Beautiful beach and friendly staff for the most part but the food and drinks were terrible. The beach bar gives you a little plastic glass of flat draft beer for $4 and the standard beach fare is full of weiners and low grade hamburger....rooms are a tacky and not that clean... the buffet was almost inedible for us a canadians .....the little pool is ok but the real attraction is the2 mile beach. I wouldnt stay there

I had passed by this little hotel for many years, as it is located almost next door to my timeshare. As I needed a place for a week at the end of November 2011 I thought I should try it. During the week it was very quiet but on the weekend it became very busy, it is seemingly a popular weekend get-away for Mexican families from some inland cities and towns.
The Standard room was adequately furnished, very clean and everything was functioning properly. The mattress was very hard and uncomfortable. ( I recall reviewers complaining last Winter and The General Manager promising that they were changing the mattresses. Well they did not get to my room).
The ancient TV had only one channel providing news in English and that was Fox News the voice of the Ultra Right wing in the United States who do not care that there is a world outside of the U.S. A less biased more internationally oriented TV station might be enjoyed by more people,i.e. BBC International or CNN International .

The main restaurant has the ambiance of a school or company cafeteria. Plastic chairs, arborite tables, food also displayed as in a cafeteria except the choice was more limited here. The breakfast was identical every day. I looked at lunch and dinner but then went outside to eat.

The staff everywhere in the hotel were friendly and courteous, especially in the dining room.
This hotel with some imaginative refurbishing and better food could be a real gem

Me and my wife are 40 and travel frequently...mainly to Mexico and Hawaii. This property is an original building that is located in an area that is surrounded by new resorts and condo complexes. Transportation to and from hotel is quite easy and cabs to stores/attractions are cheap and available.

Pros: Price.
Front desk
Ability to walk to Dolphin experience and take Free boat shuttle to Paradise mall. Dont bother waiting for trolley...doesnt come very often. Go to Dolphin Experience for free boat shuttle.

Cons: Beds...I have never "slept" on a bed so hard. We actually slept on the futon.

Suite...We moved from a suite with a balcony in the "old" building to a superior room in the "new" tower. The bacony does not have a good view and there is no privacy from the opposite balcony. The kitchen was an old referigerator, microwave, and electric stove top. No dishwasher or any items to assist washing dishes. Plates/silverware were old, dusty, and dirty. Did I mention the beds? No view of ocean from room or bedroom, had to go out on balcony.

Superior room: great view, only one window opened. Rickety "bar stools" allow you to lean against a sticky, plastic bar as you gaze at the ocean. Small refrigerator.

TV: I DO NOT go on vacation to watch TV, however, there is not much to do when the sun goes down. It would be nice to be able to watch/rent movies, catch up on the news, or watch a ball game. None of this was possible with the 12 spanish speaking channels on the tiny TV from 1992.

Food: Please do not waste your time or money. It is horrible and don't try to say differently. The only positive reviews must be from management. The only edible items were the pancakes at breakfast. We had a breakfast only plan and only used it twice. Go to Eddies place as many times as you can. Guido's place had good pizza. Use the money you saved on staying here to eat out every meal!

Activities: Never saw anything going on.

My advice: Go to VRBO and find a condo in the Paradise Villiage Area or surrounding area.

I stayed at Villa Varadero twice--January and April 2011. I went back because I enjoyed the beach--quiet, relaxing--the service, and the location (SO easy to get to from the airport, free area trolley, and bus stop right outside for going into town).

Others have written about the food. It really is fine, but the specialty nights are a problem. Breakfast is great. Eat well then. Lunch is iffy if it is down by the pool (at the main restaurant, it is better with better choices). Down by the pool, it has fewer choices and the food is not kept at a good temperature--the cool stuff gets warm and the hot stuff gets cold. Go RIGHT AWAY for lunch at the poolside...do not wait. Evening meals are fine, with a couple choices of meat, except on the specialty nights. The pizza night is the worst. The pizza is NOT GOOD, barely edible, and that's all there is besides salad, which you will have the same salad every lunch and every dinner....

I also must note that I got a bacterial infection during my last stay. I took two weeks and two different antibiotics to clear up. I believe it was from the lunch food...the cold stuff being warm. Perhaps the water. I will bring a steripen my next trip to Nuevo Vallarta.

Other notes.

They do have bikes, but they are rusty and not very workable. If you plan on biking, get out early to get the ones that are in the best shape.

Both times, I had problems with other guests that were quite noisy long into the night. I called the front desk on three occasions, and twice the problem was taken care of. Once the problem was a group of people on the beach, that included both guests and staff. They sang and shouted until 4 am. I wasn't the only guest that called, but, eventually, the party broke up.

The beach is nice. At certain times on certain days, the waves are great for boogie boarding. Most of the time not so good. I did check out a board every morning so I would have it ready for the good waves. You can walk down the beach almost to the airport. The sand is great, so you can go barefoot and check out the action all the way along the beach.

As a couple reviewers said, there's not much to do at the hotel. It's true. It's best for people who want to lay on the beach, take a walk on the beach, head over the plaza on the trolley for shopping, read, nap, maybe take a bike ride or play a game of volleyball. If you and your family demand more activities...this is not your place.