karenkay

glad to hear the resort was/is still good. we're heading back--third time--early next month. thanks for the tip about the W, we'll check it out for a meal.

strangely, when we booked, they didn't have more than eight nights available for cash, points or any combination thereof the entire month of february (we would have liked 10). if we'd waited until today to book, we could get 10. i'm hoping this bodes well for platinum upgrade chances, as all room categories now show available--they didn't when we booked originally and it's an anniversary trip--our first since the new GM took over. am curious to see how things have changed, and hopeful that it's not too much, as our previous stays were pretty darn good...although my foodie hubby has never been impressed by carolina.

Novakdp3

karenkay

did he mention in room breakfast? hmm. can't answer that, but can tell you the buffet breakfast--which he shared many pics of, and is fabulous--is part of the platinum benefits. it's that or an amenity. i'd recommend breakfast.

jdrtravel

In-room dining is not included and is as expensive as you would expect at a high end luxury resort, and honestly, a waste of money given what's available in the buffet. That being said, I think you will want the buffet. It is, without question, the best breakfast of any SPG hotel I've stayed at, and among the best hotel breakfasts in the world. You can sit outside on a beautiful patio overlooking the ocean, and they will bring you anything you want to drink, including made to order espresso drinks, this wonderful "green juice" which is a refreshing blend of tropical fruits, and I think (thought I've never ordered) bloody Mary's and mimosas. . The buffet is substantial, kept immaculately clean, and of the highest quality. It includes a bread & pastry station, a meat station, smoked fish, a plethora of fresh fruits, yogurt & imported cheese, an omelette and scramble station, and several self serve hot items like scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, waffles, pancakes, etc. There is also a mexican station where someone is making fresh tortillas on the spot and you can order things like huevos racnheros, etc.

Novakdp3

We've stayed here before and enjoyed having breakfast on our patio, but we will have to check out the buffet based on your description!

karenkay

there were good and bad things about our recent stay at the st regis punta mita. we’ve stayed three times before. scroll up if you want to read my earlier, glowing reviews. there's a new gm at the hotel, he has more of an executive style of management, rather than interacting frequently with guests. we stayed eight nights.

the good news:
hotel still treats platinums very well, upgrades to suites are likely and the rooms remain lovely, although the thing with the connecting doors remains annoying, or downright awful if your neighbors have a screaming kid at 11pm.

the plat buffet breakfast—or ordering off the menu, or both—remains a HUGE highlight. breakfast is amazing, and well described upthread. as a plat amenity it’s terrific. the space is nice and the food options are just marvelous. fresh juices daily are delicious, try the green juice. awesome.

hotel still doesn’t really feel full, even when it’s at 100%, which it was several nights while we were there. they’ve done a very nice job with the public spaces.

staff remains a highlight, warm and friendly service. butlers are wonderful.

BUT.

the hotel now seems to be courting groups, not just weddings, and there were two large ‘president’s club’ groups of tech companies in house while we stayed. this changes the character of the resort, and the feel…not in a good way for solo travelers. seeing a tour bus in the front circle and a bunch of young folks in beachwear with towels being passed out made me feel like i was in cancun or puerto vallarta, not punta mita. the large groups at breakfast—not at the same table, but stopping by one another’s tables to glad-hand also shifted the feel…wearing their company t-shirts, etc. they’re with work colleagues so i get it, but it’s not the vibe i was expecting first thing in the morning on my holiday. the bar was closed several hours for a couple days for some kind of private event for one of the groups--i didn't care, but someone else might.

service was pleasant, but inconsistent across the board. this is a HUGE change. at turn-down, we got chocolate covered raisins twice, but not other nights. our slippers were next to the bed a few nights, and left in the closet for others. sometimes there was music playing, sometimes not. they decorated for our anniversary on the wrong day (lol). we got a morning paper in a little cloth bag a couple of times, and just rolled up next to the doorknob other days. i don’t really care which way it is, but the inconsistency was troubling, because in the past, consistency of service was something this hotel did very, very well.

there was a dirty glass on a pedestal next to the art gallery in the public area for two full days. guess it wasn’t anyone’s job to move it.

we didn’t go to the pool, and we were far enough away that we didn’t hear the dj, (yes, there’s a dj now. at the st regis. the groups love it!) but i’m guessing it had the same character as breakfast, which is to say NOT really what i’d expect at this hotel…more like something i’d expect at the westin in cabo. fine, but not special.

there was supposed to be a ‘stretching’ class one day and a yoga class the next. i showed up for the stretch class and was told ‘no, the yoga class is tomorrow,’ despite the schedule reflecting something different.

the yoga class the following day went off without a hitch, but two days later, same class was on the schedule but didn’t take place. after double checking the schedule they’d put out THAT MORNING, i showed up and was told—by a fellow guest—that the class had been cancelled; they’d moved it to a different day. no one from the hotel ever showed up to notify the five or so people who showed up for the class—but i walked up to the front desk to confirm (nearby pool guy said he couldn’t get anyone on the phone…another service failure). i was promised a free class to make up for the no-show, but had to push for it at checkout as the guy who said he’d take care of it didn’t.

none of these are a big deal, but in the aggregate it speaks to a different level of service than we’ve experienced here in the past.

tl;dr our stay overall was fine, we enjoyed the buffet breakfast, spent the day reading on our patio and had dinner in town—but the hotel seems to be about the groups now and i don’t think we’ll go back.

i'd be curious to know if anyone else has this experience or if we just hit it at a bad time for solo travelers.

Eagle_traveler

wow, I just hope it was a one time thing.

I've been at this hotel for the last 3 Christmas holidays and each stay was excellent (not perfect but close). But, I guess going there during Christmas allows to avoid groups.

How was Butler service?

I am curious if other people had a similar experience as you had

Eric Owens

We stayed in what amounted to a 1.5 room suite at the St. Regis Punta Mita with two adults and two kids. It was great.

spellbound2

We're going to St. Regis Punta Mita and were wondering if both are about the same price and is it a meter with a taxi or a set rate? We had a recent experience with taxis in India that overcharged us even when it was written down, so we'd appreciate any recent information.

Thanks!

david55

I don't believe there are any " metered" taxis from the airport. You pay at a small booth once you exit immigration a set price to whatever hotel zone you are going to and there is no exchange of money between you and the driver....except perhaps a tip.

raunow

Regarding transportation to/from the airport, we took advantage of the National car rental office in Punta Mita on our last trip. Meaning we picked up a car at National in PVR airport and returned it 24 hours later at National in "downtown" Punta Mita (and reverse on the way back). If you don't feel like walking the 2 miles from StR to "downtown" you can take a taxi.

The cost was 40USD pr. day for a full size automatic (Full Size in Mexico = Toyota Corolla), and having a car on the first and last day allowed us to take trips to Sayulita, which was very nice. Driving was OK, the locals seem used to tourist on the road - just watch out for the massive speed bumps !

smokie

jjayakumar

We stayed here in April. We used the hotel transportation both ways. The price seemed to be the same as the third-party services i found online. I believe it was about $240 round trip.

Eric Owens

I was at the St. Regis last week and we took a hotel vehicle from the airport. It was very expensive and the prices are set. The vehicle is an air-conditioned SUV with bottled water and a driver who speaks English and who will take you to the MEGA (Mexico's Walmart) and wait for you there. There's also peace of mind involved because you know where you will end up.

Later in the week, my son and I went to Puerto Vallarta for a day trip and took a taxi back to the St. Regis. We haggled the price (800 pesos + generous tip). It was really dark. The cab was an old Nissan Sentra or something like that and only had lap belts in the back seat. No AC. Hand-crank windows. The driver spoke no English. My son, 11, thought it was one of the coolest things we did on the trip.

Haggle on the cab ride price first in Spanish. That and safety and peace of mind and price are the differences.

spellbound2

Thanks all for the advice. We're going with the hotel option and will stop at Mega as suggested. Is there water rationing or is that part of butler service? We both will drink a lot of it since it looks like a hot time to go. Any other thoughts you have we appreciate to hear your ideas. Thanks again!