Villa Del Palmar Beach Resort and Spa, Puerto Vallarta

Fabulous!!!!!!!! Pools Beach Food Staff Total recommendation

For a week vacation we booked the Villa Del Palmer because it is close to downtown, is relatively cheap, and got pretty good reviews. Upon arrival we were hounded by time share sales people after getting through customs. Many asked our hotel and posed as employees or workers in association with our hotel. Finally we got to someone associated with the hotel and he tried to persuade us to attend a "breakfast" time share presentation. We said no and we finally provided direction to our shuttle. During this whole time our baggage handler played dumb and did not tell us who was the real Villa Del Palmer employee or just a sales person. After taking a ride in our shuttle we checked in and took a ride to our room on the one working elevator. We had a pretty good room with two full beds and a small kitchenette with a stove and small fridge. Our bathroom was beautiful and clean. We had a balcony that overlooked the main pool and restaurants. It was a pretty good view. The down side of our room was not having a big enough kitchen. There were drawers and cabinets with silverware, plates, glasses, pots and pans but no room for extra food or snacks. On the counter we had a blender and coffee machine we never used. They just took up space. Our first night we ate at the hotel restaurant and had some alright food but nothing great. We ate the at restaurant a few more times and did not get much better food. This being said the American style breakfasts are not too bad. The prices for the food and drinks are not great, there were no happy hour deals and we did not get the all inclusive package. Upon walking around the pool was pretty clean and tranquil. The hot tube was comfortable and not overheated. The beach by the hotel is great. Like any beach front hotel sales men and women try to show various clothing, jewelry, and excursions. A simple no gracias or no thanks works fine. A majority of the time we headed into town we took a cab from the lobby. The bellman was very prompt and friendly. The cab rides are pretty cheap to town (centro or malecon). A few times we walked to the street and took the bus for a much cheaper but slightly longer ride. A cab is good for shopping, short trips, and dancing/late nights. Buses are good for longer trips. We booked one excursion through the hotel Rhythms of the Night. This is one of the best adult excursions I have been on. It is mainly for couples and well worth the money. A boat ride with drink, food, a show, and a buffet. Other than our activities we always returned to a air conditioned and clean room. I left my wallet on the table by accident and everything was left in it after the maids came through. The room did have a safe but we did not use it. Overall we had a great time and good room. I would probably recommend getting a all inclusive package unless the room has a decent size kitchen and fridge.

I WOULD HAVE HAD A MUCH BEETER VACATION IF SO MANY pepole FROM THE HOTEL,WOULD have STOP TRYING TO SELL ME AND MY wife TIME SHARES.

Villa Del Palmar has a nice location and easy and convenient access to local buses/Taxi to get down town Puerto Vallarta. Nice Pools and a top class Gym. Arriving late after a day of cancelled/changed flights though, they could not find my reservation, and after about 30 minutes of looking around, they located it, and then,..., thats when they tried to book me on presentations of their other facilities and to have me attend breakfast meetings at 8AM on my vacation... Second pet peeve was that none of their bars could make a Mojito..., didn't have the mint leaves. The response I would have preferred was we can get leaves, and tomorrow you can have a Mojito... A few mnonth ago I stayed with the neighbor hotel, Fiesta Americana, a little bit higher rates, but the experience was a newer and nicer hotel.

The Villa Del Palmar in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico was definatly a great place to go. I would reccomend friends to stay here. The room was perfect for a couple and the grounds were nice. The pool was definatly the place to be during the day there. They had activities at the pool such as games, dancing, and best of all tequilla volleyball. Definatly a family atmosphere there though, lots of kids enjoying the pool and its waterslide along with waterfall. If your looking for something more intimate I wouldn't recommend this place just because it seems to be a more family orientated and retired person get away. But it was still nice! The beach was just steps away with vendors and watersports. And the drinks were good. It also had the all inclusive option which we did not take, it worked out well with us, but seeing the price [...]had for it and the hotels (which was doubled) definatly book that sort of thing online!

After having a less than desirable flying experience, we arrived at our hotel 6 hours later than expected. Tired and grumpy, we were greeted immediately with friendly staff who took care of our check-in quickly and set us up in our room.For the entire week, we had a really fantastic time! The cleaning services were pretty fast and very thorough and the front desk/lobby staff were very friendly and helpful. When we encountered issues getting internet in our room, a staff member came up to our room to personally resolve the issue. Getting taxis were very easy and the staff was also a great source for food recommendations (for good fairly authentic mexican food that is within walking distance of the hotel and the nearby mall, try Adelita's, for a super great meal, check out Cafe la Olla in town, that you can take by taxi or by a very cheap--but long--bus ride).The hotel food was expensive and did not seem all that great, so we opted to eat from the local deli and different restaurants in town.In terms of the services they had available, we took advantage of a special they had on couples massages which was fantastic! The pools and spa are very nice and weren't too crowded.As with other reviewers, my only caveat is to be mindful of people selling timeshares, wares, or trips. I happen to speak Spanish (which helps) but honestly, the best way to gently handle these situations is to just persistently say "no thank you" and "not interested." Though I understand that these requests aggravate many people, if you are smart about what you say (don't tell them where you are from!) and are polite, they will leave you alone. Remember that these are people who need to make a living, too. Just try to be respectful!Overall, we had a fantastic time and couldn't have asked for a better hotel! Perfect for a young couple on a budget who aren't looking for a party town, but still like the little luxuries.

The hotel is old but taken care of the pool areas are great. Our check in was smooth, of course ther are the time share sharks but I made it very clear that we were not Intrested.... The food was good better than most all inclusive, we liked the fact that you can order from a menu and not a buffet.

The location is outstanding close to everything for traval comfort, ideal for activities both inside and outside the resort. The resort has everything and the staff is outstanding.

We were impressed by how nice the entire staff treated us. The studio was spacious and cleaned daily. The choice of 3 pools was nice. we enjoyed having a quiet pool at del mar. The beach area was nice and I enjoyed the variety of vendors. We went all over and especially enjoyed eating in old town. We can hardly wait to go again in Nov.

We have been going to this hotel for 15 plus years. We like the location 1/2 way between downtown and the airport. Close to a big grocery store and the bus stops right out front, to head into town. We usually go in Jan/Feb to escape the winters of Chicago. We have been so many times that we do not do any sight seeing, we prefer to lay poolside playing travel scrabble all day long, I know sounds boring, but it really makes the time fly by and allows us to tan without really trying. The hotel has 2 distinct areas. The larger side offers fun, games, music, etc. while the other side is quiet and more laid back, however the quiet side does seem to be ignored most of the time for waiter service for drinks and lunch. All in all it is a great place to go. We have decided that this will be our last trip there due to the increased crime of the drug lords. We have decided it is time to find a new winter getaway. Nothing to do with the hotel, but I must mention that we were told that they will start tearing down the quiet side of the complex to rebuild more modern and spacious rooms. Glad to have had the heads up on this one, would hate to get to a vacation destination only to find out that there is construction noise and dust, ruining any R&R, which was the main focus.