Help! Casa Dorada or Barcelo Cabo?

tzmufasa · February 27, 2013

hi! my Fiance and i are torn between casa dorada and barcelo. we're looking for an all inclusive. we've toured both resorts and obviously each resort has pros and cons.

barcelo pros:

bigger/nicer beach

fire pits

bigger/spread out resorts

more on-site bars/resturants/buffets

barcelo cons:

possible ceremony sites are not very private

casa dorada pros:

awesome ceremony/reception sites

beautiful rooms

close to downtown

casa dorada cons:

close to downtown (pro and con- we have teenagers coming to the wedding so they could have "too much" fun downtown)

smaller- more "cramped" pools

small beach

we're thinking middle to late june 2014. we are really torn and would really appreicate any feedback or advice that anyone can give. price isn't really a factor for us in regards to the wedding. however- for our guests we want it to be affordable and not break the bank.

any help out there?

J0hanna · February 27, 2013

Originally Posted by tzmufasa

hi! my Fiance and i are torn between casa dorada and barcelo. we're looking for an all inclusive. we've toured both resorts and obviously each resort has pros and cons.

barcelo pros:

bigger/nicer beach

fire pits

bigger/spread out resorts

more on-site bars/resturants/buffets

barcelo cons:

possible ceremony sites are not very private

casa dorada pros:

awesome ceremony/reception sites

beautiful rooms

close to downtown

casa dorada cons:

close to downtown (pro and con- we have teenagers coming to the wedding so they could have "too much" fun downtown)

smaller- more "cramped" pools

small beach

we're thinking middle to late june 2014. we are really torn and would really appreicate any feedback or advice that anyone can give. price isn't really a factor for us in regards to the wedding. however- for our guests we want it to be affordable and not break the bank.

any help out there?

My friend recently had her wedding at the Barcelo los Cabos and it was gorgeous! Very friendly staff and great food! You can't swim there so you would have to go downtown which is about 20 mins away. I'm sure Casa Dorada is a great venue, but I was very pleased with the Barcelo. She had her wedding in October and it was like we had the whole resort to ourselves. Its also all inclusive. I believe her package was VERY reasonably priced as well. The gazebo is not as private but its away from the pools and also semi decorated with lace around it so no need to add to it That is a very minor detail, but thought I'd add to that as well.

Definitely make friends with the bartenders LOL

I hope this helps in some way and good luck!

flo628 · May 13, 2013

Hi tzmufasa,

I am planning to get married in Cabo as well, in April 2014, and haven't locked a venue yet, nor have we done a site visit. However, we are waiting to hear back from Casa Dorada, b/c that is where we want to have the wedding. Re: the cons, my WC recommended that we have the ceremony on one of the terraces to avoid the crowded beach and the noise that comes from the neighboring restaurants/bars. Barcelo looks beautiful, but we did not consider it as a venue, because it is so close to San Jose, and we wanted to be close to Cabo San Lucas (CD is walking distance into downtown and our guests are between 30-75, so no teenagers to worry about, though the ladies will want to go shopping, so being close to DT is important to us). The other plus to CD is that across the street is Hotel Bahia, which is a nice, but cheaper alternative for our guests who do not want to pay a lot of money for their rooms (i think it ranges from $125 to 175/nt), but I believe they can come into the CD to hang out with us for free (we are waiting for confirmation on that from the hotel).

I think your deciding factor should be location- being in SJ del Cabo, or closer to CSL. If your guests are happy to stay in the hotel, or would like SJC (less shopping, more authentic Mexican towns), then choose Barcelo. If your guests want to shop, party, explore, then choose CD.

Hope that helps! Let me know what you choose! Good luck!

HeatherLucky · September 9, 2013

which hotel did you end up going with?? I cant decide between Dorada or Pueblo Bonito Pacifica!!!???

CanadianBride2B · September 25, 2013

I went to a wedding at Barcelo last November and it was beautiful. They upgraded her to the honeymoon suite which was enormous! And enough room for all of us girls to get ready. She got married on the beach with a harpist and it was very romantic. They let her bring in outside alcohol for the cocktail hour and reception too! After 11 they hosted us all on the beach with bonfires. Food was great! There is also a salon that is walking distance which we all got massages and mani pedis for a good price, they greeted us with champagne. Biggest con for us was how far away from downtown Cabo it was. About a 35-45 min cab.