When I think of our time in Puerto Vallarta I can’t help but think of the Marriott. This oceanfront property was in the perfect location for us. In the Marina Zone, but easy enough to either bus or take a taxi anywhere we needed. The Marriott Puerto Vallarta is the perfect place to explore Mexico’s Pacific Coast.
Table of Contents
The Rooms
Having opened in 1990, there are 405 guest rooms and 28 suites in the Marriott Puerto Vallarta, located in two different towers. Each room and suite has it’s own balcony, or terrace like ours, offering guests splendid views. Our room was my favorite room that I have ever stayed in at a hotel!
We had a king sized bed, the world’s best shower, a flat screen tv that connected to our Netflix account (be warned, you will get Mexico’s Netflix, so I became addicted to the show Vikings, only to discover Canadian Netflix doesn’t have it. You bet I bought the first 4 seasons), and we even had our own terrace. Being on the corner, we got views of the ocean and pool area, and from the other side we could see over towards the airport.
The rooms were very clean, and while the mini fridge was locked, we had a coffee maker and an in room safe.
We were on the fifth floor, in room 5016, which is right beside the maid’s closet, so the mornings were quite loud sometimes. But thankfully the curtains were black out curtains, so other than the noise we slept great.
The Food
Here you will be spoiled for choice. If you don’t want to leave the hotel to eat, you absolutely do not have to!
There are 4 restaurants, 24 hour room service, a deli, and two bars.
La Estancia is the casual Mexican restaurant on site. We didn’t eat here, but heard that the breakfast buffet was really good!
Open for breakfast and dinner.
Mikado is the Japanese restaurant on site, serving fresh sushi, and teppanyaki prepared at your table.
Open for dinner.
Champions Sports Bar. We came here a few times. The first time was for food, and I do not recommend it. I figured since I was in Mexico, I should order something Mexican off the menu. I ordered a quesadilla and a salad. Worst meal I’ve had in a while. There was absolutely no flavor. The cheese in the quesadilla was all in the center, leaving the outer parts empty.
We did watch UFC and football two other times with some drinks, and that was great.
Overall I would say Champions is good for drinks and dessert, or maybe a snack, but not for dinner.
Open for lunch and dinner.
Las Casitas is the Marriott’s open air restaurant, on the second level is where you can feast on your fresh seafood. Here you get to overlook Banderas Bay, and the pool area.
Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
There are two bars, one by the pool, and another just off the lobby. The lobby bar is called Ceviche & Tequila bar, and it was here where we took part in a small cooking class. More on that in another post!
There is also a really good deli here. Called Deli Los Mangos, here you will find pastries, snacks, coffee, pizza, and really delicious sandwiches! We grabbed snacks and sandwiches from here a few times.
To Do
There is one pool with incredible views of the beach, city, and mountains. We would go swimming here at night and look over the city. It was beautiful. In the pool itself there are steps up to a few hammocks, and there’s also a really nice hot tub.
There are games all over the hotel. There’s a basketball net, jenga, and a ping pong table.
Through out the hotel there are statues and sculptures all around. Wandering around looking at them all is a fun way to beat the heat.
Something a bit different that they do is that they have botanical gardens and pathways around the hotel. They even have an herb garden!
The most special part of the hotel though? The Marriott here has a turtle sanctuary! They have partnered with the government and local biologists and have created their own hatchery. These kinds of sea turtles are called the Olive Ridley Sea Turtles, and are the second smallest sea turtles in the world.
Guests of the Marriott can participate in the nightly releases of the sea turtles when the eggs hatch.
Overall
I absolutely loved this hotel. The staff were so helpful, the rooms clean, the food good, the pool and the views were excellent.
The location can’t be forgotten either. Located in the heart of the Marina zone, it was a 25 minute bus ride to the Malecon, and so easy to take a taxi places.
Need To Know
There is a daily resort fee you need to pay when you arrive. This is $20 USD per day, and include your two bottles of water per day, a tequila tasting at Ceviche Bar for two, a cooking class at Ceviche Bar for two, and you in room wi-fi.
Check in – 3 pm
Check out – 12 pm
There is a resident cat named Mitzy that lives at the hotel. We also saw another small ginger cat wandering around at night time. Hotel cats are my favorite 🙂
Rooms start around $139 per night.
Interested in the Westin? I wrote a post about my stay there as well!
I was gifted a stay at The Marriott, but all opinions are my own!
