Very Solid Resort

My wife and I have been to Mexico for 17 trips in total to a wide variety of areas, resort could use a freshening up but food was good, rooms were decent, mini bar was stocked, bed was hard as a rock LOL. Pools and grounds were kept in great shape, and the layout with respect to the beach was ideal. Beach is beautiful and we watched whales almost everyday. Good bars, name brand alcohol, superbowl party was awesome.

Great resort

The Grand Palladium is a wonderful resort. Very clean, staff are exceptional and the food at the buffet was very good. It wasn't overly busy which was good. My daughter loved the teen club and looked forward to spending time there with friends. It was the perfect family vacation.

Beautiful Resort

This was our second stay at this resort. The grounds are beautiful, well maintained and clean. We spent the majority of our time at the adults only pool which is an infinity pool with an incredible view of the ocean. The main pool has all types of fun things for kids to splash around in, as well there is a handy snack bar and pool bar. The food is one of the reasons we made a return visit. The buffet has a huge variety and each of the al a cartes are fantastic. They have a kids program in the [... read more] mornings, kids entertainment at 8pm, family friendly entertainment and more later in the evening for the night owl party crowd. If you choose this resort, I highly recommend a relaxing massage at the spa.

Blue skies and good food!

Great food at buffet. Good entertainment. Fantastic grounds and beach. Lots and lots of stairs. Lots of hills. Not enough beach lounge chairs. Average food at restaurants. Lovely spa. Not cheap. Greenery on grounds - beautiful.

3rd time, not a charm

This was my 3rd stay at GP in PV. Upon arrival, we had to haul our bags to the desk, and then were told we had to share a bed because it was "full" so they wouldn't accommodate our request of 2 beds. (2 mature females) unless we would pay another $400CAD to upgrade-even though our travel agent said we would definitely get 2 beds- that is the ONLY reason we chose this resort and not one in town! Then, I guess because I'd been there before, we had to navigate & bring our own suitcases and bags t [... read more]o the room. My cousin is almost 70 and has bad knees, so this was NOT inviting. After 3 days of not the greatest sleep, I didn't tell my cousin, but I paid hundreds of dollars to downgrade our room just so we could get 2 beds. They used to have a zoo- it is no longer there (disappointing). The coffee that used to be great is very hit and miss whether their new machines work, and the carafe is gross coffee. The membership pitch I did (just for the palladium dollars to use at the spa) the guy was sick and kept wiping his nose and picking it the entire time. It was disgusting. the food is very good, the adult pool is nice but very warm (main pool is freezing!), most the staff is great- a few ignored us no matter how long we waited in line if there was locals they would prefer to serve. The walkway is VERY slippery and was often wet because the sprinklers were broken or pointed the wrong way. It is beautiful resort if this is your first trip and wanting to be far away from the city. All in all, not as memorable as the last 2 times I was there, and personally I would not return. It was outrageous I had to pay hundreds to get a 2nd bed that we were already promised we paid thousands for to begin with. Money talks. Even if they're 'full'.

Nice resort

Would not recommend for people with knee/walking problems as there are too many stairs going up and down. Stuff was very polite and friendly, pool areas were clean. Restaurants were nice, buffet had a variety of food to choose from.

Do your research

You need to do as much research as possible when you are spending a lot of dollars on a trip. We found that we were sort of held captive in the resort because the taxi fares from the hotel were inflated by a insane amount. We did not know exactly how far this resort was from the town of Puerto Vallarta or how much Taxis would cost on this coast. well they are incredibly expensive. Compared to other places I have traveled in Mexico they were four times as much and the number of passengers ra [... read more]ised the price. At least that is what the hotel told us when we asked at the desk. The other research to do is ask about the condition of the beach.. The one at this resort was some sand and rocks that were real foot and ankle scrapers.. The waves were high and not pleasant for youngsters below 8 years old.. Its really a surfing beach. The Hotel staff were really great and the food was very good although you needed to make a reservation for most of the restaurants between 9am and 11am if you wanted a seat in most of them. The ones without reservations were very good buffet style places.

Beautiful resort, But...

The resort is absolutely beautiful. Very tropical looking. Kept very clean. However, although the staff works very hard, there is very little friendliness. Nobody was rude, just not friendly. There were a few exceptions, but in general we made no new friends on this trip. Also, the food tastes pretty good, but extremely repetitive, and not hot. Even though it's all in hot plate dishes, it was room temp most of the time. It's also an open air buffet, and most of the dishes were not covered, so fl [... read more]ies all over the food. Animation team worked very hard, but not enough of them. Maybe 5 of them for 2 pools and the beach. We hung out at the activity pool and didn't see them until 3 or 4 pm. Very boring. As beautiful as the resort was, and has so much potential, we would not book here again.

Everything I Needed!

This is the 2nd Grand Palladium I have been to (Mayan was the other-MUCH bigger but the seaweed beach was icky!). Once you have a day to get situated with the grounds, it is quite easy to navigate the huge property because everything is spaced thoughtfully with many paths and walkways (mobility issues could be a problem, but you should know this already when booking) to get where you need to go. The property is kept immaculately clean! I appreciated looking around and not seeing any trace o [... read more]f the nonsense we've been dealing with for the past few years. It was perfectly 'normal' and for someone that was 'not allowed' to travel out of her country (or within for that matter) for 3years, I welcomed not seeing sanitizer/masks/signs/arrows at every turn. We were even able to serve ourselves at the buffet-it was GREAT! Which brings me to the food! Amaaaaaazzzzzing! There are many restaurants to choose from, and unlike other resorts, you could book one every night if you'd like (through the concierge or the app), but honestly, you would not be missing out if you just did the buffet-which is open late as well! (men need to wear shirts that cover their armpits-and they do strictly adhere to that policy which is appreciated! Other than that, you don't need collared shirts or dress shoes which is nice to not have to pack!). Mexican- La Adelita- was my favorite. It also had breathtaking views especially if you are able to book around sunset! Italian-Portofino- I heard many people were disappointed, but I had the Sea Bass and it was delicious! Bamboo- Asian- everyone I talked to said this was their favorite. (I don't really care for sushi but enjoyed the Asian buffet day!) International- Las Terrazas- one of the best (tasters) of french onion soup I've had! The Nest- you need to be in family selection to book this restaurant (or talk to Isis in conceirge) The pools: Adult infinity: is heated and has a look over ledge where I got to see whales jump every single day! It is not too busy, has a bar and you can usually get a lounger if you go down by 9am. (I was visiting at spring break) The main pool: this is where the swim up bar is. Didn't seem overly busy, the music is a bit too loud, the aquasize at 12pm was fun every day! (this is also where the app says most the main activities are, yet I never was able to find them, which was disappointing. I tried for yoga, stretching, healthy drink classes, eco tour- and I never found anyone in 10 days that knew what I was talking about even though the app listed it as an activity daily. That was unfortunate.) Kid pool: off the main pool with slides and sprinklers, as well the family selection has its own pool for kids too! The ocean :) Rolling waves, warm salty water, all the free water activities you could think of (surf, boogie board, paddle board, kayak, catamaran etc). There's also an area rocked off to avoid the waves and be able to wade with the little fishes that gets high tide and low tide and is great for the kids or people with mobility issues that don't want to play in the waves! The spa: Hydrotherapy is a must before getting a massage! It is a small circuit with different pressured waterfalls, hot sauna, hot tub and freezing cold plunge to get your muscles ready to relax! Highly recommend! (there are huts on the beach for massage as well, but I would pay a little extra for this experience!) All the staff is friendly and will do what they can to accommodate. The night shows are pretty decent (8pm for kids and 9pm for the main show). All evening noise shuts down between 11pm-12 which is really nice for those that appreciate their sleep and not hearing pounding music into the middle of the night! It was nice to have access bracelets to the room without having to carry around key cards! The only cons: Because this resort is so far from PV, if you are booking excursions, be aware you will be paying EXTRA for a cab to get there! I have never been to an all incl where you had to pay travel on top of your already costly excursions. It is at minimum 500pesos (for CAD that cost me $40 ONE WAY) to get to the tours.( There are buses a short walk from the resort, but I was recommended to not take them solo going to the places I needed to be on a time restriction because they said it can be tricky with transfers if you don't know. That being said, if you know the area better and have the time, the bus is definitely the cheaper way to go!) I traveled with WestJet. The hotel rep Epi was not as helpful as the other reps. He was only there for an hour and a half in the mornings. He did not explain the cost of cabs on top of the excursion until after I already booked the tours! He never did answer my emails with inquiries (since he was hardly ever at the desk). The only thing he did at the 'welcome meeting' was give me my ticket for transfer back to airport- no tour of the grounds or even explain what excursions they offered-I had to figure that all out for myself. (not GP problem, just making note) *Not impresssed with Concierge at the stairs: When it was time for me to leave, I had to checkout early so had them store my bags. I was over an hour early to wait for the bus. I told the guys I was waiting for WestJet. I sat right in front of them on the couch for my transfer that was at 2:!5pm. At 2:25pm I got up and asked if the bus usually arrives lates. They informed me the bus was already there! What?! I was sitting right there the whole time! Why wouldn't they tell me? They said I had to take a cab. I asked to speak to their manager. They said no, it wasn't their fault. They asked the bus how many it was picking up and he said 7, not 8, so I wasn't on the list. ..I am pretty sure he made that up! I again kindly asked for a manager because I felt they should pay my fare and again I was denied. They said I could pay for it and deal with WestJet at the airport for reimbursement. I got them to call a cab and asked for a receipt. They said they don't do receipts. (so of course, WestJet didn't care for my story). So I had to pay 600pesos (nearly $50CAD) to go to the airport that I already paid for with my travel package. I was very disappointed in the way my trip ended. I have never missed a shuttle in my life and I have never not been told that my shuttle was there by the guys at the front. (there were at least 5 of them that watched me sit there and wait!). Do NOT rely on these guys to help you out. (they ironically are the same ones that told me not to take the bus which I would normally attempt to save money - so I am not sure but maybe they make commission from the cab drivers?) All the rest of the staff was amazing! All in all- this was a much needed rest type get away for myself. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Highly recommend for family or for solo trips, it's perfect as long as you are ok with walking/hiking/peace and good food :) In fact...I liked it soooo much, I am booking to go back next month and take a friend! Thanks Grand Palladium!

Great time - will come again.

This will be our 6th time visiting. They hotel has made some really great improvements in terms of getting their hotel updated. I'm happy there's no smoking on the resort as it was a problem back then. Staff is always friendly and hardworking. I wish they didn't have to push the Paladium Travel Club so much. That was the only drawback, but they do it every time so it wasn't a surprise. I found that most of the agents weren't so pushy this year, so that was nice. Food was a bit lower [... read more] in quality. Family Club is the way to go

Just OK

Overall, the resort is just ok. We did a Saturday to Saturday trip and it was too long. We were getting pretty bored by day 4. We chose this resort after staying at the Palladium in Riveria Maya, which is much bigger and better situated. Our room (panoramic ocean view) was clean, but the bathroom shower made a huge puddle on the floor with each use and the jets in the tub were full of mildew. No way I'd take a bath in that tub. As for the view, the tiny balcony has a solid wall so if you sit [... read more] down, you'd be looking at concrete. The ocean could be seen if you sit up on the edge of the right hand side of the bed. We were overlooking the infinity pool, it's supposed to close at 10:30 but 3 nights there was a lot of partying going on much later. The beach is really nice and there are boogie boards, surfing lessons and boards, mini catamarans and paddle boards to use. The waves are high though, but if you can swim its fine. If you want a shaded chair at the pool or the beach, best to get out there and tag one with a towel before 9 am. The pool is super warm and you can see whales pretty much all day from the pool edge or the beach. Buffet restaurant is not bad, the food is pretty average buffet fare. We were not impressed with the a la carte restaurants at all. The Mexican one was the worst of the 3 we tried, food was bland and salty. Italian was the best, fish was nice and the carbonara was good until I came across a bunch of uncooked egg whites in it which killed my appetite immediately. There is a small store at the resort, my advice is bring some snacks, sunscreen and any OTC meds like Tylenol from the airport or home. They are charging $8 USD for a bag of chips. Sunscreen is $25 USD. Activities were expensive, everything is in USD rather than pesos which is inconvenient unless you are American I guess. I was hoping to get out and explore Sayulita but was told the bus and colectivo are not recommended. Taxi there and back was about 100$ CAD. We did go on a nice sail boat for snorkeling and whale watching which was $300 CAD for 2 people, and it was worth it. Taxi to the marina and back was charged by the amount of people even though it was the same van. 440 pesos for 4 people and 1100 pesos for 8 people on the way back. The staff were all super, cheerful, very nice and helpful throughout the resort.

Great Resort

We booked this resort for two weeks Jan 21/23 to Feb.4th and after the first three days of having to call each day because they didn’t leave us any water coffee or beer and then the fourth day of not being offered any water or coffee at breakfast we figured we had made a big mistake in booking this resort however after going to guest services and explaining our concerns everything was taken care of. This resort does actually care and goes above and beyond to make you stay enjoyable.  [... read more] The food is excellent my favourite is the Asian (the Bamboo) and the Sake Steak. The staff are super friendly and accommodating our favourites were the waitresses at the main pool and the sports bar. Oh speaking of the sports bar the chicken taco salad is both delicious and filling only problem could get hockey games (didn’t upset my wife). A very special Thank You to Salvador Moran it is because of you our memories of the Grand Palladium Vallarta will forever be one of our favourite vacations and the reason we will be returning next year again thank you. Would also like to thank the people at guest services especially Julian Duenas. See you all next year

Amazing resort

If you like fantastic views, great service, friendly people this resort is for you. Dancing at the pool, whale watching great weather you couldn't ask for more. The specialty restaurants were the best. Shout out to Salvadore. You have to try the Bamboo. Would highly recommend.

Outstanding staff and service

Could not have asked for better. Daniel our waiter for a few different dinners was beyond amazing and our server at the pool bar whose name escapes me, made our time at the pool fun and entertaining. A special shout out to Salvador, Restaurant Manager for going above and beyond. You are an amazing man. Thank you We will be back

Very nice resort

The resort is somewhat dated, however the rooms are very clean ,looked after daily staff is very pleasant in dinning room or the four restaurants. The beach is clean with plenty of launches. On the top of a cliff is a round pool with heated water where you can observe vhales almost daily from.[at no cost to you]

Aging resort

We have been to this resort 10 plus times and have enjoyed the overall experience as always. This year we noticed some issues, although minor, are not being looked after. We were in building #2 and found that in each staircase on several floors the lights were burnt out. This creates a safety concern when walking down a lighted hallway then entering a dark staircase where you cannot see the steps properly. The beach staff were very friendly but are now faced with worn out equipment such as boogi [... read more]e boards which seem well used and abused. They could probably buy at least another 12 boards and find that they would be used by guests on a daily basis, making it a better experience for those guests choosing to enjoy the beach facilities. Surfing is also very popular at this resort, but there does not seem to be enough surf boards available for those enthusiasts. A water hose tap at the beach activities center would not turn off properly, sometimes running for long periods continuously despite the fact that staff had requested a repair to the tap multiple times. We ate in the buffet for most of our meals at the resort. I found that many items were plentiful and food was abundant. I also found that many of the trays holding supposedly hot food were not able to keep the food hot. Many of our meals were cold. My partner actually got shocked when touching one of the food warming trays and I requested my food to be reheated on the grill multiple times. Staff was always friendly, so there must be a communications issue where staff are afraid to report issues as found. Management should want to get opinions from staff members more frequently. I know these items are minor and overall we still enjoy this resort for beach activities, weather and remoteness from downtown Puerto Vallarta.

Wonderful week away

This resort is located a little further north of Puerta Vallarta but it is worth it for the peace and quiet. Our rooms were spacious and while a little outdated, in good condition. We had a couple of issues with the safe and toilet which was rectified easily. The grounds are very well maintained and the staff are all friendly and helpful! The timeshare sales people were persistent for the first day and then left us alone for the rest of the stay. The beach area and adult pool are lovely. I [... read more]t was amazing to watch humpback whales in Banderas Bay from the resort. We saw them almost every day. The a la carte restaurants were easy to book and the Italian restaurant Portofino was our favourite.

Definitely not anywhere near a 4 star resort.

The Hotel staff are friendly, hotel is 45mins to an hour away from Airport roads are bumpy / very bad , hotel very rundown and weathered showing its age, broken steps exposed rebar ,in buildings very poor lighting in hotel hallways and rooms, furniture is chipped and weathered no dressers in room only open shelves menu is mostly Mexican, for fish lovers great, they are very agressive on pushing Travel Plus program( Time Shares) Beach is small very rocky swim shoes required, no night adult enter [... read more]tainment, what is offered as entertainment is rather a joke hotel very geared towards kinds. Air Canada rep very poor not informative or very present. Rating Grand Palladium Vallarta does not represent the other of this chain we were very dissatisfied with hotel considering the price paid and expected much more of a 4 star resort

Resort showing its cracks

Feeling like this resort is suffering from Covid cutbacks. The resort is nicely spread over a lot of area, with nice amenities available and a variety of restaurants and buffet to choose from. The beach was lovely. The resort only has three floors with 2-4 buildings and all open hallways. In the middle of the resort is a small and shocking 'zoo'. Time to do away with this. It was really appalling conditions. Rooms: Our first room - an oceanfront room- had an amazing view, but overlooked the ' [... read more]quiet pool'. This was the adult pool with the bar and thumping bass music until 12 am every night. Even with the doors closed and headphones / TV on, you could still hear the music for the entertainment of the 5 or so guests. The first room was also not thoroughly cleaned with traces of mold on the shower door. We changed our room the next day to another with less view but much quieter ( of course no discount was offered to change from an ocean front). The front desk attitude was not very accomodating - they couldn't see why I didn't want the noise disturbing us until 'only 12". The second room was much cleaner, and quieter. Food: Not a fan of buffets, esp. during Covid. YOu have to use their app or line up everyday at 9:30 am to book a restaurant if you didn't just want to walk into the buffet. The food at the buffet ranged from fine to good. Very clean and strict protocols in place for food handling safety. We tried most of the other restaurants and they were all good portions, fresh and good, although sometimes not overly hot. A highlight was the Mexican restaurant with a lovely patio overlooking the ocean. A server came tableside to create custom guacamole which was fun. Not all wines listed by the glass were available. One night on the way to dinner my son slipped and hurt his foot. So we had to return to our room to stay in and order room service as he couldn't walk. There is a $15 per person delivery fee for this. Incredible. Lunch was either the buffett a walk away from the beach and pool or there was a disappointing BBQ beachside that offered burgers and hotdogs daily, and a few times nacho chips and ceviche. So no variety, no added extras like fresh fruit, or a change in menu. A real lack of opportunity to improve the food offerings. No snacks provided beachside or at the pool - only the bar. Drinks- there was a real lack of healthy options. If you wanted a 'smoothie' it was the highly sweetened drink mix offered blended. Given the amazing amount of fresh fruit at the buffet - it would be nice if they could offer a better selection of healthier drinks, esp. since the resort is really marketed to families vs. singles. Beach - There was a real lack of loungers on the beach. Plenty of room for more - and of course there was no monitoring of those who tagged chairs with towels at 8 am not showing up until 11 am - so with limited chairs and many broken - it was very frustrating. There were some boogie boards, kayaks, and a catamaran, but they could offer some scheduled kayak outings etc. There were daily activities including some yoga, and pool fitness classes that were well attended, and nightly shows for the kids and adults. Staff; Very mixed. Some were lovely- the concierges and the bar staff, but front desk staff - not so much. The attitude I received when I complained about the noise was not understandable at all, and there was clearly free rooms as the resort was only 60%. Overall I would rate the resort closer to 3.5 stars. There is plenty of room for improvement and the grounds and rooms were relatively clean and not too out of date. It is clearly showing its age and perhaps need for more investment. Clearly Covid has had an understandable impact on them and i hope they recover soon and are able to put a little bit more back into the resort to have it really meet its potential.

Its been better but still a great place!

We stayed March 9 - 16 , 2022. My 14 yo son and I. Negatives were that my room key kept having to be reprogrammed (6 times!), the buffet and restaurant selection was a bit bigger in previous times ( this was my 3rd stay in 14 years). Oddly, the bacon in the breakfast buffet was super super salty, so much that I thought it was a tactic so they wouldn't go through so much. Positives far outweigh the negatives, its a beautiful resort , very friend staff, high quality theatres at night (big shout [... read more] out to Michael Jackson show and Lossana!!), great beach, ice cold beer and great service! The resort is just the right size, not too big and not too small, far enough out of town but not too far, I'll be back for sure.