We are planning a winter vacation to Mexico and have always gone to Cabo. This year my husband wants to go to Puerto Vallarta.
Thoughts on PV?
Can anyone recommend a good resort for a family with 2 kids ages 11 and 14?

Check out places just north of PV, in Nuevo Vallarta. Unfortunately I can’t remember the place where I stayed. Very reasonable, had a shuttle to/ from airport, 3 pools, tons of different food!

Just came back from the Riu Vallarta resort! We found that it was super family friendly. It was mostly families and older folks so it wasn't too party crazy. Very relaxing, has a nice beach, nice facilities, isn't too over the top large, and has lots of water activities on the beachfront! Riu Jalisco had a lot more families but I thought the Vallarta had better vibes and facilities and the food was better. Found that PV was also super safe and friendly even when we went into town!

Benilde haven’t been this this Riu but all the Riu resorts we have been to have been lovely!!!

Benilde went to RIU in Aug. it was great.

Following

I loved PV with my older (18) at the time child. Lots to see and do there. I definitely prefer going to the Caribbean side with the younger kids. We go in February this year.

My second home
Love it
RIU

Try Huatulco, it’s amazing there. Not crowded and great places to stay.

Barbara my favorite place

Leona mine too, shhhh! We don’t it to become to touristy.

Love Huatulco

Leona
Where is a good place to stay in Huatulco

Susan we did Las Brisas both times. Nothing fancy. I checked reviews on Secrets, as that’s where some of the group wants to go, they weren’t very good.

Leona I have stayed at Secrets, las Brisas and the Barcelo. I actually liked all three. I would stay at them again. The only thing about las Brisas is that it is multi levels so plenty of stair cases to navigate.

Leona they do have lots of stairs, but they had a golf cart that u could get to have them pick u up

PV is my favorite
so many nice resorts . Riu hotels are very nice but usually huge

I would recommend Cancun or Playa del Carmen over PV to be honest. Much nicer

Ashley I have heard there are some issues with the beach there

Jillwe love PV and we’re not impressed with Playa Del Carmen at all.

Jill there are issues with the beaches in playa with seaweed in the spring. Cancun doesn’t get the seaweed because of where it is on the Ocean.

Noranna to each their own!

Jill we go to Cancun and Playa del Carmen twice a year. They can definitely have seaweed problems. But, it isn’t common and comes in when there is tidal irregularities. Depending on the equipment your resort has is how fast it gets picked up. When we were there in March it was unswimmable due to seaweed. There was so much coming in everyday the resorts 13 tractors couldn’t keep up!

Ashley that is so not true!!!!

Holly what’s not true lol? That I think the beaches are nicer in Cancun than in PV? To each their own, not sure how someone’s personal opinion can be “not true”

Ashley that Cancun doesn’t get seaweed.

Holly Cancun does get some seaweed of course but not anything like Playa and Tulum when they were having a big issue. They had to use front loader trucks to move it when we were there, went to Cancun a couple days later and they had next to none. Speaking from personal experience. There’s certain times in the year where Playa and Tulum get incredibly bad seaweed where Cancun, because of its location hardly gets any.

Holly the worst months being between October & May. Like I said, personal experience when we were there.

We love PV, always felt safe, have also stayed in Bucerias!

Brenda - where did you stay in Bucerias?

Nancy Have stayed twice at Royal Decameron Complex in Bucerias

Everyone recommending riu Vallarta in Nuevo Vallarta
My wife and I got married there in 2019 and we absolutely loved it! Day trips into PV/Malacon we’re relatively cheap, and there’s tons of stuff to do on the malacon. It’s also worth it to make a day trip to sayulita, a small surf town about 30-45 minutes north. I had the best fish tacos I’ve ever had at a restaurant on the beach, great town, great beach, and very beginner waves(at least when I was there!) to learn how to surf on.

Depends.. Cabo is very much a tourist bubble - meaning, you see what they want you to see. Fancy resorts, luxury ect. PV is more REAL Mexico. You see the poverty, the dirty beaches, stray dogs.. more authentic I guess is what I’m trying to say. If you like experiencing the real than yes, absolutely go. If you like the tourist bubble.. you may like the Mayan Riviera more.. just saying! Either way, it’s great to explore new places. Have fun!

If you do change your mind & decide to go to the Mayan Riviera, look at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort & for excersions - Xel-ha & X-Caret. The whole family will love them!

Amanda the parks & excursions are the only reason we still go to Riveria. Caracol is great for kids & young families

I love pv! My fave. We have gone to most spots in mexico and Cabo is my least favourite.
Look Nuevo Vallarta

We stayed at the hard rock in PV. The hotel, entertainment and food was great.

Tracy Hi!

Hard Rock.

Love PV, been taking my kids since they were babies...RIU's are great for families!

Try Huatulco......clean water in the Bay ....
more authentic...very secure....they try so
very hard to please.....warm & friendly..
beautiful sights....laid back lifestyle...love it

Cher we have just been looking into Huatulco, do they have flights that aren't 20 hours with layover in Vancouver for 9 hours? Looking at all inclusives.

Rita Westjet...direct from YYC

Cher ok will keep looking, thanks!

Rita We looked there too, but they only had direct flights at certain times of the year

Huatulco is amazing!!!!!!! Beaches, weather, people, flights I would go there again in a heartbeat!!!!

Jill it appears March is the time for direct, not February.

Rita I am flying direct Jan 11

Cher I'm not finding direct in February. We're thinking Ixtapa now.

You could also join the “Puerto Vallarta: Everything You Need Or Want To Know” page for more specific info.

Heather thank you!

Love pv area. Especially north of town toward Bucerias

Now Amber or Dreams for a higher end resort one of our favs is the Palladium. We love PV and Bucerias heading back end of Nov to RIU.

Has anyone been to the Barcelo Puerto Vallarta?

Jill Yep. We were there in January. We loved the resort. Only down side was it’s about a half hour cab ride to the downtown area. Upside was that we were much closer to the zoo and botanic gardens, and it is a quieter area.

Heather how much did it cost to take a cab downtown?

Jill It was about 250 pesos. Less than $20 for sure.

Heather oh that’s cheap! Awesome

Jill It is! If you go, be sure to check out Juan & Only, Tony’s Hideaway, and Mismaloya Grill. These are all great eateries and they are within walking distance from the resort.

Check out the Fans of Fans of Barceló Puerto Vallarta page for more info on the resort.

Following

Love PV. Been to Cabo and Cancun, neither were as good as PV for me.
My favorite resort there was the Marival. Great for adults and kids! My kids lived in the ocean that trip!

Caralee
Was it Marival Emotions?

Shamyn yes

Caralee Ty
Good to know u liked it. Going there in Nov for a wedding.

Did u have to pay for wifi in the room?

Shamyn go to the front desk and ask if your wifi is included in your package before purchasing as ours surprisingly was. We had travelled with westjet vacations.

Jessica Ty so much. Will do.

Caralee great to hear!! I'm heading to Marival in November!

Caralee we agree, done Cabos, Cancun, PV, our fav is PV. The best hotel stay for food & entertainment was the Iberostar Playa Mita. It is 40 mins from PV closer to Sayulita. The shows are by far the best we’ve seen at an All inclusive. Theresa kids club, the French restaurant is fab, we could’ve eaten there every night. We are in Cabos right now at the Riu Palace & I can honestly say we’ll be returning to PV next time.

Playacar is safe and has many great resorts.

Better than Cabo by far

We love PV. We stay at Canto Del Sol.

I went to both this summer and PV is the winner!! Friendlier, less expensive, and more to do. Unless you golf..

Thank you so much everyone for your input. I ended up booking Puerto Vallarta!

We went in April to Riu Vallarta. Two kids 14 & 12. Thought everything was great.

Love PV. It's more 'real' Mexico!

Paradise Village. You won't regret it, fantastic resort all round

The beaches are rocky and not as nice in PV since it’s the Pacific Ocean. Cancun, playa de Carmen the beaches are much better

Julie Clark I think it also depends on if you are there for the beaches. We are pool people, and we love to go off resort, so we prefer PV for that.

I would suggest the RIU hotels between PV & Bucerias. The beaches are so much nicer there. Day trip into PV-take the bus there, cab home

I love Now Amber / Secrets in PV. Now Amber is the family side, but adults can visit the secrets side. Delicious food!!

Love way more than the RIU

Following

Paradise Village in Nuevo Vallarta. Very secure, good for kids and adults.

Kristy McKinnon