CITY GUIDE · PUERTO VALLARTA & PUNTA MITA
We compare hotels here by where they sit on Banderas Bay, from the Hotel Zone and Marina Vallarta to Nuevo Vallarta and the Punta de Mita peninsula, and by how long the transfer from the airport takes.
Marina Vallarta is closest to the airport and suits short stays and golf or marina walks: we look at the Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa and The Westin Resort & Spa Puerto Vallarta. The Hotel Zone and the road south put you near the Malecon and downtown: Sheraton Buganvilias Puerto Vallarta, Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta - All-inclusive and Hotel Mousai Puerto Vallarta - All Inclusive - Adults Only. Nuevo Vallarta and La Cruz de Huanacaxtle are quieter bay-side stretches for all-inclusive stays: Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit - All Inclusive and Delta Hotels by Marriott Riviera Nayarit, An All-Inclusive Resort. Punta de Mita, about 45 minutes north, is where beach resorts and villa stays cluster: Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita, Naviva®, A Four Seasons Resort, Punta Mita, Mexico, The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort, W Punta de Mita, Conrad Punta de Mita, Susurros del Corazón, Auberge Collection and Imanta Resorts Punta de Mita. Dreams Bahia Mita Surf & Spa - All Inclusive and Secrets Bahia Mita Surf & Spa - Adults Only - All Inclusive share one site, family and adults-only. One&Only Mandarina is a jungle and cliff villa stay south of Punta de Mita.
Reference rates: nightly, 2 adults in one room, before tax, across four dates a year; from about US$137 a night.
Marina Vallarta · near Marina Vallarta, about 5 to 10 minutes from the airport
The Westin sits on a private beach in Marina Vallarta, with ocean-view rooms and balconies. Marina shops, restaurants, the golf club and the lighthouse are within about a 10-minute walk. It suits travelers who want a short transfer from the airport and an easy walk to the marina.
Reference rate: US$137–388 / night (2 adults, before tax) · Perk program: Marriott Select Partner Hotels
Hotel Zone · near Blvd Francisco Medina Ascencio 999, near the Malecon
Reviewers call this the first of the large resorts built in Puerto Vallarta, at the start of the Hotel Zone. It is beachfront with two outdoor pools, the Maiave spa and many on-site restaurants, and Marriott lists an all-inclusive plan. We would pick it to be close to the Malecon and downtown.
Reference rate: US$149–173 / night (2 adults, before tax) · Perk program: Marriott Select Partner Hotels
Marina Vallarta · near Paseo de la Marina Norte, Marina Vallarta
This beachfront resort in Marina Vallarta has around 430 rooms, all with private balconies, set among gardens with views of the bay and mountains. It has a spa and is near the marina, golf and the airport. It suits travelers who want a larger resort close to the airport and the marina.
Reference rate: US$202–547 / night (2 adults, before tax) · Perk program: Marriott Select Partner Hotels
La Cruz de Huanacaxtle · near Playa Bucerias, a few minutes away
This all-inclusive resort sits on the bay north of Puerto Vallarta, near La Cruz de Huanacaxtle. It has a water park, a spa and several outdoor pools, with meals and drinks at the on-site restaurants and bars included in the rate. It suits families who want everything on property.
Reference rate: US$222–256 / night (2 adults, before tax) · Perk program: Marriott Select Partner Hotels
Punta de Mita · near Semi-private white-sand beach
Marriott lists about 126 guest rooms and 20 suites here, and the beach has cabanas. It is a design-led resort on the Punta de Mita coast. A good fit for a livelier atmosphere than the quieter resorts nearby.
Reference rate: US$266–371 / night (2 adults, before tax) · Perk program: Marriott Select Partner Hotels
South of Puerto Vallarta (Costera Sur) · near Las Estacas beach, on the road to Barra de Navidad · 335 rooms
This all-inclusive resort has 335 rooms and suites, and Hyatt describes it as family-friendly on a private cove. It also has an adults-only pool. Consider it for families who want a beach stay with the city within reach.
Reference rate: US$279–297 / night (2 adults, before tax) · Perk program: Hyatt Privé
Punta de Mita · near Punta de Mita beachfront · opened 2021 · 363 rooms
Dreams opened in August 2021 with 363 suites and is the family side of a site shared with the adults-only Secrets resort next door. It is all-inclusive, with its own restaurants, lounges and pools, and a water park was added later. It suits families who want a Punta de Mita beach without a villa-style stay.
Reference rate: US$344–392 / night (2 adults, before tax) · Perk program: Hyatt Privé
Puerto Vallarta · near South of central Puerto Vallarta · 145 rooms
Mousai takes guests 18 and older only and is all-inclusive. It has 145 rooms, each with a private balcony and an outdoor hot tub, plus four pools, a spa and a number of on-site restaurants. It suits couples and friends who want an adults-only stay close to the city.
Reference rate: US$426–461 / night (2 adults, before tax) · Perk program: Preferred Hotels & Resorts
Punta de Mita · near Private beach within a jungle reserve
Imanta is a very small property, with suites called Casas and larger three-bedroom Casonas, most with private pools. Sources describe a 250-acre tropical reserve and a private beach, and a 2017 tourism-board source calls it the only Relais & Châteaux property in Riviera Nayarit. We suggest it to travelers who want privacy and few other guests.
Reference rate: US$454–454 / night (2 adults, before tax) · Perk program: Virtuoso
Nuevo Vallarta · near Nuevo Vallarta beachfront, about 15 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport · 267 rooms
Every accommodation here is a suite, starting at 1,000 square feet, 267 in total, in one, two and three bedroom layouts. It is all-inclusive, with several restaurants and a spa the resort calls Forbes five-star. A good fit for space and for an easy transfer from the airport.
Reference rate: US$743–799 / night (2 adults, before tax) · Perk program: Preferred Hotels & Resorts
Punta de Mita · near Private peninsula on Banderas Bay, about 45 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta · opened 1999 · 177 rooms
The resort opened in September 1999 on 52 acres along the Pacific, with 177 casita-style rooms and suites. Accommodations range from rooms with private terraces to suites, villas and beach houses. It suits travelers who want an established resort with dining, pools and beach on one peninsula.
Reference rate: US$904–1,339 / night (2 adults, before tax) · Perk program: Four Seasons Preferred Partner, Virtuoso
Punta de Mita · near Punta Mita peninsula on Banderas Bay · opened 2009 · 120 rooms
The resort opened in 2009 and was the first St. Regis in Latin America. Marriott lists 120 rooms and suites, and there are separate villas. Consider it for a polished resort on the Punta Mita peninsula.
Reference rate: US$965–1,117 / night (2 adults, before tax) · Perk program: Virtuoso, Marriott STARS
Riviera Nayarit, south of Punta de Mita · near Rainforest and cliffs above the Pacific · opened 2020
One&Only Mandarina opened on November 1, 2020. It is made up of treehouses and cliffside villas, each with a private pool deck and 24-hour butler service, and a collection of larger signature villas was added later. Consider it for a villa-style stay in the jungle rather than a beach resort.
Reference rate: US$1,010–1,187 / night (2 adults, before tax) · Perk program: Virtuoso
Punta de Mita · near Beachfront, with three pools stepping down to the beach · opened 2022
Susurros opened on November 3, 2022 as the fourth Auberge property in Mexico. Three infinity-edge pools run down to a private beach. We would suggest it for a smaller, design-led hotel on the Punta de Mita coast.
Reference rate: US$1,029–1,156 / night (2 adults, before tax) · Perk program: Virtuoso
Punta de Mita · near 48 acres of forest above the Pacific, next to Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita · opened 2022 · 15 rooms
Naviva opened on December 1, 2022 and is adults-only, with 15 tented accommodations. Guests can also use the facilities of the adjoining Four Seasons resort, and Four Seasons offers all-inclusive packages here. It suits a quiet couples stay with very few rooms.
Reference rate: US$2,622–3,445 / night (2 adults, before tax) · Perk program: Four Seasons Preferred Partner
Punta de Mita (Litibu beach) · near Litibu beach, about 45 minutes from Puerto Vallarta airport · opened 2020
This beachfront resort opened in September 2020 and was the first Conrad in Mexico. It has three outdoor pools, a spa with a temazcal, tennis and basketball courts, and rooms with balconies facing the Pacific. We would look at it for a modern resort stay on the Nayarit coast with room to spread out.
Reference rate: Rate on request (2 adults, before tax) · Perk program: Virtuoso, Hilton for Luxury
Punta de Mita · near Punta de Mita beachfront, next to Dreams Bahia Mita · 278 rooms
Secrets is adults-only and all-inclusive, with 278 suites, and shares the site with the family resort Dreams next door. Guests can use the Dreams facilities as well, and families may be visible nearby. It suits couples who want an all-inclusive stay on a Punta de Mita beach.
Reference rate: Rate on request (2 adults, before tax) · Perk program: Hyatt Privé
Marina Vallarta, home to the Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa and The Westin Resort & Spa Puerto Vallarta, is a few minutes from the airport. Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit in Nuevo Vallarta is about a 15-minute drive.
Sources put Punta de Mita about 45 minutes north of the airport and the city, depending on traffic. Hotels there include Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita, The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort and Conrad Punta de Mita.
Hotel Mousai Puerto Vallarta - All Inclusive - Adults Only, Secrets Bahia Mita Surf & Spa - Adults Only - All Inclusive and Naviva®, A Four Seasons Resort, Punta Mita, Mexico are adults-only.
Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta - All-inclusive, Dreams Bahia Mita Surf & Spa - All Inclusive and Delta Hotels by Marriott Riviera Nayarit, An All-Inclusive Resort are all-inclusive and take families.
Sheraton Buganvilias Puerto Vallarta is in the Hotel Zone near the Malecon. Hotel Mousai and Hyatt Ziva are south of the center.
Naviva has 15 tented accommodations, and Imanta Resorts Punta de Mita has roughly a dozen suites and villas.
Each rate is the nightly pre-tax price for 2 adults in one room on 2-night stays, checked on four dates across the year (February, May, August and November). We drop the most expensive date and show the lowest to the second-highest, in US dollars. Peak dates can cost more; we re-check live rates for your dates before booking.
Typically daily breakfast for two, a hotel credit (often US$100 per stay), and a room upgrade and early check-in / late check-out when available, at rates in line with booking direct. Perks vary slightly by hotel and we confirm them before you book.
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