Villa del Palmar Beach Resort Cabo San Lucas

The views over the Arch and the bay were lovely, and the two big pools, jacuzzis, and guest beach area made it easy to find a good spot. Towels were available, and servers brought food and drinks right to us. The location looks walkable to downtown, but it takes longer than the apparent 20-25 minutes; an Uber was only about five minutes. Cruise ships, including Carnival, blocked the view on what seemed like several days each week. Food and drinks were mostly good. Breakfast had a wide selection that changed a little, and we liked the ceviche, shrimp tacos, poolside food, and Italian dinner. Some buffet dishes were just so-so, and drinks like the Piña Colada came from a mix. The all-inclusive plan felt worth it since meals would have been expensive à la carte. Our room was cleaned well, including the afternoon turndown, but it was ordinary and the marble-style floors were cold without shoes or socks. The TV in the main tower had few channels, and its smart apps didn’t work. Nightly shows had dance lip-syncing and some live music. They were pleasant, though I’d have liked more live music and the shows got repetitive. Service was the weak point. We had a few bad experiences with check-in staff and pool servers, who could be inattentive even after tips. Although gratuity is included, staff seemed to expect extra, so bring small bills, perhaps 20, 50, or 100 Pesos, or a dollar or two per meal. Having to sign every all-inclusive order, even for water, was frustrating and seemed tied to the tip expectation. At check-in, they also tried to steer us toward a timeshare presentation, which we’d avoid. We’d consider returning because the food, drinks, pools, beach, and views were so good.

The maids and other service staff were great, but the resort itself was a major disappointment. We spent much of the week being approached about a timeshare, including a “concierge” who followed us to our rental car. Food and drinks were also wildly expensive, like $13 for a slice of chocolate cake and $75 for prime rib. When I asked for a partial refund over the problems we’d had, they refused. Our room’s screen door fell off when we went onto the patio. The front desk got it fixed pretty quickly after I complained, but that was only one issue. On arrival, we were assigned a sixth-floor room in a building with a broken elevator. Employees said it had been broken for a long time. At the pool, the towel attendant refused to lend us towels and said we had to get them from our room. Beach access was shut for four of the five days we were there. It only opened after I complained that the two sister properties next door had kept theirs open all week. The place has seriously gone downhill since our last stay a few years ago. There are plenty of better options in Cabo, and we’ll stay somewhere else next time.

Getting to Mango Deck was an easy walk of about 20 minutes, and the resort was clean everywhere, from our rooms to the pool. The staff were friendly and helpful, which made a real difference. We had a great stay and would come back. We were a little worried about meals because three of our six travelers have celiac disease and we’d seen mixed food reviews. The food is fairly standard resort fare rather than anything fancy, but the staff took gluten-free requests seriously and were careful about cross-contamination, even changing the oil for fried items when needed. There were gluten-free pizza crusts and burger buns, and at Carbon we could ask for a gluten-free bread basket. It was a bit dry, but having the choice was nice. Breakfast was simple to manage, with naturally gluten-free foods like eggs, omelettes, hash browns, fruit, and yogurt. Gluten-free brownies were available too, though we had to ask since they weren’t on the menu. One family member is especially sensitive and didn’t get sick, which was a huge relief and a good sign of how careful they were.

The grounds and service were great, and the room, pool, and jacuzzi areas have all recently been renovated for the better. Our room was very nice. We paid an extra $150 a day to upgrade to an ocean view, and the minibar and snack basket were replenished daily. There are four main restaurants: the sports bar, Tomatillos, a farm-to-table spot, Carbon, the fresh grill, and Bella, the Italian restaurant that serves the breakfast buffet. Bella also has fresh pasta each day, and its chocolate clam linguine was the best. The bar serves calzones, a range of pizzas, and wine as well.