Medano Hotel and Spa — Hotel in El Medano Ejidal

Medano Hotel and Spa really surprised us. The walkability factor was fantastic, breakfast was included, the room was large and clean, there were several hotel amenities, and the service was excellent. ||We have been visiting Cabo San Lucas for decades and always stay at all inclusive resorts on the beach at various price points. Since this was a quick 4 night getaway, we wanted to stay somewhere affordable and centrally located, so we selected the Medano.||INITIAL ARRIVAL: ||Upon arrival, the appearance of the hotel surrounded by a large outdoor patio/atrium was very nice. The lobby was clean and smelled good. Since we arrived well before checkin time, our room wasn't ready. They held our bags so we could began to explore. But, before the exploration began, we were approached by the friendly bell guy who also pushes discounted and free excursions in exchange for attending a vacation club opportunity, also known as a timeshare presentation. This type of approach is not uncommon at many resorts including five star properties we have stayed at in the past. However, it is still annoying. It should be noted I have nothing against vacation clubs/timeshares. ||ROOM: ||Once our room was ready, we returned to the front desk and officially checked in, which was fast and easy. The bell guy returned and escorted us to the room. As indicated, he was friendly and showed us around the room. The room included a mini fridge, microwave, and coffee maker. The room was big for the price, clean, well-decorated, and the balcony was perfect. All of the rooms have a balcony that have views of the hills and city lights. In addition, the room was well-maintained. I did not notice significant wear and tear and everything worked properly. Housekeeping staff did an excellent job each day. ||BREAKFAST AND BAR:||Breakfast was included in our booking, and it was excellent. Breakfast is served at the onsite restaurant/bar called KAMA. KAMA's setting is open air and surrounded by other restaurants on the perimeter of the property. The breakfast includes several options from the KAMA menu. Our breakfast server, MARCOS, was excellent and kept our coffees full. At night, we visited for margaritas. One of the bartenders, SAMANTHA, made one of the best margaritas we have ever had. She was very friendly and professional. ||AMENITIES/GYM/SPA/POOL: ||Amenities included on-site washer and dryer for free, (you just need to buy pods in the hotel lobby), a pool table, air hockey, and foosball. They also have a putting green and pickle ball court. Medano also contracts with a nearby gym and spa, which are connected to the hotel via a catwalk. We toured both facilities, and they looked pretty good. The pool was spotless, plenty of lounge chairs, and three day beds. We never had any issue with getting a place to sit. They also have a small bar during daytime pool hours. ||LOCATION:||As indicated earlier, we were looking for a nice hotel centrally located. The location was perfect. It was an 9 minute walk to the beach and all of the popular beach clubs, 15 minute walk to the marina, and 15-20 minutes to some of our favorite restaurants. However, there are several restaurants on-site and within a few minutes walk. There is also an OXXO located right outside the property line. We were very happy with the location and not being locked into an all-inclusive or resort that required transportation everywhere this time. ||CONSIDERATIONS:||The only issue, which for us wasn't that big of a deal, is that there is a fire station located a couple blocks away. You can see the station and fire trucks from the balcony. There were a few times when the fire trucks took off, we could obviously hear them. Some of the drivers were cool and activated the siren when they drove a few blocks away. Again, it was not constant but something to know. In addition, there is a near-empty bar across the street that thumps music a couple nights a week but shuts down at 11:00 p.m. ||CONCLUSION:||We really enjoyed everything about the Medano city hotel experience and look forward to staying...

Booking: I booked online directly through the website since it appeared cheaper than third party sites. The hotel was running a special for free fourth night so I stayed eight days. Breakfast was included. I received a confirmation e-mail. I did not have to pay in advance and paid at hotel.

Airport transfer: I took the public bus Ruta de Desierto from Terminal 1, which was a 10 minute walk outside from where I landed at Terminal 2. I got pesos from an ATM at T2 arrivals and the bus was 85 pesos (~$4). It took an hour and a half to get to the centro. Not much AC but windows were open and it wasn't too hot in January. I got off a couple of blocks from the hotel.

Location: Excellent location since it's an 8-9 minute walk to Medano beach and similar to the marina. I don't particularly like those areas very much so stayed around the hotel where it was a bit less crazy.

Checkin: There was no line around 4pm. Check in took

Solo female traveler here & my first time in Cabo! Overall I enjoyed my stay at the Medano Hotel & Suites for 4 nights (Mon-Fri) in early May 2022 in a room with 1 queen bed & a mini-fridge. The hotel was extremely clean, comfortable and nicely decorated. The pool area is picturesque and I loved the gaming room. The hotel is conveniently located within 10-15 min walking distance to the Medano beachfront, Marina, and the downtown area (there is a major hill when walking to the beach so be prepared). There are many options for restaurants and shops nearby at decent (local) prices, and there is also overpriced tourist stuff nearby. The hotel has 24hour security and there is only 1 way into the hotel reception/elevator/stairs. I felt 100% safe the entire time I was at the hotel & in the surrounding areas, although I chose to stay away from the local "party scene". All staff was very nice and greeted me any time I passed by. However, at check-in the front desk staff was not forthcoming with information, meaning you need to read all the signs posted at the desk, do your own research (about the hotel & area) AND ASK QUESTIONS because they will not volunteer any information to you (i.e. 2x1 Happy Hour at the hotel restaurant/bar from 8am-1pm, microwave available next to reception, fitness classes/spa services, etc.) There are at least two ATMs nearby on the main street (1 block away) so make sure you have small bills to tip because there is NO option to leave a tip when paying by credit card at the hotel restaurant/bar.

I would absolutely stay at this hotel again but there are a few things to note (some good, some bad): At the risk of sounding "uppity" this is not what most tourists would consider a 4-star hotel, but it is still very nice. It was giving me the vibes & service level of a nice Hampton Inn & Suites or a Fairfield Inn & Suites (2.5/3 star). I also got an amazing 4- night deal when booking direct thru the hotel website, so I paid the price of a Hampton Inn - no complaints there. Just don't pay full price expecting 4-star service/environment. The hotel is somewhat loud and has thin walls. I didn't hear dogs barking, but I heard every other sounds expected in an urban environment. The biggest thing is that all rooms in the hotel have a patio facing the pool/restaurant/bar area and there is loud music played from around 830am-9pm. There was construction at nearby buildings and some days there are 7am workout classes on the tennis court (next to the pool) that played very loud EDM music. I could hear all of this from my 4th floor room, including the sirens at night and my hotel neighbors pleasuring themselves. There is also a cute bakery adjacent to the hotel that had live music - smooth R&B/pop acoustic style cover sets - until around 11pm on some nights but I didn't mind that so much. It was like a private show from my patio. I learned after the first night to turn on the AC in the room, which creates white noise to drown out all the other sounds. You can also bring earplugs.

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