I was looking for a GREAT AFFORDABLE all inclusive vacation for myself and my girlfriend (Jan 8 -15) and we found it at the super friendly, Friendly Vallarta Resort.

Yes, the resort is not brand new, BUT if you are going on a vacation with a budget and want a beautiful, RELAXED, fun time with lots of delish food to choose from and unlimited drink, with genuinely friendly staff - then this place is for you.

The size and energy of the BEACH as this resort is one of the best I saw from walking the shore for a mile or so.

Waiters are always happy to bring you drinks and food. There is always fun to be had on the property as they have almost hourly events to watch or be part of.

Some of the super friendly staff not only dance and entertain but teach some of the hourly activities such as yoga, learn Spanish, water volleyball, water aerobics fun, cooking and bracelet making to name a few.

William remembered our names after first meeting us on day one. A cool relaxed and helpful staff makes this place great.

I took my first bracelet class here on the beach and Susana gave me some instruction. I told her I was making it for my 9 yr old daughter. It didn't look great since it was my first time (although my daughter loves it since daddy made it!) and Susana walked over to me that night, just before she was getting ready to perform and gave me a bracelet that she made to also give to my daughter.

Sweet, fun, relaxed people can get you into vacation mode fast. : )

Some days we left for a large part of the day and some days we just chilled out on the beach.

I might suggest to the front desk manager that for first timers the front check in person take a 5 min presentation and shows a map of the property - to show guests all the choices they have such as where to eat, where to get free refills for purified water for your room, where the activity boards are, upcoming evening events, the fact that you have a theater and other details.

Thank you Friendly Vallarta Resort from both me and my Girlfriend for a great vacation!!!

This location is close to bus stop into downtown Puerto Vallarta and walkable to pier and Walmart.

We were on 11th floor and had a beautiful view of pool, beach and bay. It was suggested to us to ask for a higher floor, great recommendation! We had a king size bed and Silvia, our housekeeper always made beautiful towel creations. We couldn't wait to come back to our room to see what she did for us. Our room was always spotless!

The staff throughout the hotel made us feel special with their friendly smiles and great service. Jose, the owner's right hand man, assigned a chef for me to insure I didn't eat anything with fish or seafood which could land me in the hospital. I felt guilty for this service but Juan, my chef, His boss, the Master-chef and Jose put me at ease.

The Gourmet restaurant treated us like celebrities with wonderful food and great presentation. The buffet indoors and out had more basic food even kids would like. During the day, there is food by the pool and near the beach so no can say they are hungry here!

We were there for 2 weeks over Christmas. There were many locals staying at the resort with kids but we had a wonderful time with these kind families. There were fireworks somewhere along the beach each night and lanterns floating in the night sky.

I was told in Feb. there are mostly Canadians on the resort. Maybe we'll give it a try.

The Mexican fiesta and dinner on the beach nights were great...all that food! Next time I will bring bug spray for evenings on the beach. I did get bites.

Nightly entertainment was an hour each night. Just enough so you want to come back and you aren't losing time for other things.

There are Spanish and dance lessons every day on the beach, so be sure to give it a try. The beach has a roped off area. Stay there if you prefer to not deal with beach venders. Venders were not pushy towards us and very polite. Roger gave us good deals and we will look him up on our next trip.

We ran out of time to use the spa services, although looking at the brochure, the prices seemed quite reasonable.

There is a place in the hotel where you can book excursions.
It is safer to book through them rather than from someone on the beach. At least you will know you will get a quality experience. We took the tequila tour. It was the best $20 per person I ever spent. There is a lot of walking as you tour the "old" P. Vta so be prepared, but Freddy, our tour guide, had so much knowledge and history, I didn't care.

We met people who have gone there for years...and now I have discovered why.

All in all, the staff are really putting themselves out there to be sure you have a great "Friendly" experience during your stay.

We came home feeling very relaxed and will be back as soon as we can. We already miss our new Friendly family.

We just got back from 10 days (7-17) at the Friendly Vallarta and traveled with two other couples and we were blown away by the staff at this resort. All of us combined have been to many other resorts (including 4.5-5 stars) and we never experienced genuine service like this! The management here has definitely hired the right staff here to make sure your stay is enjoyable. This resort is also smaller which is nice because you always see familiar faces of staff (always smiling). Have to make a shout out to Vincinte, Sergio, Carlos! These were the main guys that made our time here the best!
There were lots of activities to do during the day. The beach set up is one of my favorites that I've experienced (in the hotel zone) with all the loungers & umbrellas set up right near the ocean. The hotel is dated and could use a bit of a "face lift" but more so on interior finishes, but besides that we found it very clean!
The breakfast and lunch (snack bar) are always good. We found supper and lunch were the same thing in the buffet but it was all very tasty. There was still the "a la carte" which was very good and "la fiesta" for supper also had a good variety of dishes to choose from.
The beds are quite firm compared to what we're used to at home but still slept well and definitely recommend 5th floor or higher both for noise and for an amazing view!!!
The only negative i would have to mention about this resort is how you can smoke anywhere (other then the restaurants) in the resort. In the evenings especially the lobby was extremely smoky and that is where they have their DJ and dancing. I personally didnt mind the smoke but my wife didnt appreciate it.
Location is very nice...one of the closest resorts to the airport and still a short centro ride to the malecon. We enjoyed are stay very much and would recommend this resort to anyone going to PV and want's the "best bang for your buck". It was sad to go but we can't wait till the next time we can make it back to Puerto Vallarta!!!

Just got back from a week [Jan 09-16 ] at the Friendly Vallarta. We have stayed there for the past 5 years. All the staff are exceptional and are more than willing to do what ever to make your stay the Best it can be. Monica, Sergio and Carlos always have a smile and a cheerfull greating for us every morning and have become good friends over the years. I would highly recommend this resort , the rooms are spacious and clean , the view from the upper floors is great and the food is good. We will be back next year