Mexican Experience by Villa del Palmar

We had pool view only same as most rooms. Hot tub was good, though a little crowded. We could see the shows from our balcony

Courteous staff and nice beach and pool areas

I have stayed here many times. Each time, they try to sell you a time share at this and other properties they own. This place has become costly, compared to the restaurants through out Puerto Vallarta. A new scam they have is adding a 15% "Service Charge" to your bar and restaurant bill. This is illegal in Mexico. No property can require you to pay a gratuity. I enjoyed the pools and the beach area, but, because of remodeling, they are still down one pool. People are still saving lounges in the pool area, despite signs to the contrary. When I checked in, I asked to have my account set up so I could charge at the bar and restaurants. I wound up having to use my credit card every time. On my last day there, the maid staff knocked on my room door at 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. to clean my room. All of this before checkout. There are plenty of activities if you want to hang around the resort. But, there is buses nearby if you want to get away. Shopping and restaurants off the resort are also close.

I will do a list of positives and negatives, as there were a few of both. Postives: - Lovely pools and beach area - Helpful concierge staff (shout out Ruben) - Room was good size with a great view from the balcony - Kitchen was well-equipped - The "El Patron" restaurant was mostly very good. Negatives: - The Kids Club was a massive disappointment. The kids were not allowed to stay there as long as they wanted, we were constantly asked to pick them up and take them back again between activities. For the parents at least, that completely defeats the point. - The "La Trattoria" restaurant at lunchtime was not very good. - The air conditioning had to stay on all the time to avoid condensation collecting and making the floors slippery and dangerous. - Everytime ordering something seemed to turn into a bureaucratic exercise - ordering ice-creams using a 2x1 voucher somehow required two signatures.

While the rooms a little outdated, three things really stood out about this property that make it an excellent place for a family stay: 1) The staff keep the grounds (including pools) extremely clean. A lot of effort is made to ensure the grounds are clean and well-maintained. 2) The oceanfront is as good as any property in the area. In fact, the flat sandy bottom is superior to many nearby beaches that are steeper and rocky. 3) They do an excellent job of providing entertainment. The nightly shows and performers (e.g. fire dancers and full band) were definitely highlights.

Overall the property is good. We didn't do the all inclusive so i cannot comment on the restaurants. From what i was hearing the food and drinks were average like most resorts. The grounds were kept very clean and the beach,pools and staff were excellent! The gym is one of the better gyms I have used at a resort. The rooms are a bit dated but we aren't too fussy about the rooms as we don't spend much time in them aside from sleeping. Property location is probably the best part of the resort. Super close to lots of shopping ,restaurants,airport and outside activities. We walked around outside the resort during the day and night and never felt safer in Mexico.

The balcony room we had was nice! The beach area was nice. The accommodations are dated with elevators that are questionable. I didn't feel like they had enough dining for all the people that were there.

Mi estancia estuvo muy bien en este resort, las instalaciones muy bien, disfruté del gym y su sauna, las albercas, pero sobre todo su personal en general todos amables y atentos, pero en especial Paty la chica que nos atendió durante nuestros desayunos, da ese plus con su sonrisa al recibirnos cada mañana. una grata experiencia hospedarse en este resort.

Pools and hot tub were great. Due to location close to the river, swimming is not possible in the ocean. Too rough. Problem with the humidity in the room, fixed with a dehumidifier. Small ants in the prep & kitchen area.

We have stayed at Villa del Palmar several times. It is an older establishment, however it is clean and comfortable, and the staff are all amazing. You are right on the beach in the hotel zone so very convenient. Each room has a kitchen or kitchenette, with a grocery store within walking distance for those wanting to be budget friendly. There are activities every day for both kids and adults alike. Entertainment each evening by the pool area. There room prices are very reasonable with several options.

It was a very busy place. They had so many rules about paying for your meals - you can't use cash, you have to charge to your room, you can only pay by credit card, you can only use this voucher and not this voucher..... It was very annoying and confusing. We asked for an cot twice and didn't receive it. Staff was very friendly and helpful. Rooms were very clean. The entire resort was very clean.

We had to move 3 times to get the black mold issue dealt with in our room. This wasted 1.5 days of our vacation and was stressful. A promise was made to clean our room and it wasn’t done. The staff are very friendly and they are doing their best to keep an old building clean. The poor ventilation from the AC is causing the mold issue.

Clean room, helpful wait staff, helpful staff on check in. We booked a second trip (while staying) and chose the same room/rate and asked that we be in the same block beside each other (with kids so an additional room on our next vacation. Front desk was not overly accommodating with this request - we will reserve a star as that has been requested on multiple channels and if they deliver we would be happy. Partial ocean view is a bit of a stretch but we much prefer that and pool view to the parking lot building so stay tuned. If you do not choose all inclusive (breakfast only) you are left to sort most things on your own, therefore proximity to both pool and beach are necessary.

We enjoyed our stay, however we had a ground floor room and found a couple of cockroaches. I could tell they were trying to keep everything clean, but that was a bit unsettling. We really enjoyed the accessibility. This was our second stay here.

We had an amazing stay, the staff are very accommodating, the rooms are always clean and the atmosphere around resort is great. Had an excellent 2 week stay

Several days the housekeeping wouldn't get done til after supper if at all. Towels, etc weren't replenished. We had to ask for them. Toilet wasn't cleaned.

Clean room. Beautiful grounds. Interesting and fun holiday “decorations”

There was black mold in bathroom, the smell in the unit was horrible. I have asthma, I had to practically beg for a new room. The guy at front desk Ivan was very rude about the whole situation. Ruined our trip, had to cancel trip to Saulita because we had to check out of our room and wait for a new one

This property is in a good central location. We have stayed many times since 2007. Some things NEVER change! People ALWAYS come out in the mornings and put towels on the loungers in numerous locations and the pool concierge does absolutely NOTHING about it despite the signs telling people to not reserve chairs. I know it’s uncomfortable for staff to enforce this but it is SUPER annoying and disrespectful to all the guests walking around & around and trying to find somewhere to sit and relax. Now to the housekeeping. The floors in the rooms are not just dirty but filthy. How can they expect to clean the floors with dirty water and just push it around? It’s also super annoying that they remove face cloths and towels and don’t bother to replace them with new. I’m not sure that I would stay here again. 😖😖

The room and the resort was spotless

The room was spotless and well supplied kitchenette bathroom. Absolutely beautiful, great experience.

Great little resort, staff was amazing, fantastic food. Only negative was outdated room.

There’s a lovely balcony from which to watch the sun come up. Everything went well in our stay over before we headed to Sayulita for a family gathering.

Nice property, my kids really enjoyed the pools, wifi reliable, comfy beds, excellent view

Our stay started out terrible! Our room was not ready and we were issued the worst room in the resort. Our room overlooked the parking lot and street. Extremely noisy! Also, we requested a King bed ( reservation made on Expedia (3) months prior). We were told none were available! We spent our first two nights sleeping in small, twin size beds, listening to the traffic noise that is 24 hours. Room was also very small and very outdated. Don’t be fooled by the term, Jr. Suite. It was a standard, small, Motel 6 type room We were upgraded the third day of our stay to a new room after making several complaints! Finally, a King bed with a view of the pool area. It finally felt like a vacation!

great location and good service the room is old but worth the price

Came for a week with my daughters. Lots of room at the beach and ample chairs/ umbrellas for everyone, easy surf to play in, lots of activities available. Staff were lovely everywhere on the resort. The food was great all around and Park City across the road offered other choices for a meal close by. Our room was very clean, spacious and had an amazing view. It was a wonderful place to spend a week relaxing. Would definitely recommend.

Balcony faced the street, so much more street noise than in past. Also, was just above area where staff stores suitcases, and timeshare people are busy organizing clients, so voices and smokers’ smells drifted up to our room. Did not spend a lot of room time, tho.

The balcony room we had was nice! The beach area was nice. The accommodations are dated with elevators that are questionable. I didn't feel like they had enough dining for all the people that were there.

Staff were very friendly. I thought i had booked a pool/water view but i had a front entance view instead. Property is well maintained, there are a few items that need some attention but nothing major that would disrupt a stay here. Proximity to City Centre was pretty quick by car (15 minutes)

The concierges were extremely nice during check-in. However, for the first 4 of our 10 day stay, we couldn’t walk through the lobby without one of them bombarding us to buy a time share. Each time we told them we already owned 2 timeshares and weren’t interested. After the 4th day, they were rude and wouldn’t even say hi to us. That said, all other staff were extremely pleasant. I give the concierge staff a 1 star. Other staff, especially the maids, 5 star! The room air conditioning was set at 71.5 degrees F and although rooms have thermostats, they are locked. We had to get maintenance to come in the room with a ladder to access the crawl space to adjust the temperature to 68. The room phone didn’t work so we had no way to take advantage of the 24 hour room service without using our cell to call the front desk. The tv remote control didn’t work. The bedside lamp didn’t work. The food on site was mediocre, at BEST! (Unless you get an American pizza, which was amazing. On our 5 night, after returning from a day on the beach and getting back to the resort around 10:30 pm, there were staff members changing a gas tank of one of their personal vehicles under the entrance to the resort at the FRONT DOOR! The entire lobby to include the hallways to our room reeked of gasoline the entire night and next morning.

The staff is very pushy when you arrive. I stated multiple times I didn’t want to hear about a time share, or load money on a card but the receptionist insisted and kept talking.

The staff spent two days bothering my family and I about a timeshare for another hotel. They offered a taxi to the airport and I paid for it. Then they said they couldn’t honor it and never refunded me. I didn’t get help with my luggage after my stay. I would not stay there again.

Room was very clean and staff was friendly and helpful.

The overall service from the staff was terrible. Neglectful and rude. My family and I were a bit early since our flight was earlier than expected, and we’re aware of the 3 o’clock check in time. So we waited in the lobby for 3 hours. We did the “pre check in” so that our room would have “priority” to clean. At 3 we checked in and were told our room wasn’t ready and had to wait an extra hour after check in. When we asked to speak to a manager the room was magically cleaned in 5 minutes. We were given our bracelets and let go. Our room was in the 4th tower on the 4th floor and were given no directions. We had to ask one of the cleaning staff to direct us. Once we reached our room, the bracelets we were given were expired and wouldn’t unlock the room. Again I flagged down a cleaning lady to let us into our room. We checked out the next day. This place sucks.

Very clean , the service was excellent from front desk , housekeeping and servers . We are so grateful to have spend our family vacation at this hotel

Our family had an amazing stay at Villa Del Palmar! The staff was amazing and made our trip! Ian and Charly from the entertainment team were amazing and showed how much they loved their jobs! Overall a great stay and would recommend! The property was a bit on the older side but very clean and safe. There was a great food area called the Food Park right across the street that we ate at multiple times. We did not do all inclusive and enjoyed this decision as the resort only had four restaurant options.

As soon as you check in they are on you about their timeshare

I like everything about the hotel. Everyone was pretty much friendly except Al at the front desk. He was very rude and acted like I was bothering him when I asked him about taxis to the airport. But I won't let that one bad allle spoil my review of the hotel as it was overall a good experience except the encounter with Al

The stay at the hotel was fine, the staff was very nice and it’s a quick drive to/from the airport. It’s a convenient location right next to the beach. The dining options are not that great though, the service at the restaurants is terrible and the waiting times and prices are excessive. The hours they post online don’t match the actual times they open. Also, the food is bad, not authentic.

Great property , central to the Melicon and the Marina . Soriana grocery store a block away great to grab food and drinks great for beer just not premixed or wine selection poor . Very close to the airport , taxi’s available right at your hotel . Security is good and all in all a great small resort on the beach . Our building was a little out dated but love the eight floors better than the towers around it . Had a few items on our kitchen that were missing and took a few days to get them stocked -IE wine opener and dish soap ,paper towel but the staff were great about it . Would stay here again .

The hotel was clean same as our room. The staff were very friendly and helpful. The kitchen has everything you need, fridge, microwave, an electric stove. The hotel is in a very convenient location, you can walk to the supermarkets, take a bus downtown 10 pesos. You can take bus to Bucerías, Punta Mita and Sayulita.

Property is clean and market close by. Short cab ride or bus to downtown El Centro. Nice location.

This is our go to hotel in Puerto Vallarta because of its central location, clean rooms with daily maid service, nice pool, good pool and concierge service all at a reasonable cost. We don’t do the all inclusive option so no comment on that. It is not 5 stars but good value.

Close to town and shopping. Extremely clean resort, great food and very friendly staff.

This hotel was beautiful the room so spacious with a small kitchen and balcony. There is a shopping center 5 min walk and a grocery market, Pizza Hut also 5 min away . I would definitely come back.

Great location.

Staff were very friendly. I thought i had booked a pool/water view but i had a front entance view instead. Property is well maintained, there are a few items that need some attention but nothing major that would disrupt a stay here. Proximity to City Centre was pretty quick by car (15 minutes)

The location is great! It’s next door to La Isla shopping mall and a 10minute taxi drive to el malecón. The staff and hospitality is great! The hotel is not too bad for its price I have to say it definitely needs to be remodeled but it not too bad I actually enjoyed it. The pools are great there is a big pool and a kids pool area. It has its own beach access and 3 restaurants and a cafe. For the price I would definitely return.

We have stayed at Villa del Palmar several times. It is an older establishment, however it is clean and comfortable, and the staff are all amazing. You are right on the beach in the hotel zone so very convenient. Each room has a kitchen or kitchenette, with a grocery store within walking distance for those wanting to be budget friendly. There are activities every day for both kids and adults alike. Entertainment each evening by the pool area. There room prices are very reasonable with several options.

Restaurants very expensive. Drinks very expensive. Outside options are way much attractive and reasonable priced. A liter of sangria for $99 pesos as opposed to a simple pina colada with a premade mix at the hotel for a total of more than $200, unreal! We really liked the kitchenette at the room. Rooms were comfortable and clean

The hotel was nice, but the experience was frustrating. We booked through Expedia, where it clearly said lunch was included. At check-in, the staff confirmed it was free at a certain time. At the restaurant, we asked again and were told it included appetizer, meal, and dessert. After eating, they brought a card machine and said we had to pay IVA (tax) and a service tip—over 1,000 pesos. When I questioned it, they said, “Oh, they didn’t tell you in the lobby?” I told them it was never mentioned, and they just said, “Well, they should have told you.” If I had known, we wouldn’t have ordered so much. They also charged my mother’s debit card without her authorization, overdrafting her account and causing fees. When we brought it up, the staff was rude and unhelpful. They said the free lunch was an Expedia promotion and not their responsibility. The lack of transparency and the dismissive attitude from the staff were unacceptable. I would not return or recommend this hotel.

Clean room, nice view, well equipment kitchen. Only downside was cost of beverages, one Pacifico, 2 waters, and a not good margarita cost close to $500 pesos

This property was a huge disappointment. Pushy timeshare pitches, even calling our room daily after we declined in person several times. Extremely overpriced and mediocre quality food at tue restaurants (when theyre open). They also charge a 15% "service fee" on top of everything and then you still tip as well. I used my cc on file for charges and at one point tue pool bar "which had abysmal service, said we reached the "credit limit". I had to go to the front desk and see what was going on and it turns out, there is a 4,000 pesos/200 usd limit set when you check in that they never even mentioned to us. Needless to say, we didnt spend 1 more cent there after that incident. We will definitely not stay here or its sister propert again and would recommend to others to look elsewhere. 2/10 experience at this property.

We waited over 2 hrs after check in time to get a room. When we did get our room it was the wrong one. Disappointed with certain restaurants not being open. The food was mediocre. The water pressure in the room was a trickle. There was a gorgeous bathtub but it would have taken an hour to fill it up.

Food is good,

It was a wonderful place to stay! Very nice staff and an excellent excellent breakfast buffet!

Didn’t give a five because they need more restaurants. Otherwise it was great

The room was clean and fine. The staff were friendly. The location is good. The restaurants are expensive and the service at the coffee bar was slow and understaffed.

The stay at the hotel was fine, the staff was very nice and it’s a quick drive to/from the airport. It’s a convenient location right next to the beach. The dining options are not that great though, the service at the restaurants is terrible and the waiting times and prices are excessive. The hours they post online don’t match the actual times they open. Also, the food is bad, not authentic.