When we stayed we noticed the rooms have a musty and mildew smell.Also the first room we stayed was dirty.We had to switch rooms three times.We noticed the pillow cases and sheets felt damp also.The pool was nice.They had several things for kids to do.They had 3 places to eat.If you didnt get into the 2 that had to have reservations you had to eat at the buffet.The 2 place only served 80 total poeple a night.The buffet got old really fast.On sat and sun we noticed alot of people came there.They were really rude.They would cut in front of you and bump into you and not say sorry.Some of them were swimming in their underwear and one kid was swimming in his jeans in the pool.Also they need to clean the beach.We noticed alot of trash on the beach.The people who have a desk by the elevator will try to get you do a timeshare so be careful.Overall it was ok at best.Spend the money and try some where else.

We visited the All Inclusive Samba Vallarta by Pueblo Bonito June 26 through July 1, 2008. This hotel is in a “hotel zone” on the Banderas Bay. This is a very small resort in comparison with others we have been to. This resort caters to Mexicans, about 50%, and American/Canadians, about 50%. This review will be based on our previous experiences of staying in numerous all-inclusive resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean. We are early forties, and enjoy our vacations when they are quiet and relaxing.

Room - Our first room was very noisy and located near the nightly show area. We asked to be moved to a quieter location and there was no problem. We were immediately moved and the second room which was better on the noise level. However, the doors appeared to be paper thin as we could hear every other door in our area being shut and noisy voices in the hallway during late hours. The room overall was nice. We had a king size bed, small table with two chairs and a balcony. Our balcony overlooked the RIU tennis courts which was right next door. The resorts here are almost on top of one another, The maid staff did a good job cleaning everyday. There was a walk-in shower and roomy counter area by the bathroom sink. We had enough towels and a soap dispenser provided ample shampoo and body soap. There was also a TV, with FOX news in English, a closet, and safe. Our first room did not have a safe. There were no water bottles in the room. For clean safe drinking water there was a faucet area in the hallway and well an an ice machine. The ice machine was a chest containing the ice which was accesible to anyone. I prefer the ice machines where the entire public doesn’t have access to my ice. Our room contained a pitcher which was suppose to used to gather your own water.

Food - While there were several selections of entrees for dinner at the buffet, we were not impressed with the quality or quantity of the menu. There were flies all over the food because the eating area is actually outdoors. One evening I was getting some salad dressing and there were flies in the dressing. The wait staff at the buffet and bars is this resort’s strength. The staff are well trained to provide customers with excellent service. The Mexican and Italian restaurants were good and we appreciated the food and service. Compared with other resorts, the buffet here is below standards. The drinks were good, and the bartenders superb in their service. We really appreciated the bar/drink service at beach chairs.

Spa - We had two massages and were very satisfied. The couples massage was $80.00 for both of us for 50 minutes.

Pool and Beach - The pool area was very nice with lots of room and pool space. The ocean beach area had old raggedy chairs and lots of bugs. The public beach was nice, and the ocean wavy. You can not snorkel here, but you can use boards to ride the waves in. There were yellow, and red swimming flags most of the time, and also a white flag indicating manta rays and jelly fish. Overall, we prefer the other side of Mexico with the turquoise blue, calmer waters. Also, since the beach is public, there are Mexican vendors continually trying to sell their goods to you.

Nightly Shows - We did not attend any nightly shows.

A note of caution here. There are time share sharks who will deceive you in the airport and at your hotel. They will pay you $300 or more to visit a time share. They will promise you free trips, or even cash, and will not stop bugging you. This was a big irritant as we have never been so intensely harassed on a trip before. Be careful who you talk to and make sure they have identification. If it all sounds fishy, it is!

In summary, we would not return to this resort. I would personally rate this resort as a 2 1/5 - 3. While the price was great, I wish I would have spent a little more money and stayed somewhere with a little more room and higher standards. If you are on a budget, this would be an OK place to stay. If you have been to resorts with a 4-5 star rating, you will most likey be as disappointed as we were.

Samba is great for a wide range of individuals, especially families. They have a large staff to maintain the property and I found it to always be clean. The resort is more authentic to Mexico then probably one of the larger - newer chain resorts. I found Samba to be comfortable and inviting.

The social activity staff does a wonderful job of planning activities and everyone at this resort is exceptionally friendly and helpful. In June it can be extremely hot and humid (which I really like) and the pool or beach is great to hang out. Bring and use sunscreen 50+ and you will be okay.

I thought they had a good variety of food for the buffet meals and the coffee, cakes, alcohol drinks are noteworthy. I found the indoor evening Italian restaurant to be better than the open air Mexican restaurant for dinner, but then I had a lot of very good red wine that night and that may prejudiced my opinion. I ate and drank everything without ever experiencing any stomach distress the entire trip. I guess this surprised me because we came prepared with a lot of medicines which I never needed to use.


There is a colorful, energetic, engaging stage dancing musical performance at night which is fun to watch, and it starts out by bringing willing kids in the audience up on stage to do perform in some activities which everyone enjoyed.

I would certainly return to Samba for another relaxing vacation.

Overall - Wonderful place for the $. VERY friendly, helpful and courteous staff. Resort is small, very comfortable and cozy and easy to get around. The pool is wonderful and the beach is right there and kept very clean. Never had to look or wait for a chair.

Room - We had a 3rd floor w/balcony. Definitely worth the extra $. Very clean and maintained. The shower was AWESOME and you'll need it in the summer as it's very muggy. The A/C was great to which helped to cool off. In fact, I had to use the blanket at night.

Food - Breakfast buffet was good and the omelet's by Lori were great. The fruit is some of the best I have had.
Lunch was OK but VERY limited in choice unless you really like hamburgers & hotdogs! They tasted good but they really need more variety. Dinner has the most room for improvement. The variety was excellent but the food was more like Golden Corral quality with fancier items. Fairly typical for an all-inclusive. It wasn't bad, it just didn't stand out. The Italian restaurant is very good but hard to get a reservation. We didn't get the opportunity to eat at the other restaurant.

Staff - you couldn't ask for a friendlier staff. They were always very helpful but not overbearing. Being a small resort, many of them remember your name and that's a plus.

Activities - for my wife and I it was fine. We just wanted to lay by the beach or pool and read. For our 17 year old son it was not so good. Activities are geared to little kids, which is understandable, but you have to be 18 to check out equipment like ping-pong, pool, foosball, boogie boards, etc. He had the same wrist-band and priviliges as a 2 year old, which is ridiculous.
The evening activites were fine, but not my cup of tea. The first 3 nights we were there it was just dancers. They were fantastic, it just got real old for me real fast. The last night we were there they had a casino night which was a lot of fun. 1 good night out of 4 is not acceptable.

If you want a nice place with friendly people and just a good time to relax, Samba is what you're looking for. If you're wanting to dance the night away and party, not so good.