TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

We have just returned from Canto del Sol Puerto Vallarta. The hotel itself is dated and could do with a refresh all over. But the hotel grounds were spotless, the staff work really hard keeping it looking the best it can. The room we stayed in was ok, it was dated the bathroom was functional but had seen better days. our balcony door was secured using a plank of wood and every time the toilet was flushed there was a very loud screaming noise. This hotel is very Mexican which is not usually a bad thing but in this case was a negative. The food was terrible in the only buffet restaurant. not even toast for breakfast only last nights badly cooked leftovers. The pool snack bar was equally lack luster with cold pizza and under cooked burgers. The italian restaurant was hit & miss some meals were good some were inedible. The wait staff hover over you & take plates from you even when your fork is mid way to your mouth! The kids club was only for Spanish speaking children. It was almost impossible to get a cold drink before mid day. I would not recommend this hotel for children. The location of the hotel was good a short taxi ride to downtown one way & the port the other. There are plenty of shops and cafes in walking distance. The beach is ok a little narrow & there are plenty of people trying to sell you things. we went in rainy season so the sea was a little rough but we did expect this. the Pools were good my children 7 & 9 could stand up in all of them. The main pool had a bar that opened from mid day & they played very loud music all of the time. There are quieter pools that were perfect for us it just ment a short stroll to get a drink. There was waiter service available for drinks randomly through out the day on some days. All in all it is an ok hotel, i would not go back to this hotel but I would go back to Puerto Vallarta.

I had stayed at Canto del Sol in Nov 2009 as a single for 1 week and was very happy with everything. Clean room, good Buffet etc. Stayed again in 2012 for two weeks and it was fabulous. Dec 2022 it was not at all good. The food in the Buffet was the same food every day, Lunch and dinner did not vary, however the A la Carte restaurants were excellent. The room was not just tired it was in need of resuscitation and it was very noisy. our room faced the Main Pool with Music blaring at night etc .. The bathroom was moldy and also in need of renovation so not pleasant to take a shower. It is not worth any price over $900.00 Cdn for a week with air. It should be rated 2.5 stars for effort just like the San Marino.

This is the best holiday I’ve ever been on the hotel was clean and very friendly the pool staff gill and the other staff was very friendly and very happy to help you with all your needs they was like family not workers it was that lovely I didn’t want to come home I wanted to stay there forever thanks to all the staff at the hotel for our fantastic holiday love Cathy Glenn jason and holly x

I’ll start by listing the good points. Short airport transfer, fast and friendly check in and the staff are so friendly and attentive. The pool and surrounding areas were kept clean and tidy with brilliant waiter service. Entertainment such as aqua aerobics and ping pong etc and some activities for smaller children. Bar staff are lovely also but the pool bar doesn’t open until 12 some days and we found this bizarre. There is a water machine available. Beach access is perfect, small beach with rocky parts and perfect sunsets to watch whilst enjoying an evening drink. The hotel itself could do with a refurb. Very tired and run down in areas and it’s a shame as it has so much potential. Rooms were very old and tired, but super clean! (no fridge in rooms.) balcony was a decent size. Bathroom was tiny, I’m average size (size 12-14) and if I’d been any bigger it would’ve been uncomfortable in the shower and going to the toilet. Hairdryer in room and coffee machine too. Cute welcome note and macaroons and welcome drinks on arrival. Entertainment of an evening was hit and miss, one night there was karaoke and another there was a band and dancing: we didn’t stay long enough to see any other options. Before I go any further I will just mention I have been to many all inclusive hotels in Mexico as I used to be cabin crew and Ive been lucky enough to have many holidays here too. Never have I been to an all inclusive over here that doesn’t serve any English food. I appreciate we are in Mexico of course but I didn’t expect to not even have the option of a piece of toast for breakfast. Lunch we used the snack bar and evening was extremely limited which really left us wondering if we had missed something and surely that wasn’t the main restaurant for the whole hotel-it was. For the next 2 nights we ate at the a la carte Italian which was amazing! We had already put in a request with TUI to move by this point and on our 4th day we paid the extra and moved to a different all inclusive hotel. I’m so glad we did as I don’t think we could’ve done 2 weeks at Canto and we certainly couldn’t keep going to the Italian every night. Like I’ve mentioned, the hotel has some very good points and I could look past the old / tired rooms if the food and entertainment were there but seems they weren’t. On the first night I had to go to the local shop and buy my son a bag of crisps. He eats well and is not fussy at all none of us are, and we couldn’t find a single thing at the buffet restaurant. Even things like salad, so so limited? Couldn’t even put a basic salad together. And who wants to eat tortilla chips and shrimp tacos for breakfast? I really wish someone would’ve wrote about this and warned us as we would’ve changed hotels before we came. The fact the snack bar got so busy during the day (English and Mexicans alike) speaks volumes about the food. Honestly the snack bar had more selection than the buffet. Burgers, hotdogs, pizzas, fries, popcorn and lots of salad! Now The rep did warn us when we got on the coach that this hotel is the most authentic Mexican hotel, and her exact words were “no bacon eggs or toast for breakfast” which isn’t really what you want to hear when you’ve paid four and a half thousand pounds for a holiday. But too late by then as we were already there. I guess we should’ve known when there was only very few of us on the coach transfer. I really feel that canto del sol does not fairly reflect “all inclusive” especially not Mexican all inclusive! All inclusives over here are usually out of this world for food but unfortunately this hotel was not. Probably the worst all inclusive I’ve been to. No Ice cream for kids by the main pool? If you wanted an ice cream you had to walk to the pool in the other section of hotel over the road. Not ideal at all. Beers and spirits were local brands only at pool bar and branded were served at the main bar. By day 4 we moved with the help of the lovely rep Andrea and TUI UK. This hotel could be so much better it’s not even drastic changes that are needed! If it had just been the two of us staying we probably could’ve stuck it out, but we moved as I needed more for my son in terms of food and entertainment. Needless to say we are so glad we moved and wish we had been warned before we booked. Upon leaving the staff member did say that we aren’t the first people to leave due to same reasons and although the hotel was 4 star 25 years ago it probably isn’t now. Management really need to listen!

The best of the visits made us feel at home ?? the exquisite food, drinks the incredible attention, mainly in the Santa Maria Restaurant and the Italian Restaurant, thanks to everyone especially Oscar who was always attentive, cordial and let us pass a wonderful evening, my son made a very nice friendship with him ?? also thanks to Cesar , Sergio and Adan who attended us in the pool area … Thank you for making our vacation unique, we hope to return soon ??