Upon arrival I was told my room was not ready. I arrived at 1pm and was told check in was at 3pm. I was offered a wristband and told I could go have lunch and relax while my room was being prepared. At 3pm I returned to the front desk and I was told it was still not ready. I was told to wait 15 min and someone would come get me. I waited in the open lobby and as I waited lamp shades from the ceiling began to fall. We did move near abar which leads to the pool since I did not feel my wife and I were safe sitting in the lobby. We still had a direct view to the front desk though.

As of 3:45pm no one had come for us. I checked with the front desk and while they were checking on our room the staff was bring drinks to the other two groups who were checking in. Yes, I know I could have asked for a drink but what is the point of a welcome drink if I have to ask? Finally our room was ready but it was not up to par. (We were there 4 days and three nights and I never saw more than 16 guests). Still don't know how I had to wait for a room.

I made a reservation for a garden view. I was placed in a room that looked towards another hotel wall. When this was brought up to the front desk they stated it was a mistake and moved us but not until I told them that the sink in the bathroom in room 522 would not drain. They tried to fix it and then offered me another room. I was taken to room 731 which had a garden view and 1/2 ocean view. Prior to accepting the room the sink was checked and it was not properly put into service, piping was missing and was not draining either.

We were then taken to room 735. The sink was checked. There were loose parts under the sink and instead of moving again I just fixed it. Bell hop was extremely embarrassed. Sink did drain but was very slow. I did not want to move again since this was cutting into our vacation. Shower in room 522 was excellent. Shower in 735 had no pressure. I did not bring this up to the front desk's attention as I wanted to enjoy my vacation rather than move from room to room. The rooms did not have hangers for the bath towels. How can I hang my towel if there are no hangers? All three rooms did not have hangers/hooks for the bath towels. I found this ironic since there is a notice that says to hang towels on hook so they aren't washed and exchanged in order to be "green."

Room 735 had paint drops on the glass doors and floor from when the room was painted. The remote in room 735 worked great for the TV. On the second night for some reason a different one was placed in the room. This remote did not work. I took it to the front desk and when I returned from dinner the original remote was put back in our room.

In regards to how these issues and how Hilton could have exceeded my expectations would have been to check the toilets, sink and showers prior to booking the room. Adding hooks on the walls prior to booking the room. Cleaning up the paint form the glass doors and floors prior to booking the room. I expect Hilton to WOW me every time. The name speaks for itself. I was hardly wowed this time.

I do want to commend the staff for being friendly and polite. Especially Philippe (sp?) the bell hop who saw my frustration and went out of his way to make sure my wife and I had a good time. He greeted us by name every day and made sure we were having a good time.

I will say the hotel is smaller than I thought but very nice and peaceful. The staff is amazing. The food is okay at best. They have a Mexican and French restaurant which you have to make a reservation for but in the 4 days we were there we never saw it open. The pool staff was great up until around 5:30pm. The staff will bring you drinks and food non-stop while you are in or around the pool but it seemed that around 5:30pm they would disappear.

The pool was amazing and they have another pool on top of the hotel. We went there one night. They have a full bar up there and some sushi. When I say some I mean some..like 6-8 rolls. Not much to choose from but it is there if you want some.

The hotel is all inclusive and the lobby bar and the pool bar are fully stocked. Don't expect the mini bar in your room to be filled with goodies though. The mini bars in the rooms have 1 bud, 1 corona and 1 Pacifico, 1 chocolate bar, 2 Cokes, 1 Sprite and 2 soda waters.

My wife and I would probably not go back but not because we had a horrible time but because we like to see different hotels. I hope Hilton steps up their game with this resort and fixes some of the small nuisances.

We stayed here the first week it opened and were very impressed with the property. Our cousins were staying next door at the Icon Vallarta and wished they had booked at the Hilton. The property is new and beautiful - the decor is hip and comfortable. Great sheets and comfortable beds. The food service is still working itself out. Buffets were okay if you knew what to select and the chefs were always willing to make you an a la carte entree at dinner. The shrimp were divine. Stick with the fish and seafood here as it was always fresh. Meat items were questionable. Great mashed potatoes! If you have the all-inclusive plan (and plan to drink a lot) it is a wonderful deal. My cousin had one drink (a margherita) at the bar and it was $8 plus tip. If you drink a lot of beer, wine and cocktails the all inclusive here is a fabulous deal for getting top shelf drinks.
The staff were very professional and security conscious. We were warned by several staff members not to swim in the ocean due to crocodile sightings on the beach nearby. Our cousins were not so informed at the ICON next door where the pools and hot tubs closed at 9:00pm and they had no choice but to swim in the ocean. All the rooms are the same except some are slightly larger - the ones with the ocean views are more expensive - and not really necessary as you can't see much of the ocean from the ground floor anyway. Pool suites are very nice and convenient! Privacy is somewhat of an issue as people can see you in the pool but it is less problematic at night. If you don't want to mess with cooking on your vacation this property is a great deal right now. I wouldn't stay more than 4 nights though as the food options are really very limited. If you are not on the all inclusive plan the rooms just don't have enough space to 'bring your own drinks' or make your own breakfast. It is not that kind of place.
They advertise sushi and tapas at their Sky Bar but I never saw either one. Maybe during high season they will ramp it up! A really good option in the Hotel Zone. But make sure you ask if it's safe to swim in the ocean - especially after it rains.