Since Kaleb had two days off for the 4th of July, making the weekend quite long, I figured we should burn some of our points and miles on a fun trip. We had collected a lot of reward points from various credit card sign up bonuses, including:
Plus, I got a
Southwest Airlines companion pass (CP) a few months prior by redeeming 235,000 Marriott Rewards points (again, collected through various credit card bonuses) for a 5-night Hotel + Air package which included 120,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points. That amount of points allowed me to qualify for the coveted CP, good for the rest of this year and through 2018.
(sadly, the Marriott hotel/air package no longer qualifies for CP as of March 31, 2017) I designated Kaleb as my companion, allowing him to fly for free with me on the same itinerary. It wasn't the first time I had a CP; I was able to procure my first by signing up for two Southwest credit cards back in 2013, the sign-up bonuses added up with my frequent flying to qualify. Kaleb and I used the pass often during that year and through 2014, saving a lot of money, especially when flying on points since it doubles the "freeness".
The outbound flight to Cabo was booked on Alaska Airlines using MR points from the AMEX Business Platinum through the AMEX travel portal. This card had a 50% point redemption rebate; if points were used to purchase coach tickets from a designated airline (we chose Alaska, and each point was valued at 1 cent), AMEX would refund 50% back to the account.
(since changed to 35%, so not as lucrative) So the two of us were able to fly for about 30,000 MR points after the 50% rebate. We also had taken advantage of the 50% point rebate to fly to London on
our trip back in May. Redeeming MR points in this way also allowed us to collect frequent flyer miles on the flights since it was treated like a cash purchase.
For the return, I redeemed Southwest points for my flight, then added Kaleb as my companion for free. Airfare taxes were not included. I charged them to the Chase Sapphire Reserve, which provided
trip delay insurance; if our flights were delayed by 6 hours or more, the insurance would cover up to $500 per person for incidentals such as food, hotel room, clothing, toiletries, and other personal items. So far, we haven't had to make a claim, but it would have been handy when
we got stuck overnight in Dallas, but the Sapphire Reserve card didn't exist then. Also, the airline taxes would have dipped into the $300 Chase Sapphire Reserve travel statement credit, but we already redeemed all of it on a payment towards the
river cruise we took back in May. Unlike the MR point redemption on the outbound flight, frequent flyer points would not be accrued on this leg.
Our 4-night stay at the all-inclusive adults-only
Marquis Los Cabos was paid for entirely by Chase UR points. One of the benefits of holding a Chase Sapphire Reserve is that your points are worth 1.5x when redeemed through the Chase travel portal. For example, 100,000 points (1 cent per point) would be equivalent to $1500. I checked prices on various online travel agencies as well as the hotel website and it was a better deal to pay with points through the Chase travel portal. So we redeemed about 120,000 points for a stay that cost approximately $1800.
We did pay for a few things, such as private transfers to and from the resort using
Cabo Shuttle Services and cash tips for the transfer/housekeeper/servers. (tips aren't always expected at all-inclusives, but we prefer to leave a little something for great service) Otherwise, everything else was "free".
Our Alaska Airlines flight was non-stop to Cabo, which was great. I also was able to move our assigned seats to the exit row for free while checking into the flight 24 hours before.
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| plenty of legroom in exit row |
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| snack |
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The private transfer service met us exactly as described in their confirmation email. The ride was efficient and comfortable, with the driver offering us complimentary cold beer and water.
Upon entering the open-air lobby of the Marquis Los Cabos, the architecture and views were impressive.
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| lobby entrance, photo courtesy of Marquis Los Cabos |
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| cantilevered decorative pool |
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| view of the resort from the lobby rear |
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Our junior suite had a view of the ocean and was set up with many amenities. The included mini-bar was always enjoyed whenever we were spending time in the room. Since the items were replenished daily, I had to control myself from snacking on too many chips or chocolates.
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| balcony with a view |
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| comfortable king bed |
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| slippers set up beside the bed |
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| room service cubby for privacy |
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| large closet |
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| fluffy robes and towels |
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| L'Occitane toiletries |
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| toilet and shower |
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| jetted bathtub |
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| safe under the TV |
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| snacks replenished daily |
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| drinks replenished daily |
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| activity schedule |
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| and yes, you can play Pokemon Go |
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The only weird thing about the room was that if you didn't slide the balcony doors closed to align exactly with the sensors at the top, the air conditioning would not turn on. So keep this in mind in case the A/C doesn't work in your room. It is possible to close the doors, yet not be in alignment.
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| must slide doors closed to exact position for A/C to work |
After settling into the room, it was time for dinner at Vista Ballenas. At night, this restaurant served Mexican cuisine. In addition to ordering off the menu, there was an appetizer buffet.
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| dinner menu |
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| bread basket |
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| appetizer buffet |
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| a few buffet selections, including ceviche |
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| tuna-stuffed jalapenos |
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| fish soup |
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| pickled smoked marlin |
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| triggerfish filet |
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| tres leches cake |
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| jericalla (type of flan) |
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The food was nice, but it didn't beat the meal we had at
El Patio when
we stayed at Secrets Maroma Beach many years ago.
After dinner, we walked around to get acquainted with our surroundings.
The next morning, I was expecting coffee and pastries to be delivered through the room service cubby which I had read about in reviews, but it did not appear. It wasn't a big deal since we were heading to Vista Ballenas to enjoy their breakfast buffet. The offerings didn't beat the buffet at Secrets Maroma either, but it was still good. I'm happy as long as I have lots of fresh fruit, juices, eggs and salty breakfast meats.
We spent the rest of the afternoon on shaded lounge chairs away from the pool. Pop music was piped into the public areas; it was fine at first, but the songs repeated after an hour or so, which got old. When I think of this part of our trip, "Despacito" and "Bad Liar" play in my head. But we really enjoyed the service here; the menu had many delicious options. The ceviche dishes were the best!
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| relaxing with a coloring book (thanks Dana!) |
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| Yucatan mixed ceviche |
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| orange sorbet |
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Dinner was at the Asian restaurant
Sakke. Many guests were seated at the teppanyaki tables. We ordered mostly sushi rolls and sashimi, and our server added a few off-menu items that he thought we'd like. The raw items and desserts were great.
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| Zen garden at the top of the stairs |
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| Sakke menu |
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| green tea with big jug of honey |
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| delicious edamame |
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| miso soup, meh |
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| yakitori and two off-menu items |
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| sashimi and off-menu spicy tuna |
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| bottle of hot sake |
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| busy teppanyaki tables |
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| more sashimi and rainbow roll |
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| camelado (coffee gelatin with vanilla ice cream) |
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| tempura ice cream, yum |
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Monday morning, we did get a delivery of coffee and pastries through the cubby door. The baked goods were fresh and very tasty. We enjoyed this on our balcony before going down to breakfast.
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| special delivery! |
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| those pastries were yum |
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Afterwards, we found lounge chairs right by the infinity pool. It felt fantastic being lazy all afternoon, being served lunch pool-side and drinking tropical delights.
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| mango margarita |
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| ceviche, guacamole and fish tacos |
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| vanilla ice cream |
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| beautiful infinity pool |
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Tonight's dinner was at Pergola, an Italian restaurant. The place was busy, but there was live music to enjoy while waiting.
About ten minutes later, we were seated. There was a dinner menu as well as an appetizer buffet. Wood-fired pizzas were also available. Overall, the food was good.
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| Pergola dinner menu |
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| appetizer buffet |
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| awesome fresh baked flatbread |
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| beef carpaccio |
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| salmon pasta |
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| "Mexican" wood-fired pizza |
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| tiramisu |
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| opera cake |
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The next day was July 4th, our last full day at the resort. Coffee and pastries arrived in the cubby hole again. We decided to have breakfast delivered to mix things up. Room service was available 24 hours.
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| fruit plate, divorciados eggs, omelette, fresh juices |
We relaxed in our room until lunch, when we went down to Dos Mares for food. The menu was the same as pool-side. Special 4th of July activities were going on, so we watched as we ate our meal.
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| more ceviche |
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| fish fingers and fries |
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| fruit sorbet |
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| 4th of July activities by the pool |
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Afterwards, we walked to the Espresso Cappuccino shop to check it out. Everything in here was also included, such as specialty coffees, sandwiches, pastries, fruit, and milkshakes.
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| menu |
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| pastries |
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| fruit and sweets |
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| more fruit and sweets |
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| self-serve cookies and drinks |
A 4th of July dinner was being held on the beach, but we did not attend since I wasn't interested in eating BBQ ribs and such. We ended up dining at Sakke again. No pictures since we ate similar dishes as before.
We did not try Canto del Mar, a French restaurant. Advance reservations were required plus an extra $85 per person charge, so I decided to skip it this visit.
The next morning after breakfast, we headed to the airport. Our private transfer met us at the lobby as scheduled, and the ride was non-eventful. One other thing worth mentioning: while checking out, the desk clerk gave us a form to fill out for a complimentary one-year
Leaders Club membership. If we were staying at another Leading Hotels of the World affiliate, the benefits would be useful.
At the airport, we were able to enter the
VIP Lounge in the airport for free with the
Priority Pass. (complimentary with various credit cards like the
Chase Sapphire Reserve) The lounge was very spacious, with plenty to eat and drink.
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| lots of seating on the second floor |
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| salads you can order |
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| sandwiches you can order |
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| self-serve sandwiches |
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| more self-serve |
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| self-serve cookies and fruit |
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Our return flight was on Southwest, with a long layover in Los Angeles. Immigration was a breeze, thanks to having
Global Entry. Terminal 1, where our second flight was departing from, didn't have a lounge, so we walked over to Terminal 7 to enter the United Club, using two complimentary passes from holding the
United Mileage Plus Explorer credit card.
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| a small snack in the United Club |
Not all of the terminals are connected air-side in LAX so we had to go through security a couple of times. But since we had
TSA Pre-Check from having Global Entry, the lines were short.
And that was the end of our trip. I enjoyed our stay at the Marquis Los Cabos as the atmosphere was quiet when we went, the food was good (I could eat ceviche every day) and the service was great. Would I come back? Probably (especially if paid for with points), but only after I've checked out other Cabo all-inclusives such as the Hyatt Ziva and Secrets Puerto Los Cabos.
What's next? I head to Chicago for some travel agent training...stay tuned!
***
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Another disclaimer: The intention of this blog was to remind Future Me in full detail about where I went and what I did. I could have made it private, but I frequently get questions from family, friends and internet folks about how I planned things, got deals, etc., so instead of repeating the story over and over, I direct them here. If you are offended by anything I say or do, save yourself the discomfort and kindly click away from my blog. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!
