This resort is truly unbelievable- from the food to the service to the amentities. We traveled with our two boys ages 9 and 4 and just found the resort to be perfect! The young lady in the kids club went out of her way to make our youngest son feel excited and engaged in the activities, and the babysitting service was amazing allowing us to enjoy a nice dinner on the beach. The resort area was quiet and relaxing, we went over to the sister resort and found it filled with people, loud and noisy-which was not what we were looking for. Carlos the concierge assisted me in planning a special dinner on the beach for my husband's 40th birthday. He pulled out all the stops and the dinner was beyond amazing!! We walked up to a candle lit walkway into a tiki hut surrounded by candles in hurricane lamps and a dinner that we easily would have paid $300+ for in the US. The service for our dinner was also absolutely amazing-we wanted for nothing. The food at the resort is unbelievable- the tapas restaurant had the most amazing food! We upgraded to a pool penthouse room that was absolutely fantastic and well worth the money. My son and husband went on the zip line tour and had a blast. We also went to the dolphin excursion and had an equally great time. My husband and I also had a couples massage and the spa was absolutely gorgeous and extremely relaxing. I highly recommend this resort to couples and families- the service, amenities, and food were beyond amazing and a wonderful value for the price!

My husband and I just got back from the Marival and we can honestly say we had the most AMAZING trip of our lives! We have been to top resorts all around Mexico and Hawaii and this is our absolute favorite vacation pace! The room was top notch (best views of the ocean and sunset) and the food was truly first-class. Every single person who works at the resort was friendly and went out of their way to make you feel at home - including making soy lattes every morning, remembering who in our group was a vegetarian and getting her meals from other restaurants and finding "pickles" for our friends! If you are looking for a vacation you will never forget - go to the MARIVAL!!

We had an excellent vacation at the Marival Residences and World Spa. I will break it down by categories.

Food and dining-I was concerned that we were planning to stay a week and that we would get bored of the limited number of choices. This was not the case at all. The restaurants varied, the food selection varied, and it was all quite excellent. The specialty drink selection also rotated with various new twists on old themes. The restaurants took no reservations, which scared me a little bit, but we rarely had to wait more than 5 minutes for a table for seven over winter break (New Year's).

Almost every meal was outdoors, and the ambiance was superb.

Service-Outstanding at the Residences resort, more variable over at the beach, but still very good. The waiters, housekeepers, concierges, hostesses, cooks, pool staff, etc were all very attentive

Beach facility-The separate beach facility concerned me a little bit, but it worked out fine for us. The Marival Residences is 0.5 miles from the Marival Resort, where there is a VIP section for the guests of the Residences (confusing, but it makes sense when you get there). The beach itself is public and was somewhat crowded over the holiday, but the crowd thinned considerably after Jan. 1. The service was spotty when it was crowded, and we had difficulty getting beach loungers the first day. My daughter had a severe case of food poisoning, which temporally had to be from something eaten at the beach resort, which I wrote off to the facility being swamped with guests. I would recommend avoiding eating meat from the VIP buffet over there, but everything else seemed fine.

I ran on the beach every morning, and it is safe and pleasant. There was no concern for personal safety, other than the usual beach dangers--waves, sunburn, under current, dehydration, etc. We walked to the beach, but shuttle service is offered (we never used it).

Activities-There was a terrific New Year's Eve party at the Residences--great food, live music, fireworks--very well done.

The all-inclusive package includes up to 5 activities off the property. We did the "Canopy" zip line activity, which was a lot of fun. Wear a dark colored t-shirt and prepare for an "outdoor" ride to the facility an back again. We were talked out of doing all others but the Sea Lion encounter by a guest who was there on his second vacation and had done them before. Frankly, we were there for a relaxing beach vacation, not an adventure, and we did make a couple mistakes booking activities on our own.

Rooms and facility--Very clean, large appointments, hard (but comfortable) beds, excellent maid service. No complaints whatsoever. It would have been nice if WiFi were included (it cost extra, $70 USD or so for a week). I never really figured out how to use the A/C, but our weather was cool enough at night that it did not matter much.

People were constantly cleaning up, painting, and manicuring the facility. It looked fresh, clean, and brand new.

Overall, I found little to complain about and would recommend the resort to friends. I expect that when the capacity is under 90%, the experience would be even better, as all resorts strain to meet the demands over the holidays. If I were planning to return to Mexico, I would certainly consider this resort, and if I were specifically planning to visit the Puerto Vallarta area, I would definitely and unhesitatingly be a guest at the Marival Residences.

Truly the best holiday you will ever have. The problem with going to this hotel is no other holiday will ever be as lavish again. Trust me you might as well just buy a place here the staff at the restaurants are very accommodating and always there to make each meal an experience you won't forget.