This place is great for the price and location. The rooms are basic and clean, done very tastefully in local decor. If you are looking for fancy, this is not it. But it is VERY clean and comfortable. I was traveling with my 19-year-old daughter and we loved it for what we wanted which was to sleep in every morning, lay on the beach and read books, and walk all over the place in the afternoon and evening. We felt very safe walking around in this area since they have touriste police everywhere on the malecon and around the restaurant area in the romantic zone. Our room was on the first floor overlooking the pool, and from the balcony we could see the ocean. The restaurant at this hotel is great, and they will serve you if you are on the beach in front of the restaurant. They provide great beach towel service and someone to grab you a lounge chair and find a place for you on the beach. Their spa that is on the ground floor right infront of the ocean was excellent. You can get a relaxing 50 minute massage for $35. We did not need advanced reservations, we would stroll in from the beach, think....hey, a massage sounds good, and walk up and be on a table within 15 minutes.....AWESOME!!! There is a bank just a block away with enclosed ATM's that you can lock so you don't feel rushed or nervous someone will come up behind you. There's a pharmacy right across the street, which we used when my daughter got a cold. And restaurants galore within short walking distance.....you would be crazy to get the all inclusive here because there are so many fantastic options. The new pier is very close and is so beautiful to watch at night when they turn on all the lights. We didn't attend any of the entertainment nights at the restaurant but we could hear it from our room at night which was really fun to listen to. All was quiet by around 11:30 at night. We loved the room they put us in and I paid standard rate on expedia. It was a package deal. We paid $1,260 for 2 round trip airfare tickets from SAN FRANCISCO, 5 nights at the hotel, and transportation from the airport. The transportation turned out to be a great deal. When I look up taxi rates it said it was $100. I paid $20 a person for luxury van transportation. When we got to Puerto Vallarta, the grayline representative found us and brought us to the curb where they promptly put us in a taxi. We got private service back to the airport too. So I think we got an amazing deal! We loved our trip.

We have stayed at Playa los Arcos 6 times for a total of more than two months. By all accounts, this hotel is great for the average and adventursome traveller. Cost, location, service, etc are all great and that is why we return. However; this year will be our last here - and to PV in general. Because,,, every year the beach vendors increase in numbers and peskiness. This year put us over the top. We spent the first week up the coast in Sayulita. This year there appeared to be quite a few more vendors canvassing the beach there. In Sayulita we spent a week saying no thankyou... again, and again, and again,,,,, One informed me he was riding the bus up from PV since the competition was too great. When we arrived to PV, we saw what he meant. Approx every 15 seconds we were approached to buy some trinket that was readily available anywhere in town for 1/4 the price. It was like shooing flies, all day - they were relentless and annoying. Even at night while trying to dine beachside, they were interrupting our dinner to sell the crap. One after the other!! They will interrupt your conversation without hesitation and talk above you if you ignore them. After two weeks of this, we decided enough is enough, the annoyance is greater than the pleasure of laying on the beach. It is not relaxing. I will be writing the mayor about this as well.

Our concierge from our previous hotel at the Marival Residence & Spa made the huge mistake of recommending this spot from which he must be getting paid to make the recommendation.

The front desk suffers from a huge attitude of spite.

99% of everything in the bar is NOT INCLUDED in the "all inclusive," especially any known brand of alcohol, including bottled beer, forget that, just bad tap beer & bad wine served in a styrofoam cup. We couldn't even eat the food 'included' in the "all inclusive". The internet doesn't work. The rooms are dirty. The building could not possible withstand another layer of paint.

We spent 20 minutes on the hotel's "beach" sitting on bird crap covered chairs rejecting & fending off a new beach vendor every 30 seconds. Then a 'hotel' beach waiter came by & tried to charge us for drinks & his service because the 'all inclusive" is not included on the 'hotel' beach. We finally gave up when the cock roach parade wandered by, literally.

The location is great. The end.

This hotel is in the original section of Puerto Vallarta,aka"Romantic Zone". We moved to this area from the "Hotel Zone" because we wanted to be near all th restaurants, shops and cultural experiences. It really hit the mark for us! It is an older property without all the fluff that brand new properties have, but the charm outweighs all of that! We buy ocean front rooms which give you view to all the beach action and beautiful views of Bandaras Bay. The rooms are simple and comfortable. We have found the staff here to be very, very friendly. We have now been visiting this hotel for seven years and this is the first review I have given them. We have made many friends here over the years that keep coming back just like we do. That speaks volumes!
The restaurant has very good food and friendly attentive service located right next to the beach. The entertainment is not a flashy feather floor show like larger hotels offer, but is always enjoyable every visit. In fact we think this is the best beach location in the area! We have even seen a sea turtle lay eggs on the beach right in front of the restaurant. The hot tub/spa has great beach views also but is often not very hot. The pools though are great. They have a very nice spa for messages and pedicures. The other reason we like this location is because we like to experience the true Mexican culture and this area always delivers year after year. This hotel also has two boutique sister peoperties across the street that are also very nice and one offers larger suites with kitchens.
We love this hotel and will continue to visit in the years to come.