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A week at the Valarta Palace
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Wow! I’m glad you have a great time at the Vallarta Palace.
My wife and I honeymooned there from May 1st through 6th. Other than some bumps in the road (confusion on management’s part and ours), our stay blew us away. First off, the staff is first rate. We never had any need unfilled or desire left unattended. The resort worked very hard at making our honeymoon a very special occasion for us, and our interaction with the staff was very professional, and friendly. At times, I felt as if I could strike up a friendship with any of the staff – from the bartender to the bellhop to the waiter/waitress to the maid.
The food at the Italian and Chinese restaurants was great! Breakfast at the Brazilian was my favorite. Otherwise, the lunch fare wasn’t anything to rave about – still I never went away not full or having eaten anything that I did not like. The cooking staff was absolutely great!!! My wife is a vegetarian. The chefs at each restaurant would make special requests for her (veggie pizza, etc). She never had a meal where she felt forced to eat something contrived or boring. Every breakfast and dinner meal, the chefs went out of their way to impress her with an unusual entrée or appetizer which would fill her dietary requirements.
The resort facilities looked much better than the other resorts we passed along the beach. The staff works very hard at maintaining the grounds down to the last minute blade of grass. Our room was modestly spacious, complete with a Jacuzzi, stocked bar, and free room service (which we took full advantage!). The showers water pressure was a little less than I cared for, but it didn’t really bother me. Every night, the staff would turn down our bed, leave us chocolates, and bottles of wine and champagne. The whole time, the maids did their best to not be intrusive, were very thorough with their cleaning, and left our personal belongings alone.
My only complaint about Vallarta Palace is that they need to seriously work on their communication skills between management, staff, and their guests. When we arrived, the people running the check in desk were very confused. First, they gave us the wrong wrist bands, which would have designated us as if we were regular all-inclusive guests – not honeymooners. Secondly, we were not told to meet with a “social director” (I don’t remember what they were called) to go over what our package entailed by anyone at the front desk. We found out that we should meet with them when the bellhop (Oscar) was escorting us to our room, and he realized we were honeymooners with the wrong wristbands. Thirdly, when we did meet with our “social activities director”, we were not told that we could only book one activity per day through the hotel. We wanted to dot he city tour and the sunset tour all in one day. Hotel Management’s excuse for not allowing us to book both on the same day was that their computer system can’t accommodate it….. Personally, I call BS but oh well. Live and learn. Unfortunately, we paid for three activities but could only use two due to their “computer system” and our time constraints. Lastly, it seems anytime I had a question about an activity or service, whomever I would ask acted confused. I understand that Palace Resorts recently acquired the resort, so I am sure there were some policy and personnel issues which may have caused the problem I’ve described.
Other than the communications issue, my only complaints were not spending enough time getting to know the culture of PV and NV, and having to come home when it was all over. My wife and my experience in PV and Vallarta Palace will never be forgotten. I dream of PV at least weekly, and visit you great folks on this website throughout the week from work. Sometimes, it’s you all and my memories of our stay in PV that gets me through the week.
I was planning on returning to Vallarta Palace for our first anniversary, but I guess our honeymoon was a little too romantic. We’re expecting the birth of our first child in Feb ’07, and our child will be only two months old when our anniversary rolls around next spring…. Oh well…. There are always other anniversaries and reasons to get down there… Maybe a Christmas break ’07, or St. Patrick’s Day ’08!!! Those locals won’t know what to do when they get a load of this Irish-American on St. Paddy’s Day!
My wife and I honeymooned there from May 1st through 6th. Other than some bumps in the road (confusion on management’s part and ours), our stay blew us away. First off, the staff is first rate. We never had any need unfilled or desire left unattended. The resort worked very hard at making our honeymoon a very special occasion for us, and our interaction with the staff was very professional, and friendly. At times, I felt as if I could strike up a friendship with any of the staff – from the bartender to the bellhop to the waiter/waitress to the maid.
The food at the Italian and Chinese restaurants was great! Breakfast at the Brazilian was my favorite. Otherwise, the lunch fare wasn’t anything to rave about – still I never went away not full or having eaten anything that I did not like. The cooking staff was absolutely great!!! My wife is a vegetarian. The chefs at each restaurant would make special requests for her (veggie pizza, etc). She never had a meal where she felt forced to eat something contrived or boring. Every breakfast and dinner meal, the chefs went out of their way to impress her with an unusual entrée or appetizer which would fill her dietary requirements.
The resort facilities looked much better than the other resorts we passed along the beach. The staff works very hard at maintaining the grounds down to the last minute blade of grass. Our room was modestly spacious, complete with a Jacuzzi, stocked bar, and free room service (which we took full advantage!). The showers water pressure was a little less than I cared for, but it didn’t really bother me. Every night, the staff would turn down our bed, leave us chocolates, and bottles of wine and champagne. The whole time, the maids did their best to not be intrusive, were very thorough with their cleaning, and left our personal belongings alone.
My only complaint about Vallarta Palace is that they need to seriously work on their communication skills between management, staff, and their guests. When we arrived, the people running the check in desk were very confused. First, they gave us the wrong wrist bands, which would have designated us as if we were regular all-inclusive guests – not honeymooners. Secondly, we were not told to meet with a “social director” (I don’t remember what they were called) to go over what our package entailed by anyone at the front desk. We found out that we should meet with them when the bellhop (Oscar) was escorting us to our room, and he realized we were honeymooners with the wrong wristbands. Thirdly, when we did meet with our “social activities director”, we were not told that we could only book one activity per day through the hotel. We wanted to dot he city tour and the sunset tour all in one day. Hotel Management’s excuse for not allowing us to book both on the same day was that their computer system can’t accommodate it….. Personally, I call BS but oh well. Live and learn. Unfortunately, we paid for three activities but could only use two due to their “computer system” and our time constraints. Lastly, it seems anytime I had a question about an activity or service, whomever I would ask acted confused. I understand that Palace Resorts recently acquired the resort, so I am sure there were some policy and personnel issues which may have caused the problem I’ve described.
Other than the communications issue, my only complaints were not spending enough time getting to know the culture of PV and NV, and having to come home when it was all over. My wife and my experience in PV and Vallarta Palace will never be forgotten. I dream of PV at least weekly, and visit you great folks on this website throughout the week from work. Sometimes, it’s you all and my memories of our stay in PV that gets me through the week.
I was planning on returning to Vallarta Palace for our first anniversary, but I guess our honeymoon was a little too romantic. We’re expecting the birth of our first child in Feb ’07, and our child will be only two months old when our anniversary rolls around next spring…. Oh well…. There are always other anniversaries and reasons to get down there… Maybe a Christmas break ’07, or St. Patrick’s Day ’08!!! Those locals won’t know what to do when they get a load of this Irish-American on St. Paddy’s Day!