kindra178

Am looking for 6 nights of rest and relaxation. Seeking some culture (I have read the numerous posts on Los Cabos' lack thereof). Hope to eat great food, spend a lot of time outdoors (swimming, hiking, tennis), and come back thoroughly refreshed. Can anyone comment on Los Suenos v. Los Cabos to fulfill this?

lvk

Just got back from CR and Los Suenos (I'm assuming you mean Los Suenos Marriott). Have been to Cabo a couple of times (though not at Starwood). Los Suenos wins, hands down.

Los Suenos - close to rainforest hiking, wildlife, surfing beaches, horseback riding, canopy zip line tours, whitewater rafting. Great (though pricey)food on site. Everybody tries to go out of their way to provide you with great service. Nobody trying to sell you things on the beach, or anywhere else. We also didn't see any timeshare salesman. Not sure of what kind of climate you're used too, but the heat and humidity might limit your tennis playing. Golf course at Los Suenos is beautiful.

Los Cabos- ugh! Timeshare hucksters everywhere, people approaching you constantly to sell you something while you're on the beach, heartbreaking little kids trying to sell you Chiclets. Not my idea of a relaxing vacation.

Just my opinion!

kindra178

Thanks. Can you tell me more about the Marriott Los Suenos? How was your room? And the bathroom? Was there a separate tub and shower or a deep soaking tub? You mentioned the food on site. How about the food off-site? You didn't see any poverty at Los Suenos?

lvk

Our room was a little nicer than a basic Marriott room, not Super-luxe. We had one with a full balcony facing the ocean. There are also Jr. Suites, but those appeared to have no real balcony, just "Juliet style" railings outside your sliding doors.

The grounds and common areas are very nice. The pool is huge. The beach is hard-packed brown sand- not very attractive. The Marriott web site does not give detailed descriptions of this property. Try this one from a CR travel agency: http://www.costaricatravelguide.com/...enos/index.htm

Bathroom had a combo tub-shower, unjetted (is that a word?). Not a deep soaking tub.

The closest town to Los Suenos is Jaco Beach, a funky surf town, with very, very casual restaurants. Yes, you see poverty, but no begging and nobody ever approaching you on the street. IMO, not the sense of despair you see throughout Baja.

Los Suenos is the most luxurious large-scale resort in this area of Costa Rica. However, if you want something more luxurious with nicer beaches, you might try the new Four Seasons on the Northern Pacific Coast. Or try www.luxurylink.com for other deluxe accomodation packages.

I loved Costa Rica, but I thought of it more as an adventure trip than a luxury trip.

Hope this helps.

billyjeff

We stayed at Los Suenos last February and are returning in January. I can't say enough good things about it. It definitely is very American friendly - prices in the Costa Rican currency as well as American, for example. The beach is not very good - rough and not smooth at all, but they have a fabulous large pool are which more than compensates.

We found a terrific restaurant neary (a short shuttle drive away - they do charge for the shuttle) called Pelicanos - a kind of funky place across the road from the beach -- but the seafood was outstanding. We saw them bringing the lobsters in from the water and the prices were very reasonable. We ate there three nights in a row - it was that good.

Los Suenos is part of a large new resort area with a number of condos. ALthough there is a sales office for the conda at the Marriott, as the above poster noted -- there is absolutely no pressure or outside sales hucksters.

If you are interested, have yur TA inquire about a special promotion Marriott had with Visa. Out TA got us a terrific savings by paying on our Visa card (may have been MC). Don't know if it is still offered, but it would be worth an inquiry