Velas Vallarta

We brought our kids here for their first time in Mexico, and after staying at Velas Vallartas, they can't wait to come back! We booked the all-inclusive option with a two-bedroom suite through Costco. Our ground transportation was arranged with Grey Line through the Costco package, and that was a much better experience than dodging the timeshare salespeople at the airport. The resort is very close to the airport, and you'll see the planes arriving and departing over the water. We didn't find them to be too loud or disruptive. The hotel is lovely, and the grounds are very well maintained. We enjoyed having the balcony in the evenings, and the rooms were spacious and comfortable. We went in August and while it was hot, the air conditioning worked very well inside the rooms. The grounds are very well maintained, and our kids really loved seeing all of the animals onsite (koi ponds, iguanas, peacocks, even a falconer with a hawk that kept the "nuisance" birds away.) Our kids were a little older for some of the Kids Club activities, but it was clear that there were a lot of good choices (smoothie making class, dance sessions, an afternoon show of The Little Mermaid, and a bird show with macaws and cockatoos). All-inclusive was the way to go, especially with kids. They really loved the fun of ordering room service, poolside snacks, getting beverages at the swim-up bar, and their daily visits to the ice cream counter (the mango and passionfruit sorbets were fantastic). There are plenty of food options between the two restaurants, and many kid-friendly foods too. There is a pizza shop, and a burger bar by the pool. The service everywhere was great, but we were especially impressed by Alan and Edgar, who were our servers at Andrea. We went there most days for breakfast, and they were so attentive and thoughtful. Every day they made us a fruit plate (even though it was part of the buffet), and when my daughter said she'd always wanted to try guava, they brought her a whole bowl. When we were done with breakfast, they made us coffees to go. On our last day, they brought us a tres leches cake, which was such a sweet sendoff. Alan and Edgar really elevated our experience at Velas Vallartas. Overall, this is a great family-friendly place (but also great for adults).

My wife and I celebrated our 20th anniversary here this past week. We were a little bummed that we did not see Marcelino at the pool! He is our favorite server and truly is one of the reasons why we love coming to Velas. We found him though at Andreas restaurant and still got exceptional service from him. We hope to see him back at the poolside on our next visit! However, we were in GREAT hands with Antonio and Luis at the swim up bar! These guys were fast and brought smiles to everyone they worked with! Also want to shout out the room cleaners and rest of the staff who just make Vellas feel like a 2nd home. Thanks Velas for a wonderful stay!!

My husband and I stayed at Velas Vallarta for our anniversary, and we had an amazing time. When we arrived, the hotel surprised us with a bottle of wine and chocolate-covered strawberries for our anniversary, which was such a thoughtful gesture and a great way to start our vacation. The resort is beautiful. Everywhere you look there are lush tropical plants, and it really feels like you're in paradise. There are three pools, including one with a swim-up bar, and we never felt like they were overcrowded. One of my favorite parts of the trip was our beachfront couples massage. Listening to the waves while getting a massage was so relaxing, and I would absolutely recommend it. The food was another highlight for us. We ate at the buffet every morning and several evenings, and we also ordered from the menu. Everything we had was fresh and delicious, and there was plenty of variety. The staff throughout the resort was incredibly friendly and attentive, and we always felt well taken care of. There were activities going on throughout the day, so whether you wanted to stay busy or just relax by the pool, there was always something to do. I could also see why this resort is popular with both couples and families. The only small downside was that some of the activities were held in the main lobby, which isn't air-conditioned. It wasn't a huge issue because they had fans running, but it did get a little warm at times. We loved our stay so much that we're already talking about coming back next year, this time with our kids. I can't wait for them to experience this beautiful resort for themselves.

We were a group of 5 (me, hubby and 3 college aged kids) and stayed 4 nights. Trip was relatively smooth, but PVR airport security went through my backpack with a fine toothed comb. They asked me if I had a vape pen and I said no, but I guess they didn't believe me because they opened every compartment, every toiletry bag, unzipped everything! I was so glad I didn't have a stray edible lingering inside. Avoid the timeshare hustlers. They are allowed into the airport and aggressively pursue you before you even exit! What they offer for attending the pitch is not worth the 4 hours they steal from your vacation. They tell you it's only 75 minutes but that is a lie. It's 4 mentally exhausting hours of thinking of new ways to keep saying NO. One offer is a free ride to the resort, but if you're in the marina, that trip is like 4 minutes so it's cheap anyway. One tip on Uber/taxis -- if your party is 5+, or you have lots of luggage, you WILL have to book two vehicles. Neither one does full-size SUVs, even though the app says 6 ppl. The maximum is ~4 ppl with minimal luggage. Increase either one and you will NOT fit into one vehicle. Either book two vehicles or book a private company that can verify they have Suburbans or shuttle vans. Our suite 4214 was a 3 bedroom 2 bath. The resort looked better in person than on the YT videos. I think maybe they've done some upgrades because our suite was awesome. The balcony was the entire length of the suite and had a great ocean view. All bedrooms have a TV, and you can access the input ports if you want to bring your streaming service devices. Good thing we did, because one day, it rained almost all day long, so we stayed in. We took cash for tipping. We tipped in USD the first day, then converted to pesos at the front desk. The resort conversion rate wasn't great, but it was worth it to me to not have to leave the resort to go looking for a bank -- especially since it's on the marina (lots of hotels/condos, but no businesses in walking distance). It was hotter than I expected being on the Pacific, but it wasn't unbearable (I'm from Texas). The pool doesn't have a towel station; you have to bring towels from your room, so ask for plenty. The beach was cool starting around 6pm, and the sunsets were amazing. The resort staff were polite and professional but not super friendly. That's just an observation; not a complaint. I didn't have any issues with them and I'm grateful for that. The ppl who sell trinkets on the beach can get aggressive, but they're not associated with the resort. I had pre-purchased some resort credits and used them for massages and facials at the spa. The massages were really good and my daughters liked their facials. The resort food was consistently mediocre. I think all the reviews about how good the food is are left by ppl who don't season their food. We booked an all-inclusive package so all our food and drinks were free, so we didn't complain. Not all guests book all-inclusive, so you will occasionally be asked to pay for your food. Just tell them your room number and that your food is free and there's no hassle. There's two restaurants, one indoor and fancy-ish; and one outdoor and casual. We could eat from the menu, or from the buffet, or both. There is a burger stand, an ice cream stand and a swim-up bar in the pool area. Room service is free 24/7, but the room service menu does not show everything you can order. For instance, it only shows 2 kinds of burger, but you can order any burger that the burger stand offers. If anyone makes your drink weak, you can politely ask them to make it stronger and they do it with a smile. We ate off-resort one night and I think I was expecting Tex Mex. It was authentic Mexican food and it was really good, I just know now that I prefer Tex Mex. There is a resort sponsored event every night so you don't have to leave for entertainment if you don't want to. But we did. On the way out, I noticed that once you turn off the marina road, there's access to a Super Walmart, H&M and other familiar retail. We went up into the hills and did some hiking and also a tequila tasting. In the hills, the roads were extremely rough and unpaved, but we felt safe the whole time. On our way back we stopped at a mini mall called Porto Magico and picked up souvenirs, and we stopped at Office Max to get bubble wrap for the bottles of tequila we needed to pack. When we checked out, they told us how much resort credit we didn't use, so we quickly went to the resort convenience store to buy some snacks. All in all, very solid vacation if you like the resort style trip. I wouldn't hesitate to stay at Velas Vallarta again.

Hello this is my third time here and the hotel is very nice clean and the food is delicious Cristina at the pool really take care of us excellent attention of her she does a wonderful work we really want to come back again hope she continues to work here thanks velas resort