This was my first trip alone to Mexico. I was a little hesitant going after I couldn't get the hotel I wanted. But I gave the Samba a try, and am I ever glad I did! The resort was extremely clean, the staff were unbelievably friendly, as well as the other vacationers. The food was delicious, though there was a few dishes I wasn't sold on, but it all comes wither personal taste.

While I didn't spend alot of time hanging out at the resort, the time I did stay I was always welcomed with spectacular service by the kind waiters, and my room was never in a mess. The cleaning crew inside and out do their jobs very well. The Rep through Nolitours offered wonderful tours for us, and it was the best time I had ever spent in Mexico

Only downside, was the guests were more so families and elderly folk. So night life was slow. Few nights they did have a disco, but other wise it was dinner, the show and bed, unless we went to town. I would ABSOLUTELY stay here again, so relaxing with the best service ever received!

We just returned from Samba on Sunday and have absolutely nothing bad to say about this resort. As mentioned in other reviews, it is a smaller place which is great for families. We have 2 girls, 4 & 5 and they had so much fun there. The staff knew the girls names, were always very helpful & everything was great. We took advantage of the aqua aerobics, mini water polo, croquet, chess, ping pong & even the kids club. The kids made a cute flower craft and wanted to go back again but we spent a lot of time by the pool and the playground instead. We had a suite that faced the pool on the 4th floor and the view was gorgeous. Every night around 7pm, bats would fly by and it was a sight to see. We made sure we saw it every evening. We came home from this vacation so relaxed and so excited to tell our loved ones about what a wonderful time we had at such a wonderful resort. The nightly entertainment was great as well and every evening during supper, a kids movie would play on the screen at the theatre. When the movie was over, the evening show would begin. Fantastic!!!

Our family (2 kids - 3 yrs and 1 yrs) stayed at Samba through the Nolitours all-inclusive from Toronto. The resort provided a relaxing vacation with excellent food, comfortable accomodation, and family fun. We visited the pool, beach/ocean, and playground daily, and read books on the balcony while the kids napped in the afternoon. The resort had plenty of space for guests and there was never a problem getting a chair by the pool or beach. Guests included Canadian and Mexican families, couples, and retirees. The resort was less flashy than some of the neighbouring Riu resorts, but provided an intimate holiday.

The buffet was excellent in terms of quality, taste, and variety, with plenty of authentic Mexican and Canadian/American foods to choose from at every meal. The buffet dinner had many items that changed nightly with different 'themes'. The A La Carte restaurants provided a change of pace and some special dishes. There was a beach BBQ one evening, where again the food was excellent. The snacks that were available between meals or late at night were more basic (hamburgers / hotdogs / fries / natchos) and were not as good.

The resort was well maintained and well run by professional and courteous staff. A few activities were available through the week (volleyball, kayaking, boogie boards, some kids activities like crafts or scavenger hunts), but all of the time was your own to either join in or relax. Evenings wound down early, with shows (such as a live band, or dancers / performers) on only a couple of the nights (which suited us just fine).

Earlier reviews and notices mentioned the pool refinishing work, but this was done before we arrived. We enjoyed all 3 parts of the pool which included a shallow, medium, and deeper section.

The beach was very nice with plenty of shaded chairs, fine sand, and usable ocean (i.e. normally not too rough). The low tide in the afternoon created a dramatically different shoreline where you could walk out a fair distance.

The weather (warmth) in the Puerto Vallarta area is some of the best available in the Mexico / Caribbean area unless you go to the further south (and often more expensive) islands. This was an important point for us, especially in January. Mornings (breakfast 7:00am with kids) were more comfortable with a long sleeve shirt or light sweater, but by 10:00 am it gets very warm.

Samba Vallarta is a great resort if you want a small, quiet, relaxing, and friendly place. It's NOT a place for someone looking to party. It's great for kids, families and couples over 35 yrs old or really mature. (boring - ha ha)

I think the only reasons this resort isn't a 5 star is because of its size, age (newly reno'd) and variety of food. There is so much about the resort that you cannot quantify; the people, location & the atmosphere.

The beach front is beautiful. I thought Samba's beach and location were the nicest of all the resorts in the area. There were plenty of beach chairs and palapas for everyone to enjoy - never a shortage and nobody had to save chairs. The beach bar service was A #1 (waiter - Salvatore). He was very attentive (almost too much - ha ha) I can't remember having beach service for a very long time. He always has a big smile for you. We tipped him well - he deserved it.

The pools were nice with lots of chairs and umbrellas. A lot of reviews I've read said the pools were cold but I didn't find that at all. In fact, I thought they were quite warm. We spent most of our time on the beach because it was TOO HOT to hang around by the pool too long. (30 degrees)

The serving and activities staff were AMAZING. The beach bartenders and waiter (Salvator) were A #1! Daniel, the hospitality manager's motto was "My home is your home" (mi casa su casa) and that's exactly how it felt. I felt very welcomed and a part of a big family. There is very little staff turnover. One of the bartenders has been there 17 years. There were lots of waiters and patrons calling each other by first names - so nice to experience.

The food was tasty, a little weird at times, (wieners disguised as sausages) the variety was average but the experience was great. They set up a BBQ one night with live music for all the guests on the grass behind the beach restaurant and the atmosphere and food was amazing. The Italian & Mexican restaurants were good. Due to the small guest capacity, there was only one a la carte open at a time.

The live entertainment was in the same vicinity as the dining area which enticed more guests to stay for the show. There were 2 really great shows (the best of any resort I've stayed in) but the other 5 were put on by the activities staff so were unprofessional but quite fun. There was usually guest participation as well.

The little fishing town of Bucerias is about a 40 minute walk down the beach. We walked one way and cabbed it back to the resort. ($6 us) The market is kind of nice but beware of the pushy vendors. WOW, I forgot how pushy they can be. One kid, about 7 yrs old said, "COME ON" (Vamos) when we said we didn't want what he was selling. We laughed so hard hearing that little kid and how well trained he must have been.

We had such a great time that we're already talking about our next trip to Samba.