UnderwaterBumbleBee
Contributor
A week ago we came home from back to back trips to Cabo San Lucas and the Dominican Republic. They could not have been more opposite trips in every aspect. Unfortunately we found ourselves counting down the days until our trip in Cabo would end. For the first time we thought Cabo was possibly the only place we would never want to return to. It was really a collection of disappointments that made for an overall poor experience.
Initial plans:
We already had our trip to the DR booked when my husband won a trip to Cabo from his work. They recently purchased a timeshare unit at Playa Grande Resort and decided to give the trip away to an employee. We were thrilled and couldn't believe our luck and irony that it was the week before our DR trip. I was really excited about seeing some different fish life from the typical Caribbean. We did research online on dive shops in Cabo, looking at about 3 different shops. We received good advice from people on here and felt pretty confidant about our conversations online & over the phone so we booked with Amigos Del Mar.
Airport Transportation:
We pre-booked round trip transportation with the Grey line transportation company. We knew they said to look for them outside but our first indication of how our trip would go was within the airport. We walked past what seemed like two areas inside the airport full of timeshare/activity sales people trying to convince you to stop. We walked through the first area with no problem, it was the second that threw us a little thinking where the heck do we go to find our ride. After being hounded by some guy we just kept walking and finally found the Grey line rep outside. We had to wait about 30 minutes before all their passengers were there. Of course our stop was the very last but we got to see several resorts along the way.
Playa Grande Resort:
Upon check in we were told we had to go see the "hostess" in the lobby to get a card for pool towels. Our first chance to meet the timeshare sharks. We were expecting this and had decided we would not attend a timeshare presentation. We weren't interested so why waste precious vacation time being hounded and we already had all our activities pre-booked and paid for. The "hostess" tries to tell us to sit down to which I reply that we are tired and just want to go to our rooms. She proceeds to explain the presentations and gives us a sheet of paper that lists activities that we could get for free if we attended. We tell her we are pretty booked with diving and an ATV tour so we would have to get back to her. The "qualifications" on the back of the paper state in order to attend you must be married couples over 28 and must attend with spouse, gainfully employed or retired, must have a valid id and valid major credit card (yeah right), the tour supposedly lasts 90 minutes with a meal (we heard it's more like 3-4 hours) and the best part states "Singles: Only women". Hmmm, I'm not liking their methods already. A couple times walking through the lobby (which is the only way you can exit the property) we were approached about making an appointment but otherwise they didn't bother us further. I just didn't look forward to walking through the lobby all week for the possibility that they would try to stop us and we witnessed other guests blowing off their attempts as well.
The Room & Property:
The room was probably one of the best rooms we have ever stayed in. It was a good size with a kitchenette near the entrance which included a two burner stove, fridge, microwave, etc... It also had a built in desk, sofa sitting area, a table & 4 chairs, nice comfortable bed and a decent size bathroom with tub/shower. The tile work, especially on the floor was beautiful. The room seemed very new and clean and was decorated nicely. We had a great balcony view of the pools and beach. Despite not being able to enter the ocean from the beach, the waves on the beach are spectacular to watch. The property is pretty, situated on a hill or mountain, some parts of it are grand looking. However at the end of the trip I was over the hills to/from the room and down to the main street. They have 2 pools across from each other, one with a swim up bar. They have an adults only pool which is really small but is closer to the beach and they have a jacuzzi above the other two pools. Despite having 3 pools, they are all a little small for the amount of rooms and almost all the chairs were taken. I was grossed out by the layer of sunscreen floating on the surface of the pools (visible in the corners near the pool bar) along with dead bugs.
Hotel Food:
We only ate at the hotel 3 times and every occasion was regrettable. The prices are ridiculous. It was about $90 USD for the fiesta night which was set up nicely just off the beach. There weren't that many choices and the food wasn't worth the price. I think you are mostly paying for the entertainment and booze. One night I ordered room service, bad pizza and fettuccine Alfredo which had little bits of ham in it. After that night I started having stomach cramps for about 5 days. Our last meal at the resort was Sunday champagne brunch before checking out. We had no idea how much it was until the bill came which was $60 for two people with nothing extra. The food again was just unappealing and strange choices. We just about choked at the bill, I barely even ate anything and were there for maybe 15 minutes.
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Initial plans:
We already had our trip to the DR booked when my husband won a trip to Cabo from his work. They recently purchased a timeshare unit at Playa Grande Resort and decided to give the trip away to an employee. We were thrilled and couldn't believe our luck and irony that it was the week before our DR trip. I was really excited about seeing some different fish life from the typical Caribbean. We did research online on dive shops in Cabo, looking at about 3 different shops. We received good advice from people on here and felt pretty confidant about our conversations online & over the phone so we booked with Amigos Del Mar.
Airport Transportation:
We pre-booked round trip transportation with the Grey line transportation company. We knew they said to look for them outside but our first indication of how our trip would go was within the airport. We walked past what seemed like two areas inside the airport full of timeshare/activity sales people trying to convince you to stop. We walked through the first area with no problem, it was the second that threw us a little thinking where the heck do we go to find our ride. After being hounded by some guy we just kept walking and finally found the Grey line rep outside. We had to wait about 30 minutes before all their passengers were there. Of course our stop was the very last but we got to see several resorts along the way.
Playa Grande Resort:
Upon check in we were told we had to go see the "hostess" in the lobby to get a card for pool towels. Our first chance to meet the timeshare sharks. We were expecting this and had decided we would not attend a timeshare presentation. We weren't interested so why waste precious vacation time being hounded and we already had all our activities pre-booked and paid for. The "hostess" tries to tell us to sit down to which I reply that we are tired and just want to go to our rooms. She proceeds to explain the presentations and gives us a sheet of paper that lists activities that we could get for free if we attended. We tell her we are pretty booked with diving and an ATV tour so we would have to get back to her. The "qualifications" on the back of the paper state in order to attend you must be married couples over 28 and must attend with spouse, gainfully employed or retired, must have a valid id and valid major credit card (yeah right), the tour supposedly lasts 90 minutes with a meal (we heard it's more like 3-4 hours) and the best part states "Singles: Only women". Hmmm, I'm not liking their methods already. A couple times walking through the lobby (which is the only way you can exit the property) we were approached about making an appointment but otherwise they didn't bother us further. I just didn't look forward to walking through the lobby all week for the possibility that they would try to stop us and we witnessed other guests blowing off their attempts as well.
The Room & Property:
The room was probably one of the best rooms we have ever stayed in. It was a good size with a kitchenette near the entrance which included a two burner stove, fridge, microwave, etc... It also had a built in desk, sofa sitting area, a table & 4 chairs, nice comfortable bed and a decent size bathroom with tub/shower. The tile work, especially on the floor was beautiful. The room seemed very new and clean and was decorated nicely. We had a great balcony view of the pools and beach. Despite not being able to enter the ocean from the beach, the waves on the beach are spectacular to watch. The property is pretty, situated on a hill or mountain, some parts of it are grand looking. However at the end of the trip I was over the hills to/from the room and down to the main street. They have 2 pools across from each other, one with a swim up bar. They have an adults only pool which is really small but is closer to the beach and they have a jacuzzi above the other two pools. Despite having 3 pools, they are all a little small for the amount of rooms and almost all the chairs were taken. I was grossed out by the layer of sunscreen floating on the surface of the pools (visible in the corners near the pool bar) along with dead bugs.
Hotel Food:
We only ate at the hotel 3 times and every occasion was regrettable. The prices are ridiculous. It was about $90 USD for the fiesta night which was set up nicely just off the beach. There weren't that many choices and the food wasn't worth the price. I think you are mostly paying for the entertainment and booze. One night I ordered room service, bad pizza and fettuccine Alfredo which had little bits of ham in it. After that night I started having stomach cramps for about 5 days. Our last meal at the resort was Sunday champagne brunch before checking out. We had no idea how much it was until the bill came which was $60 for two people with nothing extra. The food again was just unappealing and strange choices. We just about choked at the bill, I barely even ate anything and were there for maybe 15 minutes.
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