Costa Club Punta Arena
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Jan 29, 2008

I had an excellent stay at this budget hotel, very clean, great food and the best shows that I have ever seen...congratulations!!!
I will be back soon...


Sonia N. Contreras
Los Angeles, CA.

Our stay at the hotel was good. The staff were extremely nice and some, not all speak english but most understand what you say anyways.

We were there only 7 night but have not complaints. Food was good at the Buffet, and the Italian restaurant plus the dining at the pool, all good. We never coated our stomachs for any food and never got ill. We were a group of 5.

Booze served was fine, you could go to the bar or you could have a drink brought to you. The drinks were not watered down, they pour right in front of you. A small tip goes a long ways too.

Rooms were quite clean, no not perfect but this is not a four star hotel. I have heard worse on the 4 star ones.

Please remember that these people work 8 hours a day, 7 days a week with the 8th day off and they make $8/day. Imagining working for $1 an hour. They work hard for their buck. Tipping is greatly appreciated.

The pool was always clean. Rest rooms around the grounds were decent also. Grounds were clean and manicured.

The only negative would be the uncompleted hotel that was built next door. You can see it in many pictures. If you spend time looking at the wildlife in the trees on the property you can ignore the sad building. We new it was there before we went so it wasn't a surprise. I didn't realize it blocked alot of the water view from the rooms, not mine thou. But how much time do you spend in your room. The sand on the beach out front was very nice. I took several hundred pictures that I would share for anyone interested in seeing.

There are many iguanas, cameleons, and birds to watch and take pictures of.

All 5 of us enjoyed our stay... The three great guys down there are Christain - great bartender, Sergio - great manager, good english, Juan - great server, good english, nice guy.

Easy walk into town, about 15 minutes to the Malecon or for .50 cents you can take the bus. We did both.

The majority of the tourists staying there were Canadians and Mexicans.

Shopping, don't buy when you arrive... window shop for the first few days then go back to deal. The price they give you, start at 1/2 that for dealing. If you don't like, go to the next place. The prices vary greatly. As most people know, don't buy any silver without it being marked 925 or 950...If you only see "Made in Mexico" only, it is plated. The majority of the coloured bracelets are plated only and don't let them tell you differently. There are 3 flea markets that we found in town. Shopping is fun!

Enjoy your time in Puerto Vallarta.

We (2- 50+adults and our 90 year old mother) had a very pleasant, comfortable stay at this Mexican style, easy going resort. I spoke to other vacationers who loved the low key atmosphere, just as we did. My sister had just returned from Mazatlan at a 4* resort and found the waiters were snotty. We had GREAT staff with no attitude. The food was just fine. I am a vegetarian and really enjoyed the fresh fruit and vegetables. There were plenty. The meat eaters enjoyed the beef kabobs, cooked fresh over charcoal as they waited. For breakfast I always had the fresh omelette made to my liking. Nice variety of different desserts. The drinks were great, made individually to our taste.I had read about the hard beds on other reviews, so I stuffed a foamy into a large suitcase and brought it along. I slept like a baby. Music at the pool was too loud. When I requested it lower, the staff were happy to do so. Beware of the "special" (which is a timeshare.) they waste an entire day and WILL NOT let you go without buying. Just pay for your excursions and enjoy your stay. Happy Holidays!

Our first trip to mexico and we weren't too impressed with Puerto Vallarta in general. The costa club was decent just what you would expect for $700 each for a week AI. We never got sick from the food, never had anything stolen and the service other than the bar was good. The bar was disappointing, any drinks that came off the 'gun' all tasted like tequila and the line ups where horrible. Worst of all the whole hotel shut down at 10 pm. The hotel was full for Christmas with people from central mexico and there was a few other Canadians. It was a clean place to stay with decent food. For a young couple it was good enough to get away from the snow.