Barcelo Puerto Vallarta

I’m going to break this down because there were both good and bad things about this hotel. First of all, compared to other “all-inclusive” hotel chains, this hotel really isn’t all-inclusive. They limit the restaurants you can access depending on the number of nights you stay, so even though we stayed 4 nights, we only had access to 2 restaurants. You do not get access to all of them, which completely takes away the value of an all-inclusive experience. Also, on our last night I tried to make a reservation for the Italian restaurant, and their concierge, Monica — who from day one attended us with an expression of complete boredom, as if she were being forced to work there — told us it was closed that day, something nobody had informed us about before. Had we known, we would have planned differently. She suggested a restaurant we had already been to and the seafood restaurant, but the food quality there is horrible. While I’m at it, the woman in charge of the tour information also spoke in a very dismissive way to us, yet I saw her joking around and being extremely friendly with two foreign guests. So the service toward national/local guests is basically nonexistent. Now, about the food. The main restaurant for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (because it’s basically the only one available) does not have enough variety, and very little of the food is actually good. The snack/seafood restaurant at night is terrible — the quality looks questionable, the chicken soup was completely red, and their guacamole was basically onions with half an avocado mixed in. Awful. The cantina also has a snack bar that honestly looks like garbage food, leftovers that seem like they’ve been sitting there for a week. As for the pools, the water is cold, but that’s somewhat compensated by the beach weather. However, everywhere they have signs saying that reserving lounge chairs is prohibited, and guess what? About 80% of the chairs are reserved by foreign guests and nobody says anything to them. Obviously, they receive much better service because they tip in dollars. As I mentioned before, foreign guests are treated significantly better in every area: restaurants, reception, tours, concierge service, drinks, etc. The condition of the beach is terrible. The sand is full of rocks, and because it’s a port area, it’s crowded with boats and small watercraft, which makes the experience feel unsafe. The only redeeming part of this hotel is the rooms. They are large, spacious, comfortable, and allow you to rest well. The bathroom is private, and up to 5 people can stay comfortably in one room. However, be aware that on event days such as weddings, they set up the event right next to the pool with a DJ included, so the music can still be heard even with the windows closed. That means on Fridays or Saturdays, you won’t be able to rest early. They have many things to improve and too many incomplete and poor-quality services. For that reason, I will never return. I’m writing this here because, of course, my Google review and email complaint were completely ignored. Also, the hotel usually responds only to reviews written in English because they clearly prioritize foreign guests, so I’m sure this one will at least get their attention.

Cesar in the Premium Lounge is a great person so warm and welcoming. He even had a special surprise in the lounge for my birthday celebration. You also must sit at the bar near the pizza oven, and ask the pizza chef to make you something special. You will not be disappointed. All the staff we encountered were great. The resort is in a great location, with a fun local vibe. Yes the resort is a little older, but they work hard to keep up with the maintenance. This is our first all inclusive we have ever came back to a second time. Do not fear the bad reviews you will enjoy it.

Awesome place. Great service! Moses Rodriguez was an excellent server at the pool!

Oscar is awesome. The food is fabulous.

Alejandra and Veronica gave us excellent service at the buffet everytime. Woah I could stay forever!!