Got the week at Mayan Palace at a price that couldnt be passed up so at that price I cant really complain(too much). The grounds are beautiful but I probably would not go back to MP unless it was actually free. The unit itself was oddly equipped and came only with a little dish soap, a few coffee filters and the usual toiletries. We forgot paper towels on our grocery list and they were $4.50 (US) a roll at the store in the MP lobby and a pint of coffee creamer at the Sun Market by the Sea Garden was also $4.50 so make a shopping list for big shopping and dont forget anything on it! The only pools available to the MP guest were the Mayan Palace and The Sea Garden (which they dont offer shuttles to). You have to take the shuttle to the Grand Mayan and walk or take a cab or a bus. It's not far but didnt seem worth our efforts. No hottub at either hotel that we could use. We only ate out once at the very over priced meal at the pool restaurant our first night and cooked in the rest of the week. Internet was $17.00 a day but were were able to get the occassional signal by the the pool for free long enough for a few mintues a time or 2. The grounds are lush and there are turtles and iguanas always at the lagoon. We even saw a raccoon in the bushes one night. We didnt spring for the Beach Party on Monday or the Fiesta on Thursdays but watched from the beach and were really glad we didnt pay to get in. They looked pretty dull compared to many shows I have seen in Mexico. They have signs about beware of crocodiles on the grounds but didnt see any there but we did see one that was about 8'(?) in the canal at the bus stop outside of the Grand Mayan entrance. Pretty cool to see a critter that large in the wild and free in such an "urban" place. The complex is fairly remote and I felt a little trapped not being able to actually reach the main road without 1,2 or 3 shuttle rides to catch the public bus or a long long walk or the cost of a taxi to the main road. However once you do get to the entrance of the sister hotel Grand Mayan the bus is right there and is an easy in and out from the resort.
The cab fare from MP to Walmart Nuevo which is the closest for major grocery shopping is 60 pesos going and 70 pesos returning. The bus fare from either the front of Grand Mayan or Sea Gardens to the Liverpool Mall / Walmart Marina is 13 pesos each way and is a pretty quick ride. We used the bus twice to go to and from the casino at Liverpool which was clean, friendly and fun.
We booked the Mariettas Eco / Whale watching tour with Vallarta-Adventures and I would recommend this company to everyone.We took the hotel shuttle from MP to GM entrance and it was a 20-25 minute walk (which we did in the dark at 7:00am and an afternoon tipsy post cocktail return walk).They had a full on cold breakfast of rolls, muffins, cereal, cheeses, fruits, coffee and jucies. A very nice spread to fill anyones tummy. The tour was a blast in every way and we saw probably 15 whales. After snorkle / kayak / beach time the lunch of coldcuts, cheese, sandwiches, pasta salad and fruit was delicous and the sodas, beers and cocktails they served never ended until arriving back at the dock. Every thing about the trip was perfect and fun and more than worth every single penny we paid. I highly recommend this company. Thats about it for our week at Nuevo so the last info I can offer here is the cab fare from MP to our next hotel The Hotel Encino in old town PV was 190 pesos. Next time I visit the Vallarta area I will definately stay in PV rather than NV. Staying at that resort area really felt like I could be at any resort area in the US and thats not what I traveled to Mexico for......

Our fourth trip to this property and we still love it. We were able to rent an accomodation at the Grand Mayan and have access to the Luxxe pools. Lovely services and beautiful views of the ocean while you relax near the pools. But, be prepared to walk - a lot! We love the spread out spacious property, but older travellers like my mother who accompanied us, did not enjoy this at all. There are shuttles, but there are still great distances to walk in between stops and restaurants. Food is $$$ but delicious. Worth every penny! Tromonto is the best! Italian food and great service.

My husband and I took our 2 son's and 2 of their friends. The location of the property is not far from the airport. so we had rented a car for getting back and forth since we had other friends coming in a few days later.
The checking was simple, no troubles. Their rooms were clean and spacious making it comfortable for all of us. What we found out was when we booked this property to arrive in May that is when they are beginning to go into "winter mode" and started to shut down restaurants and the water park for maintenance.
Their is plenty to do on the property, water sports, slides and restaurants, as long as you go when it isn't toward the end of May .As with so many resorts they're food and drinks are ok but over priced. And the typical bothering of you to go to a timeshare sale. Annoying.
Suggestion to drive to Sayulita and have margarita's on the beach. Drive to Puerto Vallarta for their evening shows on the boardwalk.
There is much to do arount the area, if you have a rental car you can venture out and go beyond the resort and check it out.

We went to Mayan Palace in Nuevo Vallarta on New Years Eve 2011 and were there a week. It was our first time to the area, as we usually go to Mayan Palace Riviera Maya . We were pleasantly suprised and will return. The staff was friendly and the one bebroom suite was what we have come to expect from Mayan Palace..clean, quiet, spacious, and comfortable, with an adorable kitchen. Our maid brought us fresh flowers, and made two cute towel animals every day as a personal touch. The resort was nice..much different from Riviera Maya. At Riviera Maya, it is mostly just Grand Mayan and Mayan Palace and there are 22 buildings worth of rooms for Mayan Palace alone, but this can mean a long walk depending on what building you are in.The actual Mayan Palace part at Nuevo Vallarta was smaller than in Riviera Maya, because they are building more upscale units on the grounds that include Grand Bliss, Grand Luxe I, II, and III. However, the Mayan Palace was nicely located in regards to the beautiful pool and beach...a nice close walk and the beach here is much better than at Mayan Riviera.The view of the mountains was also breath taking and the daily sunsets over the Pacific cannot be beat! We wanted a ocean view room, but beacuse we were not owners, but friends of an owner, we did not get one, but we truly did not even care. My husband, daughter and I even parasailed right from our beach. Do not listen to the $60 price they quote you; you can talk them down to $40 or $50 for a group of 3 or more. From the aerial view of the parasail, we could see what we had been hearing all week...the Mayan Palace had the best pool on the grounds and we thought it was funny that the people who paid more to stay at the Grand Mayan kept choosing to come to our pool every day because it was better. it is not nearly as big as the pool at Riviera Maya, but it was fine for our needs and the pool activities staff including Veronica and Allen were warm, friendly and fun. The food at the restaurants was good and we would recommend The Wine Bar restaurant at the Mayan Palace-excellent service and food in an intimate outside setting. Tacos Break is a good cheap place to eat at the entrance to the resort as well. For groceries, take a taxi to Walmart in Nuevo Vallarta the day you arrive and you will be set for the week.There were a few draw backs to the place. The Jade store at the Mayan Palace was not nearly as nice as the one at Riviera Maya; this one was missing the deli, bakery and crepery and the grocery and gift selecton was very small. In addition, the pool was much smaller compared to Riviera Maya, but it was still beautiful. Also, the Brio Spa and expanded work out area were not as convient as at Riviera Maya, but we did have a small workout area in our building so that was nice. Finally, they seemed more pushy with wanting us to take the time share tour and breakfast at this location. We never agreed to it and just laughed every time they asked us or they raised the reward for doing it. We did not let this bother us as some people do. We were please with Nuevo Vallarta Mayan Palace and will return.