Hola! Just wanted to share my thoughts and experiences regarding our first trip to Puerto Vallarta! This was our first beach and pool (translation: rest and relaxation) trip in our 18 years together. We can usually be found in some European cathedral or castle, but this four night/five day vacation was planned as an alternative to that.

It was marvelous! I began to plan in August and after extensively reviewing hotel websites, tripadvisor, my Frommers book, and this forum, decided to splurge on staying at the Villa Premier hotel (ranked #2 on TripAdvisor). Alaska Airlines had a flight/hotel deal which was cheaper than booking air/hotel separately during the peak holiday season.

On Jan. 2, we flew out of San Francisco on a direct flight with no problems. When we exited baggage claim, we were besieged with taxi offers. We kept on walking, having read in Frommers that to save half the taxi fare from the airport, take a taxi across the street. We walked up the overpass and hooked up with a yellow taxi that charged $12 dollars to take us to the hotel.

The hotel greeted us with a complimentary glass of sparkling wine, a five-minute neck massage, and a cool, moistened hand towel. It really set the tone for a wonderful stay. We did not get our requested king size bed but ended up in a room with two double beds. The manager said to check back the next day to see if a king room would be available.

The room had two double beds, a little round table with two chairs, and a wet bar (sink and small built-in refrig). The TV was in an armoire and a table w/phone separated the two beds. Bathroom was ample w/ shower/tub combo, hairdryer, one of those zoom mirrors with light, and lots of bath towels. The third floor balcony ( two chairs and a table) overlooked the pool, the outdoor restaurant, and the expansive Bay of Banderos. We choose an aromatherapy fragrance for our room and the type of pillows we wanted at check-in. Our king sized bed was available the next day but we preferred the location of our first room. Being on the third floor and feeling close to the beach was something we didn’t want to give up.


One of the reasons I chose this hotel was the adults-only policy. I love children and work with them all day, but we wanted a nice, quiet, relaxing time. And it worked out well by the pool. The pool was ringed on three sides with chaise lounges and chairs were set up on the beach as well. The photos on tripadvisor and the hotel’s website will show you. Some people were out as early as 8 claiming chairs for the morning or the day. We always were able to find two chairs together. We met two wonderful families from the Midwest (parents and adult children). We enjoyed our time by the pool reading, talking, and snoozing, with the ebb and flow of the waves in the background. Loved it!

Despite my research on the various activities in PV, we basically went out for dinner twice ($5.00 taxi ride into the old part of town or a 20 minute walk to the cathedral), for drinks across the street, or sightseeing (the cathedral) and shopping. We truly just enjoyed taking each day as it came and played out. Best margarita was across the street at El Andariego with Eduardo Aguirre as our waiter. We went there twice; he greeted us like we were old friends. The restaurant names that people at the pool talked about, friends of mine who have visited PV before, and people we met on the plane were often the ones mentioned in my Frommers book. It seems there are many tried and true dining experiences in PV. We enjoyed the food at the hotel, too. Our favorite shopping area was the street of Basilio Bandillo in the Zona Romantica. Unique craft/jewelry/clothes/art/shops/restaurants in that neighborhood.

I had exchanged money at my local AmEx office before leaving so I’d have some pesos. The ATM in PV was a few blocks down the main road and then up two blocks. It worked out really well. We never had a problem using our credit
cards anywhere. Around the corner and down a few blocks is an xoxo store (something like that) which is the equivalent of a 7-11. I was able to buy soft drinks (Coca Cola Light) and bring them back to the room’s fridge. It didn’t keep things super cold, but bags of ice were available in a freezer at the end of each floor. We were allowed some free internet time per day in the computer room (3 computers/1 printer) which worked out well for checking our outgoing flight and doing some correspondence. There are some other little special touches at the hotel which I will let you find out yourself. We will go there again and will recommend this hotel to others. My partner was in her element with the sun and the non-hectic pace. The fact that we were two women together was not a problem at all. We saw several same-sex couples at the hotel and when we were out and about.

Alaska Airlines check-in going home was a zoo. I’m glad we had arrived over two hours early for our flight. Check-in lines were long and disorganized. You had to check in at a kiosk before seeing the person at the counter. Several of the kiosks weren’t working. Our plane was delayed ½ hour and then took off ½ hour later still. No apology or explanation for the total one hour delay was offered from any of the Alaska crew or counter people. Oh well!

We are eager to return to Puerto Vallarta. Our stay at the Villa Premier is one we want to repeat as well.

thank you for posting a wonderful report. puerto vallarta can be addicting!

Nice report Pero did you ever get the King bed?

Stewbear, We were offered the king bed the next day. The ambiance was different though. We weren't directly across/above the pools and beach area and were away from the outdoor restaurant. We enjoyed our view better from the two bed room. The balcony was slightly more private, too, on the old room so we stayed put. We loved hearing the waves at night.

Janeyre,
Thank you for posting your trip report. We too just returned from PV and I've "meant" to write a trip report, but just haven't gotten around to it yet. We too are big Europe fans, but had a very pleasant and relaxing trip in PV.