Our Puerto Vallarta, Mexico trip 10/31/05 to 11/04/05. We took the Vallarta Sol day trip, which is a 6-8 hour, from hotel & back trip. Which includes an excellent ride around the bay of the mountains. All inclusive drinks, fruit, snacks... fun crew. First stop, rock formations in the water where you can snorkel thru the caves that are formed in them. The water is COLD year round in Puerto Vallarta, because it's the Pacific. It's in the same hemisphere as Hawaii. The water varies from dark blue, to dark green. We saw a giant manta ray from our table on the top deck. This is not like the water in the Carribean. It's not clear, and it's not warm, in MOST places. 2nd stop, a remote beach where we had lunch and swam. (You have to buy year alcohol when you're off the boat.) Water taxi's take you to the shore from the boat. 3rd & last stop, the horse back ride up the mountains where they filmed the waterfall scene in the movie Predator. We decided to 'hike' it down instead of taking our horses. We should have taken the horses... it's along way down, and your completely exhausted when you get to the beach. All in all, it's a great day trip for the money. We bought this trip for half-price from a guy selling it on the beach, instead of going thru the hotel. The whales start migrating around April. This would be a cool trip to take during that time. For the money you can't beat this trip. If your going for the snorkeling try a different trip. We heard from others that they were taken to several different beaches, and the snorkeling was good. The water is cold no matter where you go. =)

I stayed at the Vallarta Sol for one night on 6/20/04. I made a reservation online the same day and had no problem. I did call ahead to let them know I would be arriving late, which was no problem.

Got to the hotel about midnight and was greeted by a friendly guy. My room was great--very large, stove, fridge, barstools, and very clean. AC worked great and it was quiet. Clean bathroom. Not much hot water in the shower, but that wasn't a big concern for me.

This hotel is a traditional, Mexican-style place, so it's probably not for those who want a resort experience. Nice pool area and interior courtyard. I was up early the next morning and the manager told me about buses and transportation, again very friendly. Be prepared to speak spanish at this hotel.

I would definitely return to this hotel. I wish I had more time to check out the pool and some of the surrounding area. This hotel is located on the main road in PV, and is not on the beach.

A great place to stay if you are looking for good value and a more Mexican-style experience.