Marival Emotions Resort and Suites Riviera Nayarit: Excellent stay (and some not so excellent points)

We travelled to Marival for my daughter's milestone birthday. It was the first time to this resort. My husband and I occupied one room in the resort section, my two adult sons shared a room in the resort section and my daughter, husband and granddaughter had a one bedroom suite in the club section. The resort is beautiful, the service for the most part is excellent. The food in the buffet restaurant is not the greatest, edible but very bland with the exception of the turkey night on Thanksgiving [... read more]. The breakfasts in La Pergola were very good, much better than the buffet. When we arrived, the check-in experience was not good. The line was long and the staff had difficulty allocating our rooms. Then the front desk ran out of room key cards and after waiting for 90 minutes to check in, we had to wait another hour before they found key cards!! Just very strange that a resort should run out of key cards! Then when we got to our room, they had mixed up our room with our adult sons' room. After changing rooms twice, we finally ended up with a very nice room overlooking the family pool and a view of the ocean. The balcony was nice. Our room was lovely with a very comfortable bed. The bedroom and bathroom were very clean and looked after very well. We spent most of our time at the family pool and my granddaughter enjoyed the slides and just having fun. It was great that the beach is so close and easier to find lounge chairs on the beach. Hotdogs or hamburgers for lunch were good at La Bamba, followed by an ice cream cone. Pro's 1. The Mexico fiesta was amazing. The food was so-so (excepting for the delicious churros, yum!) , but the atmosphere, the setting, the view and the mariachi band was fantastic. 2. The Michael Jackson tribute show was absolutely fantastic. Very professional and the lighting was amazing. Very impressive 3. Nice music in the Club lobby - we even danced. It was fun. 4. Honestly, the staff were amazing in all the restaurants and bars. We enjoyed aquafit every day and the pool entertainment staff were fantastic. . Cons: 1. The usual story of people claiming pool chairs by draping towels over them and then not using them for hours. I know this is a pet peeve of a lot of people but it was particularly bad at this resort. There should be something that can be done about this issue. 2. Not being able to book restaurants for the same night. We arrived the day before my daughter's special birthday and couldn't get a reservation for any of the specialty restaurants and ended up eating not particularly good pizza. Because my daughter and son in law had a suite, they had the services of an amazing concierge who managed to get us two dinner reservations and my son in law managed to book one dinner reservation, but other than that we were stuck eating dinner at the not so good buffet. 3. My daughter needed to do laundry and some of the machines weren't working and it took a while to get someone to help. It took so long to sort out the issue that she missed out on dinner with the family. 4. The Kids Club was lacking and my granddaughter is a very easy child to please. All in all, we had a very enjoyable week at the Marival Emotions

Canto Del Sol: Cheap and cheerful resort....

The Canto Del Sol came highly recommended to us by some friends who had stayed there many times over the years prior to Covid, so we were really excited to go there. First of all, the good... The resort has a really authentic Mexican feel to it - the resort is old and could definitely use some updating but the rooms, pools and buildings are kept extremely clean. Our room was a standard room - nothing fancy - no fridge or even a coffee pot, but the room was comfortable and clean. Our one c [... read more]omplaint about the room was that the air conditioner was noisy (so noisy that we had to turn it off at night because we couldn't sleep), but we did not address this with the management at all, so that was on us. We understood that the resort had a time share, but you wouldn't know it. Wifi was free and worked well in our room and in the lobby area. Pool and buffet access was sketchy. The buffet had a good variety of fresh, tasty food (although after 2 weeks we were getting a bit tired of it). Most of the dishes tended to be Mexican type food, but hey, we were in Mexico. The specialty restaurants had excellent food. Unfortunately, they tended to be hard to book. You were given a coupon for every 2 days at the resort....unfortunately, quite often we were told that the restaurants were fully booked and it was impossible to get a reservation. We were unable to use all 7 of our reservation coupons due to them being "full". However, not once in the six times we ate at the various restaurants were any of them actually full. All of the staff were marvelous - cleaning staff, servers, pool bartenders. No complaints at all. Special thanks to Fernando, Pedro and Alex. You made our vacation special. Now for the not so good... The beach is not a nice beach. Be very, very careful swimming there as there is a very strong undertow. Also swarming with people selling things, but not aggressively - security made sure of that. The snack bar by the ocean that is open for lunch is AWFUL. Extremely sub-par food. They serve hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, etc. Do not waste your time. We like to tip the staff for all their hard work and while we bought pesos in Canada, we didn't get enough small bills for tipping. This is the first resort we have ever been in where the front desk did not want to break larger bills into smaller ones. It's not like we were asking for currency exchange, simply breaking $500 peso bills into smaller denominations. We were rudely told that they were not a bank. Even though this is an all inclusive, only 2 bottles of water were provided. Eventually we discovered that there were water dispensers in the hallways where you could refill them, but we were not told this. We were told that if we wanted extra water, we would have to go across the street and buy it. And last but not least, the weddings..... During our 2 week stay, there were 6 weddings. Four of them had music blaring until the wee hours of the morning that was louder than a jet aircraft. Our room was in the back of the building facing the tennis courts and it was loud and clear even while wearing ear plugs. For this reason alone, I could not recommend this resort to anyone, nor would I stay there again. This was a complete disregard to most of the guests in the resort. It was terrible. Apparently, the ownership had changed hands in 2022 and this information leads me to believe that they have perhaps decided to market more closely with the local market than tourists from abroad. This is, of course, their option, but I know that in future, my vacation dollars will be spent elsewhere.

Samba Vallarta: Family friendly

This was my 6th year staying at Samba. I love the resort & the staff. Everyone is so friendly & helpful when needed . The pool & surrounding grounds are so well maintained. The check in/ check out goes very well.

Fiesta Americana Riviera Nayarit: Good time here

Lots of pools. Warmer for children cooler for swimming. Not enough shade at the beach, great beach for walking, lots of large waves in the ocean. Shows are fire, acrobatic, Mexican, kereoke, a singer, no area for shows - on stairs only. Too much line up for restaurant bookings. Could be made way more efficient posting menu. Omelets in breakfast take too long /eSy to change it -kitchen staff have to walk through many times. - improve that area easily. Friendly staff. Small resort -one path from  [... read more]rooms past pools to ocean. No work out gym but they had some classes to join.

Friendly Fun Vallarta: Beautiful resort with some disappointments.

Have been there 6 times, this last time was with new management. Beds replaced many loungers which left many people without a place to lounge . Need more of assortment of genres of music. Activity board, we were there 14 days & never saw an activity board until the last 2 days. Food was warm at best at La Palmar Buffet. Lacking activities, during day and night entertainment. Had to redo our Door key/ Pass key 6 times. Mirror in bathroom only. Bar fridge , we ha [... read more]d to call everyday to get it refilled. Everyone had trouble with their TV . A smart notice would appear / disappear approx. every 2 minutes. Frustrating. Many other guests had the same complaints.

Fiesta Americana Riviera Nayarit: Wonderful staff

The hotel itself is fairly small and share grounds with vacation condos. Despite that, we found the pools were adequate--2 out of 3 heated--and there were many lounge chairs with umbrellas around them. We are 'beach' folks and enjoy dipping in the pool but sitting the days away watching the ocean--unfortunately, the beach only has a few palapa umbrellas so to secure any shade, one must go out early and put your towels on a chair. Not ideal. (there is no bathroom very near the beach and the one  [... read more]that was closest was closed for 2 days so we had to go to the lobby) We liked the food--always found something enjoyable, rooms were fairly large and clean, a little entertainment in the evenings, fairly quiet atmosphere--best of all, the staff were friendly and helpful at all times--shout out to young Samuel, who took my hand whenever he saw me and ran after my friend to say goodbye when we were leaving--

Grand Decameron Complex Bucerias Trademark: Been before; will go again.

We've been to this hotel a few times. Our room was exactly as we hoped; oceanfront 3rd floor. Breakfast good. Love the salsa. Dinners only so so. Used Block 5 adult pool perfect. Staff great. Overall seems a wee bit tired. Would I go back? Yes.

Riu Flamingos: Great Food!

The Riu Jalisco was great! There was an excellent selection of food places and the buffet had pretty much everything - always fresh. There was entertainment every night - sometimes excellent (Michael Jackson) sometimes just so-so. There were 4 elevators and it seemed only one was ever working. But the stairway was bright and accessible. I would not recommend the Puerto Vallarta city tour at all. It was more geared to selling things (shopping, jewelry and tequila), and only saw 2 sites worth  [... read more]mentioning - the church and the malecon. One could just take a bus and go to both places from one stop. There were plenty of chairs at the beach & around the pools. I would definitely return!

Decameron La Marina: Not for everyone but… Jen for older people

This is a Mexican vacationing resort so their are lots of nice Mexico. Service was amazing, struggled with employees speaking English and the rooms were nice. Looking for a party area please don’t come here, looking for relaxing low budget vacation come here

Krystal Grand Nuevo Vallarta: Not a great resort

The staff were all amazing. The food was very low quality and not alwaus warm.. The overall issue we had was the rooms. They are in poor shape and needs much repairing. The bathroom has a huge leak in ceiling and black mold. It start dripping on our second day. Our fridge never got restocked. We always had to ask for water and coffee. It is no where close to a 4 star. The only 4 star would be the staff

Krystal Grand Nuevo Vallarta: Great Stay at Krystal Grand Nuevo Vallarta!

We booked a Jr Suite Swim Out Dble Queen Bedroom and it was great! We had We had the Altitude Privilege access and that was great too! We checked in at a separate office / suite / lounge where we could sit down and enjoy some refreshment. We had great service from Josefina at the welcome suite! We could reserve all our diners for the whole week through the Altitude private access service! This is totally worth it. Our room was spacious and had all the amenities of a good resort. The swim out exp [... read more]erience is good too, it's more relaxed and calm so you can wind down for a busy day at the pool and beach! All the restaurants are good! The service was great the whole week: Alejandro at the breakfast buffet, Manuel at the main pool and Cesar for the entertainment! All in all, me and my family had a great time at Krystal Grand Nuevo Vallarta! Thank you to Sandra Taylor at TripCentral for an outstanding service! I will definitely call Sandra again! :-)

Decameron Los Cocos Guayabitos Ramada: A little disappointing.

I suspect the hotel is still recovering from the Covid downturn. The booking system for the 'a la cart' restaurant is on line but the hotel Wi-Fi is so spotty that even though we tried for 8 days there were no seats available. We were told to start trying at 1.00 a.m. when the app. opened for the day ahead. Lineup for the buffet supper (no alternative) started at 6.00 p.m. on the weekends and took 45 minutes to get to the front of the queue. When we were finally seated, the service and the foo [... read more]d were good. We chose to eat in the town when the resort was busy. Lineup to get a beer at the bar could take 15 mins. at times. The service was good but the bar is not big enough. Ocean was warm and calm but the beach is very crowded and covered in garbage at the weekends. Pools were clean and warm. Rooms were kept clean and tidy. Biggest irritation was the lack of quiet space. The entertainment volume, both on the beach and in the theatre, was painful at times. Many guests left the shows because of the volume.

Riu Flamingos: I'll Be Back!! Excellent Service! Amazing Value!!!

Hotel is clean, welcoming, ran efficiently and the grounds are very well maintained. Staff is courteous, friendly and very approachable. Pools are very clean; and the beach is wonderful with plenty of lounge chairs for everyone. We never had to wait to be seated for a meal at the buffet or the unique restaurants on site. Plenty of extraordinary food choices for all. My only request would be to have the night entertainment expanded ie: Elvis Presley or Cher or Tina Turner especially if you are s [... read more]taying for 7 days.

Decameron Isla Coral: Great stay

All the staff was very friendly and helpful. They were very patient with communication between the language barrier. The concierge was extremely friendly and was willing to help in anyway. Would recommend this hotel to others. Was a very basic hotel food was simple but very tasty. Hotel was close proximity to the town and shops.

Krystal Grand Nuevo Vallarta: Wonderful resort!

This resort is very nice. It's not huge, which makes it feel welcoming. The grounds are well kept, there are areas of lush vegetation throughout the property. Pools are great, I like that there are family friendly pools and adult only, I tried them all and it's a nice mix. Once again well kept, clean, and thanks to the efforts of staff not filled with plastic cups or spilled drinks. (It is the resort policy that guests use covered cups or thermos style cups in the pool...great idea!) One dr [... read more]awback is that even though it's resort policy that pool chairs are not to be saved, guests still do so. The staff tried in some occasions to enforce this, but not always. That's not their fault though, people should be more considerate. The food was excellent. While the buffet was on the smaller side, there was good selection of fresh, tasty dishes to choose from. I never made it to the al la carte restaurants as I was enjoying the buffet. The fish tacos were amazing at the snack bar. My room was clean and comfortable. The AC worked well, and the bed was comfortable. Good water pressure and temperature for the shower, because of the way the shower was situated, with no door, the water would spray on to the floor of the bathroom area. (That could be user error). My room faced the construction next door, but that wasn't really an issue as I wasn't in it during working hours except first thing in the morning, there's not much the resort could do about the property next door. Because my window faced the corridor I had to keep the drapes and screen closed or those walking by could see in, an inconvenience if you like to hear the ocean, but not a big deal. The staff was amazing!! Always friendly and helpful. Special shout out to Eugene, who goes above and beyond, trying to accommodate everyone's needs, working so hard always with a smile, a hola, and always checking if everything is okay! The crew doing games during the day and evening were fun and got people involved. The front desk, luggage porters, gardening, maintenance, servers, bartenders, security, kitchen, and cleaning staff were so hard working and accommodating, welcoming and friendly!! They're the ones that make this resort stand out, I've traveled quite a bit and the staff here are top notch!!

Riu Vallarta: Beautiful and clean resort

We were totally impressed with the healthy manicured grounds and the exceptionally lovely plants and trees. The weather was amazing and the ocean water was warmer than the tropics. The service was pampering making us feel secure and comfortable. Thanks for everything

Riu Flamingos: Good Resort

Excellent for family with kids! Everything about the resort is good value. Exception is the room needs a new makeup and the shower tray can be dangerous for those who needs assistance to get in/ out. Resort should provide a floor mat to avoid accidental slip.

Riu Vallarta: Nice resort, but....

We just came back from RIU Vallarta and overall it was an ok experience. I would call RIU resorts the "Carnival Cruise Line of all inclusives." The room we were given was called an oceanview but really should be called a PARTIAL oceanview. The air conditioning didn't work and we had to report it 3 times to the front desk before they moved us. The staff was super friendly and the highlight of the resort, but there were just too many things that bothered us during the stay to make it worth coming  [... read more]back. CONS: - only two air-conditioned spaces to escape the heat both of which were in bad locations - a lot of wasted space in the common areas - food was subpar - drinks were loaded with sugar - no shady spots in the pools - elevator was slow or not working PROS: - staff - lots of pools - beach

Grand Palladium Vallarta: 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.

Krystal Grand Nuevo Vallarta: Resort Review

We had an amazing time at the Krystal Grand. Food was delicious. Pools were clean and the infinity pool was breath taking. It is a great location if you like lots of action on the beach with quick access to horse back riding, sea doos, para sailing, banana boat rides messages and vendors going by with jewelry, hats etc. Our room had no balcony. The window looked out onto construction and the rooms were very small. Other people we met were in other areas of the hotel and they loved their roo [... read more]ms. The roof top pool/bar that opens at 5:00 pm had has an amazing view of the area.