This is the third time my wife and I have vacationed at this resort, we stayed for two weeks, and enjoyed it thoroughly. The staff as usual provides excellent service. When we arrived, we were unfortunately put in a non-smoking room, so the porter says go down to the bar and have a drink while they sorted it out. The butler, Luis, came down to the bar about 5 minutes later and asked for the room key to the first room, five minutes later he was back with the new room keys, and informed us that our luggage has already been moved. In the room I noticed a sheet metal louvre on the hot tub was loose, and posed a potential hazard for someone getting cut getting in or out, and brought it to Luis attention the next morning. It was fixed by the time we got back to the room. Luis is a very personable young man, and seems to be the go-to guy if there is anything wrong.
I was amazed that the staff remembered us, as soon as Alfredo saw us he came right over to greet us, and after the first day made sure he had a shot of bailey's for my wife's morning coffee ready. The rest of the staff also treated us like royalty, there are too many names to remember, but Marcario always made sure that our wine glasses were full in the evenings and would always chat with us while he worked. Angel and Hector were great, but it is hard for anyone to stand out in the staff they were all so nice.
The one drawback is the music at the pool, the selection is great lots of classic rock from the Beatles, Stones etc., but the artist sounds like a lounge singer on qualudes, imagine "Paint it Black recorded on a 45 but played at 33. The one song that sticks out in my mind is an old Terry Jacks classic, the name of the song escapes me right now, but if Terry Jacks heard it he would likely puke. Fortunately Angel would bring songs from his home computer in the afternoons and evenings to give us a break.
All in all, we had a great vacation, we weren't impressed with Sunwing, the seats are rock hard and too close together for comfort, but we will likely go back to the Royal Suites again.

My boyfriend and I stayed at the Palladium, April 29th-May 6th, 2011. (I have been meaning to write this review for a while!!) It was my 3rd all-inclusive (1st to Mexico), and his 1st all-inclusive. It was recommended to me by a colleague and by my friend/travel guru Matt (Sidenote: check him out at flightcentreassociates.com/mattgilmore for the sweetest deals!). We specifically picked this resort because it was far from the hustle and bustle of the city, so we can enjoy a relaxing vacation - we got so much more, a trip of a lifetime, really!!

We arrived from Toronto on an evening flight, and we along with one other person, were the only ones destined for this resort. It is a 45 minute commute and safe to say check in was a breeze as most of the guests had arrived earlier in the day. Many of the international guests here are from BC and AB. Upon arrival, we were greeted by a bell hop letting us know we were to check in at the Royal Suites reception, how he knew who we were even before we told him our names is beyond me -- I guess he was just very well informed! We were extremely confused as we had only booked a standard room, but decided to follow his instructions because he seemed very certain that we were at the Royal Suites. Upon entry of the Royal Suites reception we were pleasantly greeted by the manager and front desk attendant where we were told we had been upgraded to the Royal Suites. RE-FREAKEN-DICULOUS!!! My review is an honest account (hiccups included) of the Royal Suites, the Palladium resort and the 3 Vallarta Adventures day-trips we took.

Rooms:
- 1st floor of the building closest to Royal Suites reception which was super convenient
- To open door after inserting card, take the handle up, then down and push open (yes we had some trouble with this)
- The room was an adjoining room, this caused a sleeping problem one night because our neighbours were extremely noisy playing loud music, having lots of friends over until the wee hours of the morning (think 4am!). Perhaps they learned their lesson because we never heard them again after that.
- Room was big, flat screen TV, with a great selection of English channels
- Jacuzzi in room, tried to use it once, as it was filling up but the water appeared green, so we abandoned this idea
- We used the in-room safe, which fit, a laptop, documents, wallets and 2 phones
- The washroom is separate and so is the shower with its own doors, except that the doors are frosted glass, and no there is no other door for this facility, just you on one side, the frosted glass and your mate on the bed on the other side -- yes this can get very awkward lol
- The king sized bed was extremely comfy and so were the pillows
- We left 5 pesos for the maid everyday, I'm sure it was appreciated -- unfortunately, we never received any of those fancy towel designs or a note to say thanks (no biggie)

Safety:
- The resort is located off the main road/highway, but it is completely hidden with trees and brush
- There is a security gate, and it is manned 24-hours
- Security guards always know who is coming in and out
- The resort feels completely safe to walk at all hours of the day/night

Grounds:
WOW! Is all I can say! The resort is beautifully kept, with lush flowers and vegetation.
It is so well maintained, there's even descriptions of the flowers and trees
There's a small petting zoo with monkeys, ostrich, rabbits etc...say hello to my furry friends!
One last thing...the resort is BIG! We're big on hiking and staying active so this was a definite PLUS!

Food:
- Since we arrived very late the first night, the restaurant that's exclusive to the Royal Suites guests was closed so we opted for the buffet
- The food at the buffet was delicious with lots of variety, however, this was the only time we ate here because after discovering the Royal Suites restaurant we didn't need to look any further for incredible food, service or scenery
- The Royal Suites restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and offers snacks in-between, it's like going to an a la carte restaurant for every meal. SIMPLY DELICIOUS!
- It overlooks the ocean, and since we're early risers, 90% of the time we drank our coffee and ate our breakfast as we watched the sunrise and the calm ocean water - BREATH TAKING!!
- We basically had free reign on the a-la-carte restaurants, which can be booked through our butler on the very same day
- The Mexican restaurant offered the best view form the top of the cliff, it's on the completely opposite end of the Royal Suites so allow 10-15 minutes to get there and actually find it as it's a little tricky. The food was incredible, it offered Mexican dishes which I have never encountered in any Mexican restaurant in Toronto
- The Japanese restaurant was OK, if you are a big sushi/maki connoisseur you will most likely be disappointed (nothing to write home about)
- We never tried the Italian restaurant because quite frankly the best restaurant with the greatest variety, the best service IS the Royal Suites restaurant!! You get to know the waiters as they are the same ones every day and they really take care of you. We made sure to take care of them too, leaving between 2-5 pesos every meal.

Drinks:
- Corona is offered everywhere on the resort
- The Royal Suites bar also offers Negra modello which is an awesome alternative
- The Royal Suites bar also offered a variety of drinks, try any one from the drink menu you will thoroughly enjoy!
- Drinks at the lobby bar and at Royal Suites bar are served in normal glasses, everywhere else are in the dinky plastic cups (just FYI)

Beach:
- We found this is somewhat of a surfer's paradise, lots of locals and international folks come out for this purpose
- Both of us took two surfing lessons (our first ever), which were totally free with our stay
- It's pretty rocky so you have to stay out of certain areas, but the instructors are really good in giving directions as to how to avoid
- During my first lesson in the water, I actually collided with another surfer and got a bit banged up and bruised up and thought I wouldn't go back...but a few days later I tried my luck again and got extremely close to standing on my board (yay!)
- If you plan to try surfing, it's worth bringing one of those 2nd skin body shirts as chaffing will occur lol
- The water unfortunately is full of seaweed, and it's quite dark, as the bottom is lava rock..it really looks more like Lake Ontario than the turquoise waters of the carribean/riviera maya
- I brought water shoes and that still didn't help all that much
- There is natural salt water pool, free of seaweed in the ocean, but many people gravitate to this area and it can get quite busy
- The seaweed that had washed up on the side of the Royal Suites was left as is for the entire time we were there. It was literally tons of seaweed and it had turned black from the sun, it was not the best sight. More could have been done here.
- There were lots of chairs, and it was not necessary to reserve ahead of time
- Royal Suites guest enjoyed comfortable cabanas and unlimited towel service (AWESOME!)

Pools:
- We never once entered any of the pools, I can be in a pool in Canada, I definitely did not go there for this
- What I can say is the main pool was extremely busy with many kids. This was their spring vacation, so many locals were staying here during this time
- There is an infinity pool near the Mexican restaurant, again I have no idea what's it's like
- The Royal Suites pool was quite busy during the day, it's also on the smaller side

Activities/Entertainment:
TENNIS - the tennis court was usually available whenever we checked. You just had to sign at the gym. We brought our own racquets (yes, we're big on tennis :D ) and used the tennis balls available there. They were pretty used up but we made the most of it. I would definitely bring my own next time, as there was no opportunity to purchase any.
GYM - It's one of the better ones I have seen. I never actually used myself but a number of people did. There was sufficient equipment and the place was well ventilated with a staff member on-site.
DISCO - there is a disco on-site, and we checked it out one night around 1am, but it was quite empty and the people there were quite young (think 14-17 year olds), so we quickly retracted our steps
NIGHTLY ENTERTAINMENT - they had this every night, and we did check it out twice. Everything was really nice with lots of chairs around for everyone to sneak a peak.
SPORTS BAR - We checked out the GSP vs Shields UFC fight here, we were shocked they were carrying it. It was on a separate TV and lots of people gathered around. At the same time, the Vancouver game for the NHL playoffs was being shown on the bigger projection screen. This bar was highly attended, you can tell there were lots of Canadian sports buffs around. The bar was extremely busy at this time, the bartenders were working at amazing speeds to keep up with the orders. Wow, these gentlemen did an awesome job!

Vallarta Adventure Day-Trips:
There was a "buy 2, get 1 free trip" deal which we fully took advantage of, the trips in order where:
1. Ziplining/waterfall rappelling - I can't remember the exact name but this trip was AWESOME! It involves a speed boat, a 4x4 off-road vehicle, a mule, zip lining and rappelling through the Sierra Madre mountains...2 thumbs up!
2. Rhythm of the Nights - boat ride to Las Caletas is quite long but the staff do a good job of entertaining on the boat, the dinner on the beach is delicious and romantic, the show was good but quite short - perhaps 40 minutes in total. By the time you get back to the hotel it is 1:30am and you feel drained.
3. Sea Safari Adventure - involves remote villages only accessible by water. The best trip to meet local and immerse yourself in the culture. There's horse back riding through the mountain to a waterfall, snorkelling (not as great at Mayan) but still fun, and then lunch cooked by the locals of one of the villages (this was the best)..it was delicious, simply delicious! 3 thumbs up!

Puerto Vallarta:
The boardwalk is definitely worth a trip to the city. There were sand statues on display and were so intricate and beautifully designed, it was amazing to see. We stopped at a place called Cheeky Monkey for $1 margaritas, while the food and drinks all came to an unbelievable price, I think it might have also been the reason for me to get sick. It's possible that the ice/water used in the drinks was not the filtered water used on the resort. Thankfully, it was my last night there and didn't feel the full effects until I came home. My boyfriend was OK, maybe I just have a weaker stomach.

Miscellaneous:
I got a sun rash on my 3rd day at the resort, something that has only happened to me once before. To receive medication I had to see the resort doctor, who was super cool but charged a fee even though my symptoms were very obvious. All in all, I paid the equivalent of CDN $130, which was reimbursed to me partially by the Gov't of Ontario, and the rest by my insurance company. It was just a hassle, the whole thing took 6 months for everything to come through. Better to bring 1% Hydrocortisone cream and avoid the charges.

Also, my phone which, works everywhere else in the world, did not work on the resort. I've heard sometimes resorts disable the signal to encourage you to use their own telephone service...not sure if this was the case here. In any case, I came out $60 poorer because of two 5 minute telephone conversations to Toronto. I put down a deposit of 200 pesos, and given the rate I was quoted I was expecting to get something back, not be charged. This was just in bad taste. Simply avoid using the phones for Int'l calls.

Wifi did work in our rooms as we had brought a laptop. No problems here. There was also a computer available at the Royal Suites lobby, we never used it but frequently saw others using it.

Overall, we came to Palladium for a nice vacation, and had the MOST AMAZING EXPERIENCE! There's little hiccups that I mentioned but it was not something that ever bothered us, just for everyone else to have in mind when thinking about booking this resort. We still talk about this vacation today, it will be extremely difficult to top!!! Thank you to everyone who made our stay as wonderful as it was!

We stayed for 5 nights and 6 days and it was not enough. Where to start. The staff were the best. They worked very hard and respected your privacy. We have no complaints as every need that may have arose they tended to. The food was nothing short of exceptional. We ate mostly at the main buffet because of the many selections of courses. We did try a couple of the theme resturants and were impressed by the quality of the food and service. Here at the Palladium one could choose between the 3 a la Carte`s - Mexican, Chinese and Italian.

They also had a theatre presentation which was unique and offered then patrons a view of a different perspective of culture. They did also have live bands that performed nightly. We enjoyed the diversity and music.
There was a good mix of couples, families and singles here. The Palladium offers an adult pool and bar free of children which seemed to be our main stay. The main pool is suited for families. This area also served as an activity area for all.
There is a small animal park for all to enjoy. They had deer, ostriches, monkeys, variety of birds and some other animals.
OOOHHHHHHH - there is no elevator so your exercise is a given. With the food and beverages I seemed to consume - I did welcome this free option. There are several walking paths and we do recommend using them due the view.
We were treated to several nights at the adult pool with a view of a a mother whale and its young pup passing by. Down the one side of the beach there is a large wall that one will see several large iguana's chasing each other.
NOTE: book a private tour to Sayulita which is about a 30 minute taxi ride from here. It is a incredible journey to a surfing location that offers many other attractions and shopping. We paid $600 pesos - $50 US for a private driver who stayed the day and waited for us. It was absolutely incredible. Bring your camera, and lots of sunscreen. Have lunch at Captain Pueblo's on the beach. We had 2 buckets of 6 Dos Equis - for $100 pesos for each bucket. Lunch was excellent and they have a great menu. For those who surf - grab a board and enjoy.
We plan on returning as we had an excellent vacation.

We have been staying at this resort 4 times, 3 of these stays at the Royal Suites. We thoroughly enjoyed every one of our vacations and yes, it is Mexico, so there is bound to be a couple of inconveniences. It irritates us when folks are complaining about things that are really not comparable with hotels in the US or Canada. If you really want a US 5 star hotel, then stay in the US or learn the equivalent of a 5 star in Mexico and just be happy!

The rooms are great and clean (and fumigation Mexican style is a good thing!), the staff very nice and helpful (Macario, Manuel and many more), the area absolutely fantastic - Bucerias, Sayulita, Punta Mita. The food is very nice, I just wish they had a really good white wine :-). Until we retire and can spend 6 months in a condo, we intend to return to the Royal suites Punta Mita at least a couple of times a year. Especially in December, where the resort is fairly empty and you get all the attention you could want. Try the massage by the beach, simply wonderful.

What could be better than having breakfast at a table overlooking the ocean with beautiful music and a wonderful cup of tea?