Travel with a Cocktail

We stayed at the Towers at Pacifica Wed-Sunday in October 2021. It was our first time going to Cabo. I had done extensive research before choosing this resort – mostly from reading reviews and blogs. While it was a beautiful resort and great experience, some things did not meet my expectations.

Check In – We had to sit with a lady who asked us about booking excursions and tried to sign us up for the time share presentation in exchange for a $400 resort credit. We declined once. She put on our resort bracelets and it was as easy as that – no push. From there we were immediately taken to the VIP lounge for check in. It was a beautiful start to our stay. Our room wasn’t quite ready so we ordered a snack and some drinks. In the past, the VIP lounge was apparently self-serve. As many have mentioned, there are not cups/ice/openers and they want you to sign for everything so you must be served by an attendant. There was never food out in the VIP Lounge even though the butler told us that there would be light snacks. It’s a beautiful place to sit to enjoy the view. There is also a large TV in there if you wanted to catch up on a game. We were told the lounge closes at 8pm which is a shame because it would be an ideal place to have a nightcap.

The Towers– We were on the 5th floor. The room was spacious. The bathroom does not open into the room, which I appreciated for privacy. The view was beautiful and we enjoyed that there was a screen door so you could hear the ocean without letting the bugs in. My now-husband did work on the balcony most mornings but there wasn’t an electrical outlet to plug in your laptop. The shower was large and has a bench. At least in our room, we estimated the ceilings to be 12’ high. The air conditioner worked great. The only initial hiccup we had was that our mini fridge was not cold, nor were the beverages in it. I texted our Butler and within 10 minutes, someone came with an entirely new one already filled with cold drinks! I appreciated that they didn’t cut into our vacation time by trying to fix it in the room. While we couldn’t hear our neighbors talking, you can hear everyone moving their patio furniture constantly so if you’re a light sleeper, you may want ear plugs. We were never offered a pillow menu or hand cut soaps as advertised. Our butler did arrange for our luggage to be brought down in time for our shuttle and see us off, which was a nice touch. She texted each morning to check in on how we were doing and find out our plans for the day. No liquor was available in the room but we also didn’t request any. We left $3 for room service asking for wine glasses, an opener, and a bottle of cab. This turned out to be a good move because the restaurants won’t let you leave with wine glasses. I think the Towers has the best view and I was very happy with the rooms so I would pay for it again. You may be very disappointed if your room is on a lower level with blocked ocean views so I recommend requesting a higher floor.

Food and drinks– This is where I’m conflicted. Let’s start with the fact that nothing has salt or pepper on it. Everything is overall bland. Finally, on our last day I remembered to ask for salt and pepper which they were happy to bring me but we went most meals without because we always forgot until our food was on the table and we didn’t want it to get cold. On our first night, we ate a Siempre because our butler had made us the reservation. The food was overall delicious! I had a flank steak and even though it looked overcooked, it was so tender and flavorful. Our 2nd evening, we ate at Peninsula. This was a very disappointing meal. The only dish we liked was the squid risotto with calamari. We were so dissatisfied that we went back and ordered pizzas from room service! Room service was inconsistent in quality but the first night that we got pizzas, they were excellent. Our 3rd evening, we ate at the for-fee steakhouse – I will get to that in the next section. The wines available in the package are a Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon from a Mexican wine brand. We found them all to taste sweet. The Cab was ok so we drank that the most even though it did taste a bit cherry for a Cab. The beers available are Pacifico and Corona. You can only get cans in your room or at the VIP Lounge. Otherwise, they serve everything in plastic cups. Also – my pet peeve – PAPER STRAWS ONLY! We brought our own plastic straws and no one batted an eye. The cocktails also were sweet. The strawberry daquiris tasted more like a cherry slurpy. A mango daquiri tasted like straight simple syrup. Overall, we felt the liquor was watered down but that worked out for us because then we didn’t get too drunk drinking all day at the pool. Speaking of the pool, the chicken strips and fish n chips at the pool were SO good! The guac was bland and chips were often stale. The Champaign Brunch at Siempre on Sundays was better than the breakfast buffet on other days. The pallaea was delicious as well as the to-order omelets. Based on the reviews, I expected the food and drinks to be a lot better but I would say that the quality, selection, and flavors were in line with other All Inclusives we’ve been to in Mexico.

Quivira Steakhouse and golf course – We spoke with our butler about going to take a golf course tour before our dinner at the steakhouse. The views were INCREDIBLE! We both took a cocktail out with us. My bf drove the cart and our tour guide, Luis, drove a separate cart ahead of us. He took us to the best holes and even took pictures of us on the course. This was free and we tipped him for doing a great job. I highly recommend that you add this into your itinerary, even if you aren’t that into golf. As far as the steakhouse, this was the best meal that we on our trip. For $35 pp you get an appetizer, main course, and dessert. They try to upsell you on everything. We ordered the specialty cocktails – hibiscus margarita and the Mr. Pinky – and I don’t know that they were worth the extra charge. I did order a glass of Sauvignon Blanc from the upcharge wine list and after drinking several (in my opinion) sweet wines included in the package, it was a welcome reprieve. I got the salad that has the strawberries and goat cheese and it was delicious. My bf said that bread they served was the best bread he’s ever had! I got the sea bass and my bf got a HUGE filet with the grilled broccoli and cauliflower – both included for the $35 – and both were excellent. We got the chocolate brownie cake and it was basically a huge hunk of fudge. I do not recommend that dessert but everything else we had was delicious. The steakhouse is on the beach and we got to see a sea lion who came up on the beach to watch the crowd of people releasing baby sea turtles! So fun. Overall, highly recommend paying the extra to go to the steakhouse.

Sky Pool/the Market – We took the shuttle over to the sky pool at Pueblo Bonito Sunset. It was an easy and quick transition. We arrived about 10:30. The bar doesn’t open until 10:30 – which we didn’t know – but we easily got lounge chairs. Once the bar opened, you could only order from a server – not the swim up bar. By 11:15 the place was packed so get there early. The view was great and the water was cooler than the pools at Pacifica for some reason so it was refreshing. After we stopped at the Market where we had tacos, beef chimichangas, and gelato. We loved the chimichangas so much that we ended up ordering a second round. At 2pm, the Market had very few people. We found the service to be quick and good.

The Beach – We love our morning beach walks but the sand is very rocky and tore up my pedicured feet. My bf had no issues so maybe just save yourself the $40 on a Pedi and walk the beach the first day? You aren’t allowed to walk all the way to the rocks on the left because its private property. You can walk all the way to the right down by the golf course. Overall, its beautiful. You can’t swim at this beach because the ocean current is too strong but we didn’t mind because the waves were beautiful to look at. I saw many people doing the beach beds for $40 per day. We didn’t think this was worth the money because the shore is actually below where the beach beds are so the view is basically the same from the “quiet pool” and the service at the pool was decent enough. I really wanted to sit by the fire pits and have a nightcap but the 4 pits were always occupied.

Pools – the towels were easy to get – no card needed or tracking them for the week. With the resort being governed at 35% capacity we never had issues getting a chair. The swim up pool sounded like fun but the view was better at the “quiet pool” so we spent all of our time in that one.

Other Tips and Info

• I read a review that said sunscreen is $200 at the resort’s gift shop. This is untrue. The gift shop prices are pesos. Still not cheap but not as outrageous.

• We booked Baja Airport Transfers for round trip. They picked us up in an Escalade and provided Pacificos and bottled waters both ways. It was a bit pricy – $160 round trip before tip – but the service was excellent and we felt more secure in today’s Covid environment.

• We did the Luxury Sailing Tour with Cabo Adventures. It was on sale online for $90 pp. The trip was awesome – we actually got to sail the last 45 minutes – our pictures were great, the snorkeling was nice but a bit choppy, and the open bar was plentiful. We would definitely book again.

• While downtown, definitely visit Baja Brewing Company’s rooftop location for an amazing view and some amazing onion rings!