Villa La Estancia - Riviera Nayarit

We have been returning yearly for a month stay to Villa La Estancia in Riviera Nayarit and obviously enjoy ourselves , our stay, and especially the wonderfully attentive staff. We always feel welcome upon arrival and during our entire stay. The staff goes out of their way to be helpful no matter what the issue/problem/concern and that is always greatly appreciated. The pool staff - Jesus & Daniel - are among the best we have ever encountered. And the elite concierge team, especially Ana & Yesi, are aslways available to be informative and responsive. We were lucky to have our toddler-aged grandchildren with us and they totally enjoyed the included Kids Club activities. We just find it uber-relaxing to be "back home" every year and want to give a SHOUT OUT to everyone who makes us feel that way. MUCHAS GRACIAS!

This trip at this resort was excellent. The friendly staff and service was second to none. Special mention to Juan who helped with groceries and coordination of services. Also Jesus and Daniel by the pools were always happy to help and very approachable.

Grounds are immaculately groomed - most of the staff are very accommodating. Rooms are spacious and great. When we choose a resort, we look for tennis courts first, then everything else. We are going on our third week and the tennis net is still not up on the court. If a resort takes down an amenity for more than a week, it really shouldn't continue to advertise it as available. The court was scheduled for maintenance during our trip (from November 23 until December 6 when some brave folks undid the nets for pickleball). Requests to meet with management are basically ignored by lobby/check-in staff. The courts weren't worked on until about November 28 or so and weren't "finished" (without the tennis net) until yesterday.

We just got back from Nuevo Vallarta this week, and this is my honest opinion of Villa La Estancia Beach Resort & Spa Riviera Nayarit - All Inclusive Package. This was a short 4-night family vacation with a child. If you are staying there, you are also getting the benefits of a nearby Flamingo resort located next door. This is a condotel, or as we were told, a VRBO (vacation rental by owner). The check-in was fast and easy, and we were advised that we would have a personal concierge to help us navigate our stay. The concierge Sergio greeted us and walked us to his desk. He asked if we were celebrating anything, and we informed him that it was our anniversary. He said that he will arrange for a bottle of champagne and some fruit to be delivered to our room. Well, long story short, that never happened. There were a lot of print-outs, handwriting, and "we want you to go home and tell your friends about us." So, here I am, telling everyone about YOU. We were advised that the main restaurant needs reservations for dinner and that tonight they have a special Thanksgiving dinner. They assisted us with the reservation, but more about dinner later. During our information session, I realized that he is trying to sign us up for a sales presentation by telling us that we are eligible for a whole slew of discounts. But all of that will be discussed tomorrow when we meet up with a salesperson. We were not interested in any of that, and I told him right away that we have all our days planned out and are not going to waste time on any presentations. Sergio said, "But we helped you with the dinner reservation." So, all the services are contingent upon our agreeing to your presentation??? All that took about an hour after an early morning flight. Later, after dinner, he caught us in the lobby and offered an even better deal. But none of those deals were of any interest to us. Do you think it's maybe why we didn't get champagne? First dinner: We arrived on time at 6 pm, and the place was practically empty. More people started arriving around 8 pm. But the service was soooo slow that we ended up finishing our dinner after 9 pm. During dinner, they had a pianist playing. Well, more practicing than playing. This was not pleasant at all. Breakfasts, total 4: service is still slow. I asked for a vanilla latte, but not once did I actually get any vanilla in it. On the last morning, I was told that they don't have vanilla, maybe they didn't have it all along, but why didn't of the other waiters say anything? There is apparently a bread basket that people are offered. We were only offered it once when we were already done with our breakfast. Lunch: We had 2 lunches at the beach. Really hard to get anyone out there to place an order. But the food was nice, it arrived on time, and it was very convenient. Since we are talking about the beach, one day they ran out of beach towels. All while they set up lounges in the morning using two towels, and some people feel the need to use 4-5 towels on the lounge. No one had a clear answer when the towels would become available, just pointing fingers. La Creperie: The schedule clearly says that they are open until 10:30 pm. Ten minutes before ten, they informed us that they don't make crepes anymore, only ice cream. They closed the stand at 10 pm sharp and proceeded to make crepes for themselves. Pool Bar: can get busy, but you'll get your drink eventually. One day, we ordered drinks and the bartender accepted our order, but then the manager came over to tell us that they were closed and wouldn't even be able to make our drinks at the adjacent restaurant because it requires a reservation. Mind you, only one table was occupied, and that restaurant DOES NOT require a reservation. Later, we called the front desk to "make a reservation" and were informed that none was needed. The next day, we got to the pool bar at 5:50 pm, and it closed at 6 pm. The guy told us that they had already closed. He did, however, make our drinks after we told him what time it was. Last day, breakfast, ordered 2 glasses of champagne that never made it to our table. Had to ask for orange juice 4 times before we got it. After we were done with breakfast, I went to check out, and my husband went to the bar inside the restaurant where we just had breakfast, and was told that they can't pour him alcohol until 11 am. At 11 am, they told him no because we had already checked out. You are a stickler for time when it's time for opening, but don't mind sending people away 30 minutes prior to your official closing time. In conclusion, the facility and grounds are nice and clean, the toiletries are nice, but this place is very pretentious, and the service needs a ton of improvement.

I came to Villa la Estansia with my mother and sister, and we had an amazing week at the resort. The pool staff Jesus, David, Caesar, were so helpful and accommodating. My 90 year-old mother was taken care of so beautifully by everyone not just by the pool staff, but the restaurant staff and the front bell staff. Bryan and all the Bell men were so very helpful getting us cabs and taking care of our luggage. Our Elite Concierges Karen and Jessie helped us get reservations. Thanks so much to the swim pool bartenders; we had custom drinks and many smiles. thanks to everyone. I’ve been a member of the Villa group since flamingos was conceived pre-construction, and have never been disappointed in our experience here. Thanks everyone once again for a wonderful vacation Sharon.