My fiance and I wanted an inexpensive but peaceful vacation and thought of Cabo since we live in California. Virgin America was offering a sweet deal on airfare so we booked a 5 day trip. We actually used Amex points to book an all inclusive at Solmar and received wonderful treatment. We had a great stay and I would highly recommend this to a couple (in the off season) looking for a romantic, peaceful getaway without a high price.

First off, I will say that the resort was EMPTY when we went in early September. We didn't see a single child (we're a couple without kids, so this was a big plus), and only saw one group of people at the very end of our trip. We ate almost every meal BY OURSELVES in the dining room and had the pool to ourselves during the day. Obviously if you go at Christmas or summer it's probably different. But suffice it to say, I felt very at peace there.

The staff was incredible. We started to feel a little guilty that they waited on us so attentively since we were the only people around so we started to tip a lot. I actually left a $70 tip one night just because the waiter had done such a great job and his manager came out and thanked me. These are some seriously hard working people in a tough economy in Mexico. They're there practically 24 hours a day and they're all very friendly. Most of them even speak English or at least they try. These are people with families that they never get to see and they devote so much energy to making the guests happy. Incredible.

The food was OK. There were some meals that were fantastic and others that were not. I'm a vegetarian so it was sometimes a struggle, but they were pretty good about making me something off menu. My fiance ordered the fish practically every night and loved it. We ate a lot of guacamole and nachos which were awesome by the pool. I probably drank 3-4 pina coladas a day and my fiance several beers. We loved the swim up bar but spent a lot of time under umbrellas reading. Yes the prices are very high if you don't do all inclusive, but it doesn't matter if you do the all inclusive. The staff is very appreciative of tips which we gave every time the service was excellent (which was 99% of the time!).

Our room was simple but lovely and clean. AC worked, hot water worked. The wireless Internet was kind of spotty but we also had 3G access on our devices so we didn't care. When the wireless did work it wasn't very fast, but you could check email. Our room faced the pool and we could see the construction. It never bothered us. One time by the pool I noticed the noise, but it still wasn't annoying. It never woke us up in the morning, even without ear plugs. The construction would stop early in the evening, or at least they did back in September. We found that by the pool during the day they play music, so you can't hear any construction. It sure beats the sound of screaming kids!

We also walked into town two of the nights. We felt very safe! The walk into town can be HOT during the summer but it was probably only 15 minutes briskly. We found downtown Cabo to be fun, but you have to find the right places. We mostly looked for smaller bars and sports bars. But again we ate and drank most everything at Solmar.

They did not bother giving us the time share presentation because 1. I'm under 27 years old, and 2. we weren't married. They didn't even offer us the presentation, so we didnt' deal with any of that. I found that they weren't pushy or rude people in general, so I can't imagine it would be a problem.

I would definitely recommend this hotel to a young couple or even a family interested in a peaceful, relaxing getaway. If you're used to Ritz Carlton's and Four Seasons hotels, then this is NOT for you. It's nice but not luxurious. If you also want the spring break college 'ME' experience, this won't do it for you either. Oh and you can't swim in the ocean on this side of the peninsula, but we just walked to the other side and hung out on the beach there. We loved Solmar and hope to return to it again some day!

this joint is a little dated, but it's off the beaten path, quiet, clean and the beach is quiet and expansive. close to town and the marina. we strolled everywhere and didn't spend a lot on taxis. didn't love the food, but the drinks were good. under construction now, but it honestly wasn't that distracting.

My husband and I just went to Cabo with our two adult kids, and 6 of their friends, for a 30th birthday celebration. I'm writing this while I still have my tan, and the memories are fresh and happy. It was my first time in that part of Mexico, and also my first stay in an all inclusive resort. I was a little concerned about the food, not only in the hotel, but in Mexico in general, NOT because I'm worried about getting sick, but because I'm vegan. I was pleased to find that the staff was more than willing to cater to my odd food requests, and although the menu was somewhat limited for me, I was well fed, and everyone else in the group had good things to say about all the meat and seafood dishes they ate there as well. And the freshly made sushi, served by the pool during the day, was excellent, whether it was fish or veggie. (More on my vegan travel experience on my blog, PositivelyVegan - http://positivelyvegan.blogspot.com/2012/02/vegan-in-cabo.html)

To be honest, the all inclusive deal is especially good for a party group like ours, who plans to spend a fair amount of time sipping tasty beverages by the pool. Sure, we ventured into town quite a bit, and had several great meals in other restaurants, but the majority of our daylight hours were spent poolside. I'm sure we got more than our money's worth for the all inclusive on margaritas alone.

Solmar is small in comparison to other resorts in the area. It's neighbors are more on a grand Las Vegas scale, while Solmar, being a somewhat older resort, is something of a throwback to simpler vacation times. We had five rooms there, and could easily keep track of each other while still having plenty of privacy. A large staff keeps the rooms and grounds spotless, and everyone is friendly and helpful. Solmar is also a timeshare, and you will be invited (more than once) to visit the sister properties. After about the third firm, but gentle refusal, they stopped asking, but you do need to make it very clear that you're not interested in a time share.

The resort is situated near the tip of Baja, almost at "land's end." It's a 10 minute walk to the Marina, where there are dozens of restaurants and shops, an indoor "flea market" filled with vendors selling all your favorite Mexican souvenirs, and water taxis and excursions galore. We only took a cab once, coming back from a restaurant on the "spring break" side of Cabo. Solmar is pleasantly situated on the quiet side, where the beach is nearly empty. If you're an ocean swimmer, this is not the beach for you, because it's steep and dangerous, with red flags and warning signs cautioning about the strong rip tides. However, the sand is clean and gorgeous, there are no vendors at all, and you can watch the manta rays play in the waves, and even spot whales in the right season. There are also beach chairs and food and drink service on the hotel's beach. We loved the calm of this side of Cabo, and ventured to the other side only a couple of times.

The service throughout the resort was excellent, especially once the confusion about tipping was cleared up. The front desk staff neglected to mention that while tips are technically included in the all inclusive, a few dollars or pesos will go a long way to improve the service, especially for a large group like ours, who was fairly demanding. It's just good manners to give a little extra appreciation to someone who has taken good care of you. If you go to Solmar, be sure to make friends with Vicente, who will see that you have everything you need by the pool, and Jose Luis and Alejandro, who seem to be on duty (and smiling) in the restaurant from breakfast through dinner.

Solmar is the place to go if you want a cozy, friendly atmosphere, with very little "hard sell," and opportunity to connect with everyone from the staff to other visitors. It's welcoming and comfortable, and an easy place to relax, without all the posh pretense of some of the bigger, more expensive resorts.

(As a side note, there was a rumor that Solmar is slated to be torn down, so another resort monstrosity can be built in its place. This is in the works right next door, and there was construction going on, including a large crane that could be seen from the pool. We might have seen this as an annoyance, but instead chose to view it as part of the entertainment. It was actually quite impressive to watch that crane operator in action, and we found the noise to be minimal, although it did start up at 7AM - a good wake up call for us to go down to the beach and catch the manta's morning show!)

Stayed at the Solmar for 4 nights. Nice place but very old, I seemed to notice it most in the bathrooms. We had a very nice view of the pools and the ocean. The beach is private so it was very quite which I thought was very nice. Did not do the all inclusive so can not comment on that. Within walking distance of town, so that was a plus. There is also a property next door, the Grand Playa and if staying at Solmar you can also use their pools and fitness center. Pools at Grand Playa are much nicer, but more crowded.