We stayed here for 4 days 3 nights. The room we had was nice and clean we had a great view. Cost was reasonable, the receptionist was extremely nice and helpful. The location was a bit far (30 minutes) from the actual city (45 minutes from the airport). This hotel does not have walk access to the beach and does not have a restaurant. If you are looking for a low cost place to stay, then this is it. You'll have to take a bus in to town (this is the cheaper way to go), but you can take a taxi. There are no stores near by, actually there is not much near by. The people that live around the area are very nice and friendly. If you are looking for adventure and not your usual city living...Mar Sereno is exactly that. I would stay there again.

My boyfriend and I have traveled the world. When I go to Mexico I don't expect -or want- some sort of luxury American style hotel. This place looked perfect because of the pool/hottub and ocean views, etc. So, I tried to book through their website and that wasn't working, I then emailed Oscar, who said I could reserve by going to a bank here in NY and depositing $ into their account. I didn't really want to do that so I booked through Travelocity instead and emailed Oscar again telling him thank-you and I couldn't wait to stay there!

What a mistake.

After taking the bus all the way out to the hotel (about a 1/2 hour ride into downtown PV) the guy at the desk did not have our reservation. He even let us look at the computer...we noted that there were several rooms still available and that some reservations had *expedia* next to their names.

When Oscar, who I had emailed previously, came out, he told us that they don't honor Travelocity or Expedia anymore and that we could just book a room directly from them. I can understand Spanish. He told his assistant to get the money from us so they would not have to pay Travelocity. This pissed me off too much to stay, so we left. I am a calm person, and was never rude. I did, however, tell them on my way out that this was not a good way to conduct business and they actually LAUGHED at us. The only helpful person was the chef, who came out of the restaurant to tell us where to stand to catch the bus. He pointed at the lobby and said "Ellos son loco, lo siento!" translation: those guys are crazy, I'm sorry!

We ended up finding a FABULOUS place downtown last minute, so it was fine. The moral of the story is: Do not stay at the Mar Serano! There are loads of other places within 30 seconds of the place that are probably better. This place is not so remote after all...there is a hotel every 50 feet along the cliffside for miles and miles. The place looked sort of dingy anyway. The pool had yet to see sunlight when we got there at 3pm, so take that into consideration.

Good luck and Bon Voyage!

A family next door one night summed it up - since their last stay 6 years ago the Mar Sereno has really gone downhill. They left the next day. Pool was cold and not seen to be cleaned, kitchen sink leaked into mouldy, buggy cupboard, bathroom door wouldn't close, only food service breakfast & lunch and not always what you ordered, hotel a half-hour drive down a winding, coast road. The only redeeming values were the whales & birds seen from the balcony, and the night/weekend desk person who was very helpful. There has to be something better that is still outside the Puerto Vallarta scene, maybe just not so far out.

Well, if you are looking for an upscale American type hotel, do not stay here and give it a bad review. If you are looking for Mexican hospitality, with all the great and quirky Mexican ingenuity, style and ambiance - this is it. The hotel is older and not everything is perfect, but this did not affect our stay in any way.

We had spent five days north of Puerto Vallarta in both Sayulita and San Blas. We decided to head south for our last two days to be closer to the airport. Puerta Vallarta was so hustle and bustle it creeped me out. We had to get out of there and we remembered from a previous visit that the area a several (15 minutes) kilometers south was more remote and quiet. We headed south thinking that the place we would like to stay at would become apparent when we saw it. After passing by several large condo/timeshare type places we were almost out of beach, just about 1 or 2 kilometers before the road took off over the hills and into the jungle. There - in between Mismaloya and Boco de Tamatlán - was Mar Sereno. We found home! The view was unrivaled. The quiet - ahhh. The breeze in the comfy lobby - perfecto.

The room we chose was a standard, two double beds, bathroom with small shower, toilet and sink, and another sink and counter in the bedroom. The toilet area got wet when we took a shower, but so what? It was clean. Some of the lighting was a bit funky and it took a few momentos to figure which switch operated what, but that worked out.

The beds were hard for sitting and reading, but ok to sleep. I found every bed in Mexico - for the last ten years - to be too firm for me - as I am now used to a Tempurpedic. But would I spend double or triple to have that instead of a real Mexico experience? No. We had our own veranda with tables and chairs off the bedroom. When we needed another chair in the bedroom - we brought one in. It was the smallest room they had - but very spacious for two.

The style of this hotel is a perfect example of Mexico. Tile and carved wood everywhere. Laid back atmosphere. The staff could not have been better. Oscar- there in the early day doesn't speak a lot of english, but is very friendly and helpful. You can find out what you need. In the late afternoon, the most excellente Martín comes in. His english is very good. He will help you with anything you need - will call ahead to make sure someone will stay open to serve you dinner - We Loved Primativo in Boco de Tamatlán, one minute down the road.

Your car is secure here. You can also take a bus to get here. Buses run often and taxis are available.

I can't say enough good about this place. The pool area is clean and pretty with still that incredible view. We stayed on the second floor in 202, which is the third floor according to the button on the elevator, and two floors below the first floor. Yep - you read that right. Yep - it's what I love about the Mexico experience!

I have an Inn in ABQ NM. I know a good experience from a bad one. Come here expecting the Hilton and you will be disappointed. Come here expecting a real Mexico experience, you will get it and will want to come back as we do. And next time we'll stay longer.

Oh yeah - the water taxis to Quimixto with the waterfall, and Yelapa are just a minute from Mar Sereno by car, and not to far to walk, but I wouldn't walk it at night. People drive crazy down here and night time is REALLY dark. You are right on the edge of the jungle. There are many outdoor adventures in this area too. I will post photos if I can when I get home.

S & R from ABQ