Sheraton Hacienda del Mar, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico [Master Thread]
Sep 8, 2000, 3:49 pm
#1
Original Member
Original Poster
Join Date: May 1998
Location: New York
Posts: 2,115
Sheraton Hacienda del Mar, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico [Master Thread]
The hotel is wonderful, as nice
a hotel as we've stayed at. The Hacienda del mar complex is a series of
small building, very mexican style, pools, and restuarants and connected by walking paths. The hotel
has a set of electric carts to shuttle you around the complex and we took one to the Hotel lobby.
After we check in, they give us another cart ride, showing us where everything is in the complex.
The hotel room is very nice(about 450sf, sliding galss doors lead to a 70sf patio, overlooking playa barco verado(shipwreck
beach) You can still see the very rusted remains of a japanese frieghter that ran around in the 60s.
The bathroom has a jaccuzi tub, twin sinks and a seperate shower(large enough for 2
)
Our room is about a 40 yard walk, from the patio, to the beach. maybe 100 yeards to the largest of the several
pools at the hotel.
We took lots of great pics during the trip, and when I figure out how to upload them using Randy's new service,
I'll do so.
One minor note, no coffee maker in the room. We usually like to make fresh brewed ice tea when we travel,
one call to the front desk and 15 mins later the coffee maker, with an ample supply of filters arrives.
Speaking of filters and beverages(anyone travelling to mexico should be cautious about the water. Our cart
driver informs us to NOT drink the tap water. There is a one gallon bottle of purificata aqua in the room
and we are told, just ask if you need more. Each day of our stay, housekeeping left new bottle.
Another minor note, as seems to be the case in almost all non NorthAmerican hotels, there was no self serve ice
machine, you have to call and ask. However we never waited more than 10 mins to receive a large bucket of ice.
The hotel is about 7 miles from downtown cabo, taxi's are plentiful and the hotel has a shuttle which runs
every 2 hours(cost is a nominal 40 pesos(a little over 4 dollars).
The Hotel has several very large pools and the beach is private(only accessible from the Hacienda del Mar complex.
The beaqch was wide and extremely clean, however the currents are very strong and we were advised against swimming.
The hotel has several pools, each with different water tempertures. A hottub and beautifully landscaped grounds.
There are 3 restuarants at the hotel(the are pricey, you can eat for much less in downtown cabo). We tried 2
of them(Tomatoes and Pitahayas) both were exceptional. Dinner for 2 at Pitahayas ran us a shade over $100. It is
a wonderful restuarant. One of the best I've seen anywhere. The service is esceptional, the food quality
5 star and having dinner listening to sound of the waves crashing against the beach was very nice indeed.
The staff was very attentive and friendly. I speak a passable basic spanish(good for tourists), however everyone
spoke excellent english and you don't need any spanish knowledge at all.
a hotel as we've stayed at. The Hacienda del mar complex is a series of
small building, very mexican style, pools, and restuarants and connected by walking paths. The hotel
has a set of electric carts to shuttle you around the complex and we took one to the Hotel lobby.
After we check in, they give us another cart ride, showing us where everything is in the complex.
The hotel room is very nice(about 450sf, sliding galss doors lead to a 70sf patio, overlooking playa barco verado(shipwreck
beach) You can still see the very rusted remains of a japanese frieghter that ran around in the 60s.
The bathroom has a jaccuzi tub, twin sinks and a seperate shower(large enough for 2
)Our room is about a 40 yard walk, from the patio, to the beach. maybe 100 yeards to the largest of the several
pools at the hotel.
We took lots of great pics during the trip, and when I figure out how to upload them using Randy's new service,
I'll do so.
One minor note, no coffee maker in the room. We usually like to make fresh brewed ice tea when we travel,
one call to the front desk and 15 mins later the coffee maker, with an ample supply of filters arrives.
Speaking of filters and beverages(anyone travelling to mexico should be cautious about the water. Our cart
driver informs us to NOT drink the tap water. There is a one gallon bottle of purificata aqua in the room
and we are told, just ask if you need more. Each day of our stay, housekeeping left new bottle.
Another minor note, as seems to be the case in almost all non NorthAmerican hotels, there was no self serve ice
machine, you have to call and ask. However we never waited more than 10 mins to receive a large bucket of ice.
The hotel is about 7 miles from downtown cabo, taxi's are plentiful and the hotel has a shuttle which runs
every 2 hours(cost is a nominal 40 pesos(a little over 4 dollars).
The Hotel has several very large pools and the beach is private(only accessible from the Hacienda del Mar complex.
The beaqch was wide and extremely clean, however the currents are very strong and we were advised against swimming.
The hotel has several pools, each with different water tempertures. A hottub and beautifully landscaped grounds.
There are 3 restuarants at the hotel(the are pricey, you can eat for much less in downtown cabo). We tried 2
of them(Tomatoes and Pitahayas) both were exceptional. Dinner for 2 at Pitahayas ran us a shade over $100. It is
a wonderful restuarant. One of the best I've seen anywhere. The service is esceptional, the food quality
5 star and having dinner listening to sound of the waves crashing against the beach was very nice indeed.
The staff was very attentive and friendly. I speak a passable basic spanish(good for tourists), however everyone
spoke excellent english and you don't need any spanish knowledge at all.
Jan 8, 2003, 11:43 pm
#2
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: san francisco, ca 94123
Posts: 200
Sheraton Hacienda Del Mar - Cabo
I didnt see a whole lot of information on this board about this property before I left for my vacation, so I figured I'd put together a short note when I got back.
I was really excited about this trip. I got a really good rate for the property and reserved two room for my family (5 people). I didnt compare the rates at the Westin because I had been eyeing this property for quite some time, and when I saw the rate, I just had to take it. I made the reservations for 2 garden view rooms (I'm not the type that likes to pay more for the view).
I arrived at the hotel on Saturday and was greeted very warmly by the staff. Upon checkin, the gentleman at the fron desk told us that he had upgraded me to a 3 bedroom villa instead of the two rooms for my family. Being a gold member, I was ecstatic to hear this. I dont get these types of upgrades very often. Usually I'll get an upgrade like a garden view to a partial ocean view, so getting the 3 bedroom villa with an ocean view was definately very nice. Apparently they treat all their elites very well. We also later found a bottle of champagne waiting for us in the hotel room and a note saying all gold members recieve a bottle of champagne and 20% off on spa treatments (10% on the weekends). While I thought this was a great discount, I really wanted to check out the Las Ventanas spa since I had heard it was one of the best in the world. Continuing on the discussion of the Sheraton, we were also happy to see that we recieved coupons for a free breakfast for my whole family for every night that we stayed at the resort. Each person was also given a coupon for a free drink. None of these items were listed on rate description on the reservation, so I was pleasantly surprised about this.
The room itself was two stories and sat on the top floor of one of the buildings near the water. Two of the three bedrooms had ocean views, as well as the living room. The villa was tastefully decorated and we took full advantage of the kitchen by stocking the fridge with cheap coronas and tecate. Theres no jacuzzis in the villa (the hotel rooms have them), but we were still quite happy to get the villa instead.
The property itself is in excellent condition and very asthetically appealing. There are three pools and two outdoor jacuzzis overlooking the ocean. The main pool is an infinity pool.
The only two thing I wasnt too crazy about was the cost of the cabs to Los Cabos. Its about 25 bucks (for 5 people) plus tip each way. That adds up pretty quick. Outside of that, I think people will find this to be a wonderful resort to visit. The staff is very well friendly and helpful, the property is beautiful, and prices reasonable. I would definately visit again. One final comment, for those of you spa junkies, I HIGHLY recommend staying at the Sheraton Hacienda but definately go to Las Ventanas for spa treatments. Its definately the most beautiful resort I have EVER been to. The spa treatments there are about the same price as the Sheraton, but the service (compares to the Ritz properties...everyone says "my pleasure") is really outstanding ( though the Sheraton's service is also very good) and the spa facilities are nicer than the Sheraton's. You can't get into see the Las Ventanas property without being a guest or a reservation at the spa. The resteraunt at Las Ventanas is also magnificent and about the same price as the Sheraton. You must have a meal there if you go to Las Ventanas. The room rates at Las Ventanas however are significantly higher than the Sheraton though. Anyway, I hope this is helpful.
I was really excited about this trip. I got a really good rate for the property and reserved two room for my family (5 people). I didnt compare the rates at the Westin because I had been eyeing this property for quite some time, and when I saw the rate, I just had to take it. I made the reservations for 2 garden view rooms (I'm not the type that likes to pay more for the view).
I arrived at the hotel on Saturday and was greeted very warmly by the staff. Upon checkin, the gentleman at the fron desk told us that he had upgraded me to a 3 bedroom villa instead of the two rooms for my family. Being a gold member, I was ecstatic to hear this. I dont get these types of upgrades very often. Usually I'll get an upgrade like a garden view to a partial ocean view, so getting the 3 bedroom villa with an ocean view was definately very nice. Apparently they treat all their elites very well. We also later found a bottle of champagne waiting for us in the hotel room and a note saying all gold members recieve a bottle of champagne and 20% off on spa treatments (10% on the weekends). While I thought this was a great discount, I really wanted to check out the Las Ventanas spa since I had heard it was one of the best in the world. Continuing on the discussion of the Sheraton, we were also happy to see that we recieved coupons for a free breakfast for my whole family for every night that we stayed at the resort. Each person was also given a coupon for a free drink. None of these items were listed on rate description on the reservation, so I was pleasantly surprised about this.
The room itself was two stories and sat on the top floor of one of the buildings near the water. Two of the three bedrooms had ocean views, as well as the living room. The villa was tastefully decorated and we took full advantage of the kitchen by stocking the fridge with cheap coronas and tecate. Theres no jacuzzis in the villa (the hotel rooms have them), but we were still quite happy to get the villa instead.
The property itself is in excellent condition and very asthetically appealing. There are three pools and two outdoor jacuzzis overlooking the ocean. The main pool is an infinity pool.
The only two thing I wasnt too crazy about was the cost of the cabs to Los Cabos. Its about 25 bucks (for 5 people) plus tip each way. That adds up pretty quick. Outside of that, I think people will find this to be a wonderful resort to visit. The staff is very well friendly and helpful, the property is beautiful, and prices reasonable. I would definately visit again. One final comment, for those of you spa junkies, I HIGHLY recommend staying at the Sheraton Hacienda but definately go to Las Ventanas for spa treatments. Its definately the most beautiful resort I have EVER been to. The spa treatments there are about the same price as the Sheraton, but the service (compares to the Ritz properties...everyone says "my pleasure") is really outstanding ( though the Sheraton's service is also very good) and the spa facilities are nicer than the Sheraton's. You can't get into see the Las Ventanas property without being a guest or a reservation at the spa. The resteraunt at Las Ventanas is also magnificent and about the same price as the Sheraton. You must have a meal there if you go to Las Ventanas. The room rates at Las Ventanas however are significantly higher than the Sheraton though. Anyway, I hope this is helpful.
Jan 9, 2003, 3:31 pm
#3
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: san francisco, ca 94123
Posts: 200
Rates: I paid 168 a night for my stay. I think the rack rates are generally much higher. The rate may be due to the timing 1/4 - 1/7 (right after the new years crowd leaves).
Swimming: It is not recommended to swim in the ocean because of very strong currents there. I saw no snorkelers on the beach, but you can take a snorkeling trip in other areas outside of the hotel. The pools however are pretty nice and features an infinity pool. There are no slides are swim up bars. There are some pictures of their pools (not great pictures) on their website:
http://sheratonhaciendadelmar.com/facilities.htm
These are not the greatest pools I've been to, but I liked them. There are a lot of lounge chairs both by the pool and on the beach (there is no rental fees for them).
Cabs: Sorry I meant to say that the $25 cab fare was to Cabo San Lucas.
Other properties: Sorry the only other property I can comment on was Las Ventanas. You should definately visit that property if you have the chance. The spa there is worth every penny and you won't be disappointed when you see the grounds. There are better spas in the world (the Grand Waliea is my favorite) but I have yet to find a more beautiful property. I only saw the Hilton and the Westin from my cab. The cab was about 150 yards away from the entrance of the hotels so I didnt get a real good look at either property. The Westin is definately an interesting looking property (though you cant get a very good look of it fromt he freeway). The Hilton did not look like anything special from the outside, but like I said, I couldnt see past the front of the building of either property. However, I really enjoyed the service at the Sheraton. Im not platinum so I rarely get good upgrades, so as a gold member, I was feeling pretty good about the great treatment at the Sheraton.
Hope this helps and have fun down in the sun!!!!
Swimming: It is not recommended to swim in the ocean because of very strong currents there. I saw no snorkelers on the beach, but you can take a snorkeling trip in other areas outside of the hotel. The pools however are pretty nice and features an infinity pool. There are no slides are swim up bars. There are some pictures of their pools (not great pictures) on their website:
http://sheratonhaciendadelmar.com/facilities.htm
These are not the greatest pools I've been to, but I liked them. There are a lot of lounge chairs both by the pool and on the beach (there is no rental fees for them).
Cabs: Sorry I meant to say that the $25 cab fare was to Cabo San Lucas.
Other properties: Sorry the only other property I can comment on was Las Ventanas. You should definately visit that property if you have the chance. The spa there is worth every penny and you won't be disappointed when you see the grounds. There are better spas in the world (the Grand Waliea is my favorite) but I have yet to find a more beautiful property. I only saw the Hilton and the Westin from my cab. The cab was about 150 yards away from the entrance of the hotels so I didnt get a real good look at either property. The Westin is definately an interesting looking property (though you cant get a very good look of it fromt he freeway). The Hilton did not look like anything special from the outside, but like I said, I couldnt see past the front of the building of either property. However, I really enjoyed the service at the Sheraton. Im not platinum so I rarely get good upgrades, so as a gold member, I was feeling pretty good about the great treatment at the Sheraton.
Hope this helps and have fun down in the sun!!!!
Jan 21, 2003, 8:45 pm
#4
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 48
Your visit to this hotel was much better then my visit back in December. My wife and I left early because of a variety of problems. None of them individually were enough to cause us much grief, but when you add them all up it wasn't the vacation we were looking for.
I am Starwood Platinum and the room we were given had only a partial ocean view.
I sent the following fax to the hotel on 12/31/02 and received no response (and no returned sunglasses).
I am heading back to Cabo tomorrow, but alas, I will be staying elsewhere...
Jeff
Dear Alex Vivian-
This is to follow up on our conversation on 12/14/02 when my wife checked out of your hotel a day early.
We were less then satisfied with our stay at your hotel for a number of reasons. We travel enough to know that there will be positive and negative experiences at any hotel. But our stay at your hotel was so full of negative experiences, that we decided to leave early. I will admit that none of them individually were enough to warrant our leaving early, but when you add them all up, it just wasn't worth it to stay.
1) We checked into the hotel on 12/13/02. So far everything was fine. We had a nice lunch in your restaurant. No problems so far. The only thing I noticed is that there was no "Platinum Amenity" which I usually receive as a Starwood Platinum guest.
2) After lunch, we went back to our room to read and watch TV. We were disappointed that there was a very limited selection of television channels. No HBO or movie channels. And no movie on demand service. Considering your hotels location and the lack of nearby clubs, bars and restaurants (like you would find in the city of Cabo San Lucas), I would expect more in room television options. But, this wasn't that big of a deal.
3) We decided to go to bed early. We did not put out the do not disturb sign (our fault). We fall asleep around 7pm. At around 8pm, there is a knock on the door. It is the maid. She asks if we want her to turn down the bed. We are already asleep (lights in the room are off), so I say No and close the door. "No" is the same word in Spanish and in English, so I am sure she understood. I don't mind that she knocked, because we didn't have the Do Not Disturb sign up. If we wanted to ensure no knocks, we should have put that up.
I fall asleep again. About 15 minutes later, I get a call from the front desk, asking if I want the bed turned down. I told the front desk person "What part of NO don't you understand?!?. I told the maid that I didn't want that service, because we were sleeping, so why the (expletive deleted) are you calling me again and waking me up to ask the same question??" I then hang up. I see no excuse for a call to us asking us for the same service that we already told no to the maid. No means no. No does not mean that it is OK for someone else to ask again.
4) We were given coupons upon our arrival for an American Breakfast for two. We go the next morning to the restaurant. I don't know what an American Breakfast includes, so I helped myself to the buffet. Only after, did I discover that the buffet was not the American Breakfast and we get charged $40 for our breakfast. I guess that is my fault. I should have asked exactly what the "free" breakfast includes. But still, I wasn't too happy about it.
5) We come back from breakfast and open the window to get some fresh air. The room we were in was right over the kitchen exhaust and we didn't smell the fresh ocean breeze, but the smell of bacon cooking. After about 1 minute we decided that the window needed to stay closed if we didn't want to smell bacon cooking all morning.
6) At around 9:50am, the maid opens the door. This time we DID have the Do Not Disturb sign on. We tell her to get out and to respect the sign we put on the door. She said she had a call to come clean the room because we were checking out. I told her that we didn't tell anyone we were checking out and the Do Not Disturb Sign means DO NOT DISTURB. At he same time someone else comes into our room from the second door with the same story. He was there to get the bags. I told him that we didn't call anyone to get the bags.
We had in fact decided to leave, but we had not told anyone in the hotel that.
We got our own bags and went downstairs.
7) As I went to the front desk, I told my wife to go to the bell desk and ask them to call a taxi to the airport. I was not going to say anything to you about the problems, but you asked, so I did. When finally I was ready to leave, I walk outside expecting the taxi to be there with the bags loaded. The bellman says he will call the taxi. That is when I really got upset. Why did he ignore my wife's request. His excuse was that it would only take 2 minutes. I don't care that it would only take 2 minutes. When we asked for a taxi to be called, we expected it to be called right then. Not for him to decide that we should wait for some reason. Customer service means that you respond to customer requests and not make customers conform to the way you think is best. The bellman thought his way was best but it went directly against what my wife requested.
8) As I was reviewing the bill, I saw a charge called Service Charge (Maid). I have stayed in hundreds of hotels around the world and I don't recall ever seeing a charge like this. Either you are charging us for maid service, which should be included in the room rate, or you are charging us a gratuity for the maid. Gratuities for the maid should be at the guests discretion and not included on the bill. In any case, I was certainly NOT HAPPY with the maids and there was no way I was going to leave a gratuity. But to make matter worse, we received absolutely no maid service during our stay because we refused it each time. There is no way I am was going to pay for it when your people seem to force it upon us when it isn't desired, isn't required and in fact was bothersome. Only then did it make sense why the maid was so insistent on turning down our room. Maybe it is because she doesn't get paid unless she provides that service. I don't know (and I really don't care) if that is the case, but it is just the wrong way to handle things in my opinion. The amount of the charge wasn't the issue, but the principal. So I asked for it to be removed (and it was).
So that is the reason we left early. We stayed in August at the Westin and had none of these types of problems. When we return to Cabo, it will be back to the Westin.
Jeff Bianco
Starwood Platinum number xxxxxxxx
[email protected]
PS If anyone found my sunglasses, please send them to the address above via FedEx and bill the shipping to this FedEx number: XXXX-XXXX-X. There are only two places the sunglasses could have been. In the restaurant or in my room. A photo of me (wearing the sunglasses) is attached.
I am Starwood Platinum and the room we were given had only a partial ocean view.
I sent the following fax to the hotel on 12/31/02 and received no response (and no returned sunglasses).
I am heading back to Cabo tomorrow, but alas, I will be staying elsewhere...
Jeff
Dear Alex Vivian-
This is to follow up on our conversation on 12/14/02 when my wife checked out of your hotel a day early.
We were less then satisfied with our stay at your hotel for a number of reasons. We travel enough to know that there will be positive and negative experiences at any hotel. But our stay at your hotel was so full of negative experiences, that we decided to leave early. I will admit that none of them individually were enough to warrant our leaving early, but when you add them all up, it just wasn't worth it to stay.
1) We checked into the hotel on 12/13/02. So far everything was fine. We had a nice lunch in your restaurant. No problems so far. The only thing I noticed is that there was no "Platinum Amenity" which I usually receive as a Starwood Platinum guest.
2) After lunch, we went back to our room to read and watch TV. We were disappointed that there was a very limited selection of television channels. No HBO or movie channels. And no movie on demand service. Considering your hotels location and the lack of nearby clubs, bars and restaurants (like you would find in the city of Cabo San Lucas), I would expect more in room television options. But, this wasn't that big of a deal.
3) We decided to go to bed early. We did not put out the do not disturb sign (our fault). We fall asleep around 7pm. At around 8pm, there is a knock on the door. It is the maid. She asks if we want her to turn down the bed. We are already asleep (lights in the room are off), so I say No and close the door. "No" is the same word in Spanish and in English, so I am sure she understood. I don't mind that she knocked, because we didn't have the Do Not Disturb sign up. If we wanted to ensure no knocks, we should have put that up.
I fall asleep again. About 15 minutes later, I get a call from the front desk, asking if I want the bed turned down. I told the front desk person "What part of NO don't you understand?!?. I told the maid that I didn't want that service, because we were sleeping, so why the (expletive deleted) are you calling me again and waking me up to ask the same question??" I then hang up. I see no excuse for a call to us asking us for the same service that we already told no to the maid. No means no. No does not mean that it is OK for someone else to ask again.
4) We were given coupons upon our arrival for an American Breakfast for two. We go the next morning to the restaurant. I don't know what an American Breakfast includes, so I helped myself to the buffet. Only after, did I discover that the buffet was not the American Breakfast and we get charged $40 for our breakfast. I guess that is my fault. I should have asked exactly what the "free" breakfast includes. But still, I wasn't too happy about it.
5) We come back from breakfast and open the window to get some fresh air. The room we were in was right over the kitchen exhaust and we didn't smell the fresh ocean breeze, but the smell of bacon cooking. After about 1 minute we decided that the window needed to stay closed if we didn't want to smell bacon cooking all morning.
6) At around 9:50am, the maid opens the door. This time we DID have the Do Not Disturb sign on. We tell her to get out and to respect the sign we put on the door. She said she had a call to come clean the room because we were checking out. I told her that we didn't tell anyone we were checking out and the Do Not Disturb Sign means DO NOT DISTURB. At he same time someone else comes into our room from the second door with the same story. He was there to get the bags. I told him that we didn't call anyone to get the bags.
We had in fact decided to leave, but we had not told anyone in the hotel that.
We got our own bags and went downstairs.
7) As I went to the front desk, I told my wife to go to the bell desk and ask them to call a taxi to the airport. I was not going to say anything to you about the problems, but you asked, so I did. When finally I was ready to leave, I walk outside expecting the taxi to be there with the bags loaded. The bellman says he will call the taxi. That is when I really got upset. Why did he ignore my wife's request. His excuse was that it would only take 2 minutes. I don't care that it would only take 2 minutes. When we asked for a taxi to be called, we expected it to be called right then. Not for him to decide that we should wait for some reason. Customer service means that you respond to customer requests and not make customers conform to the way you think is best. The bellman thought his way was best but it went directly against what my wife requested.
8) As I was reviewing the bill, I saw a charge called Service Charge (Maid). I have stayed in hundreds of hotels around the world and I don't recall ever seeing a charge like this. Either you are charging us for maid service, which should be included in the room rate, or you are charging us a gratuity for the maid. Gratuities for the maid should be at the guests discretion and not included on the bill. In any case, I was certainly NOT HAPPY with the maids and there was no way I was going to leave a gratuity. But to make matter worse, we received absolutely no maid service during our stay because we refused it each time. There is no way I am was going to pay for it when your people seem to force it upon us when it isn't desired, isn't required and in fact was bothersome. Only then did it make sense why the maid was so insistent on turning down our room. Maybe it is because she doesn't get paid unless she provides that service. I don't know (and I really don't care) if that is the case, but it is just the wrong way to handle things in my opinion. The amount of the charge wasn't the issue, but the principal. So I asked for it to be removed (and it was).
So that is the reason we left early. We stayed in August at the Westin and had none of these types of problems. When we return to Cabo, it will be back to the Westin.
Jeff Bianco
Starwood Platinum number xxxxxxxx
[email protected]
PS If anyone found my sunglasses, please send them to the address above via FedEx and bill the shipping to this FedEx number: XXXX-XXXX-X. There are only two places the sunglasses could have been. In the restaurant or in my room. A photo of me (wearing the sunglasses) is attached.
Dec 17, 2003, 9:16 am
#7
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Posts: 350
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by flamboyant 1:
Ok thanks,
but please, if anyone has the time and knowledge:
comment on my questions above,
especially the distance between the hac d m and the westin regina. transportation,
golf, etc.
Thanks!</font>
Ok thanks,
but please, if anyone has the time and knowledge:
comment on my questions above,
especially the distance between the hac d m and the westin regina. transportation,
golf, etc.
Thanks!</font>
The courses at the Cabo del Sol complex where Hacienda is located are excellent. The original course is the Ocean Course which is very beautiful but pretty difficult. Some amazing waterfront holes especially the finishing three. The newer course is the Desert Course which has fewer forced carries and no oceanfront holes. Both courses are very expensive, but are kept in impeccable condition. http://www.cabodelsol.com/launcher_html.htm
At the area around the Westin there are two courses at the Cabo Real complex. http://www.caboreal.com/ Cabo Real is one of the older courses and to me is a typical, but very nice, resort course. The real gem is El Dorado which has about six holes along the beach and several holes in a very peaceful canyon across the highway.
The other two courses open to the public are the old Cabo San Lucas Country Club (now called The Raven) which is close to town and the 27 holes at Palmilla. The mountain 9 at Palmilla is great while I find the other two nines somewhat forgettable. http://www.palmillaresort.com/
If you could only pick two, my choices would be El DOrado and the Ocean Course at Cabo del Sol.
Hope this helps. I'm looking forward to my return (6th) visit at the end of January.
Jun 22, 2004, 10:31 am
#8
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 23
Originally Posted by az1774
I'm looking for info about Sheraton Hacienda del Mar Resort and Spa in Cabo.
I will spend 9 days there in August.
Thanks a lot.
Daniele
I will spend 9 days there in August.
Thanks a lot.
Daniele
Jan 29, 2006, 10:18 pm
#9
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: MEL/LAX
Programs: AAdv GLD(MM), QF LTS, UA MP_nada, HH Gld, SPG, GoldenCircle Jade
Posts: 4,472
Sheraton Hacienda Del Mar - Cabo - non-room charges
Visited this hotel last year and enjoyed our stay - so much so that my parents bought a time share.
So this year going but not accruing *points for the stay.
What if we eat in one of the hotel restaurants or the pool bars? If I plonk by SPG card (and SPG Amex ofcourse) down will I get *points (in addition to those via the SPG Amex) for the food and drink?
So this year going but not accruing *points for the stay.
What if we eat in one of the hotel restaurants or the pool bars? If I plonk by SPG card (and SPG Amex ofcourse) down will I get *points (in addition to those via the SPG Amex) for the food and drink?
Mar 7, 2006, 12:44 am
#10
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: LAX
Programs: SPG Gold, AA Plat, UAPX, Fairmont Plat, HHonors Silver
Posts: 14
Points for F&B
Originally Posted by alect
Visited this hotel last year and enjoyed our stay - so much so that my parents bought a time share.
So this year going but not accruing *points for the stay.
What if we eat in one of the hotel restaurants or the pool bars? If I plonk by SPG card (and SPG Amex ofcourse) down will I get *points (in addition to those via the SPG Amex) for the food and drink?
So this year going but not accruing *points for the stay.
What if we eat in one of the hotel restaurants or the pool bars? If I plonk by SPG card (and SPG Amex ofcourse) down will I get *points (in addition to those via the SPG Amex) for the food and drink?
Apr 4, 2006, 9:05 pm
#11
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Houston
Programs: AA EXP; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond, UA 1.56MM (fmr UA1K)
Posts: 5,770
Transport to and from the airport....I did Transcabo They have a website on which you can make reservations (I found it by doing a google search). It's around 30some dollars roundtrip. The resort is quite isolated....so many would prefer to have a car if they plan on doing much off the resort property. There is a hotel shuttle to Cabo $10 roundtrip per person....which can add up fast if you're a family who likes to go into town. Taxis in Cabo are generally quite expensive by Mexico standards.
Apr 4, 2006, 9:09 pm
#12
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Northwest NJ
Programs: Starwood Platinum,Marriott Platinum, United Silver
Posts: 2,313
1. Definintely rent a car. We stayed at the Westin Club Regina and were very happy to be able to get around.
2. Try Local 8 in San Jose de Cabo - wonderful meal. Also Ediths in Cabo.
3. We had lunch at the Breeze restaurant at the One and Only in Palmilla. If you're willing to spend some bucks for lunch, you get to experience Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous! We loved it.
4. Quick - learn how to play golf so you can do it in Cabo. It's magnificent!
Have a great time
2. Try Local 8 in San Jose de Cabo - wonderful meal. Also Ediths in Cabo.
3. We had lunch at the Breeze restaurant at the One and Only in Palmilla. If you're willing to spend some bucks for lunch, you get to experience Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous! We loved it.
4. Quick - learn how to play golf so you can do it in Cabo. It's magnificent!
Have a great time
Apr 5, 2006, 12:40 am
#13
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Lafayette, CO, USA
Programs: SPG Lifetime Plat, AA Gold, UA Gold, DL Silver, HH Gold, Vail Epic
Posts: 9,096
The main restaurant at the Sheraton gets great reviews. In San Jose del Cabo, Morgan's Encore was our favorite restaurant of our week-long stay. Mi Cocina was another favorite. There's also a great pastry/dessert shop near Morgan's Encore.
We brought wine with us from home and paid corkage at the restaurants. We were glad we did because prices on the wine lists were outrageous everywhere we went. One bottle that we bought in the U.S. for $25 was on a wine list for $99, for example.
In Cabo San Lucas, we ate at Mi Casa -- an interesting atmosphere and good food. Good, but not great.
We wanted to dine on the beach at The Office, but we couldn't get a reservation for the night that we wanted. It may be worth calling or e-mailing the hotel concierge to book some dinner reservations in advance of your arrival.
We went scuba diving up at Cabo Pulmo and at the arch at Cabo San Lucas. Both were great dive sites, but Cabo Pulmo had the largest schools of fish and ended up being a private trip for just me and my wife. It's about 2 hours drive from Cabo San Lucas to Cabo Pulmo.
We rented a VW Jetta from National at the airport, and we would definitely do that again. I think that gas stations are cash only.
We took a day trip up to Todos Santos to explore the art galleries. If you do that, go early since many of the shops close around 4pm, IIRC. We had a great lunch at a restaurant there, but I'd have to look up the name of the place.
We went horseback riding on the beach in San Jose del Cabo. Though there were dozens of customers at the stables, we were the only ones on the 2-hour tour, so we got a private ride. Since it was just the two of us and our guide, we were able to take the horses running on the beach instead of just riding slowly in a line the whole time.
We took a tour of the Sheraton property while we were staying at the Westin. Loved the Sheraton but was not so impressed with the Westin. In fact, we were quite disappointed by some aspects of the Westin. (But the service was usually great.)
Get to the airport early for your return. The check-in and security lines can be very long. Don't count on any good food at the airport, though.
We brought wine with us from home and paid corkage at the restaurants. We were glad we did because prices on the wine lists were outrageous everywhere we went. One bottle that we bought in the U.S. for $25 was on a wine list for $99, for example.
In Cabo San Lucas, we ate at Mi Casa -- an interesting atmosphere and good food. Good, but not great.
We wanted to dine on the beach at The Office, but we couldn't get a reservation for the night that we wanted. It may be worth calling or e-mailing the hotel concierge to book some dinner reservations in advance of your arrival.
We went scuba diving up at Cabo Pulmo and at the arch at Cabo San Lucas. Both were great dive sites, but Cabo Pulmo had the largest schools of fish and ended up being a private trip for just me and my wife. It's about 2 hours drive from Cabo San Lucas to Cabo Pulmo.
We rented a VW Jetta from National at the airport, and we would definitely do that again. I think that gas stations are cash only.
We took a day trip up to Todos Santos to explore the art galleries. If you do that, go early since many of the shops close around 4pm, IIRC. We had a great lunch at a restaurant there, but I'd have to look up the name of the place.
We went horseback riding on the beach in San Jose del Cabo. Though there were dozens of customers at the stables, we were the only ones on the 2-hour tour, so we got a private ride. Since it was just the two of us and our guide, we were able to take the horses running on the beach instead of just riding slowly in a line the whole time.
We took a tour of the Sheraton property while we were staying at the Westin. Loved the Sheraton but was not so impressed with the Westin. In fact, we were quite disappointed by some aspects of the Westin. (But the service was usually great.)
Get to the airport early for your return. The check-in and security lines can be very long. Don't count on any good food at the airport, though.
Apr 5, 2006, 2:23 pm
#14
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: LAX
Programs: SPG Gold, AA Plat, UAPX, Fairmont Plat, HHonors Silver
Posts: 14
We stayed at the Sheraton Hacienda del Mar in Cabo a month ago for two nights in a floor level garden view room, but you could still see a partial view of the ocean from there.
Transportation: Definitely echo the advice to rent a car. The Sheraton is about a 30 min drive from SJD and if you reserve a car in advance, you get some pretty good deals. We rented a tiny little manual Ford Focus from Avis for $20/day. Fit four of us fine with a couple carry on luggages. A car gives you the flexibility to go to either town, Cabo San Lucas (15 minutes) or San Jose Del Cabo (20 minutes), the Hacienda is located in a stretch of land with all the resorts (corridor turistico) between the two and there isn't anything nearby that is walkable.
Activities: The Sheraton resort has some wonderful pools and private beach so we spent a lot of time lounging around right at the hotel. We even spotted a couple of whales out in the ocean right from the pool area. We did rent a couple of ATVs for a 4 hour canyon and beach tour in Migrino (about 40 min up towards Todo Santos). We signed up the night before in the town of Cabo San Lucas, just wander around and there are lots of booths setup around town offering all sorts of sports and activities. They are setup by the numerous timeshare properties down there to entice you to tour the property with a discounted activity in exchange, but you can negotiate a undiscounted price for an activity without a tour. We ended up negotiating around $90 for two of us to each getting our own ATV (plus we had to pay some entrance fees into the park once we got there). They will come and pick you up at the hotel in the morning, bring you out to Migrino, provide helmets, goggles and bottled water and lead you around for a couple of hours through the canyons, then set you free for about an hour to ride around the beach and hills on your own. It was a lot of fun, but be careful going over some of the hills and jumps, I fell off and scratched up my arm trying to go up a steep sand dune. There are medics around watching and will patch you up.
Dining: The restaurants at the Sheraton are not cheap, but they are convenient and serve pretty good food. The main restaurant, Pitahayas, serves fine dining fusion asian cuisine in a covered open air setting near the ocean with a live jazz band playing almost every night. The food was excellent and the atmosphere is definitely worth the price.
Cabo San Lucas has a lot of bars and restaurants catering to the spring break party crowd (Cannery Row) and others cater to a less rowdy bunch. We just walked around until we found one that fit with our pace. Street parking can be a pain in Cabo, but there's a parking lot near the supermarket that is pretty reasonable. It's supposed to be for customers only, but you can buy some water or something from the supermarket.
There's definitely a lot to do in and around Cabo, but even for just a weekend trip, we had a great time. Have fun!
Transportation: Definitely echo the advice to rent a car. The Sheraton is about a 30 min drive from SJD and if you reserve a car in advance, you get some pretty good deals. We rented a tiny little manual Ford Focus from Avis for $20/day. Fit four of us fine with a couple carry on luggages. A car gives you the flexibility to go to either town, Cabo San Lucas (15 minutes) or San Jose Del Cabo (20 minutes), the Hacienda is located in a stretch of land with all the resorts (corridor turistico) between the two and there isn't anything nearby that is walkable.
Activities: The Sheraton resort has some wonderful pools and private beach so we spent a lot of time lounging around right at the hotel. We even spotted a couple of whales out in the ocean right from the pool area. We did rent a couple of ATVs for a 4 hour canyon and beach tour in Migrino (about 40 min up towards Todo Santos). We signed up the night before in the town of Cabo San Lucas, just wander around and there are lots of booths setup around town offering all sorts of sports and activities. They are setup by the numerous timeshare properties down there to entice you to tour the property with a discounted activity in exchange, but you can negotiate a undiscounted price for an activity without a tour. We ended up negotiating around $90 for two of us to each getting our own ATV (plus we had to pay some entrance fees into the park once we got there). They will come and pick you up at the hotel in the morning, bring you out to Migrino, provide helmets, goggles and bottled water and lead you around for a couple of hours through the canyons, then set you free for about an hour to ride around the beach and hills on your own. It was a lot of fun, but be careful going over some of the hills and jumps, I fell off and scratched up my arm trying to go up a steep sand dune. There are medics around watching and will patch you up.
Dining: The restaurants at the Sheraton are not cheap, but they are convenient and serve pretty good food. The main restaurant, Pitahayas, serves fine dining fusion asian cuisine in a covered open air setting near the ocean with a live jazz band playing almost every night. The food was excellent and the atmosphere is definitely worth the price.
Cabo San Lucas has a lot of bars and restaurants catering to the spring break party crowd (Cannery Row) and others cater to a less rowdy bunch. We just walked around until we found one that fit with our pace. Street parking can be a pain in Cabo, but there's a parking lot near the supermarket that is pretty reasonable. It's supposed to be for customers only, but you can buy some water or something from the supermarket.
There's definitely a lot to do in and around Cabo, but even for just a weekend trip, we had a great time. Have fun!
Last edited by TrvlnBob; Apr 5, 2006 at 4:49 pm
Apr 5, 2006, 4:50 pm
#15
Join Date: May 2001
Location: New York, New York
Posts: 1,602
We stayed there in January and paid a $75 fee to take a cab to our hotel, whereas on return from the hotel to the airport it was $30.
We had a great dinner at the Esperanza Hotel, sitting outside to hear the waves crash against the cliff and beach below.
We had a great dinner at the Esperanza Hotel, sitting outside to hear the waves crash against the cliff and beach below.