Our group of 2 famililies with 2 toddlers just returned from the sunny beaches of Mexico to the dreary spring weather of Calgary. We loved the location of the resort being downtown in the heart of what is Mexico. Our rooms were both on the street side so we did incur some noise the first night we were there(Saturday), but after that we had no complaints. The balconies were a great place to spend the evenings people watching while the kids were fast asleep. The restaurant hours were not great for kids. Breakfast didn't start until 8:00 so we spent many a mornings over at Dee's Coffee shop buying some of the best muffins and coffee in PV. Suppers didn't start until 6:30pm so we ate out just about every night to get the kids fed before they became too tired to be strapped into a high chair. The San Marino is old but it is clean and everything does work. The waiter service during the meals was good, however there was no drink service to speak of on the beach or by the pool. The kiddy pool was the perfect size and depth for our toddlers and we spent many, many hours in there. Overall we had a great time for the price we spent. I would stay at the San Marino again, but would likely try to get into one of the other hotels on the same strip to see if we could get better meals and more suitable rooms (seperate bedroom for the kid).

My husband and I recently returned from our all-inclusive one-week stay at the San Marino Hotel and we loved it! One caveat, however, is that in my view it's critical to have a Junior Suite ocean view room to give this hotel an 'above average' rating.

I'll start with the 'down sides' to this hotel, to get them out of the way. The hotel is older, and many guests with rooms on the "street side" complained of the noise from the street. The rooms are plain & simply furnished with a firm bed. The balcony furniture could easily be upgraded for comfort and appearance. The food is bad (except for breakfast, as many previous reviewers have mentioned). There is minimal drink service on the beach (each day, we spent most of the day on the beach and we were approached only once each day for a drink order)--- so it's basically "get it yourself" at the bar. The resort "activities" are very limited, if you like that sort of thing.

With these negative comments, you might wonder "why did I give the San Marino four stars?" Because the sliding glass doors of our ocean view room opened onto an incredible vista of the Bay of Banderas. We could sit on our balcony and watch the sun set each evening over the bay... and it was beautiful! Our room was large and clean. Also, the hotel's buffet restaurant was positioned well, so that diners can sit and eat by the sea. Or, if you're going out for dinner (as you should!), you can just sip your glass of red wine and watch the sun set from the hotel restaurant, before departing for much better food in one of the many nearby restaurants. I loved the location of this hotel, in the heart of Old Vallarta, with countless bars, restaurants, shops, galleries, markets, taco stands, and public entertainment venues right nearby. Although the hotel food wasn't great overall, the breakfast spread was very nice with every possible food preference covered, including lots of fresh fruit and individually-prepared omelettes. The bar prepared some very nice pina coladas, too. And although the beach was very crowded while we were there, it was the school break for kids in PV, so maybe it's not always so busy. In any event, we enjoyed the hectic beach scene.. great for people-watching! If you want peace and quiet, you can sit around the pool or in a roped-off section of sand right by the beach.

In summary, this hotel is NOT for very fussy people who want western-standard hotel rooms. It's not for teenagers or heavy drinkers/party-ers, because it's a quiet hotel with no clubbing-type night life of it's own or nearby. We enjoyed the diversity of the clientele at the hotel... couples, a few families with young children, gays, mostly Western tourists (many Canadians) and a good proportion of Mexican families, too...however, notably absent were college-age young adults (at least the week we were there)!!. Finally, this hotel's all-inclusive package is not for vacationers who put a lot of emphasis on good food & who expect to get that good food at their all-inclusive. There are no a la carte restaurants at the hotel.

The San Marino is a good hotel, however, for people who are budget-minded, who appreciate a central location in the middle of the amazing little town of PV, and who want to be in a hotel by the sea. Once again, I strongly recommend an ocean view Junior Suite to have a good experience at this hotel.

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.