Villa del Mar Beach Resort

Customer ratings & reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

8767 reviews

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  An honest review of our stay....

  I listed this under family but it was a trip with three of my sisters....so maybe more of a friends/girls trip. We booked this off of Expedia not from the site and not with any deals or offers from the resort itself. We found out later it was a timeshare place and that they make offers of cheap stays. We booked it online because the price was within our budget. We went on the full AI package. We stayed from April 22-April 27. Our arrival was interesting because we really were not prepared for the timeshare hustle. We waited in line for about 30-45 minutes and were brought welcoming drinks by our "concierge". After we were checked in he brought us to a table and did the map tour and stuff. Then he showed us some activities. He offered us a deal on 4 massages and 4 tickets to Rythym of the Nights for I think 150 cdn each. Good deal. The catch was we had to sit through a presentation at one of their sister sites. We said yes and paid 200 peso deposit (total) and were going to go the next morning at 9 am. Once in the room we discussed it, read about it online and all came to the conclusion that this was not for us. They said it would take 90 minutes but the presentation did not start unti after we had breakfast and some online comments said it could take up to 4 -5 hours of our day. We all agreed that we did not come on vaction to spend it at a timeshare presention. One of my sisters went to desk in lobby explained that we would not be going. They did try to change her mind but were not overly aggressive. There was a way we could have gotten the 200 peso deposit back but we just let it go. We were happy to not be going. We did choose to book Rhythm of the Nights online and got 30 percent of for booking ahead and we were happy with that. The room was as shown and very nice. We had a two bedroom suite. We and requested a ground floor suite prior to arrival and were pleased to get one. We had a pool view, not ocean. Were in in building 6 if that helps anyone. We had two full bathrooms with bathtubs. A full kitchen. The room was clean and the beds were comfortable. Very bright in the decor...it was very nice. The A/C worked and there was good water pressure in shower. No complaints at all about room. After we had put our things in the room we were wanting to eat. It was about 3pm we went to the buffett. It was late afternoon and it was not the greatest. You could tell it was the end of the day buffett. We were confused as we had only been to two other AI's and we were not clear on what and how things worked. It was kind of hard to get the attention of servers and asked couple of times how things worked and got a couple of different answers but it was first day and we were hungry and tired. We decided to order room service. You cannot get any beverages unless you order food. The room service was good and after naps and food we felt better. The beach had nice lounge chairs, there was a nicer part for VIP's (timeshare maybe) but it was still nice. There were beach vendors (things very expensive) we had just spent one week during Semana Santa at a very small beach town and the things on the beach in PV were more than double. I guess that is why many people haggle. In the small town we never haggle because the prices are good and the beach vendors are pretty friendly and less aggressive. The beach vendors did take a polite "No gracias". We find if we are polite to them they are polite to us and we understand they need to make a living too. The first night there was some entertainment on the beach. Acrobatics, fire throwing. It was nice. The highlight was one morning at breakfast we were approached by the chef and sous chef and asked if we were interested in a special dinner. The sous chef wanted to host us for dinner and have us try his special menu. We think it was him trying to show the chef his skills. We said sure. At that point we were not sure if it would be an upcharge or if we would being scouted for more timeshare tactics. We were pleasantly surprised. We at the the Japanese Restaurant onsite. They greeted us like very special guests and served us a 4 / 5 course meal off menu. The food was AMAZING. It started with sashimi, salmon and tuna and some nigiri type sushi. All very fresh and very tasty. Then they brough out a huge platter of 4 or 5 types of sushi rolls. They were very good and very creative. They were not any of the usual kind you get when you order sushi. Next came a chicken skewer in a mild curry. It was very good as well. Very tender, very moist. Finally we each got a coconut curry salmon. The salmon was cooked to perfection. We live on the west coast of BC and eat a lot of salmon. My sisters have cooked in restaraunts and both said they have never had salmon cooked that perfectly in a restaruant. The chef and sous chef were very attentive and we very much appreciated trying their new dishes. There was not timeshare plug and we were not charged extra for the meal. How we were chosen we are not sure. They did ask us to review it and so here I am. The meal 10/10 We ate at El Patron on site as well. The food and service in there was amazing as well at dinner. The breakfast buffett was nice and had a good selection. Ordering off the menu at breakfast would take an hour so we did not do that. We did order breakfast to our room twice and it was very good. So other than the rocky start the first day at the buffett at the end of the day we really enjoyed the food. You could order some things like steak and lobster for an upcharge but we chose not to so I cannot comment on that. The coffee bar in the lobby made crepes and lattes and smoothies and such. Everything we had there was very good. I enjoyed the lattes very much. Each onewas prepared to order. The service around the pool was good too. The pool was clean and warm. What started out to be a rocky first day turned out to be a very enjoyable vaction. It is not a huge resort and no real "club atomosphere". We did not mind but if you are looking for that you would need to go offsite. The entertainment that was there was good. Most things were closed down and quiet by about 11. We were not travelling with kids so I cannot comment on any of that. If I could I would I would give it a 4.5 but feel my 4 is good. We would stay there again and would recommend people to this place. Thank you for a nice vacation!

  Apr 29, 2025
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  Wonderful staff

  We just spent 3 months at Villa Jan thru March and as always it was wonderful. The resort is older but well maintained, The location is excellent, on the beach and close to the Malecon. The real stars of the show are the staff. Friendly, caring, efficient always going above and beyond. I commend all the staff, from the gate guards, the bellmen, the gardeners, housekeeping, servers too many to name! However I want to give a special thanks to Melany at the front desk. Patty the Room division manager, Concierges Ana, Monse, Bianca. Also Maid Supervisor Amalia, Rosalia in the laundromat and UVC rep Gina. A very very special thank you to those who helped me through a very difficult time. Diego Flores concierge, Alfredo Farias pool concierge, Kenia front desk, Elizabeth UVC rep, and the entire entertainment staff Manager Sergio, supervisor Tino, Diana, Leslie, Arat, Charlie and Jade and Spa girls in the gym Perla and Crystal. You all are in my heart which is why I will return again and again. Allyson

  Apr 27, 2025
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  Family vacation

  “Absolutely love this place! It’s my fourth visit, and I keep coming back. The location is ideal — right in the heart of Vallarta, making it easy to explore both sides. The pool is fantastic, and the service is outstanding. Be sure to ask for Mago, Malena, Maggi, or Martín — they’ll make sure you’re well taken care of.”

  Apr 27, 2025
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  El Patron Restaurant

  Wonderful service from all the staff. Alfredo Farias pool concierge gave us the best service making sure our drinks were always full! A big thank you also goes to Chef Humberto (El Patron restaurant) for preparing a wonderful meal for us. Finally, another standout was Veronica also at El Patron Restaurant for her attention to detail. Thank you.

  Apr 25, 2025
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  Disappointing Experience – Beware! MONEY STOLEN FROM ROOM

  Disappointing Experience – Beware! MONEY STOLEN FROM ROOM We stayed at Villa Del Palmar Resort & Spa and unfortunately, our experience was far from relaxing. During our stay, money was stolen from our room while we were out. We immediately informed the hotel and filed a report, only to be misled — we were told the maid in question had been suspended, but we saw her working there the very next day. The resort did absolutely nothing to resolve the situation other than waste our time with empty reassurances. Adding to our frustration, we were roped into a so-called "membership presentation" which was essentially a high-pressure timeshare pitch that wasted half our day. Definitely not what we signed up for on vacation. The resort itself is in desperate need of updates. Our room had a strong moldy smell, the pool area was slippery and felt unsafe, and the food was just average — overpriced for what you get. Between the dishonesty, poor condition of the facilities, and lack of customer care, we cannot recommend Villa Del Palmar. There are far better places to stay in the area where your money — and your belongings — will be treated with more respect.

  Apr 24, 2025