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    Mayan Palace

    3.1 (47 reviews)

    Mayan Palace Photos

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    Jennifer B.

    This was our home away from home for Hubbers' weeklong 50th birthday celebration. Party of 6, we were welcomed by warm greetings immediately at our arrival, so we were off to a good start. Those three beautiful waterfall pillars at entry sure caught our attention: they were almost majestic. Checking in, however, felt like forever. We were helped by Blanca who wasn't as enthusiastic as everyone else was. She was also inefficient with the process (she asked for our passports and signatures one at a time when she could have just asked for all of them all at once.) She took awhile exchanging currencies as well. Off to a slow start and I felt we needlessly wasted time, but that's the only (really insignificant snag) we hit. The rest of our stay was uneventful. Guillermina, our daily cleaning lady did her job very well. Our suite was always spotless and replaced all used towels and sheets as needed and when requested. There's a schedule of daily activities (for both small and big kids alike) and the Joy Squad (shout out to Nadia and Maria!) are fantastic at their jobs. They really know how to entertain their guests! The food at Bakal is above average, but my favorite is their breakfast buffet on Sundays which included menudo and birria soups. Bartenders at the pool were incredibly friendly and were good at reminding everyone of their 2-for-1 cocktails during Happy Hour. If the beach is your thing, it's (literally!) steps away from the pool. There are lounge chairs and shade aplenty. Showers and rinsing stations also provided. If you don't feel like going out for essentials, they do have a shop for bare necessities at hotel pricing. You are, after all, paying for convenience, so... but if you don't mind a little walk, Oxxo is across the street. There is a souvenir shop (also comes with hotel pricing) as well as a gym, so you can get your workout in if that's your thing. They have all the information you need if you wanna do the tourist thing. Need a cab ride? They'll call one for you and provide you the proper pricing so you don't get scammed. They even annotate the cab's vehicle number for safety precautions, I'm assuming. Want a tour?! Tons to choose from (pirate ship, city tour, adventure tour, etc.) Room service? No problem. Need a COVID-19 test day before your flight? That's onsite as well. But the best place here is the view. It was like staring at a postcard every time we stepped out to the balcony. It was an amazing and relaxing week, and Mayan Palace certainly helped elevate the experience. Hubbers was beyond happy celebrating the way he did. They will certainly be my go-to for accommodations the next time we come through again.

    Mayan Palace Puerto Vallarta Mexico, Jalisco with Vidante

    POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE! They didn't honor their word for a 500.00 credit on departure as they did for the past 7 visits to Mayan Palace in Puerto Vallarta Mexico. They sent an email and for the FIRST time they put a code on the bottom of the Reservation in-SMALL print and they DID NOT let me know when I made the reservation to Please give me the code OR say now we need a code so please open the email and it's under the # NO INSTEAD THEY SAID WE WILL NOT HONOR !!! As for the Managment of reservation will continue to get A BAD REVIEW AS A HOTEL THAT DOESNT HONOR THERE PROMOTION ON EMAILS

    Patrick M.

    I just spent a week here as a solo traveler and I would suggest the name Mayan Prison. The place got off to a very rocky start with me as I arrived very early at 1130am and was not given access to my room until almost 6 PM. I am not sure if this was a housekeeping issue or logistics issue or some weird process they have as the room I was finally given seemed like it had been open all day. PROS - great daily housekeeping service. They are on it! - nice towels - helpful bell team - great cozy bed - decent balcony (but they placed the railing at a weird height so can't see everything when you sit!) - easy walk to Marina restaurants and shops - wristband makes it easy to enter your room and worked flawlessly CONS - only one way of getting to your guest room or to the pool or beach or into the building. Big pet peeve. - the staff does a creepy hand-on-my-heart gesture when you walk by. It happens super randomly but made me uncomfortable - no guests allowed or more work than it's worth - adjoining door I had made my neighbors LOUD. I think this checked in and out 4 times during my stay and every time was noisy - Friday was super loud even above neighbors dragging furniture - beach area is not well kept and not great service. Often did not see anyone for two hours. They also lack chairs and instead have a strange never used volleyball court. 30 more chairs would be way better. - I had a standard room and only 2 outlets in this room. I had to unplug the TV to make coffee - I understand this is Mexico but no smart TVs and only about 4 channels in English - they have a pool with a swim up bar, but the water was freezing here in January. Can't enjoy a cold beer if the pool is even colder. - the staff is definitely tip focused and I watched several times them chasing people down to sign tip checks including myself and when I was only using the restroom. - Slow internet. Oddly works the fastest on the beach - I was looking forward to evening cocktails at the Sunset bar but very strange layout. No staff and zero bar chairs. They also have weird shallow couches that can't relax into, and outlet plugs that don't work. I used my guest room balcony instead Overall the place needs a-lot of TLC. It has some charms to it but overall I found it very hard to relax. I am not their target market, but this place lacks essentials for me.

    Moldy curtains
    Loc V.

    Horrible experience at Mayan Palace - avoid at all costs! I stayed at the Mayan Palace for a week with my family and it was the worst vacation ever. The resort is a scam and a rip-off. They charge you hidden fees, they don't clean the rooms properly, they don't let you use all the amenities, and they treat you like prisoners. Here are some of the issues we faced during our stay: We had to pay a resort fee of $550 within days of reservation, which was not disclosed when we booked. They also put a $1000 hold on our credit card upon check-in and charged us 1000 pesos for additional guests who arrived earlier. When we checked out, they tried to charge us the resort fee again and refused to refund the 1000 pesos. We had to argue with them for a long time to get our money back. We found a live cockroach in the bathroom and ants on the kitchen counter and cabinets. We reported this and asked to be moved to another room, but they said there were no other rooms available. They fumigated our rooms without telling us what chemicals they used and without giving us an alternative place to stay. We asked for the list of chemicals, but they could not produce it. We were worried about our health and safety. The rooms were old and dirty. The decorative cushions had a disgusting musty smell, the curtains had mold stains, the faucet handle broke due to corrosion, and there was a continuous rattling in the ceiling when the air conditioner was running. The phone did not work either, we found out that the wires were hanging out of the wall. They advertise Vidanta World as a whole resort, but they do not allow you to use all the facilities. We went to a pool and tried to buy a drink at the bar, but they said they could not serve us because we were not staying at that section of the resort. We had to go to another pool, which was crowded and noisy. They also reserved all the best spots for "Vidanta The Estates" guests, who had their own pool under maintenance. We felt discriminated and unwelcome. The pool was also dangerous. I touched one of the underwater lights and it popped out of the wall. I could have been electrocuted or injured by the sharp edges. They have shuttle service to get you around the property, but it is very slow and unreliable. We had to wait for a long time to get a ride or walk in the heat. They stored our luggage after checkout, but they did not let us leave until almost 2 pm. They said they did not have personnel available to retrieve our luggage because check-ins took priority, even though check-in time was 5 pm. They also said that Uber was not allowed on the property and that we had to wait for their taxi service, which was more expensive. We asked to speak with a supervisor, but they said they were all busy. We almost missed our flight because of their incompetence. This resort is a nightmare, and I would not recommend it to anyone. It is not worth your time or money. Stay away from Mayan Palace and Vidanta World!

    Beach view
    Billy V.

    This must be one of the oldest Mayan Palace resorts in Mexico. It's old, but the location is nice and the staff were all friendly and helpful. There's an OXXO & liquor store right across the street and the marina with tons of restaurants, shops and massage spas within a one block walk. The bus picks up right out front for a $.50 /$10 peso ride to downtown...which takes about 25 minutes. The food at the resort is good, but prices across the street are much better.

    The use of the coffee pot is not free.
    Stephanie E.

    First of all, I hate giving bad reviews because I understand most everyone likes to aim for excellence in the hospitality industry. However, our experience at Mayan Palace in Puerto Vallarta did not earn/meet much in the way of positive experiences. Don't. Do not stay at the Mayan Palace in Puerto Vallarta by Vidanta.com. I DO NOT recommend you waste your money here! Do not be pulled in by positive reviews because they were probably written by hotel/resort employees. You'd be better off putting a couple thousand US dollars in a pile and just setting it on fire to roast marshmallows. This review is a bit long, but I have a lot to complain about. Hopefully it won't be pulled down before a few people are able to read through it. First of all, we reserved our vacation through travelzoo.com. They apparently have partnered with resorts that sell timeshares and that's what you get exposed to when you travel with travelzoo.com vacation packages. Not recommended. It infuriating to say the least. Our 'grand deluxe' room was ridiculously small and in (46 year old) disrepair, nested on the outside edge of a brand new gorgeous resort. Free wifi, only when it's available, a couple of hours a day. The 'queen' sized beds are barely bigger than a U.S. single twin sized bed but you do get two of them. The bathtub drains very slowly. We had to unplug the bedside lamp and the alarm clock to plug in our phones. We had to unplug the refrigerator to plug in the coffee pot. There are no other outlets. A bottle of water costs extra to make your morning in-room coffee. The coffee also costs extra! The use of the coffee pot probably also costs extra!! There is a tax or surcharge on literally everything you use in your room. Daily. Disgusting We did complain at the front desk and asked for an upgrade, even offered to pay for an upgrade, but they claimed that they are overbooked for "marketing week", so that was an impossibility. Management does not care that you may experience inconveniences. This place also nickels and dimes you into bankruptcy. We were forced to sit through a four and a half hour "60 minute" sales pitch for time share plots to the resort, so that we could qualify for the 'free breakfast'. My time is worth more than that, a "free meal"! By the way, just as a warning, if you say "no" to the $160,000 Vidanta resorts sales pitch, your services and access to amenities, drops to practically zero. And they do it to you on your very first day here. If you put it off until your last day of you're stay, you are badgered and hounded and harassed multiple times daily or until you sit through the (60 minute 4-5 hour) sales pitch. The restaurants do serve amazing food but you'd be better off eating at four star $$$$ restaurants at home because they're just as expensive and better portions. Not worth it! The resort is gigantic, but as a guest of the Mayan Palace you are only allowed to use the amenities for the Mayan Palace specifically or you will be kicked out by security and escorted through the property like a criminal. They will provide you with a free shuttle from the airport to the resort, but then you have to figure out your own way of getting back to the airport. Taxis are hideously expensive here and inconsistent in pricing. $60 USD one way, $40USD to get back to your original destination. You have the ability to walk around the resort without using any cash, because you can just charge everything to your room. However, there is a fee for this and final checkout is going to be expensive. Expect sticker shock. Very expensive ! There is a daily surcharge, just to be present on the resort, even if you don't use any of the amenities, which most have extra costs on top of everything else. I am a global traveler, I'm used to certain conditions and pricing. However, at the Mayan Palace they are deplorable. I would honestly rather stay at Motel 6 in North Platte, Nebraska during a blizzard or just about any other hotel resort available in Puerto Vallarta, where guests are treated much better and the rooms come with better quality of everything, than stay at the Mayan Palace in Puerto Vallarta. Buyer beware, to those whom go through travelzoo.com, or if you spend your money staying at the Mayan Palace in Puerto Vallarta. Please do yourself a favor and stay anywhere else.

    View from private beach at the Mayan Palace
    Anna C.

    The resort is across from marina and has a private beach access with cabanas that are free to use with a sand volleyball court near the beach. There is a pool bar and another towards back of property by the beach that was always empty every time we walked towards the back. Resort is super clean and room service was awesome. Resort has a older crowd of 50+ of age. If you see any younger people, it's probably one of the guest granddaughter/grandson. There is no washer/dryer inside suites. They charge about $7 for 1 wash & 1 dry cycle but you have to get a laundry card from concierge and leave a deposit of 150 pesos. (About $8) and they will credit that when you return the laundry card. This was an inconvenience. The property accepts no cash at bar or restaurant, they require a min.deposit of $300 in a major credit card and you provide your room # for purchases. To exchange dollars for pesos was a long process that we dreaded to go through when we ran out of dollars. Front desk staff are the slowest moving people I have ever seen working. The bellman are very friendly and they recommended the best authentic mexican food. Dont eat across from marina. That area is very americanized and their food is not all that good. About a 25 min cab ride to Melacon and downtown. The checkout was a hassle, we did it the night before for a "smooth checkout " as our reminder check out paper stated. This took about 1 hr and 20 min. We had 3 separate charge accounts and moved slower than a sloth as they tried to get our accounts closed. My family and I wouldn't return because it was more for a retirement crowd and we're no where near retirement age.

    James H.

    Love to stay here the hotel grounds and pools are so relaxing, there is a really nice beach setting rooms a bright clean and comfortable, the staff could not be more friendly . 2 for 1 bar drinks and the food rocks. It's my second time here and won't be my last

    Cecilia G.

    This Review is for Bakal buffet. Polite servers, breakfast buffet was omelette station, fried empanadas, taquitos, cereals, fresh fruit, pastry, Mexican hot chocolate, oatmeal, salsa bar, yogurts, mini smoothies, basics like beans, county potatoes, red and green chilequiles, sausage, waffle, hot cakes. Cooler air conditioned dinning area. $18 usd per person. Food tasty, would come back. They also have themed diner nights like Mexican and Italian. We had both nights and the food was excellent.

    Permanent stains on the mirror.

    If I could put negative stars I would. 1. The rooms are SOOO OUTDATED! 2. There isn't any WIFI in the rooms. 3. DO NOT upgrade to a suite. They're ugly. The top all of this off... two days after arriving and exchanging money at the front desk, I received a call from the lobby saying one of my $20 dollar bills was fake. First they said I was the last one to exchange money the day before. I didn't exchange the day before I exchanged it June 8 not June 9. Secondly, I checked my bills and so did my boyfriend before we even exchanged it. Thirdly, if this hotel checks bills, why wouldn't they check them before they gave me pesos. We also came to speak with the person in charge and she was very defensive. They even sent security when we should be afraid of them. We are in Mexico alone and something could happen to us. PLEASE DO NOT STAY, DO NOT GIVE YOUR MONEY, HARD EARNED MONEY to this unprofessional, run down hotel. I have been coming to puerto Vallarta for the past three years. STAY AT THE MARRIOTT!

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    Page 1 of 2

    Review Highlights - Mayan Palace

    ! The food at Bakal is above average, but my favorite is their breakfast buffet on Sundays which included menudo and birria soups

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    Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit - Bathroom

    Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit

    4.5(94 reviews)
    7.4 km
    $$$$

    This is hands-down the best all-inclusive resort that I have ever stayed at in my entire life and…read moretrust me. I've stayed that many. I was recently here for a president's club trip and it was beyond phenomenal. Special shout out to our concierge Dulce! I thought I lost my wedding ring and wedding band and she was on top of it! The food is phenomenal. The pool is so big and a perfect temperature. The sheets felt like butter and the pillows were so comfortable. In your room, not only do you have a mini bar but there's an entire drawer full of snacks and they leave you goodies that turned down each night. The housekeeping staff always did an amazing job and paid attention to detail. The food at this resort is absolutely incredible! We ate at Piaf, Luca, the pool bar and ordered room service- I never once had a bad meal. 10 out of 10 across the board.

    **BEWARE OF REFUND SCAM**…read more We cancelled our reservation about 6 weeks prior to going and are still awaiting our deposit refund almost two months later. I get multiple confusing and conflicting email responses from their representatives claiming that international transactions can take up to 30 business days. Their story is ever-changing. We are well beyond thirty days and this is nonsense in 2026. I have since discovered on internet searches that this is a common problem with Gran Velas. This is extremely suspicious and likely a scam company - beware!

    Photos
    Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit - Health club  fitness center  gym

    Health club fitness center gym

    Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit - Beautiful arches

    Beautiful arches

    Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit - Restaurant

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    Restaurant

    Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa - Mahi Mahi Tacos lunch at Las Casitas.

    Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa

    4.1(269 reviews)
    0.8 km
    $$

    This hotel has my utmost respect. We were staying here when the cartel violence in Puerto Vallarta…read morestarted and we were told to shelter in place. This hotel took care of everyone. The workers that couldn't go home were housed. The guests, like me, that were checking out were allowed to book another night, even though they were in a sold out status. The hotel mgmt took care of all of us in such a beautifully kind manner which allowed us to find some safety while the town was burning due to the car fires. The property is right on beach, has a family pool and adult swim area with hot tubs in both areas. We booked a hotel room that had a small pool access from the patio. They have 2 swim up bars, a children's play area, spa and an excellent workout room. I was told they will be renovating the hotel this summer 2026, which is needed in some areas, such as the spa. It was a very enjoyable visit other than the cartel action and I would stay here again if I come back to Puerto Vallarta.

    Great place for adults ; not many kids. Pools were well maintained, adult pool warm, larger pools…read morecool which was nice. Two swim up bars. Food: Several excellent restaurants but Buffett pricey, instead a 15 min walk to marina area for much more reasonable food. Great ice cream in lobby, opened til 11:00 pm too ! Gift shop needs expansion. It could be a money maker if it had more products to sell. Bummer. Water was pricey! 5$ for a bottle. Room: beautiful and get an ocean view. The sound of the ocean at night is awesome! Pillows were Devine.

    Photos
    Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa - Junior suite bedroom section.

    Junior suite bedroom section.

    Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa - Sunset view from the 8th-floor balcony

    Sunset view from the 8th-floor balcony

    Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa - Birthday Celebration Greeting upon check-in

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    Birthday Celebration Greeting upon check-in

    Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta HRHV - Calamari

    Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta HRHV

    3.5(188 reviews)
    6.3 km
    $$

    We were really disappointed with our experience for a number of reasons. This trip was our "family…read moremoon" after my wife and I got married, we wanted to take our kids for a family friend all inclusive. The frustrations started with check in that took SO long. they required us to show proof of payment. our name and ID was not enough despite seeing our reservation there so i was forced to go through my old credit card statements from months prior to show them. Then the most egregious thing I have EVER HAD HAPPEN TO ME, is they required me to show proof that my children were MY children. They dont have the same last name as me so I had to pull up their birth certificates and I was required to email them to the front desk. My kids are 14 and 12 and never in my life have I ever had to do this. Its incredible offensive and as a queer/trans person with a blended family and with a woman of color wife, it just reminded us how invisbilized we are and treated differently. Then we finally got our rooms and asked for a cot for one of my kids since we paid for 2 rooms for the 4 of us. We never got the cot that night and had to ask 2-3 more times and finally got the next night. We had to do the same thing for a dental kit for my daughter who forgot her toothbrush. took a day. The room service always took at least 40 minutes, for dinner the wait was always 45m in - 1 hour. It was nearly impossible to find a place to sit by the pool unless you got there at 8am like all the others who post up with their towels and belongings and hog the same space ALL day. There were a handful of kind/helpful workers - Juan at the pool, the entertainment people really trying to show people a good time, and you can see the workers/servers are doing their best but they seemed understaffed and thats a hard rock issue. The food was ok. but my wife did not feel well on the last night and we think it was the dinner. The only time we had attentive front desk people was the folks trying to sell you on the thing they say is NOT a time share at a hotel next door (sounds like a timeshare). As soon as we were not interested in that, they were not really interested in helping us. Even when i was asking about other tours, they just kept saying they could give to me free if I agreed to this 90 min presentation and was very hard to get them to help me book something if i didnt agree so i gave up on taking my kids on a tour outside the resort. They explained a bit about the "resort credits" of $1200 - its somewhat helpful if you look at it as a reduction in cost but the spa/salon services are overly expensive so youre basically then paying 35% of the regular cost and then tip. If you look at it as a discount --its not bad but its definitely NOT free credits. Then we requested a late checkout from the ipad in the room. several times. no response. we went down and said we would be happy to pay $120 fee to keep one room until 6pm and they said they couldnt. but they could let us stay until 4pm on the property. the next day when checking out they claimed they didnt have that so i had to push back to get them to allow us this. we had already booked a massage for 4pm so we needed to stay there and have a place for our kids to hang out before we left for the airport. the last thing was they claimed transportation to/from the hotel/airport was included (a $200 value). But i never got instructions on how to book this. so i paid out of pocket $90 to get a van to get me and my family to hard rock upon arrival. i tried to book for the return as it was allgedly included and they said it was too late becuase i didnt give them the flight info 7 days in advance. so i then had to pay out of pocked AGAIN to get a cab to the airport (uber is WAY cheaper only cost like $15 with tip). Overall, I just dont think its worth the amount of money you pay to be constantly trying to be upcharged at an all inclusive and I wasted so much time of my very short vacation trying to get staff to take care of needs like cots, toothbrush. and then the inflexibility on transportation, check out time, and requiring me to show BIRTH CERTIFICATES of my own children. Offensive and rude and uncalled for. Puerto Vallarta is amazing. I would just find a different place to go.

    Room: 1) There is a leak and all the bath towels are wet…read moredaily, we have to catch the room cleaning person to get new towels daily. The technicians couldn't fix the leak (after 1 hr....I knew he wouldn't bc he looked like he just screwed and unscrewed things all day) so they moved us to another room after 2hrs on a the ground floor and the girl at the reception was so unaware. I'm sure the guy who ran the beach shack for boogie boards would've done a better job of managing guests than the people at the front reception. 2) There is a huge tub in the middle of the room which was completely useless. 3) Bathroom has an unhygienic setting - no vent, glass window / shutter from bathroom to room so people in room can smell your business. Food: we are vegetarian so it was more misses than hits. -Frieda: food was completely flavorless. -Ciao: 1) Caprese: served with HUGE tomatoes and a giant piece of burrata cheese and flavorful balsamic. 2) Bruschetta di Ricotta: same thing as Caprese. 3) Tagliatelle con pesto: no flavor at all, zero salt. 4) Parmigiano Melanzano: too much tomato paste and sugar. The entire dish tastes like sweet sauce. -Zen: Omg this place was a nightmare, the evening we came a kid was crying nonstop so loud the server said I'm sorry I can't do anything. Everything tasted like shit. Soup: white paste with slices of raw red onions and 2 pieces of tofu...wtf is that! Banana Roll Sushi: tasteless with rice that was overcooked and old. Sadly we saw this same item and many others from Zen at the breakfast buffet the next day. That really made it sad to be here. -Marketplace: the food was so limited it was sad. We as vegetarians really survived on Banana Crepes, fruits and omelette station. The Crepe lady made the kids day every day! She was the only gem this place had for food. 1) flu shots and breakfast smoothies are awesome. Drinks are never ending which is nice. Pool near Waterslide was soooo cold; it was uncomfortable to be in the water. The ocean was better. Ocean Rentals: boogie board, Kayaks were amazing. Kids had a blast and the guy who was at the shack was hilarious and so amazing! He got the kids all excited to do stuff and they loved it. This guy also looked like he MC'd the pool dance out which was hilarious and entertaining. Photoshoot: the idiot called us at 9am and told us the sun is in a great spot to take pictures! Sebastian was dumb as hell, but the guy with him who was clearerLY smarter wouldn't take the pictures. Sebastian was completely off putting and looked like he didn't know jack. He wasn't even at the desk (no one was) when we called us the next day at 9am to come look at the pictures! That tells you how professional they are overall. Cafetto: great chocolate ice cream and lattes. I would avoid this resort - the all inclusive package is a boring headache.

    Photos
    Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta HRHV
    Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta HRHV
    Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta HRHV - Beach

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    Beach

    The Westin Resort & Spa, Puerto Vallarta - Free "healthy" snack included in Resort Fee

    The Westin Resort & Spa, Puerto Vallarta

    3.7(180 reviews)
    0.2 km
    $$

    We had an amazing time at the Westin. We were a little worried about the construction, but honestly…read moreit wasn't too bad- sound was only during the day, and pool areas were not impacted. I think the worst part was that the gym area was moved halfway outside and some of the machines I had seen in pictures weren't available. Pros: * Staff is incredible. From the front desk, to Antonio on the beach (great guy), the breakfast staff (shout out to the auntie making waffles and omelettes like a machine), everyone was very friendly, helpful, and made us feel comfortable and welcome. The one exception was the towel lady who was a bit brusque- but that stood out because everyone else was so great. * Breakfast was solid, with varieties of bread, fruit, omelettes/waffle station, bacon, eggs, sausage, potatoes, cereal bar, green and fresh orange juice every day. We ate there every morning and didn't get too bored. Cons: * Walls seemed pretty thin. I could hear other people using their key cards (just the clicking sound) late at night when I was in my room, and sound of other TVs and chatter in the hall. The people above us seemed to be dragging furniture around frequently which was also noisy. * The property as a whole is pretty dated and needs some renovation. We checked out the Marriott which had nicer pools (infinity pools) and seems much less run down. They also have a nice looking spa and a much larger fitness center (available for Westin guests while the construction is happening). The room seemed somewhat dated, and particularly the bathrooms could use a refresh. * The construction was a minor annoyance- a couple restaurants on site were closed.

    Stated at the Westin on points for 6 days, the construction can't be missed. They do a great job…read moreworking around it and the service is great. At the pool, there is no relaxing, all you can hear is the loud construction and service was a bit hard to come by. All the restaurants are incredible. We got coffee, ice cream, ate at the Taco place, the pool, the breakfast buffet and the hamburger place. Every place had incredible offerings. I added all the menus in photos! I recommend eating off the ala carte menu for breakfast, it's half the price and the potions are great. The room was nice but not updated. We appreciated the extra seating and table. The added crib wasn't clean, once we wiped it down, it was a big difference. We are glad we stayed on points, not sure it is worth it to pay while during construction. I heard it's becoming all inclusive in 2026, it will be well worth it for that type of business once construction is done. 15 minutes walk to Marina where there is a Thursday Market.

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    The Westin Resort & Spa, Puerto Vallarta - Free "healthy" snack included in Resort Fee

    Free "healthy" snack included in Resort Fee

    The Westin Resort & Spa, Puerto Vallarta - Drinks

    Drinks

    The Westin Resort & Spa, Puerto Vallarta - Mojito at hotel lobby bar

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    Mojito at hotel lobby bar

    Velas Vallarta - Cheers

    Velas Vallarta

    3.7(128 reviews)
    1.1 km
    $$

    My wife and I went here for a friend's destination wedding…read more We booked thru Costco Travel as they had a much better pkg deal than booking individually. They include ground transportation and that's a worry free deal Airport tip: when exiting the airport you are going to inundated with people trying to get you to take their ride OR sell you an excursion - take the free tequila and move on. As for the resort - amazing. 1st class. During check in, more tequila in the form of a good margarita. Or dos. So on to the room. We booked a studio room. Tip - small and no view but the cheapest. When we checked in, we upgraded to a jr suite (not sure if that's what it is called) and by upgrading at the front desk, about 1/2 the cost if we had booked that room originally. It's a gamble as they maybe booked up, it worked for us as off-peak. Additionally, we did all inclusive. This room was great. Separate bedroom. Large living room. Good view of resort and decent of. Each. Higher up the better. Well stocked kitchen. Firm but comfy bed. Nice bathroom, but small if two are trying to get ready. Nice balcony view. And cold A/C. The food. Two restaurants. One inside and more formal - dress code and reservations (at night). And one beachside. They call it a steak house but steakhouse it is not. Much more diverse menu. Buffet. Salad and fruit bar. Lots of options. Breakfast is great. Open all day. Ice cream bar as well. We never ate at the formal restaurant- just don't fit the schedule of our timing or vibe. Only heard good things. The pools. One smaller that is for adults only. One in the middle that's a kiddie pool. And the big one that's for everyone. Swim up bar is nice. The adult only and large one for everyone is connected via a walking "lazy river". Pool side service for food and drinks. Lots of sitting area. Additional, there is a row of lounge chairs that face the ocean. Very relaxing. On the beach, there are numerous cabañas with chairs and lounge chairs. No reservations needed. The wedding was awesome on a pier that shoots out over the water. It was as my wife called it, "very traditional Hispanic wedding". Service was over and above. Top notch. Room service was quick when needed. The only negative to the resort was the lack of an indoor bar. You can get drinks in the lobby, but no bar. Odd. Not a lot else to say. Definitely one of the nicer ones. Considering the price point, I don't think a lot of spring breakers will be here. Not a lot of late night partying from what we saw and we were there Wed-Mon. A lot more snow birds than young'ens. We had a great time. You should to.

    Went in Feb 2025 and resort is right next to the airport. I thought I'd be hearing airplanes all…read moreday, but no, it was not bothersome at all. Three pools: first one closer to lobby I didn't really use it, but second pool is in the middle of the resort, right by the kids club and kids had the best time of their life there. Third pool was nice, right by the beach, can watch sunset and goes all the way to this little slide. My 5 and 6 year olds were with me and they love the big pool because they like jumping in the water. Service was good; very nice staff although the restaurant closest to lobby, there was a staff who I didn't like his attitude because I'd ask other staff members for help and he's like I'm your server, you ask me but it's like dude, I couldn't find you. If I need service now and if there's a staff, then I'll ask right there and right now. But obviously, I want a drama free vacay and I'm like ok? Two restaurants in the resort, but they always have different menus. Different activities each day. Different guests, usually towards Friday and weekend, it's younger. A lot of elderly people, like 40% and family oriented is like another 40% and just couples is like 20% and these couples, I don't really see because they'd be hitching a ride downtown to go out to eat and stay out at night. Uber ride works, about $5-10usd to go downtown. It was a relaxing trip where I woke up with kids, don't need to worry about cooking and cleaning, just get ready to eat, put them in kids club, then they'd come back with mask, backpack from their win on a game, decorative things and drawings. Housekeeping was 2x/day and it usually happens afternoon at 3ish and later in the evening at 7ish. I just loved watching the sunsets everyday around 7pm because I had the time to do that.

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    Velas Vallarta - Velas Vallarta

    Velas Vallarta

    Velas Vallarta - Fantastic team!

    Fantastic team!

    Velas Vallarta - Our girls at the beach dinner

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    Our girls at the beach dinner

    Occidental - The sun setting from our view

    Occidental

    2.7(99 reviews)
    6.3 km
    $$$

    I came here for my very first all-inclusive vacation hotel stay and it really was a lovely resort…read more Service was great, our room was upgraded for our original stay and we really loved the food quality at the buffet and at all the specialty restaurants. The evening entertainment was well-choreographed and very entertaining -- even the shows for children that we saw were lovely! I was quite happy with the service level and the activities (especially water aerobics and BINGO) were good too. I appreciated the fact that you didn't have to walk far to get from rooms to restaurants or from the pool to the beach. The resort had enough great features to keep us busy yet relaxed on vacation. When we unexpectedly had to extend our hotel stay due to a situation in the country making travel home temporarily impossible, the resort honoured the price that we paid through our travel agent initially. We had to go back to a regular room (and I definitely found the upgraded room better) but the resort still did their best to take care of us despite the fact that the situation meant that they were running into staffing issues. We still had great food and drinks, the pool and the beach to enjoy while awaiting our safe return home. I would wholeheartedly recommend staying here in the future. And I would certainly entertain the idea of going on another all-inclusive vacation like this one, or staying at another resort by this brand.

    It was a really great stay. The only thing I wish food wise was that there was a little more…read morevariation in the buffet from day to day, but it was cool that the snack location was pretty much open all the time. The activity people were very fun and they had great events from kids events with paw patrol and sonic to mariachi. The bar tenders are wonderful, especially Francisco at the main bar by the lobby. Night time gets a little bit loud with parties beginning around 10 pm and lasting long into the night... and you need to be ready for beach peddlers to truly insist on selling you stuff, but we found quiet shade down in front of the snack place and it was calm in the corner for the most part. One other frustrating part is the concierge was completely unhelpful. You have to book the restaurants in advance, but not too in advance. One night she put us down that we had 2 coming to eat when there was 5 of us. The other night she said she would put us on the patio and the men didn't have to wear pants that way, but we got there and they had a table for us inside - then forced the men to go all the way back to the room to change. Meanwhile there were other guests inside eating in sweat pants and t-shirts. Other than the night time loudness and the concierge, everything was magical and I would totally come back

    Photos
    Occidental - The view from our room.

    The view from our room.

    Occidental
    Occidental

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    Mayan Palace - resorts - Updated May 2026

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