Villa del Palmar Beach Resort & Spa Puerto Vallarta - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

8654 reviews

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  One Chance To Make A First Impression

  As the saying goes, you get one chance to make a first impression. And the desk staff at Villa del Palmar PV blew it. Slow, obnoxious, arrogant, and rude don't begin to cover it. We booked 3/10/2024 for an all-inclusive week for 2/22/25-3/1/25. We paid $2134 for the week. We asked for a quiet room, and snail's-pace Juan at the check-in desk smiled and said "of course!" and then gave us a room on the 2nd floor, right off the noisy lobby, and with a view of the parking lot and laundry facility; not to mention traffic noise from the main road. When we returned to the desk to say it was unacceptable, Juan said they had no other rooms (a lie) and when we continued to complain, he smirked and finally said, "I told you the room number before you left the desk." As if we would know the layout of the hotel and rooms, having never been there before!! Obnoxious and arrogant to the nth degree! And smirking like an obnoxious brat the entire time. His supervisor, Ivan, came over and while Juan continued to blather, Ivan was telling him to be quiet and trying to address us at the same time. Ivan is a very soft-talker and is hard to hear...while Juan continued to yakkety yack. I finally said to Juan to close his mouth. Ivan took great offense to this and threatened to call security and kick us out. Ivan is a TERRIBLE desk supervisor. We finally got a new room on the 4th floor, but still facing the noisy lobby and parking lot/laundry facility/road - only marginally better. Not only should neither Juan nor Ivan be the public-facing first impression of this hotel, but probably neither should be in the hospitality industry. Malena, another staff member who schedules sales presentations for Villa Group's vacation club, saw that we were very upset and knew we would NOT attend any sales presentation (even though the friends we were travelling with are in the vacation club). Malena called us on Monday to say she could get us a better room if we attended a presentation on Tuesday. We reluctantly agreed, but told her we weren't really interested in a deeper relationship with this business and becoming "members." We were required to check-out Tuesday morning before we left for the presentation at the Flamingos hotel, then check-in again upon our return on Tuesday afternoon. We were given a room on the 7th floor, still on the lobby but further away from the noise, and with a view of the pool. We didn't even mind the incessant rattle from the AC unit (can't attach videos...). Good enough. ...until... Woke up to use the bathroom on Thursday morning and while in there, felt water dripping from the ceiling. A LOT of water dripping. The entire floor was wet. So we put down towels and pots from the kitchenette to catch some of the dripping. We let Ivan-the-Terrible know about the dripping ceiling and his unphased response was "Oh..." then he grabbed a clipboard as if to start to write something down and we said, "Don't bother to fix it now - we will be here only until Saturday, but it should be fixed." Ivan-the-Terrible put the clipboard down and said, "Okay" and not another word. No apology. No offer of anything. Nothing. Just went back to whatever it was he was doing when we approached the front desk. The rest of the staff, particularly Malena and Leo (the bartender), are hard-working, competent, and generally really nice people. I'm sorry for them that they work at this particular hotel; they are better than the place. It's 40 yrs. old, but looks older than that and is very tired and worn. The decor is very outdated and the rooms (all 3 we had the misfortune of staying in!) were just a bit on the grimy side - dusty corners, scratches and chips on furniture, scuffed walls. If you want a lounge chair by the pool, you might be able to snag one if you get towels the night before and then get up at 4 or 5 am...maybe. The drinks were good. The food at the Mexican restaurant on site was okay. The Italian restaurant buffet on site was very good; also where the breakfast buffet is available, which we enjoyed very much. One of the morning servers, Estelevena ? (I know I'm mangling her name), was as sweet as could and very competent. We were told the Villa Group has/had plans to tear this hotel down and build new highrise towers. The plans we saw looked great. It's too bad this hotel is the first impression of the Villa Group. The management has clearly not put a dime toward giving the current facility a bit of polish. And, whomever trains the front desk staff should be fired. Never again will we stay here. We heard the same from our friends in the Villa Group vacation club.

  Mar 02, 2025
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  Mi first trip to Mexico!!

  First time in this place, excellent service and hospitality, loved Luis Lopez and his coworker Mauricio really nice guys and really informative, they invited us to flamingos and loved it, if you come to this property you have to look for them... We will come back soon!!

  Mar 01, 2025
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  Best service ever…

  I love the staff especially Luis Lopez! The reason I keep coming back to this is because the great service I received every time i come is the best of the best, Yuri my maid, Mago luis boss is always very helpful and kind. All of the bellmen rush to get you a Taxi if you need one. I arrived ill and when I needed a Dr. I was actually escorted to their concierge Dr. who thoroughly checked me over and gave me a prescription right then. I have run into her numerous times and she has always asked how I was feeling and not to hesitate to come by with any questions at all that I might have. Luis has been so kind and makes sure that I get to my destinations on time.

  Mar 01, 2025
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  holiday to experience

  fully enjoyed our stay . disappointing that the pool lounges were never available after 6:30 am people were always reserving them house keeping was great . Veronica was the best concierge ever . hope to come back next year . other staff Elizabeth , Alondra , Monse and Bianca , and always clean in the property.

  Mar 01, 2025
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  Awesome vacation

  Vacation with 4 females and felt very safe and spoiled, good room service, friendly staff, loved zumba and aqua aerobics, met Luis Lopez our concierge, he help with vacation ideas understanding all about the hotel and now he is our friend and we will certainly return soon.

  Mar 01, 2025