Dolphin center and Finesterra questions

[39august]

I read conflicting reports on this board about whether Finesterra allows cruise pax to access its beach. Several posts said not, then a frequent poster(bobnsophie) posted that they do. Any recent visitors? And can anyone confirm that there is a bar in the dolphin center where you can observe the dolphins thru' "portholes"?

[househunter]

I read conflicting reports on this board about whether Finesterra allows cruise pax to access its beach. Several posts said not, then a frequent poster(bobnsophie) posted that they do. Any recent visitors? And can anyone confirm that there is a bar in the dolphin center where you can observe the dolphins thru' "portholes"?

 

 

It just depends on how busy they are. I own at the resort next door and often walk down the beach and over to the Finisterra for a cocktail. Sometimes there is someone there checking but when it is really slow they allow and welcome non-guests to use their facilities as long as you are buying food and drinks. Of course when the resort is full, the pool area is crowded enough with the owners and guests who would not like it very much if they could not find a seat at the pool because a cruise ship passenger was sitting in it.

[bobnsofi]

The dolphin tank area is very new and nice. There are port holes to see inside the tank. We have not spent that much time in the center. The water thru the portholes is not crystal clear, so the view thru the portholes did not appear worthy of sticking around to watch the dolphins. There is also a very nice patio area inside the facility, below the tank. Not really sure if there is a bar in there or not. Don't think so.

 

The dolphin tank in center of pic (pic taken from the Finesterra)

 

The Finesterra. We have visited many times. We typically visit mid winter, mid week, mid day, and always off a cruise ship. We have never seen more than a dozen folks enjoying a pool area that could handle many more. It would seem to us that high season in Cabo would be mid winter, as the weather is delightful, the snowbirds are south, and the fish are biting; but perhaps the party kids love Cabo more than the fishermen and snowbirds, and the party kids are free during holidays and summer, and the staff may be more sensitive when the party kids are in town, as they could be seen to cause trouble and damage. The staff has always greeted us with open arms. In addition, we don't recall reading of a cruise passenger visiting and being turned away. Please report back here after you visit!

 

The Finesterra pools

[39august]

That's understandable. Do you know about the dolphin center?

[AZ Karaoke Girl]

There are portholes to view the dolphins in the cabodolphin center. The only time you see them is if they are performing for a previous group. The first time DH & I were there, we never saw any dolphins thru the window but the second time we did cuz the dolphin was performing right near the window. Like Sofi said, the water is kind of murky but you could see the dolphins when they swim by the window. The water on top looks more clear but below where the observation windows are is kinda murky.

 

Walking a little further inside is where the cantina is. It is an outdoor bar with all the lounge chairs & such which is the waiting/holding area for the participants in the next swim. You can't walk up the stairs to see the dolphins unless you are a paid observer.

[blazerbob]

This was our experience at the Finesterra:

We stopped in Cabo last November on our cruise. Been there three previous times and have seen most of the sites so this time we wanted to just relax at the Finesterra for the day. We walked from the tender pier through to the entrance to the road going up to the Finesterra hotel. It is less than a 5 minute walk, but is a steep climb to walk up that hill to get to the hotel. There is a guard shack down at the bottom of the hill where the guard asked us if he could help us. We told him that we were off of the cruise ship and wanted to spend the day at the FInisteria and use the swimming pool. He flagged down the hotel minivan that was returning some visitors to the hotel. We got a free ride up that steep hill to the front of the hotel lobby. We went over to one of the pools and got a couple of chaise lounges. We ordered a couple of drinks and when the pool waiter asked for our room number we told him that we were from the cruise ship. No problem, he let us run up a tab. There were only about a dozen people using the pool facilities while we were there. Later we went over to their bar/restaurant which was a huge palapa style facility between the pools. We had lunch and a few more drinks. After about 3 hours, we paid the tab and we walked back through the lobby to the front of the hotel. The doorman called a minivan for us that took us down to the bottom of the road again. They were so friendly to us and obviously appreciated our business. We probably will go back there again on our next MR cruise.

 

Bob