Velas Vallarta is an all inclusive resort that has a combination of studio up to three bedroom units. 1 to 3 bedroom units have full kitchens and are partially stocked wih the basics. The refrigerator is restocked upon request at no extra charge. Each night at the more formal restaurant they have a theme. The food was amazing and the desserts. well I could have just eaten at the dessert bar and nowhere else.

The more casual restaurant is on the beach and the prime rib was to die for. Its on the short list of restaurants because one can watch the sunset over dinner. The breakfast buffet had a fabulous presentation and the bottomless coffee made me VERY happy. The wait staff was VERY accomodating when one morning I thought they opened at 7am so they brought over coffee to me while I sat on the beach to watch the sun rise. They truly anticipated my moves and helped to make my stay that much more enjoyable.

The kid's Club is across from the pools. If a parent is not completely comfortable leaving there child they can sit across from the Kid's Club and their child never be out of eye shot. They have many activites and you can have the comfort of knowing you have time to yourself and the kids to.

This is by far my favorite resort experience!! My fiance and I went here on our first 'all inclusive' style vacation. After the accomodations and and all inclusive were paid I spent $96, and we were there for an entire week!! We opt'd to tip a little extra occassionally and booking thru RCI we had a credit toward the spa and golf because of the time of year we traveled. The money we spent was on shopping and taxi's, we also choose to tip the occasional $1 to the wait staff by the pool because they were unbelievably attentive. We had bottled water, mixed drinks, and food served to us pool side, we never had to leave the chair.

They have 3 pools set at different temperatures, a short lazy river, a kids pool, outdoor ping pong, swim up bar and they are ALL located on the beach! A beach front restaurant, and multiple other gourmet restaurants (Make your reservations 1st thing in the morning if the resort is especially busy). The 'WOW, I am impressed' reaction happened at least once a day. First, was when the young lady knocked on the door to turn down our bed every day! Second was when she came in the morning to make the bed and clean the room - TOP to BOTTOM - every day! When I say clean, she had the scrub brush and mop. Our refrigerator was restocked daily with beer and snacks. The third moment was the first time I ordered room service. This wasn't just any room service, we had gourmet food delivered to our room with salads, entrees, desert, and wine. When the gentleman arrived to deliver the food, he pulled the table and chairs away from the wall and laid out the white table cloth and set the table - AMAZING!

The resort has to many thing to list. Day tours, spa (beach front massages), fitness center, concierge services, and every room has a view!

Noteworthy - The entire resort's water system is filtered, you can drink directly from the tap without worries of getting ill.

If you want a REAL vacation, this is the only option.

P.S. Rumor has it that the other two resorts in Puerto Vallarta built by the same company are even more exclusive!

It was our second honeymoon, and grandma was keeping the kids for the week. With that said, there's little chance that we could be disappointed! My wife and I booked a week of all-inclusive at Velas Vallarta through AMEX travel, and it was our first trip out to the west coast of Mexico from North Carolina.

First the arrival. Immigration, baggage, and customs were very easy. The airport's pretty nice, actually! The timeshare sharks were relentless, but since we had some background on dealing with these guys from TripAdvisor we knew to just say 'No thanks' and keep moving. Got to the regulated Taxi stand, and got ripped off for our first and only time in PV. She tried very hard to send me to Nuevo Vallarta, even though I was clearly saying Marina. Finally, she agreed to the Marina and charged $20 (it's only $16). $4 wasn't worth fighting over, though, as we'd just landed in paradise. If I'd known then what I know now, I probably would walk over the highway and get a cab outside the airport. It's only $5 to get to the hotel, and the PV cabbies are really more honest than the regulated ones.

VV lobby was very nice, and the gounds are fantastic. Upon check-in, we were approached by a very nice lady who offered a "welcome packet". It was VERY clear that she was with the timeshare folks. But, since our room wasn't ready yet and she was offering drinks (all-inclusive, of course) we figured "why not?". She gave us some great info with maps of the hotel and PV and several good tips. When she got to the timeshare part, we were ready and just said we weren't interested. She persisted, so I had more drinks and just said no. I wouldn't advise getting wrapped up in that at all.

The pools were always lively and not too crowded, even though there was a convention that had the hotel at 100%. We never felt squeezed out at all. Plus, we found that a little tipping goes a REALLY long way here. The staff really deserves a few bucks anyway since they're good, but we tipped $10 the first night for our dinner at La Ribera. From that point on, we always had a table by the water and good service to boot. The food was good but not great. Only real complaint about that restaurant was that the view of the sunset was blocked by the palapas on the beach. Kind of a waste of an unbelievable view.

The room was nothing to harp on. On the good side, it was clean and the fridge was stocked. On the bad side, it was kind of old and the bedroom was in the back (away from the balcony and closer to the exterior hallway). The balcony was big enough for the two of us, but I could see how some people would not be satisfied. 'Nuff said about the room.

The Marina is neat, and that part of town is very safe. We went for runs around the area and hung out at Brando's Bar in the Marina. Find that guy if you can - he's a really colorful character and will likely buy you a couple of beers. Great guy! Also, take advantage of the Casa Velas if you can. They have awesome facilities over there, and it's very close (8 min walk). Great gym, really nice spa, and free internet to Email home. That restaurant over there is really nice - we went for breakfast one day. Muy bueno.

Even if you booked the all-inclusive package, you'd be remiss not to get off the property and head into town. PV is great. The malecon was nice during the day, but we found it most interesting at night. After the cruise ships leave, there are primarily locals in the area. Also, go all the way down the boardwalk and into the older area for another nice experience. Check out the Burros Bar if you can - they took great care of us as well. We also did the Rhythms of the Night tour, and it was well worth it. The food isn't gourmet, but the experience is not to be missed.

Finally, I have to say that the absolute highlight of the trip was our last evening's dinner at Las Carmelita's. It was a real adventure getting up there, but it was probably the most scenic dinner I can remember. Ask at guest services when you get to the hotel, and they will hook you up with all of the info you need. Don't miss that one!

PV was awesome, and I'd love to go back soon. I'd probably stay at another hotel in the Marina area, though. Marina Vallarta is a great part of town, but the newer hotels really look a lot nicer than VV. Also, I wouldn't bother with the all-inclusive. PV is full of great places to eat and drink.

I was lucky enough to spend a week at Velas Vallarta in March 2008 - even tho' I have been there several times, this was my favorite trip thus far.

I stayed at Velas as a timeshare owner, through my mom, she gave me a week at her studio. The studio room was plenty big enough for the two of us (boyfriend and I) - this is the first time I stayed in a studio with a balcony, I don't believe there are too many at the resort because all the other studios I have stayed in did not have a balcony. I guess I got lucky this time. The king size bed was heaven, the turn down service was a great touch too. The little kitchenette and eating area is nice size with a pull out sofa bed included. Maid service was outstanding..we would shower before we went out at night and we would use our clean towels and when we would come back in the evening we would have clean towels again....that is what you call "great service".

We did the all inclusive plan for 4 of our 8 days, we enjoyed all our meals and even had room service a couple of times. We felt that the price of the all inclusive was well worth every penny. Our favorite meal was at their sister resort , Casa Velas, besides great food it was so romantic...I think it would be a great place for a honeymoon.

The entire property will take your breath away...it is so beautiful and relaxing - so many wonderful touches throughout the property - loved watching the iguanas and peacocks.

The pools are amazing, especially the swim up bar (drinks were always great)...they have 3 pools all together with a small lazy river joining the two larger pools. The pool closer to the ocean is where all the daytime activities take place. We never had a problem finding a chair, no matter what time of the day we got out there, but we were only looking for 2 chairs at a time, maybe someone with a large party mind have a hard time finding enough chairs next to each other if they didn't get to the pool until noon.

We also enjoyed using the cabanas and beach chairs out on the beach...they have food and bar service out on the beach too. The ocean was enjoyable to swim in.

Every afternoon the servers would come around the pool and beach area with snacks, they would serve them to all the guests, not just the all inclusive guests. Service was outstanding.

We dined off the resort several times - Fajita Republic was our favorite and also enjoyed a nice meal at Barcelona Tapas. Our favorite bar was Cheeky Monkey.

We love Velas and Puerto Vallarta and can't wait to return again, I can't imagine staying anywhere else after having such a wonderful week. Too me, it was like a dream and unfortunately I had to wake up and come home.