Grand Decameron Complex Bucerias Trademark: Wow,what can i say!!!!!!
This is our second trip to the Royal Decameron Complex and it was better than the first,the first time was great but this time was even better.We asked for the building 5,pool view,and a king size bed and got them all.The staff is the best and they do anything to help the guest.This resort is the place to go,the true way to enjoy Mexico.
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Sonyad -
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Riu Flamingos: a great vacation spot
Great for families, good food and great hospitality. Nice beach and beautiful panorama. Very busy, but still lots of space to sit in the sun or shade. Our room had two double beds and one twin which was great for our family of 4.
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MrShaunC -
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Sunscape Puerto Vallarta: Clean resort with minimal facilities, food
We spent 8 days here & though nothing was terrible, nor was hardly anything good. Ok, the Mexican restaurant meal I had the one night I was able to make a reservation was amazing. But I woke up early (for me, it IS vacation!) to get down to the reservation desk for a restaurant that evening several times to find out that it was fully reserved. That desk is open 9-11, and I averaged a respectable 10-10:30am. We made it a total of once to the italian & once to the mexican. The night I finally scor[... read more]ed the last Mexican seating, when I got there there were only 4 tables filled including me! The rest of the restaurant was reserved for potential imaginary guests I guess.
The beer was ok, the Tequila was the same old $5/gallon nail polish remover & a beefeater gin (a well drink anywhere I frequent) was 70 pesos! The gin they fed us had never seen a juniper plant, and the beer was as most 1/2 strength Corona light.
We never could get a towel, even at 11am, a sure sign of poor priorities for a hotel, especially one with the Holiday Inn brand. Towels cost, what $1CDN wholesale? And to get a proper lounge chair we had to steal other people's, though it was easy enough when we found out that no one ever came back to their chairs all day anyways. I highly recommend that if you see a dollar pair of sandals, towels & maybe an ancient paperback novel on the chairs under the thatched shade spots; wait 10 minutes, if they are not there, just claim it for yourselves. It's the only way this place works. Take up the vulture mentality & scavenge.
Hotel room was quite nice, construction was loud & hammering in pilings all day, and room service had to be called for, only getting it 3 times in 8 days. And we tipped generously the first day. So don't bother thinking that will help.
Our friends at Las Palmas had a much more relaxed time, though their food choices were even more limited than ours. At least seats were everywhere, beer was good & better location.
Sorry Holiday Inn, but you've turned me off All Inclusive for life. But I thank you. Vacation life will be so much better from here on in.
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MomoS -
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Secrets Vallarta Bay: Excellent Resort
Secrets Resort and Spa exceeded our expectations. From the amazing staff who always made us feel special; the well prepared food that we were never disappointed with; the cleanliness of the rooms and grounds, always an abundance of pool towels available; the unique creations of the yummy drinks of the day; to the spectacular sunset serenaded by talented musicians in the lobby. One of the many highlights of our stay was the authentic Mexican Fiesta night on the beach - quite impressive!
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CindyWo -
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Casa Velas: Beautiful Resort
Finally a resort that actually lives up to their word. This resort is absolutely breathtaking. The grounds are immaculate, vibrant & we'll looked after. We stayed in the Grand Class Suite Plus & would highly recommend it. It was awesome having our own plunge pool. The food was top notch. The Beach Club was amazing & the pool at the resort was very nice. We never had any problems getting a spot around either pool. The staff here are by far the most friendliest people we have come across. This was[... read more] the 7th holiday for us & by far the best. We are already planning on returning next year. We would highly recommend this resort.
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Despatcher -
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Grand Decameron Complex Bucerias Trademark: Fantastic location!
We loved that this hotel was right in Bucerias and that we could walk to the markets and mingle with the locals! First time out of the country for my boyfriend and he loved the entire experience! The beach was also amazing - much nicer on the Pacific side!
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Debbie and Doug -
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Sheraton Buganvilias Puerto Vallarta Hotel: So clean and friendly!
My recent stay was absolutely wonderful! I especially enjoyed the comfy beds and white linens. I did not see any bugs any where. Food was great, lots of choice and top notch drink selection, also wine was available white and red which is not always at all inclusive resorts.
Staff members were so friendly, especially Jorge Luise the activity director at the pool! I was disappointed that the beach was all rocky and hard to walk on in bare feet.
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Oilsands -
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Grand Decameron Complex Bucerias Trademark: Great Resort
Here are my Pro's / Con's and some TIP's!!!!
1) Great location - 20 minute walk to downtown Bucerias( best markets in PV, town square). Great little sports bars across the street. Short 20 minute ride from the airport.
2) Best manicured grounds I've ever seen in any resort.
3) The resort staff are the best and absolutely great service.(Francisco - late night waiter at the beach restaurant was amazing!!!)
4) Food - 5 restaurants and all had a great variety, they have two next to the beach and th[... read more]ey were never busy( large grounds and lots of space for everyone!)
5) Beach - Excellent beach, always chairs available!! You don't have to get down early and save a spot!!
6) Bars - The 2 beach bars were literally on the beach, average busy and great music. Great place to chill and watch the sun set or people watch.Drinks were really good and the staff always friendly!
7) They have so many pools - some quiet and some lively!!
8) Excellent value, get more than what you pay for!!
Cons
1) The rooms are a bit dated and there is no fridge ( However your there to be outside) and no bath tub ( Not an issue for me but apparently an issue for the females???)
2) You have to pay close to $3 US per day for the safe, I struggle with this!!
3) Very big resort - some of the rooms(across the street) would be a 10 minute walk to the beach. However they all seem to be on a pool which is nice.
4) The main pool has Spanish music playing the majority of the time, after experiencing this for one or two days it's o.k the whole trip and it's consuming.
5) The shows are a hit and miss (the entertainment staff work exceptionally hard), however this is a personal preference of what you like.
Tips
1) Do all your shopping in the town of Bucerias!! As in PV or in the hotel there is no negotiating with much higher prices! Wait until mid afternoon and evening as this is when your best likely to get your deals. Also your significant other can go to "Fat Boys" beach bar while you shop at the markets!! Very very safe place the market and town itself, lots of tourists!! Also it's the real Mexico!!!
2) Excursions - the price in the hotel is $39US more than off the resort, you can buy the same excursions across the street or at the market in Bucerias there is a great shop! Also the excursions sold from the hotel only go out on certain days!! Shop around!!
3) Fishing - Go down to the beach in front of the hotel and ask any vendor/peddler for Oscar( fishing guy). Get him to throw in the 24 cold ones and some sandwhiches for the fishing trip. He's open to negotiate and the fishing charter was one of the best I've gone on including the price. If your going fishing, bring a medium collapsable cooler to bring your fish back to the hotel which they will cook up for you that evening!!!! The marina is at Paradise Village, close by and only $10 US by taxi!!
4) There is a small conveince store on the street which takes you to downtown Bucerias about 3 to 4 blocks on the right hand side maybe which has a little restaurant in it. You can have real good taco's (cheap, 13 Pesos) and you buy your cold ones in the store and sit out front ( Cold one tip, you can buy 2 x 1.2 liter bottles of Corona or Tecate for 45 pesos!! Yes that's correct 45 pesos!! Great place to buy your candy store items if you need some, closer than OXO (which some will send you too, up the hill at the Hwy!!) Also there is a store across from the hotel and down the street a half a block ( towards down town) which sells all kinds of great beach blow up toys, cheap!!
5) Sports bar across the street on second floor was really good, they also show pretty much all of the ball, hockey and soccer games in the lobby bar!!
6) Massage - Go down the beach towards town and on the right hand side after walking 10 minutes and there are 2 places (Cheap, $25 to $30 US for 55 minutes for 2 people!!) same massage people work in the hotels and they work there on their off days!!
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Sunseaker -
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Krystal Grand Puerto Vallarta: Wow, The Best Ever
Arrived for a two week stay on Marh 27th from Canada and was gracefully greeted by the front desk staff, all very helpful, friendly and polite.
Concierge escorted us with our luggage to our room after a very quick check in. He was exteremly helpful showing us how the a/c worked and offered his services. We pointed out to him that the recepticle and switch plates were off and he said he would let maintenance know; obviously room was freshly painted. To our surprise they were put on the next morni[... read more]ng. Room was very clean with plently of towels, king sized bed was very comfortable. Bathroom was a bit open concept, but was OK with us. The toilet area was a bit cramped as it was seperate with a glass door which actually touched my knees. Room was cleaned to an exceptional standard daily with nothing overlooked. Our room view was not the greatest but I wasn't there to be in the room other than sleep/shower etc. We came back to our room one evening to find the fan on, mystery, a few days later fan off, mystery. Could nevery figure out how to turn it on. Last night we were there it was very hot in the room, a/c didnèt seem to be working great so by midnight called the front desk and they said we should have a remote but no where to be found. Within 10-15 mins maintenance was at the door. Apparently the fan was broke and he said couldnèt fix it till next day but would hard wire it to stay on if it was OK with us, sure was.
The Fogo (buffet) was great, I have never had buffet style food that was so good, always something new every day. The salad bar selection was always fresh and agood variety. Diningroom staff were all very attentive, friendly and accommodating especially Gabrielle (hope I got his name right). He very quickly learned what we liked and would immediately see we had what we needed; always smiling and friendly. We tried the Brazilian restaurant on two occassions and it was great, our waiter Manuel was fantastic making our evening so enjoyable. The food was really good and we chose to come back a second time. We never tried the other two resturants.The Fogo was good and I always found something that I enjoyed and the staff were great. The fast food place on the beach was just OK, think it could have offered a bit more variety; their bar/beach service was hit and miss. Depended on how was giving the biggest tip who got the service.
The pools were nice but too warm, cooler would have been more refreshing. Our stay carried into Holy week so resort got very busy and included a ton of children so we opted to us the adult pool/sushi bar. Esmeralda and Manuel (the same Manuel from the Brazilian resturant) were the best; they made everyday that we were there unforgetable, never having to ask for a refill, they would always see we had a refill. The Hilton should be proud to have employees like these two, they make a vacation much more than what you would expect. Thanks guys for the wonderful time. The pool was a bit too warm as well but refreshing in the heat in the PV. Unfortunately my skin is very sensitive to chlorine so after 3-4 days using the pool I got a rash and had to spend some time in the salt water and on the beach. Sand on the beach is somewhat more coarse and darker than the Playa del Carmen area and the water was way rougher. Plenty of beach to walk though and without the seaweed and was always quite clean. Beach chairs were plentiful except during the first part of Holy week. Never had an issue getting a beach towel though.
Overall this is the best AI I have stayed at and I have been traveling since 1999 and even stayed at a Sandals and found the service here much bettter.I would definately stay here again and do plan to do so and bring the family with us next year.
One recomendation there is no clock anywhere in the lobby area, lots of people were always asking for the time, simple and cheap fix.
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Neskwyk -
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Decameron Los Cocos Guayabitos Ramada: Great way to relax
This was our first visit to Mexico and we were not disappointed. We thought 7 days of nothing but beach life would be too long but no - it was way too short! The hotel staff are great, the rooms were impeccably cleaned every day. There wasn't a lot of variety in the food but the desserts were amazing! There's always life on the beach, but beware of the vendors. The animation team is fantastic! The evening shows were absolutely amazing. Can't wait to go back!
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Shenzi13 -
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Grand Marival Emotions Resort and Suites: Very nice resort for kids and families
We had a very nice stay at this resort. Food was good and lots to do of just relax and do nothing. The grounds are very clean and there is free wifi in the lobby. Specialty restaurant are very nice and lot's of choices in the buffet.
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LoriBee -
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Decameron Los Cocos Guayabitos Ramada: Clean resort and the staff were 'Amazing'
We arrived later in the day so were a little cranky, we were not happy with the location of our room being in building 4, we approched the staff with a request to being placed in a room closer to the beach and they made arrangements for us to be moved into building 1 top floor facing the beach!! it was a 2 bedroom suite with a deck that was bigger than most rooms! The food was Good but the variety was the same the 2nd week. The beach Club was awesome! we really enjoyed that day! We venture out t[... read more]o find the 'Best' fish taco and margs and found both at a little bar in Lapinita called Hymies. Karlas on the beach just up from the De Cameron had the biggest and best coconut shrimp ever, its filled with cream cheese....divine! next to Karlas we found the best burger at Juans and there margs were right up there. Great BBQ can be found at Mr. Ribs.... We did a day trip to the caves booked through Salvadore at the resorts front desk.... highly recommended... it was a full day for 90.00CND and included all your bevies, lunch, transport and equipment. Overall we had a wonderful time and will def be going back to this quaint little fishing village!
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Freddien -
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Sheraton Buganvilias Puerto Vallarta Hotel: Lovely resort
liked everything about the resort except, we did think the pools were kept too warm to be refreshing and I had a problem with wifi. I was to have free wifi in our room but had to go to IT each day to get connected.
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Theodorus -
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Grand Decameron Complex Bucerias Trademark: definately not a 4 star as advertised
grounds are well kept, adult pool and building is too far from the water, only 1 of the a la carte restaurants is really at an a la carte level,reservations had to be booked early in the morning and you had to line up for close an hour to do this-a real spoiler for a holiday, beds were hard and the complex is loud gererally most of the day and evening with a pa system or outdoor show, blasting, no kleenex provided in the rooms, use of a safe had a daily charge,rooms were not nicely appointed and[... read more] the drapes were covered in mildew. very dissappointing and frustrating vacation. distance and time by bus was not advertised accurately, it took the good part of an hour to get to Puerto Vallarta and that involved a bus transfer,this complex is not being advertised accurately and is not well located, it costs $50 to get a taxi to Puerto Vallarta and back. pictures of this resort are misleading on the internet search,would definately not stay here again or recommend it to anyone
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Carjo22 -
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Las Palmas by the Sea: Location excellent
Great hotel and staff really friendly and courteous. The fully inclusive provided a lot of choice for three meals a day and the drinks were great. Ideal location 10 minutes by bus to downtown Puerto vallarta.
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Cor1965 -
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Friendly Fun Vallarta: Excellent vacation!
Second time at this resort....love it because of the wonderful staff and location. Recommend this resort to friends and family. Quick access to town. Food and drinks plentiful...new pizza oven makes pizzeria style pizzas. Cappuccino/ coffee bar now .
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Jeff09 -
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Grand Palladium Vallarta: Great Resort
The hotel was amazing the rooms were clean and really nice. The staff was excellent and very friendly. The buffet and all the restaurants were delicious with a good variety of food. would go back there.
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Theresa U -
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Melia Puerto Vallarta: Pleasantly surprised!
Very nice smaller resort. The grounds are beautiful and deluxe ocean view room was very nice with lots of room and gorgeous view from the sixth floor. I've been to many all inclusives and the food here was some of the best I have eaten, everything very tasty and kept hot. Even sushi was available at the pool lunch buffet along with some of the best pizza I've ever eaten, especially the ham pineapple, delicious! Drinks were also good, especially the mojitos and had no problem asking for and getti[... read more]ng top shelf liquor. Service was excellent and everything kept very clean, no bugs at all. We did not experience any harassment from time share reps as was mentioned in some of the reviews I read. All in all, had a great vacation and would definitely go back again!
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Darlink -
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Crown Paradise Golden: Enjoyed My Trip
The hotel was more of a 3 star based on it's age. The staff, food and location were excellent. Liked the choice of having 3 restaurants on-site. Downtown easy to get to on the "Central" bus and Starbucks with Wifi within 10 minutes walking distance. An all adult resort was also perfect.
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PVsunlove -
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Las Palmas by the Sea: Good resort!
The rooms were big. The staff are very helpful. This location of this resort is perfect. Taxis to the main town was cheap and there is a pharmacy nearby where you can buy supplies. The food was okay. It was never over crowded and usually could start eating right away unless you came at peak hour. Even then waiting time to be seated was short. They brought me here from the airport and dropped me off as well on my day of departure. Hot showers and cable tv. Air condition can make the room really c[... read more]hilly.The front desk was helpful and answered all my questions. If you are looking for 5 star comfort then you will not be happy. If you go with 3 star expectations then you will not be dissapointed. All on all was worth it!