Marina Fiesta Resort & Spa — Hotel in El Medano Ejidal

BAD EXPERIENCE AT MARINA FIESTA RESORT IN CABO SAN LUCAS. Warning others. Scenario: We traveled to Cabo to hang out there with extended Family, split between two resorts, one being Marina Fiesta. Due to work situation, Parent 1 & Child 1 were there for a whole week and Parent 2 & Child 2 came later for the weekend. Two prepaid bookings, a single room for the week and a 2 bedroom suite for that weekend.

WARNING 1: If you are not timeshare owners, anyone not staying at the resort may not step foot on the premises. You cannot have them visit you at the pool, and Grandma can not pick up a grandchild, unless you pay the room rate for each person each time. It would have been nice to know this AT TIME OF BOOKING so we could have booked at the same resort.

WARNING 2: There might not be a room for you here! When Parent 2 & Child 2 went to check in, they were told THERE WAS NO ROOM and if they wanted a room, they needed to stay at their sister resort, 10-15 minute shuttle ride away. Family could not visit us there either, so we refused, stating how unacceptable this was. Our sole purpose for this trip was to visit with family and to be close to them. I asked WHAT DID YOU SELL ME? No real answer. They coerced us into this deal: a temporary room until the 2 bedroom was ready along with a room credit, in exchange for us attending a timeshare at their sister resort in the morning. We said, we will never buy. They still said go. They were not going to give us the room unless we went. They finally give Parent 2 & Child 2 a small room, on a different floor. Inconvenient and awkward, not the relaxing vacation we purchased. We waste the next morning at the timeshare presentation (cycled between three different salespeople, going from 100K down to 1K in prices. The typical timeshare talk). Parent 2 is out 25% of their Cabo time.

WARNING 3: Front desk staff need to be checked. Got in a yelling match with the lady at the desk when I asked if the two bedroom suite was ready yet upon arrival back. She was irritated that our room credit wasn't enough. In the end, we never did get the original room we paid for. I suspect they intended to move us to their sister resort ini a bait and switch the whole time. That place was amazing, don't get me wrong; however, we needed to stay close to our other family. When checking out, had to again argue with a different lady because the room credit was not obviously tied to our account. Turns out they "found" it after talking to a manager.

Some extras, both good and bad: Pool, hot tubs were pretty awesome, some to accomodate kids. Buffet and food choices were good, but about 25$ per day per person Location at the marina had fantastic access to everything, Beach too. Sealions and puffer fish in the marina, views nice; CON: VERY LOUD. Had to wear a bracelet with the key at all times. Felt marked. Would have preferred a card. Did not enjoy being behind a gate. Felt both locked in and locked out. Every check in has a sales pitch for their timeshare. Not a big deal, but annoying. Room 1: Spacious room, large balcony. Very nice, private, good view. Everything worked but the makeup mirror light. We could cook macaroni on the stove (cookware and bowls provided), and the housekeeping cleaned up. Relatively clean, but we did find a pair of boxers that were not ours... HUGE shower area BUT I RAN OUT OF WATER 10 minutes into a shower one day. Like, it just STOPPED. Everything was a room charge, even coffee Room 2: SHARED balcony — WHAT????? We have children and unless the other half of the family is staying in the room next door, WTF? Not as big as Room 1. Still ok. Everything worked except the hair dryer in this one. ATM in lobby - charges 15 bucks each use. On top of whatever your home bank charges Get gate person to flag the nearby taxi and pay driver cash directly for taxi to airport instead of rolling into your check out charges (hotel takes a big cut here). Plus, driver might give you a deal (60-80 instead of the 100 charged by hotel) if you deal...

If you can stay elsewhere, I would suggest you do. It was not the worst experience I’ve ever had, but certainly far from great. Upon arrival, you’re greeted by a lovely bell hop who opens your doors & grabs your luggage, waiting to show you to your room. Also, upon arrival, you’ll engage with someone offering you a timeshare who doesn’t want to take no for an answer, under the guise of offering you free drinks at check in. I wish I would have gotten her name after she became increasingly angry with us for refusing to sign the paper she was holding. My boyfriend wouldn’t sign it so she looked at me & told me if he was refusing to sign then I had to be the one to sign. She claimed we could only get our towel cards (cards they give you to check out a towel at the pool) if we signed this paper. My boyfriends stepmom & this woman engaged in quite the heated debate for a second before she gave us the towel cards without requiring our signature for the timeshare. For the next few days, anytime we saw this woman we got very angry glares. To the point where I should have said something, but I didn’t. The girl who checked us in was less than enthused & actually seemed quite annoyed at us. I’m not sure if it was personal due to the fact that we had just denied the timeshare offer, or she was just having a bad day, but either way it was awkward. When we were walked to our room, our bell hop actually said he was glad that we turned down the timeshare because the people trying to sell them are far too aggressive. I appreciated his insight. Next stop was the room. We had a suite with two adjoined rooms. It was tidy, though the floors were a bit dirty…it was really gritty under our feet so we kept our sandals on while walking around for the week that we were there. The views were absolutely lovely; we had two balconies, one overlooking the pool & the other overlooking the harbor. We spent a couple of days down at the pool & service was less than prompt. We stood there at the poolside bar for a good ten minutes without getting any sort of acknowledgment & this happened all (3) days that we had gone to the pool which, for the amount of money we spent while down there, I was incredibly disappointed. We had to flag someone down every single time, although they made eye contact with us several times knowing full well we had yet to be helped. My boyfriends parents stayed about 40 minutes away from where we were & one day they traveled to us because my boyfriend & his dad were going to do a fishing charter out of the harbor while his stepmom & I were going to hang around the harbor & do some shopping. His step mom was going to go up to the room with me to set some of her stuff down & so I could get money from the safe & they informed us that if she wanted to go up there with me she would have to pay for a full days stay. I thought that was absolutely outrageous, but we did what we were told & she stayed downstairs while I took her stuff up. Also beware, on Thursday, Friday & Saturday they have a rooftop bar with very loud music…around 9pm we were going to bed when loud music started echoing throughout the resort. We called & they explained it was their rooftop bar with a dj. Luckily I had my AirPods because there was no way you could fall asleep against how loud it was so if you have children be very aware that the music is crazy loud. & I love loud music, but this was over the top. We were given a complimentary bottle of champagne for my boyfriends 30th birthday, which was very kind, but I still wouldn’t stay here again. I give two stars for the poor service we received from the moment we checked in to the day we checked out. For the amount of money you pay, stay somewhere else where the service is...

Our stay at the Marina Fiesta Resort & Spa was exceptional. It truly exceeded any & all expectations and was phenomenal from the beginning to the end. So much that we were trying to make arrangements on our last night to extend our trip! My sister and I stayed all-inclusive from July 14-18 to celebrate my birthday. She had arranged for birthday decorations in my room with a wonderful lady named Gabby prior to our arrival. The decorations were beyond anything we imagined- from balloons on the bed, to adorable towel creations (unicorn on one bed and a cake on the other), confetti, banners, decorative strings, and delicious chocolate covered strawberries! The check-in process was easy, and we were guided to our room with our luggage already set inside. The room was very clean and the view from our balcony was absolutely incredible. Each and every person on the staff at Marina Fiesta we encountered greeted us with a smile and provided incredible customer service. They always asked what they can do for us, if everything is going well, and their desire to show us a wonderful stay truly resonated with us. Irma was our server at the breakfast buffet by the pool each morning, and was so kind and attentive. We were also always greeted by the pool staff and manager, who went above and beyond to make my birthday memorable. They presented me with a "special birthday shot/ drink" on fire, sang "Happy Birthday" to me, and immediately got us everything we wanted and more. The restaurants on the marina on the list of all-inclusive restaurants were amazing. There wasn't one bad thing we drank or ate at any one of them. The food came out fast, and everything was so delicious! Each restaurant everyday also made my birthday special with singing, and presenting a bday dessert. We loved Los Deseos Mexican Restaurant & Bar for breakfast and dinner/lunch (and highly recommend getting the "cheese on fire" appetizer)! Imomo Sushi House had some of the best sushi we've ever had, Presto! had delicious pizza, salads, and pasta dishes, we had the lobster at the Baja Lobster Co./ Oyster Bar one night which was exquisite (we recommend making reservations ahead of time and requesting a table right by the water). One of our favorites was Jack's Steakhouse. We had dinner two nights there, which included a table outside right on the marina and front row seats to a live musician there. Jose is the manager at Jack's and Javier was our server each night and they both (along with the other servers) made our dining experience so memorable. They were very attentive and would always ask how everything was and tasted. They also created a delicious birthday drink for us to enjoy, a dessert presentation with fire, and a pirate themed celebration including a hat & flag and many pictures! We also utilized the spa amenities which were delightful- sauna, steam room, and private jacuzzi! The 5th floor rooftop bars with jacuzzi was another favorite place of ours (we enjoyed watching the gorgeous sunset each night between our balcony and the jacuzzi bar). Marina Fiesta is also a short walking distance to the downtown bars/ clubs and Medano beach. We also walked right outside the resort's gate to arrange a boat ride to see the Cabo Arches and relax by Lovers/ Divorce beach-- all must-do excursions when you stay! To say our stay was amazing would not do it justice. It was the best stay we've ever had in any place and was truly extraordinary. We highly recommend Marina Fiesta Resort & Spa to everyone! We're making it an annual...