It was our second honeymoon, and grandma was keeping the kids for the week. With that said, there's little chance that we could be disappointed! My wife and I booked a week of all-inclusive at Velas Vallarta through AMEX travel, and it was our first trip out to the west coast of Mexico from North Carolina.

First the arrival. Immigration, baggage, and customs were very easy. The airport's pretty nice, actually! The timeshare sharks were relentless, but since we had some background on dealing with these guys from TripAdvisor we knew to just say 'No thanks' and keep moving. Got to the regulated Taxi stand, and got ripped off for our first and only time in PV. She tried very hard to send me to Nuevo Vallarta, even though I was clearly saying Marina. Finally, she agreed to the Marina and charged $20 (it's only $16). $4 wasn't worth fighting over, though, as we'd just landed in paradise. If I'd known then what I know now, I probably would walk over the highway and get a cab outside the airport. It's only $5 to get to the hotel, and the PV cabbies are really more honest than the regulated ones.

VV lobby was very nice, and the gounds are fantastic. Upon check-in, we were approached by a very nice lady who offered a "welcome packet". It was VERY clear that she was with the timeshare folks. But, since our room wasn't ready yet and she was offering drinks (all-inclusive, of course) we figured "why not?". She gave us some great info with maps of the hotel and PV and several good tips. When she got to the timeshare part, we were ready and just said we weren't interested. She persisted, so I had more drinks and just said no. I wouldn't advise getting wrapped up in that at all.

The pools were always lively and not too crowded, even though there was a convention that had the hotel at 100%. We never felt squeezed out at all. Plus, we found that a little tipping goes a REALLY long way here. The staff really deserves a few bucks anyway since they're good, but we tipped $10 the first night for our dinner at La Ribera. From that point on, we always had a table by the water and good service to boot. The food was good but not great. Only real complaint about that restaurant was that the view of the sunset was blocked by the palapas on the beach. Kind of a waste of an unbelievable view.

The room was nothing to harp on. On the good side, it was clean and the fridge was stocked. On the bad side, it was kind of old and the bedroom was in the back (away from the balcony and closer to the exterior hallway). The balcony was big enough for the two of us, but I could see how some people would not be satisfied. 'Nuff said about the room.

The Marina is neat, and that part of town is very safe. We went for runs around the area and hung out at Brando's Bar in the Marina. Find that guy if you can - he's a really colorful character and will likely buy you a couple of beers. Great guy! Also, take advantage of the Casa Velas if you can. They have awesome facilities over there, and it's very close (8 min walk). Great gym, really nice spa, and free internet to Email home. That restaurant over there is really nice - we went for breakfast one day. Muy bueno.

Even if you booked the all-inclusive package, you'd be remiss not to get off the property and head into town. PV is great. The malecon was nice during the day, but we found it most interesting at night. After the cruise ships leave, there are primarily locals in the area. Also, go all the way down the boardwalk and into the older area for another nice experience. Check out the Burros Bar if you can - they took great care of us as well. We also did the Rhythms of the Night tour, and it was well worth it. The food isn't gourmet, but the experience is not to be missed.

Finally, I have to say that the absolute highlight of the trip was our last evening's dinner at Las Carmelita's. It was a real adventure getting up there, but it was probably the most scenic dinner I can remember. Ask at guest services when you get to the hotel, and they will hook you up with all of the info you need. Don't miss that one!

PV was awesome, and I'd love to go back soon. I'd probably stay at another hotel in the Marina area, though. Marina Vallarta is a great part of town, but the newer hotels really look a lot nicer than VV. Also, I wouldn't bother with the all-inclusive. PV is full of great places to eat and drink.

I was lucky enough to spend a week at Velas Vallarta in March 2008 - even tho' I have been there several times, this was my favorite trip thus far.

I stayed at Velas as a timeshare owner, through my mom, she gave me a week at her studio. The studio room was plenty big enough for the two of us (boyfriend and I) - this is the first time I stayed in a studio with a balcony, I don't believe there are too many at the resort because all the other studios I have stayed in did not have a balcony. I guess I got lucky this time. The king size bed was heaven, the turn down service was a great touch too. The little kitchenette and eating area is nice size with a pull out sofa bed included. Maid service was outstanding..we would shower before we went out at night and we would use our clean towels and when we would come back in the evening we would have clean towels again....that is what you call "great service".

We did the all inclusive plan for 4 of our 8 days, we enjoyed all our meals and even had room service a couple of times. We felt that the price of the all inclusive was well worth every penny. Our favorite meal was at their sister resort , Casa Velas, besides great food it was so romantic...I think it would be a great place for a honeymoon.

The entire property will take your breath away...it is so beautiful and relaxing - so many wonderful touches throughout the property - loved watching the iguanas and peacocks.

The pools are amazing, especially the swim up bar (drinks were always great)...they have 3 pools all together with a small lazy river joining the two larger pools. The pool closer to the ocean is where all the daytime activities take place. We never had a problem finding a chair, no matter what time of the day we got out there, but we were only looking for 2 chairs at a time, maybe someone with a large party mind have a hard time finding enough chairs next to each other if they didn't get to the pool until noon.

We also enjoyed using the cabanas and beach chairs out on the beach...they have food and bar service out on the beach too. The ocean was enjoyable to swim in.

Every afternoon the servers would come around the pool and beach area with snacks, they would serve them to all the guests, not just the all inclusive guests. Service was outstanding.

We dined off the resort several times - Fajita Republic was our favorite and also enjoyed a nice meal at Barcelona Tapas. Our favorite bar was Cheeky Monkey.

We love Velas and Puerto Vallarta and can't wait to return again, I can't imagine staying anywhere else after having such a wonderful week. Too me, it was like a dream and unfortunately I had to wake up and come home.

We were told when we bought into the timeshare that several of our weeks could be sold almost immediately and we would get back our purchase price and more. It has been over a year we have not seen any type of return and the manager Johnny Noe is very rude and does not do anything to help. We will never go back and we will be selling it off as soon as possible.

Went to Velas Vallarta for the 3rd time April 16-21. We had my wife and I plus 4 kids ages 6-14. Everything went great. Our condo was a 3 bedroom private owner that we booked through www.vrbo.com. The rate for the condo was great and it was on the 3rd floor looking at the pool and ocean. Plenty of room for our gang.

On arrival my wife and I discussed the AI and the cost. After going to lunch somewhere in town and dropping 70 bucks on bad food the AI seemed the way to go. It was pricey for adults but reasonable for the kids. They ate their moneys worth at the ice cream bar and pool bar with banana smoothies. The food was good. Went out 1 night on a date to Casa Velas and it was very nice with an upscale feel. No extra cost with the AI and we paid for our daily fee with 1 meal there!

The staff is what makes the Velas properties first class. Everyone calls you by name no matter where you are on the beach or pool, in the restaurants or room service. They are professional, speak excellent english, let you practice spanish, and don't treat you any different whether you tip or not. We always tip as their wages are poor and we want to take care of the staff b/c they are great. We have seen the same faces year after year, that tells me something.

It was a great 5 days of vacation. We will go back and I would recommend this resort to families or young people. If you want a luxury place with 5 star service and price, go to Grand Velas in Nuevo Vallarta. It is a top class resort and worth the price for a couple. My wife had a 3 hour massage there on this visit and she loved it.

Safe travels, vaya con Dios!