I traveled to Los Cabos/Cabo San Lucas in November 2006 for 3 nights. I chose to stay at the Westin Los Cabos and flew on US Airways from Phoenix. Due to the amount of time I had in Los Cabos, I did not venture far from the resort, but still managed to have an excellent time nonetheless. I hope to be returning to Los Cabos again soon, but hopefully not on US Airways (more on that below…)
The trip started off right with an on time departure from Phoenix and first class seats. However, I quickly found out that first class is just not worth it on this airline, especially when the flight is just under 2 hours. All I received was an extra drink and chips. Save first class for flights of 3-4 hours or more. I arrived into San Jose Del Cabo Airport and quickly grabbed my bags and headed to the shuttle vans, which are parked just outside of the airport. I bought a ticket to the Westin, waited 15 minutes for the van to fill up, and we were all on our way! Approximately 20 minutes later, we arrived at the Westin and greeted with a smile and a margarita!
The check in process took forever. I was early in arriving, so the room was not ready, but noone really told me how long it was going to take. So, I eventually asked for assistance to find a restaurant for lunch. I was lead through the expansive, beautiful grounds to the laid back outdoor restaurant called La Palapa. I made this restaurant (which also does the poolside service meals) my lunch restaurant of choice throughout my stay. The menu is comprised of various sandwiches, some main entrees, and mostly seafood appetizers. I stuck with the simple stuff like quesadillas and fries. I did notice that the restaurant has a bit of a bee problem from time to time, but it wasn’t so terrible that I couldn’t stand it.
After lunch, I was able to check into my gorgeous room. The architecture of the resort is simply amazing with large arched buildings that allow every room to have at minimum a partial view of the Sea of Cortez. I had a pretty much dead on view of the sea on the fourth floor of the largest building. The room intentior was very Southwestern, which is the norm for me since I’m from Arizona. The bed was a Westin Heavenly bed, which of course is always great to sleep on, and the bathroom was equipped with the Westin Heavenly robes. The bathroom was faily large in size, with a small marble soaking tub and a large marble walk in shower. There was marble throughout the room on the floors as well. Everything was bright, colorful, and pleasant.
The majority of the vacation was spent lounging by one of the 7 pools on the property, which is comprised of the Westin and the Regina Club (timeshares) next door. There are two adult only pools, which is nice, and each of the pools overlooks the large beach area. The beach itself had plenty of space for the guests, although the sand was a bit coarse to walk on. Just off of the beach is a tiny minature golf course and two massage cabanas, which I chose to indulge in during my stay. The massage by the sea was very relaxing, although some of the guests on the golf course made some unwanted noise (To avoid the noise and the high temperatures, book a massage for first thing in the morning.) I have to admit I liked playing minature golf there, so I was probably one of those obnoxious loud guests!
Breakfast and dinner every day was spent at La Cascada, an outdoor chic restaurant overlooking the main pool area. There are actually 5 resaurants to choose from, including a sushi bar, but La Cascada suited me just fine. The brekfast was mostly buffet, and each night at dinner, they had a featured buffet that ranged from Mexican Cuisine, to Seafood, to Barbeque. I choose to order a la carte off of the main menu every night, so there are other options. The food was excellent, as I’m sure it was at the other restaurants as well. Maybe upon return I’d try out the upscale Arrcifes, or El Set for seafood.
So, here comes the bad part of the trip. On my last day at the Westin, I came down with the flu. I sucked it up, knowing that I’d be home soon, but mechanical problems on the plane forced me to stay another night. The whole issue was just disastrous, as I was not feeling well, of course, but because US Airways refused to take any serious action to solve the problem. Had I not rebooked myself on another scheduled flight the next day, I would have had to stay another night, as some others did. They chose to not fly another aircraft in (Phoenix is a hub, so they have extra planes to spare) even after the mechanics failed to fix any of the problems. I know you are probably thinking I’m being harsh over this one incident, but this is not the first time this has happened to me on US Air. There always seems to be a mechanical problem that delays one part of my trip. The airline did manage to put us up at the 4 star InterContinental Presidente Hotel, but due to my illness, I could not enjoy it. However, based on what I saw, the InterContinental looks like a great value property for those who are looking to travel on a smaller budget. It’s also all-inclusive!
In the end, my trip was a good one and Cabo is on my “will visit again” list. In fact, I’d stay at the Westin again in a second, but may opt for a much more high end property ($$$) like the Palmilla or Las Ventanas. The Westin was fabulous, though, and the staff was polite, friendly and courteous!