Velas Vallarta Suite Resort & Hotel is located on a lush, 10-acre oceanfront site, adjacent to the Marina Vallarta Golf Club.  Vista Vallarta Golf Courses are only 10 minutes away, and the airport and cruise ship port are only 5 minutes away.

Recently upgraded, nearly every suite offers an expansive view of the Bay of Banderas and many suites have a view of the lights of Puerto Vallarta town at night. The Velas beach is well-kept and there are three lush swimming pools to enjoy when the waves are strong.   Other amenities include: four tennis courts, a well-equipped fitness center, free nightly entertainment and organized activities for the kids.

Suites are good-sized and the one/two bedroom units have kitchenettes.  There is a small store onsite and a giant “supermercado” just down the street.  But why bother when there are three excellent restaurants inside Velas and many more within a few miles. And of course, the dining, shopping and nightlife treasures of Puerto Vallarta are only a 10-15 minute taxi ride away.

I’ll use any excuse to get back to my favorite town in Mexico, so when my ex-AeroMexico executive friend Mayte Weitzman, who now heads her own PR firm in Houston called The W Group, invited me down on a press trip to the remodeled Velas Vallarta resort, it was an easy decision. All I had to do was convince my wife, the beautiful Felice, that there were still things about Vallarta that I needed to learn…things I had to see. This was no easy task, but one for which I am transparently well practiced. Eventually, I had to shamelessly bribe her with a promise of a weekend getaway to San Francisco. Ka ching! My freebie just got very expensive, but once again, the marriage was saved. 

I usually pay for all my own expenses when traveling Mexico, and in Vallarta that means staying at Posada de Roger, my old haunt for some 30 years now where a double runs about $30 US. As I was checking into the fabulous Velas Vallarta with a complimentary cold towel and icy margarita at hand while a bell-guy hoisted my bag on his back, I suspected that I was in store for something a little different. Living large, indeed. 

It turned out to be one of my favorite trips ever to PV. We had a great group of colleagues who know the sometimes baffling Mexico ropes and enjoy the local libations, sometimes in great quantity. The Velas Vallarta has just undertaken a room and grounds remodeling that make it one of Mexico’s very finest resorts. All of the rooms are suites, varying in size, but all with kitchens. My one-bedroom suite was about 1,000 square feet, better furnished than most homes, with a huge balcony overlooking the tropical grounds and a view of the beautiful Bahia de Banderas which fronts the hotel. The 10 acre site has three pools, one with a waterfall and a swim up cantina. The restaurants were top-notch, the service impeccable. I highly recommend this property, something I don’t often do. And it is very kid-friendly with activities all day.