Steveman

Ditto to #3 and be prepared to be awoken by the business out by the pool as the hotel prepares for the almost daily early morning events.

German Expat

1. Kids club

We did not use it since our son was too small (only 2 years old). We met the kids at the kiddy pool. This is a nice separate pool only around 2 feet deep and even ok for toddlers with a small play area. It was not busy when we went and the hotel was almost booked out. The kids club looked ok from the outside.

2. I would not go all inclusive. We ate once at the hotel buffet for dinner and it was not good. Breakfast is good and we ate most lunches at the hotel but just ordered a la cart. The restaurants at the marina are in walking distance. We would take the bus most evenings into downtown and eat there. Lost of good choices and then we would take the taxi back. They also have a small coffee shop with decent coffee.

3. Ocean not really good to swim and on most days you can't go into the water.

4. Didn't see the renovations

5. Take the bus into downtown, its fun and dirt cheap, our son loved it.

bhatnasx

I was there last April & when you're there, it's warm enough that you could go into the water if you wanted to, but like others have said, it's not really a swimming ocean (not like CUN anyways - but people do swim in it, mostly locals). The pool area is huge & great - try to reserve a good spot (with shade umbrella) early in the morning (leave your towels, a book, flipflops, or whatever to stake your claim).

Here's a picture from the beach right down from the hotel (That's not me, that's the girl I took - she was fun! ) - as you may be able to see, the beach isn't the best sand, though it is possible to use it.

If you want to go walking down the beach (to the right when you exit the building), there's a small anmial sanctuary (primarily turtles, I think, less than a mile).

When I went last year, I actually left my ATM card at home & had my credit card & literally $100 US to convert into pesos (for 4 days - so glad I always carry an extra $100 in my travel wallet just in case!). The girl I brought with me was pretty broke as well, so we were on a serious budget - that made it a much more interesting trip (read: We went real cheap - bought alcohol at corner stores & mixed our own drinks - gotta love wine & cheap tequila!). We charged breakfast to the room every day (great breakfast - highly recommend it!) and went out on the town during the day & nights (though we had one dinner onsite at the restaurant that overlooks the water that looks kind of like a giant patio - really really good lobster tacos!!).

A couple of recommendations:

-use the bus (way cheaper than taxis & extremely efficient - also saves the hassle of negotiating for fares - or, get the bellman to get your taxi, they'll usually make them use a meter (if there is one) or negotiate the fare in advance for you - we took the bus, for less than $1 each roundtri, IIRC, all the way to Mismaloya where they filmed Night of the Iguana & spent the day there sitting on the beach drinking margarita's and took the bus back, though if we had the cash, we probably would have hired a boat back - bring your swimsuits - there's a rock the kids can jump off of)

-Try Red Cabbage (had to take a taxi there & back, negotiated the fare - bring a printout with directions if you can as the taxi driver wasn't sure where it was bring cash, they don't take credit cards)

-Depending on how you feel about taxis (and how much luggage/kids you have), when exiting the airport, cross over the skybridge to the other side of the main road. Along the skybridge, some kid will come up to you & take you to a taxi that you can take to the hotel (I'm sure the kid makes a buck or so, but its still cheaper than using airport taxis)

-SUNSCREEN - seriously. I never use sunscreen and have never been burnt - I got sunburn for the first time in my life on my stomach & it sucked. Bring Aloe from home too just in case as it ain't cheap at the hotel gift shop.

PS - I wouldn't go all-in either - unless you plan on eating EVERY meal at the hotel. Taking the bus downtown is cheap & the boardwalk is beautiful with LOTS of restaurants (and lots of fresh pico de gallo & Guacamole dip!)

leatherheadiowa

Thanks for the input. I switched to Cancun!

MikeyC

Any recent stays?

We will be staying in PVR this spring. We'll have my six month old daughter, with us.

The great point liquidation of January 2009 involved Mrs. MikeyC and I, along with Grandma and Granpa MikeyC and Brother and Sister In-law Mikeyc all blowing points for a total of three rooms for our weeklong PVR stay.

A couple of questions. Ocean view vs. Ocean front vs. Garden View. Are they all basically the same room (inside) except for the view? Do they all have a balcony?

Has anyone stayed there recently and had a great room? I'd love to ask for a specific room number in my note to the hotel. When checking in was anyone offered an upgraded room or suite for a copay of sorts?

What is the price point for the food by the pool? Is it 10-15 bucks each for a burger and fries/quesadilla? Much more than that? How about the Japanese steakhouse? With tax and tip ~$35 a head (without drinks)?

As with many resorts it doesn't seem like status means much, any recent experiences that anyone could share would be very welcome!

Thanks!

MikeyC

If anyone has direct contact details for anyone at the hotel or a specific name at the property that I might want to get in touch with, please let me know via PM!

MikeyC

I'd love to hear if any FT'ers have had a recent stay here!

cwm143

I stayed 4 nights over Thanksgiving holiday. The hotel is nice, I would say a family type hotel, lots of kids, they do have a special kids pool!
My room was ocean view just above the lobby and restaurant. It was a nice room, large with with a nice balcony. The bathroom was quite nice too. All ths said about being nice, there was not alot of flaire. No special feeling. I've stayed at many place where you go Wow, but no Wow here. By the way, very soft beds.
The rest of resort was pleasant and a good place to spend a relaxing vacation.
After this I would add that the sevice levels were very high, I enjoy staying in Mexico for that certain Mexican approach to everything and that was shown all over the hotel. Everyone went out of their way to make sure you were happy. The food was very good, and when the theme was Mexican everyone tried hard to be sure you enjoyed it. Lots of proud Mexicans hoping you were satisfied with their service, and their country.
Ate also at the Japan steak house, it was good kinda like a Benihana here in the states.
Thanksgiving was special with a full Turkey dinner, I think they said 49 turkeys were served. Again everything was great, and just in case they have black beans and rice also
It happened that I left town for a few days and had one day back before flying home, stayed at the Westin it was very Wow, but the food and service was not the same level as the Marriott. When I go back, I'll stay at the Marriott.

tfjim

Just completed a points 5 night stay here at Casa Magna Puerto Vallarta. Was very happy with the whole place as was the rest of the family. A few notes:

The week leading up to Christmas was relatively deserted which was nice for us. Occupancy was around 50%. As silver we were "upgraded" from garden view to high floor pool/ocean. Thanks for that but with the occupancy not a huge deal. The view across the pool to PV and the mountains is very nice. Breakfast for 2 was included in the room but we were not told of this upon checkin. Don't ask me why breakfast would have been free for silver on a points stay but it was.

There are two buildings. The larger, main building with most of the rooms is to the right as you walk in. Except for the very end rooms most of the rooms in this building face the pool or north to adjoining property. However, from all the rooms you can "see" the ocean. The rooms face at an angle towards the sea. The balconies in this building are either cut off triangular shaped or some are larger and rectangular depending on the room location. The smaller building is above the lobby and restaurants and all rooms face directly onto the bay but you really cannot see Puerto Vallarta from any of these as the Shangri-La property next to it obscures the view.

The rooms are large, well appointed and comfortable. We had two large queen sized beds. There is ample room around those to move and store things including a large closet and minibar area. The fridge is tiny but will hold a few days supplies bought at Walmart which is 5 minutes away. The soundproofing is excellent, could not hear a thing outside of the room. The bathrooms are nice with single sink and tub/shower and separate toilet. Standard basic amenities.

Beach/pool/city view rooms run from X016-X038 or so. If you are higher numbered than 50 than you face the Puertofino condo on the north side of the property. Not a totally bad thing as you can still see the ocean and you face the sunset side of the hotel.

There is a gym with a decent amount of equipment. There is also a spinning room but that cost extra. Also, a small indoor lap pool next to the locker room. If you have a late flight you can check out and then use the locker room to shower in and change after a day at the pool. My mother used the spa but was not impressed as it was overpriced and the service was not great. There are plenty of other massage/spa/manicure choices around the marina.

The pool area is very nice as described in several posts above. Plenty of lounge chairs with nice blue pads. Large, white towels are available from the pool hut as well as rental pool floats, etc. There were numerous wait staff running all around the pool taking orders for food, drinks, etc. Nothing is cheap for sure with specialty drinks running about $10 a pop for mudslides, daquiris, etc. The staff were extremely nice in all aspects and worked their butts off.

Of all the hotels on the marina beach I think the Marriott has the best pool/beach combination. As you look at the other hotels (Melia, Mayan, Westin) you see narrow beaches, tall seawalls and not particularly inviting areas. The Westin pool area looks like a prison due to the tall green fence separating the hotel from the timeshare areas. Blech. The Marriott beach is wide and well cared for. There are plenty of chaises on the sand and also the usual beach volleyball, etc. In the evening they release tortoises into the surf which all the kids enjoy.



We did not try Champion's Sports Bar or the japanese place. We had drinks one evening at the lobby bar. Two beers and a soda cost 120 pesos or $10. Not outrageous for that really.

Buffet breakfast was comprehensive as would be expected and of high quality. The normal charge is 245 pesos or around $20. We really did not try any of the other hotel food as there really is quite a bit available at the marina or downtown PV. We just couldn't bring ourselves to stay in the hotel to eat. For the little necessities there is an Oxxo quickie mart just down the street and one in the marina as well. There is a coffee shop in the marina along with numerous restaurants in all price ranges. Worth exploring. The only advice I can give there is to avoid Viktor's Restaurant which is to the right as you get to the marina. Bad food, the marlin burrito I had there was atrocious.

A cab into town runs 100 pesos now, about 80 heading back, easy to negotiate on the street. There are plenty of choices in town from fancy on down to road side taquerias. We did not bother with the bus as there were 3 of us and it didn't seem worth cost savings vs. the quicker taxi. I think Puerto Vallarta town is what sets it apart as a worthwhile destination. The malecon at night is abuzz with local families doing their evening paseo. People are friendly and totally non-threatening to visitors.

As I mentioned Wal Mart is a quick 5 minute cab ride away. There are now 3 in town. Next door is a Sams. There is also a Costco not far away. So bring your membership card. I didn't find the prices particularly special at Wal Mart but my sister bought some prescription cremes at the pharmacy for substantial savings over US bought. She did not need a prescription and just walked up and asked for what she wanted. For example, a rather large tube of retin-A cost $15.

The taxi to the airport upon leaving cost 50 pesos. As mentioned DO NOT take the white cabs from the airport as they cost $25 US for 3 people to the Marriott. Crazy. If you need there is a National car rental desk in the lobby of the hotel.

playbbg

I will be staying at the Marriott PV next month and was offered a confirmed suite upgrade for a small price. We could get th Emperor suite for $90 per night, the Diplomat for $140 per night or Luxury for $217 per night. We are using points for the room and points for the AI, so I figure I could spend a little extra for a nice room if its worth it.

If anyone has stayed in any of these rooms, I would love to hear your input! thanks in advance for all of your help!

hornet25

I've stayed there twice. Both times on points. The last trip in Sep 09 we were upgraded to a nice room but not a suite. Travel to Mexico is way down so I would think you could wait till checkin and see what they give you before locking in the price in advance.

There are several good restaurants in the area including a half dozen in walking distance so I'd rethink the AI upgrade. Unless of course you like Marriott food. We enjoy this hotel, the staff and facilities are top notch. The only disappointment was that they don't have hot air ballooning in PVR anymore.

playbbg

Thanks for the advice! we are using points for the AI because I have oodles of points and if we just each lunch and breakfast then get drinks during the day, its worth it to us.

Thats a good idea about waiting til check-in, but when I emailed the hotel, they said the best they would do for free for a PLT is an ocean front room, but it would probably only be an ocean view due to using points.

ttusqrl

Who wants to give opinions on how risky PV is during Sept/Oct with the hurricane season?

fajimenez

I stayed here summer of '08. At that time ocean view was in the main building and ocean front was in the building(s) with the c-store and icecream shop. I liked my room just fine in the main building. Very nice balcony on an upper floor. Not too different from other Marriott's; they had just renovated my floor, and the decor was nice.

The food was excellent, but breakfast on the 6-7th day was getting "tired". The woman on the omelet station was very creative and patient with my 6 yo boy (at the time). For lunch their guacamole was some of the best I have ever tasted. Kinda high for pool snacks, but we got a MR rate 30% off with free breakfast, so it worked out fine.

The beach area was not ideal with a steep drop-off, so not what you might think of as "Caribbean" Mexican.

Jiatong

If anyone has stayed in any of these rooms, I would love to hear your input! thanks in advance for all of your help![/QUOTE]

Its a great property, any Ocean view room with a balcony is good.
The pool area is very nice with '2' bars. The nearby places to eat are also fine. Staff is abet laid back, just the latin culture.... & yes the ice cream shop has good snacks.

ttusqrl

In addition to my previous question, has anyone stayed at the CasaMagna AND Curacao? I would love a side by side comparison and rating.