We (father and teenage daughter) really enjoyed our stay at the San Marino. The staff are naturally pleasant and did there best to makes ones stay enjoyable. Our one problem with a phone resulted in a new one in less than ten minutes. The hotel event coordinator is enthusiastic, even if guest participation sometimes falters. Safety and security was not a concern, at the hotel or in Puerto Vallarta. Five stars on service and staff. The hotel has history although renovated in 2003 - thus, it is probably two stars for rooms but everything is clean and works. As stated in other reviews, the breakfast buffet is great with lunch and dinner being plain but reasonable given what you are paying. The hotel is very central for access to restaurants, shopping and tour departures. Noise is the drawback to being in a central location - most evening noise arises from the neighbourhood rather than the hotel itself. For real world exposure, the hotel caters to all orientations and nationalities, including vacationing Mexicans. Unless there was a far better deal, we would stay at the San Marino again.

We stayed at the San Marino from March 17-24. We were not aware that this was "Semana Santa" (Holy Week) so we were surprised by the huge crowds on the beaches and everywhere else...

We were booked into room 526. Big Mistake. It was old and run-down, hard to access and it looked out over a VERY noisy street. After two nights of ruckus and mayhem from the street below, we changed to a much nicer room. It was room 319 and it looked out directly to the courtyard and ocean. It was also in nicer condition and MUCH quieter! An extra layer of foam on the bed from the housekeeping staff also helped with the very HARD bed.

The hotel itself is well-managed and is very clean. There always seemed to be someone sweeping, scrubbing or wiping away at something.

The staff were quite friendly, and the waiters were prompt when bringing drinks, etc. Smile, Victor.

The food. Bad. Very bad. Fancy this?

"Beef in its own juices", "Octopus". "Pork shops" (yes, "shops" that were like thick, hard slabs of bacon) "Back of hog in tomato sauce", and, of course, an all-time favourite, "Beef tongue". Yummy.

However, for you bacon lovers, it appeared that Wednesday is YOUR special day! (for breakfast, which was actually consistently good!)

The entertainment provided was quite a lot of fun. The "Regio toilet paper promotional people" showed up for two days in a row and gave away free towels, sandals and toilet paper, and on Wednesday evening, there was a "Mexican Fiesta" which provided folk music and dancing.

The location is superb. There are several good restaurants in the area, our favourite being the Cafe Olla a few blocks away. We much preferred this authentic sort of place after being sucked into the cultural chauvinism if Senor Frog's one evening for supper.

We met a lot of very nice people. The hotel has a interesting mix of clentele. A LOT of Canadians and among them were families, single, doubles and a notable presence of gays.

A special hello to Deb, Louise, Bob and even Dave.

The hotel San Marino is not a good hotel by any means. I can't believe I am actually writing a review of this hotel. I guess I got misled through some of the reviews I read on this site (Stating that the San Marino was a great place to stay) and I felt the need to give my opinion and hopefully warn other travellers about this scam. I still can't understand why some people rave about this place. This is truely a mediocre hotel by any standards. I hate sounding like a spoiled Canadian but, in truth, if you don't mind dirty old rooms and bathrooms, stained comforters, holes in walls, disinterested staff (although I should be fair to some of the staff who try to make some effort to be helpfull). The food, as it has already been mentionned in other reviews, is truely bad (boiled carrots and broccoli everyday, boiled rice, mayonnaise standing outside for hours, etc.). The only positive aspects of staying at the San Marino relate to its great location (old Vallarta) and the fact that the money you save by staying here can be used to eat out most nights. Now you can't say you haven't been warned...

We just returned from a fantastic week in Old Puerto Vallarta. The San Marino Hotel was the place my wife and I chose for our first time to be "Warm in the Winter".

We realized, after weeks of researching, our destination would have to be the Charm of the El Centro District and the Romantic Zone. We knew going in that the San Marino was only a three star but we found most of the reviews were, for the most part positive. We weren't disappointed. It was above what we actually expected. The staff were very friendly and helpful. The hotel and grounds were impeccable. The location is at the beginning of the Malacon where the pier is located. The only draw back would be the food. Stick with the breakfasts and if you don’t mind a hot dog or a burger for lunch then that will be ok too. The suppers left lots to be desired, the only night we ate supper at the hotel was on Wednesday when they hold a weekly Fiesta. In case you are not aware, this is a gay friendly district, as is all of P.V. which is not a problem if you are open minded.

The best feature of the San Marino is it's location, within walking distance of over 50 restaurants and the entire downtown. We walked to most destinations....along the entire Malacon, Lady of Guatalupe Church (a must see) and many more interesting cobblestone streets. Be sure to stop in at Oscar's just off the Malacon and enjoy a superb strawberry daiquiri....yummy! We also stopped at other places and found them to be just as good.

A great meal in P.V. can cost as little as 200 pesos ($20 CDN). Don’t forget to tip as tips are their main source of income. After speaking with the locals we learned that the average income in that part of Mexico is 40 pesos per day. As with most places in the south ...the better the tip the better the service.

The city is very safe and at no time did we feel threatened... but the timeshare salespeople wont leave you alone. Just say no thanks and keep walking. A word of advice when going through the airport , and any hotel lobby is to beware they are everywhere (hide your wristband). We ended up using them to our advantage by accepting a "tour" at a new complex. We booked it for a Sunday when a good portion of the shops are closed anyway and ended up getting a fabulous breakfast at a five star resort, two tickets to a zip line tour in the jungle, a dinner for two at one of the most romantic locations in Bandaras Bay - Los Caletas. We also negotiated two tickets to the Bullfights and they paid for the taxi both ways (make sure to get both ways). It ended up being an interesting city tour through the mayhem of Mexican driving.... They promised to only take 90 minutes of our time but we ended up spending almost 3 hours, including the breakfast. We refused to buy into the timeshare but received, what we "negotiated", about $400 (CDN) worth of excursions for 3 hours of our time. We then spent the money we saved on beautiful silver jewellery (which there is a lot of) but we bought from an actual jewellery store. Beware of the cheap stuff sold by street vendors. The shopping is unbelievable and every vendor is more than willing to haggle to a "fair price". This constant bartering can grow on you and before long it becomes natural....and quite fun.

The zip line tour was at El Eden....the climb is difficult but well worth every step, the jungle is beautiful. The "Rhythms of the Night" tour to Los Caletas was very romantic. The crew on the 45 minute boat ride, entertained us there and back. Once we reached the cove, we were treated to a fantastic feast followed by a beautiful interpretation of an ancient Mexican wedding ceremony. This remote cove does not have power and was lit by tikki torches and candles. We do recommend you arrive on the first boat (about 5:30 pm) to see it in the daylight and enjoy a beautiful sunset while eating. The later boats arrived in the dark and in speaking with others, totally missed the beauty of this place. We also attended the bull fight ... nuff said... we won't ever attend another one!

All in all, we chose the San Marino Hotel for it's location and we would definitely recommend it to anyone. We did not spend much time in our room as there was much to discover and see. The room however, was impeccably cleaned everyday, the chambermaid always had a smile and a friendly "Olla"as we passed in the hall. The linen and towels were clean and replaced everyday and a daily $3.00 tip goes a long way.

We will definitely be going back.