Las Palmas by the Sea Category 4 stars

We had such a wonderful time at Las Palmas. From the moment we arrived to our room to experiencing the food and the staff and just the surroundings - we were very impressed and just happy to spend such a wonderful week which was so worth the money. The staff is very friendly and makes every attempt to keep you entertained. They have themed events every day and activites displayed on the activity board. The beach is right in front of you and the sound of the waves just calms and relaxes you in the evenings. You are right off the main street and can walk to downtown or to the Marina. There's a Starbucks 5 minutes away from the place if you walk :) We also have a 1 year old and we were a little weary about how she would react. She loved the water and the staff prepared any food we requested for her. They even cleaned her baby bottles every morning! This place can be perfect for the family or even if you are going just as a couple. There are massages you can have on the beach, you can go on romantic cruises or even on an adventure trip such as treking in the mountains. There are some many things you can do that everyone in your group is happy. Las Palmas can coordinate any activities for you and is a VERY clean facility. Our rooms were refreshed every morning and the food and beverage was great!

this was my first trip out of the country...i went with my boyfriend and 2 girlfriends. We went in february for reading break and got our moneys worth. when we got to the hotel we were suppossed to get our rooms at 2 and we didnt get them till 5. therefore when we tried to book the a la carte dinner that day the guy was not there. Then every other day we went to book and he was never there. when we finally got the chance to see him, everything was booked and we did not get our a la carte dinner. this was very disappointing as we paid for this service. the cash bar at 11 pm sucked because really the night is young when in mexico. also the cleaning staff was very slow, but did a good job in the end. Also in brochures it doesn't tell you that you have to pay extra for the safe which you do. the food was decent every night and we only went out one night because we didn't like the food. the entertainment staff was great, good shows! The actitivies booth was highly over rated since these young guys would just grind up on these old ladies. also it sucked that the restaurant closes at 10pm. you should be able to get what you want, when u want. the snack bar was amazing, i would recommend the burger and fries. *had one each day :S* the restaurant staff was always cheerful and also asked the vital question at 7 am (senorita, would you like tequila?) overall minus some of the staff we liked this resort, although the beach is very small and dirty from garbage and trash. please do activities from the hotel, we did the kontiki tour and the atv zipline combo--THE BEST TIME OF MY LIFE!

We stayed at this hotel from March 22 - 29.
Overall, for the price, this hotel was okay. The location/view of the ocean is wonderful... the food is okay.. and some of the staff are great!

However, overall, I didn't feel that this hotel had a really great attitude toward customer service. It was almost as if you (the paying guest) were being an inconvenience to them.
The staff seemed to cater to the younger crowd.. with the music turned so loud it was distorted - making it impossible to have a conversation with the person beside you while sitting beside the pool during the day.
The bathroom was vented to the outside hallway, so when the spring breakers were in the hallway screaming at eachother in the middle of the night, this kept some of us awake.

Staff seemed to want to charge for everything. Someone told me that they lost their room card (which is likely worth $.50 cents) and were charged $25 to replace it.

We were given 5 towel cards when we first got there(there were six of us), but we never bothered to get the additional card because we didn't need it. When it was time to leave, we were charged for the towel!!! They threatened to call the police if we didn't pay! Apparently, when we signed our name upon arrival, we signed for the six cards! (although no one pointed that out to us). We were just given an envelope with the room cards and towel cards it in, and noticed the next day that we didn't have enough cards to go around.

After spending a week at this hotel, giving generous tips to the servers in the bar, restaurant, snack bar, etc. every day, then being charged for a towel when we left... it was totally unacceptable.. and I would not recommend this hotel to anyone else because of it.

We stayed here March 3,2007 in the midst of Spring Break. If you plan on sleeping at all at night, move to another hotel. there was screaming all night long&management did NOTHING! When we finally moved rooms, we were going to be charged $30.00 US / night extra. The couple that just left that same room were charged $20.00/ night. They finally let us have it for $20.00, but we should not have had to pay at all. We only wanted a room that allowed us a few hours of sleep at night. The staff were rude&very unaccommodating. Las palmas has soured our desire for Puerto Vallarta for a very long time.

My husband and I took our first ever trip outside of Canada and we had an excellent time here. The staff here are very friendly and helpful about Puerto Vallarta and how to find things. We were with 8 other people and everyone had a very nice stay at the hotel. One of the best things is the 5 o'clock Mexican Coffee hour. Lyn and I found this to be the nicest time of the day!! And then I have to recommend here as I did to everyone I spoke with well at the hotel "you must try the rice pudding served at lunch as a dessert, it is to die for" We very much enjoyed the mornings with Pedro, Carmen and the other servers in the main dining room. Very nice people to start our day with. All the bartenders, activity staff and front desk staff were excellent. The only thing that I found to be less than perfect were the very hard beds. But we asked for a foam mattress to be put on our bed and it was and then it was okay. Thanks for that. I totally recommend this hotel to anyone who likes to be able to go out and catch the bus and go anywhere. The bus rides are a trip all on their own!! Thanks to everyone at Las Palmas by the Sea for making my first out of country vacation a very happy memorable one.

Check in staff were brusque and unhelpful, but everyone else on the staff was absolutely wonderful! Look for Pedro in the main restaurant, Carmen the masseuse, Antonio and Martire in front, and Josephina the chambermaid. Tipping is a good idea - a dollar for the chambermaids every day and the same for the waiters at each meal.

Interesting mix of clientele - 90% Canadians, many of whom were French-speaking. A number of Mexican families - nice to see the kids around having fun. Some Dutch and a couple of English. Almost no Americans. Try to speak Spanish if you can. Everyone seems to appreciate the effort, even if you mangle the language miserably.

Our room was very clean, as was the rest of the hotel. The food was pretty good, although any beef dishes tended to be fatty. Excellent fish and chicken dishes and a wonderful salad bar. Try the a la carte - excellent!

I enjoyed the two pools - had the activities pool (20 m.) pretty much to myself every morning, and the second one for adults only provided a nice place to sit around and tan. My only complaint would be the music at the larger pool that began at 9:00 AM and ran, at high volume, throughout the day. Got really tired of Mexican technopop and bad, booming, wanna-be DJ commentary all day.

The location is really nice, with the beach on one side, and the main drag out the front doors. The beach is wide but not very deep. Much of it disapppeared during the last hurricane. However, there are deck chairs and some interesting surf to play in. Swim in the pools and look at the ocean.

It's only a mile or two to downtown, so you can walk if you want, with lots to see on the way. Set a price beforehand if you're taking a cab downtown, but do give the buses a shot - much more interesting and fun, and way cheaper. DON'T buy anything on the beach at the hotel - it's 5 or 10 times the price of getting the same thing at the fleamarket downtown.

The city itself seems to be safe - we walked down to the Burger king for an ice cream cone every evening, and never had a problem. LOOK OUT for the time share guys - learn to say 'no, gracias' to every single person who tries to stop you on the street. Don't forget to check out the old city - like everyone else we went to the Centro first, without realizing the the most beautiful part of Puerto Vallarta is a little bit further away.

All in all, my wife and I had a great time. My only caution would be to make ABSOLUTELY SURE, that your room is at the north end overlooking the adult pool. The amount of noise from the speakers at the other end by the activities pool mean no siestas and no sleeping in in the mornings. We were on the quiet side, thank goodness!

This was our 3rd visit and things have changed. New ownership and new management. Check in staff was very rude but the serving staff were amazing. You are given one bottle of water to save and refill each day from the bar. Lobby bar turns into cash bar at 11 pm. Activity staff was great and shows were not bad. Food is horrible now. I hear that the new chef is doing the best with the budget that he is provided with. Sandwhiches are ok for lunch but this is an all inclusive resort. Some days even for supper I chose Subway across the street.

The food was terrible .. shower didnt work ... rude staff at the activities booth... I would never, ever go back

The rooms are comfortable and clean, the pool is nice and the restaurant is right next to the beach and makes good food!

Always, Always, buy bottled water. Even then don't drink to much of that either. We brought medicine with us and took one each day just in case of adverse effects from foods. Beef just doesn't taste like beef there. Even at the Holiday Inn Grill Out. Other than that, we learned to love cilantro, LOVE Tequila! This hotel has a fabulous location, right on the beach. It's wonderful to sit on the sand in the evening and listen to the ocean, salsa music, and drink Margueritas..... TERRIFIC! I'd recommend this location to anyone. Mickey Rose