Viceroy Los Cabos — Hotel in Baja California Sur

I Got Scammed at Viceroy Cabo — Don’t Let This Happen to You

If you’re considering Viceroy Cabo for a peaceful, luxury getaway — read this first.

I planned this solo birthday trip hoping for a serene, recharging escape. After researching spots close to LA, this hotel in Cabo seemed like an easy, stress-free option. I wanted a space where I could read, meditate, and truly unwind, so I chose the Oceanfront One-Bedroom Suite — or so I thought. Spoiler: there’s no separate bedroom, it’s an open-concept studio. But I let that slide because the resort itself is beautiful.

Here’s How I Got Scammed on My Birthday:

When booking, I noticed two options: AMEX with points: ~$1,000 per night Hotel Website: ~$700 per night with a fourth night free

Naturally, I picked the hotel’s offer — who wouldn’t? Amex I won’t pay with anything but the website seems like a better deal. I booked directly through their website, paid with a credit card, and got a confirmation. The total charge of around $3,100 seemed right — ~$700/night for three nights, the fourth free, plus additional services we added, taxes and fees.

I didn’t screenshot the booking page. I trusted the confirmation email to reflect what I’d booked — because that’s normal, right? Who would screenshot every page when you book a hotel? Big mistake!!!

Upon arrival — despite my husband making a note on the reservation that this was a peaceful solo birthday trip — I wasn’t greeted with a warm welcome. Instead, the first thing the staff did was ask me to pay an additional $1,600. I was completely thrown off. I explained that everything had been paid upfront and showed them my confirmation email. But they insisted I had only paid for two nights and claimed the rate was $1,100 per night plus addition taxes and fees, not ~$700 I booked on their website.

I pulled out my confirmation email — it stated $1,100 per night, but when I booked it, I thought that price reflected $700 plus taxes and fees, so $1,100 seemed right at the time. Turns out, I had to pay ~$1,100 every single night — not $700 as I originally booked.

Later, It Got Even Worse:

I pulled up their website again — and guess what? The exact same room was listed at around $800 per night. (Attach a screenshot below) Yet, they charged me $1,100 per night plus tax and fees when I arrived. This whole thing just doesn’t make any sense.

I was very upset, but I still tried to be reasonable. I raised my concerns with the hotel manager, hoping for some understanding or at least acknowledgment of the situation. But instead, I got a cold response: “WE DID NOTHING WRONG.” Yes, these were exactly their words. No acknowledgment of my birthday. No gesture trying to help. Just cold, transactional behavior. My blood pressure goes up even now when I recall this whole experience.

And here’s the worst part — that feeling of being scammed and completely powerless to do anything about it. I wasn’t just frustrated; I felt deeply disrespected. This wasn’t some random vacation — it was supposed to be a transformational, peaceful birthday getaway. Instead, the whole experience was completely ruined.

Already Feeling Scammed, It Got Even Worse:

Already feeling scammed, I tried to salvage the trip, but the vibe was off. The resort wasn’t the peaceful sanctuary I envisioned. It’s more of a party scene — loud music at night, — great if that’s what you’re into, but not ideal for a quiet, reflective escape.

The Final Straw:

The final straw? I decided to check out early for my own peace of mind. Despite leaving a day sooner, they threatened to slap me with a penalty fee. My total bill? $4,700 for three nights — for a trip that left me stressed, frustrated, and feeling completely ripped off.

I’m sharing this so no one else falls into the same trap. Be careful, document everything, screenshot everything. and trust your gut. I hope no one gets scammed by this...

My expectations may have been too high, but this hotel was a bit of a letdown. There wasn't one big thing, but there were a lot of little things that compounded into an overall subpar experience.

Let's start with the positive: We were in an Ocean View One Bedroom Suite with Butler Service. The room was nice with two bathrooms and a great balcony. There was an awesome shower and a soaking tub, although we only got one of the bath bombs. The Butlers were quick to respond on WhatsApp if we had any questions or needed anything, but we didn't really use the feature much. The hotel's location was great for access to San Jose and fairly close to the airport. The vibe of the property with the water, the nest, the pools, and all of that was really cool. It is really beautiful in the day and at night. The pool area was great and very refreshing. Did I mention it was beautiful?

The negatives: The property shows signs of deferred maintenance (paint peeling off the exteriors of buildings, poor patch jobs, some damage/holes in the bottom of the ponds, mold/mildew on the exterior of the buildings, etc.) The communication with the front desk was lacking. It didn't seem like the concierge team and front desk crew had shared notes on our reservation prior to our arrival, and interacting with the front desk at check-in and check-out was just kind of clumsy. They didn't offer us a map of the property or explain what was available and/or where anything was. The food and beverages seemed underwhelming for the prices (The American Breakfast: Two eggs, a sausage, a couple pieces of bacon, some potatoes, and coffee was $42 USD. The Chilaquiles were around $30 USD, but they tasted great. The Asada tacos were also pretty good, but at $9 a piece a little over-priced for their size. The margaritas were average at best. A bottle of water was $12 USD..) Our room didn't feel very welcoming upon entering. The ACs were off and so it was very warm, we were missing some bath products in our shower, both pairs of slippers were all for the left foot, and one of the cushions on a couch was missing its cover.

The spa experience was extremely disappointing. Some issues were bigger deals than others, but overall, it just wasn't a relaxing experience, especially for $700+ USD.. They did not have slippers or shoes for you to wear so you are expected to wear whatever you arrived in throughout the showers/sauna/steam room/pools/massage. There was no mention of that prior to arriving to the spa, or I would have brought different shoes that wouldn't have been wet the entire time. You get exactly one hour to experience the amenities before your massage and that is it, nothing else after the massage. The pool and hot tub were nice, and the room has a pretty cool vibe, but the cold plunge had an odd smell. The sauna and steam room were both good, and we each got a body scrub to use in the steam room which was a nice touch. The room did not feel private or peaceful as you could constantly hear people right outside your door during the massage. The massage therapists would loudly close cabinets and drawers during your massage and their shoes squeaked with every step. Very minor, I realize that, but I have not noticed it at any other spa and coupled with the rest of the experience I felt it was worth noting. We were asked several times if we were interested in upgrading our spa experience with hot stones, a hair mask, eye patches, a scrub, or a number of other things. From the hotel front desk to the spa front desk, to different people we interacted with in the spa, to the massage therapists. It just seemed like a bit much.

This property has a lot going for it and in the right hands, this hotel could be something...

Looking for a honeymoon destination for some time after a having baby, I knew the second I saw the pictures that this place was it. It looks absolutely stunning and peaceful. Once I saw it in person, it didn't disappoint and actually looked better. The architecture reminds me of something like 'Maldives meets Greece' in the South Pacific.

After finding the deal on Travelzoo, we came from 6 hours with one flight change away from Miami (with a combination of Jetblue, Volaris and Southwest flights), once we stepped out of the SUV car service on the doorstep, just the way the light gleaned off the marble white mid-afternoon through the lobby is nothing short of stunning.

The service by every person from the doormen to the beach service was a step above other big-name top-class hotel groups. Big shout out to Jorge, Jesus (2, one choo choo), Christopher and Edgar, they were great!

It felt much more exclusive and intimate, much more suited for couples and honeymooners. The spiral staircases going down and around the pools to the beach was unique.

Day one upon arrival and a long flight from Miami, we got greeted at the door with some teas and them taking our bags after we signed in. Checked out the room, it was exactly as pictured with the balcony overlooking infinity pools into the ocean.

The room functioned all via a multi-button switch at the door, his & her showers, a heated floor in the bathroom, multiple motorized shades and even a color-changing light for the shades. You could relax on your balcony in the tub or on the bed or eat breakfast on the small table nook with the thin shade and feel fairly private. There's a thick shade at the sliding door. Beds were very comfortable. Free Nespresso. You can order room service all night, and even order room service and ask for buckets of ice and much more via an Alexa.

All of the restaurants were excellent. The food, Mexican Fusion and the chef of Nido were amazing. Very unique selections and there was always a choice to go more traditional or more creative and new.

We stayed for 5 nights and ate at the 3 restaurants (Cielomar, Nido, and Caseros) about a dozen times between breakfast lunch and dinner, and we were still eating new things. One of my Nido dinner orders was incorrect and after the manager, Jorge had asked us the next day how it has been going and I mentioned it, and he and his staff had more than made up for it the next day. Serious kudos that was amazing. The rooftop one Cielomar had some amazing sunrise/sunset views and had an amazing dinner there.

The best is the lounge chairs by the ocean, backed up against a nice saltwater infinity pool shaped like a boat with a section on one side that had a bunch of extra jets in it that was enjoyable. Great beachside service too. There's also a rooftop pool on the building west of Cielomar.

Got a great massage at the spa, one of the best ones I've probably had. Very serene and well-done spa. The game room next door was a nice touch, the gym looked nice. The store was closed at the time (we went just at the end of off-season end September).

Around the Viceroy are some shops, a nice breakfast place next door if you want to get outside of the hotel. Few other resorts neighboring it with stores if you feel like hopping around. The area is truly nice. We went via a short Uber to a nearby place Flora Farms where you can tour for 20 minutes a little area, eat at another 5 star+ place, which was also absolutely incredible, recommended! Also coincidentally is the farm to table supplier for the Viceroy. An Uber to the larger city of Los Cabos was about 25-30 minutes.

This place really was like a dream come true....