This is not an inexpensive destination, but if you are considering this property, you already know that. The question, then becomes one of value....is what you get commensurate with the cost. In my opinion, the answer is "yes".
To begin with, the property is incredible. It is lushly landscaped with over 200 varieties of tropical plants. They are immaculately maintained, subtly lit and even scented in the evenings. The hardscape is equally impressive, with details that not only suggest the Mexican culture, but also incorporate aspects that suggest Arabic culture. The pathways were never crowded, and always gave a private and serene feeling. And the whales......INCREDIBLE.
My party had two rooms in Casa Colores, a Grand Suite and a Premier room. Both of these rooms were advertised as ocean front, though they would more fairly be classified as ocean view. Buildings like Casa Mananitas and others would have truly ocean front rooms. Be sure to select your building with care. That said, the rooms, themselves were great. The grand suite was spacious and well appointed and maintained. The premier room had a great bathroom and storage, and was also well maintained. As with the landscaping, decoration and architecture paid homage to Mexican culture with hints of Arabic culture.
My party did not use the spa, although it looked sumptuous and serene. They did use the fitness center, though, and found it to be large and well stocked. My sister took a complementary yoga class and thought it was challenging and great. My wife scheduled one personal training session and liked it so much, she scheduled several throughout the week. The instructor tailored her workout to challenge her and to push beyond what she thought was possible for her.
We ate breakfast (and ordered pool food and drinks) from Breeze. We thought the food was well prepared and delicious. We ate at Seared, and enjoyed the food and appreciated the personal greeting from the General Manager. The Sommelier
was very helpful and knowledgeable, and recommended a nice Mexican wine for us. We had late evening small bites and drinks at the Agua bar and found them very enjoyable. We ate at Suviche, and enjoyed the experience and the food.
Beyond the basics, above, we were impressed by several touches that made us feel pampered and special. We were honored to be welcomed by Mr. Sorenson and several staff on arrival. There was also an assemblage of staff and management as we departed. In-room check-in was nice. We used our butlers a number of times and found them unfailingly available and helpful. We enjoyed the complimentary cold treats at the pool, as well as the complementary foot massages. We utilized the available resort transportation for every excursion off property and felt spoiled. Finally, the airport expediter came in handy on a very busy departure day (more on that below).
We took a couple of excursions off property that were of note. We took a whale watching tour in a 46' power boat with Cabo Sailing (recommended by the resort). The boat was clean, well appointed, and served great snacks and drinks, we recommend this highly. We actually saw more whales sitting by the pool at the resort, but the opportunity to get much closer and see the spectacular Pacific coast was great. We also ate at a restaurant called Sunset Mona Lisa. Great food and beautiful views. Get one of the premier tables, and reserve on their website
well before you arrive to get a selection of days and time. Availability was almost gone when we reserved a week before we left.
We thought that the service was topnotch without any exceptions. I only wish we could have remembered the names of all of the staff that we interacted with during our stay. The staff is always the beating heart of any resort. They can add value or subtract it. The folks at O&O Palmilla definitely add value. Believe me, you feel and SEE that they provide service "from the heart".
We must personally acknowledge some of the staff that we interacted with. Our butlers Pedro and Oswaldo were great and always readily available. At the fitness center, my wife used Miguel, several times, as well as Francisco. They were both great. My sister enjoyed her yoga instructor, a small, lithe athlete whose name we sadly didn't catch. At Breezes, we enjoyed Sergio and Ana Laura as well as the manager of the area "Angie" who went over and above to get us some mementos of our stay. At the adult pool, we were ably sunned, shaded and served by Raul, Elias and Jose. Finally, our drivers were all consummate professionals. We used Fernando, Norberto and Javier. We particularly enjoyed Norberto's good humor on our excursion to The Office. We all had a great laugh together. Javier went above and beyond when after delivering us to the airport, he looked into the back seat of his car to find my sister's phone. He called the airport expediter who had us in the check-in line at the time. The expediter ran back to the entry door to get the phone from Javier, who had returned to the location. Sadly, I should have remembered the expediter's name. He and Javier were great. There were so many more folks we should have remembered personally. Next visit we will do better. They all combined to make us feel so special.
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