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All reviews tea house cooking class our honeymoon every morning taco fish puerto vallarta main pool mole casa grande spa services takes about minutes min hike secluded beach amazing food coffee scrub local culture
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Reviewed 20 November 2008

We stayed there November 9-16, 2008. The temp was mid 80s in the day and cool nights about mid 60s. If you're sleeping outside you might want something other than shorts and a tank to sleep in. I felt better once I had socks, but I chill easily.

LOCATION
All I can say is WOW!!! It's an amazing locale. You have to fly to Puerto Vallarta and taxi down to Boca de Tomalan and find the beach which is at the bottom of the hill. There is a boat waiting in the water which said Verana IV and someone immediately got our luggage and loaded it. You wait for everyone to arrive while sitting under umbrellas drinking and sitting back.

The boat ride is fun and amazing sites. It takes you to Yelapa and then you walk up while they laod your luggage on the mules. You think were here and find out your not and hike more then the same happens again.... you get to the top eventually. It's quite the hike, but SO WORTH IT!! They give you a cold washcloth and lime juice when you reach the top.

The views are from heaven. It's just breath-taking. Worth doing something different if you don't mind spiders, gekkos, snakes, scorpions and so forth. Lots of spiders and gekkos... saw one snake and one scorpion. Just be cautious and careful.

ROOM
We stayed in the Palapa the first few nights (it has 2 beds which my friends and I utilized) and the Jungle Room (which has 2 beds too.) The rooms were great and so different. I'm glad we stayed in both. They are so ying and yang, what one doesn't offer the other does.

If you want to be outside no walls and waterview take the palapa. The shower is outside, but semi private. This room is close to the dinner/bar area and close to the pool. It's not a huge hike to anywhere, but you can sometimes hear more activity, but it doesn't hinder anything if you want privacy.

The Jungle room is up on the highest point so you have to hike to go anywhere. But it's private and away from everything and you can see the jungle up close. You hear owls and there are walls and no walls for one bed which has the jungle view. It was a great roomy place.

REST OF VERANA
There is everything, a library, a bar, a spa, a new spa (a little hike down), 2 spots to eat, a pool, hammocks... lots of wonderful things. We did the island picnic which was great. We had lots of fun seeing birds and snorkeling and eating on a beach with a great view. We also hiked to Cathedral falls. I highly recommend. It was great. The hardest hike is the begining coming down from Verana, the rest is easier. You see so much and it all amazing. But if you want a spa package do book it in advance. Those fill up very fast. I highly recommend the starlight bath. It's what it is called and very romantic and private and magical.

STAFF
Simply wonderful. People remember you names and your favorite drinks or food if you get a "regular". You feel like an individual. They're great.

FOOD
A lot of seafood, but if you have an allergy mention it and they fix you a substitute. All sodas and alcohol costs and adds up so watch what you take. Only water and lime juice is free.

ATTRACTIONS
Cathedral Falls, the bird island (don't remember what it is called) and go down to Yelapa before noon and get the lady who sells pies. It's worth it! The coconut and lemon pies are the best in the world!!!

APPEARAL
What to wear? Whatever you want, but remember that if you are hiking or first coming in dont' wear watershoes. The sand will rub your feet raw. Wear flipflops or gators. Slip on are better... we learned the hard way. I was comfortable in about anything... as anything goes. Just remember that it's really humid so you want to wear light weight clothing... you can always layer up if it cools.

BRING
Flahlights
Bug spray
Baggies (for tolietries like toothpaste and brush so critters don't get on them)
Camera
If you hike take your own water bottle (they provide one but it seemed to run out quickly)

OVERALL
You want a unique and amazing experience..... just GO!!!!

Date of stay: November 2008
  • Trip type: Travelled with friends
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3  Thank BeppiGirl
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 28 July 2008

After all of the energy it takes to plan and execute a wedding, Verana provides the perfect relaxed environment in which to honeymoon. It is pure bliss to be perched beneath one of their signature bright orange umbrellas next to the pool on the hillside overlooking the sea... The outside world with all its emails, phones and TVs seems a million miles away. Lovely. It's the ideal respite from the frantic way in which most Americans live their lives. Beyond that, there is something about the tranquil and architectural atmosphere that is particularly beautiful - call it feng shui if you like, but the way in which the unique "rooms," the spa, the dining platforms and such are designed and situated on that particular hillside is special. Add to that the unique quality of the very different indoor and outdoor rooms each with it's own distinct view - it's perfect... almost.

We were not disappointed... that is, until we really thought about how much we spent for the experience. Normally we are extremely budget-conscious travelers, but since this was our honeymoon, we threw caution to the wind and 2 weeks before our wedding, we booked Verana without much thought to the price-tag. But when we reviewed our credit card bills and really considered what our 5-day stay at Verana cost nearly 3000usd, we were flabbergasted. Yes the setting was beautiful and the food was good but basically all of the other luxury amenities that are usually standard at this price were suspiciously missing.

When a hotel charges 300-500usd per night (especially in Mexico) the beds should be delicious with soft mattresses and gushy pillows, the service should be exquisite, the food should be consistent, the staff professional and even the fixtures should be high quality. You should be able to order a drink at the pool, the massages should be excellent and if your room has A/C (which only 2 rooms have), it should work. We did not have the pleasure to experience these qualities at Verana.

The beds were standard firm mattresses with mediocre pillows, the food service was shotty at best and although the food was quite tasty, it was very inconsistent. Ordering the same dish two days in a row brought two completely different interpretations - especially since they were frequently out of key ingredients. When you first arrive at Verana they kindly ask you if you have any food allergies but apparently they just file this information away - far, far away - because I was served my single allergen no less than 5 times! The waiters were poorly trained and forgetful and sometimes we had to wait an extremely long time for a part of our meal. Not necessarily a bad thing given the exquisite setting in which you're sitting but again, for the price, we expected more.

Ultimately, we feel that Verana is not a good value for the money. You can argue that you're paying for the remoteness, the location, the beauty... and yes, this is true to an extent, but when you go to turn on the water in your sink with an old rusty plumbing lever, it's difficult to feel like you're getting your money's worth. With significant praise from books, magazines and other travelers, including Frommer's guidebook stating that Verana is the "current favorite place to stay in Mexico," Verana has gotten nothing but good press and mostly for good reason. But as is frequently and sadly the case with many a good thing, we feel that what's come of this good fortune is that they've lowered their standards and upped their prices. They've got a good thing going and they're taking advantage of it. But we also think that if they're not careful, they're going to get burned. With all the rave reviews, guests will come to Verana with increasingly higher and higher expectations but they will be met by lower and lower standards - the perfect recipe for disappointment.

A quick aside, it should be noted that purchasing the packages (honeymoon, romance, etc) offers no discount - it costs the same to select the individual activities/spa treatments/etc a la carte, so unless you can't think for yourself, this is definitely a better option to avoid paying for things you're in which you're not particularly interested.

One final note on Verana - although they have committed to staying open until the end of July (well into the rainy season), they were seemingly unprepared for what that may bring. One of the bartender/guides told us stories about horrible insect hatches, how the path up to the resort becomes a virtual river and rampant mudslides -- all of which happen every summer. When I asked him how he anticipated dealing with these problem when they have guests, he simply said, "well, we know we're going to have some guests that say 'get me out of here now' and we're going to have figure out a way to deal with that." This does not sound like a real action plan to me.

That said, we were there in mid-June and didn't have any problems with the weather - it was hot and humid and rained a few times in the evening but did not negatively affect our overall experience. This was not true for another guest staying in the Tea House (the most expensive room at Verana) who complained that rainwater leaked through the roof and drenched their bed.

We also spent 2 nights at Casa Sin Tiempo which is reasonably pleasant and well located but, like Verana it is also VERY expensive for what you get. In just about any other Central or South American city, a room without glass windows (there are only shutters & bars on the windows, so if there's ANY street noise, you're hearing it) or A/C would certainly cost less than 50usd per night - even with the continental breakfast that's served. Granted, PV is expensive, but 150usd for such a simple room?! There are certainly other options in PV that are a much better value for the money.

In the end, we enjoyed our honeymoon at Verana, but we sincerely hope that the owners of this beautiful resort will take comments like ours into consideration so that they may continue to be successful into the future.

Date of stay: June 2008
  • Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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18  Thank adventure-4-two
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 1 May 2008

Verana was even MORE beautiful than we expected. Having emptied my savings account on the trip, and not been on vacation in 9months, and having studied the website and trip advisor and photos in considerable detail (!), I knew there was a strong likelihood that I'd only end up being disappointed. But I wasn't. It surpassed my wildest imaginings. We had the honeymoon deluxe package, and stayed in the Tea House - fantastic in that it is completely open with beautiful views of the bay and jungle, and has its own dip pool! The Starlit Jungle Bath is an absolute must. The staff are incredibly polite and professional. Food is DELICIOUS, and yoga every morning in the Yoga Palapa has turned us into acolites for life. We will definitely go back again once we've saved up s'more cash!

Disappointments - what's up with those tiny servings of Guacamole? I want to see it in MOUNTAINS on the plate please - two tablespoons full is not what i call a serving of Guac! :-)

We stayed at Casa Sin Tiempo on our last night as a way of "breaking our fall". Beautiful little apartment, in a very local, old part of town. A bit noisy at night (even for someone who lives on 2nd floor of a walkup in NYC!), and supper / cooking class, as delicious as it was - and it was delicious - way too overpriced, so would recommend eating at one of the fantastic little restaurants Sonia can suggest instead.

Thanks Verana: Issaac, Felix, Jenny, Alex, Jorge, Angela, Dolores, Alfredo - we had an AWESOME time.

Ps. For Guacamole officianados out there - try the Guac at the little restaurant on the beach at Boca while you're waiting for the boat.. it's fantastic... and WELL sized! Order two plates if you love it like I do, and 2 Coronas. Aahhhhhh - what fresh heaven.

PPs. Don't take kayaks into Yelapa bay. Charlie and I escaped very serious injury / death when one of the Pangas came in at full pelt, not seeing us, and ran straight over us - literally. Fortunately we were able to jump off the kayak 1 second before it hit. No regulation in Yelapa bay - stupid 16 yearolds racing boats. No apologies. No lessons learnt. Idiots. Don't recommend Yelapa.

Date of stay: April 2008
  • Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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3  Thank Clare S
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 16 April 2008

Wow! Verana was just about everything we hoped it would be for our Honeymoon. Getting there was fun, the people were friendly, the spa was fantastic, the food was magnificent, and our room, The Palapa, capitalized on the amazing views and breezes. There's really nothing we would change about our experience and we're thankful to everyone there for such an amazing time.

While we had an amazing time, there was one major negative during our stay. This problem was partly the fault of Verana, but also that of certain guests. Arriving with us and also one day after us were two seperate families, each with a 9 year old daughter in tow. We're not sure how this happened as we were under the impression that no children under the age of 12 are allowed at the resort. This was a major factor in our decision to go there for our honeymoon. Within a couple hours of our arrival just about the single worst thing that could have transpired did. One of the girls walked into our "room" while my wife and I were being intimate. In her defense, there's no sign or gate, so this mistake was completely inexcusable on Verana's part. Literally anyone could have made the same mistake, it's just that an adult might have used a little more restraint and noticed that they were walking into someone's room when going up an unfamiliar trail at such a resort. I gently said something to management the following day and got an apology and was told something would be said to the parents, but was also reminded that they "were just kids". So, as you can imagine, this was a pretty mortifying experience. To add to that, the "just kids" who weren't supposed to be there in the first place continued to play Marco Polo and monkey in the middle with a beach ball in the pool, throw the occasional tantrum, and unfortunately be "just kids" at a place where they simply were not supposed to be. Don't get me wrong, we love kids and these were actually very nice children, it was just the last thing we expected.

But horrible incident aside, I must again emphasize how great our trip was. We did the Honeymoon Luxe package, which was perfect. Breakfast in our room was wonderful (HIGHLY recommended) and the couples spa package with the candlelit aromatherapy bath while we looked up at the stars was devine. Probably my favorite activity was the Secluded Beach Picnic where they provided us with a great seviche, some cous cous, a carrot salad and some beers, while the entire Pacific Ocean and a beautiful Mexican beach were ours for hours.

We did venture into Yelapa one day, but not at night as I had imagined. We simply didn't feel the need after cocktails and dinner. It's a very interesting little town and we had a great time exploring it's nooks and crannies. We also had lunch at the Hotel Lagunitas, which was a chance to have a little more pedestrian, but good, Mexican food while watching the tour boat groups frolic in the surf. It's funny how the beach bars spring into life and then basically close down on the arrival and departure of these boats. I was actually kind of surprised that Yelapa was that "touristy" but it's short lived and if you never left Verana, you'd never know.

We spent one night at the Casa sin Tiempo in PV on our last night. Sonia, our host, was very cordial, and after settling us in left us to explore the city in our own way. Situated in the old part of PV near the Malecon, it was an interesting area to behold with lots of options for food, shopping and sightseeing. We also felt very safe here and got plenty of practice saying "no gracias" to all the street vendors.

We would definitely come back to Verana in a heartbeat. We probably discussed the subject about half a dozen times while we were there. It's a wonderful spot for a honeymoon, anniversary, vacation with older children (read: mid-teens at the youngest!) or for the slightly adventurous. It's rustic, but it really isn't. Everything you need is there. Just bring clothes, a bathing suit or two and sunscreen and you'll have a great time!

Date of stay: April 2008
  • Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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8  Thank Delraypete
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 3 April 2008

Stunning, absolutely unique and wonderful and share other users' desire to keep it a secret. The setting is spectacular and loved the isolation from Yelapa village and remoteness from PV. Impossible to decide which room is best. Depends if you want more or less openness, 16 foot ceiling vs. more outdoor space, more ocean vs. jungle views. Still can't make up my mind. The food was exquisite, service extremely attentive, accommodating and polite. Easy to bond with all the other guests as self-selection criteria seems to draw like minded people here. At the same time you can stay in your quarters and just chill and everyone respects that. Massage was a dream. Only complaint is it would be great to have direct pick up from airport

Date of stay: February 2008
  • Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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Thank nycleisure
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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