Puerto Vallarta

We spent 7 days at Hacienda Krystal Altitude ( previously Hilton) and had a nice holidays. We loved our room; very spacious with comfortable bed, clean, good air conditioning, nicely decorated, large bathroom and enough room for clothes. The grounds were beautifully maintained and the pool was clean. The area was like oasis of palm trees surrounded by pools and comfortable chairs. There was even some wild life as we were visited by 2 friendly iguanas and a baby raccoon. The trees are full of birds that sing. There was always a waiter with drinks and the lunch was served right beside. Victor introduced as to a new cocktail and we loved it! Super relaxing. No stress. Just what the doctor recommended lol. The concierge, Roberto did an amazing job ensuring the guests were well taken care of. What a great asset to the hotel he is! The food was average at best. There were 4 specialty restaurants but it seem like not all were open at the same time. It was complicated to reserve too far in advance. Therefore hard to plan our own activities. We were never able to book French restaurant. And we had tried daily. We tried the specialty restaurants with not satisfying results. The staff was trying hard to create a “speciality” experience but sadly, the dishes were not tasty (overcooked pasta, ribs “swimming” in overpowering bbq sauce, soggy canolli, mixed up orders, etc). The wine was barely drinkable and the wine in the glass was topped up with whatever wine was carried by the staff. The only difference was red or white. Buffet was a better choice. All staff was very friendly and accommodating. The Hacienda at Kristal Altitude is the adult section of the family hotel Krystal Altitude and the guests have access to all amenities of the family hotel. The large buffet and the beach access is from the family hotel. There is no shortage of lounges but if you want a nice location, you must come early. It's a same situation in every resort. If you want more night life you just wander over to the family hotel. In general, lovely people, great facilities, super beach but only average food. In conclusion, it's an average place for an average price. As I always say; you get what you pay for.

We stayed here for Dia de los Muertos 2023, while playing in a softball tournament across the street. The location is amazing if you are doing anything at the sports complex. It is also a very short walk to the Malecon, which was excellent for Day of the Dead festivities. We stayed in the all-inclusive section. Check in/check out - The front desk was very efficient. Our group did have one issue with a room, but we spoke to them the next day and it was rectified. They couldn't find a reservation for a family that had booked 2 rooms. They allowed us to keep our bracelets on after check out so we could still access the resort. Rooms - We upgraded to the Oceanfront Terrace because it was the only one available with a balcony. The rooms were very nice and clean. Our room was cleaned promptly every day, except the days that we but the Do Not Disturb sign up. The Oceanfront Terrace had an excellent view. There was a little bit of damage on our floor from the earthquake. I know that the floor below us, our friends mentioned there was construction going on in the room next to them. We didn't hear any noise, but we did see a few workers. Looks like they are slowly picking away at the repairs. Food - We really only ate at the main buffet (La Villita) and Gaviotas (once). The food was pretty good. The breakfast buffet had a lot of food that wasn't really "breakfast food". They did have omelets, sausage, french toast etc. so I managed to find lots to eat. Gaviotas was a really good experience as well. This was included in our all-inclusive bracelets (except a couple of items like lobster). Make sure to make a reservation for this restaurant. Sunday morning brunch was busy but we had no troubles getting a table. They even had a mariachi band playing. Entertainment - I enjoyed playing water volleyball with Mariana. We met her when she previously worked at another hotel we stayed at. She is very welcoming and so much fun. So, it was an excellent bonus that she is now working at the Sheraton. I also did a stretching class with her and really enjoyed it. You can tell she enjoys her job! I did try to join beach volleyball, but they didn't have enough people to play the day that I wanted to. We didn't really take in any nightly entertainment. Gym - I used the gym a couple of days on our trip. I went between 9 and 10 in the morning and it wasn't too busy. The gym is 24 hours so it's nice that people can go anytime. There is a great selection of equipment and it's well taken care of. Other - I didn't get a chance to use the spa. The food at the poolside snack bar is fantastic. Chuy, one of the bell boys, was very helpful. He even explained to us about our thermostat when we said we couldn't get our air conditioner to work (the sensors on your patio door need to be lined up exactly). Starbucks is very expensive, but it was a nice treat to have on resort. The beach is fairly rocky, but still swimmable. Overall, I would definitely stay here again. The staff are excellent, the food is great, and the location is unbeatable for what we needed.

It was our first time at Friendly and we were not sure what to expect and we were presently surprised.. Excellent locations, beach, and great adult-only pool that is heated and warm. Morning yoga and sound healing, very good quality drink and food. Could use a bit more food choices. Mostly seniors, but lovely entertainment with DJ, live band, etc

During our 14 day stay at Velas, we hit a couple "road bumps" early but the management and staff were very accommodating and helpful in finding resolutions. Would be nice to have a third restaurant option, but the ones that are available changed up their menus regularly and provided excellent tasting food and great service. It was great to see grounds staff maintaining the common areas constantly. Nightly entertainment in the lobby was fun. Mexican night dinner was fun. The kids loved the pool and lazy river. Its too bad the staff still have to wear masks - it must be very uncomfortable for them. We were very surprised (and dismayed) to see that children under 5 were required to wear masks in the kids zone (even outdoors).

Great location, close to shopping , buses, waterfront property …Great service from front end staff..,excellent service from Buffet& Pool bar staff…!!! Clean & big rooms, 4 star… 2 Pools, good size, plenty of beach area & chairs….would stay again..!!!!

The hotel was clean and the lobby was beautiful. Rooms were dated and needed some upgrades (we had a cracked sink, lots of dents and damage to furniture and walls), but they wee still beautiful. The ocean views were amazing. Service was outstanding, but they were starting to get busy at the end of our stay as it was nearing Spring Break. Overall a good stay. Beach was VERY rocky and was the most disappointing part.

We were very disappointed in our stay at this hotel. The location was beautiful but the food was horrible, bathrooms were dirty and majority of staff were unpleasant. My husband and I both got food poisoning and left the resort to eat daily as it was that bad. Additionally, We were on our honeymoon and it was not recognized or acknowledged even after we mentioned it to the front desk, which is not what you expect on a very special occasion. The room was clean, but not like the photos at all, we asked for ocean room and received street view which was loud every night due to the club across the street and people outside the hotel constantly. When we asked to be moved our request was ignored multiple times. When asking for assistance from staff you were given dirty looks and half ass responses no matter how nice you were. Not at all a 4.5 star hotel more like a 2.5 star.

We had a very relaxing,quiet 2 weeks at the resort. Food was ok,after a couple of days we realized that choices were repetitive and limited. The room was very clean and cleaned everyday by housekeeping.In the evening she would turn down the bed and leave a chocolate on the pillow. All the staff were very friendly and helpful. We chose this resort for peace and quiet and adults only and for those reasons it was exactly what we experienced.

Beds comfortable, all room elements in working order, although the air conditioning was loud....but room stayed cool at night without it on. Check in was hectic, but not an issue. Staff was wonderful and very accommodating. Johnnie and Homberto were wonderful hosts at the pool. Activities were fun.

My husband and I travelled by ourselves, and overall I would say we weren't thrilled, but we were satisfied. We are not fussy people and didn't have high expectations from the get go. We didn't have an issue with the food, there is a buffet and three a la cartes so there was always something to eat. The Italian a la carte was really good. We loved the location and the views from our hotel room overlooking Banderas Bay and the Sierra Madre mountains. Getting to centro PV was quick and easy. If you are a couple looking for a quiet getaway, this isn't the place for you. Lots of families here. The lobby bar was lacking, we like to sit and have a few drinks and meet people but it seemed like there were always people just sitting in there on their phones, or else football games playing on the TV. Also didn't find some of the bar staff very friendly even though we always tip our bartenders. Tipped the housekeeping staff also but it didn't seem to matter because most days they didn't replenish our water or towels. However, we were able to get bottled water at the Coco Cafe in the lobby. Beach loungers were an issue as well. We had to be up by 6 a.m. every day to save a couple of chairs. They have a rule about holding your beach chair for only 30 minutes, and if unattended, they remove your belongings. Well it never happened once. Would we stay here again? probably not. I think there are better hotels along this stretch of beach.