Stayed 5 nigths at Velas Vallarta with children ages 17,13,12. We booked a 2BR Suite with the all inclusive package. I had requested a high floor. We spent the first 2 nights in a room on the second floor which was billed as a 2 BR Suite but was a 1BR suite and studio pieced together. It had ample space and 2 bathrooms but nthe narrow hallway made it somewhat awkward. The bedding was incorrect as the studio had a king bed as opposed to double beds but there was a pull out couch and large L shaped sofa that we were able to make it work.

I spoke to the front desk after the first night to see about changing rooms. While they claimed that the room we were in was in fact one of the configurations they call a 2 Bedroom Suite; they did make a conscious effort to resolve our situation They showed us another 2 bedroom configuation that was better but located in the building furthest from the ocean. When I pressed for something better they told me if I could wait one more night they could put us into a a 3BR suite that they were very confident I would like. We opted to wait and we moved to a very spacious 3 BR with large common area and huge deck overlooking the ocean. The suites are equipped with full kitchens however I suspect that very few peopple use them as the all inclusive package is the way to go here.

The property is clean and attractive. The hotel is a U shaped building with grounds and pools in the center. We spent most of our time at the pool where there is a variety of activity from pool games to aerobics, ping-pong, bingo, card games etc. Our kids all found people to hang out with and plenty to do. Although the property is busy, there is never a wait for a seat or chair poolside or in one of the restaurants. There are 2 restaurants and 24 hour room service. You can pretty much eat and drink 24/7 if you so choose. I would rate the food as "good " to "very good".

The service at Velas is EXCELLENT. Waiters hustle and the staff is very pleasant, upbeat and accomodating. The poolside service stands out. It's difficult to finish a drink without being offered another. Poolside meals come quickly. I have been to other all inclusives with nicer grounds and better facilities but Velas is a solid property , with a friendly vibe and a well trained attentive staff.

As others have posted, there is some time share selling on the property and staff members approach guests to make sure they have "received their welcome packet" and know what free tours they are entitled to. It's not oppressive but it's alittle bit annoying.

The weather was terrible in early July with a lot of rain the week before we arrived. Thankfully, we have partly cloudy days with plenty of sun. It rained every afternoon (4-5 PM) with some evening rain. The rain did not interfere with our activities or detract from our stay whatsoever.

I would recommend this property for those looking for an all inclusive vacation.

Just spend 1 week all inclusive with my teenage son at Velas--we had a 1 bedroom suite on the 4th floor in the center of the property and overlooking ocean and garden/pool. Do not book into the studio because it has no balcony.
The all inclusive is amazing...24 hour room service, all the meals you want to eat and all the liquor you want to drink without having to worry about the price of the bill.
They had only 2 restaurants...one right on the beach with fairly good food and great service and the other restaurant with no beach view but fine dining. i wouldn't classify it as fine dining as i found some of the meals not that great but they did have almost everything you want...lobster, prawns, lamb, veal, fish, and etc. Service at this restaurant is not as good as the one at the beach. although we had all inclusive, we always left $2 to $3 tip after each meal for the two of us because the waiters only get paid USD$4 PER DAY !!!!! once we left tips after each meal, before long, waiters gave us extra personal service at all times.
our room was great and super clean !!!! i did not see one ant or cockroach...the king bed was very comfortable as well...the air conditioning is excellent so it kept us cool through out the day.
one complaint is that there are so many birds and peacocks on the property so we heard these birds (very loudly) almost throughout the night and in the morning so it woke me up most of the time.
the pools were very clean and fabulous with a talapa swim up bar so with all inclusive, you can order as many drinks as you like...what a life it was !!!

Velas is definitely NOT a 5 star property...i have to say it's more like a 4 star but it is extremely clean and the staff were wonderfully helpful and treated us like royals...the mexicans really want to please the guests.

helpful tip...please leave the waiters and maids a couple of dollars everyday because they all work so so hard !!!

do not get the expedia transportation to-from hotel.
it is much cheaper if you get a cab or two right there.
the hotel rooms were not very clean.
the studio rooms were terrible. most probably you will end up upgrading and paying a whole lot more. especially if you are a family. only bedroom suites had balconies. the front desk people were not very friendly, the lobby was not air conditioned, for a place like that it is equal to being in HELL! immediatly after checking in the time share and tour package sales woman attacked us for another half an hour. we were not offered anything to drink while staying there sweating/hungry waiting to go up to our "studio suite". the picture of the rooms are very decieving, they make them look much bigger. the gardners woke us up every morning at 8 am. stay away from andrea restaurnat, the food is mostly made up front and the ventilation is poor, it smells horrible inside. and the service was honestly not good. but the ocean front resaturant was ok and good with staff to die for, nice and clean and friendly and good food. you have only 2 restaurants to go with very poor buffet, salad bar is bad , ala cart is so so, if you are lucky you get good food.

I feel sorry for the people rating this resort a 5. They obviously just don't know any better. Service was spotty at best. I'm not going to get into the Timeshare people, that is a problem everywhere in Mexico. The food made a lot of people sick. (Avoid the beach restaurant's salad bar) So that takes them from 2 restaurants to 1 and you have to get a reservation, which is not what I want to do on my vacation. My wife got a mani/pedi from the spa which she came back in tears because it was so bad. They actually used a Conair Foot Spa (30 bucks at a General store) and the water wasn't even warm. It was just moderate experience after moderate experience. Try a resort in the Palace Chain!!! and you will see what a 5 is!!!! I am just most upset that so many idiots rated it high and convinced me to ruin my Honeymoon. My wife and I have 1 day left here and we just want to leave! We already decided we are going to take a long weekend in Cancun at a Palace resort later this year that will be our Honeymoon.