Vallarta Virgins

momtomany · Post by **momtomany** » Sun Jan 06, 2008 7:57 am

Thanks for the opportunity for me to ask these questions. This is my 1st post and have never been to Mexico. My family of 5 H&W, 18,16,and 13 year old are planning a Christmas trip. I have been srearching hotels that are AI and came up with 3 possiblities. The Crown Paridise, Riu Vallarta and Riu Jalisco. The price difference between the 3 are within $600.00 for the week. Can you give me any hints , comments or other suggestions, to which resort may be best for us. We are in our mid 40's like to eat, drink, swim, sunbathe, and sightsee! Thanks for your patience.

JROJEFF · Post by **JROJEFF** » Sun Jan 06, 2008 11:19 am

As somebody who stays a little more south ,I can't help you , But I bet the crowns will help you if you give them patience until mananna-jeff

smitty · Post by **smitty** » Sun Jan 06, 2008 3:53 pm

I would also look at the Melia - great reviews - huge pool and seems very family friendly . Good luck your family will have an excellent vacation !

palapa_gal · Post by **palapa_gal** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 3:32 am

Something to consider is how far from PV proper you want to be. Both the Riu's are out in Nuevo which is a good 30 minutes north of PV and about $20 cab ride each way.

momtomany · Post by **momtomany** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 5:51 am

O.K. Thanks for the heads up. I didn't consider the zones; what is the difference between the Hotel, Romantic and south zones? Is one area better for families? And one last question{ for the moment}

It seem that most resorts have a kids program but my kids are too old for them does anyone know of a good teen program? And as a comment, it seems the resorts consider children to be 12 and under to receive the children's rate, but kids aged 13-17 are charged the same as adults at A.I hotels and yet they don't consume any alcohol. Just an observation. Thanks Wendy

palapa_gal · Post by **palapa_gal** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 7:46 am

The hotel zone is just that. A strip along the main highway into town with a wide selection of resorts. This area is about the mid way point with easy access to exploring other areas such as the Marina, Romantic zone, Bucerias, etc...
The Romantic zone (or sometimes called old town, south side) is where you will find many shops, restaurants. This is the heart of the city. Also this is the area where Los Muertos beach is.
The south zone will be south of PV proper to include area such as Mismaloya, Conchas Chinas, etc. Alot of the hotels, if not all, pretty much have secluded beaches, even though all beaches are public.
There is also the Marina zone/area. Here you can find resorts either directly on the beach or on a golf course or looking over the marina. There is also a boardwalk with shops and restaurants.

I have not stayed at the Melia but have heard they have a decent teen program. There use to be a rock climbing wall but have not heard it mentioned lately so not sure if they still have it or not. The Melia would be in the Marina area.

As for the pricing on the AI, I can't help much as I have never done an AI but I think the price would be the same because teens tend to eat as much as adults consume in alcohol.

kcowan · Post by **kcowan** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 1:46 pm

With teenagers, I would pick the hotel zone. They can easily get into town on their own and stay amused. Plus there are jet ski rentals on the beach as well as hobi cat rentals. Walk to the plaza for a change of pace.

Buenaventura would also be OK but fewer programs and no beach rentals. There would be more exploring of old town right outside the door.

condor · Post by **condor** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 6:44 pm

kcowan wrote:With teenagers, I would pick the hotel zone. They can easily get into town on their own and stay amused. Plus there are jet ski rentals on the beach as well as hobi cat rentals. Walk to the plaza for a change of pace.

It's not like the Nuevo area is so backward that all they have is row boats to rent.

I keep hearing how Nuevo is so far out and costs so much to get to town and back. First of all it takes maybe 20 minute by bus to the Malecon if trafffic is bad. The cost of the bus ~$1.50 U.S. per person. It is one of my favorite ride each year. It's a chance to see some of the country side and see how many of the Mexiacn people live. Yes a cab runs about $17.00 but we never take the cab into town and only take the cab back if we have a lot of bags from shopping or later at night after the bars. Ten years ago it took longer and the highway was single lane each way from the airport north. Now it is all four lane with exit ramps at major cross roads. Nuevo has nicer beaches for walking and is a much slower laid back pace. It has all the major conviences of the city. It is also very close to Bucerias which is a great little town and even thou the market is smaller then in P.V. the prices are less. If your going in to party at the bars every night then yes by all means in P.V. is the best. If your going all Inclusive why would you run out to the bars every night. The resorts have a lot to offer and keep anyone busy and you may only go into town one day during the week and maybe one night to check out the nightlife. Add in a side trip or two during the week and you barely have time to relax and un-wind which is what the vacation is all about. But what do i know I'm just a CheeseHead!!

Go Pack!!

beachluvr · Post by **beachluvr** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 7:27 pm

condor's comments probably ring true - although we've never stayed
in the nuevo area, it is not a remote area by any standards, especially
with bucerias just to north and PV to south, it will offer an outstanding
vacation for your first venture to the bay of banderas.
take some time and web search the vallarta area and try to become
familiar with the different areas.
the melia(marina zone) or crown paradise(hotel zone) are both closer
to heart of city if you think you may spend more than one day away
from resort.

tojol57 · Post by **tojol57** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 10:20 pm

Yes Condor is a Cheese-head but most of us still associate with him... why we don't know for sure.... everybody has brought you some valid points....

The first of two places i would recommend the most would be the Crown Paradise Club Resort... good location to maritime marina if you do any tours from there, short walk to there. 10 minutes by taxi to downtown, decent beach to walk along, play on etc. Lots of improvements for the family in resturants and activities. Especially if your kids are eaters, food all day long if you need, pop etc...

Second place i would recommend is the Buenaventura because of its walking distance to the malecon where all the fun begins... they are doing a lot of improvements to this hotel as well...

and remember it is your vacation, and you make the most of it... we can point you down a path but it is up to you to walk it...

The one thing you will find on this BB, is a LARGE group of people that Love this part of mexico... and we love to help people enjoy what we call our home away from home, our sister city of the world...

condor · Post by **condor** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 6:53 am

tojol57 wrote:Yes Condor is a Cheese-head but most of us still associate with him... why we don't know for sure....

Why? Because you like to associate with a winner!!

kcowan · Post by **kcowan** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 1:57 pm

I agree with condor that NV is a great place to chill out and the resorts are somewhat nicer on average (newer and bigger). My comments were based on my experience with my teenaged boys. YMMV

If condor can get to the Malecon in 20 minutes on the bus, it will be a miracle. I would give it a 10% chance. For 100% count on 50 minutes.

Vallarta Virgins

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