Casa Velas Puerto Vallarta Mexico Feb 24-March 2, 2008

We exchanged with RCI to Casa Velas in a one bedroom unit. We arrived at 12 noon to the entrance of the resort with the beautiful iron scrolled gates and long driveway with lush plants along it and a Koi pond at entrance. We pulled our car up to the front and proceeded to enter the lobby which was full of couches, huge candles, fountains, open air etc. We sat at lovely carved wood chairs at reception area, with a margarita and the most lovely senorita. She checked us in and applied our AI bracelets which of course was mandatory thru RCI (I think the resort is mandatory for everyone anyway, just higher prices thru RCI). The bracelet to our surprise was not the plastic usual type but a lovely hemp, braided bracelet with a small silver medallion, quite the change and attractive at that. We were asked if we wanted the New York Times every morning and since was included we said sure! We read that on our balcony every morning. (We did have a dispute on the AI as our paperwork said $135.p/p/d, but the rate had gone up to $160.p/p/d ( we had not taken advantage of the pre-payment options), we showed the senorita our paperwork and to our utmost surprise she said okay. We were quite happy over this.). We thought we might have some difficulty with such an early check in but though our room was not quite ready, we were told to go enjoy a lunch and return in an hour. We sat by the pool at Emiliano’s restaurant and enjoyed a peaceful lunch with top notch service and then returned to check in area. We had no other difficulties with check in and found it most pleasant.

We went back to our car with our keys and valet then showed us to our room and parked and unloaded our car. We were assigned to room 516. It was on second floor (the rooms look like condos, kind of like a house entrance to each one). The room was quite nice. It had a king size (clam shell headboard) bed with wonderful mattress and down comforter, and pillows. There were 2 side tables, each with a lamp and also a bench at end of bed for sitting. There was also an alarm clock and telephone in the room. Robes and slippers were provided for use. The bed was up one step from the living area, so despite the fact it was all open like one big room, the step up area with columns on both sides made it seem separate.

The living area had a couch and coffee table and TV in an armoire. This armoire also held a safe and mini frig. Which was restocked daily with sodas, water, yogurt, etc. Snacks were also replenished daily. There were no kitchen facilities but there was an ice bucket (no ice machines though, you had to call room service or fill ice bucket at bar or lobby), coffee maker and restocked coffee packets daily. Since this is an AI resort, really was no need for kitchen facilities, 24 hour room service and all was included. In this living area there was also a chest of drawers, and a table for dining or what have you. There were sliding glass doors off of this room straight out from the bed and couch which led to a nice terrace with a heated plunge pool, 2 teak chairs and a small table. Towels were restocked there daily. There was no real view from this balcony as it was behind one building and kind of set in middle (the entrance to the room was actually facing the street). The whole balcony was surrounded by built in planters with bouganvilla and palm trees also were set all around, so in essence, though we did not really have any golf course view we had just about total privacy.

The bathroom was off of the bedroom and was huge. It had a Jacuzzi tub, with a shower, all surrounded by marble, a large vanity and sink area and a separate make up area with a seat and mirror. There was a hairdryer and magnifying mirror on the wall. The room was replenished 2 times per day with towels and Gilchrist & Sommes amenities like shampoo, body lotion, mouthwash, shoe shine, soap, vanity kit, etc. There was always sufficient hot water and the unit was well maintained ( our Jacuzzi did not work first day but was repaired immediately after a call to front desk and our power went out once but they responded immediately and rectified the problem). The bed was turned down at night and if you had do not disturb sign on the door a note was put on your door they had been there and if you wanted them to return to call front desk. There was a full length mirror in this bathroom and also a closet with iron and ironing board, and lots of hangers and a shelf. We found we would have liked a few more draws for clothing but other than that the room was just lovely and very romantic and peaceful. This one bedroom was smaller than one bedroom units at Club Velas but was more romantic and upscale. We also had free wireless internet service in our room and in many areas of resort. We had to get a password upon check in for this. The maid service was very good, efficient, quick and as I stated 2 times a day!

The grounds throughout the resort are meticulously maintained and are landscaped to perfection with bouganvilla, palm trees, plants, Koi ponds, levels, grass, walkways etc. Our car was parked in a secure area under a shade tree and valet parking was included in the AI, we did tip of course though.

They have a wonderful spa, we checked it out but did not use. They also have a nice gym with treadmills, weights, supplied water and towels and a trainer, etc. My husband used the gym almost daily. There were hot tubs by the gym. There was a small boutique store on site, and of course a golf course on site (we do not golf though).

The whole resort is set on the golf course not on the beach. It is a very quiet, relaxing and de-stressing environment. Off of the lobby is an open air lobby bar, with tables, sofas, and chairs and a bartender, this area overlooks the pool and grounds. The pool is heated, tiled in a dark blue, and has built in loungers with different water depths. It is a large pool with a swim up Palapa Bar. Surrounding the pool are lounge chairs with terry cloth covers, rolled towels in place and teak tables. There are also some cabanas for those who like shade. When you go to the pool area and find your place, of which there is no problem, a waiter comes over with a small ice bucket and two bottles of water and asks if you would like something to eat or drink or anything else. You can order drinks or snacks off a menu in the pool area. There are no activities done by the pool as it is very upscale and quiet, with lots of people sunning or reading. Most times there was no music playing by pool either but if it was it was played very softly.

The one Restaurant on site is called Emialiano’s. You need to make reservations. Men are required to wear pants and this was strictly enforced. There is indoor seating in levels with a lovely chandelier and a piano player at night. There is also outdoor seating overlooking the pool and yet another Koi pond. The food was top notch, gourmet, lots of choices, expensive. When you are seated they offer you the wine list and also a stand for your pocketbook or sweater. They refer to you throughout your stay by name and your table is assigned a multitude of waiters. Your glass is never empty and your plate is cleared away quickly. You can order many courses and each is delivered timely and with exquisite presentation. There is a nightly special menu as well. We tried just about everything on the menu from salmon to rack of lamb, lobster, filet mignon, etc. etc. Most of our dinners came to well over 1600 pesos. The desserts were to die for. When finished you had to sign a bill (assume this is for accounting purposes), and along with the bill comes a special dessert treat from the chef., such as chocolate covered strawberries, fancy cookies etc…each night different. We dined each evening outside by candlelight and feel each dinner was a pampering, gourmet experience. Definitely worth the AI price. The service, the atmosphere, the quality of food, the presentation, were all VIP for sure! After dinner many times we sat and talked in lobby bar and just relaxed. This bar did close early I think 11:30 ish.

You can also have lunch in this restaurant by menu and breakfast by buffet. Lunch and breakfast were also very good. The condiments like ketchup, mustard etc, are in small jars like jam would come in, nice touch! There is also 24 hour room service and we did partake of it for some of our breakfasts. Again it was timely service, and great food and presentation.

In addition to this restaurant you can go over to Club Velas, the sister resort, via shuttle and utilize their activities like nightly shows, entertainment, pool, and their bars and restaurants, of which there are 3, one by the ocean La Ribera, (no reservations needed) One on the grounds Andrea (reservations required) and Alejandras
reservations required). La Ribera is more casual than the others mentioned and they do not enforce the long pants rule for men as much over at Club Velas.

You can also be taken via shuttle to the Private Beach Club. Here there is an infinity pool, again lovely chairs with covers, the beach and cabanas on the beach, and also a restaurant which specializes in Asian food such as Sushi or Tempura etc. There is also a night time restaurant here, which requires reservations as well and specializes in Asian food. We unfortunately only made it over to the Private Beach Club in the daytime so missed out on the night time Restaurant but heard it was wonderful. The daytime over at the beach club was also very quiet and the Shrimp Tempura was to die for. The service and attention at the Beach Club were also First Class. We took the shuttle there at times and at other times we walked, just a short 5-10 minute walk. (We passed a lovely house for sale and inquired about it and lo and behold it was only 6.9 million dollars, we passed on that LOL).

We felt so relaxed and special at this resort we spent almost all our time here or at the Private Beach Club. We were approached upon arrival after check in by the concierge to go to a timeshare presentation. We told him we are owners of Velas but on RCI exchange, and then going next week also on an exchange to Club Velas. He offered us a vacation certificate to return to Casa Velas or Club Velas for 5 nights 4 days (with just the paying of the AI) (we are in process of scheduling that now for maybe Jan 2009), and two one hour massages on the beach at Club Velas, to go to an update. We told him would have to think about it. He said okay and gave us a planning sheet to fill out any restaurant reservations we already knew we wanted and any activities we wanted to do and he would handle it. We did not do any activities or tours but we did make all our reservations for dinner and he called them all in for us for the week. The next morning we told him we would go to the update but not until Wednesday. He agreed on a time with us to our convenience.

On Weds. We went to the update at Club Velas with him. Upon entering Club Velas lobby we were overwhelmed by the noise. We did not realize how quiet and relaxing Casa was in comparison to Club Velas. LOL.
(Oh did I mention Casa Velas is adults ONLY). The update was of course an attempt to upgrade us, but we told them we were fine with what we had. They had some sort of annuity plan but we were not interested. They did tell us that 2 other sister resorts were being built in Cancun and Cabo. There was a bit of sales pressure but not too much, have experienced more, but after about 2 hours we were done and we scheduled our massages for next week when we would be at Club Velas.

By the end of the week although we were loving the relaxation and pampering we were de-stressed and ready for some excitement. On Sat. eve, we went to a locals board meeting which was held at Casa Isabel. We met a lot of locals, met the owners of Casa Isabel, lovely people, especially Isabel, such an interesting person. We had a nice time and then we returned to Casa Velas for a late dinner, our last this vacation at this resort. We had dinner and then had a drink in Lobby Bar and then returned to room to pack for our departure in the morning, but not a departure home but to Club Velas, another week of vacation.

In the morning we called bellboys to load our car and went to check out. The senorita said we had two charges in the boutique store. We told here must be a mistake as we had bought nothing. She checked the signature card and then said sorry must be a mistake and she gave us our credit card open voucher and we were off to Club Velas with our car waiting at front entrance. We had no difficulties whatsoever with check out, they did not even cut off our AI bracelets, which I was glad as they serve as a nice memory item.

We loved our time at Casa Velas and will return. It is a special, pampering, VIP vacation place. Everything from the grounds, the units, the staff was perfect. It would be wonderful for a honeymoon, anniversary, or special occasion. I would not recommend it for those looking for a party environment, or night life, or for those with small children as it is an adults only resort. I would recommend it for couples or singles who want to be pampered and treated like royalty and just want to relax, and enjoy the peace and quiet.

You may ask what do I mean by "in between in a lot of ways". Let me explain:

PROS:
1) Hotel itself is gorgeous. The architecture, colors, rooms, pool, grounds, and general feel of the hotel is great.
2) Staff is second to none. Very friendly, almost too helpful, always wiling to go the extra distance to ensure you are satisfied.
3) Food very good. The menu didn't change while we were there which became sort of a problem seeing we were there for 7 days and nights
4) Pool is perfect. 'Nuff said.
5) Beach club is great option as well, very open to the sun so not much shade and zero trees, unlike the lush pool at the hotel.

CONS:
1) Time share, time share, time share. Literally, from the first five minutes we walked into the hotel upon check-in, the "concierge/travel agent" tried to schedule a time share showing. This combined with the aggressive time share people at the airport (one can NEVER be prepared enough for this- it needs to be written about a lot more) put an immediate mistrust feel for my wife and me towards the very , very nice staff. Were they trying to help us really or were they trying to sell us something?

2) Chair hogging at pool. Now I know this sounds petty but when some people save lounge chairs for 4 hours by placing a magazine on the chair and never once sitting in it, the staff needs to clear it out. I understand lying down, going to grab lunch, then returning but almost every day, there were at least 20% of the chairs "reserved" where the people didn't show up for a good three hours for the prime lounges which of course, were always in the sun.


Summary:
We loved the hotel and our week there. The weather was absolutely perfect and we had zero problems. There was some intangible thing missing, though.

The hotel is secluded, but not (in the middle of tons of development and massive beach resorts). You feel like you're in the middle of no where (good thing) but you open your eyes and look out across the golf course, then see the huge resort complexes so it puts you back to reality really fast.

There's a beach aspect to it, with the offsite Beach Club, but you don't get the beach "feel" while at the hotel itself. The Beach Club is great, don't get me wrong, but we didn't see one person swimming in the ocean the entire time we were there. It didn't seem like the ocean was that swimmable, unlike the beaches near San Francisco (Pancho)., a nice little beach town about 30 minutes north.

All in all, though we loved our stay at Casa Velas we probably would not return. We'd probably choose something that was physically located right on the beach and without the timeshare component. There were just a few too many contradictions that in the end, left us with the feeling the Casa Velas can't decide whether it wants to be a beach place vs. country place or a timeshare locations vs. a pure hotel.

Let me start by saying I am not a newcomer to the area, and have been at about 8 or 9 different all-inclusives in Mexico, including the two other Velas properties in Puerto Vallarta.

This hotel has some rooms that are renovated, and some that are not. They seemed to be doing us a favor to give us one that has a mini-pool hot tub outside, and a small spa inside. This was one of the older rooms, and the shower that makes you stand in the spa just doesn't cut it. We asked for a swap, and got one of the newer rooms without either, and neither was missed. It took 30 minutes for the spa to be filled up when i
I did try it, and you have to empty it to take a shower...no thanks!

The staff is very accomodating, and even if sometimes the English is not the most fluent, you will be understood, and they aim to please.This seems to be the case every place we have been in Mexico.

The hotel's 80 rooms were no way near filled and the sparse crowd around the pool during my seven days was proof. At best there were 20-25 people max on any given day, and when we went to the beach club down the road for two days, the group was smaller. This was the nicest part..pure peace and quiet.

The food...all served at one restaurant, but a pretty extensive menu, and not too shabby in quality. They will tell you reservations are required, and sometime slots are filled, but it seemed to be a very slow week and we showed up anytime and there was ample seating. The breakfast is a buffet, and not as extensive as many other hotels.

We tried the breakfast at the sister hotel down the road, and it was as I remembered it from two years ago, excellent, but the dinners at Casa Velas were far superior. Now here's the thing..at Velas Vallarta, even though we had an exchange dining program as everyone else, the bill presented at the end of the meal was clearly stamped TIP NOT INCLUDED. I personally did not find it as offensive as I am sure others did, because i always leave a little something extra for the staff at every meal, and it is appreciated, and at a small hotel, you are remembered..When I mentioned this at the front desk back at Casa Velas, they seemed surprised, like they never heard about it before..a little hard to believe.

OK, more on this tipping thing...even here we received a check at the end of the meal that had an itemization of very high food prices, and a total of zero owed, as we were on the all inclusive program...BUT..there was a space for a tip to be filled in, although not required. This is the first all -inclusive that ever presented a bill at every meal to me,.. usually I have been asked for a room number only.

While I did leave a few dollars every meal, I think that they should charge less than the $320 a day per couple for the meal plan,(room not included here), if they want us to help pay for the staff. From the small crowd, others do, also....the food is very good, but not that ($320) good, and the drinks are a bit lacking.

If you dring scotch or vodka, or some other spirits, they have mid-premium brands, but in a mixed drink, you had better ask for what you want, or you will get the lowest. The drinks are totally inconsistent...three bartenders making a Mai-tai, or even a pina colada will make them differently..they use pretty much the same ingredients, but in different proportions..they seem to feel that as long as they are in the glass..it is made correctly. When I asked for a mai-tai at the pool, the bartender, even though it was on their drink list, looked confused...another bartender told him in Spanish that I understood , to make me a seabreeze because it was almost the same...nice! Considering how cheap Kahlua is in Mexico, it was nowhere to be found..very strange! The wines are pretty low end, with Yellow Tail being one of the best, if you see what I mean. But the Negra Modelo beer was always good, and cold!

Sushi lovers should stop at the beach club for lunch, and there were a few strange combintations at dinner, but anything with duck and shrimp were excellent. (never tried the stuffed turkey roll or the chicken osso buco) The only real disappointment was the fatty rib-eye steak, but that serves me right for ordering it, what with all the fresh fish. Mexico is not known for pastry and desserts, but the ice cream and the creme brulee are the best.


Overall, we had a great relaxing time,, but I think the cost was a bit high, and other hotels can give you the same for less.........

We just returned from our honeymoon at Casa Velas. It is nothing like your typical all inclusive. Everything is luxurious and the staff is awesome. It was unbelievable how un-crowded it feels. One night early in the week we went to the Beach Club to watch the sunset and we were the only ones there in this breath-taking setting! We also like to work out and the exercise facility was very nice. All week we kept saying how great this place is. If you are a couple and want classy and/or romantic this is the place!

We went into town a couple of days and as is written the people in Puerto Vallarta are the friendliest ever. We also did the zip line tour (Veranas is the best) and it was fantastic.

We give this resort A+

Only one problem....TIMESHARE stuff. As another reviewer mentioned, the concierge (ours was Mariel) who explains all the amenities and gives the orientation to the resort is also pushing timeshare presentations. So after we heard about some great excursions and services (whale watching, massages on the beach, zip line tour, rhythm of the night) we were told if we went to timeshare pres. all those things...which were expensive were 20% off, plus you got 1 person free on one of them which was worth $75. We did the presentation and although that was ridiculous (they handed you off to no less than 4 different people-all with a schtick that was filled with drama to the point of funny) it was not the worst. Redeeming the voucher and getting reduced prices was a major pain in the neck. You had to go back to this location to purchase the tickets in advance and cash only. Then, I swear they never gave us the voucher for Rhythm of Night and they said they did. It was the worst and frankly did ruin almost completely one of our days. DON'T DO IT. Pay full price for what you want. In the end, you'd only save $100-$150 and it's not worth it. I really didn't care for the way they combine the conceirge with timeshare. Geez is there no safe haven!