87 Best Hotels in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Marival Armony Resort facing Banderas Bay boasts modern tropical decor, seven international restaurants, a spa, a kids' club, and five pools. Views from the rooms are nothing short of spectacular, and the hotel can organize tours and activities to keep you busy.

Come here if you're looking for an all-inclusive bargain with a wealth of activities. On the one hand, rooms have strong air conditioning and amenities like hair dryers, irons, and ironing boards; on the other, they have small tubs, cheap doors, and uninspired modern decor. There's an extra charge, inexplicably, for the use of in-room safes. Only a few units have ocean views, but there are plenty of individual palapas and lounge chairs at the beach. If you go to bed early, avoid the Club building, with a downstairs karaoke bar that goes on until midnight.

The Marriott is hushed and stately in some places, lively and casual in others. All of the restaurants—including a sleek Asian restaurant serving Thai, sushi, and teppanyaki and a large, pleasant sports bar—have kids' menus. The meandering grounds boast a large infinity pool as well as gardens of indigenous plants. Rooms have cheery, classy decor; each has a balcony and most have an ocean view.

Located in Marina Vallarta, Mayan Palace provides the luxury and comfort expected from a Vidanta resort but is closer to the action that only Puerto Vallarta has to offer in the region. Rooms are large and most of them feature ample balconies and gorgeous ocean views. Dining options are limited, but guests have access to the gourmet restaurants of other nearby Vidanta resorts. 

Located 50 meters from the beach, this hotel offers low-key lodging in bungalows at affordable rates. Each bungalow comes with two bedrooms and a kitchenette, so you won’t miss the lack of a restaurant on the premises. All rooms include air conditioning and Wi-Fi. A long free-form swimming pool sits at the center of the property.

The sprawling, all-inclusive Meliá, on the beach and close to the golf course, is popular with families. Rooms are quiet havens in subdued blue, cream, and sand. There's a huge pool, an outdoor theater with nightly shows, and elaborate children's programs and amenities—including a climbing wall and a batting cage. Considering it's an all-inclusive, prices are very reasonable.

Beautiful rooms in this converted 19th-century house have lovely old tile floors, beige cotton drapes covering huge windows, rag-rolled walls, and wonderful tile floors and sinks. The dining room has old-fashioned cupboards, and there are dining tables inside and out on two patios festooned with flowers and large potted plants. Second-floor rooms have views of fields and mountains to the west.

This Nuevo Vallarta hotel and time-share property is perfect for families, with lots of activities geared toward children. Many people love it, although the property's dedication to timeshare guests makes some other guests feel excluded. Most suites have balconies with either marina or ocean views. Furnishings are attractive as well as functional, with pretty cane sofa beds in a soothing palette and well-equipped kitchens. Locals like to visit the clean, well-organized spa, which smells divine and is praised for its massages and facials. The beach here is tranquil enough for swimming, although some small waves are suitable for bodysurfing.

The Paramar is a small boutique hotel that makes the most of its outstanding location just steps from Playa Camarones, the only beach in downtown Vallarta. The whole place has a laidback atmosphere, quite different from that of the big resorts. Rooms are large and modern—some include kitchenettes—and the penthouses come with a large terrace and private Jacuzzi.

Catering to small groups and family outings, this ranch-style lodging near the entrance to town also accepts individual travelers. All interiors are pine-wood simple, with ceiling beams and tile roofs, and plain furnishings. The villas have kitchens, and most have a porch and fireplace; many sport a king-size bed. This working ranch offers horseback riding and also rents bicycles and ATVs. Because most guests are Guadalajarans on weekends, prices are discounted 20% Sunday through Thursday.

Basic yet comfortable rooms in this three-story hotel have king-size beds with dark blue, hunting-theme spreads and desks of shiny lacquered wood. The property is on the main road into town, just a few short blocks from the plaza and town hall. The price goes up slightly on weekends January through May.

This high-volume hotel at the south end of long and lovely Bucerías Beach has manicured grounds and a pool for each of its six buildings. Rooms are plain and not particularly modern, but that's a small price to pay for the excellent beachfront location and astoundingly low all-inclusive prices. Rooms in the older section have the best views, since they were built along the water; rooms on the other side of the road have the benefit of being adults-only and are almost brand new. Besides location, the only real distinction between one room and another is whether the room has a king or two double beds. The median age of the clientele here is around 50 years old.

Secrets is a fancy all-inclusive, adults-only resort set in the heart of the Hotel Zone. The rooms offer wide, ample space and plenty of little details and luxuries (such as a Jacuzzi on the balcony). Some ground-floor suites include access to a swim-up pool. Public areas include two swimming pools and a large Jacuzzi, seven international restaurants, and a series of top-notch bars.

Marking the start of the Hotel Zone, the Sheraton was the first of the big-name resorts built in Puerto Vallarta, and ever since it has maintained its status as a Vallarta household name. Even though the building is a few decades old, rooms are renovated constantly to keep up with the times. Sometimes it can feel very business-like, as its convention center is one of the busiest in town.

An hour north of Mascota, this lodge of knotty pine is a tranquil lakeside retreat. Sail or kayak or just read a book in the steamy hot tub. The spa isn’t as expansive as those in some of Sierra Lago’s Villa Group sister properties, but it does have massage, a steam room, and an outdoor hot tub. If you choose the all-inclusive plan, drinks are included, as are activities like horseback riding, kayaking, and mountain biking. There’s also fishing, and, if he has time, the chef will cook up your freshly caught fish.

Understated luxury and an open-to-nature building design describe this 10-suite boutique property located in a jungle about an hour south of Vallarta. Built into the hillside overlooking lovely Yelapa Bay, Verana is sleek and contemporary yet surrounded by nature and built of locally available materials. Each of the freestanding suites has a different view and feel; several have outdoor showers and all are warm, inviting, and romantic. Every room has a ceiling fan, but just a few have air conditioning.

This impressive hotel is an excellent choice for both families with kids and couples looking for a place to get away from it all. Modern and well-appointed rooms can range from single to multifamily suites, and may have a tub in the balcony overlooking the resort grounds and ocean (if you're above the fourth level) or the mountains behind. The resort caters mostly to all-inclusive vacationers but lodging-only is also available. There's a slow river, a wave pool, several restaurants, slides for kids, gyms, tennis courts, a golf course, and a fantastic beach where weddings take place. The resort has expanded even more in the past few years, and now there's a water park in the making and a permanent Cirque du Soleil, among other secret projects that are being developed.

This homey hotel is on a hill above quiet La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, and offers garden-view or ocean-facing suites; several have a terrace overlooking the coast, and a large dining area/kitchen and living room. A big breakfast is served in the open-air dining room; the adjacent common area has a computer with Internet access. The small swimming pool overlooks a tropical hillside, the marina, and the town of La Cruz.

Villa del Palmar Beach Resort and Spa is a big, family-friendly, all-inclusive resort that has a bit of everything without excessive luxury. Rooms offer ample space and colorful Mexican decor. Among other amenities, Villa del Palmar includes a well-appointed fitness center, a spa with a diversity of services, three swimming pools, a kids' club, four restaurants, one cantina, and a couple of delis. 

Villa Lala is gorgeous little oceanfront hotel with only seven suites but lots of personality. Each suite has its own style and amenities, all spacious with tasteful Mexican design. The two love nests are luxurious treehouses with amazing ocean views, perfect for honeymooners. The beach is rocky, but kayaks are available and the Boca beach is just meters away. An infinity swimming pool and a Zen garden complement this charming place.

Villas El Tuito is a big, three-room house done in a contemporary Mexican style. As El Tuito has so few lodging options, clean rooms and Wi-Fi access are just about all you can ask for. The rooms include a TV, shared kitchen, bath, and shower.

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.

Aside from the luxurious and costly Grand Bay Isla Navidad and the behemoth Hotel Alondra, Barra de Navidad has mostly basic hotels with few rooms, and the majority aren't a particularly good value compared to similar hotels elsewhere. This hotel with a domed brick ceiling, comfortable beds, and remote-control air-conditioning is among the best choices. The two largest rooms have two twin beds as well as a king, plus a DVD player and a mini-refrigerator.

What began as a hilltop home has slowly become an amalgam of unusual, rustic, but luxurious suites with indoor and outdoor living spaces. The higher up your room, the more beautiful the view of Sayulita's coast. The trade-off for such beauty? A long walk up a seemingly endless staircase and the dearth of room phones make contacting the front desk frustrating. Accommodations, managed by different owners, range from basic to honeymoon suites with terraces and plunge pools. Details like recessed color-glass light fixtures, Talavera sinks in bathrooms, brick ceilings, wrought-iron table lamps, art in wall niches, and colorful cement floors add a lot of class. The property overlooks a rocky cove where you can fish from shore; a beautiful sandy beach is a few minutes' walk. The staff lends out kayaks, boogie boards, and snorkeling gear.