My first thought was, "What kind of scam is this?" But since it's Amex Travel and not some random travel agency or travel website, I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt. We were already planning a week-long cruise, so why not check it out? I am so GLAD that I did. We booked 2 cabins on a 7-day Caribbean Cruise and with our cruise documentation came the resort voucher for 2 rooms, good for a 7-night stay.
Luxury can be interpreted in many ways. I wasn't expecting Four Seasons but I was hoping it wasn't the Holiday Inn. It ended up being a choice between two Pueblo Bonito resorts: one in Cabo San Lucas and one in Mazatlan. Having never heard of Pueblo Bonito resorts, I immediately turned to my favorite travel site, TripAdvisor.com, for reviews. I had always wanted to go to Cabo and a quick search revealed great reviews! This really seemed like it could be the real deal: a great 2-for-1!
Before I go further, I want to point out that then-promotion was for Pueblo Bonito Pacifica Resort & Spa. This is an adults only resort (something I greatly appreciated). The current promotion is for Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach. This is not an adults-only resort. It's more family oriented but still very nice. Both resorts are located on the same compound and guests can easily use the other's facilities.
I ended going to Cabo with Sunshine, Big Buddha and Big Buddha's sister. We had no issues checking in/out - they simply accepted the voucher and that was it. Painless...and free!! In the interest of transparency, I want to mention that Pueblo Bonito's timeshare program is heavily promoted. You don't have to attend the timeshare presentation but it would be in your interest to do so (just do get sucked into the timeshare pitch). When we attended, we got 1) free breakfast, 2) an activity for the morning - pretend you're on House Hunters and 3) $150 food credit per room. You're spending 7-nights there. It's worth it!
The Cabo trip was one of the best vacations that I've ever taken. Ironically, it ended up being way better than the cruise (the main vacation). Free room aside, the food at Pueblo Bonito Pacifica and Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach was TERRIFIC and inexpensive! Sunshine and Big Buddha were obsessed over the resort's carne asada. As a foodie, this really was greatly appreciated and fondly remembered. Usually, the food at beach resorts are bland/non-edible and expensive (ahem - Cancun Ritz Carlton, anyone?). As an added bonus, the food in town was terrific and cheap!!
I'm usually not a huge fan of fish but this was the BEST FISH EVER from a restaurant called Mariscos Mazatlan. They drizzled some sort of magic sauce on the fish before they grilled it.
We hit up at least one taqueria a night!
I want to highlight the important fine print for you:
- Your cruise fare per cabin must be $1,990+. (It's one voucher per cabin.)
- 7-night stay is for double occupancy.
- You must make the resort reservations within 90-days of the issue date printed on the voucher. (You have to complete the cruise before you can use the voucher. If my memory is correct, the voucher is dated the last day of your cruise.)
- The vacation must be completed within 18 months of the issue date printed on the voucher.
- The voucher is issued to the individual who's is the primary passenger of the cabin. ( I had to call Amex Travel to gripe about this because I used my cc to pay for both cabins. As such, I expected both vouchers to be in my name. Plus, the website specifically states the following, "Member will receive one certificate per cabin." Amex Travel eventually re-issued another voucher in my name.)
- The voucher is NOT transferable.
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