The Westin Resort & Spa, Puerto Vallarta

The hotel was beautiful! The lobby and hallways were bright and colorful, everything was open and breezy, and the decor included a lot of art and greenery. The rooms were comfortable, and the view of the pool, beach, and ocean from the private balcony was breathtaking. The staff was also very helpful and friendly. My biggest complaint is that they did not offer free internet to guests. What's worse, the internet was not even reasonably priced: $15 USD for a 24-hour period. Considering that I've stayed in less expensive hotels in Mexico that did have free wi-fi/internet, I was pretty disappointed. I wasn't able to use my cell phone, so e-mail/FB/Skype was supposed to be my way to keep in touch with my kids Stateside and communicate with friends and family who were also in the Puerto Vallarta area. Not having it was a huge inconvenience. As for the location, the Westin in is the Marina, not in downtown Puerto Vallarta. If you're going for a quieter, more secluded setting, then this is it! If, however, you're looking for a good selection of restaurants, shopping, and nightlife, you're going to have to go to the downtown area (the "malecon") to get it - maybe a 20 minute cab ride, a little longer by bus. The restaurants and spa in the hotel were quite pricey, which was only to be expected. So, if you're looking for more affordable places, check out the Marina (maybe a 10 minute walk) or downtown Puerto Vallarta. Favorite restaurants: Victor's Place in the Marina for Mexican food, Cafe de Olla downtown for outstanding Mexican food and strong margaritas, and Cheeky Monkey downtown for their $1 Coronas, $1 margaritas, and $2 drink menu (great place to get the night started!) Also, the OXXO (Mexican version of 7-11) right across the street from the hotel was a lifesaver! We got all our water, liquor/beer, snacks, and several breakfasts of cinnamon rolls and fruit from there.

This was an overall great hotel! We ended up staying here after making a last minute decision to take a vacation and the price was right for this hotel!Although some of the reviews said it was a little dated we did not feel this way at all. It was very authentic feeling with tons of great local artwork throughout the hotel. The pools and the beach were both great and only felt a little too crowded on Sunday for some reason? We thought it seemed kid friendly but not annoying for those of us without kids. We ate in one of the hotel restaurants the first night which was overpriced and not that amazing. During the day though, we ate at a different hotel restaurant on the beach that had wonderful tacos al pastor, ceviche, and guacamole. The staff were all very friendly and very helpful. We stayed on the "club level" which gave us a nice view from our room along with complimentary breakfast and cocktails. The breakfast left A LOT to be desired but for a quick easy bite before hitting the beach, it wasn't terrible. The main problem was that although breakfast went until 11AM and we were usually there by 9AM everything already was gone and not refilled unless you bugged the server a bunch of times- I am talking the basics like coffee cups and juice. It was as if no one told the server that there were actually 2 hours left for breakfast! We didn't take advantage of the cocktail hour but overall were still glad we paid a little more for club level. The hotel was very clean and the rooms were very nice. The beds and the shower were awesome as well. the only other complaint had to do with the timeshare side of the hotel. I don't quite know what the deal over there is but once their pool filled up they would take over our side of the pool area which was evident because of the different colored towels. This was pretty annoying on Sunday when there was not a poolside seat to be found. Luckily we are more beach people and we found this to be the most enjoyable part of our stay! The service was great, the drinks were great, and the people watching was primo. Keep in mind, if you are a person who doesn't like being approached by vendors this may not be the place for you. For me, I got to shop with a beer in my hand while getting a suntan which I enjoyed immensely!!! Even though there were a couple of issues, we would definitely stay here again!!

Overall great, nice hotel and service. Pool was enjoyable, food fairly good. Cons poor beach, some inconsistencies in the room service, a fair walk from amenities.

I was there to photograph a wedding and highly enjoyed my experience at this hotel/resort. It was full of greenery and palm trees. The restaurant on site was delicious. The beach and pool were beautiful. I just can't say anything but great things about this location. I also loved that there was places to eat just walking distance outside of the resort and nothing seemed unsafe. The only downside I can think of was the wireless internet cost money and it only worked in the lobby. All I had was my ipad so I could only use the wireless network. If you have a laptop you can plug in to the ethernet port to get online free of charge.

This is a great place to relax and soak up the sun. We mainly relaxed at the hotel pools and enjoyed the ambiance. The staff is incredibly friendly and helpful. The location is in walking distance to shops and restaurants.

nice hotel, Quiet, very good service. Advice on restraunts and activities was excelent. On site food and drinks were very expensive even for a nice hotel. Sadly for a romantic trip ,in a nearly empty hotel even after a room upgrade at additional cost, the only room they could give us had two single beds!

I relaxed at both the pool and beach, also shopped at the Malecon. Listening to the waves at night while sleeping was the relaxation I needed.

We had a great time at the resort, they were very helpful and were able to speak English to us. The pool and beach facilities were wonderful and it was everything I wanted in a vacation. I would definitely stay again but would get all inclusive because resort prices were outrageous to me. Their water was $4 when across the street it was $1. And the price of two breakfast buffets ran us $60!!!! Just for one meal! Go all inclusive!

The staff was very nice & polite. One thing I did not like about the hotel is that they play music till midnight.

The hotel room had maintenance issues (broken shutters, loose shower tile) but overall was clean and decent with gorgeous bay view. The restaurant had good food and dinner specials were fairly priced. The staff were very friendly and professional.