Occidental Nuevo Vallarta - All-Inclusive

Very clean! They are attentive. They take pride in their resort. Great food. Plenty of lounge space and chairs. Great price! Comfortable beds. Great shows. Would totally come back!

My wife and I stayed here for 4 nights. Overall, the resort itself was pretty awesome. Grounds were very clean, food was very good, not too crowded, not overly noisy. We ate at Mariachi, Tokyo, Royal Club, and Le Buffet. All were above average. The only minor complaint was that the sushi rice was slightly too sweet at Tokyo. Still good sushi, just not what we are used to. The Royal Club restaurant was probably the best. All of the staff were friendly and helpful and everything went seamlessly from check-in to check-out. Room was clean and comfortable. Bed was comfortable and room AC was quiet and cool. The wristband room yes were awesome. Never had to worry about losing the card or forgetting it in the room. 20ish minute taxi from airport (<$20) (pay in pesos. USD was about $10 more). We got pesos from the ATM at the airport and the concierge made change so we could tip the various servers. Some reviews complain about the noise from the HardRock next door, but we were on that side and it was manageable and only from 10-11 pm. We really appreciated the ready availability of bottled water from the royal lounge and pool bar. The drinks were plentiful and well-made. Not watered down. Several beers available on tap and a few in cans as well. Bars were never crowded. Bar service on the beach was pretty limited. Only saw a waiter 2-3 times/day on the beach where we spent almost all of our time. Not a huge deal, as it gave me a reason to get up off the lounge chair periodically. Exception was Raoul(?) on Wednesday who hustled his butt off all day. We weren't interested in any excursions, but it appeared that you could go jet-skiing, parasailing, deep sea fishing, etc. from several beach vendors. I'm sure the concierge could hook you up as well. We also didn't go exploring the town, but the resort was near a lot of shopping and restaurants and taxis were cheap. If you like long, shallow, sandy beaches with waves, this is the place for you. Literally miles of walkable beach. At low tide, you could walk to the rope boundary for the swimming area. Water was a bit cold this time of year and very brown/cloudy from the fine sand and wave action. Don't bother with snorkeling gear, nothing but sand and no visibility. Kayaking and paddleboarding were OK. Boogie boarding was good, especially when tide was coming in. Beach vendors were pretty low key. If the beach isn't your thing, the pool wasn't crowded. Most of the guests were middle-aged and older couples or families with young kids. mostly US and Canada with a few locals and europeans. Not many from the college spring break crowd. Overall, the resort itself was excellent and my wife, who only wanted to sit on the beach in the sun all day, loved it. Personally, spending 12 hours just sitting in the sun isn't my ideal day at the beach. I enjoyed Cozumel much more as you could have good snorkeling right from the beach, but sandy stretches were pretty limited.

We really enjoyed our late-January week at the Royal Level. For us the additional features were well worth the modest upcharge. We especially enjoyed the access every night to the ala carte restaurants, particularly the top-notch Royal Club Restaurant (including breakfast and lunch). I enjoyed the access to the special bars with top shelf international liquor. And it was very nice to not have to pay extra for WiFi at the resort. Other Royal inclusives were nice - but not deal makers for us. However if all you drink is beer or fruity drinks, or all you eat is hamburgers and fries, you may not care about the Royal upgrade. Overall the resort is very nice. There have been recent major upgrades/renovations, and several minor maintenance projects were ongoing while we were there. The grounds, common areas and our room were all well appointed and well-maintained. The pools and beach are delightful, with lots of shade available to help ease into the intense Mexican sun. Staff are all personable and friendly - obviously they know what it takes to be in the hospitality business. Most of the staff is very compitent - the exceptions being staff in the Italian and Mexican restaurants. In these cases we were repeatedly brought menu items that we did not order, had plates removed while we were still eating, were asked 4 and 5 times if we didn't want any other beverage, and subjected to a manager loudly berating his staff 3 feet from our table. Food was generally good, with lots of variety and quantity. The Japanese and Royal restaurants were our favorites. Sunset cocktails at the Royal Lounge on the 7th floor was delightful. As was sitting there for a peaceful breakfast while watching dolphins and whales play in the bay. The sushi at the Japanese restaurant was maybe not the best we have ever had, but it was fresh, tasty, and unlimited. The mid-day "snack" in the open-air Mexican restaurant had over 50 options. Our Top 3 Favorites about the ONV: - Beach time under the palm trees - Fresh house-made potato chips for lunch at the Mexican "snack" - Royal bartenders knowing your order before you speak Our Top 3 Disappointments at the ONV: - Smoking in public places, with the breeze always blowing smoke to the non-smokers - Cold and tasteless food in the Italian restaurant - Oversized furniture in the lobby that was impossible to sit on comfortably

Our stay at the Occidental was nothing short of fantastic. The room was comfortable and the entire place was well maintained. I can't say enough about the courtesy and respect shown to my wife and I by the entire staff. Special thanks to Aurelio, Alexia, and Gregorio for making our stay the best it could be.