We stayed 10 days in room ‘1011’ in the luxury section – YT: ‘Canto Del Sol Puerto Vallarta - Luxury 2 Bedroom Suite: 1011’ if you want to see the room. Our family thought this trip was in our top two Mexico vacations (out of 8). There were many Pro and very few Con, but that was likely due to the area we stayed in. NOTE: There are 3 distinct areas/buildings in Canto Del Sol: 1) Canto/Playa building (Main hotel / reception building) $$ PRO: Closest to the beach/main pool/buffet/snack bar/2 bars, middle-priced compared to Luxury and Mountain CON: Only saw 1 working elevator at reception (there may have been more farther down the halls but I didn’t see any), no room service, towel card required / return towels daily, 1x ala carte per 2-day stay, very busy pool, mixed reviews on room size and quality 2) Montana/Mountain building (‘Villas Vallarta’ across the street) $: PRO: Has the Mountain pool (but it’s the smallest pool at this resort), Mexican restaurant & La Cevichería, pool not as busy as main hotel pool, least expensive area CON: Farthest from beach/main pool/buffet towels…, no room service, towel card required / return towels daily, 1x ala carte per 2-day stay, small balconies, and also the oldest building = this area is where the vast majority of the complaints you see about CDS on review sites are from 3) Luxury building (newest building, between Canto and Montana) $$$: PRO: Immaculately cleaned rooms, free 24hr room service, daily ala cartes with luxury guests getting preferred times, no towel card or daily towel return needed, fridge stocked with drinks/chocolate bars/some other snacks daily, close to the Italian and Oriental restaurants, medium size pool, least busy pool, and spray park for smaller kids (generally a quieter pool area for families), very, very few complaints from this area on review sites about CDS. CON: Most expensive area, not close to the beach/main/largest hotel pool/buffet (but not overly far either), some rooms are not close to the one elevator or stairs (I didn’t hear anyone complain, just an observation). Most rooms have pool view = ocean view is likely blocked by Canto building Service - A+: The service supplied by the staff here is why people keep coming back. Always sayings ‘Hi’ and asking if you need something (a drink/a snack/help/directions…). Although we speak almost no Spanish, we did not feel disrespected or unappreciated = if someone didn’t understand our request, they would get someone who could. Special shout-out to Raul at the front (Bell-person?), Said at Reception, the young waiter at the Luxury pool who always kept us hydrated and full, and especially the staff at all the restaurants. Our Room – A: Our top floor / 4th floor luxury building, 2-bedroom suite was 1200+sq ft was great for a family of 4 – living room, kitchen/dining area, 1x bedroom with a King and a bedroom with 2x doubles (both rooms have full bathrooms). 1x small side balcony and 1x very large balcony (with view of the street and also the ocean / the ocean view between the main hotel and the neighbor hotel meant we could see beautiful ocean sunsets every night) = lots of space to relax at the end of the day. Daily room cleaning was thorough, and we didn’t see any bugs/garbage/dirt throughout our stay. Room service delivery was quick (30-45min) and there was a wide selection of (tasty) food to choose from. It was great to come here later in the day to see a fridge stocked with drinks and snacks (2-4 chocolate bars and some small bags of Doritos/Ranchitos & chips). This room was close to both the elevator and stairs. Oh, and can’t forget great wi-fi. This room sets the standard for what we want in a room moving forward. Restaurants - B+: 1) Buffet (dinner) - C+ = Only ate here the first night we arrived (too late to get an ala carte). Not a super wide selection, and the choices were leaning more towards authentic Mexican than the usual AI offerings / it was tasty but there was only one or two chicken or beef options to choose from. Service was great. 2) Buffet (breakfast) - B = The usual AI breakfast options: eggs/pancakes/waffles/potatoes/sausages/breads/deserts. Somedays there was 1 omelet station and other days two. There was bacon at the omelet station if you asked for it but often the waiters would come by and ask if we wanted more of anything (like bacon/pancakes/drinks). 3) Snack Bar (lunch) - C = Very small selection of snack options: Hot dogs/hamburger/nachos/cheese quesadillas … I think that was it. Wasn’t impressed with the minimal selection or taste. It got the job done if we were in a hurry, but if we had the time we went back to our room and got room service. 4) Room Service (breakfast/lunch/supper) – A : Breakfast at our room at 6:30am because we have a 7:30 excursion (buffet opens at 7am) was great = all the options of the buffet breakfast plus some extra. The lunch/dinner menu had lots of items not at the buffet or snack bar: Club sandwiches, BLTs, Chicken breast, chicken/beef quesadillas,… and lots more. All tasty and quick to arrive. 12am-6am has a smaller selection but we were never up that late to use it. It was great that we would be calling the restaurant directly with our order, so they knew exactly what we wanted. 5) Cevichería – C : Ate here once. This seafood restaurant next to the Mountain pool has a small selection of seafood only main food but also offers ice cream cones with different flavors of ice cream. The cones by the pool on a hot day was awesome. 6) Mexican – B+ = Ate here twice. Good food but it was great experience when they came over to do the Spanish Coffee ‘Fire Show’ at our table for us – make sure to ask for that. Awesome service. 7) Oriental – B+ = Ate here three times. Good food and liked the food selection here more than the Mexican restaurant. Again, amazing service. 8) Italian – A = Ate here four time. Great food and selection, and over-the-top great service. • Ala carte note: Although they say you can order 1 appetizer, 1 entree, and 1 desert; you can order whatever you like. I usually ordered 2 different appetizers and/or 2 different deserts and they didn’t mind. Beach - C: Went here a couple afternoons. It’s a small beach but there are lots of chairs available and the local vendors basically left you alone after you said ‘no thanks’. The water was murkier than last year in PV but that could have been because of all the nightly rain that was happening before and during our stay. Also the first 250’ or so out into the water have some rocky patches, so be sure to wear water shoes. If you are looking for a hotel with direct access to an amazing beach, go to the Mayan Riviera = otherwise book a snorkeling/beach excursion. Pools – B: Opens at 10 / Closes at 8 1) Main Pool – B : The heart of the hotel, with lots of action and games during the day. Has a swim-up bar and close to the snack bar and beach. Lots of chairs available before 10am but gets crowed by 11am. Great waiter service throughout the day brining drinks and food. Was a little too noisy, so we only went here once. 2) Mountain Pool – C+ : Being in the Mountain section, it’s on the opposite side of the resort as the beach. It’s the smallest pool of the 3 but it has a bar right next to it, as well Cevichería with their ice cream cones readily available. Can get busy later in the afternoon, so when we went here (twice) it was earlier in the afternoon. 3) Luxury Pool – A : Spent most of our pool time here. Music was not blasted super loud, almost only families with kids, no close bar (except lobby bar) but waiters would get you drinks and food as they did their rounds. I believe the pool itself was a ‘salt-water’ pool and there is a small spray-park for young kids (2-9). Nice that this was kinda out-of-the-way so that it never really got too busy (except on Saturday with lots of locals), with lots of room in the pool to swim around. Hotel Overall (for us): A Although I would give our stay at CDS 5 stars, I can see where others would have issues: depends on what area you booked and expectations of room amenities / quality, how often you had to eat supper at the buffet, how far you had to walk to your room and/or how long you had to wait for an elevator, if you are a beach or pool person, how bad you need a coffee maker in your room, access to an ice machine… We met people in Canto that were happy with their rooms and a couple in Mountain that weren’t, but also met a few people who said the opposite (but almost everyone we met loved the hotel’s staff) . Do your research and look at the guest photos to understand what you are getting when you book in a specific area at CDS and there will be less surprises. We almost changed hotels at the last minute because of the mixed reviews, but very glad we didn’t. Recommendation: I would wholly recommend going with the luxury building at CDS and would go back again. The price difference is not huge between Canto and Luxury, and the amount of perks and stress it reduces is well worth the extra $. If there was an AMAZING deal for Canto, I would think about doing that area, but I would not be considering Mountain (90% of the complaints you read online about CDS are about that area’s rooms quality – that’s the last thing I want to think about on any vacation). It would be smart for CDS to de-couple ‘Villas Vallarta / Mountain’ from their resort and have its own separate reviews to stop those ‘bad’ reviews from dragging down their own rating or invest A LOT of money to get that building to the same level of quality as Canto). Lastly, bring your own cups with lids (the ones there are very small), and try not to check-out on a Sunday because that’s when hundreds of locals who stayed the weekend are checking out also = huge line-ups to sign out. PS. Tip these people. Tip everyone from the room cleaning to the fridge stocker, to the waiters, the front staff, to every one of the helpful people at this resort. Their salaries don’t compensate them for their high level of customer service, so please reward them to show your gratitude. They will remember this and show their appreciation of the extra $ by continuing their excellent effort. Excursions: 1) Las Caletas Beach Hideaway – 3rd time doing this excursion. A must-do on any trip to PV, especially if have kids 15 and younger – zip lines, banana boats, slides, climbing walls, donkey rides… I also recommend spending the extra money and take the family on the Discovery Scuba while you are there (book it when you book the excursion and it’s cheaper than booking it there). 2) Dolphin Extreme – Spend an hour with dolphins, then another 15-20 minutes with a sea lion. Fun for the whole family. 3) Luxury Yacht & Snorkeling (FREE with buy 2 get one free) – It was ok. Took a small yacht (with about 40 other people) to Majahuitas beach. Snorkeling was great but short – maybe 45 minutes, then we were dropped off on the beach for about an hour (Rode a banana boat a few times and the spinner). 60% of the trip was going there and getting back. Free = sure. Last time we chose the ‘Sayulita Escape ATV Tour’ as the free trip and would recommend that over this one.

--------------------------------------------------------ESPAÑOL-------------------------------------------------------------- En teoría, este es un hotel de 3 estrellas, pero en mi experiencia, no merece ni una. A continuación, describo mi visita de manera objetiva, desde el check-in hasta el check-out: Precio: MUY CARO para lo que ofrece. Llegada: Llegué un sábado alrededor de las 3 p.m. La recepción fue amable y eficiente. Habitación: Al llegar a la habitación, lo que uno desea es refrescarse y disfrutar de algo frío. El primer problema aquí fue que las habitaciones no tienen refrigerador; puedes alquilar uno por un costo adicional, lo cual entiendo. Salí a buscar hielo, pero no hay máquinas de hielo disponibles. Bajé al bar y me negaron el hielo, informándome que solo se podía obtener en la cocina. Además, la regadera no contaba con jabón, shampoo ni pasta dental. Llamé a recepción y me dijeron que lo enviarían, pero nunca lo hicieron. Tuve que ir a una farmacia cercana para comprar estos artículos. Comida: Pregunté por restaurantes para comer y me recomendaron "La Cevichería". Aunque la idea de comer ceviche fresco parecía atractiva, el servicio fue desastroso. Solo se puede pedir una tostada a la vez, la cual es pequeña y tarda unos 10 minutos en llegar a la mesa. El servicio de los meseros fue deficiente. Servicio de Bar: Los licores son de muy baja calidad y marca genérica. Pedí un par de bebidas y noté que los licores eran baratos y de mal sabor. No quise arriesgarme a tener una resaca terrible. Hora de Dormir: La habitación es vieja, huele a humedad y el aire acondicionado produce un ruido insoportable que hace imposible descansar. Desayuno Buffet: La comida es regular. Pedí un refresco y me dijeron que no estaría disponible hasta las 11 a.m. También pedí tocino y me informaron que no había. Sin embargo, minutos después vi a un huésped extranjero con tocino en su plato y, tras reclamar, me dijeron que "milagrosamente" acababa de salir. Cena en el Restaurante de Especialidades: Dado que es necesario reservar con anticipación, siempre me dijeron que no había disponibilidad, por lo que no pude probarlo. Salida o Check-Out: Hubo una fila enorme para entregar la habitación, y el proceso fue muy lento. Además, los bares cercanos estaban cerrados para evitar que los huéspedes pidieran bebidas mientras esperaban. Resumen: Aunque el hotel se anuncia como "todo incluido", yo diría que es "todo escondido". El servicio en general fue deficiente y las habitaciones incómodas. NO VOLVERÍA, ni siquiera si me pagaran por ir. Hay muchas opciones mejores. --------------------------------------------------ENGLISH---------------------------------------------------------- In theory, this is a 3-star hotel, but in my experience, it doesn’t deserve even one. Below is an objective description of my visit, from check-in to check-out: Price: VERY EXPENSIVE for what it offers. Arrival: I arrived on a Saturday around 3 p.m. The reception was friendly and efficient. Room: Upon arriving in the room, the first thing one wants is to refresh and enjoy something cold. The first issue was that the rooms do not have a refrigerator; you can rent one for an additional cost, which I understand. I went to look for ice, but there were no ice machines available. I went down to the bar, and they refused to give me ice, informing me that it could only be obtained from the kitchen. Additionally, the shower did not have soap, shampoo, or toothpaste. I called reception and was told that they would send them, but they never did. I had to go to a nearby pharmacy to buy these items. Food: I inquired about restaurants for dining and was recommended "La Cevichería." Although the idea of eating fresh ceviche sounded appealing, the service was disastrous. You can only order one tostada at a time, which is small and takes about 10 minutes to arrive at the table. The service from the waiters was poor. Bar Service: The liquors are of very low quality and generic brands. I ordered a couple of drinks and noticed that the liquors were cheap and tasted awful. I didn’t want to risk a terrible hangover. Sleeping: The room is old, smells musty, and the air conditioning makes an unbearable noise that makes it impossible to rest. Buffet Breakfast: The food is average. I ordered a soft drink and was told it wouldn’t be available until 11 a.m. I also asked for bacon and was told there was none. However, minutes later I saw a foreign guest with bacon on their plate, and after complaining, I was told that it "miraculously" just came out. Dinner at the Specialty Restaurant: Since reservations are required in advance, I was always told there was no availability, so I couldn’t try it. Check-Out: There was a huge line to return the room, and the process was very slow. Additionally, the nearby bars were closed to prevent guests from ordering drinks while waiting to check out. Summary: Although the hotel advertises as "all-inclusive," I would call it "all-hidden." The service overall was poor and the rooms uncomfortable. I WOULD NOT RETURN, not even if they paid me to go. There are many better options.