Puerto Vallarta Hotels

[CanuckCruizer]

We are a couple in our early 40's, like to have fun but are not HUGE party animals. We are looking for a nice luxury type hotel which has great oceanfront rooms, good service, good food and a great pool. We don't have kids and don't really want a hotel with loads of kids running around. We will be going near the end of April after Semana Santa (Holy Week), so most of the Mexican families and kids on spring break should be gone. I have read many many reviews of all the hotels and have come to the conclusion that the Casamagna Marriott in the Marina Vallarta area in the best overall. We are not interested in Nuevo Vallarta big resorts as they are about $20-25 taxi ride each way from town and perhaps over an hour and two buses to get into town. We would want to go into town almost daily, so this would not be an option for us. The Marriott is about a $4-$6 cabride from town. Wondering if any locals or previous visitors to P.V. have stayed at the Marriott and how they found it? We are curious if there is any entertainment at the hotel, whether it be mariachis in the restaurants, a piano player in the lounge or a Mexican type entertainment show. We looked at others, for instance, the Westin, but the timeshare people hound you to death there and we would not be interested in that. We looked at Dreams - it seems okay - although a little farther out from town (we think) but it is very expensive because you HAVE to buy the all-inclusive so it adds up. If anyone has any opinions on the Marriott or other upscale hotels in P.V., please do tell!! Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[lv2cruz]

Try http://www.fodors.com. They have a forum that pertains to Mexico. There are several people who post there who have been there and say wonderfull things about it.

[CanuckCruizer]

Thanks Luv2Cruz - I will check out that website!

[MSN-Travelers]

DW & I have two timeshares in PV. One is out in Nuevo Vallarta for when we want to waited on hand and foot & don't care to do much in the way of tourist activities. The other is at the Sheraton.

Hurricane Kenna took the Sheraton out of service for two of our PV trips and we stayed in the marina area in `02 & `03. `02 was at a small TS off the beach and we spent our pool/beach time at the Marriott. `03 was at Velas Vallarta next door to the Marriott (sorta). Nice place but few rooms face the water.

The Marriott is a real good choice. However, staying out at the Marina gets real old if you plan on going into town every day. The shopping and restaurant choices are rather slim too. The timeshare sharks in the marina area are pretty aggressive and embedded in many of the restaurants.

Our personal choice is the Sheraton. It was badly damaged in October `02 by Hurricane Kenna. They shut it down completely and took 14-15 months to rebuild it from the ground up. All the public spaces are new in the hotel as-well-as all the facilities on the bay side of the complex. The tennis courts will be re-surfaced at the end of this month. It has all the ammenities, two pools (quite & active), all rooms face the water and best of all, it's only a ten minute walk to the Malecon. Give the Sheraton a look.

Thirteen days `till we arrive and enjoy PV sunsets for most of the month.

[MSN-Travelers]

Thanks Luv2Cruz - I will check out that website!

 

Check out this info site on the city and surrounding area.

 

http://www.vallarta-info.com/

[CanuckCruizer]

Thank you MSN travellers - I will check out the Sheraton and thanks for that tip on the website!

 

Canuck

[CanuckCruizer]

One of the reasons we were looking at the Marriott is because they have no timeshares. We heard the Westin is terrible if you stay at the hotel because all the timeshare "sharks" hang out in the lobby and you can barely make it alive to get in and out of the hotel. We don't think that would make for a nice, relaxing holiday. Do you know if the Sheraton has these vultures in their hotel too or are they more subdued? lol

[CanuckCruizer]

MSN Travelers,

 

Hi again. Another question for you. I just looked at the photos of the Sheraton and it looks very nice, but it looks like most of the rooms do NOT have balconies, only the 1 bedroom suite with the kitchen has a small balcony. Is this true? If we got a Tower room which includes a higher floor, breakfast, appetizers and wine (I also wonder if it is drinks or just wine?) do you mean there is no balcony? A balcony is very important to us to sit out and enjoy our morning coffee and evening cocktails and we smoke so we prefer to smoke outside on the balcony. If you remember what your room has or know about the balconies, please do tell!! Thank you!

 

Canuck

[lv2cruz]

Canuckcruiser-

I also have a couple of timeshares at the Sheraton.Although it seemed like you were set on the Marriott , another good choice is the Sheraton. I have heard (from a friend who has done both) that the level of service at the Marriott is better what ever that means because the Sheraton service is good.Maby it's their rock hard beds( at the Sheraton) which they do have!

But..the Sheraton is nice, beautiful grounds, lots of ammenity's and great poolside food! The hotel in it self does not have balconies but the "towers do". I just stayed in the towers 2 X in the last 8 months. Balconies are spacious enough and views to die for! Sunset is awsome. My sister and i had our 5 o clock cocktails out on the balconies.You can access more pictures and information about it by going to www. buganvilias.com

As far as location- it cannot be beat. If you want to go to the Malecon it is just a 15 min. walk or cab it for $3.00.

As far as timeshare people, yes they can be annoying if you let them. They are pesty at first, but with a firm NO they will leave you alone.

It is not as bad as you think. They only bother you in the lobby's not at the pool, restaurant or bars. Just note to, that anywhere you go from restaurants to walking the town they will bother you about them.They are always famous for tring to entice you by saying" you want to go to Las Caletas or the Pirate ship for free"??

Another place to read reviews about it is http://www.tripadvisor.com.

Disregard some of the negative because most of it is just not true. One person wrote how the poolside chairs were in terrible conditon. So not true.

Overall, it is a nice place to stay.

[MSN-Travelers]

MSN Travelers,

 

Hi again. Another question for you. I just looked at the photos of the Sheraton and it looks very nice, but it looks like most of the rooms do NOT have balconies, only the 1 bedroom suite with the kitchen has a small balcony. Is this true? If we got a Tower room which includes a higher floor, breakfast, appetizers and wine (I also wonder if it is drinks or just wine?) do you mean there is no balcony? A balcony is very important to us to sit out and enjoy our morning coffee and evening cocktails and we smoke so we prefer to smoke outside on the balcony. If you remember what your room has or know about the balconies, please do tell!! Thank you!

 

Canuck

 

Stayed in a one bedroom suite hotel unit in 2000. Had a decent size balcony (bigger than most cruise ships) and a kitchen. I remember it as being on a lower floor (3rd or 4th) facing the bay with reasonable view. Came back in early 2002 aboard Elation, walked in off the street and bought a timeshare. Have been in a one bedroom suite on the 10+ floor ever since.

 

I'll check out the hotel units and let you know what they are like.

[CanuckCruizer]

Thanks luv2cruz and MSN Travelers for the info! We are not completely "set" on the Marriott as we still have time before we have to book (none of the specials are out yet for April) so we are still researching and trying to pinpoint the best hotel for us. Some of the resorts in Nuevo Vallarta would probably suit us except we do not want an hour's taxi or bus to contend with as we probably will go into town every day. Any other hints would be helpful as this will be the first "land" vacation we have done in a million years as we always cruise!

 

Canuck

[MSN-Travelers]

Thanks luv2cruz and MSN Travelers for the info! We are not completely "set" on the Marriott as we still have time before we have to book (none of the specials are out yet for April) so we are still researching and trying to pinpoint the best hotel for us. Some of the resorts in Nuevo Vallarta would probably suit us except we do not want an hour's taxi or bus to contend with as we probably will go into town every day. Any other hints would be helpful as this will be the first "land" vacation we have done in a million years as we always cruise!

 

Canuck

 

The Marriott is a fine resort. I think we are selling the Sheraton as an equivalent because of its location close to PV itself. Taxis are always available in the Marina area and the commute into town isn't bad. Bus service to/from the Marina resort row is a little spotty. The main bus line into PV is a short walk to the Neptune Plaza.

 

As you plan some of your activities in PV it is helpful to know when we (fellow cruisers) are going to be in port. It can get a bit crowded in town when three or four ships dump thousands of people on the streets at one time. We generally avoid the downtown area in the morning on "boat days". It only takes a few hours for the initial rush to disperse. The cruise calendar web site will let you know what ships are scheduled in on each day.

 

Take a look at these sites to get an idea about things to see and do while in the area. There has been quite a bit of post-hurricane improvements built this year so some of the maps may not show the new extended Malecon correctly. The best PV site is listed first with additional sites after that. The Cruise Calendar site is listed last.

 

http://www.vallarta-info.com/index.html http://www.visitpuertovallarta.com/ http://www.virtualvallarta.com/index.html

 

http://www.vallartaonline.com/ http://www.wunderground.com/global/stations/76601.html

 

http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/North_America/Mexico/Estado_de_Jalisco/Puerto_Vallarta-935573/TravelGuide-Puerto_Vallarta.html

 

The “on the beach” restaurant that you must go to for a sunset dinner - http://lapalapapv.com/

 

http://www.cruisecal.com/dnn/

 

Enjoy!

[CanuckCruizer]

MSN travelers,

 

Thank you for all the info! We were in PV just for the day off the Sapphire Princess and we went to La Palapa for lunch - it was perfect! The food was excellent, some of the best service from their waiters that we have ever received and the prices were very reasonable. Everyone should eat at La Palapa at least once. Actually, it is funny that you say you must go there for a sunset dinner because that is exactly what we thought as we sat eating our lunch! We managed to cover a lot of ground in one day, but of course, we couldn't check out the hotels due to time constraints. I will check out those websites for sure! Thanks!!!

[lv2cruz]

Since you are in your early 40's( i am "mid") you have to look into the Las Veranos canopy tour. What a blast!!!!

Another restaurant to try is Vista Grill. The owners of La Palapa just opened that up last year. It sits high on the hill with gorgeous panoramic views of the city. Awsome at sunset. A little pricey but well worth it.

You must do La Palapa for dinner/sunset. Pipi's is fun for semi-noisy, fun Mexican food. La Dolce Vita on the Malecon for Italian food or at the Marina there is a really good italian restaurant as well.

I am a former cruiser to the Mexican Riviera( 2x's on Carnival) but loved it so much I bought a couple of timeshares. It is a whole different experience to spend a week there. I love hanging out at the resort by the pool, having a couple of glasses of wine on the balcony, getting dressed up and going to some of the best restaurants. You will love being there for a week.

Good luck with your decision on where you decide to stay.

[CanuckCruizer]

Luv2cruz,

 

Thanks for all your suggestions! We love restaurants high up with panaromic views! I haven'r heard of Vista Grill, but we will be sure to try it. I have heard of something called Le Cliff - I think it is in PV - supposed to be good. I have to start making a list of all the restaurants! We plan to go for two weeks - so maybe we can try a different one each night!

 

Canuck

[rockcoastmedia]

We just got back from the CasaMegna and it was great:)

[CanuckCruizer]

rockcoastmedia - Glad you had a great time at the Marriott. We are going in 21 more sleeps!! We have actually booked a private condo right next door to the Marriott called "Portofino". They are oceanfront with hot tubs on the balconies and only a couple of years old - very deluxe. We will be hanging out a lot at the Marriott. I heard that the Marriott does a "romantic dinner for two on the beach". I think I heard it was about $50 (not sure if it's p.p., but it must be). Did you see this done or did you partake yourselves? We had a drink there before we left on the Sapphire Princess last October. The servers were very nice, the drinks a little steep at $8US, the pool area was fantastic and we liked the area - not too far from town but not too busy either. We plan on eating in the Marina a bit too and heard that Victor's is fabulous and cheap, Fajita Bananas is great, a sunset drink at El Faro lighthouse is a "must do", La Terrazza di Roma is great and Rincon de Buenos Aires is a fantastic steakhouse. Did you eat in the Marina at all and can you comment on any of the restaurants? We have a huge list of restaurants that we have to conquer in our 15 nights! Can you tell us a little about your trip and what you enjoyed? Thank you so much!

[lv2cruz]

In the marina try Porto Bella. It's Italian food and nice for a change.

Have you ever been to La Palapa's?

[MSN-Travelers]

... We are going in 21 more sleeps!! We have actually booked a private condo right next door to the Marriott called "Portofino". ... Did you eat in the Marina at all and can you comment on any of the restaurants? We have a huge list of restaurants that we have to conquer in our 15 nights! Can you tell us a little about your trip and what you enjoyed? Thank you so much!

 

I'm glad to see that you have found a place to stay in Vallarta. You will enjoy Portofino. The restaurant list you have for the Marina is good. You will enjoy most, if not all on your list. The timeshare reps have started to work the restaurants at the Marina at night and we have started to shy away from them for dinner. We frequent Fajita Banana for a lunch or two when we are in Vallarta. My wife and I enjoy a good meal while on vacation. Here is a list of restaurants and beach bars that I would like to offer during your stay. The links take you to one site that gives a thumb-nail map showing where the place is. Most of these restaurants have their own internet sites. Just do a "google" search. Some have online discount coupons available for you to print out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Restaurants we have been to, would go back or recommend to others.

RED = Favorites

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

El Arrayan http://www.vallartaonline.com/restaurants/elarrayan/

Barcelona Tapas http://www.vallartaonline.com/restaurants/barcelona/

Brasil http://www.vallartaonline.com/restaurants/brasil/

Burro's Bar http://www.vallartaonline.com/restaurants/burrosbar/

Cuates y Cuetes http://www.vallartaonline.com/restaurants/cuatesycuetes/

Daiquiri Dick's http://www.vallartaonline.com/restaurants/daiquiridicks/

El Andariego http://www.vallartaonline.com/restaurants/elandariego/

El Dorado http://www.vallartaonline.com/restaurants/eldorado/

El Panorama http://www.vallartaonline.com/restaurants/elpanorama/

Espresso Bar de Kaiser Maximilian http://www.vallartaonline.com/restaurants/espressobar/

Fajita Banana http://www.vallartaonline.com/restaurants/fajitabanana/

La Dolce Vita http://www.vallartaonline.com/restaurants/dolcevita/

La Palapa http://www.vallartaonline.com/restaurants/lapalapa/

Las Palomas http://www.vallartaonline.com/restaurants/laspalomas/

Las Palomas-Marina Vallarta http://www.vallartaonline.com/restaurants/laspalomasmv/

Le Bistro http://www.vallartaonline.com/restaurants/lebistro/

Mr. Cream Pancakes and Waffles http://www.vallartaonline.com/restaurants/mrcream/

Pipi's http://www.vallartaonline.com/restaurants/pipis/

Si Señor http://www.vallartaonline.com/restaurants/sisenor/

The River Cafe http://www.vallartaonline.com/restaurants/therivercafe/

The Shrimp Factory http://www.vallartaonline.com/restaurants/theshrimpfactory/

Vista Grill http://www.vallartaonline.com/restaurants/vistagrill/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Restaurants we will go to next trip

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Boca Bento http://www.vallartaonline.com/restaurants/bocabento/

Las Carmelitas http://www.vallartaonline.com/restaurants/lascarmelitas/

Red Cabbage http://www.vallartaonline.com/restaurants/redcabbage/

Sangria's http://www.vallartaonline.com/restaurants/sangrias/

The Blue Shrimp http://www.vallartaonline.com/restaurants/theblueshrimp/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[suziehmkr]

It is hard to tell from the map... Is the Shrimp Factory walkable from the Malecon? We have wanted to eat there, but we have always had other meal plans in all three ports... and on this trip, I think PV will be the only one we can try it. Walkable? or taxi? Or would the The Blue Shrimp be a better one to try?

[MSN-Travelers]

It is hard to tell from the map... Is the Shrimp Factory walkable from the Malecon? We have wanted to eat there, but we have always had other meal plans in all three ports... and on this trip, I think PV will be the only one we can try it. Walkable? or taxi? Or would the The Blue Shrimp be a better one to try?

 

Once you are at the Malecon, everything is within walking distance.

 

From the south end of the Malecon (the arches) continue south on the main street across the bridge into "old town". The Shrimp Factory is about two blocks from the end of the bridge and will be on your left.

 

Both the Blue Shrimp and the Shrimp Factory specialize in shrimp dishes. The Blue shrimp is a little upscale with an upscale restaurant theme. The Shrimp Factory has a Mexican Cantina theme. Both are off the beach/Malecon and people go to either one for the food.

 

Yellow taxi from the port to the north end of the Malecon (Hotel Rosita) and shop your way south to the Shrimp Factory or do the reverse. The Shrimp Factory is one taxi zone farther from the Port. Should be $5 USD to the Rosita and about $6.50 USD to the Shrimp Factory. Yellow taxis charge per taxi of up to four passengers.

 

Want to try something different ... Take the bus downtown (el Centro). Cost is $1 USD for two people.

 

Enjoy!

[suziehmkr]

Thanks so much! We will actually be walking down to the Malecon from the Pemex station where Los Veranos' office is. If I remember right - from our last trip, that comes down near the flea market, right? That is the south part of the Malecon, correct? I would love to get to the Shrimp Factory since we won't get there in Cabo or Maz.

[MSN-Travelers]

Thanks so much! We will actually be walking down to the Malecon from the Pemex station where Los Veranos' office is. If I remember right - from our last trip, that comes down near the flea market, right? That is the south part of the Malecon, correct? I would love to get to the Shrimp Factory since we won't get there in Cabo or Maz.

 

There are two routes to the flea market from the Los Veranos tour office. I'll put together a set of direction for you. One route will take you right past the Shrimp Factory.

[suziehmkr]

That would be MOST excellent!! We didn't really know where we were going when we left the offices so we somehow ended up on the Malecon.... completely unplanned and we loved it. But a visit to the Shimp Factory after the ziplines would be great! Thanks!!

[MSN-Travelers]

That would be MOST excellent!! We didn't really know where we were going when we left the offices so we somehow ended up on the Malecon.... completely unplanned and we loved it. But a visit to the Shimp Factory after the ziplines would be great! Thanks!!

 

Reference the map at- http://www.vallarta-info.com/south.html You are starting at the little green gas pump near the bottom of the map. Vallarta doesn’t really have street signs like the states. They have a ceramic tiles inset into the corner buildings that let you know the name of the cross street.

Follow the main road north along the east edge of the PEMEX station as it curves downhill and joins/becomes INSURGENTES. Continue north to BASILLIO BADILLO (stop light). The Vallarta glass factory, Mundo de Cristal, is on the NE corner and worth a look.

Go west on B. Badillo (toward the bay) two blocks to IGNACIO L. VALLARTA. Turn right and go north on I.L. Vallarta for two blocks to LAZARO CARDENAS. The Shrimp Factory is located on the NE corner of L. Cardenas & I.L. Vallarta.

After your meal, you can continue to head north on I.L. Vallarta toward the Malecon. This route will take you over the Cuale River to the downtown flea market. The island below the bridge is a local craft shopping area and also has a number of good restaurants.

An alternate route back to “el Centro” would have you continue west on Laz Cardenas to the beach. There is a small craft market on the west end of Laz Cardenas. The Olas Altas beach is in front of you. Los Muertos beach is to the south. If you have the time, this area is worth exploring. Burro’s Bar is on the beach just north of the park. Great place to sit a spell and enjoy very reasonably priced drinks. The Malecon has been extended south from the arches and includes a pedestrian bridge over the river. Walk north along the beach and it will take you back to the arches.

The site with the map (above) has a link to their restaurant list. Click on that link. At the top of the page is another link labeled Ofertas Vallarta This will take you to a discount coupon site. Navigate the site to find seafood restaurants and you’ll find a 20% OFF coupon for the Shrimp Factory.

Timeshare "sharks" have been known to work some of the restaurants lately. Don't be surprised. Say you're not interested and be firm.

Enjoy!