Las Palmas by the Sea

Much of Las Palmas is open-air, including the restaurants and bars, so that ocean breezes and a tiki-vibe are prevalent. This is an older hotel -- it's mostly well-maintained but could use a refresh and some updating. Look for tropical touches like thatched roofs, resident parrots, and statues of dolphins. There's a cluster of seating in the lobby, but most guests (a lot of Mexican families and international tourists) hang out by the outdoor pools and on the sandy beach. Loud Spanish music plays throughout the public areas. There's a small stage under a thatch roof where nightly entertainment is performed.

Las Palmas has an ideal location on the sand in Puerto Vallarta's South Hotel Zone. The hotel is built between two neighboring resorts at the end of a cul-de-sac, meaning that the street is busy, well-lit, and safe. However, there isn't any on-site parking and it can be difficult to find a spot on the street. There's shopping and restaurants within walking distance. Puerto Vallarta International Airport is about a 15-minute drive from the hotel. The beach is public, so expect the usual throng of vendors aggressively selling everything from art to illegal drugs.

The 225 rooms at Las Palmas are divided into two categories: Ocean View or Garden View. Most of the rooms have balconies, and some of the Garden View rooms include views of the street. Two full size or one king bed is the only other difference besides the view. Decor is basic, think: white walls, tiled floors, and green curtains hanging above the windows. Striped bed runners and brown bed skirts add a little color. Lamp sconces are mounted on the wall next to the bed. There's a good size storage area for clothes with wooden shelves and a hanging rod. Technology includes a flat-screen TV with iffy reception and a charge for in-room Wi-Fi. Some bathrooms have a private water closet. Single sinks and glass stall showers are standard. Look for a bottle of water and hair dryer mounted to the wall. Past guests have reported the occasional cockroach sighting.

Features at Las Palmas focus on food (see below) and sun for families and couples. The main draws are the two outdoor swimming pools. One is supposedly for adults only, though staff does an intermittent job of enforcing the rules. The second pool for families is much larger and closer to the beach. Guests can pay for a banana boat ride, rent jet skis, scuba dive, and parasail. Free activities include beginners dive lessons, volleyball, and soccer.Massages and basic beauty services can be arranged on-site. While parents get pampered, the kids' club does a good job of organizing activities for little ones indoors in a ball pit with games and a foosball table, and outside in a small kids' pool and adjacent playground. There's nightly entertainment on a stage in Spanish and English; everything from clowns to Elvis impersonators.

The hotel offers four restaurants and three bars on-site, which are mostly open-air. Aire del Mar is the buffet restaurant for breakfast, lunch, and dinner served relatively late. Guacamajazz is more formal and requires reservations and a four or five night stay minimum (depending on which room you booked) for access. Snack by the Sea is located near the pool and does casual fare in the afternoons. La Terrezza is the most romantic option on an elegant terrace overlooking the ocean, but it has irregular hours, a dress code, and requires advance reservations. Hurakenna bar overlooks the ocean and is open late for cocktails. Coco Lobby Bar is the spot to get drinks during the evening entertainment and Bar by the Sea is really just part of Snack by the Sea. There isn't any beach or poolside service, and there are minimums on how many drinks can be ordered at once. Past guests have complained about weak drinks and less than stellar food at the buffet.