Our family of four (kids 8 and 5) stayed in Unit 4 (one-bedroom condo) for a week. Positives:
* Great beach access. The units overlook Los Muertos beach. One must only cross a narrow parking lot to access the beach.
* Great beach/water views. Each unit above the ground floor has a large private balcony fronting the beach.
* Good location at the end of the Romantic Zone. Access to the great restaurants and shops of the RZ is very easy (5-10 minute walk), yet VS is at the end of a dead-end street and has no through traffic noise and much less foot traffic and beach congestion than spots further toward downtown.
* Unit 4 is fairly spacious and tastefully decorated. Our kids were comfortable in the large pull-out sofa sleeper and we had plenty of room for eating, etc.
* Large, nice beach towels are provided by the front desk.
* VS palapas were available for use every day we went to the beach

Negatives:
* Service was uneven. Our in-room safe was locked and we asked for a code or key. We asked two different days and were told they would take care of it but it never happened. We told them upon arrival that we were missing one of the two balcony chairs but this was never fixed. Despite having 4 guests, we consistently were given 3 towels and 2 wash clothes by the maid. For the first several days we went to the front desk and asked them to send up more but eventually gave up and rationed. On the other hand, they quickly replaced our TV with one that had the necessary input plugs for our portable DVD player and were very helpful in calling taxis and providing advice on day trips.
* Guests should be aware that this end of the beach is the epicenter of gay Puerto Vallarta. The most popular gay destination, Blue Chairs, is perhaps 50 yards up the beach. We didn't see much PDA but plenty of skimpy suits and the area had a bit of a meat market feel. Some might prefer a different vibe when visiting with young children.

My husband and I stayed in Penthouse B the first week of March 8 for our anniversary; several other family members were there as well for half of the week. We all absolutely loved our stay at Vallarta Shores. The penthouse is beautiful, as is the view. Really, you couldn't ask for a more splendid view of the Los Muertos Beach and the Bay. The two penthouses are located on the top of the building and are open in design. The property is charming, with gorgeous tilework, furniture, and plants and a truly authentic feeling of Mexican style and design. The location at the bottom of Los Muertos Beach is great: it's a bit quieter than the hotels further up the coast, but there is plenty of activity, including parasailers floating right outside the penthouse itself, as well as frequent flocks of pelicans overhead. You can walk easily to the beautiful beaches of Los Conchas Chinas (Vallarta Shores is just above that area). It is an easy walk to restaurants and bars and stores. We liked being a bit away from the noise and crowds, and enjoyed the peace and quiet at night (although a warning: the waves right outside the building can crash a bit loudly at times, but I loved the sound). We made great use of the private penthouse pool and patio area. The bedrooms and bathrooms of Penthouse B are lovely, and there are brand new flat screen TVs in each room (albeit with somewhat poor reception). The staff of Vallarta Shores is fantastic across the board. Our chef, Dulce, was not only was lovely, sweet, and charming, but an excellent cook, and very flexible in terms of meal times and ideas. I really miss her cooking! Jorge, the property manager, is a delight. He was so gracious dealing with my questions and requests before we arrived and while we were there. I consider this place to be fantastic value for money. It has much more charm than the typical sterile (and often overpriced) resorts, has a dream location on (and I mean it is right on) a beautiful beach in the more charming (in my view) Romantic Zone, and you are renting, in essence, a very beautiful (and big!) condominium home with a full kitchen, large living room, multiple rooms and bathrooms, and a gorgeous pool area of your own with a view to die for. I would go back to Vallarta Shores - whether one of the penthouses or the two or one bedroom suites (which also look charming from my quick peeks) - in a heartbeat. We have been spoiled by our Vallarta Shores experience and never could, or would, stay in a hotel in Puerto Vallarta.

We stayed in Penthouse A for the week of Feb 2nd. It was lovely, and the view can not be beat. Maria and Bella (our chefs) were excellent - and the margaritas were VERY potent! We originally scheduled only breakfast and lunches to be prepared (and at specific times), but Maria was very flexible and worked our meals around excursions, and was even willing to cook dinner for us! She would do the grocery shopping and we'd pay her back each day.

The only issue we had were the musty smells in the bedrooms - mostly the Master bedroom. My mother-in-law suffers from Asthma and is very sensitive to mold. She would wake up weezing in the middle of the night and eventually slept on the couch.

The beach is wonderful - they have 3 palapas for guests' use. While we were checking out they were bringing in new flat screen LCD TVs - unfortunately, we didn't get to experience them, but it'll be nice for the next people.

My Vacations during December holydays where the best thanks to VallartaShores and its staff, they were very kind to and helpful in every moment of the day to me and my family.
We where treated as celebrities, they arranged a lots of activities for all day long like canoppy, whale-watching, dolphins, massages in our villa , and we had my birthday and Christmas dinner arranged by them, its was just perfect, I´ll never forget my trip to Vallarta thanks to them.
Guys I really recommend it!!
Will Thompson