We just spent a week at the Mayan Sea Garden . The Staff is very Friendy and helpful. We had no problems and anything we asked about was taken care of.

The one bedroom was large enough and clean . My only small complaint was that the room smelled a little musty because of all the humidity . Also The Laundry service is very expensive and they dryers don't dry the clothes all the way . The hotel was accomodating and refunded that portion of our bill .

We had an excellent ocean view room and everything else was great!

Just returned from Easter Week/Spring Break at the Sea Garden Nuevo Vallarta with our two small children (ages 4 & 6). We were very pleased. Our one-bedroom suite was very clean and well-maintained. There were two trundles beneath two sofas in the living area that the children used for beds and it worked-out just fine.

Children in Mexico are off school Easter week and the hotel was populated largely by Mexican families (we chatted with several families from Mexico City), with a few Americans and Brits here and there. Even during this peak period, the pool areas were not overcrowded and we could always find chairs poolside. Unlike many resorts with a mainly American clientele, there was no "race" to reserve chairs and no "chair hogging". The beach was very wide with nice sand, plenty of palapas, and easy, shallow entry into the water with a smooth sandy bottom.

We did have a car and used it to eat breakfast and dinner in Puerto Vallarta or Bucerias, only having lunch/snacks at the hotel (usually by the pool). If you do not have a car, your options are indeed limited to the adequate but not spectacular hotel restaurants. But with a car, it is a great base of operations, especially for families. For couples looking for a more romantic experience, I would recommend the Sea Garden's sister property, the Mayan Palace, about a 15 minute walk south. If you do bring small children, bring a laptop or DVD player, as the cable TV system has only a few english-speaking channels, none of which are geared to kids.

In my judgment this is a very nice upper middle-range property, meaning not super luxury, but very nice and has everything you need for an enjoyable beachside vacation.

I was worried a little about this place based on some of the past reviews, but these worries were completely unfounded. If Sea Garden is the low end of the Mayan resorts, then I can't even fathom how amazingly wonderful the Palace and Grand Mayan are, because the Mayan Sea Garden far exceeded our expectations. We had a WONDERFUL time and were completely satisfied with the hotel.

First of all, the staff is lovely. Most speak English, but even with my rudimentary Spanish, I was able to communicate my needs to them. Even a simple Gracias, por favor, and a few simple phrases (English and Spanish) helped me communicate with the lovely housekeeping staff and bellboy staff, who were less likely to be fluent in English. Most of the guests speak Spanish. I wasn't surprised-- we're in Mexico. The bellboys were amazing-- they brought up our luggage when we checked in, they picked up a phone and a taxi would be at our beckon call a moment later, they stored our luggage the day we checked so we could go to the mall before our late flight. The desk staff gave us change for big bills, mailed postcards, and were extremely professional and helpful in every way.

The room was immaculate. No, it is not as luxurious as some of the American gold crown RCI resorts I've stayed at, but we did not see a speck of dirt or a bug all week in the room. Housekeeping comes every day, twice a day, to clean and turn down the bed (with chocolate kisses). Our room overlooked the ocean and afforded views of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen. It would have been nice to have one king or queen bed instead of the two fulls we got (there were only 2 of us), but I would choose the view over a bigger bed. The bathroom is perfectly fine, with excellent water pressure and a large sink counter.

It also would have been nice to have a kitchen, because the on-site restaurant, Rumm-ba, while staffed with courteous and accommodating waiters, had very mediocre food for somewhat outrageous prices. We preferred the room service, where two people can share one continental or American breakfast and save some cash for nicer restaurants off premises. Tacos Break offered cheap tacos nearby (on El Tigre golf course) and the Italian place at Mayan Palace offered a great dinner buffet (somewhat pricey but more worth it than Rumm-ba).

The pool area is lively and crowded, and teeming with kids-- I would definitely recommend MSG for families. They have games, activities, crafts, etc. My boyfriend and I preferred the beach area, which was less crowded with lots of chairs (before 11 is a good time to go down) to drag down to the water and lay out. The beach is smooth and not rocky at all. Gorgeous.

The taxi ride downtown is 160 pesos, to Bucerias about 110, to the airport 120 pesos, and the water taxi to the Paradise Village Mall is 10 pesos. The bus stop is just around the corner, but after we got on the wrong bus 3 different times despite asking the bus driver if he was going to our desired destination, we stuck with taxis-- guess we'll figure it out next time.

Some people have complained about timeshare sharks. We were wary at the airport and at the resort, but perhaps because we are pretty young or just did not linger with overly friendly people staffing the little booths we had absolutely no problem with this.

Overall this resort is wonderful. The loud, piped in music outside the rooms starts at 9, but I had no problem with this because I wanted to get up early and go to the beach anyway! The decor is bright, beach casual and there are so many little nooks to curl up with a book or chat. I would come back with my boyfriend, or with a group of friends, or in a few years when I have my own kids. Gracias, Mayan Sea Garden!

Spent a great 10 days in Mexico, 1 week at the Mayan Sea Garden in Nuevo Vallarta. The Sea Garden was fantastic and the employees are one of the major reason.

The rooms, lobby, pool, ground and beach are very clean. The front desk staff, bell boys, concierge were very helpful, polite and friendly. There were plenty of chairs and towels at the pool, no need to get their too early. There were planned activities for all age groups throughout the day in the pool area. The activity staff were great, encouraging everyone to participate without putting pressure on those that wanted to just to relax. Other activities such as beach party, fiesta, golf are available at the Palace.

The was only one restaurant at the Sea Gardens however there were several other choices near by. The food was execellent.

We found the whole area around the Sea Garden very safe which was important to us. We were comfortable walking during the day and evening (although we usually ended up getting a ride on a golf cart with the bell boy).

The few things that we could have used at the Sea Garden such as an ATM and internet could be accessed at the Mayan Palace just 10 minutes walk.

My friend and I greatly enjoyed our time at the Sea Garden. I would definitely go back.

Sylvie