As the title suggests, we had a very good stay at what we would consider a 4-star resort (not 5-star, as indicated by Air Canada). The short: smaller property size and quality of food made for a better experience than other all-inclusives. Some room issues and minor service details detracted from giving 5 circles, but not enough to ruin our stay.
If you want more detail than you were expecting, read on.
This is one of the original resorts in Cabo, and part of the original structure that is perched on the rocks is still used; a skywalk connects to a newer building that sits on what would have been the beach, ages ago. The former houses rooms that can overlook the marina, or peer out overtop of the new section towards the ocean. All of the rooms on the newer side face the ocean, except a handful that are garden/cactus view (as ours was). Rooms were spacious, and bedding was excellent (ask for non-down duvets and pillows if you have allergies), with strong air conditioning. However, our AC unit started dripping water on our second day, leaving a large puddle of water (think one litre over a couple of hours). Sensing that this would not be fixed easily, we suggested/pushed the staff to move us to a new room. While they did accommodate this request, there was very little done to acknowledge the inconvenience that we experienced; not like we needed a free bottle of wine or anything (it is an all-inclusive, after all), but no goodwill gesture was offered.
As for the rest of the room, there were some signs of age (rust around the sink drains) and knobs falling off the dresser drawers. Our bathroom fan also did not operate, but after moving rooms, we did not want to have to move again, so did not raise this issue with the staff (it's room 1005, if anyone from Sandos is reading this). The in-room fridge was restocked with what little beer and soda we drank, and we did not use the little coffee maker supplied. The water cooler was a nice touch, but dispensed neither cold nor hot water; not sure if that was a defect or not, but why else would it require an electrical plug? At our end of the building (east), Wi-Fi came and went, so probably not great if you're the unlucky one that needs to work while you're in Cabo.
The pool areas were quite nice, and we were happy that most of the guests were not the types to rush down with their towels at the crack of dawn to reserve lounge chairs. In fact, we often would head to the pool around 10:30 am or so, and could still find shaded ones. If you're a sun-worshipper, you'll have no trouble finding melanoma-inducing spots. There are very few palapas on the beach, but we found them also to be unoccupied for the most part - likely because you are not supposed to swim in the ocean here. Wi-Fi by the pool (and beach) was very reliable. Poolside service was attentive, and you could order drinks and food from the Agave restaurant or go get pizza/sushi from the hut; we found both to be average even though others raved about the sushi? Due to the time of year we visited (mid-January) there were only pre-school aged children there, but those few were confined to the non-adult pool (i.e. with the swim-up bar). The music at the pool was kept to a reasonable level for the most part; unlike other all-inclusives we've been to where they think we are all still trying to re-live our 20s and want dance music blaring at us all day, the tempo and volume mostly matched the occasion. i.e. during the water exercise class, things got kicked up a notch, but thankfully eased off to age appropriate music for the remainder of the time.
For coffee in the am, the Cupcake Café was available, but they need a 2nd barista during the busy time from 8-10 am (anyone from Sandos listening?) and he served a lot of milk with lattés; I had to ask him for "just a little milk" to get something that more closely resembled a latté from 'Bucks. However, I found the shots aren't stiff enough for my liking, and would stop at the self-serve espresso machine at the Theatre Bar for a 3rd shot. The machine there would be great for cappuccinos and lattés too, but for some reason is not filled to dispense milk (again, Sandos, easy fix here, no?). Also, that machine was out-of-service for a couple of days, and sometimes did not have a pitcher of milk beside it for easy takeaway coffees.
Breakfast at the Don Diego restaurant was good, providing all the standard buffet items that we've come to expect with these Mexican all-inclusives. Drip coffee served there was a little weak for my liking, so I'd bring my triple shot latté (from above) with me. The one bit of advice, which I have already passed onto management, is that they need a better system to seat guests more efficiently. There would often be 12-20 (or more) hungry folks waiting to be seated, with only a single hostess slowly taking each party to a table. Despite the fact that there would be almost half the tables available and ready with complete place settings. We learned to skirt this issue, by breezing by the lineup, and grabbing the cardboard "clam shell" takeaway boxes and plastic cutlery; you can grab your breakfast items and simply take them out to the ample seating in the outdoor theatre area (overlooking the marina too).
As mentioned earlier, we only had the pizza and sushi once, then moved onto the menu items from the poolside Agave restaurant. Most of the meals from there were good to very good; the carnitas and shrimp tacos in particular, but the chicken tenders were always left in the deep fryer a bit too long. You can eat in the restaurant if you need a break from the sun, or takeaway back to your pool lounger with the reusable plastic serving plates. You can also order directly from your friendly pool server all of the items from Agave as well.
Dining at Finisterra is really what makes this place worth coming to. All dinners are all á la carte; Don Diego becomes the Mexican joint, Agave becomes the steakhouse; Emiliano's is the Italian restaurant, and Tortuga is for beachfront international fare. I'd recommend passing on Don Diego for the Mexican, and have the delicious tacos for lunch at Agave instead. The steaks at Agave were cooked to our liking, but needed some seasoning or sauces to enhance the flavour. The tenderloin at Tortuga however was excellent, and everyone in our party thought their meals there were very good. The top recommendation is Emiliano's, but beware of the portion size; this is not an italian restaurant where you'll order a primi and secondi; no, if you order a pasta meal, you'll not need a second course. Every Wednesday, the White Party takes place at the beach where they serve a bbq buffet, but this was probably the most disappointing meal; I'd suggest getting an early bite at Emiliano's (the only other place for dinner on Weds), then catch the dancing/show at the beach.
Speaking of shows, we caught almost all of the nightly entertainment, and were pleasantly surprised with the performances. Bear in mind that these are not Cirque du Soleil-level performers, but they did put on decent shows regardless. Probably our favourite was the Dancing with the Stars, then Michael Jackson, followed by the Mexican night.
So if you've read this far, you're obviously interested in this property. We asked others about their experiences with nearby resorts and properties in San José del Cabo, and for the price, THIS IS THE PLACE TO BOOK. In my opinion, you'd need to pay CDN$1,000 more per person (for 7 nights) to get to the next level (a true 5-star); we can't justify that for a Mexican getaway. We're not sure when another Cabo trip is in the cards, but Sandos will be our choice when we do.
