Puerto Vallarta Forum (PV Bulletin Board)

This friday we'll be flying to PV and staying at our first Ai ( Marival Grand in NV ) On another post they recommended tipping the maid $5-6 dollars per day. A few questions, is this the usual? I rarely tip maids at American hotels and I was a maid years ago ( never got tips either ) Is the tipping suggestion because it is an all inclusive? Do the majority do it and at that rate ? I do want to do what is right.

Also, it was recommended that you tip in pesos . Do they have a conversion counter at most resorts there or should I try & get it done here before we go? I live in Arizona so they probably do it at most banks here.

Thanks for any help on this subject~

we tipped our maids 10 pesos a day and our waiters!!! we feel it is a nice thing to do!! and it was appreciated. we stayed ai too. i tip everyone as i work where i get tipped and i rely on them for treats for my kids and myself. so if you are anywhere being served by people in the service industry please tip. especially in a country such as mexico where i am sure the wages are not very great. the extra money will sure go along way.

Am I correct that 10 pesos is almost one dollar? That seems to make more sense than $5 dollars a day. No problem tipping servers , just getting a ballpark as to the appropriate amount. Thanks!

I've been to AI resorts a few times, and I usually tip the housekeeping staff 20pesos / day. We get the best service, all the towels and anything else we need. I also tip the bar staff 10 - 20 pesos a day, believe me, the service gets really good when they remember you! No waiting in lines, your drink is ready as soon as you make eye-contact!!! Can't wait to go back!

P.S. Don't forget... foreign coins are worthless in Mexico. US/Can paper money is ok, but pesos are much easier for the locals to spend.

Tipping will get you better service

I have a question, or maybe an insight.

Why do most people not have a problem flipping a bartender a buck or so a round of drinks, but have a problem when tipping a maid more than a buck (if at all) for working very hard to clean and tidy your room? I would think the person changing your used sheets, cleaning your sink and toilet, sweeping the floor and emptying the garbage (and these are basic duties, some rooms require more work) deserve at least as much you give a person for opening some beers or pouring some drinks.

The maid is the person you trust with your valuables, as well as your toothbrush. She usually works 20 times harder than the bartender.....so my question is, why are the tips so vastly different?

(BTW< they make the same base wage!)

Just curious...any thoughts?

When we stayed at AI, we would usually tip $1 every other round of drinks. Especially when we went during cinco de mayo, the hotel was really crowded with nationals and to get better service you definitely had to tip. I tipped the maid about $2 per day, and we always had plenty of towels and the room was spotless, even when others complained. I really think that at AIs the staff is underpaid. They really appreciate the tips.

We always tip our maid at least $5 USD a day. Also, we tip each waiter/waitress that provides us service. They work very hard for their dollars and they earn very little compared to those of us in the US or Canada. We have found that they will remember you and give you better service. It is really a small price to pay.

Thanks for all the input. I'll be sure to tip adequately for good service all around.

bzy1 - in response to your answer - perhaps people were not aware that the housekeeping staff and the servers make the same base pay - I was not. Here in the US the housekeeping staff is at least paid minimum wage, whille waitresses are not. I'm glad I know the custom in Mexico now though, thanks! And that does not mean I will not appreciate any good housekeeping services anywhere else in the future.

$200MP per week for the maid usually paid halfway through our stay works best for us. I tip everyone else well for good service and service gets more personal, which I like. Everyone works very hard for very little pay so the tips really help.
<:((()))~

We didn't go with the AI option at our resort, Villa Premiere, but it was apparent that the folks who did were tipping as well. We tipped a standard buck for every or every other round of drinks (less for poping a cap off beers, more for mixing margs, etc.). We tipped our maid 20-30 pesos ($2-$3 USD) a day, which was very much appreciated as far as I could tell (we came back to our room to find bouganvilla flowers in a heart shape on our bed one day!). We felt that 2 or 3 bucks a day (about what we might tip in the US for good maid service) was just a drop in the bucket for us, but ensured fabulous service.

While we have never stayed at an AI resort, we did spend some time at the bar in the Buenaventura earlier this year. It appeared that the hotel was part AI and part not. Over the course of several days VERY FEW of the AI folks left a tip, regardless of what type of drinks were being made.

We usually stay at a condo and typically tip the maid staff 10 to 20 pesos a day. Most of the time we just put our loose change in a bowl or an ashtray and then leave a note in it when we leave ... su propina ... and the maids know it is for them.

I would say that about 10 pesos per day per person staying in the room is adequate.

Just got back a few weeks ago from PV at an AI (I'm ready to go back). We tipped for pretty much everything. Didn't have the maids clean our rooms while we were there (only there for 3 nights) so we just left a few bucks ($5, I think) when we left. As for the bartenders - two days we gave them a $5 tip at the beginning of the day and had FABULOUS service the rest of the day, the other day we tipped every other round or so, approx $2-$3 a round depending on the number of drinks and difficulty. Waiters we ALWAYS left $3-$5 on the table for our waiters that constantly replenished drinks, cleared plates, etc. We saw VERY few other people doing this, but we NEVER had a dirty plate at our table or an empty drink. And they remembered us EVERY day. We even have pictures with them. They were FABULOUS!

I think it's really a personal preference - if you like the service and feel like tipping, leave a tip. If you don't, don't be surprised if you're the last person to get your drink refilled, but they'll always be nice to you and make you feel welcomed - tip or no tip!