Villa La Estancia - Riviera Nayarit

We spent a week in Mid-November enjoying Villa La Estancia with a group of 11 ranging in age from 75 to 7. I’ll speak to Villa La Estancia first but also add some comments about VDP Flamingos next door as well as we spent time at both. With 11 of us traveling together I contacted the resort a few weeks in advance to make reservations for our suppers to ensure we’d have no issues getting sat together. I was put in contact with a butler, Juan, who worked with me to get reservations set up. He checked in through out the stay to ensure things were going well. Upon learning my kids all played soccer he brought his kit from home and played a game of soccer volleyball with them and gave them some pointers on playing keeper as well. We spent the majority of our time hanging around the pool. Jesus and Daniel took great care of us each day getting our chairs set up and checking in on us getting more towels or repositioning umbrellas for more sun or shade. It was great knowing that we didn’t have to wake up early or rush around for chairs as they would check with us about what we needed the night before and it would be ready for us to enjoy. Jesus was off the last few days of our trip as he was getting married that weekend. He was so excited about it, couldn’t wait to tell people. The day after the wedding Daniel made sure he had his phone out as people were getting settled so he could show some photos of the bride and groom. Congratulations Jesus!! Most days around the pool Josue was our waiter. He kept the food and drinks coming all day without issue. My kids especially loved the swim up bar and drank far too many smoothies but the bartenders were great with them and they never had to wait too long for a refill. We enjoyed the quiet laid back atmosphere of the pool. It was nice and warm and a great place to hang out. If the kids were looking for something a little more lively we’d head next door to VDP for some pool volleyball or check out some boogie boards to play in the ocean waves. The location was great and some of our family walked to Bucerias to view the market or enjoy a beach bar. All day there were people walking up and down the beach so plenty of people watching opportunities without straying too far off the resort. Food was pretty good overall with a few areas for improvement. La Casona for supper was very good. Everyone found something they enjoyed and the service was great. Steaks were cooked properly and sides were tasty and plentiful. Breakfast at La Casona was a bit underwhelming. Our family prefers a buffet over Menu for breakfast and the options were quite limited. We ate most breakfasts next door at El Patron. The selection of food was good though we found things weren’t always refilled quickly. The issue with breakfast was the service wasn’t great. It seemed like the majority of folks at breakfast were there as part of a timeshare presentation so likely weren’t great tippers so the service seemed more focused on cleaning plates away rather than trying to elevate the experience. No drink suggestions or things of that nature even simple drink requests would go unfulfilled. El Patron in the evening was hit and miss as well. Our server was prompt and attentive and the food was hit and miss. My wife loved hers, I wasn’t as impressed with mine. Yashinoki rivaled La Casona as our favorite meal destination. The service was great both times we went. Having the more family style service was great and the food was delicious. Trattoria had great food but our service was a bit spotty. The outdoor dining was great for us to enjoy the beautiful evenings. Tomatillos was my least favorite spot for supper. The service was slow and the meals weren’t consistent with multiple people ordering the same dish with varied results. The bar beside Tomatillos was our pre/post supper hangout spot with excellent service. While we had to sign bills for drinks and meals we found that this bar was a bit more forgiving in not worrying about each beer or drink being documented which was nice especially if you were just grabbing a drink for the road. We did find it a bit odd that VLE didn’t have a bar set up in a central spot that you could just pull up a chair and grab a drink. Your options were to either go to the swim up bar, order a drink from a server or use the bar inside La Casona. A stand alone lobby or terrace bar would have been a welcome option for a quick drink between activities or for a relaxing after dinner cocktail. Overall we really enjoyed our stay at Villa La Estancia. The rooms were large and well kept. Check in and check out were both a breeze. All the people working there were kind and pleasant to deal with. Our family had spent the last few years vacationing at Villa Del Palmar in Cancun and issues arose that we couldn’t get back this time so we decided to try a sister property in PV for a year assuming we would come for a year and head back to Cancun. After a great week the consensus was while we wouldn’t hesitate to go back to Cancun, all else being equal we’d likely prefer to end up back at Villa La Estancia next year.

Another great visit. Special thanks to the breakfast crew at La Casona, especially, Lorena and Esmeralda. The pool crew is fantastic with Jesus and Daniel finding chairs for the guests and Lucio, Nico, Josue, Ernesto, David, Raul, Ricardo, and Angel keeping everyone fed and hydrated.

My family of 12 people gets together every year for Thanksgiving. This was one of the best vacations we have ever had! When you arrive, you will be greeted with “welcome home” but that is misleading, VLE is so much better than home. There’s Raul and Omar, who will remember you from year to year; Jair and Alma at the front desk, who will give you a warm welcome and insure you have everything you need. There are too many people to mention, but you will have an unforgettable vacation. Don’t hesitate to go!

Had another fantastic time at Villa La Estancia - our fourth time there. The staff is so friendly and attentive - we can’t say enough good things about everyone who works there (many who have been there for all the years we’ve been going). Jair at reception was amazingly helpful sorting out our room, and thanks to Omar and Vianey for their help with our bags. At the pool, Danielle and Jesus are incredible ensuring everyone gets set up with lounge chairs. And the entire waitstaff at La Parilla/the pool are fantastic, including Ricardo, Raul, Nico, Esteban, and many more whose names we don’t have. And a final shout out to the staff at La Casona - Esmeralda, Alfredo, Lucia and many more. We’ll definitely go back again!

This is my family’s 4th trip back to Villa La Estancia—and each time we visit, the service and amenities have been top-notch. The employees excel at doing the little things to make our vacation enjoyable and memorable. Big shout out to the pool staff and their friendliness and customer service. Jesús was amazing. Thank you, and we look forward to returning!