Royal Solaris — Hotel in Baja California Sur

We did a 2-week RCI Exchange stay, 2-16 January, and purchased the Premium All-Inclusive Package for both weeks for approximately $3,800. ||1. Arrival. An unimpressive and outdated lobby. ||2. Check-in. Disjointed, process not clear, and staff not overly helpful. After arriving around 2:45 PM and standing in line at the main reception desk for ~15 minutes we were then told we were in the wrong location. RCI Members, as non-members of the resort, are required to check-in at a separate location. Color coded All-Inclusive wrist bands denoting RCI Members were secured to our wrists. We were informed that some areas of the resort, such as a beachside pool, lounge area and bar near the lobby, are off-limits to RCI Members. After checking-in we were assigned a concierge and told to talk with him next. He provided an overview of the resort and asked if we were ready to book excursions, to which we replied no. He then informed us that with the exception of the daily breakfast & dinner buffet location reservations are required at all restaurants and can ONLY be made the day prior beginning at 8 PM. He then told us “Don’t worry, I made you reservations for you at 5:30 at Ponchos, the only time available the entire evening at any of the restaurants.” Wow, we were sooo lucky - NOT! On the way to dinner we decided to walk past the other two restaurants, Marco Polo (Italian) and Zai (Asian). The majority of tables at all three restaurants were empty. We dedided to ask the hostess at Marco Polo if she had any openings. She asked if we had reservations. We explained to her what occurred at check-in. She clearly did not care and informed us that ONLY reservations made with the resort’s App are accepted and walk-ins are not accepted. For the next two weeks, with exception of dinners downtown, we attempted to use the resort’s App every evening beginning at 8 PM to make reservations, but were not always successful due to the resort fielding a new App and having system problems. ||3. Room. As RCI Members we were assigned to the RCI section in Room 202, which was on the same floor as and overlooked the lobby. We requested a room closer to the beach and away from the lobby, but were told ALL other rooms were occupied. We found this to be incorrect, as numerous rooms were not occupied. Prior to arrival we called to inquire about bathrobes in the rooms and were told each room has 2 robes; however, once we got to our room we discovered that there were no robes, which was probably due to the fact that we are RCI Members. We then called the Concierge Desk and requested robes, which we were told would be delivered, but in 2 weeks they never arrived. While the room was generally clean, there were maintenance issues, such as the front door stop laying on the floor and not mounted on the door, the make-up mirror not working, and the shower head leaking due to improper installation. On the other hand, the mattress was awesome. It was firm and very comfortable - no back pains due to a sagging bed!||4. Food. Nothing special. The omelette station at the buffet breakfast and afternoon beachside sushi station were good, but not great. ||5. Beverages. Bar locations included the lobby, restaurants, beachside, which include service at the lounge chairs on the beach, and pool. Having purchased the Premium All-Inclusive Package, we found the beverage offerings to be very limited and did not include quality sparkling wines and liquors. For example, one night we had dinner reservations at Zai for 5:30, supposedly the only available time. After one glass of Merlot we requested another and the server informed us that they were out of Merlot. Similarly, the options offered for wines typically included one white and one red - definitely not “Premium.” For the first several days none of the bars had grapefruit juice to make Palomas. After complaining to the Concierge for several days the beachside bar finally started stocking it on a daily basis. Also, the actual hours of operation for the lobby bar did not match published.||6. Premium All-Inclusive Package. Despite the fact that roundtrip transportation from and to the airport was included when we attempted to arrange transportation back to the airport the Concierge told us it is NOT included.||Conclusion: Overall we found Club Solaris to be below average in all aspects, do not recommend it, and will not stay there in the future. During our stay we toured the Secrets resort and found it to be VERY nice - a great option for anyone wanting to stay close to downtown San Jose del Cabo. In the future we will either stay at Secrets or return to Pueblo Benito Sunset Beach, where we have stayed in years past since it opened and have been VERY...

TL;DR: Overall, it's passable. I'll never go back, that's for sure. If it's the only resort in your budget though, you can make it work. Just don't go in with overly high expectations. Enjoy some sunshine, direct flights and a few cappuccinos from the deli.

Long version: This resort was less than half the price of other places (Hilton, Hyatt, etc.) so I gave it a try. The results were mixed.

The front desk staff were utterly useless at check-in (despite me tipping). They wouldn't tell me anything about the resort and said I need to call in 20 min to speak to a supervisor...I'm assuming that was the time share pitch that I didn't partake in because I never called.

Their app is absolute garbage. None of the QR codes worked to download it, they put you on an endlessly looping website. Once you manually download it (look for "Hoteles Solaris" - it has a teal logo on the app store and you can do this before you get there), you'll find that your credentials don't work to create an account and book restaurants. I'm convinced they do this on purpose again because of the time share thing. Forget that...if your room number is 3 numbers, duplicate the floor at the start (so room 450 becomes 4450), use all caps for your last name and don't put in an email.

We went to the front desk when it didn't work the first day, the initial person looked into it, shrugged and said try again tomorrow. We went back the next day and the lady at the front desk was actually useful. She figured out the app thing which I posted above and even helped us book a reservation that night for a restaurant, since they were all gone by then. She's why this review went from 2 stars to 3.

If the front desk staff says the restaurant reservations open at 7pm, don't believe them. One day they opened around 5:30, one day it was 6:10, another day it was 7:30. There's pretty much no way to know. Also, all of the hours listed on the app for restaurants are wrong. Two of them weren't open while we were there, on two of the days there was only one restaurant open. Of course, you can't know which one in advance, because that would make too much sense. You get to go click happy and waste your time in the app.

The restaurants are okay, as is the buffet. I found the pasta to be one of the better foods, especially the pasta bar in the buffet at lunch. Service is hit or miss...some staff are excellent, some won't even come for a drink order at the buffet.

They do have ice cream, but you have to ask at the buffet. They keep it in the back so it stays cold.

The gold star goes to the "deli" which is like a little coffee shop. The espresso drinks are outstanding. They have fresh cakes in the afternoon. Do yourself a favor, get coffee from here before you go to the buffet for breakfast. The pizza bar was also good, but the ingredients are perishable and kept outside for quite a few hours. There's no way this place would pass health safety standards in Canada.

We had roaches in our room (3 of them that I found over 5 day stay). Housekeeping was a huge disappointment. We had a subtle stain on a pillowcase. I put the card on the pillow asking for new linens and tipped very generously. I came back to a cleaned room, but the same pillowcase was on there which means the linens weren't actually changed.

The rooms are old. The AC is loud (but works!), everything creaks, the shower handle barely stays on. The wifi is good in the room, it cuts out by the pool. The mattresses are extra firm. The TV channels are mostly in Spanish, but the kids channels can be turned to English through the TV menu (look for multi-channel audio and switch to the second option).

The kids area is nice, there are lots of slides. There's also a kids club that has crafts at 11AM, consoles and various games for kids to play.

The water was very cold when we were there (early Nov). They were renovating, I'm guessing that's the reason why so that should get fixed up. It was 30 and sunny outside, but the water was so cold that guests didn't want to be...

We stayed at Royal Solaris, Los Cabos for 4 nights/5 days and overall had a great time—especially considering this was our first all-inclusive resort experience and we weren’t sure what to expect. The kids had a blast, the food and drinks flowed nonstop, and the pool was the highlight of our stay. That said, there are definitely things you should know before booking.

The Good: • Pool & Kids Zone: The pool is where we spent most of our time, and it didn’t disappoint. Two snack bars nearby serve pizza, burgers, hot dogs, nuggets, fries, nachos, and wings—perfect kid food. There’s even a slushy machine. Our kids loved it, though you’ll want to claim chairs early (before 8 AM) since guests reserve them despite signs asking not to. Planned activities—water aerobics, foam parties, guessing games—keep the energy high. The kids zone is also fun and supervised, but for such a large area, only three staff members were overseeing it.

• Food & Drinks: Buffets for all three meals gave us lots of choices. Plenty of Mexican cuisine with some international options like sushi, paella, and pasta. Dessert was good (though nut allergies are something to watch out for). Drinks were everywhere—lots of mixed options, Tecate Light for beer lovers, and fun non-alcoholic versions for kids like mangonadas, virgin piña coladas, and strawberry daiquiris. Pro tip: bring plenty of $1 bills for tipping—you’ll get better and faster service.

• Entertainment: Evenings included karaoke, DJs, live shows, and themed parties, all with open bars. Definitely fun if you like to keep busy.

• Extra Perks: A small café on-site offers much better coffee than the buffet (espresso, iced drinks, pastries, and light sandwiches). This became my daily go-to.

• Exploring Cabo: On the last two days we rented a car and went into Cabo San Lucas—this was honestly the best part of the trip. We did a boat tour of the famous Cabo Arch ($45 for a family of 4) and visited Playa Palmilla, where the water was warm and finally safe enough for the kids to swim in.

• Air Conditioning: The AC in the room was a lifesaver. Cabo gets hot, and being able to come back to a cool room made a huge difference.

The Staff:

One of the absolute best parts of Royal Solaris was the staff. From the housekeepers to the restaurant servers, bartenders, and activity crew—everyone was warm, attentive, and genuinely made us feel welcome. The service is where this resort shines. Even when the food or rooms weren’t perfect, the friendliness of the staff really stood out. It’s clear they work hard to keep guests happy, and that left a lasting impression on us.

The Not-So-Good:

• Beach Access: You can’t swim in the ocean here due to strong waves and no lifeguards. Our kids were disappointed.

• Rooms: Nothing to write home about. We had a double queen with a “partial ocean view” that barely showed the beach. The room was run down—leaky faucet, mold in the shower grout, and we even saw a roach. The minibar came stocked with a couple of beers, sodas, and waters, but the Diet Pepsi was expired. To make things worse, our wing was under construction (fresh paint smells, plaster, and noise) but no one warned us.

• Transportation Confusion: If you book online, check if ground transportation is included. Ours wasn’t, and figuring it out at the airport was chaotic. There are multiple lines (family vs. singles), not clearly marked, and you’ll be bombarded with timeshare/vacation package salesmen as soon as you clear customs. Best advice: ignore them and head straight outside to your resort’s shuttle pick-up.

Overall:

Royal Solaris Los Cabos is a fun, family-friendly, all-inclusive option with great pools, endless food and drinks, and plenty of activities to keep both adults and kids entertained. It’s not a luxury resort by any means, but the friendly staff, cold AC, and overall family vibe make it a solid choice. Our family made great memories here, though honestly, the highlight was venturing off the resort into...