Guest rooms are concise and minimally dressed, with tasteful panels of sand and ivory window treatments, contoured valences forming a smooth, clean visual transition from bed to sea. Onyx touches add drama and a warm glow to the stylish bathroom, guestroom door and the soft built in lights in the headboards. A cedar and straw armoire houses the appurtenances of the modern age, including On Command Video and television and high-speed Internet access. Rooms feature cactus blooms, incense, and Zen inspired amenities. Terraces feature sturdy native wood furniture and seamless views of the oceanscape.

HOTEL AMBIANCE:
This hotel captures peaceful perfection to a T! The moment you arrive you are greeted a warm and friendly smile of the staff. When you walk in the lobby you will be captivated! The meditation pool is astounding! No wonder they use this shot when this hotel was featured in several magazines (this hotel was the 2006 cover of the Best Resorts and Hotels Magazine). You feel your stress melt away just by the smell of the lavender aromatherapy scent from the lighted candles placed sporadically around the lobby and just by hearing the mellow sound of strings playing on the hotel speakers.

During your check-in, your bell hop is also your hotel tour guide. He informs you of the restaurant, wine bar, swim up bar and snack area, the recreational activities, the spa facilities, and other information of the hotel that you will want to know to maximize the benefits of your stay. After the short tour, he will guide you to your room.

HOTEL ROOM:
Your room looks very ZEN. All the fixtures capture beauty and simplicity. They use the Heavenly Beds, which are used by all the five star hotels, such as the Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton. They also give you a pillow menu in case you have specific needs to make your slumber a lot more comfortable. The bed alone, with its high thread count and soft feathered pillows, gives this hotel an absolute edge over the others. Just think, after a full day of activities you end your day in such a comfortable bed!

The bathroom is adorable! You will have a stand alone basin made of stone, ample size shower, and a separate room for the toilet. The shower head is not so desirable. It seems to be left out compared to the other modern fixtures. The head is not easily adjustable and the water sprouting from its faucet is very harsh. You will want moderate the use so it doesn’t hit your skin too strongly. Other amenities in the bathroom contain the usual soap, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, sewing kit, shower head, and lots of towels for you to use.

The closet space is moderately sized. If you’re planning to stay for a week’s vacation, this should be more than enough. There are drawers to use as well beneath TV stand. You are given a bathrobe to use and linen laundry bags. They are for use only during your stay. There is also a small safe in the closet room for your travel documents, jewelry, etc. It’s very easy to program.

The deck is small and simple, but what sets it apart is the beautiful ocean view! All the rooms in the hotel have that! It’s nice to wake up each morning, go to the deck, and check out the weather and hear the waves. Plenty of guests also have their coffee on the deck.

AMENITIES IN THE ROOM THAT YOU PAY FOR:
the use of the hotel coffee and filters, and two Fiji Water bottles are charged. Be best to bring your own. Better yet, have a croissant and coffee at the nearby hotel deli! For the water, the hotel has its own fitration system and it is pretty safe to drink water from the tap, table water from the restaurants, etc. But if you are particular, you can also purchase water at the deli, or if you go into town, before driving back to the hotel, stop by a mini-mart. A gallon is about $2.

MAID SERVICE:
Impecable! They clean your room once you indicate the ‘cleaning symbol’ on your door. And they fold your towels into swans or doves for an added personalized touch! They will even arrange your toiletries in the bathroom! At night, they turn down the sheets and leave the bathrobes gracefully placed on bed with a Mendes mint on top. Be sure to tip the maid. They leave you a note card informing who they are and an envelope for the tip. You can leave the tip at the end of your stay.

POOL AREA:
Fantastic and secluded! All the pools are infinity pools and warmed to a very comfortable temperature. There are sufficient amount of umbrellas and pool chairs. One fascinating aspect of the hotel is the seclusion and privacy. The resort only allows adults 18 and over. This is one way to maintain the serenity of the place. There is one swim up bar called Aria. You can order your drinks here and relax on the pool at the same time. Or, the guest servers will come to your lounge chair and ask if you want to have a snack or a drink. The prices are reasonable for a five star hotel. Try the shrimp tempura tacos or the fish tacos…absolutely delicious! If you prefer, you can also bring your own snacks and bottled water. In the pool area, it is quiet and comforting. The jacuzzi is a must-try! The temperature is soothing and the music you hear is relaxing. The recreational activities vary from the black jack for drinks, ping pong, salsa dance lessons, water aerobics, cooking class, etc. These are free activities. The only one being charged are the tequila classes.

THE BEACH:
The property is secluded and private. No vendors will bother you. You won’t be surprise to have the beach all to yourself from time to time! The beach stretches to about a mile and three quarters. Do not go towards the left side (if you are facing the Pacific Ocean). The beach guards will ask you to go the opposite way. The owner of the resort has his own house built on that side, but the real reason they ask you not to go there is because of the sea turtles that dwell there and hatch their eggs. To the right side would be going towards the light house. If you’re a runner, this is a fantastic work-out!

The beach is a favorite spot because of the seclusion and the beautiful light beige colored sand that is fine as flour. It’s also fun to pick up shells. The beach guards just warn you to not get close to the water because the tide is very strong and can pull you in. A lot of people have sat near the edge and watched the tides. They are captivating to look at and the sound they make is relaxing. There are a few lounge chairs on the beach you can use. The hotel has four queen size poster beds for rent during the day or dinner at night. They are pricey, but if you think about the ambiance you are getting, and the seclusion of the beach, the private attendants for the duration of the rental, etc., it is reasonable ($85 to rent during the day and $190 to rent in the evening with a private dinner and butler service included). If you’re going to propose or want a romantic dinner together, this is a perfect spot to do it!

TRANSPORTATION:
For taxis, utilize the hotel concierge to arrange this in advance. Be sure to use the blue-colored taxi vans that are identified. They charge $10 anywhere around Cabo. Tip is usually a dollar or two more. They are friendly and will courteous as well. The hotel shuttle isn’t bad to use if you don’t mind doing a little bit of pre-planning. The shuttle to Sunset Beach Resort is every 30 mins. and the shuttle to Rose Resort (which is the closest to town) is every hour on the half-hour mark.

TIP- if you have activities to do (ATV, tours, or Zip line Canopy Ride), they will usually pick you up at your hotel. You can ask the driver to drop you off in town instead of driving you back to the hotel. They are okay to do this, but you have to ask and perhaps give them a small tip.

TIMESHARE PRESENTATION
During your check-in day, even before the hotel gives your room key, they will direct you to the timeshare table. The timeshare sales folks are not aggressive. They basically ask if you want to attend a timeshare presentation in exchange for hugely discounted tickets to activities in Cabo. I don’t think anyone should be offended by this. They do ask if you are interested. If you’re not, then they give your room key and have the bellhop give you your tour of the hotel. If you are interested, then it’s well worth attending if you are interested in the discounts they give for all the activities. Personally, the discounts were worth it because they were at least 50% off the normal rates. We did the Canopy Ride, Snorkeling and Cruises, and rode the ATV alongside the beach.

The timeshare presentation was non-aggressive. They have you sit down with someone who will ask you to join them for breakfast while they fill in a questionnaire. You can decline answering if you wish. But during this time they really are creating a very comfortable and pleasant atmosphere. After breakfast they will pass you onto another person who is a ‘Closer’. They will giving you a tour of the place and presenting you with the cost of the timeshare. They will offer incentives too to entice you to buy.

The timeshares the resort offers are for Sunset Beach Resort and Montecristo Estates. It is best to take some time to look at both facilities, try out the restaurants, try the pool areas and spas (if you stay in a sister resort of Pueblo Bonito, you’re allowed to use the other Pueblo Bonito resort facilities, which is why they shuttle you for free from one resort to the other).

Sunset Beach is bigger, and thus more crowded than Pacifico. However, I still found this resort to be very, very nice in terms of their modern facilities, the suites that they offer, and the services they provide. I’ve tried two of their pools. The main one is crowded because it has a lot of play areas for children. But that’s okay because if you have kids they can play and make friends there. The other pools are a not as crowded. The restaurant called ‘La Nau’ and Manila Bar offer really good food. A must see is La Frida, a restaurant that carries a lot of Frida’s personal items set like a museum. It’s delicious but the priciest restaurant there. The gym is big and spectacular…truly modern and brand new! All the threadmill, stairmasters, etc. have their own TV. And the Spa is huge! Try the sauna room (specially the hot dip tub and cold dip tub). There’s also free internet access near the small chapel out in the front of the hotel.

Montecristo Estates is truly luxurious. It’s up in the hills where you will always get a fantastic view. The houses are so beautiful! And each has a personal pool! They are pricey but they are being purchased by those who can afford them.

TIMESHARE TIP:
If you are interested in timeshares, make sure you are well informed before going by researching on the internet. And if someone asks you to sign and buy right at that moment, never allow yourself to be pressured. These sales presentation occur every single day, so what’s to stop you asking them to wait and thinking about it overnight? I don’t think they will turn you down if you dropped by the following day if you do decide to buy.

Remember that MEXICO REQUIRES A FIVE-DAY RESCISSION PERIOD ON ALL TIME SHARE CONTRACTS, as stated in ARTICLE 56 OF THE MEXICAN FEDERAL LAW PROTECTION OF THE CONSUMER (ARTICLE 56 OF LEY Federal de Protección al Consumidor states that The contract will be perfected within five working days from the delivery of, or the company/signature of the contract, which ever occurs the latest. During this period, the consumer will have the right to revoke his consent without any responsibility. The revocation will have to be by means of warning or delivery of notice, in person, by registered mail, or another method of average reliability. The revocation according to this Article, will terminate the contract. In this case, the costs of shipping and insurance will be the responsibility of the consumer. If the contract is for services, this article will not be applicable if the date of receipt of the service is less than ten working days from the date of the order of purchase.). You can look this up on the internet, print it, and bring it with you to show as proof.

Overall, the stay in Pueblo Bonito Pacifico Holistic Retreat and Spa was truly memorable. It's definitely a wonderful place to stay in Cabo San Lucas!