Our first time to Puerto Vallarta - what a great place!

When we arrived at the hotel, we moved quickly through check-in and off to our room, which only had a king bed - we were a family of 4 - 2 adults and 2 children, so we were immediately moved to another room to with 2 double beds. We were facing another hotel instead of the ocean, and by the next morning we asked if there was a room in the "tower" for us to move to. Yes, and they moved us with no problems at all!!!

The staff were EXCELLENT - especially when you tip!! The hotel was VERY clean, as were the rooms. The food was good - considering we didn't have to cook for 2 weeks, we had NO complaints!!! If you move between Vila Linda the upper open air restaurant, or the beach - you had an abundance of food to choose from. We couldn't go to the other restaurants as we travelled with our kids ages 4 and 6......and you had to be 16yr or 18ys to go to them. I'm not sure why people complained about the food - as I thought we had lots to choose from over the two week stay - and we also had two very picky eaters with us.....and they had something for everyone. The Wed night beach night was AMAZING as was the food served. The nightly entertainment was great - especially once you got to know the staff, they were also the entertainment in the evening. The kids club was great - my children went in everyday - the arts and crafts they did were amazing.......the staff in kids club were great too!

So to sum up our visit to Puerto Vallarta and our stay at Hola - I would recommend it to all my friends. The staff were great, the hotel was great.......I don't see how anyone could complain. If you are looking to be "pampered" and be "hand fed", then Hola isn't the place for you. If you are looking for some fun, relaxation, happy people, clean rooms, good food, good drinks.......then Hola is the place!!

We got at the hotel on a friday night, First night we arrived at the hotel the bellboy came to bring our luggage to our room .We unpacked everything, put passport in safety deposit box. We took some pictures on the balcony and left for a walk. When we came back our camera had dissapeared from our room. When we first came down to go for a walk we met the bellboy at the elevator, he notice we were gone from our room. We called security, did a report and went to see the "manager" the next morning.(what a manager, young lady with no smile, also the front desk staff, not to friendly) The manager didn' t do anything about it, no excuse, no appology. She is probably involved with the bellboy. The week we were there we met some people from saskatoon and they told us that the camera of their daughter as been stolen from her room the last night before their departure and it was a friday night also. It is too bad because the rest of the staff is really friendly and nice and the hotel is a nice hotel but because of this I don' t think I will ever fo back at this hotel.
Josee Ottawa

I read many of the reviews on this hotel and most of them were very helpful. The main theme was that the employees were friendly, positive, and very willing to do their job.
We had a nice sign-in, with beverage served as we waited.
The costs for lost key(s), ID bracelet, towel or towel card, and TV remote seemed quite expensive
Bell-boys looked after our bags while we waited to get our room. We were almost 4 p.m. before our room was ready (#2219)
The room was very spacious and had a nice king size bed. The balcony was adequate and mainly faced the open 2nd floor dining area and the pool.
The sink did not hold water. There was some type of seal problem on the drain area. We never bothered to report this, so I suppose some one some day will do so in room 2219..
The shower was super powerful and, despite shower curtains, flooded the bathroom floor. It took me 2 days to realize that I just needed to turn on the hot water tap (about 1/4 of the way) and the shower tap (also about 1/4 of the way).
We only received 2 bath towels (occasionally a face cloth was provided). Our room was never made up until after 3 p.m. in the afternoon, but the weather was so good that we seldom needed the room.
One day, I went back for my camera and could not get out of my room. I called the front desk. No one came after 10 minutes. I called again and was a bit more forceful. After 10 more minutes, no one came. On the 3rd call, I finally received a knock at the door by a maintenance person. He could not access the room with a key or any other tool. After a futile effort, he left, only to reappear climbing along the balconies (we were on 3rd floor).
I let him in via the balcony door and it took him a further 10 minutes to take all the hardware off and jimmy the door open.
It was not a highlight of our trip.
Despite these low points, I would rate the hotel and the services as well above average (for a non 5-star hotel)
We arrived on Friday. Friday night was Mexican night. All types of Mexican food were prepared and served buffet style. There was an OK Mexican entertainment spectacle in the theatre area.
It is not highly advertised, but there is a small somewhat fine-dining room (GOURMET) near the main lobby bar. You need to reserve early on the day that you want to go. You can go TWICE in the week. The sit-down appetizer/entree/dessert meal is quite nice and the service is excellent. We left a $5 tip each time (I was told that that was more than enough!)
The owner of the hotel (a great guy) also owns a quaint French restaurant, just outside of the property (along the main boulevard). You can book a dinner once during the week. We did not realize that we needed to take a certificate, from the hotel, to give to the waiter. The restaurant called the hotel and someone brought it to the restaurant. The meal was great (hot French onion soup/ shrimp & prawn entree/chocolate mousse dessert was my meal and it was great. ** you are expected to pay for drinks and the tip.** We had a $25.00 bottle of Chilean merlot. With 15% tip, the meal cost $40 (well worth it).
On the Wed. night, the entire hotel was wined and dined on the beach. A great set-up, for all to access pasta creations and BBQ ribs and all sorts of buffet food, was put together during the day (including candles and lighting)
Every day, we had wonderful service, whether it was the staff on the beach, who brought out chairs and/or umbrellas; the stewards who served beverages (they actually came regularly to ASK what you would like--------on the beach and around the pool); and the restaurant staff. The beach eaing area is rather basic. I used it for lunchtime hamburgers or hot dogs. Pizza was available, but my wife and I did not like the cheese that was used.
I recommend that you have breakfast in the open-air porch dining area (just above the lobby). I believe it is called the Sunset.
There is a main floor restaurant which is satisfactory. The only criticism that I might make is that the variety in the buffets is rather lacking. Desserts are always the same. Most dishes and salads are common every day. At least, with the 4 different dining experiences (that I have already outlined), the lack of choice was not a major problem
I like to access the internet. There are only 2 computers (in the SPA area). The price is very reasonable (25 pesos/$2.50US for one half hour) but the room was often busy. I enjoyed taking a walk down the long driveway. There is an internet cafe right on the corner. It is very well kept and is only 40 pesos/$4US for one half hour.
In conclusion, almost all patrons at this hotel really enjoyed their stay. I don't hesitate in recommending that you choose the Hola Puerto Vallarta for your holiday stay. It is a happy place and activities(kayaking, aerobic, pool stuff,etc.) are provided, if you wish. The pool is cold and shallow, but quite nicely kept up. We were not overly impressed with the hot tub (water quality and temp.), but we did not care to use a hot tub, anyway. The staff is very diligent with cleaning and 'whistles while they work'
Tequila!!

Our room was nice although beds and pillows could be a bit softer.
Breakfast was fantastic, lunch & dinner were good but a bit repetative.
Desk clerk at check-in was just awful and also tried to give us a different room that promised but situation was fixed after a talk with the Apple representative; I wish they would put one of their friendly, cheerful employes at the front desk, it sure would make a better impression.
All the rest of the staff were the most friendly and helpful people you could ask for - I felt very spoiled after a week of their service!
Sergio, you rock!!!!
Weather was picture perfect, warm sun and cool breezes.
Lots of improvements since last year - new cabanas on the beach, cushions for the lounge chairs, a sweets corner, new furniture in the lobby, etc.
Hated to leave, especially because I returned to a greeting of 4+ inches of snow.