TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Kindest staff, very friendly and helpful, good food, very clean rooms, beach and pool area Drinks and entertainment are also very good Very family friendly good for all ages also in a very good area We we definitely be returning here next year!

Angela is the absolute best! She took such good care of us around the pool! Thank you for the outstanding service everyday!!!! Fernando is absolutely amazing too! We have been seeing him here for years now and it’s always such a pleasure being greeted by him! He goes above and beyond what is expected! The rooms could definitely use upgrading but the staff try their best and make up for it! I have been coming here almost yearly since 2009, it’s a great family place!

Family of 3 who stayed here 12/21/24 to 12/29/24. AMERICANS: DO NOT STAY AT THIS HOTEL!!!! 1st off, they advertise a 2 bedroom "luxury unit." It is not luxury, it is like an old Comfort Inn. The "luxury" units are in an old section of the resort with an old tiny elevator and no view. We paid $800 for an upgrade to a nice room. Our thanks was one of the bathroom drains gave off a raw sewage smell for the 8 days we stayed there. Complained to management, front desk, concierge and the maintenance. They sent up maintenance 3 times and all they did was put bleach in the toilet. We had to keep door closed, not use the bathroom and stuff towels under the door. We paid for all inclusive which includes snacks, drinks and treats in your fridge each day. THEY NEVER DID THIS FOR US. Even though we again went to front desk and called multiple times. When we left, went to front desk and asked for a credit. Guest Services Manager Elmer refused and just said "Sorry." He then called maintenance and said that there was never a problem with a smell and we were basically making up this issue. If you are an AMERICAN OR CANADIAN: DO NOT STAY HERE. CONSIDER YOURSELF WARNED!!! This staff at this hotel will not help you, doesn't care and will ignore you. Go stay somewhere else where you will get good service and the staff and managers care. They don't care one bit here.

I typically focus reviews on positive aspects of places we patronize but I just can’t find too much to praise with Canto Del Sol. On a very, very, good day, this is a 3 star hotel. They have two lovely lobby’s, public bathrooms are well updated and always clean. The main Canto courtyard is beautiful, lush and inviting before the mayhem begins. This is where quality and consistency end. This is a ‘kids first’ hotel and should be emphasized in their marketing. Couples and adults without children are not the target customer nor are adult interests or needs of importance. There are no adult only zones or pools. Pools are brimming with children many screaming, crying, smashing their pool noodles and having no regard (and parents having no consideration for others) for anyone around them. It’s loud and chaotic. Our room was in the Villas Vallarta section of this property (an old ‘time share’ taken over by Canto a few years ago; it’s across the street and one block off of the beach). Villa’s has a smaller pool. There is some relief at this pool from the mayhem at the main Canto pools but only in the mornings. Afternoons are a crapshoot as to what you’ll get but more likely to evolve into mayhem as the day wears on. The rooms at the Villas location are large and have good sized balconies. The air con worked well and there were good dark out curtains. Our room had a kitchenette (leftover from the timeshare). Our clothes dresser was an old desk. The one piece of art in the room only hangs on a severe slant. Lighting is challenging and about half of the plug outlets don’t work. The toilet cries for 15 seconds after flushing. There is nowhere to put or store toiletries (sink has very small counter space). There is only one small 2 pronged hook in the bathroom for towels, beach wear, etc. The room has a lot of potential to be a cozy and inviting zone but there is no effort to that end. The drawbacks to the Villas location are; no pool towel service (you must sign out towels at the other end of the ‘resort’; beach towels are not given nor replaced in your room), pool bar (Brisa’s) opens at 12 or 1 and closes at 5 pm (while Canto website says this bar is open 10 am to 8 pm). Even when this bar is open, there is no waiter or clean up service. Translation is that if you want a drink at your AI during the hours before noon or after 5, you have to go to the other side of the property and stand in the lineup’s there. There are no water refill stations once Brisa’s bar is closed at 5. You receive 2 small bottles of water in your room on the first day and you’re then on your own. Only lunch option in Villa’s location is the Cevicheria which is excellent but raw fish isn’t for everyone. There is no ocean view. Bedding, pillows and towels are cheap and worn. Bottom sheet doesn’t reach the end of the bed (by about 10 inches) so pulls up and over the mattress overnight. We only opted for housekeeping twice in 7 days and on the second occasion received 1 replacement bath towel (for 2 people); no replacements for anything else such as hand towel, facecloths, etc. (the used ones were taken).So we had one towel for the 2 of us. No one cares if you try and resolve issues around limited bar hours contradicting their own website, nor towels missing, absence of water stations, etc. There is no in room coffee maker or snacks and while we had a fridge (leftover from ‘time share’ days), it isn’t stocked with anything. Used drink glasses aren’t removed on housekeeping days. We understand from other guests that there are no fridges in the main Canto hotel rooms nor coffee maker or snacks. We also understand that the rooms facing the courtyard in main Canto hotel are exceptionally noisy from above noted pools, evening entertainment, etc. Mixed drinks across the resort are typically awful with pre/mixed sweet and syrupy mixers, low quality liquor, cheap wine (literally poured from a bucket into wine bottles; we weren’t supposed to see this of course) and sometimes flat beer. Only draft beer is offered. Consistency of drinks changes between bartenders and bar. You find a cocktail you can live with but it isn’t replicated when you order the next one. Towels for rooms and pool are short on supply as are regular (glass) wine and drink glasses. No one is interested in customer service. This includes the front desk staff who have a pervasive absence of customer service and appreciation. After two inquiries about 1)Brisa’s bar opening hours and 2)drinking water access, front desk staff appeared to be whispering about me when I would walk by. There are very few staff with working English skills. This can be a challenge when attempting to address issues outside of towels, food and drinks. I am fortunate to have some Spanish but it would be a significant struggle without it. Wifi is spotty throughout the ‘resort’ and is often down and/or slow. One day it allegedly ‘burned up’ but was fixed within a decent time frame. Food is alright. The Italian a la carte is quite good as is the Asian restaurant. The Surf and Turf is nice by the beach but the food is sub par. Ceviche restaurant is excellent if raw is good for you (opens 1pm to 5 pm). Buffet restaurant has a good array of choices but food is just ok at best. First 2 days we listened to construction immediately outside our room (removing and then reinstalling plywood for some unknown reason (see picture) as they worked to repair the Mexican breakfast and dinner restaurant (in the Villas) that had had a fire prior to our arrival. Then upon re-opening they brought in a magnificent lounge singer who began at 8:30 am with amplified guitar and singing. I can’t add the video of how loud this was. He would have been a fantastic evening entertainer but not appropriate for breakfast (no sleeping once he started at 8:30 and no talking to one another if eating in that restaurant for breakfast). Beach is ok but short/small compared to the hotels on both sides of Canto and further along the beach. (Short: distance from pool deck to ocean) making it crowded all day and well into the evening. Ocean was too rough to get in the week we were there. No beach waiter service. No one cared it was our 20th anniversary despite my several emails in advance of our arrival. While I have emails responding to me saying ‘we will be in touch to discuss’, those emails never came and there was nothing on our file when we arrived. Again, no one cared or followed up when we inquired in person. I wrote this comprehensive review because I made the choice to go to this hotel based on Tripadvisor reviews that were positive. I’m glad others did not experience what we did but this hotel, its food and service are sub par and I believe it fair that people be apprised of the reality.

Spent this week at Canto Del Sol and it was wonderful, it is older Mexican feel with beautiful landscape everywhere. There are multiple pools and places to eat and it’s right on the beach! The daily activities were amazing with Jorge and Alejandro, they made us laugh and the atmosphere was great! Tons of Canadians to connect with and locals :) would definetly return! Thank you!