Written By: Geoff Millar, Owner – Ultimate All-Inclusive Travel Inc.
This month we are going to look at the resort of the Marival Group. They have 3 resorts. 2 of the resorts are located in the Nayarit area just north of Puerto Vallarta and the 3rd resort is located in the Punta Mita area another ½ hour past the Nayarit community. Nayarit is a very nice mixed use community. It is made up of home, and condo developments as well as a number of very nice ocean-front resorts. There are 2 golf courses located in the Nayarit area. The Punta Mita area is a very nice upscale mixed use community made up of homes. Condos, and upscale resorts. For us old-timers Nayarit used to be called Nuevo Vallarta. You still sometimes see it advertise both ways. One warning is that the Marival Resorts are big on timeshare sales.
The first resort we are going to look at is the original Marival resort, the Marival resort and Suites. This resort was the first all-inclusive resort in the Nayarit area and one of the first all-inclusive resorts in the whole Puerto Vallarta area. It is, in my opinion, a very nice 3 – 3.5 star resort sitting on one of the best beaches in the whole Puerto Vallarta area. It runs along a 13 mile stretch of coastline. It is made up of two sections, the towers containing the hotel rooms and the low-level Suite area containing everything from 1 bedroom to 3 bedroom suites. The public areas including most of the restaurants are located in the hotel tower. There is a very nice beach club for guests with a bar and grill type restaurant.
Accommodations at the resort consist of Resort level rooms located in the two towers. These are standard rooms with 1 king bed or 2 double beds. They have a garden view, a pool view or a partial ocean view. In the Suite section they have 1, 2, and 3 bedroom suites. They come with king bed and a sofa bed or 2 double beds and a sofa bed. The 2 bedroom suites consist of two king beds and a sofa bed. You can reserve an ocean view suite when you book. The 3 bedroom Suite is made up of, 3 king beds and a sofa bed. The 3 bedroom suites are ocean front. The Suite buildings do not have elevators and WIFI is only in the lobby for all room categories. The rooms and suites are nice but have more of an Ikea feel.
Dining is made up of 5 specialty restaurants and a buffet. The specialty restaurants are Mexican, Mediterranean, Italian, Pizzeria, and Steakhouse. There is also an International Buffet. As far as bars, there are 5 bars including a swim-up bar. I can tell you from experience that I found the food very good at this resort.
Activities are abundant and varied. There are 4 swimming pools, and a great beach. On land you have tennis, basketball, bocce ball, bicycles, volleyball, Spanish lessons, a great gym, a kid’s club for kids 4-12 with a wide variety of inside and outside activities to keep them active.
There is also a teen club with Xbox and a number of teen activities. In the water there is boogie boards, kayaks, and windsurfing. At an extra cost there are a ton of things to do including, fishing, scuba diving, snorkeling, ziplining, jungle tours, shopping, golf, and touring. The resort has a great wedding dept that is very easy to work with.
This resort is great for families that want a very nice affordable vacation with a wide variety of activities, good food, a beautiful beach location. A destination wedding location where everyone can be accommodated.
The next resort is a very nice upscale Suite and Villa resort, the Marival Residences. I would rate this resort a solid 4 star resort. They have a AAA 4 Diamond rating. It is a little different in that it offers condo style suites and villas as their accommodations. It overlooks a great beach and because one of the complaints of this resort was that it did not sit right on the beach, the resort purchased the land next door and now has a wonderful Beach Club right on the property. This resort is more of a high-rise property except for the villas which are stand alone.
Accommodations at the resort are a little different than most resorts. They start at the 1 bedroom Suite. It is 1.400 Sq. Ft with a full kitchen and a living room and a private terrace. The 2 bedroom Suites are 1,700 Sq. Ft. and come with 2 bathrooms and a full kitchen. The 3 bedroom Suite is 2,700 Sq. Ft with 4 bathrooms and a full kitchen. The next level is the Penthouse level wit 1,2,4 bedrooms. The 1 bedroom Penthouse is 1,800 Sq. Ft, the 2 bedroom Penthouse is 2.700 Sq. Ft. and the 4 Bedroom Penthouse is 3,600 Sq. Ft. The next level is the Private Villa Level. The Villa level Villas are 3 bedroom, 4 ½ bathroom, 3,900 Sq. Ft, 2 story Villas with private pool and luxurious grounds. I have seen these accommodations and they are beautiful, and they do a large repeat client business.
Dining at the resort offers 5 dining options plus your own kitchen. There is also a private chef option for in-suite private dining at an additional fee. The 5 dining options offer 5 star level dining options. They have Vegan, Vegetarian, and Gluten free menus. There is Mexican, International with a different menu each night, Italian, Asian, a casual mixed menu restaurant with a fantastic kid’s menu, and a gourmet bites wine bar. Have a drink at the beach club bar or the Sky bar with a fantastic view. Guests also have exchange privileges at the Marival Resort and Suites doubling your dining options.
Activities are both on land and ocean. On land there is tennis, games, a kid’s club for kids 4 – 12 with availability from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Guests also have access to all the activities at the Marival Resort and Suites. The resort now has its new Beach Club, Mozzamare, on the resort grounds where you can dine, drink, relax and take part in a variety of water activities in a luxurious environment.
This resort is great for those looking for an upscale vacation or family getaway with room to spread out. It would be great for families, multi-generational vacations and groups. It is great for conventions with the Marival Resort and Suites next door along with its convention center to hold up to 1,000 people.
The last resort we are going to look at is Marival’s newest family all-inclusive resort, the Marival Armony, located in the Punta Mita area about 1 hr. north of Puerto Vallarta. It sits on the ocean in a beautiful jungle setting and is a modern contemporary ecofriendly resort. It is a smaller resort with 268 rooms and suites. It sits on a fantastic beach and has 5 pools including a large infinity pool. This is, in my opinion, a great 3.5 – 4 star resort. This resort is part new build and part reconstruction of the old Rancho Banderas combined into the Marival Armony. The resort is still going through some final construction but should be totally completed by the end of July 2019.
Accommodations consist of rooms and suites.The lowest level rooms have a jungle view and consist of regular rooms and what I consider Jr. Suites that are twice the size of the regular rooms. These accommodations share a swim-up pool with the other rooms and suites in this building. Next, we have the same make-up bit with a Sierra mountain view. These rooms and suite also share a swim-up pool dedicated to this building. The next category of rooms have a garden view and contain rooms and 1 bedroom suites. Moving a level up we com to the rooms and suites with a partial ocean view. This category has rooms, one bedroom suites, two bedroom suites and 3 bedroom suites. The last category of rooms and suites are ocean front and have great views of the ocean. It consists of rooms, one bedroom suites, two bedroom suites, and 3 bedroom suites.
Dining is varied and plentiful. There are 5 restaurants serving a variety of options including one restaurant that change its menu every night. A taps restaurant, an Asian restaurant, an International restaurant, a coffee shop with a light menu, and an upscale restaurant, the only one that requires reservations and there is an extra charge. There are 4 bars including a swim-up bar. All restaurants serve vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free items.
Activities consist of both land and water selections. In the water partake in the use of boogie boards, kayaks, sailing or just relax on the beach. On land there is a slate of daily activities, nightly entertainment, a fantastic spa, and gym. There is a kid’s club for kinds 4 – 12 and a teen club. Both with supervised activities for each age group. They have a great wedding dept.
This is a great resort for couple, families, and groups that like a modern contemporary ecofriendly, smaller upscale resort in a beautiful area.
That concludes our tour of another great all-inclusive resort chain. Stayed tuned for another one next month. Until then safe travels and good selling.