My guests and I arrived into Puerto Vallarta and were immediately bombarded by a barrage of time-share pimps. WOW! Since we were not in the market for a time-share (we were guests of a time-share owner), we told them NO a few hundred times and were finally able to walk out the door to our -- ummm, barrage of taxis. The taxi cab ride was $36 USD.

The resort is beautiful. We were greeted by a valet and a time-share agent. We checked in and were given complimentary drinks -- no alcohol included. They did offer to put some tequila in our drinks, but we declined. We explained that we were not interested in buying a timeshare and attending the presentation, although they offered 15% off of everything if we did. eh, not interested in the hassle. The only hassle - there is construction going on next door to the 3 series building. And the construction workers don't understand the concept of working 9 - 5. They worked from 6 AM - 11 PM. Very disturbing and the front desk can't stop it. Ask to move to another room if you're in this building, or don't sleep in the master bedroom.

We unfortunately came during the rainy season, so every day it rained for short periods of time. Well, that was until the Friday before we were leaving. We thank Hurricane Ike for that. But the rain did cool things down as it was amazingly HOT!

The food was delicious but the drinks were lacking. They were very watered down and they tasted different than similar drinks here in the US. They weren't bad... but what I recommend is going to the Mega Mart down the street ($6 USD cab ride) and purchase EVERYTHING you need from food to drinks and just make your own. You'll save money all the way around. We typically ate breakfast in the resort restaurant (The Palms) because they had a great buffet. It had everything, and was very tasty. The waitstaff is very friendly and helpful, and they all speak English.

The accommodations were great! They were clean and well appointed. We had a 1 bedroom 2 bath suite. The suite included a king and queen size bed (king was in a separate room; queen in living room area), along with a couch bed in the kitchen area. The kitchen had everything we needed: utensils, plates, cups, bowls, cook ware, stove and a refrigerator. The two bathrooms were great, with great water pressure and a jacuzzi tub in the master bedroom. The cleaning service came daily and the place was very clean. The A/C works amazingly and with the heat, it was needed! Each room had its own unit.

The swimming pool was great with a swim-up bar. You overlook the ocean from the infinity edge. The music they play though is nothing but "oldies". The food is good at the bar too. Some of the best hamburgers I've ever had. There is an activities director, but honestly -- I saw him twice and he supposedly didn't show up for Wednesday's karaoke.

We did the Pirate ship cruise and it was okay; the show was very female-centric and kinda boring. The fireworks were great though. Take some Dramamine before you go out on the ship. Oh, and the food is okay. I had the steak and shrimp. And you eat down below, which caused a lot of people to get sick. The drinks were oddly tasting. Get your drinks without ice!

We snorkeled on the Kon Tiki and it sucked. It may have been better if wasn't the rainy season. The ocean was dirty and you couldn't see anything. The rainy season caused the rivers to drain into the ocean. Total waste of time. Then we went to this island area/beach and spent two boring hours doing nothing, literally. There weren't any shops available at all and a few people trying to sell trinkets. It's my opinion that's why they take you there... to provide commerce to the locals.

We went horseback riding in the rain forest. Okay; um... not the sort of Brazil-meets-Africa rain forest, but nonetheless, the Mexican rain forest. Our guide took us up the mountains and to a small hut overlooking Puerto Vallarta. It is a beautiful site. The only animals we saw were lizards... tiny lizards. We enjoyed it over all though. Very relaxing, but rough riding and sad. You go through these small towns and see the poverty. Oh, and the horses are like dogs... they just run freely through these towns. Some were even on leashes tied to trees and gates.

Puerto Vallarta is about 30 mins away and $20 USD. There was some good souvenir shops and typical mexican restaurants. Don't drink the water, no matter what people tell you! There are cabs everywhere. (For the gay travelers, ask to go to the "Blue Chair" area. It's a hotel and private beach area for gay travelers and locals. And there are some very attractive people.)

We also stopped by the Liverpool Shopping Mall. It's quaint and we had lunch at Chili's. There are some typical shops you would find in a mall. Nothing too touristy. Similar to a Macy's.

PLAYA DEL SOL GRAND!! A COMPLETE FRAUD!!! TIMESHARE RIP OFF!!!


AVOID THIS PROPERTY AT ALL COSTS.


PLAYA DEL SOL GRAND!! A COMPLETE FRAUD!!!


Do Not spend any of your hard earned cash at this place. Do not stay here or
you will regret it. You will be talked into going to a "90 minute"
presentation which turns out to ne more like 8hrs of grueling almost hostage
like situation...they are bullies. They will not keep any promise they make
you. They lie to you outright about there cancellation policy. For there
timeshare they tell you that you have 5days to rescind but will lose all
deposited monies. According to Mexican law this is false and illegal practice
They will try to wine and dine you while you are there but once you return ho
they don't call you back and avoid you at all cost if you are trying to cancel...Do yourself a favor check out the links below....I have full
confidence that you will be smarter than I am STAY AWAY- They need to be in
jail- Ian especially- He is one of the closers....And Michelle Doyle -
Verification officer...don't fall for the blond hair blue eye smile routine!




check out -
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PLEASE WRITE TO ME ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCES- WE NEED TO UNITE FORCES AND TAKE
THEM DOWN

I bought a timeshare here in 2004 and like many are unable to use it at any reasonable time. Always told that everything is booked ,even though I called inthe wee hours 1 year ahead. Never did I ever receive ownership documents after requesting them numerous times. Nice enough resort but don,t throw away your money.I spent 30,000 Canadian and have decided not to give these people another cent. As well I have a few friends that have walked away from this chain as well. Do yourself a favour and stay away.

We liked this hotel. We had a room in the 6000 building on the 5th floor. I recommend this floor or higher for a good view of the water. Below this floor will be a view of the palm trees. We did not hear any construction noise, but it appears that the building next door is just about done. The room did smell a little musty, but I think that is just because of the humidity. The hotel staff was very kind. We were only approached about their timeshare presentation one time and we declined. They did not bother us any more. We took the bus to Puerto Vallarta. The bus stop is right in front of the hotel. The bus ride is cheap, $2.55 USD per person, and takes around 45 minutes to get into town. You have to transfer to another bus to get to the old part of town. Coming back takes longer because you stop at several hotels on the way back. The bus ride is bumpy, crowded, and hot but you get to see how the locals live and it is very inexpensive. The hotel grounds are pretty well maintained and the infinity pool is great. The jacuzi was about the same temperature as the pool so that could have been better. The appliances in the unit and the furniture could be updated but it is not bad. I would not categorize this as a luxury hotel and it is definitely not 5 stars. We did have one misunderstanding regarding the cost of the breakfast buffet. We were told by the hostess that the buffet was $100 pesos per person which is around $10 USD. After we finished our meal, we were told by our waiter that the price was $145 pesos per person which is around $14.50 USD. We all heard the same thing so I don't think we misunderstood. I don't want to believe it was bait and switch, so I think it might be a matter of the hostess not speaking English very well or we just didn't hear her correctly. We told the waiter that the hostess told us it was $100 pesos and he simply said it wasn't and didn't offer to correct it. We didn't argue the point. All in all, we were not disappointed with this resort.