33 Best Hotels in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

This secluded beachfront resort boasts spacious rooms with modern decor, a pool, six dining locations, and all the fun under the sun you can think of. The beach has fine white sand, and more often than not has a heavy shore break surfers will love. You can even rent surfboards right at the hotel. The rooms vary in size and there are several beachfront suites for families who want to splurge.

There's not a bad vantage point anywhere at the Westin, whether you're gazing out to the leafy courtyard or down an orange-tile, brightly painted corridor lined with Mexican art. In the spacious, balconied rooms concrete-and-stone floors massage bare feet, and top-of-the-line mattresses with soft duvets make for heavenly siestas. Guest quarters above the sixth floor have ocean views; those below face the 600 palm trees surrounding four beautiful pools.

Personal service and exclusivity lure movie stars and royalty to this low-key resort in a thorn-forest preserve about 1½ hours from both Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo. Suites are filled with folk art; their indoor-outdoor living rooms have modern furnishings with deliciously nubby fabrics in bright, bold colors and Guatemalan-cloth throw pillows. Request a TV, DVD player, and movie from the library for an evening in; there's little else to do at night. There's lots more to do in the daytime, however, including picnics anywhere on the property and boat rides on the Río San Nicolás. There's a 10% service charge and a two-night minimum; the average stay is seven nights.