Iberostar Selection Playa Mita reviews
5820 TripAdvisor reviews
Not a 5 star resort by any means
Peter E (Nanaimo, Canada) on Jan 10, 2026
My wife and I visited over Christmas and were very disappointed. The resort itself was very nice as were the staff. That’s where it stopped. The only hot item we had was the fresh made omelet each morning. The rest of the food was barely lukewarm. All the meat items we had wherever we ate was very overcooked and dry. The tepanaki was only so-so and a mediocre presentation by the chef. This resort needs to really apply itself in order to call itself a 5 star resort
Great trip - good value for the price!
Winnipeg4 (Winnipeg, Canada) on Jan 10, 2026
We had a really great week and would easily return or recommend to friends. The downlow: beautiful spot, great staff, good value for money, something for everyone. If I could, I would give 4.5 stars because it is missing some of the luxury one might expect for 5 stars. However, it is a great resort for the price! The resort is an hour north of Puerto Vallarta, but an easy trip in a nice passenger van. We chose the beach access room and loved it. As a couple of exhausted introverts, we mostly read on our own loungers on our own terrace with occasional walks on the incredible beach, and trips to the beach bar and that suited us fine. The hotel room was nothing special, but it was clean and met all our needs. There were many highlights. The beach was phenomenal for walking. The sunsets were gorgeous. The grounds are in great repair. The food was good; the buffet had an amazing selection, but we thought that the Mexican food options were always the best. The Mexican restaurant was great, the others were good. Coffee shop was great, as were the tacos beside the beach bar. They are extremely attentive to food allergies. As someone who is gluten insensitive I had no trouble making good choices. The fresh fruit was incredible. We enjoyed the sunset bar and the lobby bar. We were fortunate enough to see a coati (a local animal, a relative of the racoon) and some small lizards. The weather in January was absolute perfection. Staff were friendly, courteous and helpful without exception. The pop, soda water and beer in the mini-bar (restocked daily) was a little treat. Three things to keep in mind: (1) As with most beach-front properties, they obviously struggle with the dampness. The mildewy scent was noticeable when you first came into the room. But you soon accimatize. Could be an issue for some with respiratory issues. (2) We wanted to tip in pesos, and this was a problem - they have an ATM that dispenses large bills, but the front desk did not maintain a stock of small bills, so we tipped much less than we wanted to (or less often and in bigger amounts). If you can, visit your bank before you go and request lots of 20s and 50s. (3) Finally, this is a big resort - the trip from our room to the restaurants and back was about 2,500 steps. Just be mindful if you have mobility issues. Things I was worried about but didn't need to be: we saw no sea snakes, no crocodiles, no mosquitoes, sand fleas or thieves. The air conditioning worked at all times as did the elevators. Our safe stopped working, but with a call to security, it was fixed in 20 minutes. There is construction going on next door but we never heard any noise. There was a wide variety of dress accommodated at all restaurants - getting "dressed up" was optional. We were invited to breakfast as potential candidates for their loyalty club. After an enjoyable meal we listened to the sales pitch and determined it wasn't a match for us. They paid us for our time in "Iberostar Dollars" which we used in the gift shop. It was a good experience; we were glad we did it. Great trip that checked all the boxes for us, and as folks who have been to a range of resorts we found this good value for the cost. Thanks to the Iberostar team for sending us home well rested and well fed with great memories.
Iberostar Play Mita
EmberWesternCanada (Alberta, Canada) on Jan 07, 2026
Iberostar Mita Our extended family booked a vacation with Westjet Vacations early December 2025 at the Iberostar Mita near Puerto Vallarta. According to the information online this is a 5 star hotel all inclusive for children and adults. Nothing would please me more to confirm that status but it is not even close to the truth. My reasons for rating the Mita are as follows: Rooms at the resort are somewhat outdated and desperately need an upgrade, certain bathrooms are in desperate need of refurbishing, I noticed outdoor taps falling off the sink in some washrooms. There is construction ongoing as they build a new resort or condominium right next door with noise which is somewhat bothersome at times during the day. Air conditioning completely failed throughout the entire resort December 5, 6 ,7, 8 which made dining and sleeping a true disaster. Four of five family members experienced Montezuma‘s revenge and / or sickness lasting several days and we did not venture offsite. I had an opportunity to visit the exercise location, the equipment was workable but definitely noticeable that cracks in the plastic with wear and tear on some of the exercise devices was evident. Overall, we did not find the food at the resort to be anything stellar, our observations were echoed by other customers with whom we talked to. Food averages out in our estimation at about 6-7 out of 10 at the buffets. Some cold dishes seemed to be placed very close to hot foods, we did not notice any staff checking cold food offerings to ensure temperature management. If it is important for your day to start off with a good cup of coffee then you will be disappointed, our family discovered the coffee was quite weak and tasteless. Specialty restaurants varied, the Japanese Restaurant was average with better food available at our local restaurant back home. The steakhouse was very much a disappointment as the steak and rib meats were not tender. We had to send back a steak because it was so rare it was moving on the plate, not what was ordered. In comparison, the salad bar was tasty and enjoyable. Specialty French restaurant was an improvement as compared to some other others. I am pleased to comment the Mexican restaurant was a step above all others including the salad bar and main menu. Christian our waiter was superb and we graciously thanked him for his extraordinary service. Generally the staff were cheerful, obliging and kind, but some levels of management did not necessarily go above and beyond as we have experienced at Iberostar all inclusive adults only. Tomas at the pool bar must have been having a bad day and was not overly friendly. One other incident at the French restaurant with the young lady who greeted us was rather cool and sharp. Kudos to Luis at the Sunset bar, I wish we had found that location earlier. No Amaretto to be found anywhere just a substitute. Of course, Grand Marnier was not an offering. Wine with the meals is very basic, options exist to upgrade at a additional cost are available. Now for a few pluses, The Christmas decoration lighting Wednesday evening with guests was very much enjoyed by our family and granddaughter. Housekeeping staff attended to the room every day and our mini bar was checked daily. Beer, soft drinks and sparkling water are the only beverages offered. Filtered water is available at certain locations on the resort and you bring the supplied glass container to fill it as needed. When you download the app, it advises you that your room has been cleaned and reminds you dinner reservations are upcoming, If you miss a reservation, you are charged. An unusual phenomenon for some specialty restaurants are first come first serve, no reservations available. The wait can be up to an hour or longer as we experienced. The turtle release was certainly a highlight and very much enjoyable for our granddaughter. We found the beach to be free of seaweed and garbage, quite a change from the Caribbean side, and most enjoyable. One may venture for a nice walk along the beach with no concerns. This is not a hotel concern however WestJet vacations who normally include transportation to and from the airport are now offloading that cost to Nexus Tours @ $500.00. That is an additional cost for transportation for our group that was charged separately from the vacation package. While there were some positives based upon our entire experience as outlined, we cannot recommend nor will not be returning to this resort.
Nice cover but poor writing inside
Chris T on Dec 30, 2025
No AC for 1/2 of our trip. Pools need work (tiles missing or falling off, very rough bottoms), fitness room equipment needs maintenance, Grounds look very nice, beach was nice, food was okay at best (Mexican restaurant was very good though). Areas clean, bartenders helpful, pool servers were very infrequent and then took a long time to bring drinks. Will not return and don’t recommend.
A really fun resort
travelwithcandace (Columbus, Ohio) on Dec 29, 2025
I was pleasantly surprised with this resort. After reading reviews, my expectations were pretty low but overall it was much better than expected. The food was pretty good. I didn’t really care for the Japanese restaurant, but the steakhouse and buffet were pretty good. They have good liquor for drinks, especially if you are a tequila drinker. There are a lot of activities too. The pool didn’t get busy until 10-11am and it was great that there were always plenty of seating options and no need to get up and save a spot at the crack of dawn. My room had a comfortable temperature and the ocean views were beautiful. I think it’s a great option for families. The kids camp staff seemed really engaged with the children.