We just got back from a family vacation at Paradise Village. We had a blast as a family. This is definately a family resort. It caters to the kids. There are crocodile waterslides, daily pool games led by the activities team, paint your own ceramics by the pool ($10-$20 depending on what size item you pick), great themed nights, a mini-zoo that is on the premises which has tigers, birds and monkeys. My kids Loved the place. They thought they were in paradise. The bonus is that there is a mall within walking distance also owned by the resort that has several restaurants and a playground structure in the middle of the common area and a supermarket. We opted to buy some food at the mall market since a taxi probably would have cost us $15 each way to go to Wal-Mart and it would have washed out the savings.

With regard to room accomodations, the place was just ok. Supposedly the rooms are all renovated, but it seems like it was partially redone. They updated the kitchens, tubs and vanities, but the tile floors are old, the toliets look original. It was fine for a family vacation but definately not new and super nice. We stayed in a 2 bed/ 2 bath suite and the kitchen was super, super small. I believe all the suites have a stovetop and microwave that also acts as a convection oven. The villas have a full oven. People in previous reviews noted that the walls were thin. They are! We all sleep with those sound machines that plays either the ocean or rain, and even with those we heard a lot of noise. I think that's the construction in Mexico because we experienced that at other resorts down there as well. I went to the spa at the golf course location (there are 2). I am an avid spa goer....the treatments were great, the spa facility was very below average. The hot tub was a fiberglass one and the steam room and sauna had white painted ceilings (no stone) with rust spots on them, just normal showers like in the hotel room. Supposedly the spa at the golf course location was the nicer one??? The services were great but I was not happy with the actually spa facility.

The beach water isn't the best either. The last 2 times we have been to Nuevo Vallarta the ocean is brown-ish. This time there was tons of white foam. It was quite gross and no one seemed to know why it was like that. We travel a lot to FL and live in CA so we didn't care about the beach as much, but if you're expecting white sandy beaches and blue water, you won't find it here. The kids still played in the sand but didn't venture out into the water.

We own a timeshare through the Marriott and traded for here. We did end up doing the timeshare presentation and got some perks but didn't buy. There are a lot of owners but also a lot of folks we talked to who traded their timeshare week or book on line at a travel website. They do make you wear a wristband if you're not an owner but it's no big deal and we didn't feel out of place or overly pressured to do the presentation or to buy.

Overall we had a great time. If you're looking for a romantic getaway you may want to go to another resort. If you're traveling with kids, you won't be disappointed. We were at the pool 8 hours straight every single day. The food was average, we enjoyed the meals at the Mayapan restaurant a little more than the others. The Mexican fiesta themed night was a lot of fun, especially for the kids. The Western Night is great too...a mechanical bull and all.

My overall opinion is that it's a fantastic place for families. There are more than enough activities to do. The mall is a bonus. If you're looking for 5 star accomodations this isn't the place, but it's not horrible either. We just got home and my kids already want to go back.

My husband, five year old son, and parents traveled to Paradise Village in January and had a wonderful time. There are plenty of activities for the kids and adults alike! We have been to Puerto Vallarta many times but have never stayed at a resort. We didn't leave the resort as much as we have from a hotel because we had seen the town and everything we needed was right there! It's a very family friendly place with activities and a mini zoo on site. The staff are responsive and competent and care that visitors have a great time. The daycare folks remembered my son's name and were able to put him at ease quickly. (He was only there a couple of days.) The resort also has an 18-hole golf course, fitness center and a peaceful spa.

My husband and I just returned from Paradise Village and we were in a group of 15 friends. After reading many of the reviews on this website, I have to say I was not expecting much but didn't mind because we went mainly for the group fellowship. Check in took nearly 2 hours! After that though, everything was a pleasant surprise. Somehow we were upgraded to the Playa Royal Tower building on the opposite end of the property from the main hotel. These are large, extremely nice 2 bedroom condos facing the pool and beach and are only about 1 year old. The only inconvenience was having to wait for the shuttle if we wanted to go the the main buildings.

We found the staff to be helpful for the most part and, other than the hounds at the airport, none of us were bothered by the time share reps. Tip: after customs, head straight through the airport to the taxi booth at the end and don't let anyone else convince you to go with them.

The mall was nice and has several reasonably priced restaurants. The snack bar/grill on the beach had really good food too. We did not eat at any of the main hotel restaurants except the Tulum for breakfast one day, and it was good. I'm not sure I would say the Mexican Fiesta is worth the money, but it was o.k. They have a different buffet theme night each day of the week and that was the only one we went to. It's great if you want all the Tequila and food you can handle, but we're not drinkers.

I would say that unless you are a well-seasoned traveler with only a taste for the very best, Paradise Village will suit you just fine.

My wife and I had an interesting trip. I was refused entrance onto my plane in Houston because my passport was what Continetntal said "mutilated" Actually it was delaminated and could still be scanned and read. To make that long story short my wife went down with out me while I syaed in Houston until Monday and recieved an expideited passport. (We left on Saturday). This cost us about $500 extra for hotel car rental etc...

The bad first about Paradise.
The beds are very hard
The air conditioning doesn't work all that well and leaked the whole time. Their solution was to turn it off.
They took advantage of my wife and I by telling us after we bought the all-inclusive option for 3 days that it can only be for the last 4 days. We were forced to keep it the entire time despite my several complaints.
Service around the pool was slow.
Poor view and would not upgrades us even though their were openings.
Desk staff was very rude and just seemed to want our money.

The good.
Great weather
Room was very nice
Great housekeeping
Great food
Great beach.
Great pools.
Very clean

I will not go here again.