We've stayed in a lot of places in PV (resorts and hotels) and have found the usual things everyone whines About (hard beds, crappy a/c etc) This hotel surprised us with an awesome location, cleanliness, excellent a/c, attentive staff. Rooms are quiet with triple pane glass so you can sit outside and enjoy the street noise (quite comical at times) and when you need a break close the noise out. Oh ya the beds are hard lol... Go buy a matress pad for 15 bucks..stop whining! We left everyday and when the doors open thought how cool is this, all of PV is our resort!! The Malecon is across the street, restaurants everywhere, shopping galore. You can go to a resort and pay 4 times as much, or enjoy the freedom of being in the heart of PV. We felt very safe there, and will return.

After a disappointing stay at another hotel, we booked into the Rio Malecon for the last couple of dyas of our trip, based on the recommendation of our friend. For a very good price, we received a good room.

It appears they are renovating, as our friends' room included a pillow-top bed (ours was "Mexican firm", but passable) and a more modern look. However, everything worked in our room (wifi signal was a little weak in our room, however) and it was clean and very quiet. The doors and windows are all new, sealing out most outside noise. It's just steps from the Malecon, and the staff is generally friendly and helpful.

There is no elevator, but it is not a tall hotel, so this was not a major issue for us.

Pros: ideal location, COLD pool is very refreshing, friendly staff, great food in the cafe downstairs, rooms are nice (some better than others), reasonably priced.
Cons: no place to sunbathe, beds are small, noisy at night, kitchenettes are poorly equipped, no elevator.

It is minus thirty degrees here in Calgary today and we are counting the days until our third stay at the Hotel Rio Malecón. Last year we were there for six weeks starting mid January, 2011. Again our stay was as pleasant as the first. What had not changed was the cleanliness of the facility and the friendly, attentive staff. The rooms were spotlessly cleaned every day including fully changed linen and towels and freshly cleaned floors and windows. In fact, the cleaning staff never seemed to rest and were always seen somewhere mopping and wiping. The Co-exist café was as pleasant as the previous year, delicious and well priced. Wifi was fast and reliable in the common areas but not in the room. Of course the location in Viejo Vallarta was unbeatable. There had been some changes though. The town is continuing to update surrounding infrastructure, replacing old sidewalks and updating building facades. Renovations were also underway in the hotel updating the rooms. We watched the cement bed pedestals being removed and replaced with modern box springs and mattresses. The dated but quaint headboards were replaced and modern faux finishing applied to the walls. Glass shower enclosures were installed as well as funky, industrial-looking faucets and new wash basins in the bathrooms. An interesting surprise was that the privacy walls on the balconies between the rooms had been demolished. The down side of this was that the balcony was no longer private. The up-side was that there was alternate access to the rooms where we had friends and/or family visiting us. My Mother, sister-in-law and a couple of friends from Calgary did come at different times and all stayed at the Rio. All loved the hotel. Sis-in law (her second visit) and our friends will definitely stay there again some time during our visit this year. My mum did find the street noise to be a little much and will explore the possibility of a more modern, quietly located hotel, probably in Nuevo Vallarta. She will take a bus or a taxi to visit us. As well, unfortunately, her room smelled musty during her stay and the smell didn't go away. She did not request another room though. Every other concern we had was immediately addressed including replacing the fridge, which iced up too quickly, a softer mattress and the TV which was flaky. This year we will not get the room we wanted, 223, with queen bed, couch, sitting area and kitchenette. Unfortunately we booked too late. We will be in a newly renovated room with king bed and kitchenette. At the time of our booking, the room did not have a cook top however we have been assured that it will be installed for our arrival. This is an indication of the staff's commitment to its guests. Hopefully we can convince Victor to spring for some additional furniture, maybe table and chairs for our lengthy stay. Get ready guys! Here we come!