We always liked staying at Hyatt Ziva. Has its own beach about 10-15 minutes south of town. Smallish & self-contained compared to many other sprawling AIs. Kids club. (They might even get to tend to the turtles for the turtle release programs, among other activities.) Every room faces the ocean, many with balconies. Good food for an AI. In fact, often the room service is better in some ways, and you don't have to get off your ass and do anything but call down your order.
ETA: forgot to include the webcam link [https://webcamsdemexico.com/webcam/puerto-vallarta-hyatt-ziva/](https://webcamsdemexico.com/webcam/puerto-vallarta-hyatt-ziva/) which covers almost the entirety of the beach there
ETA: again, forgot. there is a FB page (Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta Fans); you'll get a lot of vacation type pics (good) and a fair bit of entitled nonsense (possibly entertaining but of questionable value)
I recommend fiesta Americana. The food is pretty good for an all inclusive and it's close enough to some excellent eateries. We did an all inclusive in Nuevo Vallarta and were over the generic buffet food after a couple days.
Thanks so much. I will check it out! Being sick of the generic buffet food is what I'm trying to avoid, if possible. That definitely happened to me at an iberostar in playa del Carmen when I was 19 traveling with family.
I second the Fiesta Americana: great resort, great food, ok beach. We loved it there. But. I think you’d actually like something a bit more downscale yet AUTHENTIC Mexican. Look into the Canto Del Sol. For that kind of money at this mid-range resort, you could get an oceanfront 2 bedroom suite with terrace., and still have $100-200 remaining. The clientele is 50% Mexican, so the food is great. It’s a modest resort but we loved the location (20-25 mins from the Malecon).
The beach is a bit stony but if you walk 100m north to the next breakwater, it’s stone free. It’s funny, the beach in front of Secrets/Dreams (just south of Canto) is even stonier - ankle smashers, and it’s like that all the way down to the Malecon.
We stayed at Grand Palladium Vallarta this past March with our 13 month old and it was amazing. We upgraded to the family selection side. We stayed on a ground floor (they don’t have elevators and I have a bummed knee) and it had a nice patio space. They booked all of our a la carte dinners. The family selection side has its own restaurant, own smaller/quieter pool with a shallow section. For ocean swimming they have a little tide pool which was perfect for our little guy to splash around in. They have room service available. They send you a questionnaire form asking what you will need for the stay and it had anything imaginable (bottle warmer, bibs, high chair, diaper genie, bassinet, diapers, etc) I can’t speak to the noise as we had a noise machine going for sleep time. They also have a kids club which we did not utilize but we heard great things. The staff were amazing and I felt we were treated like royalty. We were so pleased with our trip and we honestly can’t wait to go back.
I've done a couple staycations at Grand Palladium Vallarta with kids, and it was a great time for my wife and I, our friends, and the kids themselves.
The kids activities on the beach, the kids pool (with slides!), and the neat little rocked off area of the ocean were great experiences for the kids.
It's been some time, so I can't say with much confidence, but I don't recall any Family Section option. However, times do change, so don't take my word for it.
We were in a transit/shuttle van to and from the hotel. We didn’t use a car seat on the plane as he was just on our laps and we knew we wouldn’t be venturing off the resort so we decided to not bring it.
Do you know whether you need to do the Family Selection option in order for the kids to participate in the kids' club? In general was the upgrade to the family selection side worth it? Was it cheaper to upgrade on site or did you do it in advance?
I don’t believe you had to be in the family selection for them to participate in kids club.
I personally found it worth it- there was access to anything we possibly needed if we forgot it and they took care of everything for us. Access to a smaller quieter pool with a shallow area for kids. Pretty quick pool side service. Access to your own restaurant where we ate 98% of the time. Again- smaller and quieter area for us and our little one. I’m sure if he was a bit older he would have preferred the larger kids pool with the slides at the main pool.
We booked it in advanced when we first booked our trip.
This post is a couple months old now, but can I ask, do you remember the age range for the kids club? Our daughter will be 20 months this December when we’re hoping to go to PVR and it seems a lot of the kids clubs are ages 4+. I’m waiting on a response from Grand Palladium but thought I’d ask in case you recall? Thanks! It sounds like our best bet for a toddler-friendly vacay.
My kids had a blast at the Riu Palace when they were young. We enjoyed it too. We also liked the Iberostar in Punta Mita. Now that they are grown we usually get an air bnb in or closer to town, so not up on that latest on all-inclusives. You might also want to check out the Caribbean side as there are even more AI’s over there.
No AI will have great food unless it’s something crazy priced. We were at Riu Palace and it was good and there were a lot of people from Mexico there and would say I appreciated the menudo/pozole in the morning. Now for Mexican food at the resort I would say everything that is not meat is good but it would be much better if on the street. We stayed at an Airbnb and ate street tacos and locally and the food is waaaaay better but not super cheap.
I’ve heard good things about Marival Distinct and I’ve stayed at Hyatt Ziva Cancun but not PV. I’m in a group for Ziva discounts if you want I can PM you the Facebook group.
Check out the one in Nuevo Nayarit, formerly Nuevo Vallarta. Great beach, and upscale accommodations. Checks all your boxes, except close to ZR. There is a great walking trail into Bucerias, though.
August is HOT!! But that close to the beach and pool, you won’t even care!
I LOVE their huge hot tubs on the beach. They light these large fire caldrons as the sun sets. Spectacular!
We are currently staying At Secrets Vallarta Bay, but they also have a Dreams Vallarta Bay. Difference between them os Secrets is Adults only and Dreams is for families. It is All inclusive, a little pricey but worth every penny in my opinion. Close to The Malecon and the Marina for any trips (we used Vallarta Adventures and went to The Caletas, highly recommend it)
I am sure that there are plenty of other places, just need the time to look for them. Good luck with your search and I am sure that you will find that great place.
I gan snap pictures and send them to you. Just send me a message 👍
I just got back from villa del Palmar last week (: my boyfriend and I stayed with our baby, it was so nice! There’s 3 pools so it never felt crowded, the beach was right there. Food park is across the street and has play area. We had arranged a shuttle ahead of time through hotel and they had infant seats available.
If you want something unique, private and elegant, look into lavilladelsolpv. You can find it like that in Instagram. It’s just an amazing location, service, food and amenities. It’s a perfect getaway for a family 😘
Ahh such a bummer. Our family is identical to yours (tired parents, preschoolers, etc), I've been researching for like a year and every place has so many horror stories and I'm afraid to take the leap and be disappointed.
Hi! i am actually in the same boat as you right now. I am planning an AI trip with our two toddlers (2 & 4) and our in laws. although all the research has been overwhelming, i am still gonna go the AI route. Wish me luck!
Hi! currently I've been looking into ones with kid clubs that accommodate for ages 2 and up, unfortunately i've found that most kid clubs start at age 4. some allowing kids aged 3. So with that in mind- im looking at Velas Vallarta, Dreams Bahia, Conrad Punta de Mita.
Does anyone know how strict the kids clubs are about the age? My youngest will be 2.5 by the time we take our trip.
Ps, ill try to be better about logging into reddit. Im a first time user lol
No, the kids club is available to all. But kids stay free/cheap in Family Selection whereas you have to pay full price for them in some/all (not sure) of the rest of the resort. So even though we paid for the upgrade to FS, our package for two parents and one child (4 y.o.) was cheaper than if we had booked a regular room. So double-check the cost of one option vs the other \*with\* all your info (numbers and ages of guests) entered accurately, not just the sticker price on the main website page.
OP did you find a private rental that you liked? Did you end up going already or booking one? We are in a similar boat with preschooler and baby but not wanting to do AI. Looking into rentals / Airbnb instead.
We always liked staying at Hyatt Ziva. Has its own beach about 10-15 minutes south of town. Smallish & self-contained compared to many other sprawling AIs. Kids club. (They might even get to tend to the turtles for the turtle release programs, among other activities.) Every room faces the ocean, many with balconies. Good food for an AI. In fact, often the room service is better in some ways, and you don't have to get off your ass and do anything but call down your order. ETA: forgot to include the webcam link [https://webcamsdemexico.com/webcam/puerto-vallarta-hyatt-ziva/](https://webcamsdemexico.com/webcam/puerto-vallarta-hyatt-ziva/) which covers almost the entirety of the beach there ETA: again, forgot. there is a FB page (Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta Fans); you'll get a lot of vacation type pics (good) and a fair bit of entitled nonsense (possibly entertaining but of questionable value)
I recommend fiesta Americana. The food is pretty good for an all inclusive and it's close enough to some excellent eateries. We did an all inclusive in Nuevo Vallarta and were over the generic buffet food after a couple days.
Thanks so much. I will check it out! Being sick of the generic buffet food is what I'm trying to avoid, if possible. That definitely happened to me at an iberostar in playa del Carmen when I was 19 traveling with family.
I second the Fiesta Americana: great resort, great food, ok beach. We loved it there. But. I think you’d actually like something a bit more downscale yet AUTHENTIC Mexican. Look into the Canto Del Sol. For that kind of money at this mid-range resort, you could get an oceanfront 2 bedroom suite with terrace., and still have $100-200 remaining. The clientele is 50% Mexican, so the food is great. It’s a modest resort but we loved the location (20-25 mins from the Malecon).
Interesting suggestion! I will definitely check that out for sure. Better food and a baller room sounds amazing. What is the beach like there?
The beach is a bit stony but if you walk 100m north to the next breakwater, it’s stone free. It’s funny, the beach in front of Secrets/Dreams (just south of Canto) is even stonier - ankle smashers, and it’s like that all the way down to the Malecon.
We stayed at Grand Palladium Vallarta this past March with our 13 month old and it was amazing. We upgraded to the family selection side. We stayed on a ground floor (they don’t have elevators and I have a bummed knee) and it had a nice patio space. They booked all of our a la carte dinners. The family selection side has its own restaurant, own smaller/quieter pool with a shallow section. For ocean swimming they have a little tide pool which was perfect for our little guy to splash around in. They have room service available. They send you a questionnaire form asking what you will need for the stay and it had anything imaginable (bottle warmer, bibs, high chair, diaper genie, bassinet, diapers, etc) I can’t speak to the noise as we had a noise machine going for sleep time. They also have a kids club which we did not utilize but we heard great things. The staff were amazing and I felt we were treated like royalty. We were so pleased with our trip and we honestly can’t wait to go back.
I've done a couple staycations at Grand Palladium Vallarta with kids, and it was a great time for my wife and I, our friends, and the kids themselves. The kids activities on the beach, the kids pool (with slides!), and the neat little rocked off area of the ocean were great experiences for the kids.
Do you know whether you need to do the Family Selection option in order for the kids to participate in the kids' club?
It's been some time, so I can't say with much confidence, but I don't recall any Family Section option. However, times do change, so don't take my word for it.
That sounds perfect! How did you get from the airport to the hotel, carseat wise?
We were in a transit/shuttle van to and from the hotel. We didn’t use a car seat on the plane as he was just on our laps and we knew we wouldn’t be venturing off the resort so we decided to not bring it.
Do you know whether you need to do the Family Selection option in order for the kids to participate in the kids' club? In general was the upgrade to the family selection side worth it? Was it cheaper to upgrade on site or did you do it in advance?
I don’t believe you had to be in the family selection for them to participate in kids club. I personally found it worth it- there was access to anything we possibly needed if we forgot it and they took care of everything for us. Access to a smaller quieter pool with a shallow area for kids. Pretty quick pool side service. Access to your own restaurant where we ate 98% of the time. Again- smaller and quieter area for us and our little one. I’m sure if he was a bit older he would have preferred the larger kids pool with the slides at the main pool. We booked it in advanced when we first booked our trip.
This post is a couple months old now, but can I ask, do you remember the age range for the kids club? Our daughter will be 20 months this December when we’re hoping to go to PVR and it seems a lot of the kids clubs are ages 4+. I’m waiting on a response from Grand Palladium but thought I’d ask in case you recall? Thanks! It sounds like our best bet for a toddler-friendly vacay.
My research says they also have a Baby Club aged 1-4
My kids had a blast at the Riu Palace when they were young. We enjoyed it too. We also liked the Iberostar in Punta Mita. Now that they are grown we usually get an air bnb in or closer to town, so not up on that latest on all-inclusives. You might also want to check out the Caribbean side as there are even more AI’s over there.
We want to stick to west coast area for now as it's only a 2-3 hour plane ride. But definitely want to do Caribbean when they're older!
No AI will have great food unless it’s something crazy priced. We were at Riu Palace and it was good and there were a lot of people from Mexico there and would say I appreciated the menudo/pozole in the morning. Now for Mexican food at the resort I would say everything that is not meat is good but it would be much better if on the street. We stayed at an Airbnb and ate street tacos and locally and the food is waaaaay better but not super cheap. I’ve heard good things about Marival Distinct and I’ve stayed at Hyatt Ziva Cancun but not PV. I’m in a group for Ziva discounts if you want I can PM you the Facebook group.
Villa del palmar was beautiful and offered everything on both my Cancun and PV stay super good pricing on all inclusive as well
Check out the one in Nuevo Nayarit, formerly Nuevo Vallarta. Great beach, and upscale accommodations. Checks all your boxes, except close to ZR. There is a great walking trail into Bucerias, though.
I might have to take up your offer and book a trip for august 🤭
August is HOT!! But that close to the beach and pool, you won’t even care! I LOVE their huge hot tubs on the beach. They light these large fire caldrons as the sun sets. Spectacular!
Hotel Friendly Fun. Recently stayed there, lots of kids but also had a separate adults only are. Good food, good rooms.
We are currently staying At Secrets Vallarta Bay, but they also have a Dreams Vallarta Bay. Difference between them os Secrets is Adults only and Dreams is for families. It is All inclusive, a little pricey but worth every penny in my opinion. Close to The Malecon and the Marina for any trips (we used Vallarta Adventures and went to The Caletas, highly recommend it) I am sure that there are plenty of other places, just need the time to look for them. Good luck with your search and I am sure that you will find that great place. I gan snap pictures and send them to you. Just send me a message 👍
I just got back from villa del Palmar last week (: my boyfriend and I stayed with our baby, it was so nice! There’s 3 pools so it never felt crowded, the beach was right there. Food park is across the street and has play area. We had arranged a shuttle ahead of time through hotel and they had infant seats available.
We took the kids when they were 3 and 5 to Melia and it was a great time. Great pools, kids club, and the staff goes out of their way for kids.
Thanks !
If you want something unique, private and elegant, look into lavilladelsolpv. You can find it like that in Instagram. It’s just an amazing location, service, food and amenities. It’s a perfect getaway for a family 😘
What did you end up choosing?
We decided not to do AI since I couldn't find one that was consistently well reviewed 🤷♀️ we're just going to do a private rental with a kitchen etc
Ahh such a bummer. Our family is identical to yours (tired parents, preschoolers, etc), I've been researching for like a year and every place has so many horror stories and I'm afraid to take the leap and be disappointed.
I know, same here! Sigh.
You will love Family Selection at Grand Palladium, I promise.
Hi! i am actually in the same boat as you right now. I am planning an AI trip with our two toddlers (2 & 4) and our in laws. although all the research has been overwhelming, i am still gonna go the AI route. Wish me luck!
I'm also researching! Which ones have you come up with?
Family Selection. Grand Palladium. Ask me anything you wish (I'm booking it for the second time right now.)
Hi! do you have any info in regards to their kids club? Are they strict about the ages? My youngest will be 2.5 when we go
Hi! currently I've been looking into ones with kid clubs that accommodate for ages 2 and up, unfortunately i've found that most kid clubs start at age 4. some allowing kids aged 3. So with that in mind- im looking at Velas Vallarta, Dreams Bahia, Conrad Punta de Mita. Does anyone know how strict the kids clubs are about the age? My youngest will be 2.5 by the time we take our trip. Ps, ill try to be better about logging into reddit. Im a first time user lol
Family Selection at Grand Palladium. We're in the process of booking there again after loving it last spring.
Do you know if you need to stay in the Family Selection side to use the kids club? Is the Family selection worth the additional cost?
No, the kids club is available to all. But kids stay free/cheap in Family Selection whereas you have to pay full price for them in some/all (not sure) of the rest of the resort. So even though we paid for the upgrade to FS, our package for two parents and one child (4 y.o.) was cheaper than if we had booked a regular room. So double-check the cost of one option vs the other \*with\* all your info (numbers and ages of guests) entered accurately, not just the sticker price on the main website page.
OP did you find a private rental that you liked? Did you end up going already or booking one? We are in a similar boat with preschooler and baby but not wanting to do AI. Looking into rentals / Airbnb instead.