My husband and I have stayed at the Hacienda Buenaventura for the past 2 years in Jan/Feb. We love it. The staff are extremely helpful and friendly, the rooms are clean, the maids are very courteous and obliging. The beach is a 3 mins. walk away. We walked along the beach into downtown Puerto Vallarta on most days, and then took the local bus back to the Hacienda. The food was good, although a little repetitious.
The front desk staff were great. We got to know many other guests, had a wonderful time, attempted to speak Spanish whenever we could and would recommend it to anyone not expecting 4 or 5 star rating. Lastly, we enjoyed the fact that it was more Mexican than many of the more expensive hotels. We'll definitely go again in spring 2004!