Vallarta Palace Reviews

Vallarta Palace in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico was easily the best place I have ever stayed in. The service was excellent and I actually felt like the people there cared about my personal comfort during my stay, whether it was a waiter, maid, or one people from the on-site spa. The rooms were a good size, the beds were the perfect blend of soft and firm, and the in-room jacuzzi tub was awesome! The pools were in neat shapes and there were plenty of chairs, but we spent most of our time on the beach. I feel like there could have been more tiki umbrellas, but we never had to fight or get up early to find a spot. The water was not as clear as we would have liked it, but the waves were big enough to surf on, and we had a great time in the water. The location of the hotel is perfect because it is almost directly between two mountain ranges on either side that catch all of the clouds and bad weather, and if you want to escape the hotel for a bit, it is not far from excursions and shopping and the cab fares are inexpensive. We left the hotel twice, once for the Rythyms of the Night show, and again to swim with dolphins. I recommend the dolphin swim more than the show for an great once in a lifetime experience. There were four restaurants on site, two of which stayed the same as far as food choices, and two others that changed depending on what night it was. Our favorite was the one on the beach that served buffet for breakfast and lunch, and then Italian for dinner. All of the food was good. I think we paid a great price for what we got, and with the resort credit that we earned with our stay, it allowed us to splurge far beyond our means (like the dolphin swim and trips to the spa!) without the pain in the pocketbook. I would go back in a heartbeat!

in a word - lovely! We needed sun and a chance to just relax without thinking of anything related to work and home and this did the trick. A wonderful beach with ample chairs and warm waters, several connected swimming pools serviced by waiters bringing us constant drinks, restaurants and snack food always available, and quick access to taxis for romps into town. The weather was hot with evening rains but so much sun during the day that we never regretted coming in the rainy season. Our room was "pretty good" -- the beds were comfortable, the free wireless and international calling appreciated, and the drinks and minibar always stocked - it had this huge jacuzzin in it that took up a lot of space and we used it only once - a sofa would have been more useful. There also wasn't enough space for drying wet clothes and the room grew humid with our bathing suits etc but we coped by drying them over the jacuzzii. Rooms was cleaned promtptly and nicely each day. One necklace stolen that was my fault becuase I didn't put it in the safe. The resort gave us $1500.00 to use for activities - we ziplined, ATV'd, Jet skiied, swam with dophins, and went to the spa for pedicure and manicures and a wonderful massage. We really enjoyed these opportunities and likely wouldn't have done them without this credit. The staff was kind and efficient. The food was good to great - a little bit like a cruise ship with so much of it that you grew a little blase'. The resort is well maintained. Evening activities are a little cheesy but we nevertheless attended a few of them. Best night was walking down the beach to a place where they are releasing baby turtles as part of an enviromental effort - for a few dollars, you are given some turtles to set free on thier initial trip to the ocean. Afterwards, we sat outside on the porch of our resort and watched a storm come in while we sipped on summer drinks. Regrets - spending so much on transportation thru Cheap Carribean as a taxi would have been ALOT less and the transportation was nothing special. Also, the resort has bikes and we should have explored more of the area...I did it one morning and was surprised by how much there was to see. Otherwise...it was a perfect trip and just what the doctor ordered!

This was a family mini-vacation, all adults. The service was great everywhere. I really, really enjoyed all of my spa treatments with Domingo. He is the best for massages. Every issue (not many) was handled quickly and without any attitudes. The rooms were great. The food was good and received hot. The entire family just had fun and will return here again.