Nice resort

The rooms were new and spacious in building 5, at the highest point on the hill of the resort property. The adult pool near building 5 / 6 was quiet, service was not consistent with some staff coming around often, others not at all for drink orders. The reservation restaurants were good, but the buffet was small and disappointing food. No variation buffet food offered for breakfast. The layout of the resort was as advertised, very hilly but lots of greenery to look at. The shuttle bus was a  [... read more]great help to get around to the resort, restaurants were at the bottom of the resort. The beach club was good, food was good, service was good, but the beach was quite rocky. There were attempts to sell the "membership" to the resort, the members had a separate section at the main pool, reserved cabana at the adult pool, reserved tables at the small buffet as well as access to the larger multi-bedroom villa rooms. In all , a satisfactory trip but would not return.

Pros and cons

Matteo Quintieri Resort review - Grand Sirenis Matlali Hills July 22-29th I have a few things to address about my Vacation at Grand Sirenis Matlali Hills. I will start with pro and cons. (Pros)- 1 This resort was beautiful. We loved the area and every aspect of the resort. The lay out is great. The pools are amazing. The rooms are gorgeous. Nothing bad to say about the actual resort. 2. Breakfast was amazing (Cons) - Unfortunately there are many cons. 1 ) The buffet is [... read more] terrible. Not very much Options to choose from. Always the same stuff. The buffet closes at 10:30. We went to dinner at 9:00 one evening and by 9:30 they were taking all the food off the buffet. 2 Good Luck getting a reservation for the restaurants they always say they are fully booked. Even 2 days in advance. I randomly walked into one at dinner time and sat down. Only to see at least 10 tables empty. Was not very happy. 3 The concierge staff do not stop bothering you about time share meeting. Which if you go they will give you a free massage. What really bothered me is that I told them about me not being able to have a proper dinner at the restaurants because there is never any availability. Then they said if I go on the day tour to another resort they will be able to get there $100 bonus and they will make my reservation happen. I was floored. I can’t believe that I pay just like everyone else but if I do a time share meeting they will get me in for a dinner reservation. Couldn’t believe what I was hearing. 4 This is the best part. I booked Adults Only section but to wake up in the middle of the night to a crying baby in the room next door to me. I woke up and went straight to concierge and told them what had happened. The only thing for him to tell me was that this was impossible. Lol I asked to be moved but they told me the resort was fully booked. This is the end of July and the resort was empty. They said I can upgrade my room for another $200 US per day. Then one guy behind the desk winks at me and says Amigo I can get you the room for $80 US per day. Again I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. At the end of the day I just wanted a relaxing vacation but this really turned into a long stressed out week for me and my Fiancée. I will never go back to this place again. Beautiful place yes but not worth dealing with all these issues on vacation. The client care was terrible and they don’t care about any issue that had occurred. I have to say I work very hard to save money to go on vacation and I am very disappointed in this situation. I want to say I love trip central and the amazing assistance of Graham O’Neil. He did everything he could to make my booking very easy. Excellent client care on his behalf and I will book again with him. Great work

Resort is beautiful, but

The resort itself is very beautiful with its multiple pools. Fair bit of walking, or you can take shuttles. Bar staff, entertainment staff, and restaurant staff are mostly very nice. The bad part. Coffee is horrible. Food is the worst of all the resorts we've been to. The meats are either inedibly salty or dry or most likely both. Looks like all the bad reviews about food at this resort is true.

Unique resort

Interesting design with resort hillside and spread out. Lots of walking and a long way to reception but once new reception building opens, it will be better as closer to everything. Rooms were clean. Shuttles available if did not want to walk. Food good (not very spicy) but could have more restaurants in air conditioning during day. Beach area nice with shuttle provided. Swimming pools good, lots of towels. Would come again as now know the layout better. Staff very friendly. Overall, would defin [... read more]itely come back.

LOVE, LOVE LOVE!!!

My husband & I were there for a week with our dear friends. The food was fantastic. The grounds are beautiful. Loved staying in the hills. Lots of good walking, to try to ward off those extra calories from the delicious poolside cocktails. With a shuttle to take us off to the beach multiple times during the day for our ocean fix worked well for us. We were in building 5, 4th floor, with an amazing view of the ocean. The room was very modern, large, clean and comfortable. Nice size balcony for  [... read more]morning coffee. We were close to the adult pool, which had a coffee machine opened at 7 am for more coffee. Each morning I would see the staff cleaning the pools and organizing the deck. Jose was very friendly and helpful. Leo, our concierge was very accommodating and friendly. There are constant shuttles to take you to your reservation if you happen to stay by the pool a little longer, and need to make your reservation. The bands by the main pool each evening were wonderful to listen to. There is also a band at the beach, was also fantastic. At the moment, there are no showers to rinse off at the beach - they are working on that. There is food, bar and this is a part of the all inclusive. We took a taxi (cheap)into Sayulita one day,wonderful seaside town, great shopping, and Bucerius great shopping as well, and Puerto Vallarta, we had lunch at PiPi's, a few blocks back from the water, but delicious authentic Mexican food, the margaritas are so good and huge!!

Lovely spot - would come back

This place is visually beautiful, built into the mountains not on the beach like most resorts. They do have a regular shuttle to the beach club that runs all day The staff are super friendly and helpful. The rooms I saw were lovely and mine was amazing. I stayed in the adults only section.. 6201 is a lovely room and quiet. I met great people here and had a blast. There are a lot of Canadians which I liked. The mineral pool where you get fresh to order fruit smoothies is outstanding, my Favorite  [... read more]spot to hang for a warm afternoon The food at the buffet is fine, not great. Breakfast is better in the spot near the mineral pool and is also a pretty decent Italian a la carte restaurant for dinner. Make reservations early for any of the a la Cartes, they fill fast Entertainment crew is fun they work hard and you’ll always find something to do Even tho it’s all inclusive, please tip these staff - they work hard to please you and they deserve and appreciate it (use USD if you can, they get more out of it). Celso at the main pool bar is awesome, as is Joaquin in the Sky Bar, and the gal who makes omelettes in Huanacaxtle buffet is always pleasant , makes a mean omelet! Word of warning: you need to be part mountain goat as this place is VERY hilly, but they are quite happy to scoot you around on golf carts if you find the walking daunting. This is surrounded by beautiful foliage and lizards birds etc. I loved it

Great Vacay

This hotel was all that we expected. The staff are great and go out of their way to ensure you enjoy your stay. We were in building 5 on the 4th floor (5402) great resort views and steps to the upper salt water pool and snack bar. Room was clean the shower was huge A/C worked fine and the mini bar was well stocked daily. Food is good but service is a little mixed up. As stated this resort is built on a mountain so very spread out with lots of hills and walking. Shuttles run often and are easy to [... read more] get. Beer is Dos secci at the bars and Tecatti in your room both in cans. There is draft in the lower pools. Overall it was a great holiday and would recommend this resort to anyone who likes walking and doesn’t mind hills.

Grand Sirenis Taplali Hills Resort -Quiet relaxing resort

We are a couple in our early and mid eighties who just returned from a three week all inclusive vacation at the Grand Sirenis Resort in Nayarit, Mexico. This is a resort, in a hilly jungle setting with a ten minute shuttle ride to the beach. In general the pluses are 4-5 but, depending on one's interests, does have some negatives. The resort has some steep inclines, and a somewhat difficult hike from the rooms to the restaurants. However, shuttle service within the complex is excellent, never m [... read more]ore than five minutes, and most of the time right there when you need it. In spite of our age, we preferred to walk, even if a shuttle offered a ride. We enjoy walking and even took the guided scenic mountain hike. It was great. The rooms are spacious, modern, clean and offer a beautiful view of the valley and the ocean beyond. Concierge and serving staff were excellent, professional, courteous and prompt. We frequented the pool and large hot tub adjacent to our block and were always able to find poolside lounges. The supply of towels was ample and poolside service was excellent. A major plus was the easy listening background music rather than the blaring music common to most resorts. Lounges could use padding. The resort has four an la carte restaurants and a buffet on site. We would rate the a la carte restaurants as mediocre, although okay for a change. The buffet is excellent with a wide choice of meats and fish freshly grilled to your preference with a sufficient variety of accompaniments. Serving staff is commendable. Beach shuttle is every half hour. The beach is nice for lounging but not conducive to long beach walks. Supply of lounges is more than adequate and service is excellent, but the washrooms need an upgrade. Day activities at the main resort are somewhat limited and night entertainment begins at nine. We prefer a good book, scrabble of a movie as our late night activity. One major night time complaint is the bright lights embedded in the stairs around the buffet, the main pool and the pool bar that shine directly into your eyes making it difficult to clearly see the steps. This is treacherous. The Grand Sirenis is a new, relatively small, quiet resort, ideal for a relaxing vacation. If you prefer loud music, hustle bustle of crowds, a lot of planned activities, etc. this is not the resort for you.

Definately not a 4 STAR - WE made the best of it.

27 Jan - 07 Feb 2018 We will start with the good (short list). Landscape is very good, very scenic and for the most part, very well kept. Bartenders at the lower pool bar are awesome (Francisco and Jose). Stayed in room 4184 on the way up the hill. Room requires a lot of attention, the floor was stained and in disrepair. Could not take a proper shower for the first 4 days as the water was scalding hot, took maintenence 4 times to get it properly fixed. Had to call daily to try and get fac [... read more]e clothes, coffee and hand towels and even then it was hit and miss. Service at the upper bar was very slow in the pool area. The last few days, the upper pool water was murky and they were constantly testing and adding chemicals (not feeling very good about that at all). Could not get resturant reservations for A LA CARTE until 8:30 or 9;00 at night as it seems the members have first choice and take the earlier times. Then you would notice that there was hardly anyone in the resturant and you cannot get in without a reservation. Food was hit and miss at the resturants, you must really like salt as there seems to be an abundance used with their cooking. Buffet was alright, but you may have kids at the next table. The shuttles at night, you could be waiting up to 35 minutes. We asked to speak to someone in charge 3 times, especially concerning the room and housekeeping issues, IT DID NOT HAPPEN. They do not carry any good ryes at all as most 4 and 5 star resorts would carry at least one good rye. Beach service was terrible, both on the beach and at the bar. We ordered food, the wife's food took about 15 mintutes, mine took 1.5 hours and did not get dessert at all. I could keep going on, but it would take all day. We still made a good time out of it, but would never return.

No more Serenis ever again!

Please understand - we are not nit-pickers OK? We love Mexico and understand that some things are a bit different there sometimes. We were at this resort Feb.2017 and had a wonderful experience! We had a room in the new tower building that just opened a couple of mounts before. We loved the room and the view. So we went back Dec.2017 again. We didn't mind the hilly walkways to the buffet either. The room we got this time was a detached suit that had no hot water, door didn't lock, lights and the [... read more] safe didn't work and the rickety shuttle bus couldn't drop us off at our suit as it had no parking brakes and had to park at the bottom of the hill. The little buses were also thoroughly thrashed inside, no door-handles, the driver had to get out and open it from the outside and the seats were ripped out of the floor and tied together with the seat belts. We spent our first 2 days trying to remedy our problems but got the run-around from staff. Christian the little guy who wore the manager badge that week was totally incompetent. Finally we were given a superior suit in the new tower were we were before. The room was not cleaned, the floor was full of hair and dirt, the safe didn't work here either and we kept being locked out of our room as the lock wasn't working. The food at the buffet was always cold except if we ordered fresh from the chef. At the classy Brazilian restaurant our beer was brought to us in a can. We had to open it our selves and drink out of the can as we didn't get a glass. From the 5 course dinner we only got served 4 as the waitress forgot one step. Staff was nice but lacked any training and even they admitted that there was a lot of problems with the service. The pools needed better cleaning and there was always a shortage of towels, we had to hunt down the towel-dude and beg to get one. We were very disappointed with our second visit as we would expect better service from a hotel of this rating and we will not go there again.

Amazing Mexican Resort

What a beautiful resort over looking the mountains, very clean, pristine gardens.Staff are amazing and looked after us no mater where we were on the resort from the very start, Mario resort driver was fabulous gave us a tour of the grounds and helped with bags was always offering a drive to where ever we were going but we enjoy walking. You must love walking and be somewhat fit to really enjoy this resort, lots of hills and steps.The trails are beautiful but you must be really steady on your fee [... read more]t.It was the most relaxing resort we have ever been too. You could feel all your stress disappear. The drinks never stopped flowing (Gentle) bartender at both pool bars made sure we were never with out out Champagne. The man working at the adults pool (Towels) had us set up every morning with ashtray, fresh towels and magazines. I wish I knew his name, he was amazing even help staff with drinks.The staff are amazing we will be back, thank you for a wonderful stay. Food was great a smaller buffet than other resorts we have been to but always fresh and good quality.Our favorite A la Carte was the Italian we ate at all the A la Carte restaurants but the lasagna at the Italian was fabulous The Sky bar was wonderful, theme nights were fun. The resort was quite and relaxing..The Ocean bar was nice Daniel our server has the greatest sense of humor and looked after us well. Snack bar order wings we had them most days so good.

We would return

Stay from Jan 21 to 28. Rooms 4033 & 4034. Air Canada Vacations. You will see that we travel yearly with another couple and try different AI resorts. We have been to the Grand Sirenis in the Mayan which is why we agreed to try this resort. There were issues, but nothing devastating enough to sway us to never return. Yes, this resort is not for anyone with mobility issues. Some of the hills are quite steep and the complex is large. There are taxis and golf carts that run around the resort pic [... read more]king up people and dropping them off, but you may have to wait a few minutes before they arrive or if you are lucky (as we were a few times) they just happen to be at the right place at the right time. There were no kids here during our stay, although they advertise child friendly. This is a quiet resort, don’t come here looking to party. Rooms: As I understand it, the rooms are being remodeled but not all have been completed so I can only comment on our rooms. They are large and comfortable with many drawers and shelves for your belongings. The floor is sealed concrete, which we found odd but it did not bother us. The bath is separate from the toilet and sink which is very handy. Our bath/shower included a large soaker tub and rain shower head, which was quite nice. The fridge is stocked daily (for the most part) and there is NO liquor dispenser in the room (we just bought our own at duty free). The WIFI is excellent in the room and also around the pool areas. The safe is very large, enough to hold three tablets, wallets, the camera and room to spare. We had adjoining rooms and also adjoining balconies, which we loved. Issues: Housekeeping!! Our room was consistently not attended too properly (this was a theme in our block of rooms). From no towels or untouched towels, no coffee, no clean glasses and cups or even to leaving a cleaning cloth in the room. We noticed that on the Friday and Saturday, we had different cleaning staff and all of a sudden our rooms were taken care of correctly. Our fridge was on a couple of occasions not restocked with beer….I did not care, but my husband did. Food: The buffets are on the smaller side. Buffets: Breakfast can be had at either the Adult only one (which doubles as the Italian in the evening) or at the regular buffet (also serving lunch and dinner) but they are exactly the same (same food at both, we checked). You can get eggs or omelettes cooked fresh but no other grilled options. There was a selection of meats, cheese, fruit and pasties along with your usual breakfast items. Lunch is either from the buffet or off a smaller menu from the bars. The lunch buffet was nice including fresh grilled meats, vegetables, salad, fruit and pastries. The bar menu cooking was a bit off. Nacos Americano, at the Adult bar, included fresh cut peppers and other items along with meat and cheese sauce. Then at the main bar, one time it was just nachos with meat and cheese and then another time it included beans. The wings were so dry I had trouble eating them at the Adult bar. The Quesadilla was just bad, a tortilla with a bit of cheese and grilled. The Salad was very nice and included many different fresh vegetables, pickled onions and olives. Dinner buffet varies by theme, however, outside of the Wednesday Mexican night; we found them to be the same. We were told that Tuesday was Chinese theme, but it was the same offering as on Sunday when we arrived. Issues at all the buffets: Most of the food was not hot. A la Carte: We only reserved the Japanese and Steak house (twice). Japanese was fun but on our arrival the music was way too loud and we could not hear the server trying to explain things, so this caused an initial irritation. But by the time the talented chef arrived and started dazzling us with his tricks, we enjoyed it very much. Steak House had issues both times. Clearly they change staff in this restaurant and it showed. The first time, two of our dinners where served to the wrong table. You can guess the problems that caused, but the servers were very apologetic. However the food was good, steaks where done to asking and we ultimately enjoyed our meal. The second time however, the service was fine but the steaks where cooked all too rare, the strip loin was tough, the salmon overcooked and they forgot my vegetables. Issues: consistency at the Steak House will cause mixed reviews. Grounds & Pools: Beautiful and lush. This is a very beautiful spot set back into the mountain but you can see the coast. We walked around exploring and it would appear there is an addition with a new very large pool in the making. The pools are refreshing and clean. There are 3 warm pools and a regular pool at the adult area but the lounges are hard as rock. They need to add cushions. There are 2 regular and one warm pool at the main area. The lounges are comfortable and plenty. There is NO swim up bar but there are servers attending to your needs. The Beach Club: Major disappointment, Sirenis should demand better standards. We only went to the beach club once and would not return (we actually spent a day on Bucerias beach instead: see other review). The toilet doors do not close (F) or do not exist (M), the food was unmarked and mysterious and most burnt your mouth off (spicy). There was a barbecue there but they served burgers that were sitting in a warmer. The lounges are uncomfortable. The bar drinks where the only thing that was great! This review sounds overly negative but with due respect, the staff here is awesome. Any issues or requests we had were handled in top priority. You can clearly see that they aim to please. From our omelette lady and server in the Adult restaurant to the housekeeping staff, they seem to all want to ensure that your stay is a positive one. Once the bugs are worked out and the new additions are completed, this will be a 5 star destination.

In the jungle, The mighty jungle!

The good..... The employees were absolutely great. The setting was awesome(in the jungle). The facilities are rustic but cool. Lots of walking around the resort with steep grades or you can choose to ride the carts. Shuttle to the beach every half hour. Beach has nice sand with good swimming in the ocean. Nice resort if you want quiet and be laid back. I did not feel old and I am 56. 98% Canadians.There is only a couple hundred people at the resort. The not so good...... The beach faciliti [... read more]es are a 1 out of 5 at best. The concierges did nothing but hassle us when we were trying to book el la cartes about becoming a member(but they didn't hassle everyone). They would tell us the el le cartes were not available when others we knew went in right after us and were able to book meals. Entertainment was subpar. In the room we had zero soap, conditioner, shampoo, but eleven bottles of body lotion. We had towels and at the end we started getting hand towels and even got a facecloth. Some people couldn't get towels at all. We had to ask for drinking water a few times and only had to wait an hour or so. The fridge was always stocked but with the wrong things, for example if you drank the coke or beer in the fridge they would restock it with Sprite or Fanta. The rooms have no sound barriers so you could hold a conversation with your neighbors through the wall. Something I ate at the resort did not agree with me(Montezuma's revenge) and I was down and out for a day and felt rough for another two days. Also a guy was saying he had a couple hundred US dollars stolen from his room but they left his passport, which he should have had in his safe. The resort has a lot of potential and is unique and the employees are the best you will find, but the little things seemed to take their toll after awhile. Management is either being misdirected by the ownership on their vision or management should be fired for not doing their jobs very well. I would still recommend this resort solely on the fact that it is in the jungle and it is very quiet, but it struggles to be a four star resort.

Best of both worlds

Beautiful resort in the mountain/jungle with a shuttle to a nice beach area. Great place if you enjoy nature, lots of walking, beautiful water features and areas and a wonderful selection of food considering the size of the resort. Would go back again

Beautiful, quiet, secluded resort

Such a pretty setting for this resort, nestled in a valley on the slope of a mountain above La Cruz de Huanacaxtle. The beach club has a restaurant for anyone doing the all-inclusive. There are plenty of chairs and umbrellas. The view from your chair is awesome. The swimming was chilly in January but there were no jellyfish and the wave action wasn't too scary. We went in everyday. Forget about snorkelling at this location...the water isn't clear enough and there isn't an abundance of fish  [... read more]to view. The free shuttle runs from the resort to the beach numerous times throughout the day, beginning at 10:00am. We didn't mind the 10 min. ride back and forth...we never tried to walk it. The food was excellent in the specialty restaurants and only so-so at the buffets at dinner. We ate at the beach club everyday so we don't know what lunch was like at the resort. Breakfasts were very good. Housekeeping was a bit of an issue for our room and our friend's room. They didn't come until 5:00pm (ish), so that was so inconvenient for getting ready for dinner or just for relaxing after a day at the beach. Also, they have this funny habit of snatching every towel, hand towel, bath mat they can find in your room and not having enough to replace them, so on 2 days we were left with 1 towel for the two of us!! And they didn't bother to come later to replace them. And we had hung up our towers for re-using and they still didn't get the message. I tried hiding them, but they found them and took those too! We heard this same story from other guests as well. Just a glitch that needs attention. All in all, very nice resort...mostly Canadian and British guests. Hardly an American to be found. Very few kids. Hiking around the resort, because it is on a hillside, was not problematic. We needed the exercise after all that eating and lounging around. But there was almost always a shuttle available if we wanted. Puerto Vallarta is about a 40 minute bus ride down the highway, for 10 pesos. Lots of people took this as a day trip.

Mediocre at best

They say that this is a 4+ Star resort but I am only able to reach a 2.5-3 Star rating at best. Food was on and off mostly off, We were without towels for 3 days in a row, always had to call and get delivered. Big language barrier with the staff. Rooms were so so. The scenery of the resort was nice but be prepared for HILLS HILLS and MORE HILLS. There is a lot of walking to be done and shuttles are few and far between unless you want to wait. There is no main lobby with a gift shop, there i [... read more]s no auditorium for a band or show to set up. All the chairs are hard wood and kill your back. The pool was nice and we stayed in the adults section most of the time. The beach associated with the resort was not nice at all. Rocky to say the least I would steer clear of here unless you are going to take your chance. It is not worth the monies spent on this vacation nor is it a 4+ Star

Quiet and Relaxing!

This hotel is a great little getaway if you are looking for an adult atmosphere. The rooms are very clean although not very soundproof. The public areas and pools are well cared for and kept in good condition. Food was so-so. I would like to have had more authentic Mexican dishes or some more variety.

Not for everyone

Good Points: The staff are amazing in their attitude and helpfulness. This resort is set on the mountainside, so there are no level roads or paths: you are either walking up a steep road, or down one. But there is always transportation nearby within minutes to take you where you need to go, and always a smile and good cheer from the drivers. The Japanese a la carte was beautiful and delicious. Not good points: There are several: First, there is no central lobby. You just check in [... read more] at the front desk, and that is it. There is a kind of central pool with a bar near one of the dining halls. That is where the nightly entertainment happens, which takes place in a ten foot space amongst the tables in this outdoor bar. The bar seats thirty people. There is no shop. If you need aspirin or sunscreen, or want a t-shirt, then off you go to town by taxi, because there is nothing for sale on this property. Staff mistakes are on-going and plentiful. I was locked out of my room once, but my neighbours had it twice. There is no drinking water from the tap, and they give you jugs of fresh water. But my brother and his wife ran out and they didn't replace the jug. So they were waterless and had to go to the bar. It is hit and miss as to what happens in your room regarding service. Towels are taken and not replaced. The fridge is replenished or not, depending on the day. Resort food is never great, but this was a low. Yes, they will make a nice omelette for you, but as to all the other buffet foods, I don't understand why everything seemed to have been soaked in salt. I am not very fussy, and enjoyed my stay, because hell, I was in Mexico, and there were pools and drink, and excursions, and I didn't mind climbing up and down those hills. But if you are like most I have met, and want to be pampered, not for you.

Great secluded hotel

This is a wonderful, beautiful, quiet and peaceful hotel located in the mountains just outside Puerto Vallarta. Lots of green space, lots of vegetation, lots of nature. Excellent a la carte restaurant and very friendly staff. Great morning buffet but not so much for lunch or dinner. Rooms are large and beautifully decorated. Housekeeping needs some help in getting organized and be more efficient but rooms were always clean properly... however, toiletries and towels were often missing. O [... read more]ur biggest disappointment... the beach. It is small, rocky and water is murky.

Very quiet but relaxing

We stayed at the Grand Direness Matlai Hills resort at the beginning of December. The resort itself is absolutely beautiful!!! It's a very small resort so the buffett is small, there isn't a lot of organized activities & there isn't much nightlife at the resort itself. The staff was all very friendly & the grounds are very well kept...our bathroom smelled a bit like sewage but we didn't hang out there all day anyways. Just closed the door & kept the fan on as much as possible. Beach is a  [... read more]10 minute shuttle trip & it was okay....we were in Tulum last year & compared to that beach, this one wasn't even close. But the staff there were great & the food was good. Was a great relaxing trip....not quite what we are used to but we enjoyed our stay :)