The Bungalows Hotel — Hotel in Baja California Sur

Wanted to avoid the Cabo resort crowd and cost. The Bungalows ended up being so much better than we could have imagined.

First, the service is incredible. So many reviews say it, but Ali is a one woman welcome party who immediately makes you glad you booked. Fresh juice and a hug on arrival - I’m not even a hugger but it was lovely. It literally feels like she does every job at this hotel and yet she was also so quick to answer questions and messages on WhatsApp. She’s the friendly face you see at breakfast and asking how everything is going as you sit by the pool in the evening.

The breakfast was the highlight of our busy days getting our scuba certification. It’s simple, and yet feels like a treat every time. Coffee, tea, fresh juice/smoothies, and alternating sweet and savory mains. I’ll be thinking of the French toast on my way home…

The rooms are spacious, colorful, clean. Two big bottles of water. AC and fans to keep cool. I’ll pass other feedback to the owner but some things to keep in mind for guests - curtains are thin and let street light in. If you are sensitive to light at night, I’d bring a sleep mask. Some reviews talk about dog noise. Yes we heard it but it was infrequent and did not wake this light sleeper up. We had some teeny ants in the room around the bathroom sink and the bed - this is absolutely not a reason to not book, just want management and guests to know.

The pool is heated and some pool chairs. We enjoyed sitting there with our feet in the pool in the evenings when the air was cooler and the pool felt warmer. It’s surrounded by palm trees and you can hear the birds and the woodpeckers. It looks nicer than the photos. One recommendation to the hotel is to invest a little into new pool chair cushions and the area would instantly feel upgraded and luxurious.

The crowd is definitely not a party crowd. Thank god. We (28F and 29M) brought the average breakfast crowd age down by 20 years. It’s quiet. No one is cannon balling or yelling for shots. You are more likely to overhear someone’s medical problems 😂 everyone was quiet and polite.

Close to town. Yes the walk is a smidge of a hike up a hill but it only took 15 mins to get to the Main Street. And it’s so nice to stroll to a quieter part of time every morning and night. Great Argentinian restaurant next door and next to a little convenience store for snacks and drinks.

A long review, but only because I was so impressed...

Our family of three very much enjoyed staying at The Bungalows and had a great experience with Ally and Eric. We felt sad to leave them at the end of our 6 day stay.

The home-cooked breakfasts are a great way to start your day and they are included in your stay.

We would definitely stay there again!!

Pros: The warm welcome from Eric and Ally - it’s hard to overestimate the impact of this. Probably the main reason we would come back. Tasty homemade breakfasts with fresh squeezed juices and smoothies and good coffee. Location close but not in the city center; meaning it’s accessible to many great restaurants but a little off the beaten path. Good exercise from walking to and from hotel to city and beach If you’re looking to practice your Spanish, the staff will help; more opportunities staying in a small hotel like this than a big resort. The atmosphere of the pool area is tropical and tranquil, it’s a nice place to lounge and is kid-friendly

Cons: Spotty (though free) wifi + uneven cell reception means Internet is accessible but slow and not reliable. If you’re looking to watch movies, you might want to bring your own DVDs. There is a selection of movies available, but it’s somewhat limited and some are scratched. There is no cable TV. Some days the water pressure in the shower was uneven. Mosquitos in the outdoor dining area.

Of Note: Our room was fine but didn’t get much natural light; we preferred to spend our time outside in the beautiful Cabo weather anyway. It’s a good 25 minute walk to Medano beach. Downhill (leaving the hotel) this was ok, but some days our daughter was tired so we opted to take an Uber back for US$4-5. (As of this writing Uber had been available for 2 months in Cabo) Plan for nearly an hour to and from SJD international airport if that’s where you’re flying...

HIDDEN GEM. We loved out stay here and I’ll break down all the factors to consider!

LOCATION: This location is incredibly convenient in terms of getting to places if you’d like to walk. When arriving, be sure to go to the roundabout if you’re using Apple Maps. It took us to a street with an orange wall but we just had to drive down and turn right into the roundabout and it’s right there between restaurant Casa Martin and Barrazul (both on google maps). There’s an oxxo (similar to 7-eleven) just 3 minutes walking and has (cheap) hygienic needs, there’s a delicious restaurant called Barrazul just to the left that is well-priced and has delicious ceviche, and there’s a ATM just below Jo’s Garden with ~$18 conversion rate for pesos.

EXPERIENCE: During the day the experience is very chill and calm for the most part. There’s a pool that people used and you’ll hear some laughters or conversations but I personally like hearing people interact bc it brings me some joy lol. At night it can be pretty loud if you’re sensitive to noise. There are dogs barking, cars passing, sometimes music, but it wasn’t unbearable for us. We were able to sleep good hours and were woken up by the noise when we were ready to be woken up.

CUSTOMER SERVICE: The customer service was so amazing. We received so much help from the sister (I forgot her name). She gave us all her recommendations and tips and was available to answer all questions if we had any. She helped us locate a COVID testing that charged $20USD or $400 pesos which she was the cheapest she could think of since other areas charge up to $60 per person. My only negative comment was that our towels/room wasn’t cleaned one day but that’s most likely because we had our door locked but besides that the cleaning service was great!

I...