Crown Paradise Club Puerto Vallarta All Inclusive

We are here currently for one more night, first time to Puerto Vallarta. Yesterday, we would have rated the resort 4 stars. After dinner tonight, 3 stars. We are a retired, active couple in our early 60s and chose this resort because a last minute deal was offered, flying from a small local airport in southern Ontario. We normally choose adult-only resorts but this was a great deal. There are a few pros: - great location, minutes from the airport, $10 uber to zona romantica - adults only pool (without this, we would have chosen Crown Paradise Golden) - the area is vibrant and safe - we had no issue with dinner reservations, enjoying all 3 à la carte restaurants - breakfast and lunch buffet is ok as expected, we enjoyed the small outdoor eating area everyday until tonight - hotel staff is warm, welcoming and helpful - we were put in a room with 2 twin beds but were moved to a king-size suite on request The cons: - the rooms are outdated and tired (but not much time is spent there) - the buffet food is repetitive but as expected in any buffet - tonight at the buffet, we wanted to be outside as usual but both sides were blocked, we were told “for cleaning”. No cleaning happened however and we ate inside feeling like we were in a high school cafeteria. Loud, impersonal, no ocean to view or hear Would we return?? Maybe, maybe not. If the price was right for a last-minute getaway, yes. If we wanted guaranteed peace and quiet with a bit of luxury, probably not. There are many options in the area.

The show we saw tonight at club nitro was amazing . The performers were amazing. Fernanda and David and several others were amazing and worked sooo hard

An older resort but well maintained with excellent staff. The beach is not the best. During the incidents with the cartel the staff were all calm and professional.

Judging by the quality and service before the chaos this resort is a good deal. The way the staff took on a day of chaos and fear making the resort feel safe was key. The biggest issue I found was getting a reservation for the specialty restaurants for dinner involved a panic at 9am online to get a spot.

Well, we were supposed to fly home on Sunday, but we’re still here on Tuesday because of the unfortunate cartel situation here in Puerto Vallarta. The staff has been working tirelessly to serve with a smile, despite being understaffed. Some have had to sleep here after their shift and then get right back to work early in the morning. The staff is phenomenal. Kind, strong, funny, lovely human beings who genuinely care. The negatives are more to do with management. Yesterday we had to stand in a line for 2.5 hours so that we could pay for two more nights here until we can get a flight home. There was a line up out the door and they only had one person at the desk to accommodate the guests. The pool was so nice and warm the first week we got here and now it’s so cold nobody wants to go in. The hot tub is cold too! I’ve heard multiple complaints from other guests. I hope they crank up the heat to what it was. If they do I will come back and edit this review reflecting that they listened to the guest’s feedback.

Chairs are ripped if not just dirty. Beach is a mess in the morning. Lights in the unit are broken or very dim. Very embarrassing though good location if you don't need to go anywhere.

Japanese restaurant was amazing food and superb service

Advertised as having a balcony but one is non existent (couldn’t fit a single chair). Staff was generally unfriendly. Lines for buffet were over an hour wait minimum. No other restaurants were available for breakfast. Lunch snack stop was never stocked. Waiting for 10-15 minutes for food which was scavenged immediately by everyone waiting. Pool chairs are non existent as they are covered in towels from 8 am on and no one enforces the “ no reserving chairs rule”. Often chairs are untouched all day with towels left on them. Food was bland and flavourless and always the same. A La Cartes are impossible to book and must be done in the app that doesn’t work.

We stayed at the Crown Paradise Club for 7 nights, 2 rooms - 4 adults and a 2 1/2 year old. I haven't done all-inclusive vacation for a few years but I do spend a lot of time travelling for business (100+ days a year) so I have lots of "hotel" experience. The hotel was pretty much exactly as described. It is definitely a family resort so if you are looking for a lot of party action, this is not the place for you but was great for us. Maybe the Golden side is different as it is Adult Only. The resort is older but if someone is concerned about the silvering coming off the bottom of the mirrors or the fact that their balcony chairs don't match, they are looking for something to complain about. Our room did have some issues -- took 3 days to get some lightbulbs replaced, and I would have liked if there was a power outlet beside the bed but those were manageable. You didn't have to play the "towel game" as we would find poolside chairs for 5 at 8:30 am. But yes, there are still a lot of people that grab chairs and then leave for hours on end. And yes there are tiles coming off the bottom of the pool but that is more because children were diving down and picking them off as a game. The beach has beautiful sunsets so take the time to sit on the beach around sunset to enjoy the natural show. In addition, the hotel is right beside the Cruise Ship port and we watched several boats come in and leave while we were there. They come very close and it is neat to watch them as you get a really good sense of how massive they are. WIFI was surprisingly good - was streaming videos at night with no issues. Helpful tip - On your first day you will need an access code and then the next day you can access use using your name / room number. That updates overnight and will keep you connected - just doesn't work until day after check-in. Cleaning service was good for us, but the 2nd room didn't get same level of service so might be hit and miss based on your person. The food had good options every day. Strange that they didn't have guacamole but we always found something to eat. Fresh corn tortillas every day, the kids have their own "buffet" that was at a serving height made for them which is a nice touch. Most of the servers are fantastic (our breakfast waiter Juan took very good care of us). The one thing to note is that the buffet does get a pretty long line-up in the mornings starting at around 8:45 and ending around 10:00 am. I am talking 50+ people in line. We always went before 8:00 am and had no issues. For the al la carte restaurants, we had no trouble getting into 2 of them but you do have to do it by 9:05 am or else you will not get one. We went to the Italian (we enjoyed) and the French (was not good at all but the other couple in our party had a way better meal on a different day). The lunch snack bar was same menu everyday - burgers were very good but you may have to wait for them for awhile. There are a few bars and the beach bar gets pretty busy but the one at poolside was good. The adult only pool has a swim up bar but we did not go to that pool. Activities: We watched kids on the zip line which runs every morning for the older kids and they had a blast. I found the animation team to be less "active" than most resorts I went to, but we spent most of our time in the bigger pool by the buffet and they did a couple of games for the younger kids only 2 out of the 7 days we were there. We did go to the toddler activity center which is in the basement. It was very clean but family time is between 9:00 and 11:00 and any other time it is drop off and no parents allowed. The entertainment was good - loved that they had two shows that were dedicated to the kids but the adults in the theater appeared to be having as much fun as the kids (I know I did). All shows are all dancing and lip syncing - no live music. But enjoyable. The theater (which turns into Nitro Bar after shows) is a few minutes walk outside the resort. The beach is great but the waves are pretty strong. But we love that. There is combination of rocky beach vs sand beach. Lots of chairs on the beach as well. Keep a lookout for the Iguana that likes to wander through the pool area and there are families of racoons that like to hang out at the garbage bins outside (don't get close to those guys!). Other - I would say the resort clientele is mainly Mexican nationality so we found that not all service people spoke English but we were always able to find someone who could when needed and had lots of fun trying to learn each other's languages. Karen, poolside service waitress, kept teaching us (thank you) and she now knows how to make a mean paralyzer drink! The TV only has one English channel (and it is CNN) so if you want to watch anything else - bring your iPad. We took a trip to Walmart just for fun and as you can expect way better prices for things like alcohol and vanilla, etc. You can walk there in about 15 minutes but we took Uber / Taxi. There are some shops along the street and a bigger store at end of street that has everything from clothes to full groceries (and an onsite bakery that I didn't try but looked fantastic). You HAVE to try the taco stands on the street that are there in the mornings. They were sooo good and 25 peso's a taco made is very cheap. You know its good when the lines are long with locals. For Canadians - bring PESO's vs US dollars. The front desk doesn't exchange US for Pesos (which is ok too). You can pay with US in the gift shop and they will give you change in Peso's. If you need a bank machine the closest one is in that grocery store about 2-3 minute walk away. Overall you are in a well used property (hotel was constantly full) so don't sweat the small stuff and just enjoy being away from the daily grind. I generally don't go back to same resorts over and over but I would definitely recommend this to others with families. Hope you found this helpful.

The pros: very friendly staff (shout out to Fernanda in the activities department and Juan serving at the Palapa buffet) who work hard and with a smile; the pools and beach are great, and it’s a good environment for kids; there is always a variety of foods at the buffet and the food being grilled (fresh tacos) or omelet station at breakfast are much appreciated; the rooms are a little worn, but kept clean and air conditioning works well. The cons: hard to reserve at the restaurants if you’re a bigger group, and there is no seating at the buffet for groups over 9; the buffet food tends to be on the cold side and is hit or miss; desserts could be improved.