My girlfriend and I were at GPV from July 11-18. Some background for the review:
We enjoy a resort that has many activities and has good night life surrounding it, but knew that since the resort was in Punta Mita, we weren't going to be heading into downtown PV for any bar nights. Definitely were looking for more of a laid-back, stay on the resort style trip and the GPV met our expectations. We always tip in the restaurants and with pool servers as well, (unless the service is non-existent).

Check-In:
Was a breeze. Quick and easy. The room they had booked was two double beds, so we requested a switch to a king room and it was ready in 20 minutes. Were offered the Royal Suites upgrade for $60 USD a night, and thought about it through the week, but decided not to.

Room:
Pretty nice. Everything worked well. Good pressure in the shower, nothing broken. Bed was comfy. The room is just a place to rest your head and shower, so while it was nothing luxurious, it was clean and had stone flooring (marble?) and dark wood features, so aesthetically pleasing. Only drawback was that the A/C could have been way colder- lowest was 22*C, but they're a green resort, so I understand why (I run pretty warm though, so I love cold rooms, 22 might be comfortable for others).

Grounds:
Unreal. Reminded me more of Costa Rica which has many resorts set in a lush, jungle environment. GPV was no different. Huge trees everywhere with lush undergrowth. Very green and pleasant; not like the concrete jungles you get from some of the newer resorts on the main strip of Nuevo Vallarta and PV. Had a botanical gardens area with many paths and places to read.

The Zoo was pretty cool as well, all rescue animals we were told. Peacocks, couple monkeys, deer, turtles, ostriches. Only bummer was that you'd get the strong smell of the zoo sometimes in the mornings as you walked on paths from your room to the buffet and unless you live on a farm, the smell might bother you. It wasn't all over the resort though.

Pools:
The main pool is pretty busy with games and families. The adult pool is definitely the place to go if you want to get away from noise. Nice view from the infinity pool they have there. We could always find a spot around 10-10:30 in the morning, regardless of the pool we chose. It does help to go earlier to be safe, as we weren't picky with our spots, because we hardly we in our chairs through the day.

Nice waterpark for the kids as well.

Beach:
Small, but lots of places to sit with palapas. There is sand-- it's not this rocky mess that people make it out to be in other reviews. They are areas where it's rocky, but they're flat expanses of rock, not jagged ones. We had no issues going in the ocean with bare feet. Great waves for boogie boarding and surfing.

The man-made ocean pool was really cool. Nice to get away from the waves there, as the waves were pretty big. Little fish will come eat the dead skin from your feet if you lie in the water! That was neat. The man-made ocean pool also has some loungers for sitting by it.

Restaurants:
el Bosque- the main buffet restaurant. Really good for a buffet; lots of selection whether breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Never left hungry. Dinner nights are themed for all 7 days of the week (Italian, Mexican, Seafood, etc.). Service here was hit and miss. Mornings weren't as consistent. Tip: Try to get seated in the same place and it's usually the same server in that area. They get to know you and then they will always get you coffee or another beverage, etc. If you don't, then it can take a while or you have to grab it yourself. Some mornings there is a line to get in-- longest we waited was 20 minutes maybe.. it looked like it was going to be an hr though, so kudos to them for getting people seated.

Las Terrazas- smaller version of the buffet. Open for breakfast and lunch. Limited in choice here and it's basically get your own drinks and serve yourself. Very rarely did a server come over and ask what you wanted to drink.

Ribs & More- same spot as Las Terrazas, open for dinner. Didn't eat here. Menu looked good though.

Portofino- great service. Food was mediocre in taste and presentation.

Viva Mexico- excellent service. Food was very good in taste and presentation. Our favourite.

Bambu- great service. Food was very good in taste and presentation. Close second. The restaurant was not "teppanyaki style".. had separate tables for everyone.

Restaurant tips: you don't have to reserve a table, but if you do, you get the best views.

Spa & Gym:
Did not use the spa. Day passes for the wet area were $10 USD. The gym was very functional. Lots of equipment- dumbbells went up to 80 or 90 I believe, four benches, cable machine, many stationary machines, chest bench and incline, squat rack (albeit, not one you'd see at home), treadmills, stationary bikes, and exercise bikes. Extra bottles of water for your workout. We hit it up everyday.

Activities:
The only real downside. Again, as I mentioned at the top, we like being really active and beach volleyball/beach soccer are a must for us. So it was a bummer, because even though these activities were scheduled, they were never played or organized by the PoP staff (People of Palladium) even after we asked about it.

Now if you like dancing lessons, crazy pool games/bingo (which we enjoyed as well), water polo, water basketball, (they only played pool volleyball 1 day out of the 7), then you'd be doing lots as these were the ones with the most focus.

The PoP staff themselves though were awesome and super friendly.

Entertainment:
Shows were themed each night. We only checked out a couple in passing and they were pretty good.

Bars:
Both pool bars had great service. If you purchase the "Imperial Club" choice from your booking site, you can get premium drinks (they have lots of imported stuff, it's just Baileys, and some other certain ones that you can only get with Imperial Club). Good selection overall though.

Hemmingway's is worthwhile checking out. They have board games and it's nice and A/C'ed, with a wider drink selection. Quiet too.

The Disco was pretty full every night. Good tunes in Spanish and English.

Service:
Very, very good. Everyone from the repairmen to the maids, to the servers, to the entertainment staff. Always said hello and made you feel welcome. We found the concierge staff to be the only let-down. Really nice and friendly, but seemed disjointed and certain requests we made took a few days to be done (Imperial club gets fruit, tequila, and sandals on arrival in the room). We got these on Day 6 of our trip lol.

During our stay the split must have been 80-20 in terms of nationals and out-of-country tourists. Do not believe what some people say about preferential treatment going to the Mexican tourists. Everyone is treated the same and every staff member we spoke to was able to speak some English. We can speak a bit of Spanish to get by, so it's no big deal for us.

Overall:
We paid $820 for the week. Would we pay over $1000 for this hotel... no, unless it was high season during Christmas break or something. Is it 5 star, no, not compared to some of the newer resorts we have stayed at. 4.5, no. I would say a solid 4. It is older, but that's where it has its charm and it is well maintained and you can tell renovations have been done. If you want to be off the beaten path, at a very lush, tropical resort, that has a very traditional Mexican feel, check it out!

I cannot get over how bad the food is. There’s no way around it. We tried everything, every restaurant. The food is either bland or way too salty.
We ended up eating bread, fries and ice cream. Towards the end, we discovered that the bar by the lobby serves Chex Mix, so we’d go there to eat. If you like Mexican food, bfast lunch and dinner, there are always fajitas and nachos. Fresh fruit is another good alternative if you can deal with the flies that hover around them, or if you manage to snag some whole fruit. In the AM, at the main buffet there are a few fresh squeezed juices that are very good..
At the Italian restaurant, I liked the ham they had at the salad bar. Otherwise, all restaurants have these salad bars, which are breeding ground for flies. The restaurant by the pool serves mostly left overs from meals served at the main buffet.
Now for the good part: the location is great. Secluded, away from crowds, (although the resort itself felt very crowded when we went) Lots of kids. Lots. And I have 2 myself ☺ The royal suites looked empty by comparison; I cannot speak for the adult pool, I wish I had a chance to visit.
The water was very nice, warm, and the waves are fantastic. Now, you will need water shoes. I read reviews here that said, no, don’t bother with the water shoes, just stay in the designated area. Nonetheless, bring water shoes. My feet got smashed in between rocks while in the designated area. Rocks are rocks, and the waves are pretty aggressive. Which is great if you are surfing, or at least are curios. The sports center is wonderful! They have free surf lessons, thanks Pepe!, a catamaran ride for which you must sign up in the morning at 10 am, boogie boards, and even sand toys that your kids can just pick up and play with. I loved that they had free toys for the kids to borrow. So many times I was buying buckets and shovels that ended up left behind.
I tried walking on the beach, after reading that one can walk for miles, but as you venture S of the resort, the beach is rocky, with pebbles, and no sand. Hard to walk in unless you have water shoes….:-)
The rooms are nice. We got upgraded to a great room, in building 3, 2nd level, closest to the beach (thanks Jorge). The view was to die for; absolutely wonderful. The room and the natural beauty of the place is what, in the end, saved this resort for me.
The “ water park” is an area by the main pool, with 2 slides, a water bucket, a few sprinkler heads, and 2 mini slides. It is great for young kids ( my son is 10, and he still enjoyed them)
The resort has merchants that come set up the usual fare across the open lobby and on the beach, if you’d like to purchase some souvenirs.
Make sure you make reservations for the beach dinners; the schedule is posted at the reception desk as you check in. Take a picture so you can keep track of what’s open when. Not all restaurants are open at the same time. The restaurant with the best view is the Mexican one. Also, be aware there is no room service, and most restaurants do not have AC.
Free wifi, reliable for the most part, good cell reception.
As far as accessibility, it is hard. The resort is build on a hill, so getting around is challenging for someone with mobility issues.
Currency: I heard that the ATM in the hotel was not working. The exchange rate at the front desk is very bad, 12.4 to $1. If you go to the little shop in the lobby, they would give you 14 pesos to $1, but you have to purchase at least $5 worth of stuff. Taxi from the resort to the airport was cheaper than on our way in, The rates are fixed and posted.