John

Has anyone stayed at the La Jolla de Mismaloya resort recently? We are thinking of staying there this summer and I've read mixed reports about the resort, ranging from beautiful to less than satisfactory. <BR>In particular, I've seen a number of problems consistently mentioned -(1) that the resort has deteriorated and now looks and feels a little old and tired and is no longer worthy of being called a deluxe resort, especially compared to others in the area; (2) that the staff are not very responsive (especially on the front desk if you have a problem), (3) that the food isn't very good, (4) that the beach vendors by day and lots of noisy barking dogs by night can be very annoying and (5) the ocean at the beach is murky and dirty. Seeing these is making me look at other place, but on the other hand, I've also heard it's a great place to stay. Does anyone have any other rants or raves to help me decise? Thanks!

Holly

My 15 year old son and I stayed there last June. He really liked it. The staff other than the front desk WAS nice, especially at the pool. We had the farthest room away from the beach but closest to the barking dogs. Looking out the front window we can see the locals and their housing, boats, trash, dogs, horses, chickens, etc. But that interests me. I'd more of a rustic kinda gal and the luxuriousness of the hotel was a pit too much for me. I like more ethnic and rugged. The food in the Italian restaurant left much to be desired (Spaghetti with Tomato and Basil turns out to be in a white sauce!). The two restaurants on either side of the pool were fine, but the walk up to Night of the Iguana restaurant was worth it. The best lobster my son had the whole week. He had lobster each day - my way of thanking him for letting me drag him along! The hotel was nice, and my son would stay there again. I don't know if I'd even return to PV anymore. It's so commercial - that's one good thing about Mismaloya, it IS far away from the city. At least a $10 cab ride each way! PV has a Burger King, Mc Donald's, Sam's Club, Dominoe's Pizza, and believe it or not, a Hooter's. I won't be back. If you stay at Mismaloya or in PV, try Le Kliff restaurant south of Mismaloya and order the Mexican Coffee!

Stacey

Gee, I hope it is a nice place...I have a bunch of people staying there. I researched it and had a bunch of people tell me that overall, it was pretty nice. But yeah, a decent way from town (I heard it was only 10 minutes, but who knows?). Contact me if you want further information about what I've read about....

JSG

My daughters (16 and 11) and I (female)stayed at the Mismaloya in January of 2000. We loved it there. We had a room overlooking the beach. If you are given a room you are not happy with just ask for a different room and they are very accomodating. We did. We attended the Fiesta's and the Beach Party nights and had a wonderful time. The food was good (not excellent) and the service was good. We did not find the water to be dirty or murky but while on the beach we did experience sand fleas. Take some bug repellent. You will need it there anyway if you plan to take any excursions in the jungle areas. The set of the Night of the Iguana was fun to see and is a short walk from the hotel. We also enjoy seeing what is "real" in the places we travel to so the barking dogs and the shacks surrounding the hotel were not at all bothersome. We rented a jeep (best thing we did there) and took a few road trips to seek out the "culture". As for the beach vendors. I think it is all in your attitude. We got to know one of the families that sell on the beach and were invited to their home for an evening of food and drink. If you want pristine white beaches and drinks by the pool with no hint of being in another country, PV is not for you. We found our trip there magical and will be going back in December.

Frank

Dear John: <BR> <BR>We just returned from La Jolla on 5/26/01 and had a great time. While I did feel that the rooms could use a little updating they were very clean and <BR>had some of the most beautiful views of Mismaloya Bay and beach as well as the mountain views to the east. We were on the all-inclusive plan and upgraded to the Presidential Suite which was HUGE and had south, west and northern views. Friends stayed in a one bedroom with a small kitchen and others stayed in the one bedroom with 2 baths. All were clean, cute and quite comfortable (good A/C and ceiling fans too). The grounds (landscaping/waterfalls), pool area (very nice pools) and beach of this resort are beautiful. The service was typical for Mexico, friendly but laid back (hey, after all its Mexico not New York City or Miami Beach). As far as the barking dogs and roosters - again it's Mexico and I recall similar "noises" in Playa Del Carmen and Cozumel too. Of the 6 restuarants in this resort three were excellent (The Sets of the Night of the Iguana, John Houston's (both had fantastic views and menus)and La Iguana Italian Resturant - great rack of lamb) Two were "OK" for breakfast & lunch: El Patio and the Beach Club BUT their PV Prime was a bit of a disappointment with a VERY limited menu but if you ordered the shrimp or lobster it was good (I had prime rib I'm just not sure what kind of animal's rib it was). The beach was very pretty (greenish blue - not like the Carribean but then again it is the Pacific)and the sand was a bit course not white powder. The water can get murky in the rainy season (June-Sept) as the runoff from the mountains from rivers can cause silt to deposit into the Bay - but these rivers are throughout all of Puerto Vallarta not just Mismaloya Beach). The vendors took "no" for an answer and moved along, but again beach vendors are very common in all of Mexico and the Carribean (West and East coasts). All in all we liked this resort for its privacy, views, food and the fact that it wasn't in the BUSY parts of Vallarta such as the Marina or the central part of town. Good luck and have a great time. Puerto Vallarta is a very nice place to vacation with plenty to see and shop! <BR> <BR>FRANK, New York, NY

sheri

my husband, myself & our 2 daughters stayed at the mismaloya & either we're really spoiled or this resort needs some work. for starters..we asked to switch rooms & they said "no" (the place was empty)..broken glass was by the pool & when the staff was told about it..it was ignored. we had to call several times during the week to get our room cleaned..& the beach was not swimmable..unless you like brown foam all over your body. if we had brought bug spray..we wouldnt have suffered thru about 50 bug bites on each of our legs..=( not a place i would recommend..sorry

Sandee

We stayed in La Jolla about a year ago and loved the hotel. One must remember the PV is not Cancun, it is considered the "real" Mexico and as such the poverty of the region is evident. If you don't want to have reality to intrude on your vacation, PV is not the place to be. I have also heard not so good things about other hotels in PV as well. We found that the front desk staff were definitely stand offish and not at all like the rest of the hotel staff. We were there for 2 weeks and for the most part found it great. The fiesta and beach party night were very enjoyable. Food varied between the restaurants at the hotel from great to not so good. We were not on a all inclusive and visited many restaurants in PV so that was not a problem. Peddlers were respectful. It is about 15 minutes Taxi ride or 20 minute bus ride outside of PV proper. The rooms, the look of the resort and the location are why it is rated as a 5 star. I would return to the hotel but I'm not sure I would go back to PV. Too quiet a place. We found all was dead by 11:30-12:00. <BR> <BR>

Kim

First time I went to La Jolla was an impromtu trip from a beautiful lake in California called Lake Shasta. Bears ate all our food the second day of our trip, so hey..went to the marina and booked a vacation to Mexico. Loved the La Jolla. Food was horrible, staff was accomodating, pools were awesome, and the scenery around was to like nothing I had ever seen. Loved PV so much went back the next year. Stayed at the Camino Real. Real nice but not the La Jolla. Next year went to Cancun. Real nice but not the La Jolla. Next year took the parents to La Jolla. They loved it. Beach vendors..very annoying. Had dinner at Tony's restaurant in the village east of the hotel. NO menu just a platter of uncooked seafood to chose from. You pick it they cook it. Next year went to Washington D.C. Stayed at the Ritz Carlton. REAAL NICE but not the La Jolla. This year off to Ixtapa. Hope I like it as well. We'll see..... <BR> <BR>Guess it all depends on what you want.

Matt

My wife and I recently went to Puerto Vallarta for 8 nights. We booked La Jolla de Mismaloya because we were told it was the most luxurious, newest, etc. and a member of "The Leading Hotels of the World" organization, which only accepts 5-star hotels. Well, upon arrival we were extremely disappointed. It is in serious need of a renovation for starters. The rooms and grounds look tired and old. It was not luxurious by any stretch. It wasn't a dump, but nothing special either. <BR> <BR>We complained and were offered an upgrade to a Presidential suite after we arranged to stay the rest of the trip at Camino Real. The "Presidential" suite was only a bigger version of what I just described. Plus, the door was broken, one bathroom was flooding into a bedroom and it smelled. Not to mention that a room described as romantic overlooked the noisy and dirty public access to the beach.<BR> <BR>We switched hotels and loved our stay at Camino Real. It was much more beautiful, more accomodating, more luxurious, and closer to town. Plus, upon returning home we found out La Jolla is no longer a memeber of "Leading Hotels" even though they prominently display all sorts of information saying otherwise.

LordBalfor

We stayed there in May & liked it a lot. Take a look at my photos on Webshots.com and judge for yourself: The URL is: <BR> <BR>http://community.webshots.com/user/lordbalfor <BR> <BR>There are many large, hi-rez photos of the resort in this collection. The grounds are very nice and the interiors are fine (nothing spectacular). I have a few additional shots of the interior of one of the Presidential Suites. If you want to see them, just E-mail me and let me know. <BR> <BR>Ken