My expectations were limited, I couldn’t find much information about the wheelchair accessibility at Dreams Los Cabos prior to our arrival. I called Apple Vacations’ Special Services desk, assuming they would be experts,, as it was their parent company, Apple Leisure Group, who had founded AMResorts, the company that created the Dreams brand. Unfortunately, it was like pulling teeth to get information out of them. I would call and sit on hold forever, to be then told to email my requests, …I finally was able to find out that they only had wheelchair accessible rooms in their lowest category, the ocean view junior suites…and yes, they did have availability ..I booked one for our stay of 9/24-9/29/18 which is considered low season for this family-friendly Resort. It also happened to be my husband’s and my 4th anniversary.
Working with Apple was a challenge…once the room was booked,,,they wanted payment for the deposit before they would confirm that the wheelchair accessible rooms had a roll-in shower….again this took several attempts…finally verified that they did, I put down my deposit to confirm the reservation. Now, what about transfers? Do any of Amstar’s transfer vehicles have wheelchair lifts? Several attempts at contact later, I was told no, but a wheelchair-lifted vehicle could be arranged at an extra cost, $400. Since transfers were already included with my package, I declined this overly-priced option. Fortunately, I’m lucky enough to have a very fit and strong husband that can lift me out of my wheelchair and into a van if needed on occasion, or I would have been forced to pay this extra fee.
Next obstacle in our quest to travel out of the country, the airport in Cabo. Another contact with Apple Vacations with questions about whether there were jetways at all gates at the SJD Airport, they weren’t sure at Apple’s Special Services desk, whose job it is to handle all accessibility requests, by the way..I was told to call Alaska Airlines direct, the airline included with my package. I was told by Alaska Airlines that it is unknown until arrival, or soon before departure, whether they will get lucky and be parked at a jetway location (more on this later).
So,,,up to the challenges that this trip might bring, we prepared for our vacation. We were excited but a little worried of possible issues that could arise based on the lack of information we had, even after asking pointed questions. Upon our departure, Alaska Airlines was wonderful, this was the first time flying with this airline. We faced no issues with the check in process..without having to ask, we were asked if we wanted to move our seats closer to the front of the plane, as we originally were assigned seats in row 23..we were moved up to row 12. This row was easier to get to in the narrow aisle chair that I’m required to use to access my seat on an airplane (for all but Southwest Airlines, but that’s a separate blog entry). The flight was great, smooth as silk, which eased this sometimes stressed flyer, and we arrived into SJD Airport without incident. I was relieved to see the plane pull up to a fully functioning jetway.
One potential obstacle eliminated!
Next concern, would there be a language barrier in trying to convey how I needed to be transferred into the aisle chair to get off the plane? No, the special services at a SJD knew exactly what I needed and accommodated me perfectly..we followed the airport’s signage (in English) to Baggage Claim, passed through Immigrations and Customs, claimed our suitcases, and off we were released to find our transfer van.
After finagling through time-share salespeople at every turn, we found our transfer van. As mentioned previously, we knew our vehicle would not be wheelchair accessible. My husband was able to lift me up into the van without incident. If the transfers had been provided in a motorcoach (bus), we would not have been able to use the transfers. (I had verified this prior to our trip).
it took about 40 minutes to get to our hotel, which was non-stop for us. Once we arrived, I knew it was going to be a great vacation. Upon arrival, you see the open-air, arched lobby that looks out over the Pacific Ocean. There are two, clearly marked wheelchair ramps that lead from the driveway to the lobby. From that point on, the ENTIRE resort is wheelchair-friendly. There are ramps throughout the property and for the duration of our 5 night stay, there was not a location on the property that I could not access in my wheelchair. 
We booked an Ocean View Junior Suite, as it was the only category that resort had designated as wheelchair accessible. The room was located just off the lobby, convenient to everything.
Our room was beautiful and spacious. Large bedroom/living room combo, walkout patio with zero-entry access, Large bathroom with roll-in shower. A few hiccups in the bathroom to note, the mirror was hung too high, so I was unable to see even the top of my head, and there was not the normal indented knee space under the sink as is typical in wheelchair accessible bathrooms. Inside the roll-in shower, there was no pull-down, wall-mounted seat, but thankfully, Housekeeping was able to deliver a portable, waterproof seat (with a back!). Not an ideal situation, but definitely workable!
There was also an area to hang clothing that was wheelchair height, and the safe and mini-fridge were all within easy reach.
Speaking of mini-fridges, it was stocked with cervezas (beers) and soft drinks, and replenished daily!
Dreams Los Cabos has several restaurants to choose from. As an all-inclusive resort, we had access to ALL of them throughout our 5 night stay. There was a buffet restaurant (World Cafe) open for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner that we looked at, but never used. There was also a sit-down, open-air restaurant (Seaside—steakhouse at night) that served lunch, with a menu that offered salads, burritos, wraps, sandwiches, etc. Excellent food! Also available was an Italian Restaurant (Portofino), French Restaurant (French), Patio (Mexican), and Seafood (Oceana)…all were equally great, serving delicious, well-sized entrees.
The bars were fun at the resort as well, with very attentive servers. Our favorite was a bar just around the corner from our room, the Rendezvous Bar, which is in the hotel lobby. It is the place to be after dinner. At this bar, the employees are artists not bartenders. They create beautiful craft cocktails using creativity and talent. We also enjoyed the bar at the adults-only, tranquility pool. Without having to ask, I was brought replacement cervezas as soon as my current one was empty…Also nice, It was fairly warm during our visit, and thus, we were given bottles of cold water without having to ask for them—great service, fun staff!
All in all it was a great get-away that we definitely my will do again. To wrap up, I am leaving out details, such as nightly turn-down service, attentive concierge staff, swim-up pool bars, nightly entertainment, poolside games and activities…this is such a great resort for families, adults and wheelchair-users all to enjoy!
–Dawn O’Brien, Dream Vacations Travel Specialist
