Occidental Nuevo Vallarta - All-Inclusive

Good check in service by Ivan quick prompt and very great attitude the only other interaction was with Yrey I needed a WiFi password he wasn’t up to the same great level as the others I encountered. Didn’t like the fact we could only use one specialty restaurant per visit for a total of three dinners even when occupancy was low. Had breakfast in the buffet everyday and Erik was by far one of the best he deserves a big raise he is the reason people come back. Mexican restaurant was great, service by David the manager was exceptionally good the Italian restaurant was great as well. Bar service by Carlos in the lobby bar was exceptional. We didn’t stay at the upgraded portion of the resort but got a peek when we printed our boarding passes the view was great and we got the impression it would have been worth the extra charge. Overall I would sum this visit up as smaller resort not too crowded, rooms are ok, great service with pleasant attitudes.

Pros: Puerto Vallarta is beautiful, Occidental has a breath-taking view of the beach and mountains. The pool was just the right size and guys at the bar and serving drinks by pool and beach were excellent. The hotel location was very convenient to the airport and Malecón. Cons: check in process is very slow and unorganized, no balconies in room, turn around cleaning was very delayed, service in restaurants was verrrrrry slow. Please tip ahead of time do you get attention from severs. Would return to Vallarta but not this hotel.

We booked this trip with our kids and grandkids so there were 7 of us. I should’ve read the room description better because we always stay in resorts with balconies, this one does not have any. I realized that about 4 days before check-in so I requested a bottom floor room with a patio. Unfortunately, the day we arrived there were non available but the concierge found one for us the next day and moved us which made us extremely happy!!! There were only a handful of restaurants but the food menu changed everyday and was tasty. We could always find lounge chairs by the pool for all of us even tho it was spring break! The nightly shows were entertaining for all ages, we had kids from 6-18 years old. The staff was amazing and so friendly, especially Fernando our pool waiter!! Mike, our CheapCaribbean rep hooked us up with deep sea fishing and a cool day island trip. The kids already want to go back again and stay longer!!! Great trip!!

The resort is aesthetically lovely. It is worth the extra price for the royal pool and beach. However, as someone who has spent the last seven years going to these types of resorts the service particularly of restaurant leadership is horrible. First, our reservations were messed up for dinner. Second, we were literally kicked out of a restaurant because one of our party members did not pack pants and only had a very nice button down and dress shorts on. (Let us remind you that one we are on vacation and looking around the restaurant there is a double standard of what is considered ok just because pants are long — Short Shorts on women and casual non dressy shirts on men). The manager was blatantly rude with an eye roll and essentially treated us like animals. Third, we were late on our accident one night 23 minutes for dinner and not seated because the policy is if you are 30 minutes late you cannot sit. We waited a half hour to sit in the empty royal restaurant (we will post that picture on trip advisor). Fourth: there are no options for food outside of the restaurants at any of the poolside or beach locations. In fact we tried to get food to go from the buffet and again from a manager were accosted at the door and made to leave an uneaten plate of food in the restaurant. The resort clearly has not figured out the idea of taking care of its guests and fails majorly when comparing to their competitors. Would strongly recommend against this place if you are looking for a casual experience. The spa is also pretty awful — the prices are cheap but that’s what you pay for. No actual spa. The pedicure literally was a bucket you imagine someone would use in their home for their own pedicure and there was nothing to rest your leg on so that you have to hold your leg in the air which becomes quite tiresome after awhile. Stay away. Many better options in the area. And cheap carribean should seriously consider lowering its rating of the resort. Disappointing.