Fiesta Americana Riviera Nayarit: I've had better Dreams......

I stayed at Dreams Villamagna Dec 15-22 with my husband and our 5 year old son. This is our 7th visit to a Dreams/Now property since our son was born. We are drawn to the family friendly nature the chain provides, and initially, that they are gated properties. Needless to say we are big fans thus repeat clients. However, we were disappointed with this stay. Property and Pools - Dreams has made us become accustomed to a grand lobby entrance. This was missing so the first impression was u [... read more]nderwhelming. Not a big deal but it got worse. The land is narrow and deep and the property itself is made up of 3 large buildings, 8 or 9 stories each. The building closest to the beach is a condo building of individually owned condo units. This building is perpendicular to the ocean, with a slight curvature to maximize the view. Running it's entire perpendicular length is 2 ajoining pools. The one fronting the ocean was not heated (my son coined in "the Canadian pool") thus very quiet. Huge disappointment. The attached or middle pool was warmer thus busier and kid friendly. The main pool was heated and the busiest. The activities led by the entertainment team occurred in this pool. The enteraiment team did a great job. Despite being called the "adult pool" it was filled with children. My son, learning to swim, could not touch the bottom in some areas but enjoyed the ledge than ran the length of the pool. We brought our own boogie boards though they are available from the activity/towel bar. This main pool was set farthest away from the beach and directly in front of the main 'ocean facing' hotel building. We stayed in this building and did have an ocean view but being set so far back on the property from the beach we could not hear the waves and while we could see the ocean, a pair of binoculars would have helped. We also could not hear the ocean. A big disappointment and unlike the other properties we have stayed at. The third building was behind ours and I believe only had views of the community. The Explorers Kids Club - despite its raving TripAdvisor reviews was not like the other Dreams/Now properties we have been to. It too was disappointing. The kids club was well secured and the caretakers seemed friendly. Our son only attended one day for just a few hours. He was content to play in the pool or on the beach for the majority of our stay. It is centrally located on the ground level corner unit of the condo building. Other properties had an expansive outdoor play area with play structure and sportcourt. Despite lacking those, the menu of activities was engaging. The Food - hmmm. Apart from the omelet station at breakfast, the buffet (World Cafe) was almost inedible. I am by no means a picky eater, in fact, I'll eat anything. I've been to over 30 countries and some of my favorite food is Asian street food so by no means do I have a trained, delicate palette. I expected far, far more/better. This was not a representation of the Dreams I know. The a la carte restaurants were very good. We did El Patio (Mexican) twice, Oceanu for lunch was nice. The attraction of the Barefoot Grill was in fact bare feet, and a wet bikini. It is attached to Oceanu and share the same kitchen. If you run into a nice server they will allow you to order off the Oceanu menu while sitting at the Barefoot Grill. This was a win. The rooftop lounge also serves sushi. Not so much a meal but a good appetizer. Sushi is definitely my thing (my son's too) and it's by far the best sushi we've had in Mexico. Mexican style containing cream cheese yet still good. We did not try the adult only Portofino. We also found the room service very good, and hot. The Coco Cafe was estetically unappealing in comparison to ones at other properties but served the same decent latte. The lime tarts are a must try. The Gym - next to Coco Cafe. Tiny for sure but had all the necessary barbells for girls who lift. There were some cardio machines too; all the usual I believe but not positive as I don't use them. The Towel Game - beach chairs on the beach need to be secured early. The chairs around the pool decks did not. This was a huge plus for this resort. It was never too busy that you couldn't find a good spot. The Beach - excellent, expansive. My son played for hours. A long walk on both directions is must. Don't get me wrong, we enjoyed our time away from the minus 20 degree weather we left behind in Calgary. You really can’t go wrong with a week of fun in the sun. But if there are certain expectations you are hoping to have fulfilled that were present at other Dreams resorts, I'm afraid you will be disappointed. We will not be returning to Dreams Villamagna but will continue to book other properties in the chain as perhaps this was a one-off.

Krystal Grand Puerto Vallarta: Excellent vacation

Recently returned from Hilton P.V. Great location....walk out to the street and put your hand up when a bus comes by, hop in for 7 pesos. This resort is small, but has everything necessary to have a great vacation. The food and drinks were excellent. Service second to none! Beds, bedding, pillows were lovely.

Friendly Fun Vallarta: Small and intimate resort

Friendly is a small resort in the heart of the hotel zone in Puerto Vallarta. The staff quickly becomes family-especially "Double Double" (Sergio) who served us in so many areas of the hotel (waiter at breakfast, lunch & supper and beach drink service). It's easy to feel like you are at your second home here! There were only two drawbacks that I need to mention: very uncomfortable lobby seating and continual construction noise. I assume the new pool will be ready to go soon but the couches and [... read more] chairs in the lobby desperately need to be updated! All in all, we spent a good 8 days at Friendly!

Hilton Vallarta Riviera Resort: Did not know what to expect??

Booked this hotel, and trip, through Trip Central for December 11-19, 2016. Fred was a great agent and very helpful. He responded back to my emails and gave me a lot of good advise regarding my trip and reassured me a great vacation. I've heard different opinions from friends regarding all inclusive and most of them say it was so so or boring at times. This was my first time travelling with my daughter to all inclusive so we had no expectation. In fact my daughter wasn't that enthuse about this [... read more] trip. Upon arrival we were surprised that our room was upgraded and were taken to the Grand Room. While we waited we were offered drinks and received a package to meet Jesus from Timon Tours the next morning. We were taken to our room and were very impressed by the view and very large clean bright room. A beautiful ocean view to wake up to and stunning sunsets in the evening. Very comfortable beds which make a restful nights. The next day we had a briefing from Jesus regarding our package regarding shuttle bus back to airport. We had our first breakfast at the buffet and there was so much food to choose from. The waiters were very attentive and the food was good but was warm, would have like it to be hotter. We made reservation for dinner at 9 am to secure our dinner arrangement. The restaurant food were fine but we like the selection of the buffet especially breakfast. Marco was our smoothy operator, very friendly and makes whatever fruit drinks we delighted. We looked forward in seeing him in the morning. The first few days we floundered about in the hotel not sure where anything is or what to expect. It would have been nice if they had a briefing and a map for all new first time guest as to where all the restaurant were located, a big sign as to where activities were taking place and location of towels etc . Eventually we figure it out and made use what was available. On the fourth day my eldest daughter and son in law joined us at the resort and all the kinks were ironed out by the second day. Most guest would rather laid by the pool, soak up the sun, replenish with constant refill of liquor to hearts content but I, I like to keep busy. Everyday there was something to do from 10 am to 5 pm. Kyaking starts at 10:45 am but if there is alot of participants they will make several trips. It takes about 30 minutes to paddle to another beach and another 30 minutes to paddle back. It was a nice adventure. Make sure to go early because it can get book up early. We had Spanish lesson from various of teachers but Julio Caesar was top teacher. Though we were not fluent but it did help us how to understand and communicate a little in their language. Also Julio gives a real workout on water aerobics. We played Black Jack almost everyday and David was an amusing, shifty dealer, still don't know how he always get Black Jack . My daughter and son and law couldn't get enough of the game. Great prizes too. I would have like more dancing lessons but not enough participants. However, my daughters said that Salvadore was an awesome Zumba instructor, they have taken lessons back home but they say he is the best. Extra on the side was a Poolside BBQ lunch and cooking lessons and evening shows. Taco dinner at 7 pm at the offshore grill. We explored all the different lounges such as Tequila, Martini has pool table and Mojito. Mojito was our favorite due to hammock and swing chairs. Room service and fridge bar included. We wanted to watch something on Youtube and they send up their techinician to help us to set it up on their Smart TV. All the staff were friendly, very helpful and ready to serve you. To top the trip was a complementary spa treatment for two. Thank you to Alejandra and Valisa. We were truly pampered. Although I heard a lot of complaints regarding the construction it wasn't that bad, actually it was quite entertaining watching them move the large boulders. Although the make shift beach was small it was nice to walk on the sandy beach. If the tide is low enough you can walk around the rocks and reach another beach within 30 minutes. Again another adventure. We took one day to go downtown by bus and it only took about 15- 20 minutes but be ready for a bumpy ride. We went to the market and tried many Tacos in local downtown area. I was really impressed with my package from Trip Central and would book from them again. It was a really good deal and great bargain for my money. Our first selection was Hyatt Ziva but they were all booked up so the Grand Fiesta was our second choice. We were curious about the Hyatt while we were staying at the Grand Fiesta and was planning a tour it just to see what we may have miss. Actually, decided not too because we were very satisfied with our stay at the Grand Fiesta. By the end of our trip my daughter did not want to leave, she love every minute of it. Although, its was our first time to all inclusive and cannot compare with any other resort. Let's say it was much more than expected. A wonderful relaxing get away from the winter cold weather to a sunny, warm hospitable atmosphere though not perfect but delightful.

Royal Suites Punta Mita: Third time to this resort.confused?

Hello, I'm Bryan . Stayed Two Weeks from Dec.4th to 18th. Upon our stay we encountered mixed results ,some of the employees were awesome ,others NOT AT All!! Let's start with check in ,, we asked for main floor building 5 due to a knee injury upon booking .The butler assigned to us was very accommodating it looked like everything was fine THEN his senior Ruany Changed it all!! Saying give them the room assigned and they will be fine,They not knowing we spoke Spanish.They gave us two double be [... read more]ds back at the entrance of the building. The next day we noticed a couple in the front room to the entrance of the amenities being placed in our perfect spot. I approached the counter to inquire about the room we were not given ,as we all know !! This is a pain to complain. We are Canadians and we don't cause any problems? Ruany gave me total attitude ! Her coworker was Victor and was confused because he was not at work the day prior. You would not believe the difference between the Two! In a minute Victor had his supervisor suggest a room with a king bed .we were shown the room immediately . This was the same room they or should I say the counter supervisor at the check in could have given us from the start .Whitch she.. Ruany decided to tell our butler just put them in a room!!! In saying that Victor had his big boss give us that room 4 days later,thanks bud. Next.the Spa! Remember the Knee?This spa was amazing Steam Sauna ,Hot tub ,Cold tub ,Waterfall ,and regular Sauna. The only issue was the manager of the Spa! I personally was there every day for therapy ,when the Spa was shut down at 6:30 instead of 7:00!! Not understanding ,I approached my butler.He brought his Royal Suites Manager into the issue.We walked back to the Spa together. Unbelievable the spa manager not knowing I spoke the language began to argue that her coworker .she told him that the resort bus was a long ride and wanted to close due to this. He in my disbelief did not reprimand her on the spot! Humbly in trying to accommodate me tried himself to restart the Spa while she was gone. The last negative before the possitives the BEDS! Pillows are great but the beds had all the patrons hurting !! I have slept on a floor when I was younger ,No issues. The general population of this resort is over 55,No floor sleeping in the forecast that was the general concences at the restraunt in the morning. PLEASE UPGRADE THE BEDS....... Oh my wife just recalled the fact of holding your pool beds for the day and not ever using them?We did witness that ! Shame ,Shame After all this ,why do we go back three times? The food!! Lobster every night. Your choice if you ask ? Boiled or BBQ. The people at the the pool tasked at serving maybe 40 patrons. Marisol is spectacular !,,your night bartender Marrisus amazing ... Room service as tasty as the unique restraunt . Custom breakfast ,Poolside lunch as classy as you could get in the best resorts. Pool temps. Will suit your liking,No younger guests to Tempt Arguments. The view at all times,Whales ,Sea water pool ingeineously built on the beach within a short stroll .PS watch your footing ,My wife fell and scratched her leg and arm. Regards Bryan

Barcelo Puerto Vallarta: Beautiful Place

Pros...Beautiful resort with lots of pools. We loved our 2 bedroom suite, the baby crib that was delivered was perfect, the grounds, pools were awesome! We had to use medical for our sick baby and was promptly delivered via ambulance to the Puerto Vallarta Hospital which also had really great service. Cons... Loud music pounding until 6am, lots of parties for locals, one whole pool was used by the locals to party in until 6pm every day. I was expecting a family resort but the week we went it  [... read more]was a club environment.

Villas Vallarta by Canto del Sol: Acommodating Resort

We stayed at Villas by Canto del Sol on an all inclusive package. It allowed us full access to Canto del Sol. The grounds were immaculate and very pretty at Canto Del Sol. The service was excellent. The employees exemplified a true sense of pride. The food was good and they are always looking for suggestions from the guests. The buffet had theme nights. The have 2 al la carte restaurants and we enjoyed both meals. We upgraded our room to a pool front at the Villas. It is an older building in nee [... read more]d of repairs. However we were happy with our room and it was cleaned daily. The pool at the Villa was much quieter for those who like that. There was never many people at this pool. There is a bar there. Overall we had a wonderful time and would definitely recommend it. We have never returned to a previous resort, however, we plan on returning here

Fiesta Americana Puerto Vallarta: Bitter/Sweet

Bitter...Loud music starts at 8 a.m. & goes until 5 p.m. Take earplugs if u like sleeping in. Desserts at Buffet were pretty much the same everyday..everything cut into squares..no pies or cheesecakes or Icecream. As well, bar drinks, even wine was sometimes served in water glasses, even at the Lobby Bar. Sweet...Rooms were great with Ocean view..Quite modern & Super clean Italian a la Carter was Awesome. No dress code or reservations req'd. Burger & fries at snack bar were really good [... read more].

Iberostar Selection Playa Mita: Very Nice Resort

This hotel was well worth the money. Very clean and tidy. Food was good and had no problem getting dinner reservations. Ate one night at the dinner buffet and that was good. This is a family resort but you didn't see a lot of children at the restaurants. There is a great section of the Hotel especially for children with a mini waterpark and childrens activities. Drink service was available at the pool with no wait time. The beach was very easy for walking and you were invited to purcha [... read more]se silver, blankets and massages..but it was not harassing at all. The crew running activities and entertainment worked very hard and did a fantastic job. The room cleaning staff performed their jobs consistently and we always had an abundance of towels, hair products, body lotions available. The room bar fridge was full with pop, beer and water. All bars throughout the resort had high end alcohol and cans of beer if you asked for them. WE left the resort to go to Sayulita on a half day trip arranged through the Resort. WE participated in some of the activities at the resort including the 10 am bike tour. It would have been nice to be able to sign the bikes out on our own but wasn't available. One day we went on a walk through the golf course; a nice change of scenery. I was able to exchange dollars for pesos at the resort. Trip to and from the airport was uneventful. The drive was about 45 minutes.

Riu Flamingos: Good Resort

We had a few minor problems, our room had not been cleaned before we got there and our mini bar was not restocked until we asked. They cleaned the room while we grabbed a bite to eat so it was relatively a minor problem. Most of the staff were excellent with only 1 or 2 exceptions, also minor and that could just be the language barrier as we do not speak Spanish. The food was good, we tried a few of the restaurants and the buffet, all good. The housekeeping staff does an excellent job of kee [... read more]ping the rooms clean. The hotel and grounds are also well kept. Watch out for sand fleas and ants at the beach! Overall a good stay.

Samba Vallarta: Resort To Come Back To

This is a small, comfortable resort. The staff are totally versed in great, personal, friendly service. The food at the buffet was varied every day and very presentable and tasty. The two ala carte restaurants were top notch. The barbecue dinner was outstanding. The evening entertainment was very good. We will head back there next year!

Las Palmas by the Sea: Nice holiday

Older hotel but nice. Check in was quick and easy. One pool was under repair so they had to move the activities to the beach. The beach area is smaller so it was hard to find a quiet spot to relax at some times of the day. Lots of Mexican families on the weekend but it never seemed too crowded. The one a la carte restaurant was never full when we went but the food was great. Spanish coffee was excellent. Close to downtown and lots of beach to walk. Bit short on hot water for the shower a couple  [... read more]days but it seemed to get fixed. Staff were good and appreciated tips. Good value for the price

Riu Vallarta: Amazing Resort

The resort was one of the best we've ever stayed at. The food was fantastic and continuously being served at the poolside, the ocean view side and even in the main lounge. There was such a variety of food and the food was tasty and the presentation was beautiful. The grounds were impeccable and clean. They had something going on every evening in the courtyard eg. jazz band, modern music band another night, drinks set up every evening in the courtyard and this was before the show started. Th [... read more]e cleanliness of the building, the rooms, washrooms were excellent. The beach was fantastic, clean and lots of beach beds available as was at the poolside. The pool was very clean. The employees bent over backward to make you happy and comfortable. Nothing was too much for them to do for you. I would definitely go to another Riu Hotel in any country if they're all like this one.

Marival Emotions Resort and Suites Riviera Nayarit: Awesome!

We arrived at the Marival as a family of 12! There were 8 adults, four children, the oldest 6, and youngest 3 months! Check in was quick BUT the biggest turn-off was being directed to another Employee to get your wrist bands and the time share/condo speel began..we had to be rude and demand wrist bands!! Not a good start! Finally got to our room.....no elevator. Not handy for young families as stroller had to be carried up and down many times a day. Fifficult for the elderly as well. Rooms  [... read more]are small but adequate; towels weary! Nice balcony and yes, air conditioning. The food and the staff are what makes this place amazing! Buffet is awesome and the a la carts, fabulous! There are many pools, quiet ones and family ones and a spectacular kids castle with slides etc. The ocean beach is unending and provides the perfect setting for boogie-boarding, sunset walks or sand castle and moat building. There are plenty of chairs of all sorts, towels, snack food joints, entertainers, and helpful staff throughout! We are all planning to return next year!

Vamar Vallarta: Nice Resort

Nice resort. Room was a good size with great balcony view of the pools and marina. The room was well maintained and clean with nice quality bedding and perhaps the softest bed I have had in Mexico. The nice aspect was having both a quiet marina area and beach area with two pool and two restaurants. Buffets were good with better than usual quality meats. Only real draw back is that selections available at the two a la carte restuarants are not very appealing.

Grand Decameron Complex Bucerias Trademark: The Decameron is only 3.5 ***

Dec 3-10 2016 This Hotel was VERY disappointing. There were NO fridges in any of the rooms (the couple we flew with needed to have Medication in a fridge, but nothing was done). So the one bottle of water you got was room temp. There were too many WASPS buzzing around everywhere. I'm allergic. NO service while you are at the pool or beach for drinks. You had to find a bar and stand in line every time you wanted a drink, usually only one bartender. No tissue's anywhere, No alcohol in your rooms, [... read more] no lotions, no King beds, only doubles, no wifi or internet available in your rooms, only in lobby and we had to reboot 3 times in 30 minutes...It was hard for my hubby to get any work done at all..We usually buy a package for him and all is good. The lounge chairs were old plastic ones with no cushions (we had to buy blow ups so we could sit on those chairs for any length of time. We felt they catered to the Mexican families a little too much. Some Evening shows in Spanish only. We have been to a few places like the Palladium and the Grand Sirens on both the Mayan side and P.V. side and they are ranked 4.5 and 5 stars So This one should in no way be ranked that high..It is run down with holes in the curtains and no lights in the rooms also no end tables. No special drinks to speak of, no decent wine, only out of a box even in the restaurants, no little shooter drinks, no pina coladas, no mojitos, no GM, no after dinner drinks. Only one or two people spoke enough english to help us to get to Puerto Vallarta by taxi and where to see some new things. We will never go back to this Complex. Please TripCentral You need to change the Status of this complex on your site. I have trusted your ratings in the past, but this one just doesn't cut it. We are from Alberta, Canada and are between 55 & 60 years old. We hope this will help anyone to decide not to go here.

Riu Vallarta: Great resort

The resort is well kept the grounds are always clean if yiur looking for a older crowd to relax this is the place. FOOD is typical ai food nothing to brag about but you will find something Drinks are cold pop is terrible unless from a bottle

Iberostar Selection Playa Mita: Great experience!

Nice layout, all areas were easily accessible, reasonably compact. Dining areas were well laid out and convenient. Food was good quality and lots of choice. Staff in dining areas were helpful and friendly. Maids kept rooms nice and clean and were pleasant and friendly. Reception desk staff and bellboys were also very efficient and pleasant. The kids area was a big plus for parents and children. The beach was very nice, but be warned this part of the coast has a lot of surf! The stores in the [... read more] lobby area are nice, and we made good use of the cafe and lobby bar.

Grand Palladium Vallarta: Fine, not awesome

This is the second time we have visited GPV, the first being about 5 years ago and this most recent from Nov. 27 - Dec. 4, 2016. We did not stay at the Royal side, although we contemplated it. For us, it's not really worth the extra cost because we don't care about the rooms that much, just the beach. For some, the cost might be worth it. This resort has a lot of kids. We don't have kids, but we stayed at the beach mostly or the adult pool. But, there are kids all over the place in the buf [... read more]fet or restaurant and so many at the main pool. The rooms are entirely adequate for the 4 star rating of this hotel. The beach is good, but note there are some rocks which can cut feet. The water is turbulent, not good for snorkelling and probably not that great if you aren't a decent swimmer. But it is good for body boarding and there is a big surfing contingent at this resort, surf boards are part of the all inclusive. We tried surfing, but found it very scary! We stuck with boogie boards. But, you can surf at this resort. The bars and drinks are good. We were very happy that they use re-usable plastic cups for beach and pool drinks instead of disposable cups. The a la carte restaurants are good, we like the Mexican the best. We like how there are no reservations at the a la carte - you just go when you are ready for dinner and occasionally you will have to wait a little while, but not always. The buffet for us was just OK. At times we found the servers quite dismissive, but not all of them and not all of the time. I think we are pretty low maintenance - we perhaps just caught some servers on a bad day or something. I would note that I got many bug bites - I think they are probably sand flea bites from the beach. If you are prone to bug bites (as I am, my spouse did not get any) I would suggest bringing some repellant and/or after bite treatment. I did not bring either of these things and was very itchy the whole time! Overall this is a good resort for the price we paid. It seems that it would be very good for families as there are many kids and they offer day care as well I think.

Hilton Vallarta Riviera Resort: Great Views, Food and Service!

Pools were awesome and service overall was excellent. Rooms were big and the king bed was very comfortable. Food was great at all the restaurants and the drink were premium. Awesome resort...I would definitely return!