I was sent here as a good option when I arrived at the bus stop from a long trip from Mazatlan. They told me for $100 a day it was an all inclusive resort. That means all the food and drink , including alcohol and room and entertainment.
The resort is in a handy area to everywhere, it has a lovely beach and when I was there seemed to be full of Canadians as well as some local mexicans from other parts of the country. I was really surprised how good everything was considering the price. The room was spacious and on the outer side of the complex so I did not get the noise some people have complained of. The food was fresh, plentiful and in great variety. Now this is not the food you will find at the Four Seasons, naturally enough, all the meals were buffet style, and although there were daily staples the menu had different items on it every day. There was something for everyone and plenty to choose from. If you needed a snack during the day the beach restaurant was always open as well. The drinks were plentiful and there was even drink service on the beach, so you could drink beer all day long if you cared for it. The service was as the name of the hotel suggests FRIENDLY in fact the staff were very friendly, everyone was called AMICA or AMIGO. I liked that , it was very Mexican to me and added to the experience. I had booked for 2 nights initially and stayed for 11.....thats how much I liked the place. There were theme nights, one a beach party and another a mexican show. Lots of pool activities, volleyball, cooking lessons, spanish lessons, there were water craft on the beach you could use for an extra fee. Parasailing, i think thats what its called was also available. The hawkers on the beach were very friendly and seemed a little intrusive at times but hey they became friends after a while and you could do all your shopping right there on the beach, as well as get a cheap massage any time you wanted. All excursions could even be bought from right there on the beach.
If people complained about this place then I believe their expectations were way too great for the price they paid. In all fairness I defy anyone to find a better value for money vacation anywhere in the world. It was a great place for me, not a posh place, just good quality value for money and good fun to boot. I would recommend it for couples singles and families. it is cheap and fun.

This was my second vacation at the Friendly Vallarta, I also went in 2011 with my son. I traveled with a friend from work this time and we both had a fantastic time! Truly, the staff makes it what it is! We stayed for 2 weeks and would have easily stayed longer if we could!

This time I requested a room in the tower and we were lucky and got one on the 5th floor. The view is amazing! The room was just as nice as the one last year that was not in the tower so it appears they are all very much the same (except for noise levels).

Angelica from Nolitours was fantastic as well, very informative and friendly!

The food was great! This year having the restaurant on the beach open for dinner was an added bonus and the food was outstanding. The best dinner I had was in that restaurant on an oriental theme night (shrimp and vegetable tempura).

Drinks, if you want it strong, ask for it strong! If it's not strong enough, have a few tequila poppers!

This resort is just as good for families, couples, singles and friends and we met many very nice people there during our stay. There is a great mix of people who travel here, yet the resort is small enough that you can feel at home in no time. The staff go over and above to include you in the beach parties, activities and making you feel welcome.

If you are looking for a 4 or 5 star high class resort, this is not for you. Yes, there are glitches that happen....like the elevator broken for a day or so, but there are other elevators and it can happen anywhere. I found there were a few people who traveled there and expected Canadian standards....for me, part of going to another country is to embrace their culture and way of life. My friend and myself both absolutely loved the resort and had no complaints at all.

We had no complaints about our mattresses at all, they did not seem hard or uncomfortable as some people have said, so it is all personal preference.

If you want to do some tours, find Omar Reyes of RandR tours on the beach. He is very professional and the tours he sells are with the same company as the one they sell in the hotel, Vallarta Adventures. You will get a better price and be able to enjoy more for less. I recommend the San Sebastion tour, the pirate ship and Las Caletas. There are still several more that I am looking forward to going on next trip;

Make sure to get to the Malecon and see all it has to offer. Just beware of the timeshare sharks....they are all around there and we decided (after being fed a few tequila shots) to see what it was about....the only regret we had the whole vacation!!! 90 minutes they are not!! No money, gifts or tours is worth what they put you through (we laughed about it later!)....as someone who had never experienced one, if you haven't either, keep it that way! Best advice I can give anyone!

I will definitely return to the Friendly again.

One last thing, please be sure to tip as you would at home. The wages are very low and the staff do work hard and should be tipped accordingly.

After multiple trips and a stay of 1 month, we decieded to view friendly vallarta and found it to be truly a 4 star, with no bad room issues as all are good.

My boyfriend and I visited Puerto Vallarta for the first time and stayed at Friendly Vallarta Resort. We encountered no problems while we were down there; from check-in to check-out, everything was excellent! Our flights getting into P.V. and leaving were both very early in the morning. We were able to check in right as we arrived at the hotel and didn't have to wait until 3:00pm check in the next day, like a few others on our flight had to. The same goes for checking out.. We figured we had to check out and be without a room for over 12 hours, but the resort let us keep our room for the duration of our stay, along with our all inclusive bracelets until minutes before our bus left to the airport. We were very pleased about this and they were very hospitable and accomidating.
The food was delicious and there was always something new to eat. Each night, an a la carte meal was served down at the restaurant down by the beach. It didn't count as one of your "a la carte meals" included in an all inclusive package. Each night was a different themed meal and the food was, in my opinion, just as good, or better, than the actual a la carte restaurant food itself.
Other reviews describe the rooms as "outdated". I would much rather describe them as "authentic". The rooms were simple. Simple is all you need, though, when you are in Mexico! I am going to assume most people spend more time out of their rooms than in them when on vacation in a beautiful country. The beds were extremely hard, but you aren't there for a good sleep. The staff kept everything very clean and each day tried to add a little something extra we would enjoy. One thing we did notice, though, was that the walls were paper thin. We could hear everything going on in the rooms next to us and in the halls, but it didn't bother us any. It became entertainment on some nights.
The staff was PHENOMENAL. The staff seemed to enjoy their jobs and tolerated us touristy Canadians. They waited on you hand and foot and always had fun with the guests and with each other. Angelica from Nolitours was such a sweetheart and oh-so helpful. This includes the event staff (Will.I.Am was great), front desk, bell boys, restaurant staff, cleaning staff and any other staff who makes this place as friendly as the name states. We didn't encounter one dismal or rude staff member the duration of our stay. You hope to leave that behind when you leave home.
There were hourly activites to do for the whole family. They set up beach volleyball, kayaking, bracelet making, water aerobics, ping-pong, BINGO, dance and spanish lessons, black jack and of course nightly entertainment, to name a few.
The pools were never full or crowded and the Adults Only infinity pool and two hot tubs were an added plus.
Overall, we had an excellent time both in Puerto Vallarta and at Friendly Vallarta Resort. We would most definitely return to this resort in a heart beat. There was always tons to do, plenty to drink, loads to eat and lots of beautiful sights to soak in. Our great experience made it very hard to leave.

*Side note: anyone who says the drinks are watered down is crazy. Some drinks are made stronger than others because nothing is measured out. If you really have a problem with it, go get another drink.. they're free..