Riu Palace Pacifico: Best Resort Yet

As a seasoned resort guest and frequent traveler to Mexico I can honestly say this was by far the best resort we have ever stayed in. I didn't think there would be much difference between a 4.5 star and a 5 but there was. First off the food was amazing. Absolutely amazing. Don't bother with the A La Carts and stick to the buffet which changes themes every night. You could live on seafood alone there is so much of it. Fruits were so fresh and all the other dishes were great. Our only dis [... read more]appointment was the Steak house where the cut of steak was horrible but that is to be expected in Mexico. Service in the buffet was to the highest standards with Janet in the morning/lunch and Lucerra at dinner. I wish we had servers like this in Canada. Most of the bar service was very quick and even with the hotel at full capacity you could easily get to a bar to order a drink and there were plenty of chairs around the pool. Only top shelf alcohol served, even in the fruity slush drinks. Ventured down to the Vallarta and they had to go behind a door to pour my Jim Beam. As per usual towel hogs were out early reserving chairs with the irony of the fact that they don't show up till after noon. Really sad. Wish one hotel would stop this and I would be a committed patron for life. Trips to Bucerias were quick and cost 100 pesos. We rode the horses on the beach down there once and that was 500 pesos each. Great trip. Le Negra in Bucerias was really nice for dinner. Expensive but nice. Recommend reservations Can't go wrong with the Palace.

Las Palmas by the Sea: Very enjoyable stay

We had a great week. Everything was up to what I expected. They have done a wonderful job with covid-19 prevention. Masks were enforced especially at the bar. The only wish I have is that they would have frig's and coffee machines in the rooms. Top marks for service, food, grounds, pool and bartenders.

Krystal Grand Nuevo Vallarta: Beautiful resort with amazing food but limited entertainment

My wife and I spent one week at Krystal Grand Nuevo Vallarta in mid-April to celebrate our honeymoon. We were housed on the 4th floor, in the main building. Seems like most rooms in the main building have a partial view of the ocean. I wish to dedicate a special shout-out to the Aileen (the manager) and Patricia (concierge) for making our stay a memorable one! Pros: - Very clean and well maintained - Beautiful architecture including infinity pool - Rain showers in each room! - Main buffe [... read more]t was right by the beach/ocean, so you can enjoy incredible views during meals - The Resort was small, so regardless of which building you were allocated to, everything is within walkable distance even for those with limited mobility - Food was clean and delicious, especially snack bar (fried fish tacos + cheesy nachos were the bomb) and the A La Carte (Grill & Italian restaurants were the best, followed by Japanese, and least favorite was the Mexican). I would advise skipping the Mexican unless you’re really curious. We ate at the buffet daily and did not have any GI issues, despite eating freshly cut fruits or cold cuts - All hotel staff were diligent about COVID protocols and were wearing masks, which gives us confidence that management takes this seriously Cons: - Guests left their towels overnight on the beach/pool chairs for the entire week to reserve those spots, which is selfish and inconsiderate to say the least. - No money exchangers / banks on-site, which makes it difficult to exchange money to tip hotel staff - Have to get up at 6:30AM to make A La Carte reservations (especially the Grill & the Italian) EVERY morning, unless you’re an Altitude Member (in which case you can book 2 days in advance). There were at least 30-40 seats that were empty during our entire dining service, which was unfortunate as individuals likely booked but didn’t show. - Very limited entertainment (No live performances in the evening, no access to water sports like kayak or catamaran, no access to board games or sports) - Access to the Games room (Ping Pong, Table Pool, Darts, XBOX & Playstation) were limited only to Adolescents under 18 years old. - The waves were very strong in the week that we were there, and ocean was not clear enough to snorkel Recommendations to Resort improvements: - Please have an on-site money exchanger (even if it is small), so that your hotel staff can receive more tips - Please have someone clear out all beach towels left overnight, so that there are no “reservations” of beach/pool chairs for the whole period. The $25 cost of each Beach towel lost will surely have some Guests thinking twice about trying to reserve these chairs - Please limit each hotel guest to booking the Grill and Italian once during each 7-day stay, so that other Guests can get to experience it too - Please grant Adults access to Ping Pong and Table pool too - Please provide some board games where Guests can loan these out and return them for entertainment

Occidental Nuevo Vallarta: We will return! 14 fabulous days!

From the moment we checked in until the moment we checked out, we were impressed! We had asked for a quieter room, higher level, king sized bed. Upon checking in, they said they tried to accommodate all our requests, but could not get a higher level floor. We were given room 246. It exceeded our expectations! The room was spacious, so clean, so bright, with a huge deck overlooking the Royal Pool AND the ocean! (We did NOT upgrade to Royal). It had two chairs and table, plus two loungers!  [... read more] It was so quiet at night, the air conditioning worked perfectly. The only thing with our deck was that it was too hot to sit on it from about 3-7 PM. The floors above us had covers but we did not. The pool bar shut down around 8 PM, so there was never any issue with noise after 8. We could see the shows from our deck! All staff were friendly and helpful. The buffet food was scrumptious and huge variety! We ate breakfast every morning at the buffet, and three nights at the buffet. Lunch was always at the Mariachi, and always lots of choices! We tried each a la carte at least 2-4 times and loved them all! The service at each a la carte was exceptional! To make a reservation for an a la carte you go to the lobby each morning about 8:20 and line up. You can start reserving about 8:45. The times are 6, 7, 8, 9 and I believe 10. It is a pain to do this every morning, but it is also a nice way to meet people from around the world! They used to allow you to reserve a few days in a row, but because people would reserve then not bother to show up, they had to change to one day at a time. Reservations can be made between 8:45-4. Please help them out by cancelling your reservation if you do not decide to go. That allows someone else to be able to use that time slot. The shows were from 9-10 PM each night and very professional! They had many activities, water aerobics, Zumba, yoga, fun games and activities and so much more! I could go on and on. The one small thing that could be improved upon, (but could be a staffing issue) is the beach and lounger area. It would be nice to see it raked and cleaned up a bit better, and the lounge chairs and tables cleaned more. There are so many people to thank, so here are a few, as some I didn't get their names. Eric (helped us with Spanish) Puk (funny, friendly, terrific service) Ana, who helped us with Spanish, Irene (fabulous! (Beach server), Stephan - so personable! (reservation man), Jose, (Esther and Jabier at the shopping shack) Raphael and Alberto at the Italian, Blanca our maid, fabulous! Fania, Francesco at the buffet who helped us with our Spanish! Valeria and her Harris hawk, Sahara. There are so many to thank and I feel so bad I didn't get all their names. The young ladies at the Lobby Bar at night were also fantastic! The two activities men! This resort is a 4 min walk to the Riviera Farmers Market every Tuesday from 9-2! We noticed ramps everywhere and there are elevators if anyone has mobility issues or uses a wheelchair. Paradise Village Mall is a 2-3 minute walk from the resort! The beach is lovely and flat to walk on! If we had any issues, for example, we were out of our room every morning before 9. We asked if it would be possible to have our room cleaned before noon, not late in the day. It was done! We had a couple of days when we did not get coffee or water. We went to the front desk, and it was brought up immediately. We just asked politely, and any issue was taken care of! We will return! Mucho gracias to all staff who made our stay so memorable! I had hoped to post photos along with this review, but it did not give me that option! Covid protocols were met in all areas. Hand sanitizing and wearing of masks entering restaurants and leaving but not once you’re at your table. You didn’t have to wear a mask walking around the lobby or hallways unless you were too close to another person.

Decameron Isla Coral: Wonderful vacation

I want to stress how wonderful the staff was especially Rubi. She was amazing. Spoke English, touched base with us regularly and helped us as needed. The resort’s COVID protocol was good. Our temperature was taken upon arrival, masks were worn in common areas (by most guests) and the resort was clean. They cleaned consistently. Due to COVID, there is no shuttle between resorts. It only cost 40 pesos each way - if you wanted to go between them for al a carte dinners. On the beach, 15-20 [... read more] minute walk to one. Food was good. And you can choice which al a carte restaurant you would like between the three resorts. Our room was basic but clean. No fridge and little drawer space. We travelled with Air Transat. Please be aware, there is no representative on site at any of the Decameron resorts and the excursions are not accessible.

Grand Decameron Complex Bucerias Trademark: Bucerias - Decameron Resort

The resort is a little older, but well maintained. Super clean resort. If you are a food snob, this might be a challenging resort for you. I am a food snob and can always find something great to eat. Ceviche everyday is my favorite. Also the chocolate ice-cream for dessert is amazing...I wish they had hot Churros available daily though. The white fish that they prepare is awesome and there seems to be lots of it. The grounds are really mature and pretty, not to mentioned well maintained. Pools a [... read more]re clean and you have a choice of many of them. There is a quiet adult pool as well and it's large. We go every year and have been for since 2010. Love this resort, it's so laid back and casual. They installed all new A/C units that are very quiet and work well. Beds were a little more comfortable this time around, so I think that they changed out the mattresses as well. It would be great if the next upgrade was the bathroom taps and shower heads. But I can imagine that due to Covid the past 2 years have not been money makers. I think that all trip facilitators should remove the quote that "tips are included in the package" THEY ARE NOT. As a traveler you should always tip the people serving you, it's common curtesy. Don't just tip your bartender. Tip your maid, your restaurant server, towel provider, etc...Most of the staff at resorts are paid minimum wages, which is 140 Pesos per day, which is equivalent to approximately $10 a day Canadian, depending on the exchange rate. Also remind yourself that you are a guest in this country and should use the terms, please and thank-you. Overall, great trip, comfortable resort and the location is awesome.

Friendly Fun Vallarta: Overbooked

The hotel was good and the staff were great but the hotel booked a company seminar that put up to 4 adults in a room. We were told there were 1000 people in the group for a hotel with 270 rooms. The good thing is they were out all day. In the morning they overloaded the breakfast buffets until 8am so if you wanted breakfast at this time you lined up for it. We went after they left for the day but by then the buffets would be out of things like bacon and one morning bread. This should not happen. [... read more] In addition they closed the al a carte restaurants, I guess due to the crowds they could only feed this number buffet style so we had to endure buffet dining all week. The food was OK but Similar every night. They did have a taco only restaurant buffet restaurant but with tacos being offered at the other buffets for lunch and dinner I really didn’t see the purpose other than to feed the large crowds. The lobby at night was packed and turned into a frat party wth these seminar guests chugging tequila out of bottles bought at the local store, so I think not all of the company seminar group did had bar access. They also brought cases of beer to the beach after the day time seminars ended. As for coved policies we had to sign a waiver that we would wear a mask in common places but this was not enforced at all and only a few people in the large company seminar group wore one. We left the lobby early every evening as we did not feel comfortable/safe with the large groups of people. In addition all the services were overwhelmed at night. The very good coffee bar was a 30 min line up at night.

Buenaventura Grand Hotel and Great Moments: Home away from Home

We were a group who stayed at this resort March 28 for two weeks. We were so happy to see Gustavo,Eduardo,Fausto,Herman, Omar and Daliha. Our room was perfect and very well maintained. The meals were very tasty. The one thing that changed was the pool bar was closed at 10 pm which was a shock. We all missed sitting out there. The top bar also closed at 10 which left the lobby bar open until 1:00 am.. please reconsider reopening the pool bar. We were also happy that the smokers are still very muc [... read more]h accepted. Kudos. God willing we’ll be back

Riu Flamingos: One of our favorites

This was our 3rd time at the Riu Jalisco. It is time for a refresh but still a grand hotel. We had some specific requests, like a room facing the courtyard, and they were well met. The hotel was clean and the staff was always friendly. The grounds are well kept and the pools and beach areas are well maintained. Our 4th floor room overlooked the nightly entertainment. The entertainment was popular and well attended. The poolside activities included daily exercise and water volleyball. The foam pa [... read more]rty was big hit. Lots of lounges were available and as usual, early birds get prime locations. More seating at the beach. Easter week was busy so there were lines for drinks, but no huge problems. The food in the buffet was well presented, with many choices for picky eaters. The a-la-carte restaurants were popular with 15 minute line ups most nights. We preferred the Italian for selection and portion control. Over all it feels like his hotel is recovering from Covid restrictions. Masks were optional and rarely seen on guests. Every staff member continues to wear a mask. Our over all review is that this is a great place to enjoy the Mexican sunshine.

Krystal Grand Nuevo Vallarta: Great place!

We truly enjoyed the view from our room, overlooking the main centre area of the complex & further the ocean. Meals were very good & the beverages were refreshing. We missed not having nightly adult entertainment but found things to keep us busy. Covid may have still been an issue. Looking forward to our next getaway. Thank you Karol for your attention, prompt responses & making this trip happen for us.

Buenaventura Grand Hotel and Great Moments: Excellent Vacation

We had one of the best vacations at this resort. It was very clean and the staff were excellent. The location is perfect. Close to everything. The food and drinks were very tasty. Staff were so professional right from the doorman, Omar to the maid. We will definitely return. They were always cleaning too. It was so much fun.

Krystal Grand Nuevo Vallarta: Beautiful Resort

We stayed at the Krystal Grand April 5th-12th, 2022 The resort is beautiful I loved the size of the hotel, the options of the pools, adult only, family pool and activity pool that was a infinity facing the ocean. The beach you could walk for miles and walk into town easily on the beach or a safe path. Workers were friendly but still understaffed, breakfast buffet had lots of options, lunch BBQ was great and 2 of the three restaurants were great. If night life is what you want this is not you [... read more]r hotel there is zero entertainment I would have appreciated something some music or a band and a nice area to sit at night. There was just a sky bar that had seating for about 10 people but if you don’t care about that you will enjoy it and I would recommend it for a nice place to stay, coffee bar was good. Not sure if the lack of entertainment was due to Covid but bringing something and somewhere to sit at night in lobby would be a great addition.

Canto Del Sol: Very clean resort

Spent a week at the resort, we were placed in the rear villa's which was a very short walk to the main resort. The pool by the villa's was quiet and had bar service all afternoon. We found all the pools, bar, restaurants and bathrooms always very clean. Rooms were nice but nothing fancy just a room. Food at the buffet was very limited with the same selection on both sides of the buffet line, there was no pasta station or really any fresh grill options. There was still aways something to eat and  [... read more]there was also other option at the resort to eat including the snack bar (very popular for lunch) and 3 specialty restaurants which we only tried the Italian and was not a huge fan. Only recommendation to the resort is to ad more option to the buffet, other then that great resort and great people.

Samba Vallarta: Not good

Well, we got food poisoning here-quite badly so that knocked 3 days of 7 as AWFUL....and I mean AWFUL. The pool is LOUD from noon to 1:30 AM (the pool restaurant acts as a disco at night). and this is all center of the hotel so it's loud. There is no swim up bar OR quiet (adult pool)....so the place is loud. It's old and VERY dark too. On the other side of the resort is a loud RIU pool so it's always loud. Fine if that's your thing. We di pay $80 more American for a room out front which was a bi [... read more]t nicer and a bit quieter.

Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta: Awesome Resort!

Thanks to Nicole Deforest from Trip Central our trip was Perfect. From the time we booked till the time we got off the plane in Calgary. Everything went very smooth. This Hotel is one of our favorite's, you may pay a little more but its certainly worth it. When we checked in we were greeted with a glass of Champaign and a wash cloth. Check in took about 2 minutes, our bags were at our room by they time we got there. The room was very clean and a certificate was tapped to the entrance door let [... read more]ting us know that it had been sanitized. That was very comforting. All the staff were required to wear face masks and they were continually whipping down and cleaning chairs, tables and even the pool. The food quality in all the restaurant's were 5 star and we really had difficulty deciding where to eat our next meal....lol... really! Yes we would recommend this Hotel and Yes we will be returning .....SOON!

Grand Park Royal Puerto Vallarta: A 3.5 star at 4.5 prices

While this hotel is situated on a lovely beach I cannot recommend staying there for a number of reasons, the first of which is no fault of the resort. The location and geography meant that the sun does not hit the beach until noon this time of year, and the pools even later. The rooms themselves are pleasant enough, but older and poorly maintained i.e. blocked shower drain, broken lampshades (with blood splatter), etc. Housekeeping seemed to come either too early (8:30 am) or too late in the day [... read more] (5:30 pm) and wasn't particularly thorough. The food at the lunch buffet was low quality and poorly prepared. The 3 a la carte restaurants were better, but the menu never changes. The resort is popular for weddings (3 in 11 days). The resort is relatively small so access was denied to portions of the beach and other facilities during these events (despite the fact you paid for access to the entire resort). It also means a lot of noise directly in front of the rooms for setup, the event and tear-down. It is also popular with families and there are lots of kids everywhere, including in both main pools (which are cold). This is despite the fact that there is a separate kid's pool. In short, don't do it - you can find better.

Occidental Nuevo Vallarta: Wonderful resort

Hotel accomadations,food,entertainment were excellent.we would return again to this resort.the food was very diversified always a variety for everyone.the entertainment was very professional as the pool area always had something happening

Las Palmas by the Sea: friendly staff and many return visitors

this place is popular with canadians. very thankful that people are respectful of the covid mandates here .. masks are worn when you leave your room, walking around, in bars/restaurants when not seated at your table, and when not eating or drinking. if you can't maintain a distance from people, wear it. hand sanitizer is easy to find. the place is clean, well run, in a good location south of the marina, north of the malecon.

Las Palmas by the Sea: Loved it here!

One of the most authentic resorts I ever stayed in. B artender David was the best! People were welcoming and we had tons of fun. The only bad thing was I had 100$ and a debit card missing from my room. So be aware..watch your surroundings all the time. The location of the hotel was great and Cameron express next to the resort was amazingfor seafood!

Iberostar Selection Playa Mita: Lovely Mexico vacation!

We had a fabulous time enjoying the iberostar in the beautiful location of playa Mita. The live music and outside lunches were a treat! Our ocean front room was large, had everything we needed, a comfy bed and an amazing view of the long clean beach. The food was great everywhere, the drinks and wine were nice and served with pleasantries. The nightly entertainment was fun and entertaining. We enjoyed the a la Carte restaurants and the Ap made them very simple to book. We had a great time. G [... read more]o hike up monkey mountain for a panoramic view! Thank you!