Don't stay here

I'm sorry to that this is a terrible place to stay. The room we were given was so moldy that I couldn't stop coughing. The day manager was contacted by Transat moved us to another room. Again terrible! Despite being the presidential suite it too was moldy and the air conditioning didn't work. By this time the manager had left and the poor clerk at the desk could only offer us the room we had just left. Rather than move again I spent most of the night on a chair on balcony while my son and daught [... read more]er toughed it out inside. Transat rep arrived at 9am and we were packed and ready to leave. Transat found us another hotel and a $40 cab ride and we had magic. Albeit we paid more but we didn’t have a choice we had to move.

A great place to stay!

The food was great and the staff amazing!! The staff was extremely friendly, joking with us and answering all of our questions! The resort was clean and you could see the staff cleaning everyday! The room were great! There were tons of activities that you could participate in but we chose to lounge on the beach

Very nice service!

We stayed at Samba the week before March break, two families with 3 children. The good: amazing service, amazing grounds, excellent food. Very, very good evening entertainment. The bad: the hotel would greatly benefit of a complete renovation. Upon arrival we were given room 108 - leaking toilet and persistent and strong smell of mildew in the room. Three days later we moved to room 434, which was nicer and felt cleaner but the 4 huge cockroaches that we found in our last morning there left us a [... read more] bad impression. However, the good definitely outweighed the bad, mainly thanks to the staff. Would I return there? Probably not.

Lovely Resort

We left the kiddos behind, spent 5 days at the Samba for our 10th anniversary, and loved our stay at this little resort. We were nervous about staying at a small resort, but quickly realized for us, smaller is better! We felt so comfortable and at home. Not crowded, not loud, not inconvenient, lined up etc. There were always enough tables and beach and pool chairs. (And the Samba is the only resort on that stretch of beach to have palapas, for those of us who like some shade!) The food was great [... read more]! We did both a la carte restaurants and enjoyed them very much. If we would have stayed longer, we would have booked the a la cartes multiple times to taste all of the menu offerings. (It's nice you can even do that, as at the bigger resorts you only get one time at each a la carte) The main buffet is air conditioned and had plenty of yummy things to offer for breakfast lunch and dinner. (Breakfast was my favourite - must go to omelet station for amazing omelets and the secret bacon) The beach snack bar was really quite good as well. Make sure you check under every lid to find the pork chops, pulled pork, beef, and chicken selections if you are not keen on a hot dog or hamburger. Or do the cheezy fries! The beach is beautiful. Didn't see a spec of seaweed or garbage. The pool is also beautiful and very clean. You can walk for miles everyday along the beach. We didn't check out the night entertainment, as we prefered to relax in our room. We got a balcony room with king bed, mini fridge and coffee maker. It was blessedly airconditioned when we needed that, but we also sat out on the balcony quite a bit. The rooms aren't brand new and there were a few signs of the damp climate, but overall very clean and comfortable. Above all else, the service was amazing. That was what made this a 4 star in my opinion. Very attentive, friendly, professional staff. We are looking forward to bringing our kids next time. Also recommend the rhythms of the night excursion and the dolphin experience excursion!

Very relaxing quiet resort!!

I found the staff at this resort to be top notch! The grounds were kept immaculate! My only suggestion for this resort would be to improve a little on the food. Other than that, it was amazing!! The location was great as there was so much to do right in the vicinity!

Small Old and Tired

Thought we were getting a good price on a 4 star resort when in fact it was a well paid for 3 star resort. Resort is well taken care of but still old and tired. Needs a lot of remodeling all over.Rooms, food, staff, services - all just adequate at best - not 4 star quality. Not a resort for young singles or couples without children - resort geared to families with young children and the elderly. Beach is very nice and lots of lounge chairs. Three areas that need to be addressed on this resort 1. [... read more] the offensive odor coming from the washroom area at the beach entrance that wafts up to the pool and bar lunch room area , makes eating or sitting in that area rather unpleasant, 2. tipping that is expected not earned. Service is no better if you tip or don't tip but is still expected - you get this look of tip me because l did my job. 3. No water sports equipment as advertised - had the equipment ( kayaks etc.) but according to the front desk they had no permits to use them. Had to rent from Riu property next door. Would not return to this resort as it stand now unless these issues are looked after or the price is a lot cheaper than what we paid.

Reasonable at best

From the leaky toilet to getting charged 40.00 per night extra to get a balcony, the Samba Vallarta was a let down. Staff was great but lied to by the management. We wanted to get moved to a balcony room but was told that the resort was full. We later talked to a staff member about why the beach restaurant was closed that evening. We were informed that the resort was only 52% full so they always close the beach restaurant. They finally moved us for the last 3 nights of our stay to a balcony room [... read more] for 120.00. Beach bar closes at 6pm .If you want to socialize in the evenings you have to hang in the hotel lobby....yes, the hotel lobby with no view of the ocean.

Great for Seniors

If you are travelling with small children or are over 65, then this is the resort for you. If you are anywhere in between , then pick another resort. Pretty much all the activities are for children under 12 and that includes the "disco". There is a nice restaurant/bar on the ocean side and by the pool that closes at 6pm. If you want a drink after that there is a small bar by the restaurant in front of the kids disco ( no seating , just standing) or a enclosed lobby bar for those who like to go t [... read more]o mexico and sit indoors. There is one buffet restaurant and 2 a la carte restaurants, however, if the hotel is less than 80% occupied, they do not open the second restaurant, First time I have been to an all inclusive where there is nothing to do after 6pm except have dinner. The resort is in desperate need of maintenance and cleaning. Our rooms had mold on the backs of the curtains and in the bathrooms. Sinks and showers took 20 minutes to drain but the toilet was a continual leak onto the floor .At the time of our booking, there was no mention anywhere that to have a balcony it was an upgrade. Web site just said some rooms with balcony. That was disappointing. Took us 3 days to get rooms with balconies ( at an additional charge of $45.00 per night) . Desk staff told us they were full but the Security people told us the hotel was at 52% occupancy ( hence the one restaurant being closed) All the bar and restaurant staff were excellent and the food was good.

Sunshine Samba

Is somewhat dated and a bit worn looking but very clean. The beach is great and the pool areas are clean and inviting. The staff is absolutely awesome. Food is good but not a huge variety. Nice small resort.

Very Relaxing

We have travelled to Mexico over 30 times and enjoy staying at different hotels each time. We were very pleased with this quiet and intimate resort. Even though it was an older hotel , we preferred it to the mega hotels were we feel that we just become a dollar sign to the hotel. The rooms were very clean and quite comfortable, the pools were fantastic with supplying an abundance of areas and chairs for the sunbathers. as was the bar service. The food was very good with a selection of traditiona [... read more]l Mexican to basics for the fussy eater. We travelled with our three month old grandson and found that it was very easy for us to move around with a child in a stroller. The beach area was very clean as were the public washrooms. We would definately recommend this hotel for travellers that are looking for a quieter holiday at a very good price.

Enjoyable time

Easy to access near towns by walking, bus, or taxi for non-guided excursions . Felt safe to go for walk or run of site by self. Staff very good and friendly Easy and convenient access to food and beverages