus picks you up and brings you back to the hotel as part of the package. Whale watching costs $85 per person and the bus trip takes about half an hour each way, depending on number of stops. We were on the boat for 2 hours, and you can stay in town if you want and catch a later shuttle back to the hotel.

Scuba

I also did 2 days of 2-tank dives with the same outfit. They provide all equipment, including 5-mil wetsuit, so leave the heavy gear at home. If you go, try to bring your own fins. They have only small full-foot fins, which are only slightly better than having webbed toes. Other than that, the gear was good and the instructors are top drawer. The boat is impressive (it has a head) with a capacity of 49; when I went, there were just 3 certified divers on board plus 3 instructors, a photographer and the boat Captain. Spacious! Surface intervals are on the boat.

Water temps are around 72F, which sounds colder than it actually feels. Air temperatures were also quite cool the week we were there, but I was comfortable and warm on board and in the water. The diving itself is not world class. Visibility is about 30 to 40 feet depending on the site, and there was enough sea life to keep it interesting. Dive times did not exceed 40 minutes, but for me it was just nice to be in the water again.

The cost of a two-tank trip is $120 including transportation from the hotel and all your gear. When I was there, Cabo Adventures had a 2-for-3 deal. So, because I did 2 dive days, I got the whale watching free. I thought that was pretty good.

Road Trip

We rented a car (there were 5 of us) from Dollar, which is located on the premises. A regular vehicle costs just $75 for the day, which includes everything -- full insurance, no deductible, taxes, the whole lot -- except gas. (Gas costs about the same as it does in Ontario.) It really wasn't worth declining the insurance, even though I have coverage elsewhere. A larger vehicle can be rented for $125, all-in. (We had a brand-spanking new Nissan Pathfinder!)

Our goal was to hit Todos Santos, which we did via San Lucas and north on the Pacific coast. We then continued north toward La Paz, cut across the quite stunning mountains and back down on the Sea of Cortez side. If you go to Todos Santos, don't miss the Hotel California of Eagles fame. (Yes, there is a Mission bell.) Total drive time for the cycle not including stops was about 4 hours. It was one of the highlights of the week. Stay on the main highway -- the unpaved roads look good on a map, but this is Mexico. By the way, we had no safety concerns at all wherever we went.

Footnote: I bought some of the seasoning salts at Hotel California. One is a gift, but I have been using the green one. Five bucks. Awesome. Don't leave town without it.

Room Tip: Ocean view room was worth the upgrade. Third floors have balconies, first floors walk-outs and hammo...
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  • Stayed January 2013, traveled with friends
    • 3 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 3 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 4 of 5 stars Service
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Ask crunchcom about Holiday Inn Resort Los Cabos All-Inclusive
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Santiago S, Manager at Holiday Inn Resort Los Cabos All-Inclusive, responded to this review
January 22, 2013
I'm impressed crunchcom! For your first trip to our beautiful destination you did more things than I have done over here for a full year! You have a keen eye, and thank you for sharing your experience. As you mentioned during January we upgraded the rooms adding fridges for all of them and new sofa-beds (sorry for the hastle of having the old ones "in transit" along the corridors) for almost all of them. Last year around June we got the safety deposit boxes, so our rooms now have the essentials! Good to know I'm not as bad as Roatan but I'm not as flattered that I'm on the Top 5 of the not-so-good food Hotels... We're working hard on this, and hopefully for your second trip to Cabos we'll be able to please your palate!
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High Level, Canada
1 review
“good trip”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed January 20, 2013

went for 7 days, staff were very attentive and helpful.There were 24 of us and no troubles.Walking distance from shopping and little bars which was great, 35 minute ride to marina by taxi or shuttle, all staff worked hard to please us.Luiz at the pool bar was funny and very personable.Our weather wasn't great for the firsr 4 days, down-right cold at night, the beach is impressive but the rip-tide was pretty strong and on our second last day some of us braved it and it was fantastic. Just don't go too far out. Over-all we were happy with the trip, would do it again. Oh you got to do the zip-lining with Cabo adventures, that was spectacular.

Room Tip: Ocean view are great
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  • Stayed January 2013, traveled with family
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Location
    • 3 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 3 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 4 of 5 stars Service
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Ask daleh1963 about Holiday Inn Resort Los Cabos All-Inclusive
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Santiago S, Manager at Holiday Inn Resort Los Cabos All-Inclusive, responded to this review
January 22, 2013
We had a couple of large parties over the last few weeks daleh1963, glad you had a good time with your peeps! I have to confess we didn't make the last sunshine fee payment and thus we encountered some really bad weather for the season (for anyone else who stayed with us last week, how 'bout that wind? Terrible!). But we paid the overdue charges and we're back to normal, sun & fun! And you know what never dimmed? Luis's smile! He takes a lot of pride in his job and always appreciates when our clients go back home happy!
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Omaha
2 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
10 helpful votes 10 helpful votes
“The best staff!!!”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed January 19, 2013

We just returned from a 6 night stay at the Holiday Inn. We're in our mid 50's and are frequent travelers. My review is to give my thoughts on the hotel and some of the most talked about areas on Trip Advisor. We had patio rooms in building 1. The sunrise from here is amazing!

Prior to our trip to the Holiday Inn, I read all of the reviews and received advice from the Holiday Inn's number one guest Anita, an2jo2. If you need questions answered on the Holiday Inn, she's your best source. Thanks Anita!

Overall, I would say the Holiday Inn is a good 3+ star hotel. If you're looking for luxury, this isn't the place for you. The Holiday Inn is a beautiful place with an incredible staff, clean rooms, nice pools and average food. A vacation is what you make it, I think sometimes people go to places and just look for the bad and focus on the negative. The Holiday Inn has way more positives than negatives!!

Beds – Yes, they are hard but we found them fine to sleep on. If you don't enjoy a VERY HARD bed, this probably isn't the place for you.

Staff – The staff at this hotel works harder than anywhere I have ever stayed. They're all pleasant and did I mention how hard they work? They remember you and always speak with a smile! I know when you book at an All Inclusive, it says Tips Included but these people go out of their way. We tipped housekeeping, room service, servers and bartenders. Raul, the front desk manager is so helpful and accommodating. Greggorio from room service remembered what we wanted each morning and always delivered with such a smile. Alma at the adult pool bar is awesome and mixes a wonderful drink.

Housekeeping – Rooms are clean, there's a fridge and a safe. Bottled water and sodas are replenish daily. There can be a little of a musty smell, I've found this before in rooms in beach climate. A little room spray will take care of this. Jacky our housekeeper did a great job!

Bugs – There's moths but they don't seem to bother anything. There's a few other flying small bugs but honestly much less than I would even have at home.

Grounds – beautiful! Clean and neatly manicured!

Timeshare People – Yes they are in the lobby, beware anyone that has a Club badge is a timeshare person, just say no thank you!

Schedule – I'd read people saying they don't give you a schedule of daily events. We were given one upon check in but did talk with some people who hadn't gotten one. If you don't get one, ask!

Food – I am a foodie, having read the reviews, I came here with lower expectations knowing I might be disappointed in some of the meals. Overall the food is good, not great but you won't go hungry.

Room Service – There is a charge of 50 pesos for this service, except when you want just ice. It's well worth it for your morning coffee, especially if you want to watch the sunrise. Also, nothing better than the freshly baked muffins.

Breakfast was my favorite meal. The baked pastries are delicious and the hot entrees consistent.

Dinner – Every night there's two choices, the buffet or the a la carte. You need to make reservations for the a la carte but not the buffet. From our experience the buffet is better than the a la cart.

Wines – There's two reds and two whites. The guys drank the reds and said they were both okay. The chardonnay is the better of the two whites. If you're a real wine connoisseur this probably isn't the place for you either. I am a wine drinker and found the chardonnay to be acceptable.

Desserts – Okay but not great! Most were traditional Mexican desserts, flans, puddings etc. They're just different than the desserts I am used to and like.

Drinks – The beers are XX and Tecate, served on tap or in cans. The liquors, for the most part are not brands you would recognize but are acceptable. I didn't see where you could, for an upcharge, get call brands. I didn't drink one but my traveling friends all said the margaritas were good.

Sunrises – Amazing! Not to be missed!!

Snacks – If you're a snacker, bring along some nuts or trail mix or something along those lines. That's one area I think could improve is to have a bar area with snacks.

Bars – At night there's only one bar open, the Cantina. It's not very big and there's not a ton of seating. This is an area that could improve. If you're looking for a hotel with nightlife, this is NOT the hotel for you.

Crowd – All ages but tended towards older.

All in all, we found it to be a great value for what we paid. You won't find a better staff anywhere!!!

Room Tip: Patio rooms are the best! Building 1 is a great location, quiet and close to the adult pool.
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  • Stayed January 2013, traveled as a couple
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 3 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 3 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
Was this review helpful? Yes 10
Ask lakegirl16 about Holiday Inn Resort Los Cabos All-Inclusive
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Santiago S, Manager at Holiday Inn Resort Los Cabos All-Inclusive, responded to this review
January 22, 2013
lakegirl16, the first thing I want to say is thank you for the shout out to Anita! She's our number one fan and has been coming to the Hotel for over three decades! She's always there when you need information or tips about the Hotel, we've tried hiring her as our PR Manager but haven't been able to convice her! I liked your quote about how a vacation is what you make of it. It's true that we're not perfect, but we try very hard to make sure all of our guests have a good time! For example, we opened the Cantina recently (just three months ago, it's where our Patio restaurant used to be) and are still working out the kinks (will add the trail mix and extra seating to the to do list!), but it's something we developed to offer an better service to our guests.
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Racine, Wisconsin
Reviewer
4 reviews 4 reviews
4 hotel reviews
Reviews in 4 cities Reviews in 4 cities
“Mixed feelings”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed January 19, 2013

Good news first: Beautiful grounds, great pools with swim up bars, very helpful staff, clean, well run theme nights. I liked the food better than my husband, but he is not a buffet person. Walking distance to local town. Not so good news: rooms were dated, towels were threadbare, tiles in rooms and hallways were cracked, sink with cracks. They just need to invest some $$$ in some basic upgrades. While we were there all rooms received new sofa bed-but it was the same exact design, style, color as the old one!! Also a frig with soda was delivered halfway through our stay. Sad that an all inclusive didn't include some basic liquor in room-a few cold beers in frig would have been cheap nice touch.

Room Tip: Had an ocean view on second floor-but not a balcony! Appears balconys located on first and 3rd floo...
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  • Stayed January 2013, traveled as a couple
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 4 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 3 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
Was this review helpful? Yes
Ask Barbara D about Holiday Inn Resort Los Cabos All-Inclusive
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Santiago S, Manager at Holiday Inn Resort Los Cabos All-Inclusive, responded to this review
February 4, 2013
Hi Barbara! Thank you for your comments. We're very happy because we had a very good 2012 and starting last year our parent company has been investing in refurbishing the property. Some of the most recent upgrades to the rooms have been the sofa beds and the fridges. For the sofa beds they are very different actually. Before it was a blue (can't-yet-be-named-vintage...) model and now those have been replaced by beige futons, which are really cool and easier to use. And for the fridges we restock them with sodas every day free of charge. If any of our guests want some cold beers they only need to call Room Service and an ice-cold six-pack will be delivered for only $5 USD. Not too shabby right?
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Wisconsin
Contributor
18 reviews 18 reviews
13 hotel reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
54 helpful votes 54 helpful votes
“Didn't stay long enough!”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed January 18, 2013

This was our 4th and last resort of a 3 week stay in Los Cabos. We only stayed for 2 nights, but we enjoyed it very much! We did upgrade to an ocean front lower level room, from a ocean front balcony room which was worth the price. Our outdoor area was very large with a regular table and a hammock to relax in. This resort was very large and and the beach was extremely wide and large and expansive! Horses are right there to ride on the sand. There are a few restaurants, but they didn't know what was going on, we went to make reservations for one night, but didn't like the menu offered that night, so we asked if we could make reservations for the next night, and they said we had to do it the next day. We went the next day to find out that they were closed that night! Also, they knew the football playoffs were on, and they had signs up to watch the game at a certain place, but it was locked up tight. They didn't know what time the games were on, so that first day they kept their regular bar schedule. I met with the restaurant manager and told him the correct times of the games, since the next day the games were even earlier, so he did have the place open, but no bar service and the game wasn't on in time to see kick-off. Not sure what time they actually had the game on, since we weren't planning on watching the games that day. We just talked to a couple people that did try to watch the game. We spent most of our time at the adult pool and bar, Alma was the bartender and she was great! Also, I want to say a big Hola to Luis in the El Patio. This hotel is older, but it was cute, the rooms were a decent size, although there is a step up to get to the patio which if you miss it you can get a big jar. Overall, my first impression when we checked in wasn't so good, but after a couple hours, I was wishing that we planned more days to spend there. Will I return? You bet!

  • Stayed January 2013, traveled as a couple
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 3 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
Was this review helpful? Yes 4
Ask WegaGal about Holiday Inn Resort Los Cabos All-Inclusive
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Santiago S, Manager at Holiday Inn Resort Los Cabos All-Inclusive, responded to this review
January 22, 2013
Hi WegaGal! I remember you guys! I'm the restaurant manager you talked to about the playoff times! We made the mistake of thinking we were on Eastern time when our timezone is two hours earlier... What a busted play right? Wild card weekend we had a rough start but for the next weekends we did open the Cantina at the right time and with full bar service! And come February 3rd we'll be ready for the Super Bowl! When you come back next year and stay for a full week (at least!) we'll talk shop and have everything ready for you to enjoy the games!
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Additional Information about Holiday Inn Resort Los Cabos All-Inclusive

Also Known As:
Presidente Intercontinental Los Cabos
Intercontinental Los Cabos Hotel
Presidente Intercontinental Los Cabos Resort
Intercontinental San Jose Del Cabo
Los Cabos Presidente
Presidente Intercontinental
Presidente Inter Continental
Presidente Cabo
El Presidente Cabo
Presidente Intercontinental Los Cabos All Inclusive Resort
Holiday Inn Resort Los Cabos All-Inclusive San Jose Del Cabo
Address: Blvd Mijares S/N | Zona Hotelera, San Jose del Cabo 23400, Mexico (Formerly Presidente Los Cabos Resort)
Phone Number:
Region: Mexico > Baja California > Baja California Sur > Los Cabos > San Jose del Cabo
Amenities:
Bar/Lounge Beach Business Center Fitness Center Free Breakfast Free Parking Restaurant Room Service Suites Swimming Pool Wheelchair access
Hotel Style:
#9 Top resorts Hotels in San Jose del Cabo
#13 Romantic Hotels in San Jose del Cabo
#15 On the Beach Hotels in San Jose del Cabo
#15 Family Hotels in San Jose del Cabo
Price Range: $$
Hotel Class:3.5 star (3.5*)
Official Description (provided by the hotel):
Nestled between a white sand beach and the Sierra de San Lazaro Mountains, Holiday Inn Resort Los Cabos is truly "at one" with the environment. At or near the resort, you’ll golf, play tennis, swim and ride horses while younger guests explore the Chiqui Kids Club. To expand your fun in the sun, Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo are minutes away. ... more   less 
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