Qualton Hotel and Spa

PUERTO VALLARTA

My wife and I stayed at the Qualton for a week in Feb of 2005. Since we've been to Mexico several times, but never to Puerto Vallarta, I was a bit apprehensive about what we'd actually find. I had read and reread the Lonely Planets Puerto Vallarta section many times and it appeared that the Qualton was a high end hotel that was not too far or too close to the city centre.

The only Tourist comments that I could find on the Qualton mentioned the friendliness of the staff. We were absolutely thankful that their attitude remained positive. All the of staff was friendly, courteous, congenial, efficient and pleasant at all times. When you stay at the same place for a week, you begin to recognize the waiters, maids, bellmen, bartenders and front desk staff. The amazing thing is that even with the thousands of people they come into contact with, they begin to recognize you. Even if you're the silent type, they know that you've been there before. We never once saw any staff member grimace, smirk or act in manner that wasn't friendly. There were no sideways glances, shrugs, exasperated sighs or curt responses of any kind.

Since the hotel is all-inclusive, all your meals and beverages are included. Not only is this probably less expensive in the long run, it saves a lot time. Going out to restaurants involves taking extra time to figure out where you want to eat, how to get there, the time to get there, waiting in lines, waiting for your food to get to your table, waiting for the bill and your change and getting back to your hotel. You'll bypass all of that if you just go up to the hotels buffet line, pick out what looks good to you today, eat as little or as much as you want and then leave when you're done. Of course, if food and the dining experience is a big part of your travel you may want more diversity and flexibility. 

I was also quite pleased with the speed and quality of the bar and beverage service at the Qualton. Many times there won't be anyone waiting in line ahead of you to gets drinks. When there is someone ahead of you, it's usually no more than 4 people. The bartenders pleasantly and patiently ask you what you'd to drink, and then they prepare if for you in a prompt, efficient and respectful way. There is no pushing, shoving or extensive waiting.

The hotel was a short 7 minute taxi ride to the tourist part of downtown PV or a 10-12 minute bus ride. The taxi cost was 40 pesos or abut $3.67 US at today's rate. That rate is for the cab ride itself, not per person. We once shared a taxi to go north to the Wal-Mart. Since Wal-Mart and Sams Club is relatively close, we split the minimum fare of 30 pesos. Our cost was half of the $2.75 US. A tip isn't needed unless they do something special for you. You are advised to establish the rate before you get into the cab and to have exact change handy. Half of the time I gave the taxi driver a larger bill and was always given change without even having to ask. You just need to wait expectedly for change and they readily give it to you. The bus ride cost 4 pesos, about 44 cents US. It seemed that 90% of the buses included the downtown "Centro" as it's destination. Sometimes they were a little busy and sometimes practically empty. The bus patrons were primarily locals, but they always seemed pleasant and non-confrontational. You'd have to be a chicken yourself not to take the bus and assess your own comfort versus cost ratio of the bus versus a taxi. What seems to work for most people is to take the bus into town when you're fresh and have a lot of time, then take a taxi back to your hotel when you're tired.