The hotel is old for sure, hot water in shower is pretty much non existent. There are a lot of kids so if that's not your thing its not for you. The staff and food make the resort,Louise and jazmin at the pool bar are amazing. Overall the staff get a 10 out of ten, the resort itself should be rated a 3 star.

I found the grounds to be beautifully landscaped and extremely well maintained. The property was always clean and tidy. The buffet room and 2 ala carte restaurants were always spotless and food presentation excellent. My room was cleaned thoroughly everyday. Every staff member I interacted with showed me 100% great service. Their concierge, Rafael Oviedo provided top notch service to me when I approached him a few times during my stay.

First impression was not very good, The hôtel is old and not renovated. The front desk appears not very welcoming at first. But the first few hours at the pool changed our mind. Very friendly staff. Everyone was happy to serve us. Spoke with other guest who also had the same impression as us. Very clean. Buffet was very good with a lot of choices.

First impression was not very good, The hôtel is old and not renovated. The front desk appears not very welcoming at first. But the first few hours at the pool changed our mind. Very friendly staff. Everyone was happy to serve us. Spoke with other guest who also had the same impression as us. Very clean. Buffet was very good with a lot of choices.

excellent service throughout the resort , small but big enough to have everything needed , food is excellent , drinks are as you expect , closed to Bucerias , transportation to downtown vallarta available through local bus or uber

I like it.Good service,friendly staff,rooms clean but probably need some update,for the size of resort better then expected. Food is good- I can call it home made Mexican. Beach area clean.Really enjoyed barbecue nights.Carlos was great- have a time to talk to all customers

This was my 10th year at this resort. Obviously I love it. Staff is courteous & very helpful.Food is plentiful & variety for all tastes. Grounds are well maintained. Shows for everyone. Only complaint is not getting a negotiated room. I have knee issues & always get the 4th floor but I managed.

This was my 10th year at this resort. Obviously I love it. Staff is courteous & very helpful.Food is plentiful & variety for all tastes. Grounds are well maintained. Shows for everyone. Only complaint is not getting a negotiated room. I have knee issues & always get the 4th floor but I managed.

This hotel suited my needs to a T! The grounds and public areas are beautiful and tidy, clean and well kept. The rooms are cleaned spotlessly every day. The new manager of food and beverages, Carlos Dias, is a very busy man doing a great job! The food in the buffet and the ala carte restaurants is top notch! The BBQ night on Wednesday was amazing. Beautifully set up and the entertainment was awesome. Carlos knows how to put on a good party! He was very attentive to me and my friend. The servers in the buffet and restaurants and bars are the best! Friendly and hard working. The front staff of the hotel were friendly and very helpful. Rafael Oviedo, the new Concierge, truly aimed to please. He is friendly, professional and very helpful, always aiming to please.

The rooms are dated (plumbing) however the beds are comfortable and great pillows!! The lobby isnt that great if you have family/group of friends no ambiance and uncomfortable sofa/chairs no where to play cards. The pool is good. The beach is great but beach chairs are old and uncomfortable. But they have nice beds near pool area facing ocean. the food is just okay... you wont starve but lacks in salad bar area..but I understand they are currently doing renovations. friendly staff and clean surroundings

So, the hotel is quite old and dated. But you can tell they are doing everything they can to keep it fresh. They were paining inside and out when we were there Over Christmas. The property is very small, huge pool and great kids slides. The staff are absolutely incredible. You can tell they like to work there, everyone was so friendly amongst them. Drinks are a little on the sweet side, but the bartenders were all amazing. We had a room overlooking the pool with a balcony and could see and hear the ocean. Beach is perfect...no snorkeling though as it's too rough. Food is excellent and we had one vegetarian with us and she always ate well. Would recommend!

The Hotel & grounds were well maintained for it's age, activities & Pool were great, meals were good, staff are very friendly. Location to biking & walking paths was awesome. The Samba Vallarta was a good choice for our two week vacation.

Sandra at Trip Central supplied us with a seamless vacation Samba hotel in Nuevo Vallarta is a small resort with a big heart. ?? Happy staff. Clean rooms More than adequate food very little cheese . Perfect heated pools for families. Well separated for small kids middle kids and a deeper pool for adults with day beds on a central island. Never a problem finding chairs and 50 beach palapa rarely full. Bikes were beautiful and we rode south to Teresa courts and north to Bucerios 7-8 km past. Concierge is working on installing Pickleball courts by November. Boogie boards available at activity desk a must do. Beach volleyball water polo water aerobics with dance classes every day. Two alacarte restaurants easy to book in Things to take or buy in Mexico Squirt bottle to keep birds away when you eat outside Big water bottle to refill at bars. No need to make garbage by using plastic bottles Your own drinking insulated covered cup. They hand wash the plastic resort cups. Rooms. Odd number rooms face Samba garden area Evening entertainment starts at 8 ends at 9 hotel goes to sleep. Even numbered rooms face Riu Jalisco entertainment starts at 9 ends at 10 with hooting and hollering till midnight. We need to change !!!??? We used two pool towels in two weeks. Saw a guy exchange 10 towels two days in a row. If you need this service, use it . If the towel just marks your chair , reuse it ! We all pay for laundering REDUCE Reuse recycle I will not take a towel home in my luggage and have to pay $20 for overweight. Had a great time Thank you Norma and all the staff beautiful job ???

Had a blast at Samba… the quiet/small nature of the resort was awesome. Closer to ocean, ample space, no lines! Shout out to the amazing friends we made and the amazing team at resort… we’ll be back!

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.

Such beautiful people who work there. From the concierge, Bernardo to Genaro at the buffet, to Martin at the pool bar to Norma, the cleaning lady, to Nicole at the front desk - just a few of the staff that went above and beyond to make us feel at home!! Thank you! The food was great, grounds well taken care of, clean. The rooms, very clean but quite musty smelling.

The Hotel is old but well maintained and beautiful location Grest Besch Nice pools Most staff is very good some a little slack (probably new) but friendly and helpful. The Hotel needs better management to Upgrade Food was always cold with Little change And poor selection. Average to poor specialty Resturaunt Bar service was great but Little selection of Good Quality drinks and the Daily shows were Poor to Pathetic This is DEFINATLY not 4 star Quality more like 3 or 3 1/2 at best. Also pickup from Airport was terrible. Waited 2 1/2 hrs for bus to take to hotrel

add says 4 star, hotel is a two at best, rooms smelled of septic gas and mold. food was terrible, everyone was complaining. however, staff at resort was friendly and upbeat at all times. activities staff are slow and poor quality, nightly shows were terrible and repetitive. alot of people were getting sick at the hotel, both me and wife were sick .cleanliness is not a priority at this hotel. would not recommend this hotel to anyone.

The grounds are lovely and well manicured. There was maintenance happening on the large pool which was completed the day before we left. It looks beautiful and we'll enjoy it next year! The dinning room was always clean and tidy. The service from the staff was warm friendly and professional. The Mexican restaurant and the Italian restaurant were fabulous! Many delicious options to choose from and amazing service. The concierge is an added plus to the resort. Bernardo was very friendly and extremely helpful. He was always asking if he could help us in any way. Bruno, bartender in the bar by the front desk made us perfect lime margaritas and was very friendly, great service. The waiters at the pool and beach are great!

Resort was very clean. The staff were helpful and very kind. The beach was amazing. Food was ok. We were expecting something similar to other 4 star resorts we have stayed at in Mexico. Surprise - Many staff, spoke little to no English, which has it's challenges when you don't speak any Spanish. We were lucky that we were with a friend who spoke Spanish. The food was not great. Most of the other patrons spoke Spanish so you couldn't chat with them. The pool was being renovated so a jack hammer caused all sorts of noise for the entire trip. The water in the portion of the pool that they had open was dirty and the pool crowded. Most of the entertainment was in Spanish so you couldn't understand. The rooms were old with lots of rust around the tub, it looked like mold but was probably rust because the rooms were clean. The doors and windows did not keep the sound out so you could always hear someone in the hall or in the room next to you. Entertainment went until after midnight and you couldn't escape the noise. Trip Central said the resort was a 4 star. I think this is misleading. It is a 3 star hotel at best.

I stayed here for a week in May and can honestly say it was one of my most enjoyable vacations. The rooms, the resort, especially the staff were all incredible. Bernardo was very helpful and always friendly. He made us feel very welcomed during our stay and went above and beyond to make our stay more enjoyable. The resort is still close enough to the city that you can go in to enjoy the local culture, but honestly the food here was amazing it was hard passing up a meal by being away somewhere else. There's plenty of activities on the resort as well and the event staff was fantastic. We don't speak Spanish but felt very included in all the games, Angel was awesome and we had lots of fun playing volleyball with him. There's not much of a night life here which we were happy with since we had busy days and just wanted a nice resort to relax at night. We had a great time and I'd recommend this resort to anyone.

My bf and I spent a week at Samba Vallarta. The food was absolutely amazing and the staff were very helpful and resourceful. Want to give a shout out to Bernardo specifically who was very helpful. He was fantastic and he always checked in on us. We had a fun time and made a lot of friends. One thing I noted was that the activities ended at 6 everyday so we were unable to engage in vball and other activities later in the night. Other than that it was great. However it does seem this resort is more for families versus a young couple.

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 bit nicer and a bit quieter.

Amenities were pretty basic and the food wasn't great. Beach was excellent. Staff was very friendly. There weren't that many guests, so few line-ups. Check in was very fast. Lunch: there is only one restaurant open and it is not self serve. There was only one server so the line up was very long. Poor resource management. Our elderly parents with mobility problems requested a ground floor room and they would not accommodate that. Instead they were on a third floor room and had to negotiate stairs. We also asked for adjoining rooms with them because we had a toddler and they were helping us out. They did not accommodate that request either. Our room was on the north side of the hotel and every night we could hear the extremely loud disco from the Riu resort next door. This made it difficult to sleep.

A relatively small resort. Built in the 1980s, so it is starting to show it age. It's an excellent beach for walking at low tide, flat with firm smooth sand. There's only one pool so it is very noisy with activity people yelling into microphones. The beach is much quieter. The ocean is silty especially near the shore. It's often very good conditions for boogie boarding. If you have a choice do not stay in ground floor rooms because they are very damp. The kitchen adds meat to many food items. It's a difficult place to eat vegetarian or vegan. There is a very good bike path in front of the hotel. Unfortunately, the hotel bicycles are in poor condition. There are bicycle rental places a moderate distance away. It's about a 20 to 30 minute walk into the town of Bucerias, either by pathway or by beach.

We were at the Samba Vallarta on a fairly last minute deal to ring in 2020. They hosted a wonderful outdoor white party for New Years Eve with an awesome, extensive buffet, live band playing, dance area, party hats, etc... and fireworks and champagne at midnight. The beach is lovely although there was a storm there on New Years Day and the water was quite rough so not many people were in it the rest of the week. We always found beach chairs and we had a great guy keeping our drinks full and cold. We didn't really spend much time by the pool. We waited out the storm in the small lobby lounge listening to karaoke... there are not a lot of places to go at the Samba that are sheltered other than your room. There were beautiful hummingbirds on the walk to breakfast every morning. I'm not picky so could always find something to eat on the buffet. Beach bar burgers and dogs were good. We had two ala carts - Mexican and Italian. Both very good. The Mexican is on the beach so you can watch the sunset. We did go into Bucerias and Puerto Vallarta for 3 of our 7 nights so don't know how good the night shows were. Room was okay, older but adequate. Never spend much time in the room anyway.

We liked very much everything was great the weather to and also the staff is very friendly the food is mostly Mexican the sweet table only 3*** but we wood go back any time and send friends to we burn to crisp

The staff make this a great resort very friendly and always trying to make your vacation special. The grounds are very well maintained, the rooms themselves are a bit older but clean. I was disappointed that the bar fridge wasn’t restocked daily nor was the coffee, but easy enough to go down to a restaurant and pick up yourself and bring back to the room. The resort is on the smaller side, the buffet restaurant is on the smaller side as well. Easy to get reservations to the al a crate restaurants which were both excellent.

The grounds and pool areas were immaculate. Meals in the Mexican and Italian restaurants were enjoyable. Buffet food was amazing - lots of food and lots of variety. The rooms themselves are outdated but kept exceptionally clean. All staff were very friendly and accommodating - AMAZING staff in all dining areas provided excellent service and kept the food and drink coming and coming .... :)

This is a beautiful resort. It is small and very family oriented. if you are young and looking to party this is not the resort for you. The staff are so very very friendly at this resort. They bend over backwards to make your stay enjoyable. The resort is clean. They don't allow people to eat around the pool which I really like. The rooms are a bit tired but you don't spend much time in the rooms anyway and the rooms are clean. We kept on hanging up our towels each night so that we could use them the next day, but they gave us fresh towels every day. The food is good. There is enough variety that you don't get bored. They had fresh pineapple, tomatoes and cucumbers every day. We only tried the Italian a la carte and it was amazing. If you want a fancy resort, fancy lobby, millions of people and want to party this is not the resort for you. This is my third time going back and I will go again next year. I have finally found a resort that I want to come back to year after year. Just make sure that you pay for the balcony because if you don't you will get a room without.

Room was BIG. Loved the balcony. The OVERSIZE KING bed was HUGE and VERY COMFORTABLE. Very nice having a fridge and safe in the room (at no extra charge). The food was GREAT with lots of CHOICES. Enjoyed the night SHOWS, especially "THE MICHAEL JACKSON SHOW". Lots of PREMIUM ALCOHOL choices. Bartenders very knowledgeable and friendly. Grounds very NEATLY KEPT. SERVERS/WAITERS WERE AMAZING (especially "LUIS"). He had a chef make us a SPECIAL PASTRY PLATE for our Anniversary then took a picture and sent it to our e-mail). So much appreciated. ONLY NEGATIVES: Music TOO LOUD by the pool. NOT ENOUGH PUBLIC WASHROOMS & STALLS TOO SMALL.

All of the staff are so friendly, and I love the size of this resort. The food is great for what we paid, and the view and courtyard is beautiful. It’s always easy to get a chair around the pool, and the ocean is usually okay to swim in.

Eight days of cloud (2 of those rain :(), and one day of sun. 🤷🏻‍♀️ But.... still had a lovely vacation. The Samba is a small but such a friendly resort. Walking distance to Bucerias, which is something I did almost daily along the beach. The rooms are large and the cleaning staff does a wonderful job. I appreciate the fridge and the safe, (at no additional charge). The grounds are kept nicely. But the staff.... the best in Mexico I’m sure. Salvador, Martin, Carolina, Bruno, Johnny, Julio and of course my boy Cheke. 🙂. Oh, and of course the front desk and bellboys. 👌🏼 The food is great, (especially the chicken). Wish there was mole de pollo. The a la cartes were also fantastic. Make sure you do the bike tours.

The resort was ok but a bit dated. The staff were very good in providing the service you would expect from a all inclusive resort. For the cost we found the liquor was not top shelf as we had encountered at other resorts for the same cost. The rooms has a strong odour and the beds were extremely hard and uncomfortable. I don't think we would stay here again. Food was ok but repetitive as it is hard to please all palates. If you like a small resort you may like this one.

Comfortable surroundings, very friendly staff. An altogether great atmosphere. Great food, good variety. Good beach with palapas for shade. Great pool for kids. Good entertainment in the evening. Rooms need updating.

You get what you paid. Limited food selection Dirty room Smelly hotel entire Service was ok Beach is close to the hotel 90% is local people Location is ok, you can take buses to go to downtown Not many activities to do

I like that Samba is a smaller resort. It has a more family feel to it. The grounds & pool area are very well maintained. All the staff go out of their way to accommodate you. There was always a great variety of good food at each meal. You must try the specialty restaurants at least once

This was my 4th visit to Samba Vallarta and after 7 days/nights I left knowing I would return next year. The grounds/public areas/rooms are always spotless and tidy. The dining area is also always clean. The presentation and options of the food is very good. Both Ala Carte restaurants are superb. The serving staff are amazing, very friendly and extremely efficient. All staff throughout the resort offer amazing service.

Samba Vallarta is a great small resort located directly on a lovely large beach. Loads of cabanas for shade, drink service and very friendly vendors....For a 3 1/2 star rating the buffet was amazing, always HOT and good variety to choose from. Only complaint was there was absolutely NO guacamole to be found which was very disappointing and they only supplied 1 coffee kit for your first morning....you had to buy any additional kits which I found very cheap.....although you could obtain coffee close to the restaurant early in the morning but that meant you had to get dressed.....nightly shows were pretty cheesy and there was no lounge with music, etc. after so you pretty well called it a night. The week I was there the resort was filled with Mexican families....they were very polite and all the kids were well behaved. For a restful vacation it was a great get away....

We chose Samba Vallarta for the hotel's small size and excellent reviews. After check-in we went straight to the beach, amazingly, we saw a turtle make her way up to nest...about a 90 minute process of digging a hole in the sand, laying her eggs, covering the nest up and then heading back into the waves. On our second day we moved to the 4th floor and loved our room with a balcony view...Jose at the front desk was so accommodating...thanks Jose. I also asked for a bed topper which made me quite comfy. The blackout curtains allowed us to sleep in until 8:30 every morning. We brought our own tea bags for the morning as some of the extras are not available here. Next time I'll bring some of my favourite coffee as well. The room coffee machine worked perfectly. Shampoo (excellent honey shampoo that we've had in other Mexican resorts) is supplied but bring everything else you need. We bought large bottles of water from the little store to add to the 2 smaller bottles that were supplied each day. Not expensive, and there are other things available like pool floats for kids, sunscreen, etc. This hotel for us is reminiscent of old beach vacations...family oriented, horses to ride on the miles-long beach, vendors selling everything from toys, dresses, mangos, coconut drinks, candy and other snacks to silver jewelry...helpful vendors, not pushy, providing a welcome service. At the Samba we had some of the best restaurant service I've ever had at a hotel. Professional, cheerful servers...kind to every age group and hard working to say the least. We were never disappointed by the food choices in the buffet...I give credit to the head chef for keeping the food fresh and plentiful. Tortillas, papaya, melons, salads, fish, pasta...something for everyone. We also tried the Italian a la carte which was excellent. The Mexican night was dinner outside with a show, set up specially, like a wedding might be. What an effort by the staff to prepare for, and so successful. We tip often and apparently they all share in the tips, so as usual, they are appreciated. The nightly entertainment was fun, especially for the kids...always including a game on stage to participate in. Early nights at this hotel...not a night life kind of place which suited us since we put in full days of wave watching, swimming and buying a few things from the beach vendors. I also had a great massage on the beach for $25 US. I know I could be critical of what might need fixing at the Samba Vallarta but I prefer a simpler place so I'm ok that it's clean and constantly being cleaned and cared for. I put emphasis on the family aspect because if you want a party this might not be the place. (Although... the drinks were very good...great bartenders at each bar including the beach...and again, great servers...Salvador and Alexander to name two we had a few times but I think they have high standards for hiring.) The first floor room we started with was a bit damp so we moved to the 4th floor and were more than happy after that. Sure they could use a bit of renovating but there's great water pressure in the shower, nice and hot... and the rooms were well kept daily.

awesome service, beautiful grounds, warm pools, lounges/hutts always available, good buffet, amazing & unlimited french a la carte (there was also spanish a la carte, which was good too),rooms okay, the bathroom floors got wet a lot from showers. wifi access great in all locations, very entertaining shows-better than most places we've been to!

Very hard working, kindest and most friendly staff. My best friend and I felt so welcomed- from the airport pick up to the goodbyes. They remembered our names very quickly and always asked us if we needed anything to make our stay more comfortable. Amazing performances in the evening and fantastic food selection. An unforgettable first time experience with Samba Vallarta! Will definitely be back!

great place for family's with small children. lots of activities all day for young children,three pools for young children 3,4,5 feet deep.Ocean is swimmable and shallow for a good distance.Choice of food is very good and service is excellente.bringing all our grandkids there next year.

Staff staff staff, we were there back in 2009 and the same wait staff are still working of course there a new ones which obviously been trained by the senior staff amazing sevice everywhere. The rooms are what they are beds are comfortable hot water was fine and the a/c worked. Pool was great never crowded beach was clean and bar service which is very rare. Food was food always something to eat they try so hard to mix it up. My wife is gluten and they made her a plate for dinner whenever she asked. Went with a group of 11 and not one complaint.

A small resort perfect for families. Everything was very close and staff were friendly. Entertainment was there if you wanted it. Waves on the beach great for boogie boarding. Food and drinks were good for a small resort. Italian restaurant very good.

This place is very nice. The rooms are clean and the grounds are very well kept. The rooms and linens are tired but very clean. You do not spend much time in your room anyway. The food is good. There was fish every day and it was delicious. The omelet lady always had a smile on her face. The staff are very friendly. I have mobility problems and I found this resort to be the perfect size.It is not a huge resort. This is my second time at this resort. I wished I had found this resort a long time ago.

Hotel location in a quiet part of Nuevo. No large shopping centres and a lot more locals which I liked a lot. Not commercialized here. Bucarius just a 30 min walk away. Very clean beach, no seaweed, and lots to do. Ride horses, rent seadoo’s, parasail, kite surf...so much. Vallarta adventuresjust doen the road. All the employees were excellent. Salvador stands out the most! Exceptional service and very friendly staff. Make sure you specify balcony if you want one. Buffet food was just ok, but dining a la carte was fabulous. Rooms older and dated but the area and scenery made up for it. There was night time entertainment but I found it to be just ok. They are missing a bar/nightclub for adults. The disco was usually empty or had kids. If you like the small resort feel this is great.

Ok I read previous reviews and found them petty. This resort is a great place for the budget minded shopper who just wants a place to hang your hat and relax which also includes decent food and entertainment with fantastic service. The staff go out of their way to make sure your vacation is memorable .

This is the second time we have gone to this resort. It is small which we love but has the amenities of a large resort. The staff is extremely accommodating and always happy. The first room we were given was a bit below average, but upon request for something else we were upgraded to a very nice room with a great view of the pool and ocean. As it was Dec, a lot of families were in the resort which made it quite noisy with running and loud talking in the hallways most of the night. Our last stay was in March which was a much quieter demographic of people. We will most likely return to Samba next year to once again experience the hospitality of this resort. We flew Air Transat on this trip for the first time and it was one of the best flights we’ve had to the area in years.

Grounds and entire resort are well kept. Clean and tidy at all times. Staff were very friendly and worked hard to make our stay memorable. Many of them remembered us from last year's visit. Samba is an ideally perfect smaller sized resort which would suit those who don't care for the hustle, bustle of a larger resort. Plus it only takes a few minutes to get from the rooms to the pool/ocean and restaurants.

The resort itself is older but spotless. The staff are extremely hard working and friendly. Food and drinks were good. Overall feel is relaxing. No party like the Riu next door. The beach is truly amazing and there was always a palapa available.

We loved the compactness of the resort. The rooms were a good size with great beds and linens. They could use some updating as well as the lobby to make them more welcoming. Beach and pool areas had lots of chairs. The buffet had a great selection of food and the ala carte restaurants were excellent. Great family resort. The staff were exceptional. Thanks for a great vacation!

The images from the website were very deceiving compared to the actual resort. The resort was clean but REALLY RUNDOWN! There was always something in the buffet that all of us could eat but very Mexican styles of food for those fussy eaters - beware. There were no "time share" hasslers which was nice and it is a smaller resort with no line ups or fighting for beach or pool chairs which I also appreciated. It was difficult to get a 600 dinner reservation at the al acartes unless you were up and at the desk before 0700.

This is a small resort that was perfect for us travelled with school age kids over spring break. All facilities and grounds kept immaculately clean. Staff were amazing. Beach sandy and safe for playing in the waves. Evening shows Mexican, Prehispanic, Circus, & Magic nights very entertaining. Would not be suitable for young adults wanting the party scene. Great beach for long walks. Lots of shade palapas on beach. Don't expect Caribbean blue water or huge brand new resort.

A small resort ,close to our room .The resort was very clean gardens beautiful and well kept.We liked the food ,could have had more variety .My husband is a little more picky eater than myself. The rooms are in a need of an update we did smell & find mildew . We were pleasantly surprised by the nightly turn down service, we really enjoyed this resort.

They really keep the place clean. Spotless. They accommodated our request for a room close to everything. The resort is small. Very good for people with mobility issues. The staff were great. Their smiles were genuine. The manager came around and asked about your stay and was doing it out of real concern for the welfare of the guests.They were willing to accommodate. I can’t sit in the lounge chairs as they are too low. All I had to do was ask for a chair at the pool side and they got one right away. They even helped me with my plate at the buffet when they saw me with my cane. Gardens are lovely. The food was good. There isn’t the selection that you have at other bigger resorts but there was always fresh fruit, fresh salad and their was always enough of a selection that you had a lovely meal. The linens on the bed are a bit tired but they were clean. This resort is great for anybody that has severe mobility problems because it is small. It is family oriented and the kids were well behaved. What was nice about it was that people just wanted to relax. There weren’t people getting stupid drunk.This is a good resort for families and they have lots of activities for the kids. It is only 20 minutes from the airport so a nice quick transfer to the resort. We are planning on going back next year, hopefully for 10 days. This place is a little gem.

Travelled Feb 8th to 15th. The resort is a nice place with very well kept grounds, the rooms were nice and clean. The food was fantastic with a lot of choices. The only down fault to this resort is the ocean is not as nice as cuba, not that nice clear blue waters and the shows were okay but the biggest is they played volleyball only no poolside games and very little other activities, it is nice to relax but something to do would be good also I found it very boring. But the highlight of our trip was from one gentleman who works there named Israel he came and picked us up on his day off and took us to Puerto Vallarta for a few hours, anyone to come on his day off and do this deserves to be mentioned.....He is very kind and totally went above and beyond his job description, these people are keepers and help the owners of these resorts and I would say deserves a better pay for his hospitality not only with us but others also. I can't say I would be back only because of the lack of activities...it was bad. The up to a small resort is no line ups etc. Thank You again to Israel and one other thing is your staff are amazing.

The pools were great, beautiful grounds, great beach with easy access. Great outdoor games area with pool tables, foosball, etc. The food was very good. There was plenty of choices buffet style, an excellent breakfast egg bar, and the 2 restaurants (Italian & Mexican) were very good as well. The service everywhere was excellent. (Cleaning staff, bartenders, and dining area staff.) The rooms were musty and humid despite the air conditioning. Better if you want to leave your door/window open for a bit in the morning. Beds are short...weird. It was a king size bed but our feet hung over the end. Bathrooms are dated, but were clean and perfectly functional. Overall the rooms were good enough. The resort is remote. We took a cab ride to Bucerias (12 minutes/$7.US). Puerto Vallarta is further. There is a great market in La Cruz (past Bucerias) on Sundays. Overall it was a very enjoyable week!

The hotel is older so is not 4 star like Trip Central would like you to think, but is worth the money. The rooms are clean but need updating, the grounds are beautiful, the food is plenty, and the staff are great! They try to make you feel like family. It was our first time there and would definitely go back. We spoke to several people while we were there and they all said the same thing " we like the smaller resort feel and we return because of the staff". The beach is beautiful and staff constantly around to see if you need anything. This is a resort where you do NOT have to tip to get the same level of service as someone who did tip.

It was our first time for being to the Samba Vallarta. We had a wonderful time. The staff are amazing, so kind, polite and helpful and always ready to greet you with a big friendly smile. It is a family resort, but the way the pools are designed, youngsters had their own area with little slides, etc. Perfect set up. The rooms are a little dated, but we found them to be clean and comfortable. The towels are not big, fluffy and sparkling white, but they were clean and to me that was what matter the most. Our room had an amazing view of the pools and the ocean. In regards to the food, I felt there was a good variety and one would never go hungry. The beach was clean, lots of seating. You can walk along the beach to the next town of Bucerias. I could go on and on, but to sum it up we would go back to this resort.

The grounds were always tidy and clean, very well looked after. The dining area was also kept very clean, food well presented and never a shortage! The Mecican and Italian ala care restaurants were outstanding. The waiters and bartenders were extremely attentive and always smiling. My 2nd year at Samba and I plan to return next year!

Small very friendly resort. Grounds are beautiful. Staff is excellent & very accommodating.Rooms need a bit of updating. Beach is is comfortable. Very family friendly. Coffee is ready for those that need their fix first thing in the morning .

The resort was fantastic, food was incredible taisty and plentiful. What stood out most was very relaxed and low keyed. We would recommend this hotel if you want a relaxing no nonsense and down to earth resort. I would not recommend using trip central is booking. You can not trust their prices.

VERY NICE SMALLER RESORT, PEACEFUL GOOD FOOD AT BUFFET LOTS OF SELECTION A LA CARTE RESTAURANTS VERY GOOD FOOD, TOP QUALITY LIQUOR, LANDSCAPING WELL MAINTAINED, STAFF ALWAYS CLEANING FACILIITIES, EVERY MORNING POOL AREAS WASHED AND CLEANED, STAFF AMAZING ALWAYS HELPFUL VERY CHEERFUL AND ENJOYED WHAT WHAT THEY WERE DOING. BEACH WAS CLEAN, EASY TO GET INTO WATER, SHALLOW FOR QUITE A WHILE. LOTS OF SHADE COVER ON THE BEACH. ROOMS VERY CLEAN, NICE SIZE. ONLY CRITICISM BATHROOMS COULD USE SOME UPDATING BUT VERY CLEAN NEVERTHELESS. DEFINITELY WOULD GO BACK

We chose this resort for a girl's getaway to celebrate a 50th birthday. It was so perfect for us. Very clean, excellent service, smiling faces all around! We loved that we could sit right by the beach but not on the beach where there are interruptions and distractions from the special time that the five of us had together. This is a very relaxed place, not uptight and snobbish like some of the other resorts I've been at. It is very family oriented and the beach party night was so much fun! The food selection was excellent and as were the margaritas! I would definitely return to the resort. Tripcentral has been my travel site of choice for over 18 years. Nicole was fantastic and co-ordinated the five of us leaving from 3 different cities with ease. Thanks very much for facilitating our special week.

The grounds foliage are so beautiful at this resort. The staff were friendly, funny and helpful. The variety of fresh fruit and vegetables was so wonderful! As well the meals had something for everyone. I would recommend this resort.

I have been here before and they have updated the hotel but kept the friendly family feeling. Rooms large and clean with great water pressure. Food better (though was good before and the egg/omelet area lady is amazing). Alcohol plentiful and the bartenders fast and friendly-Bruno at the lobby bar knew your drink, would make more and was so fast!! The bats at 730p.m.-amazing!! The pictures make the resort look huge but it was a good size, the pool clean and big, lots of areas for children. the beach nice and everywhere you could get a lounge chair. busy!! full!! safe-I travelled alone!! I was in room 310-not poolside. Very quiet-couldn't hear the party in the pool etc. would recommend!!

We really enjoyed our stay here, it was the perfect size resort to go to with children 6 and 8 yo. They could have a bit of freedom and we didn't have to worry, we could see them almost everywhere in the pools. Staff are lovely and friendly as all mentioned previously. The activities staff have endless energy and clearly love their work. Everyone at the resort was working very hard! Great cleaning staff. The pool was always immaculate except our last day on Sunday. We didn't use the kids club at all- wish they had at least one night a week with later activities so we could have eaten dinner as couple. Nightly entertainment was good, kids especially liked it- would prefer if it started at 830 vs 9 as many people missed out as too tired from the day. We never made it to the dance nights Fri and Sat at 11 but would have been nice to had it started around 10. Not sure how hopping it would be as many families but some older couples and a few younger couples arrived the weekend we were leaving so who knows. I would recommend this resort for families not couples. Our first room was near the laundry and the hum of the machines affected my sleep but the front desk was very accomodating when I enquired about a switch. Tip- do not stay in second floor rooms with smaller numbers as they are on the way to the front desk so you get a lot more hallway noise, we moved to the 3rd floor after 2 nights and much quieter. Rooms facing the Rui are better ventilated/dryer (even numbered) than those facing the pool as they get more sun. You do have to listen to the Rui's bingo games if you are in the room mid day but at night our AC drowned out their activities which ended at 11pm. Beds were comfotable. Food was good, not great, don't miss the Mexican night, it was the best. We got to eat at both a la carts as they rotate locations (beach side vs inside-kids are not allowed at inside a la carte) Many people didn't understand that kids could go to the Italian restaurant when it was outside. Dessert at Italian was some much needed chocolate, yum! Beach side restaurant gets slammed at lunch (opens 1230) while inside buffet is almost empty (opens at 1)- they need to staff beachside restaurant better at lunch or open it at noon to ease congestion. People with children are up early and so hungry well before 1230. Please consider stocking guacamole instead of having to ask for it at beachside restaurant at lunch and herefore needing to wait often for it to be made. Guacamole in Mexico is a must!! Kudos to beachside chef manning the grill who was always pleasant even when under pressure. Sorry I can't remember his name! Best stretch of beach in the area but generally the beach along here is quite nice. Loved the oceanside beach huts for shade. watch for stingrays someone got stung day 1- shuffle!

Small resort. Lots of areas to sit and relax with many alternative Options for sun and shade. Excellent for all ages, especially young families (the large but shallow kids pool and pirate ship is a huge​ hit) and it suits those who like a more quiet, friendly, easy-going vacation scene. Dedicated, super friendly staff who truly enjoy their job and are concerned with the happiness of every guest. Amenities top notch. Great access to water, Bikes, Boogie boards​ available at no extra cost. Food not exotic but adequate with plenty of options, fresh and something for every taste. We especially loved the custom prepared Smoothie Bar and plenty of varied fruits. Not far from Bucerius by bike or on foot. Good restaurants. Or take a bus, reasonable, to downtown Puerto Vallarta. Magnificent sunsets top off your day--ever day! If you don't particularly like the big resorts where you need a ride to the restaurant, lobby and main area----well Samba Vallarta is the place for you!!!

If you are expecting a five star resort, Samba Vallarta is not the place for you. But if you are looking for a very good resort, with friendly and customer oriented staff, Samba is a great choice. The hotel is a bit dated, but it is clean and has most amenities. Samba does not nickle and dime you. There are many complementary accessories available.The beach is amazing. The pool is very good, but some tiles have fallen off. Spent a week there, and would definitely go back.

At first, when we arrived in the middle of the night and the room was a bit "rustic" and the safe didn't work, I was nervous about how our week would go. But the light of day brought a lovely, smaller resort with nice people, gardens, pool, food, drinks and most of all, beach--right on the "swimmable" ocean! Not a 5 star resort, but very relaxing.

We booked this resort last minute having stayed at the Riu Jalisco next door in December. The Samba is much smaller, quieter and in our opinion just a nicer place to spend your vacation if you are not looking for a party zone. The food is average, nothing spectacular but quite sufficient ....... however everything else makes up for it. Please go, you will love it.

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!

We found everything to be amazing. Such a friendly staff. They couldn't seem to do enough for us. We are looking forward to another trip there and would likely stay at the Samba Vallarta. Great experience although I wish it could have been longer.

Rooms could use some updating but it looked like they were startingto do so in some areas. Amazingly kid friendly. Staff was extremely friendly. The location was fantastic and the food was delicious. The pool was also amazing for my 3 yr old.

We had a wonderful time biking from the resort into Bucerias, and down to Paradise Plaza, then around the area. Walking the beach was terrific. The resort was wonderful- when we got there we received a free upgrade to a junior suite- I felt like we had the best room in the house.

Excellent staff always there for anything you want or need.The smaller resorts are the way to go, no line ups and always a beach chair. The outdoor BBQ was a nice touch the staff worked very hard to make it happen.This was our 2nd holiday there and will definetly return.

We very much enjoyed the resort. Facilities were first class and the staff were fantastic. The food and variety was very good. Looking forward to going back again. Would highly recommend this resort for your next stay in PV

The resort is smaller than some of the ones around it which was nice. The staff were great. The drink service was really good as well. There was usually always space on the beach. The pool did get a little crowded at times. There is also really only one main pool that's split into three which was disappointing as most of the sites said this place had multiple pools.

Overall good resort. Compact design. Easy to get around. Clean grounds. Room was somewhat dated but very functional. Not all rooms have a balcony if you are looking for one. Food was good and always fresh. But small resort=selection limits. Staff super friendly and helpful. Super beach to walk on and easy walk to Bucerias. Resort was all full when we there and combined with alcohol made for very noisy nights. Don't plan on sleeping thru the night. Tile floors. Hollow doors. Young people. Booze. Loud voices. Door slamming. Only draw backs. Would go back But with ear plugs. Good ones only

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 daughter 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.

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

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 bad impression. However, the good definitely outweighed the bad, mainly thanks to the staff. Would I return there? Probably not.

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! 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!

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!

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. 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.

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 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.

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 to 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.

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.

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 traditional 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.

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