We just returned from two weeks at this lovely little resort tucked away on the beach in the Conchas Chinas area of Puerto Vallarta. If you are looking for marble, glass, chrome, activites, clubs...this is not your place. If you are looking for Mexican charm in a charming boutique hotel where every room is ocean front view then you have found a home. Lindo Mar has a wonderful staff including their concierge, Maria Elena, who will assist you with anything you need. The restaurant, La Playita, is located beach front and features resonably priced Mexican standards as well as some unexpected culinary treats. The restaurant is open to the public and I would totally recommend it for drinks and dinner at sunset. Saturdays and Sundays brunch is their well known Mexican buffet. Just tell your cab driver you want to go to Lindo Mar!

Just returned from a week at the wonderful Lindo Mar Resort. Stayed there for the first time last year. We have stayed elsewhere in Vallarta previously (always south of town), but having discovered Lindo Mar, there is no reason to go anywhere else! It is an older property and doesn't have a lot of fancy bells and whistles, and we are glad of that. It is very clean and well run, the open-air restaurant situated directly above the beach offers breakfast, lunch and dinner, good food at reasonable prices with attentive service and amazing views. The bar rings a cowbell twice a day (at noon and again at 5PM) to signal two-for-one Happy Hour (Hora Feliz) and it definitely gets everyone's attention. They will even do drink service down at the beach or by the pool. The beach is small and all but disappears at high tide, but it is a lovely spot with several small coves for swimming, and nice shady palapas under which to lounge/read/nap. These are popular and do go quickly on a first come basis. The towel attendant is happy to assist with the lounge chairs and appreciates a nominal gratuity for his service. The beach has just a few vendors that come by. They offer some nice things and are respectful if you are not interested. One fisherman in a kayak beaches in front of the resort most afternoons and is willing to sell his catch (including lobsters) right off the boat. His arrival always attracts a lot of pelicans looking for a hand out. Fun to watch. There is also a small pool as well as an infinity hot tub, both overlooking the stunning view of the whole of Banderas Bay. The location in Conchas Chinas is perfect. Close enough to town for a short bus or taxi ride, but far enough removed that one can avoid the hustle-bustle. The units are quite comfortable and spacious, with colorful and charming Mexican-style decor. Each has an ocean view balcony (except those on the first floor, but they also have an outside space, albeit next to the pool). A dated but decent kitchen with gas stove/oven, fridge, enough cooking implements, dish towels, as well as a blender, coffee maker (with filters provided), paper towels and powdered dish soap (we bring some liquid). The units are air conditioned with a separate control in the bedroom(s), and have ceiling fans as well. There is a small TV, but we don't bother to turn it on. Why would you with the great view! The beds are quite firm, which we like, but the pillows are rather rock-like, so we bring our own. The bathrooms feature tiled tub/shower combos and have plenty of shelf space for toiletries. Towels are basic but plentiful and refreshed daily. The units are cleaned every day by the unobtrusive but friendly maid staff. We love everything about this resort, but the very best thing about it is the wonderful staff. They are all genuinely friendly, helpful and eager to please. Maria Elena at the concierge desk is a real gem! This resort seems to have a lot of return owners/visitors and most are a more mature crowd. Maybe in the summer months there would be families with kids, but not when we were there in early December. It is also probably not the place for someone looking for a flashy place with lots of partying, which I think is a good thing. It is instead, the perfect destination if you are looking for a place with a genuine Mexican feeling, gracious staff, beautiful views and a quiet place to relax and enjoy.

We traveled to Conchas Chinas, and truly enjoyed being "off the beaten path". 7 pesos to take the bus, 50-150 pesos for cab ride either north or south. We were able to take day trips, or just relax at the beautiful beach. Quiet and calm setting, with a full-service staff that is professional and extremely friendly. The staff at the front desk were extremely helpful at all times, assisting with way-finding and taxi service. Thanks to Teo and company.

I have never had a hotel suite where you can have french doors open at all times, allowing a constant ocean sound and breeze flow inside. It felt like we were in our own private villa. Falling asleep, listening to the ocean waves.....fresh air.....

AC unit in the bedroom was excellent- if you close the bedroom door you can make it into an icebox if you please. Temps at this time of year are perfect- no humidity and pleasantly/perfectly warm.

We were on the 5th floor, and had a view that was incredible. We had two mornings where we saw whales (around 7amish)...bring your binocs!

Swimming in the cove was great, you can snorkel and see a variety of fish, saw a manta ray...pretty cool. It is rocky -but plenty of space to swim.

The restaurant food was standard, however the Sunday brunch was very nice. You can't ask for a better ambiance. If you order room service, the tip is included. The ritas are very strong and delish. It looked like the tequila ratio was tripled in this drink, but you don't know it because it tastes like nectar from the gods. Love the 2:1 happy hour.

Massage service was great, chose to have it in the room next to the open balcony. The concierge was extremely friendly and nice.

There is a convenient store a short walk down the road that is great for beverages/snacks/atm. Don't waste your money next door at the restaurant le set- you are better off rolling down the window in a taxi and throwing $2000 pesos out the window. We did not utilize the kitchen utensils/cookware, but would if we were in a larger group (3 or more) or staying longer than a week.

We were not looking for a social hotel experience, and Lindo Mar felt very private and secluded.

We enjoyed this hotel but must acknowledge its limitations.

First, the good news: It's an excellent location right on the beach and a short cab ride ($5) to old town and all of the restaurants. You can also ride the local bus (about .50 per person). The hotel has just 45 rooms, so it never felt crowded and there were very few kids the week we were there (Dec 8 - 15). The restaurant is very good and reasonably priced and the pasta night and burger night promotions were a nice touch. I also appreciated the absence of the "Timeshare Hustle". If you want to know more about owning a unit there, you can visit the hospitality room and get the details in less than 15 minutes.

The bad news: the rooms are very dated and the place has a bit of tired feel to it. The beds are rock hard (mattresses are placed on plywood panels with no box springs). We had a two bedroom suite, but the second bedroom has a full size (double) and not a queen bed. The second bathroom is quite small.

Overall service was very good for both the restaurant and the rooms and the staff goes out of their way to make your stay enjoyable. I also appreciated reliable wireless internet service which cost just $25 for all of our devices for the week.