I received an email several weeks ago about 20,000 points per night redemptions at the Holiday Inn Resort Los Cabos All Inclusive. I began thinking of the great weather, the sun, the beach, and booked 6 nights. Unfortunately, the rest of this trip report is the failures I experienced until I finally decided I had enough and left for the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos.  Prior to my arrival, I was in contact with a manager by email, and he let me know I was entitled to an upgrade due to my IHG Platinum Elite Status (I was not expecting this), and for $45 / night additional, I could again upgrade to an ocean view room with a terrace and hammock. I upgraded as the limited photos available showed what I thought was a nice room.

CHECK-IN

Upon arrival, the check-in process was the first problem; we were told to go do “something” for an hour while our room was cleaned. This was odd since we arrived around 1:30pm and the manager was aware of my arrival time. We went to the one restaurant on property that was open and had a good meal. After an hour had passed, we returned to the lobby to find complete chaos. There was a line from the desk half way through the lobby, and only some of the computers were staffed for check-in. It appeared there may have been internet or connection problems because nobody was moving it seemed. I was given a key to my room and thought I had dodged a bullet – I didn’t have to wait in that line. My hopes were short lived as I tried to get in my room and the key didn’t work, the dreaded red light. I returned to the lobby and the same faces were standing in line, not on the beach or enjoying their free alcohol. I asked an employee what was going on and was told to come back in 45 minutes. I asked to see a manager.  A manager arrived about 5 minutes later and had keys to our room, and we were finally starting to settle in.

INTERNET

Like a lot of people, when I travel, I work a little and take a computer and phone with me. Note to IHG, if you’re going to advertise that guests and loyalty members get internet or even premium internet access, it has to work, this is 2018 and the days of dial up speeds and AOL are long gone, even in third world countries. I am aware some places only offer internet in common areas, but this was not the case with this Holiday Inn. I could connect, but it seemed to drop out intermittently and when it was connected, it could not handle simple music streaming. Depending on where you moved in the room, the signal would become completely unusable or disappear completely. I tried the service in other areas of the resort and it was still the same miserable quality.

TERRACE & HAMMOCK

I was looking forward to trying the hammock and relaxing in the afternoon breeze.  Unfortunately, the hammock was sliced open and appeared if you would sit in it, you may need a chiropractor or worse after your unintended fall to planet Earth. No problem, there were beach chairs and umbrellas available.

FOOD

Part of the attractiveness of all-inclusive resorts is the fact that most of the food, beverages, and alcohol are included. At the Holiday Inn, this meant one restaurant. This was ok for the first day but the food items were limited, so it kind of felt like you weren’t getting the full experience and although the quality was good, I was disappointed.

SERVICE

One thing I wasn’t expecting was sporadic service. I have been to plenty of places in Mexico, South America, the Caribbean, and have been amazed at the service I received. At the Holiday Inn, the service was fine once someone actually recognized you existed. Most of the time, I just sat down where I wanted as there was no host, and others were doing the same. Once you got the food you wanted, someone eventually came around. It was ok and I didn’t starve, but it wasn’t efficient or what I expected.

ROOM

We still don’t know what it was but I was jared from my sleep around 8:00am by the sound of a closet door being opened, in my room. This was so strange, I actually got up and thought someone was in my room. Nobody was there, it must have been an adjoining room. We did notice the rooms were not insulated well and we could hear others in the hall and other rooms. I was also told by staff that the Holiday Inn is the oldest resort in Cabo, so this could be a contributing factor.  Maybe the first day was just a bad day, and I just needed a new day…

New day, new problem – FUN UNDER THE SUN & FECES ON THE BEACH

We headed to the beach to relax and take in the ocean and sun. The first thing I noticed, was the backrest of the chair was covered in bird feces. No problem, we’ll go to the other chairs, and those too were covered in feces.

This trip was quickly going downhill. You will recall I had complained about the internet on the first day; and by the second day, nothing had changed; we decided to pull the ripcord and evacuate the Holiday Inn Resort.  I was able to get online and see the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos had rooms available for 5 nights for 20,000 points per night for double occupancy. A quick transfer from Chase, a 15 minute walk and the world began to spin again.  See my separate review on the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabo coming soon.

Until things change, I would suggest you save yourself some disappointment and keep the fun meter pegged by booking something besides the Holiday Inn Resort Los Cabos.  Have you had a similar or better experience?  Let me know.