DeweyCheathem

This place seems like a great deal, as it's a Category 2 hotel with 5th night free, meaning that I can book 5 nights there for just 40K Marriott points. While it's obviously not a luxury resort, it seems to be a serious bargain, with perfectly decent rooms and facilities and very well located just a short walk from Medano Beach. BTW, nowadays with the cratered Peso, it can also be booked with cash money for something like $70-75 a night.

As an SPG member, who's new to Marriott Rewards, I'm not accustomed to being able to get 5 nights using just 13333 SPG points in a resort area. This level of hotel in a highly desirable location is one that I always felt was severely lacking in the Starwood family.

SkiAdcock

Haven't stayed, but if you do stay there please post a trip report afterwards.

Cheers.

DeweyCheathem

I just thought I´d bump this thread and answer my own question, since I´m at this hotel right now. It´s just what you´d expect from a Fairfield Inn, except it´s in a prime tourism location. Good clean functional room, although mine might be larger than most, since I got a Gold upgrade. Nice pleasant common areas. Perfectly decent free breakfast, free parking, free wifi, free internet PCs in the lobby, free bottle of water, and no resort fee. The pool and gym are small, but clean and functional.

This place is a nice bargain either for cash money (typically $70-80 a night, other than busy peak weekends) and it´s a Cat 2 so it´s cheap with points too.

The location is NOT SCENIC at all, but it´s incredibly practical - right on the main drag in CSL, near the highway exit, and a reasonable walk to anywhere in CSL, including Medano Beach. If I were arriving in daytime, I´d probably not bother renting a car, since you don´t need it for getting around CSL. For me, I need one on this trip, since I´ll be back and forth between CSL and San Jose del Cabo. This place is not somewhere you would mistake for a luxury resort, but if you go to Cabo to experience the area, rather than be pampered at a luxe resort, it fills the bill quite well.

I´m going to be back in Cabo in April, and I will definitely stay here again, and again using points.

SkiAdcock

Thanks for the trip report. Much appreciated.

Cheers.

DeweyCheathem

FYI, they´re also giving me a 2 PM checkout as a Gold.

SkiAdcock

Unless the FI is a resort, you're entitled to a 4pm checkout.

Cheers.

Mr. Vker

Sorry! Didn't see your thread... We have also stayed here several times. First night of our annual Cabo timeshare trip. Great place to rest our heads after a long day of travel. Then we can check in to the resort for 7 nights refreshed. Great value. Clean. Decent service. Small rooms. We actually go with two beds and crash on each one. The double rooms are a bit larger and allow for better recovery for us.

DeweyCheathem

I´ll try for that tomorrow, which is my checkout day. They´re booked up tomorrow night though, as their online rates jumped that night and they didn´t offer points reservations for that night.

Edit: They gave me a 3 PM late checkout, which is as late as I wanted, since I´m heading into San Jose del Cabo later in the afternoon.

lucycan

I've driven by it a few times. Looks nice and new. If you want to be in CSL not a bad option at all!

mroseman13

I just booked a 5 night award stay there for the end of April. Good to hear that it's a decent place. I didn't want to shell out for a resort, so I figured this was a good economical option to stay in the area. As long as I can walk around the main areas of the city and beach, I'm happy.

I posted on another thread to get public transit advice to/from SJD. I will not have a rental car for the trip.

Mr. Vker

IIRC they have a shuttle that will take you to the beach at a resort nearby.

DeweyCheathem

No, that's the Marriott resort in Puerto Los Cabos, that has a shuttle to the Ganzo beach club, because their own beach is almost never swimmable.

The Fairfield Inn does not have a beach shuttle, and Medano beach is about a 15 minute walk. The Puerto Paraiso Mall is about a 10 minute walk, and the CSL Marina is just behind that mall.

I did these walks several times just last week.

BTW, the Ruta del Desierto bus stops within 100 yards of the Fairfield Inn in each direction. I'm pretty sure that the Ruta del Desierto bus also stops near Playa Santa Maria and Playa Chileno, which are two of the best beaches on the corridor, aside from Medano beach. It also stops at the Palmilla access road, but from there it's still about a 15 minute walk to Palmilla's public access beach.

I've stayed at this Fairfield Inn twice during the past 2 months (both times on points) and it would be my preferred place to stay in CSL, unless I wanted to drop $250-400 a night on a place right on Medano Beach.

Mr. Vker

Thanks for clearing that up. It's a good deal for just being in CSL. Close to everything and the right price.

mroseman13

Headed to there tomorrow! Hopefully I'll be able to find the Ruta del Desierto bus stop at SJD which I've been reading only picks up at T1 (and int'l arrives in T2).

mroseman13

Ruta del Desierto picked us up at T1 with the employees. I made friends with one of the time share sellers on the ride (I'm under 30, so they can't legally sell to me anyway). My room was pretty small, though it had a view of the bay. Bed wasn't so comfortable. The AC wouldn't set on one temperature - it'd either be on (and very cold) or off. The shower seemed to only have one temperature, even when the knob pointed to the 'blue' section. Other than that, decent place for the price. Great food at 69 Snack Club nearby and easy to walk to downtown and beach.