Decameron La Marina Guayabitos, Ramada All Inclusive Resort

I disliked the place enough to pay for an entirely different resort for the last five days of my vacation and lose what I’d paid here. I checked in Sunday for a week, then left Tuesday for a resort in PV where I found my paradise. I had to pay another $130CAD to get back to PV. The activities concierge initially said we could use our airport return shuttle voucher early, but after we waited hours and went to another hotel for the pickup, the driver refused to take us because we weren’t on her list for that day. The hotel is so far from Puerto Vallarta that popular excursions cost 1300 pesos ($130 CAD) one way. I believe there are excursions in the area, but the concierge who books them is only at the hotel a couple of hours a day. The hotel gave us the wrong time, so we missed her on our first day, and by the second we’d decided to leave. The village had little to see, just a few dingy shops selling very cheap souvenirs. Everything seemed dirty. There are a few restaurants, but we didn’t try them. We walked around town a couple of times and didn’t find anything to do, though maybe we missed something. The two days did at least show us a more rustic, authentic, less touristy part of Mexico. The online photos were misleading. Our room looked nothing like them, and I didn’t see updated common areas or any of the updates shown in the pictures. The bathroom was old and dingy. The place was run down, and the pool area was too. Staff cleaned the pool daily, but it was packed with kids and looked dirty most of the day, so I never even dipped a toe in. Staff kept things tidy, but dirty dishes sat on small shelves around common areas until someone took them to the kitchen. It was an awful eyesore and smelled bad. Nearly all the loungers, picnic tables, and chairs had bird droppings on them, and the picnic table we used one night was sticky. I kept my shoes on everywhere on the property, even in my room and the shower. The food was borderline terrible, greasy, made with cheap ingredients, and seemed and tasted the same at every meal. Drinks were very weak, with no tropical blended fruit drinks. Mixers were premade and artificially flavored. The hotel is right on the beach, which was nice, but the air smelled of cheap, greasy charcoal cooking from the hotel and beach vendors. The food stands smelled awful to me, like acrid smoke and cheap grease, and there were tons of vendors selling cheap plastic souvenirs and what looked like “made in china” jewelry and trinkets. The hotel itself smelled no better. I’d tried hard to stay positive and find good things, and there were some, just not enough for a week or the price. I’m confused by the positive reviews, especially about food and amenities. I’ll never return and will tell everyone I know not to book it.

The beach view from the chairs was basically a flea market, with vendors everywhere. The hotel’s videos and the travel agency didn’t show what we actually found, so it felt like a rip-off. The facilities are old, and there were animals in the rooms. It’s a shame to travel from far away and pay so much for this. I won’t consider it again. Look elsewhere.

The room was old and in poor shape. The place seems to cater to local people more than tourists from the US and Canada. If you want a taste of local culture, it could be worth a visit. People are friendly, the street food is good, and the scenery is nice, but learn some Spanish before you go.

We were staying at Isla Coral and came over for lunch and drinks. It was busy, but as clean as it could be, and the staff worked hard. The beach is amazing, with lots of vendors.