My husband and I went to Puerto Vallarta for the first time January 29th to February 6th. We considered many Resorts but after alot of homework we decided on The Barcelo' (GREAT CHOICE). We had wanted to go to one of the Barcelo's for years and now finally we are getting our wish granted. We booked through West jet and from the second we stepped off the Plane and were greeted by the West jet Barcelo' people everything about our Experience was Perfect. The location of this resort in Mismaloya couldn't have be more picturesque , Beautiful really really Beautiful, about 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta. They always say its 15 but with the construction I think the quickest we got to and from the resort was 30 minutes., no problem for us we live in Abbotsford everything is a commute..... . We had been in contact with the staff of the Barcelo' in the weeks before and had requested a corner suite on a high floor that was private. We also had pre upgraded and chose Premium club with a Master suite, (I think its cheaper to do it ahead of time on line, most things are) Well Barcelo' listened and sure got it right. .... When we arrived at the Barcelo' and when they heard our names we were effortlessly swept to the Beautiful Premium area to check us in. We snacked on some fresh flavourful food and I had a Champaign and my Hubby had a Beer while they went over the details of our stay. They suggested we book our Dinner reservations for the next 3 days right then and we did and it worked out Great. The Premium reception staff was friendly and sweet and made a note that my Birthday was coming up during our stay and said she had something special planned but wouldn't say what .(an example of how Barcelo' goes above and beyond at every opportunity). The Room was absolutely mind-blowing. Everything we asked for and so much more. A huge private Suite. High floor Corner liked we asked for. Beautiful Large Living room with huge glass doors that opened everywhere to let the sounds and smell of the Ocean in. A wraparound massive deck with a beautiful varied view from every angle I couldn't possibly take enough pictures from. 2 bathrooms one big powder room and and enormous second bathroom with His and Hers closets, a safe, a huge Hydro massage tub, double sinks vanity mirror and a big bright shower, .... 2 flat screen Tv's (one in the bedroom one in the Living room) a comfy King sized bed, great pillows and a Breathtaking view of the Ocean out every window form every angle. ... . The room was cool quiet Private and Spacious everything we wanted for a relaxing stay we never wanted to end. . The entire Barcelo' is immaculately clean, well staffed and friendly. All the staff is helpful and goes above and beyond,at every opportunity. Everything I asked for (like sliced Avocadoes and tomatoes on a plate) was accommodated pleasantly without questions. I love Mimosas and I could have them all day, unlike other resorts where they are only available at Breakfast. The pools were very clean Huge and gorgeous, filled with tons of different waterfalls and and an Island that you had to swim no if your short like me. The swim up bar Pool had a great Staff and the big canopy offered shade if it was really sunny. Even if you don't go to the swim up pool the pool area staff will always brought you a drink any time you needed or wanted one. All the food was great Fresh and varied ( no one went Hungry at Barcelo') THe Huge Buffet at El Patio changed every day and was open late if you were Hungry after the shows. The Wonderful Snack bar at Los Arcos had wood oven fresh Pizzas and great light seafood dishes and an awesome shrimp burrito so worth trying at least once, my favourite was the seafood tuna stuffed Avocado. Don Quijote the fanciest Restaurant Spanish was great, really fantastic Service. The night of my Birthday we went to Don Quijote and they turned off all the lights and got all the whole restaurant to sing Happy Birthday to me and brought me a Nice cake with a candle. It made my Birthday really special. We didn't try Capri cause we don't like Italian but Grill los Arcos was wonderful....... you have to try the giant shrimp cocktail, presentation was outstanding. The Cantina bar was great too with live music for dancing and Karaoke different night, also great helpful friendly staff there. The towel trade station turns into a Tequila bar at night right outside the Cantina. The entertainment staff rocked, they played great music and entertained the guests with games and prises "we Love you Johnny" they even dragged me and my Hubby into water aerobics which was really fun and unexpected. The Beach had a bit coarse sand but if you walked a bit it got softer. Loved that Barcelo' is close to all the Mismaloya businesses so you could eat take a boat or a jet ski or get a massage or just got for a walk any time. The spa was great and if you are Premium you get 20 % off so it was very inexpensive for a 1 hour message about 50 $ but if you wanted you could go down the Beach and get 2 hour massages for $50. I just loved everything about this resort and would go back in a heartbeat. Everything about Barcelo' is 5 star Diamond hands down I HIGHLY recommend Barcelo' and hope everyone picks this Resort if you have the chance Stay in room 2719 if you get the chance it will blow your mind !!!! Cant wait to go Back to Barcelo' it cant come soon enough........................................The Zoo was walking distance from the Barcelo about a 1 mile dusty walk through the quaint little town of Mismaloya, totally worth doing. $10 for about 2 hours of entertainment.

Just back from the Barcelo PV. My husband and I stayed there for one week at the beginning of February and absolutely loved it (it could be we were child free for a week- but whatever). The hotel grounds were always clean, and the junior suite was absolutely huge. I dont think we used the sitting area part. We have nothing bad to say about the property, and cannot understand some of the compliants people have posted.The staff are amazing, the food was very good. Here are a few helpful tips one should know before you book:

If you are looking for a party hotel- this is not the place to go. The average age of guest was 55 plus or families.If you want a quiet relaxing vacation, then go for it. Tower 2 is away from the bar and much more quiet. it seemed like the party mindset of vacationer were put in tower 1, based upon the numerous green CFL flags I saw hanging from the balconies.

The beach is non existent. The sand is coarse and the water is cool with a big drop off. Heavy waves too. If you like the beaches in cuba, this will be a big change.There are sand fleas in the sand- do not walk the beach at night or you will be eaten. My husband played beach volleyball and has a ton of bites.

The resort is about 15 minutes south from Puerto Vallarta. We took the local bus for 7 pesos into town on two occasions, and it was super safe at both night and day. You can get a Puerto vallarta old town map from the concierge.Sports bars and awesome food are on Basilio Badilla road right when you get off the bus. Just hang a left and walk towards the water. The Malecon walk starts there.

We booked our al a carte reservations the day we arrived. No problems whatsoever. I'm not sure why people are complaining about the process? The capri (italian) was the best, followed by the spanish. The steak house was awful. really fatty cuts of meat. But the staff tried to make the atmosphere nice. The buffet is a smaller scale than most AI resorts we have been to, but there is a good mix of local favorites (I thought Menudo was an 80's band not a breakfast dish) and western favorites like waffles. All the food has good flavor and is always refreshed. we made a point of sitting in Jaun's section each morning as he was such a great server and always topped up my coffee.

This resort is in the mountains, so it is cool in the monring and cool at night. Bring a light sweater and pants.You will need it. It takes the sun a while to get up over the mountains in
the morning, but once it does, its hot.

The resort does get a number of weekend local/Mexican guests on a weekend getaway. They are not rude, or scary, nor will they attack you. They are just really hard working people who want a break from their 9-5 office jobs like the rest of us. Unfortunatley we ran into some very ignorant people from Canada who were disgusted at the fact that there were mexicans in the resort. I am truthfully ashamed by this and to say they were from Canada. It would be like going to a resort in BC which would not let Canadians book into it for a weekend. C'mon people.

The grounds of this resort are absolutely beautiful and it is a very peaceful setting. If you want miles of area to jog around, then this isnt the place. we liked the small scale, and if you really want to work out on vacation, the gym looked fantastic.

The beds were the absolute best we have ever slept on. We plan on purchasing the same mattress set this year for our home.

We went on a canopy zipline tour. there are about 6 or 7 ziplines around PV, so I went on the PV forum and the local expats all recommended Los Veranos Canopy tour and it was worth it. We went outside the resort gates and went to see Victoria at the Rancho Manolo stand and booked through her for HALF the price of the hotel. No problems whatsoever.It was 1000 peso for two ( 76 cdn.) The hotel wanted 75 USD each for another zipline through Vallarta adventures. On top of that, you had to get yourself into the Marina disctrict via cab!! No thanks. We took the local bus down to Le Kliff restauarant ( 5 mins south of the hotel) and the Los Veranos bus picked us up and took us to the zipline and dropped us off at the hotel at the end of the day. Pac Man and Armondo were excellent guides. I highly recommend Los Veranos. It was the first zipline in PV and is upgrading all the time.

The pool lounger war is pretty crazy. yes, the hotel needs more loungers. The quiet pool by tower 2 is warmer, and gets sun almost all day, so its the busiest of the two. I'm not sure what time people get up at to reserve, but we always found a spot by the hammocks back away from the pool edge.

All in all, a vacation is what you make of it. Nothing is ever perfect, and if you expect everything to be like your home country, then you will be dissapointed. And please dont go to mexico thinking everyone will speak english. Their main language is spanish, and while many staff speak some english, there will be a language barrier.

We would highly recommend this hotel to other travellers, and we plan on trying a Barcelo property in the Mayan Riviera area next with our three year old son primarily because of the Barcelo's family suite. We would go back to Barcelo PV again, but probably would go later in the winter like March or April to get warmer water and weather.

I have read many reviews on here before choosing this resort so I thought I should write about our experience. My wife and I (both 25 yrs old) had previously stayed in the Mayan Riviera at a massive five resort so this was our only comparison for an all-inclusive. We thought this resort was definitely a 4 star resort (No less than a 3.5 and no more than a 4.5). One thing we weren't expecting was to have drinks served to us pool side or at the beach. We also didn't expect it to be as cold at night or first thing in the morning but this hotel is right at the ocean so there can be a bit of a breeze. There was a red flag up for all 10 days we were there so you couldn't use any of the resorts water equipment. Swimming in the ocean was nice and the waves weren't too big too scare off anyone.

I read from other reviews that there is a towel game played each day which is true but there are always chairs available but it's harder to find ones in front of the pool. You either have to get up early to claim your spot or wait for an opening. Don’t lose your towel it will cost you $20 US.

The beach is small but it is adequate enough. The public beach beside the hotel is a bit nicer. We didn't bother going to the beach until the afternoon since the chairs are in the shade in the mornings. If you’re a beach person I would consider another resort although it sounded like most resorts in PV have smaller beaches. The Mexicans selling things will bug you for the first 5 minutes but then leave you alone.

The rooms were nice and big but you could tell they were older but it wasn’t a big deal to us. We had a club premium package which gave us a better view but all rooms have some type of an ocean view. Out of the 8 floors the top 3 floors are for club premium guests. Both towers only have rooms built facing the ocean but on the lower levels palm trees might block the view. Tower 2 has the bar which can be very loud at night. Being on the 7th floor we could still hear the live band playing past 11PM with our doors closed but it never bothered us enough to change to the other tower.

I’m not sure if I would go club premium again. Pro’s of going this route is an unobstructed view of the ocean, unlimited la carte’s, access to premium lounge, discounts, and included internet. Only cons were Wi-Fi doesn’t work often on the higher floors and the computers in the lounge often had extremely slow internet.

We did enjoy going to the lounge and booking through our own receptionist who took care of us. The beer they serve in the fridge in the hotel room is Tecate, they have draft Sol and Tecate beer on tap at the bar and Bottled Bohemia beer in the club premium lounge. Sorry no Corona or Pacifico beer. Basically all the liquors you want in the lounge but only pop to mix with. I enjoyed having some baileys and coffee in the mornings at the lounge because I didn’t like the Mexican coffee they served at the buffets.

We talked to another couple who had club premium which there room sounded massive. Ours was big with two living rooms, king bed, and a bathroom with a large shower. There’s had the same plus a Jacuzzi, an extra sink and a wrap around balcony. They figured it was 1200 sq ft but I know there are only so many rooms this size since there’s being a corner room that was right in front of the ocean.

We only ate at each la carte once which they were all fine but had paid for the romantic package and have dinner on the balcony in our hotel room which was by far the best food we had at the resort. Buffet for lunch and supper is good but it gets old quickly after being there for 10 days. We never got sick of breakfast though. The taco bar had the best food for lunch.

Looking for an excursion to book? We did Sea Safari (snorkeling), Outdoor Adventure (zip lining), and Rhythms of the Night (show and supper) through Vallarta Adventures totaled roughly $350 CAD. All were great but we enjoyed the Sea Safari the best which might be due to our awesome tour guide Pablo. They had good zip-lining which supposedly one of the best in Mexico I think it was 12 lines all together. Rhythm’s of the night was nice too but can’t compare it to a Vegas show. Also all tours through this company you have to take a 30 minute taxi ride to the Marina that is a set price of 180 pesos or bus ride for 7 pesos. Never had an issue with taxi’s since they all have set prices. There is also a 20 peso entry fee per person to the Marina.

There is no need to tip anyone but all staff works hard and really appreciates the tips. I read somewhere that the minimum wage is 55 pesos per day not per hour.

Everyone is worried about the safety in Mexico. We wondered around the resort and the town which had a ton of tourists. If you have just a little common sense you will have no issues.

I am happy to report that we have been here enough times in the last 3 years that I have lost count! Woo hoo! I am not going to go over the same things repeated over and over. Nothing bad or different to report but I know that I personally like to read new things.

I know it sounds crazy but we do not utilize the restaurants at the resort. We will do the buffet for breakfast and maybe twice for other meals. We want to try other places. We always do Tony's at least once. This year we tried Juan and Only in Mismaloya and it was quite good. Do not go here thinking you are going to get anything really different. Although it was really tasty, it is pretty much a burrito or fajitas. Our new place to try was Pipi's (yes it is pronounced just like you think!) What a blast! The food was awesome but the atmosphere is one big party. Unfortunately for the other guests, I sang right along with the marachi band. I had read that you can't leave without trying one of their famous margaritas. Ya'll I kid you not, the glasses are the size of a small Pyrex bowl! If you are able to drink more than one of these monsters I suggest you sign up for therapy. It is so laid back and happy in this place. I promise you will have a ball.

Back to the resort. This is where I have issues and step up on my soap box. No, not with the staff, it's with all of us! Would it break your wrist to reach inside your pool bag and tip? I am shocked at how many do not do this. Folks, all inclusive does not mean all tight and cheap. They work very hard and sometimes understaffed. I can speak from personal experience that if you take the time to learn their name and tip even one little dollar each time they come around, not only will they go over and above for you, you will never have to ask for anything. I started saving my dollar bills one month before we go and it covers more than enough.
PLEASE reconsider your thinking on this if you are guilty of it. If you are considering going to P.V. do not hesitate. You will have the time of your life!