I appreciate reading negative reviews as they give you an idea as to what to look out for and help to set your expectations. Now look at the top of the page….where it say the "Hotel class". This is a three star place… and a pretty darn good three star it is. Do not go in with five star expectations and you will have a great time.

Vallarta Torre (VT) is very close to the airport, so no time lost traveling to your hotel. It is a very small complex (70 units) but is run very efficiently by a friendly and helpful staff. Check in was a breeze and we were up in our room in no time. The units are relatively basic but have a pretty nice kitchen (including a gas oven but are you really going to bake stuff?), gas stove , microwave, coffee maker, toaster and blender. There is a communal BBQ near the pool which we used twice to grill our dinner. The view from our balcony was lovely and we watched a number of spectacular sunsets over the bay.

Our TV (there is only one in the room) had plenty of English language channels so I am not sure why this was an issue for another reviewer (some had Spanish subtitles but is that really an issue?)

We had free WI-FI everywhere with signal strength that varied a bit but we were able to Skype and email without issues. The password was entered, ONCE, at the front desk and we had no further issues. We were on the fourth floor so the signal may have been worse on higher levels.

Vallarta Torre seems aimed at a older demographic (average age during our stay would have been in the 60s). They have a few steps to get through to the beach and we saw people in wheelchairs and walkers navigate quite well. They have an elevator and it was far from "painfully slow" when we, on occasion, used it. The tone of the place may be a bit too sedate for some younger couples but you certainly can go to other areas of Puerto Vallarta for evening excitement and enjoy the quieter pace during the day. The all inclusive resort next door is aimed at a younger demographic and can, at times. get a bit noisy. It wasn't much of an issue for us during our week.

VT provides no toiletries other than a bar of soap so we brought our own…. the supermarket, Soriana, is a slow 5 minute walk away if you need something. Wal-Mart and Sam's Club (membership required) are about a ten minute walk from VT. Like Soriana most of the merchandise is in Spanish and yes some of the workers don’t speak much English. Since this is Mexico we weren't surprised or flustered by this and managed quite well. You should too. We did not bother to go to the Costco ( 10 minutes walk) as the Wal-Mart and Soriana were more than adequate for our needs.

We had no "after dark" safety concerns…you won't either if you are smart. Why would you go to Puerto Vallarta and stay only on the hotel property? We traveled into the center of the city before sun down and stayed with the tourist crowds in a number of different areas. Just don't go wandering into areas without lots of people.

We went up to the fabulous Casa Isabel for the sunset view, wonderful music, great service and very nice food. We took a cab back from there to VT…no issues. Another night we bussed in to the old city before sun down walked around and then had a wonderful late evening seafood feast at Marisco Polo. We then walked along the boardwalk with thousands of others and took the bus back (again a bus full of tourists) to the stop across for the Soriana. The walk back to the hotel from Soriana has a small section that is a bit dark so if that is disconcerting take a cab back from the city...its all of 80 pesos (abut 7 bucks).

The only thing I found really annoying about our stay at VT (and this was true all along the beach and not just at VT) was the number of vendors who would come up to you when you were relaxing on the beach. I think there was a vendor trying to sell their stuff to me about every 45 seconds. The vendors are polite and move on when you say no…but they will interrupt your reading or listening to try and make a sale. They do not allow vendors on the property but that doesn't stop them form coming up to the fence and trying to get your attention. Unfortunately people do buy stuff from them so this encourages this behaviour.

We really enjoyed our first trip to Puerto Vallarta and our stay at Vallarta Torre. We will almost certainly return.

Vallarta Torre is very close to the airport, so transfers are a breeze and fast! This was our first time to VT in Puerto Vallarta, and honestly, it will be our last.

I know that PV is a favorite destination with many travelers, but we just did not see the 'magic' in this resort and in this city. I have been to Tijuana, MX many times and PV reminded us of Tijuana, only with warmer temperatures and more resorts on the beach.

Vallarta Torre is a nice enough condo complex to stay at, but certainly, in my opinion, not Vacation Internationale's best resort.

We were in the Penthouse, which should be their 'best of the best', at least one would think. Things that could have been improved in our opinion:

More English speaking chanels on the TV (our TV had a total of THREE!). However, there were over **60** Spanish speaking chanels. Hello?! Who are your guests? I would think that they are primarly 'English as a first language' people. Why would a resort, in the 21st Century with satellite TV systems being so easy to have, not utilize it and provide their guests with better TV choices. Yes, I know many of you do not come on vacation to watch TV, but some of us find it relaxing. Also, in this 'luxurious' penthouse (3300 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms), there was only a TV in the living room and in the Master Bedroom. I was travelling with my mom (she is in her early 60's and I am in my early 40's) and we both like to watch TV at night, in bed. Not here....Only one of us got to watch TV. Once again, in this day and age, how can a resort that prides itself on being a 'home away from home', not provide TV's in the bedrooms?

WI-FI: At check in, I requested the password for the free WI-FI be provided to me. The staff said that when I wanted to use my laptop, I had to bring it down to the front desk, and they would type in their password for me. Huh?! Do they think I am going to return home to San Diego, a week from now, and try to hack into their stupid WI-FI router?! Really?! Yes, I do have to check emails and work a little while away from my business, so WI-FI is important to me. Also, I enjoy my cup of coffee and some internet surfing in the morning, while looking out onto the lovely ocean Long story short...After losing my WI-FI signal on several occasions, I finally got the front desk person to give me the password so I would not have to keep going up and down, 8 stories, in the painfully slow elevator.

At Vallara Torre, be forewarned, that the WI-FI signal is pretty much, only available in the public spaces and out on the balconies of the condos. Sitting on the balcony, surfing the web, is really nice while the ocean is literally at your doorstep, BUT, when the sun starts setting (all units have a direct, Western exposure), it is so bright, that you cannot see your laptop's screen. .

Little things to note:
You have to call the front desk to send up a maintenance guy, to get the OVEN PILOT LIGHT, LIT! Notice I said "OVEN"... Where in the world, did they find an oven, that does not have a pilot light that stays lit? Also, there is NO way to adjust the temperature on the oven (no kidding), so you just get whatever temp, the maintenance guy gives you.

No counter top cleaner is provided. Since insects/ants in the tropics are always a challenge, you would think that they could put a small bottle of countertop cleaner in each unit to promote keeping things clean and free of food.

Small Pool (but the pool is nice and warm, and well maintained)

The penthouse, overall, just felt like it needed a BIG facelift. Maybe my standards are just too high, but this felt like a perfect place if you were just trying to 'rack em and stack em', i.e. you wanted to vacation with 8 or 10 people and you were just looking for sheer square footage and not anything elegant or luxurious.

No toiletries are provided, other than a BAR OF SOAP! We forgot our small bottle of lotion at home and had hoped that VT would have that, plus shampoo in the condo. Nope... just soap.
My mom was unhappy that we received a phone call at 4:42 AM (yes, I said 4:42 AM!!) from the front desk, asking if we had called them? She had been sleeping peacefully, so this was a huge disturbance for her.

If you have a large/noisy group staying next door to you, you will hear their every word when out on your balcony. Since staying somewhat intoxicated seems to be the m.o.in the penthouses around VT with large groups, this can be an issue

The all inclusive resort next door can sometimes be a bit loud, but all in all, it is not a problem. When the activities director gets on his loudspeaker to yell about bingo, etc. that is the only time that you roll your eyes and laugh. They do play really nice music all day, so that is a big plus
BRING YOUR OWN DVD'S! The DVD selection here is horrible! Once again, the majority of the movies are in SPANISH! Also, even if you do speak Spanish, the movies are old and unknown titles, for the most part.

Soriana (grocery store) is about a 3 minute walk from VT. also, Wal-Mart Super Store (groceries) and Sam's Club (membership required) are about a ten minute walk.
Costco is walkable, but NOT with groceries. Taxi ride from VT to Costco is about 50 pesos. There are lots of taxi's waiting for you when you leave Costco, so this is a good way to get your shopping done. I would defintely recommend Costco over Sam's Club...nicer/newer, etc.

Staff at VT are very, very friendly and informative about getting around, where to eat, etc.

Restaurant (Jardin) is really good and really inexpensive. We had chicken enchilladas on several occasions and the price was around $6, USD! That was for an entire meal! A really good chicken ceasar salad will set you back about $7.00.

We also brought some food with us from San Diego (coffee/tea/cereal/oatmeal/cheese & cracker packages). I wish I would have brought more food, since shopping at Soriana and having everything in Spanish was a bit challenging.

There is a pizza place (Peter Piper Pizza) in the Soriana parking lot, but it was always empty. We assumed that if no one was eating there, that the pizza must not be very good, so we did not try it.
You can catch the bus at the Soriana to go into town ($6 Pesos/ approx. $.80 cents) The bus ride was bumpy, but very easy to use. You just look for a bus that has "Centro" on it, and ride for about 15-20 minutes, and you are in the center of town.
Shopping: I am not a silver jewelry fan, so the shopping in PV was not good for me. If you enjoy tequilla or silver jewelry, you will be in paradise here.
Food: I had heard that PV has some wonderful restaurants, but due to the recommendation from staff members, NOT to be out after dark, we stayed on the property for our meals. We did eat at Senor Frogs for lunch and that was a lot of fun and the food was good.

Loved, Loved, Loved the Millenium Day Spa (only a 3 minute walk down the beach from VT; located at the Krystal hotel). We spent literally half a day there getting hot stone massages, deep cleaning facials and 75 minutes of reflexology and it was ONLY $195 per person! Those same treatments would have easily been $500 in my hometown! http://milleniumspapv.com/

VT is a decent place to stay...Staff tries very hard and they are warm and friendly. However, we prefer Cabo over Puerto Vallarta (the Sea of Cortez is so much prettier/warmer!) and will not return here. PV, IMHO, is a very busy, noisy city and I did not find it relaxing, at all.

Our friends that have been owners since 1979 invited us to join them for 2 weeks, but could only stay for 7. The staff was very friendly, offering us bottles of ice cold beer upon arrival. Salvador, the bell boy, has been at this resort for over 25+ years and is very accommodating. Our two bedroom with full kitchen was located on the first floor. Since there were six of us, my wife and I slept on the Murphy bed in the living room, which was better than sleeping on a pull out sofa bed.
The rooms were very clean with lots of towels. We had to get up early to save our spots by the pool. There was water volleyball twice a day, bingo, water aerobics, cooking classes, bar-tending classes and pottery painting. Happy hour was from 5-7 every day just listen for the bell to ring.
We meet some other regulars from Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California and Arizona. One of the couples from Alaska had gone fishing and caught sailfish which the Captain of their boat came to the resort and cooked the fish for use. He had made the fish kebob style with onion, bell pepper, jalapeño pepper and mushroom. The fish was so good that it seemed like we were eating steak.
The location of the resort from downtown was a bit far. Cab ride to down was 50-60 pesos, which wasn't that bad. My wife and I took the ride to the Hard Rock Cafe and had dinner at Andale's which my wife loved.
One advantage of this resort, the supermarket, Soriana's, was a short distance from the hotel and there is a short cut through a tiny alley for pedestrians only; also, down the street across from the supermarket, a wonderful restaurant called "La Terraza de la Abuela" which has this superb dish "Chilpolte Enchilada".
Going to this resort at this time of the year was special thrill, releasing baby sea turtles back into the ocean. We had missed one because we went into town. We also watched a sea turtle lay her eggs on the beach at 3:30 AM. This is one trip we will always remember.
The people working there are all wonderful especially the activities director, front desk and bar.

What a wonderful property! My husband and I are owners of Vacation International and decided to visit Puerta Vallarta since we have never been on the Pacific side of Mexico. We usually stay at much larger properties and thought it would be nice to try a smaller venue. What a pleasant surprise! When you arrive at the hotel you are greeted by Salvadore with a "Welcome Home" and two cold Cervezas. The front desk is not like your usual lobby. It consists of one desk and a podium, and I must say it was one of the quickest checkin's I've ever had. What a relief after your flight.

We had the opportunity to look at the 2 bedroom units (there are only two ocean front) and they are literally on the beach. The website does not do them justice. The two bedroom ocean fronts not only include two bedrooms but they are actual suites. They have their own big bathrooms with showers. Down the hall it opens up into a very large dining room, kitchen, and living quarters. You have sliding glass doors that open up to the fresh ocean air where you can hear the waves crashing in. The lower level you can walk right onto the beach, the upper level you get a large wrap around balcony porch. The penthouse units (there are 2) are amazing and great for a large group of people. I was actually more impressed with the 2 bedroom ocean front units. Then there is the one bedroom in which we stayed and this is a good sized condo. All units are wonderful and roomy. The beds are a little on the harder side and the couch was a bit hard as well but we didn't mind. We stayed on the 5th floor on the west side of the South end in room #501 which was an end unit. I suggest to stay on this side of the hotel as the East side has a night club close by that plays music to the wee hours in the A.M. The restaurant is good. We ate their every morning for breakfast, some occasional lunches, and some dinners as well. Town is a hop skip and jump away. I suggest taking a taxi (60 pesos) each direction ($10.00 U.S roundtrip) that includes a nice tip for the driver. Try the La Destileria restaurant which sits above the main strip and you get the most amazing views, sunset, and of course the food is excellent.

At the hotel they do not allow vendors on the property but at the hotel there is a lady and her mama that have a table of their makings. I believe they are related to someone at the hotel. They do not bother you, they are very quiet and humble. They make beautiful blankets by hand and it takes 5-7 days to finish one. We did not barter with them as they are not like the usual vendors. We gave them what they wanted. We bought several items from them (all of good quality). Right out on the beach you will find several vendors that we bartered with and got some nice things too. While you are on the beach rent a Sea Doo $90 U.S for an hour. It is definitely worth it. They tell you not to go far (they want to keep you in sight) but my husband told the lady that he is not a young kid and he is not going to be reckless and that he indeed was going to take it along side the town.She agreed and we did just that three times during our trip.

The staff makes Vallarta Torres such a pleasant hotel. I wish that I could include all their names as they were all wonderful people. But I will name a few that stick in my mind. Salvadore, he will welcome you and make sure that your luggage is safe and brought to your room, and he is always there to say hello everyday . Eduardo, is the front desk manager and will take care of all your needs. Willy and Angel, work in the restaurant and are such kind men. And of course Pepe, the activities coordinator always friendly and full of life. And I cannot forget "Felino the Un Gato", the master. He is always there to greet you in the courtyard as he sleeps under the table and the wagon!

The property is always maintained, the rooms spotless, the grounds impeccable. When you sit on you balcony in the A.M. you will see them at work to make sure it looks just perfect for all the guests. We loved it so much that my husband and I already booked another trip next year and this time we are bringing my mom and dad.