I have been coming here since it opened. It has been a healing, saving grace for me. I noticed the beginning of the decline when a wealthy Guadalajara family bought it about a year and a half ago. They closed down the laundry room, causing us take the 20 minute journey into town to get our laundry done and then return to pick it up. The Guadalajara management also shut down the computer room. Not all of us have laptops. The WiFi service does not reach all the rooms. When I mentioned this to the "manager", who is a cousin of one of the owners, she did not know. The hot tub, which worked wonderfully under the old management no longer works properly. It is never filled to capacity. Also, it is always cold.

What really frightened me, however, was the type of people that the "manager" tolerates, much to the frustration of the excellent staff and other guests. There was a very noisy family whose five children were still screaming in the pool at 7:00PM at night and only stopped when the manager told them it was time to settle down.

That same family allowed their three-year old son to run around the pool area naked. The naked child was also permitted to sit in the whirlpool naked. Other guests and I felt very uncomfortable with that. So did the staff. Also, there is a clear sign that no children are allowed in the whirlpool. However, this was never enforced. Guests wantonly ignored it. I do not fault management, as their hands are tied by the "manager", their boss. Under the previous management, this and other noise issues would have been strictly enforced.

Late at night, after 11:00PM the adults were yelling and screaming on the balcony, obviouslly drunk. I called the security guard and was promptly told there was no rule concerning noise. Rather than argue with him, I simply hung up in his face. There is a noise policy posted in the rooms. However, it is not posted prominently. Its small print is hard to read. There is one version in Spanish and an entirely different one in English. In short, there is great confusion of noise policy. The guard insisted that I change my room the following morning, which I did. However, I failed to see how that would help and protect me against the unpredictability of drunken guests. I also noted that the family was gone the next morning. They were planning to stay longer. Did they get kicked out again only to be tolerated again? I do not think I want to take the chance, especially when the security guard was afraid to stand up to them or even politely suggest that they turn down the volume or go inside the apartment.

The fact that the family was gone was interesting, as I heard from reliable hotel sources that they are regulars with their regular bad behavior. I heard that "Management" has kicked them out before but allows them to come back.

The staff, including the gardener, maintenance, housekeeping and desk staff are doing an excellent job befitting the service of a 5 star hotel in spite of all these obstacles and egregious lack of managerial support. The "Manager" is never on sight. If you speak to her when she is on th epremises, she claims not to know what is going on.

Given the type of behavior that seems to be tolerated by management and with the staff's hands tied to do anything about it, I am afraid that I will have to find another paradise. My paradise is being invaded by indifferent management who tolerates loud drunks after 11:00PM and naked children running around in all areas, even those where there is a clear sign that even children wearing bathing suits are not allowed.

There is also a conflict with the hotel and the town concerning the use of a courtyard backing up against the wing opposite the office. When there is an event there, which is frequent, you can forget about getting to sleep before 2:00AM. If there is not an event, there is always a soccer game and an aerobic dance class going on in the late afternoon or early evening, making the room rather uninhabitable if you are looking for peace and quiet or an afternoon nap. There does not seem to be a solution to this problem. I did not have this noise problem until the current management took over. I gather from sources that the previous management worked out something with the town on this issue. Now, anything goes. Over a long weekend, there was a birthday party that I was told would last until 4:00AM. Fortunately, it was over a little after 2:00AM

The jungle paradise will soon turn into a green hell unless the indifferent, fatcat owners in Guadalajara, a four hour drive from Puerto Vallarta, get their act together and start running the place like a resort instead of a welfare hotel.

Lovely place to stay, and George at the restaurant is the best! We caught some fishes and he cook them for us! He is the best! He also plays guitar! 5 minutes walking to get to the Mismaloya beach! the rooms are clean; and they have everything you need! We will come back soon!

We stayed at Casa Iguana for only two nights arriving late the first night. The hotel is about 20 minutes south of Puerto Vallarta and an interesting taxi ride. When we arrived it was dark and we were greeted by the front desk who were waiting for us. We checked into our rooms and walked up the streets of Mismaloya to a small market to get some water, pop and other items. The town is very small and the hotel is all 2 br units with 2 singles in one room and a queen size bed in the other room. Kitchenette with sink and a living area with tv were extremely modest. We paid $100/night for 4 adults so we weren't expecting the Ritz Carlton.

We ate breakfast twice (less than $30 usd for 4 adults) at the onsite restaurant where we met Jorge and his daughter Libby. There is a nice pool wiht a hot tub (didn't use) which is starting to show some age. The hotel is smallish - 4 floors and maybe 50 units total but it was very slow and we basically had the run of the place. We took a couple walks (down to the Mismaloya beach - maybe a quarter mile - interesting walk and a great way to take a small boat out to snorkel los arcos or see it up close. We also walked up the hill thru town past the PV zoo.

We ate at the onsite restauraunt for dinner - our group had the seafood platter with crab, lobster, snapper, etc and i had the filet mignon. Wonderful relaxing meal. Jorge is a gracious host and he even offered to drive us to our next hotel. He makes a mean margarita also - try the mango.

We only stayed two nights which was enough for us considering the room size - any longer and i would have probably wanted our own 2 br to sort of stretch out - great for a couple nights.

We loved the remoteness and no one messed with us and vice versa.

This was our second stay at the beautiful Casa Iguana, a lovely spot carved out of the surrounding jungle. We stayed for the whole month of February. The hotel has changed ownership but the quality of service was better than last year. All the staff were friendly and helpful. The grounds and our suite were well maintained and the addition of fresh flowers in our room each day gave it a special touch. I cannot praise Marta and the other cleaning staff enough for the pride they take in their job.
Our only disappointment this year was the restaurant which, although it is located in the grounds of the hotel, is not managed by them. The quality and the service was sadly lacking this year. However, since there are many other places to eat in the area,, this was not a problem. We recommend Juan and Only's in Mismaloya village for breakfast, and lunch and dinner for that matter.
It was such a delight to be remembered and welcomed back by the villagers and those in the surrounding community. We look forward to returning next year.