Anna and I visited Cabo for the first time in May 2013 and really enjoyed ourselves. You hear all of the horror stories on the news about Mexico and question whether you should go or not… well, let me tell you, we had a great time and there was never a moment of fear for us or our 3-year old son.
We had such a great time during our May vacation, that we booked this return trip in January 2014 on Day 2 of the 4 days we were at Cabo Azul.
When we arrived, the weather was as perfect as you can ask for during January… not too hot, but not too cold.
In This Post
How we flew to Cabo
At the time, Southwest had not yet taken over AirTran’s routes, so we transferred some points from Southwest to AirTran to book our tickets. You can transfer 1,200 Southwest points to equal 1 AirTran credit… or vice versa.
Since we needed 3 tickets (Anna, Timmy, and me), we needed 48 credits. 8 credits on AirTran each way, 16 total per person. The taxes from the US to Mexico were $27.60 per person, and about double that for the return trip.
If you were to book the trip today to fly starting August 10, you could fly for as low as 16,310 Southwest points round-trip per person with taxes of $85.94.
or as little as $359 per person!
Diamond Resorts Cabo Azul
Of all the places we have traveled with our timeshares, Cabo Azul is the best. The location is amazing, the service is top-notch, and the style and decor make you feel like you’re in a fantasy.
It starts when you first arrive… moist scented towels and a bottle of water await you.
If you’d like to visit Diamond Resorts Cabo Azul, please click here for a special vacation package available only to my readers.
Check out my video from our May visit
The Reservations
We booked a one bedroom timeshare unit from Wednesday, January 1, 2014 through Monday, January 6, 2014. We originally wanted to fly home on the 4th or 5th, but there were no AirTran award flights available, so we stayed an extra couple of days… twist my arm. We made 2 reservations based upon what was available and our goal to fly home on January 4… the 2nd reservation was really a back-up plan:
- 1 bedroom Grand-Pool View for January 1 thru January 4 – 5970 points (798 Sun-Thur nights, 2394 Fri & Sat nights)
- 1 bedroom Garden View for January 4 thru January 6 – 3192 points (1062 Sun-Thur nights, 3186 Fri & Sat nights)
We used a total of 9,162 Diamond Resort timeshare points for this 6 days, 5 nights vacation.
One Bedroom Unit
The one bedroom units at Cabo Azul are out of this world luxurious and very spacious. You have your own balcony or patio, a living room, a dining area, and a full kitchen.
The bedroom has a separate shower and jetted bathtub.
The bathrooms are really nice. I just love the attention to detail and the ornate woodwork throughout the property.
And the balcony is comfortable enough to get some work done while working remotely to save on vacation days.
The last night at Cabo Azul, I couldn’t sleep because I didn’t want to leave. The view of the rising sun was pretty amazing to experience.
Relaxing at the Pool
There are 3 main pools in the center of the Cabo Azul complex. The pool closest to the ocean is the coldest and the one closest to the resort is the warmest.
From the beach, the view is pretty spectacular as well… and I LOVE these poolside beds. I wish I knew where to buy them because the pool at my home is just begging for one of these bad boys!!!
Timmy is ready to go swimming… and that’s about all we did during our 6-day vacation.
Timmy enjoyed “bubble island” which is a place to lounge in the middle pool… a few yards away from the swim up bar that is in the background.
There are 2 hot tubs by the main pool area.
Timmy had a few words of caution for us at the pool
In January, they opened up two new pools which are between the entrance and the main building. The water is amazing because they are fed by the attached hot tubs, so the water must be around 95*
After playing in the water for awhile, it was time to take an afternoon nap… even though Timmy didn’t agree.
Day Spa and Gym at Cabo Azul
While Timmy was taking a nap, I spoiled Anna with a surprise massage at the day spa. If you watched the episode of Undercover Boss with Stephen Cloobeck of Diamond Resorts, you will remember that the lady who worked at the spa had a daughter who needed a medical procedure done. Mr Cloobeck paid for her surgery and helped the lady buy a home!!!
We attended a Diamond Resorts timeshare presentation and used the money they paid us to attend to pay for Anna’s massage. Yeah, it was an hour out of our day, but it was well worth it to see how relaxed Anna was afterward!!!
When you look into the spa area from the workout room, I couldn’t help but be a little jealous of how much pampering Anna had waiting for her.
I keep telling myself that I’m going to pull away from the relaxation and work out, but my gym shorts and shoes often just stay packed away. The workout room has a number of treadmills, ellipticals, and weight machines. There is also a yoga room.
Food options at Cabo Azul
One of the reasons we love traveling with our timeshares is the full kitchen. There is an on-site market with basic staples, like cereal, lunch meat, bread, chips, salsa, and drinks. But, if you don’t want to cook, there are plenty of options for food.
The deli that is next to the market has great food options each day, plus some daily specials that we took advantage of.
Flor de Noche is the name of the restaurant that is poolside. They have great food there, but I generally only eat there whenever there are specials so that everything stays really affordable. Happy Hour is available every day with 2-for-1 drinks.
We ate their the first night we arrived to relax and get into vacation mode. Timmy had fun coloring.
Sunday Brunch all you can eat $18
I think the all-you-can-eat pasta night is available on Tuesday and Thursday nights for $28. We did this… WOW, talk about pasta overload. It was SOOO tasty… and it comes with a free glass of wine.
On Monday nights, they have a beach party with a live band, a fire show, and includes all-you-can-eat and all-you-can-drink for $47.
There is also a restaurant named Javier’s on site. It is a little more higher end, and Javier’s has a location at the Irvine Spectrum, which is about 20 minutes from where we live. This place is known for the excellent margaritas and authentic Mexican food.
Off-site food options
The first time we went to Cabo Azul, we only left the property for Kiki and Gabe’s wedding. This time, we explored San Jose del Cabo a little bit. We had lunch at a rooftop restaurant, Timmy had some ice cream as we walked around, and Anna was serenaded by a mariachi while we enjoyed dinner.
Across the street from Cabo Azul is a strip mall with several food options, including Ten Tu Taco.
A little further down the road, about 5 minutes walking, is Rock N Brews, which is owned by Gene Simmons of the band KISS.
Conclusion
I’m looking forward to returning to Cabo Azul for my 40th birthday next summer. This is the nicest timeshare we have stayed at, and I’m pretty sure it is in the top 3 of any resort or hotel we have visited. The service leaves nothing to be desired and the amenities tempt you to never explore outside the property’s boundaries. We have yet to explore the more “tourist” area of Cabo San Lucas… maybe next time. I KNOW we’ll be back.
You too can visit Diamond Resorts Cabo Azul if you take advantage of the special vacation package available only to my readers.
A female posted a travel question on Anaheim Hills Buzz. I responded to have her check out your blog. Bragged about how amazing you were with all travel related questions. She wanted to know which airline miles to sign up for, with specific destinations. The MINUTE I posted it, it was removed. Sigh, these 4(?) admins are quite……particular and I guess I crossed a line. I then went to her page and PM’d her the info.
Thanks Faye, you’re awesome!!! I will write another post for the Buzz and maybe that person will contact me. If not, I hope it will help out others who are in her similar situation. Have a great weekend!
Can you recommend a reputable shuttle service to get to and from the Cabo Azul. Thank you. Sam
Samantha, the Cabo Azul staff arranged the ride for us with Transcabo. We agreed to a 90 minute presentation, and they paid for our transport back and forth from the airport, along with a $75-$100 Amex gift card and a voucher for a “mini-vacation”. They will no doubt try to sell you on more points during the presentation and at the mini-vacation, but my will is stronger than theirs, so I take the prizes whenever I can.
When you walk through customs, there is a big white room with desks lined up along each side. These are salespeople trying to get you to timeshare presentations or sell you on harbor cruises, snorkeling, or numerous other things. You can get a ride from them to your resort included in your package as well.
If you don’t want to deal with any of that, keep walking until you get outside the airport and then arrange for a cab or SUV ride. I’m not sure how much they cost, but I imagine it’s around $40-50 each way because the ride is about 20-30 minutes from the airport to Cabo Azul.
Have a great time!