This trip was a last minute deal with my aunt. I had never even heard of Manzanillo, Mexico so I had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.

From the minute we arrived we were treated like queens. The staff was amazing and they all knew us by name by the second day.

We got a large corner room with a great view at the top of the first hill. We loved it. Not too far up but not right by the pool.

I loved all of the food and the drinks. The shows were amazing...Roger is awesome!

Jorge...is the most wonderful person I have ever met. He is so helpful and caring and always entertaining. He makes everyone feel like they are the only person that matters at the resort from the time you check in to the time you leave. As a matter of fact...Jorge and I have keep in contact frequently over the past year and that is another reason I have chosen to return to this resort. Thay remember you and want you to come back.

It was an amazing experience. Manzanillo is beautiful and this resort is by far the BEST!

This resort is really great value for the money. There is some truth to the earlier comments - there is a rooster, you have to cross the road to the beach, I found a cockroach in our room. However, you're in Mexico and some of this adds to the experience. I think our room was a suite as it included a livingroom, bedroom and kitchen. The balcony was very spacious for relaxing. We were in section 3, so we had a view of a quiet road. The food is a little unpredictable. Some dishes were absolutely fantastic - others were a little hit and miss. However, I have been in Mexico many times and this is the first time I've visited without any tummy upsets.

This hotel primarily caters to Mexicans; however, the staff really make the extra effort to make the foreign guests feel included as well. We travelled with our four year old and the staff bent over backward to make sure he had a good time. The resort really caters to young families, so if you have little ones, it's a good choice. There is a waterpark, pirateship pool, playground and every morning at 11am, children can ride a tie line through part of the resort. George is a perfect host and will answer any question and will ensure you are happy.

On the negative side, the music from the disco between 11pm and 1am is overpowering - I'm not sure if our room was poorly placed - maybe ask for a room in a higher section. The main pool also gets extremely busy during the day, so best to enjoy it in the morning, then off to the beach.

Here's a couple of hints - there is a bar that's part of the resort on the beach. We didn't find it for the first few days - you have to climb up the stairs to a restaurant and you'll find it on the side. Don't miss airy Colima or Comala as side trips. We took a first class bus (1 hour, 85 pesos) to Colima, then a local bus to Comala (15 minutes, 8 pesos). Make sure to have lunch at one of the tapas bars off the main square in Comala.

We've never stayed at an all-inclusive before, since the idea of being stuck in a compound with other tourists doesn't appeal to us. However, we were tempted by the reviews in TripAdvisor to give Vista Playa de Oro a try.

First the good things: Vista has a real Mexican feel. It looks Mexican and 95% of the guests are Mexican, mostly from Jalisco. The buffet food was quite good, lots of choices, and not crowded. Drinks were also pretty good, with no line-ups at the bar. The rooms are a decent size and ours had a nice view of the distant Pacific and mountains. The entertainment each night was nicely done and the staff are all pleasant and friendly. The beach is great - long, and uncrowded with very few hawkers trying to sell you things. Frequent buses run past the hotel for a low-cost trip into town. In spite of what a previous reviewer noted, we saw absolutely no straw on the cobble stones or chicken droppings. We liked the non-touristy feel of the whole Manzanillo area.

On the other hand, the beds are definitely hard, and the pillows not great either. The rooms could use a ceiling fan (air conditioning only), and only one bath towel is given per guest (no hand towels). Some of the information announcements are in Spanish only, as was the information sheet we were given at check-in. I can read Spanish with no problem, but have trouble following it verbally at times. The Tabernas de Bucaneros, which had pool tables I would have liked to try, was only open the night we arrived (late), out of the five nights we there. Same with La Goleta restaurant. Some of the beach chairs are a little weatherbeaten, and while sitting at the beach we received no offers of service (drinks, snacks, etc) from hotel staff. Those faults are not major however, as far as we're concerned.

All things considered, we had an enjoyable time. With a softer bed we could have easily stayed longer. I'm tempted to give Vista 3 out of 5. However, it doesn't pretend to be a five star and because of the value-for-price ratio, I'll bump it up to a 4.

when I first arrived at the hotel in the evening I was a little worried about our stay here. This is not a fancy hotel by no means. The food is good, the staff is great, the pool area is really nice but does get quite busy in the afternoon. If you want to experience the real Mexico this is the way to go. We have always gone 4-5 star hotels so this is a different experience that I would highly recommend. I know I would go back anytime,