I have just returned from a week at the melia puerto vallarta. The hotel is magnificent and I have never experienced such incredible service before. jessica a girl at reception desk is so fantastic , and made me feel so welcome. i was a single male guest and i was treated as a close friend . It was so lovely that it was hard to drag my selves away from the hotel. It was so hot and the air conditioning in the rooms work very well . i stayed in room 1403 overlooking the garden view and partial ocean view , The many restaurants to chooose from are all excellent food , you will not leave the resort hungry .. the breakfast is awesume lunch at the snack bar is good too hamburgers hot dogs fries and nuggets were always fresh and hot ..The drinks were fantastic and made the way you like them . the supper buffets and menu resturants were wow Greaaaaaat food deserts were amazing. i gained 12 pounds in 7 days. the surf and tuff is to die for well prepared and very friendly staff . The pool is lmassive and very beautiful . trust me the pic does it no justice . The pool attendants were wonderful, as well as the bar staff in the pool area . i never went thirsty . i stronly believe that this is the best money spent and for anyone wanting a first vaction spot, give the hotel a fair chance these people work very hard to make an unforgetable experince for you to enjoy .... from the time you enter into the hotel you are made feel very welcome , you are given an unlimited amounts of bottled watter. Please go check out chicos dive shop yadira will give you tour options for diving or scubba or the pritate ship This is a theme resort and the theme is the flintstones and i thought it was great , you will become a little kid after you see fred and dino .. thannks guys good work see you next april .... your new freind mike from edmonton canada

We stayed from 4/13 to 4/16 and had a generally great time.

Pros:
- Nice entrance/lobby and general setup. It's very pleasant to walk around the resort. The weather was cooperative too. We even had a good time playing in the lobby area.
- Good specialty restaurant. It was surprising that the specialty restaurants are not more popular. We visisted the Mexican and Italian both and loved them. They were pretty easy to get a seat. The food was much better than buffer. Although of course buffer places have their advantages in that it's easier for kids to pick thei likes.
- The room was clean and didn't have a carpet which I liked.
- The baby/toddlr room (4 months - 4 year old) was great. They had plenty of toys and the staff was friendly. We never left our children there, but had a very easy time when they were busy playing in there.
- The playground was pretty good with all the monkey bars etc.

Cons:

- The beach was underwhelming. Expected but still.
- The swimming pool was adequate and we generally had a good time, but I wish there was more kids friendly setups such as water slides.
- The buffet was sufficient, but again not much too praise.

We stayed at the Melia for Spring Break the first week in April. 4 couples and 2 eighteen year old seniors in high school. We all loved the resort. Lots to do: relax by the pool, great swim up bar, night time entertainment, walk on the beach. The resort is an $8.00 cab ride to the Malecon.
The 18 year olds met several other seniors on spring break and they had a wonderful time at the pool during the day and going to the clubs at night.
OK, so the food isn't the greatest, but anytime I don't have to cook or clean up it rates above average.
Beautiful grounds and lobby. We had ocean view rooms closest to the beach, and we saw gorgeous sunsets each night.
I would have no reservations about recommending this hotel to others, and I would definitely go back again.

My family and I stayed at the Melia for spring break. I have three children, ages 13, and 8, 8. The young kids had a great time. Not much for older kids to do but hang out at the pool.

Other than the breakfast buffet, the food was disgusting. We made reservations at Vitrales one night, and were served cold lasagna. If you love dessert, don't expect getting anything decent at the Melia. It's just not good. The LaPalapa restaurant lunch buffet was decent, but eating the same food for a week gets old pretty fast. I went to Mexico to enjoy Mexican food, which is in short supply at the Melia.

We were ignored at the pool for drink orders, while others at the pool were given more attention (we tipped our waitress, too).

We booked a family room - two queen beds with a bunk bed. We were given a smoking room when we requested a non-smoking room. They did move us after we pointed that out. The room (and all of the Melia) is in need of a serious update. The amenities were decent, but for a few hundred dollars more, next time, I would go somewhere else. The beds were hard, and so were some of the pillows. Extra towels had to be requested over and over again. The grounds were decent, but the music and programs at night are loud if your room overlooks the courtyard area.