Villas Vallarta by Canto Del Sol

Rest. and Bars
Service
Cleanliness
Beach
Pools
Rooms

Villas Vallarta by Canto Del Sol: “ A Good Solid Choice” Upon arrival, the lobby is friendly, clean and cheery but you can't help but want to bet at it's sister hotel as it certainly has more initial grandeur. However, this desire changes within a day as it is very nice to head back to the Villas Vallarta for some quiet time at the less busy and much quieter Villas pool.Tons of activities available from party type drinking games to quiet card games poolside, to yoga, to aqua aerobics to kayaking...the list goes on. The front desk was helpful when needed, although calls for security to quieten down (at 4am)the 16-25 year old Mexicans staying next to us resulted in no action two nights out of the seven. The Villas is clearly a getaway for Mexican families as well which was nice, save for the party we had going on next door as mentioned above. To get to the beach, it is necessary to go through the sister hotel across the quiet street--maybe 30 meters to the hotel entrance. Staying across from the sister hotel was not a problem as rooms in the sister hotel could certainly take just as long and could take just as long to get to the activity poolside and to the beach. The beach was sandy enough most of our stay. One night brought in a slew or rocks to the beach but there was still enough sand. Not the nices swimming area as the waves were quite large--certainly to large and powerful to let kids play in alone or for people who aren't very strong swimmers. There is though a roped off "swimming area". As for just sunning on the beach it is fine, with lounge chairs and palapas and a roped off area that the vendors only come into if waved in by an interested tourist. The room we had was more than sufficient. It was clean and the air conditioner worked excellently. A nice small balcony with chairs and the bed was comfy although it moved a bit on wheels due to the design--couch by day if rolled under the counter and bed by night. We stuck a towel under one wheel which fixed the "problem". The bathroom tiling due to wear makes it appear dirty but it is not...I actually inspected and tried to wipe it clean but no dirt. The bathroom and the vanity area was basic, but all one really needs. No hair dryer though but the humidity there makes it a pretty moot point. It appears there is a kitchenette in all rooms--fridge, microwave, sink, hot plate, and dishes etc. There is a sign asking only the time share owners to use them, but the Mexican families were obviously using them. The biggest annoyance was the time share vultures--they would not leave us alone. Hint to future travellers--tell them you are unemployed or that you don't have a credit card--perhaps that will get them to leave you alone. The "perks" they offer to you are not worth the time and harrassment. Unless of course you are truly interested in a time share. The staff crew was constantly cleaning and at night rinses down and lightly bleaches the poolside area. There is a business center with four computers for guest use. Sometimes busy, sometimes not. Never more than a 10 minute wait--most people just got on a computer and checked email and finished up if others were waiting. You can take your laptop in or your phone to get them to enable it to use their wireless internet, but it's a bit of a process, and a bit seedy. They program your device and then you must take it back to them to deprogram it before you leave or else your device will not be able to access ANY other wireless signal--at your home or other hotspot. I just used their computers. Type in Google English and that will change your computer over to English--there were a surprising number of users who did not know this. The lady at the desk there did happily print out our boarding passes the day we left though, for no charge, which was handy. There was a vast amount of selection of food at the main buffet. Easily adaptable to a vegetarian diet, and both "American" style cuisine, with a few "traditional Mexican" choices at each meal if you were daring. Lots of fish dishes but also beef and gravies and rices and potatoes. Salad bar with lots of selection. Even a stir fry area at the far end where you can choose your meat and veggies and they fry it up in front of you for you. The grill outside is also a highlight for quesadillas with your choice of fillings. Ask for bacon where they do the omelets if you want bacon--it is there. Breakfasts offered the least variability but it was standard and still quite a bit of selection. The snack bar by the beach has burgers and hot dogs/smokies and fries and nachos--American basics. We walked downtown to the Malecon one night and it was about a 25 minute walk to get to there. Probably worth the 50 pesos cab ride for most, or 80 pesos to the other side of the river (Old Town). If your saving your pennies, catch a cab to the flea market/mercado area and then walk across the bridge at the beach and voila--you are in the Old Town and saved yourself 30 pesos. We liked the location--close enough to town and it's activities, but not right downtown. If you aren't looking to do the city thing a few times during your stay, then go further out to Nayarit or Rincon de Guayabitos--the beaches are nicer and it's more of an immersion into Mexican culture (aka: less touristy, quieter, nicer beaches/swimming, and local people). One or two trips into PV will suffice unless you are a big partier or are into the nightlife. Buses there are great--don't be scared to use them!!! We learned this too late. We took an out of city bus (green and white buses) to Sayulita and it was easy, fun, and safe and CHEAP! So...point is: use them. Probably not so much of a money saver or convenience if there's two or more of you and only going around town, but to get to the Nayarit area or Boca de Tomatlan--use the buses. It's really not that scary. The Oxo sells a rehydrating drink in a box like container for about 50 cents more than a gatorade--drink at least one a day, especially if you're drinking alcohol. It's VERY easy to get dehydrated there and this will help you from feeling sick in many ways. Take gravol, and immodium just in case. Overall, a great trip. We will do it again, although probably not right in PV. If were decided though to stay right in PV we would definitely stay at Villas Vallarta again.