Just returned from a wonderful trip to Puerto Vallarta. I’ll try to keep this report brief but informative as I know trip reports were very useful for me in planning my holiday.
Hotel
Rooms were spacious and have a good size shower. We upgraded to the honeymoon suite so of course we had no complaints. It’s too bad they don’t have fridges in regular rooms but they do have ice buckets which the bar will gladly fill for you. Maids pick up towels in the AM and then clean the room midday. Clean towels are dropped of later in the day.
Pool
The pool was large enough to accommodate everyone even when activities were going on. Loungers were reserved early – however if you’re not picky about where you sit there is always a free chair. Water temp was good – not too cold, not too warm. Music was a mix of American and Mexican. Drink service at the pool was good. Empty glasses and ashtrays collected regularly. A lot of people brought air mattresses which were lots of fun!
Beach
The beach was nice, waves were quite strong. It was a little rocky at the waters edge but a few feet out the ocean floor is soft and sandy. There were always lounge chairs free on the beach. There are quite a few vendors but they don’t persist after you say no thanks. Parasailing is offered in front of the hotel for $40US and seems to be very popular.
Weather
April was a dry month – not one drop of rain on our trip. Every morning started off hazy and grey but by 11 AM the sun was shining and skies remained clear until the next morning. You never needed a sweater however the AC in the restaurants made me glad I brought a light cardigan.
Room Service
Room service is great! What a treat! They messed up our order a few times but I think it was a language barrier over the phone. Regardless – any room service is good room service!
Food
We enjoyed all of our meals. The Bellavista was surprisingly good as were all restaurants. I enjoyed the banana pancakes and scrambled egg stuffed croissants for breakfast not to mention the fresh papaya juice. Poly and his sexy coffee made the Paradise our favorite restaurant. I loved the citrus salmon and the shrimp medallions with cous cous. We enjoyed the casual atmosphere and the view. Salvadores was excellent as well – a little fancier than the others. All restaurants change their menus daily.
Drinks
I found drinks a little strong so I asked them to go easy on me! My favorites were the snowball and the swimming pool!
Entertainment
We really enjoyed the free shows every night at the Factory Club across the street. The staff amazed us at how they could work all day and then dance and entertain every night. We loved the show Spectacular on Sat night – wow!
Facilities
You can get a massage at the pool or in the salon. The gym is quite nice with modern equipment. They have water sports available but never saw anyone using the equipment. You can buy stamps at the gift shop for post cards. Staff will hail a cab for you within seconds anytime you want to go anywhere. Each night the hotel brings a vendor to the hotel lobby to sell his goods. Some nights there is a talented guy who does paintings with nothing but his fingernail!
Location
Location is great. It is a 25 peso cab ride (10 min walk) to Walmart, 30 peso cab ride to the Malecon and a 2 minute walk to the cruise ship marina. Buses are cheap if you prefer. The marina has loads of shops and despite posts I read you can still get a great price on days when the ships are in. I ventured to the Vallarta Marina about a 5 minute drive away and was a little disappointed. A few shops similar to what you would find in a hotel lobby, some restaurants and a lighthouse. Nice but the time share people here were more aggressive than anywhere else. We stayed only a few minutes and left. I’m sure drinks or dinner at the top of the lighthouse at sunset would be worth the trip however.
Tours
The only tour we did was the all day city tour which we booked through our Air Transat rep at a cost of about $40 p/p including lunch. What a great day this was! We saw so many things – an excellent value for the money. We would have missed lots of great spots if it weren’t for this tour. A lot of our friends did the Rhythm of the Nights tour and loved it. The canopy tour was also popular.
Timeshare
They are everywhere but we didn’t find them bothersome except for at the marina with the lighthouse.
Info and Tips
A lot of people brought insulated mugs to keep drinks from getting warm by the pool. We went through more sunscreen than we thought we would – bring lots and bring a high SPF in case you get burned. Walmart is the cheapest place to buy booze and cigarettes. A bottle of Khalua was $8US and Marlboros were $17. Sunscreen here was about $6-12US depending on the brand. They have yummy pastries in the bakery at Walmart as well! American money is accepted everywhere just as easily as pesos. The market downtown has about 2000 vendors so wear comfy shoes and be prepared to shop till you drop!
Overview
We loved the Crown Paradise and loved Puerto Vallarta. The resort and staff were great! The city was relatively clean and safe and there are loads of places to shop, eat or just relax. It was a great trip and much preferred over my last three holidays to the Dominican Republic and Cancun. Feel free to email me with any questions –judihartlin@hotmail.com
Hotel
Rooms were spacious and have a good size shower. We upgraded to the honeymoon suite so of course we had no complaints. It’s too bad they don’t have fridges in regular rooms but they do have ice buckets which the bar will gladly fill for you. Maids pick up towels in the AM and then clean the room midday. Clean towels are dropped of later in the day.
Pool
The pool was large enough to accommodate everyone even when activities were going on. Loungers were reserved early – however if you’re not picky about where you sit there is always a free chair. Water temp was good – not too cold, not too warm. Music was a mix of American and Mexican. Drink service at the pool was good. Empty glasses and ashtrays collected regularly. A lot of people brought air mattresses which were lots of fun!
Beach
The beach was nice, waves were quite strong. It was a little rocky at the waters edge but a few feet out the ocean floor is soft and sandy. There were always lounge chairs free on the beach. There are quite a few vendors but they don’t persist after you say no thanks. Parasailing is offered in front of the hotel for $40US and seems to be very popular.
Weather
April was a dry month – not one drop of rain on our trip. Every morning started off hazy and grey but by 11 AM the sun was shining and skies remained clear until the next morning. You never needed a sweater however the AC in the restaurants made me glad I brought a light cardigan.
Room Service
Room service is great! What a treat! They messed up our order a few times but I think it was a language barrier over the phone. Regardless – any room service is good room service!
Food
We enjoyed all of our meals. The Bellavista was surprisingly good as were all restaurants. I enjoyed the banana pancakes and scrambled egg stuffed croissants for breakfast not to mention the fresh papaya juice. Poly and his sexy coffee made the Paradise our favorite restaurant. I loved the citrus salmon and the shrimp medallions with cous cous. We enjoyed the casual atmosphere and the view. Salvadores was excellent as well – a little fancier than the others. All restaurants change their menus daily.
Drinks
I found drinks a little strong so I asked them to go easy on me! My favorites were the snowball and the swimming pool!
Entertainment
We really enjoyed the free shows every night at the Factory Club across the street. The staff amazed us at how they could work all day and then dance and entertain every night. We loved the show Spectacular on Sat night – wow!
Facilities
You can get a massage at the pool or in the salon. The gym is quite nice with modern equipment. They have water sports available but never saw anyone using the equipment. You can buy stamps at the gift shop for post cards. Staff will hail a cab for you within seconds anytime you want to go anywhere. Each night the hotel brings a vendor to the hotel lobby to sell his goods. Some nights there is a talented guy who does paintings with nothing but his fingernail!
Location
Location is great. It is a 25 peso cab ride (10 min walk) to Walmart, 30 peso cab ride to the Malecon and a 2 minute walk to the cruise ship marina. Buses are cheap if you prefer. The marina has loads of shops and despite posts I read you can still get a great price on days when the ships are in. I ventured to the Vallarta Marina about a 5 minute drive away and was a little disappointed. A few shops similar to what you would find in a hotel lobby, some restaurants and a lighthouse. Nice but the time share people here were more aggressive than anywhere else. We stayed only a few minutes and left. I’m sure drinks or dinner at the top of the lighthouse at sunset would be worth the trip however.
Tours
The only tour we did was the all day city tour which we booked through our Air Transat rep at a cost of about $40 p/p including lunch. What a great day this was! We saw so many things – an excellent value for the money. We would have missed lots of great spots if it weren’t for this tour. A lot of our friends did the Rhythm of the Nights tour and loved it. The canopy tour was also popular.
Timeshare
They are everywhere but we didn’t find them bothersome except for at the marina with the lighthouse.
Info and Tips
A lot of people brought insulated mugs to keep drinks from getting warm by the pool. We went through more sunscreen than we thought we would – bring lots and bring a high SPF in case you get burned. Walmart is the cheapest place to buy booze and cigarettes. A bottle of Khalua was $8US and Marlboros were $17. Sunscreen here was about $6-12US depending on the brand. They have yummy pastries in the bakery at Walmart as well! American money is accepted everywhere just as easily as pesos. The market downtown has about 2000 vendors so wear comfy shoes and be prepared to shop till you drop!
Overview
We loved the Crown Paradise and loved Puerto Vallarta. The resort and staff were great! The city was relatively clean and safe and there are loads of places to shop, eat or just relax. It was a great trip and much preferred over my last three holidays to the Dominican Republic and Cancun. Feel free to email me with any questions –