We stayed at the Melia from December 26th to January 2nd. My husband and I travelled with our four daughters (ages 20, 19, 16, and 7), as well as a friend of one of our daughters. It was a welcome escape from our -25 degree weather that we had been experiencing at home!

We booked a package through Transat Holidays and were impressed by both the flight (Westjet) and the smooth and speedy transfer to the resort.

Check-in went smoothly as well, and we received the rooms that we had booked and requested. We were NEVER approached at the hotel regarding the vacation club. Maybe this is because we checked in after midnight. I was ready to politely say "no", but didn't have to!

My husband and I upgraded to the M Experience Room and our kids stayed in garden view rooms. The M Experience room was beautiful--gorgeous bedding, comfortable bed, fruit plate, nice toiletries, slippers, robes, and an AMAZING ocean-front view. We also had a concierge who was very helpful (we didn't use her services that often, but she was very eager to help us any way she could). Our kids were happy with their rooms, and the gardens made for a nice view as well. They reported that their beds were on the firm side but okay, and that there was no clock radio in either of their rooms. (Perhaps they could of received one if they had asked!)

This is only the second time I have stayed at an all-inclusive resort, and one of my concerns was the food. My other stay was in the Mayan Riviera at the Gran Bahia Principe last year. (Considered 5 star) I found the buffet food to be very similar to this other resort. There was a lot of selection, everyone had fun experimenting and was able to find something they liked. Breakfast was probably my favourite, with custom-made omelets, french toast, fruit, and I loved the juice. Overall, I would say the food was very good considering the all-inclusive mass production. We also tried the Italian (you only need reservations for this one), and found it good. I was looking forward to the Palapa Grill, because of the gorgeous view by the ocean. Although the ocean-side setting was great, the food was disappointing. We never tried the Mexican a-la-carte. Overall, as the food is concerned, I would say it is quite good for an all-inclusive, but if you want a really good, fine-dining experience, try one of PV's great restaurants.

The grounds of the Melia are absolutely beautiful. It is an older hotel, so yes, there are a few cracks and chipped tiles here or there, but overall, we thought that the resort was really well maintained. I found evenings magical as I wandered around the resort with the lush gardens, ponds, fountains, little white lights, surrounded by the warm ocean breeze.

Being New Year's week, the resort must have been at capacity. I was prepared for it to be pretty busy with a lot of kids, and although it was, it was not unpleasantly crowded. We never had much of a wait to get a table at the buffet, and the large pool was great.

The resort offered a lot of activities. I'm not big into pool side activities (I prefer quiet reading time), but I couldn't resist the bingo one day! Also, if you prefer a quieter spot, don't sit by the activities or towel booth, that is where the loudspeakers are!!!! Our daughters liked the sandy area between the pool and the beach.

As expected, the beach was small, but sufficient to play in the waves, parasail, and watch the gorgeous sunsets. Just a tip, if you want to go for a walk north, you have to walk through a rocky part of the ocean. My husband and I did this in the morning, and the ocean came up to our chests. We had a laugh later in the afternoon when we saw the shallow water and rocks, and realized we had gone at high tide. So if you want to walk north, do it in the late afternoon and bring your aquashoes.

On New Year's Eve, the resort put on a beautiful ocean-side dinner, dance, and show, which included fire works right off the beach. We didn't buy tickets ($30 U.S.), but watched from our balcony.

We went into town a few times. The taxi was 80 pesos ($8 CND), but we preferred to take the bus (5.5 pesos)--much cheaper, and more of an experience. To catch the bus home, wait at the Woolworth's, about 3 streets up (east I guess) from the Malecon. You want the one marked "Marina".

A highlight of the trip was enjoying the Mexican people. We found them to be hard-working, generous, funny, and warm. We will miss our new friends at the Melia. Enjoy!!

Just spent Christmas week at the Melia. I would rate this hotel 4 stars. We stayed on the 9th floor room 1906 and 1907 with adjoining rooms with our two daughters 17 and 19. We had a beautiful view of the bay and the mountains. We were also had a great view of the cruise ships docked at the marina only a few minutes away. Rooms were very nice- bathrooms were tiled from floor to ceiling. Nice balcony to sit on. The pool was huge. Plenty of chairs by the pool but you have to get there by 8 am to reserve a good seat. Swim up bar with quality brand name liquor. The food was okay, buffets always get repetitive, but you never went hungry. Bar service at the pool was a big plus. The only downside was the beach. If you enjoy long walks on the beach, dont stay here, stay in the Nuevo side of PV (loved Vallarta Palace). A great plus to this hotel is the 15 minute cab ride to the downtown area. We went downtown three times for dinner. PV has such great restaurants like PiPi's (touristy, but good food and very large margaritas). You have to go there if you visit PV. There is a big open market past the boardwalk. Entertainment at the hotel was typical, but entertaining. Lots of activities by pool. Staff always warm and friendly. As we checked in we were approached by the conciege who was trying to get us go to the timeshare meeting and offered us discounts on a massage. Unfortunately, we did not make the meeting. No loss there. Went to see the whales on a catamaran (Cielita Lindo) - great tour -well organized and we saw alot of whales. All in all we had a great time at the Melia. Definitely a great place for families. Weather was amazing - 80 everyday with no clouds in sight. Dont hesitate to stay here -

Melia seemed like a very Mexican resort with over 60% Mexican families for the Christmas holiday (Dec18-25th). My adult daughter and I had separate rooms, on the 7th and 8th floors of building 2, and the views were spectacular. They were straight over the vast expanse of gardens, trees, and lagoons or ponds. The food was fine for the price. The serivce was very good, with a help staff that tried really hard to make everything that went wrong right. I had several small things, like a dirty rug and a message button that kept blinking when I had no message. These things were rectified shortly. Bring lots of American one dollar bills for tours and extra services if you want to tip. The peso was about 1.30 to our dollars so getting pesos from an ATM ,and paying in pesos actually made sense. Spanish was spoken first on the phone and everywhere. There is an active and loud activity program around the pool, and the entertainment noise from the large palpapa goes on until 11:00 pm. It was definitely heard in my room at night. The children with their strollers were everywhere, although they were well behaved. I enjoyed the perfect weather and excellent drinks, even a Rob Roy was done correctly. If you want peace and quiet, and upscale food, this resort is not for you. It is excellent for families.

I went to the Melia from 12/4-12/11 with my adult son. We have visited Mexico 10 times over the years and always done the AI. We were both very happy with the Melia. I thought the food in all the restaurants was above average. The Italian (reservations necessary) restaurant was very nice - live piano music, higher end wines (or you could order from an ala carte wine list), excellent food and service. There are 2 other ala carte dinner choices - the Mexican which is a salad bar with a menu for the entrees and the grill restaurant which offers the same. The La Palapa restaurant which offers the lunch buffet was great - they had a huge selection, including a big salad bar and some of the best pizza I've ever had. There is also a snack bar by the pool which does dogs, burgers, fries, nachos and potato chips.

The pool area was huge with plenty of chairs (although I don't think the hotel was above half full). Most of the chairs have nice cushy chair pads, which makes it easier to spend the day lounging at the pool! Excellent drink service around the pool. The beach is no great shakes, but we knew that going in.

The lobby bar serves champagne. You can also get a mimosa at the breakfast buffet (which serves until 11:30 am). The lobby bar does not have Bailey's, but you can order it in the 3 ala carte restaurants, which I have not seen at an AI before.

We booked the "vacation special" on the Melia website, which included an upgrade to an ocenview room. If you are thinking of paying for the upgrade, keep in mind that it is oceanview, but not ocean front. The buildings are in a U shape, and the oceanviews are at the back of the property. You are facing the ocean and also get a nice view of the grounds, but I'm not sure I would have been happy if I have paid for the upgrade. Their website states that all rooms other than the M experience have only water in the fridge, but we had beer, water and soda. We also had an iron and ironing board.

The only real surprise we had was that the nightly show at the theatre had no bar or drink service! I can't quite figure that one out.

We have stayed at several properties in Neuvo Vallarta, and I really enjoyed the Marina area where you can walk to other restaurants and hotels.

Overall, we'd definitely return to this hotel. We did walk down to the Marriott to check it out - it is more "high end" than the Melia, but is also twice the price for their AI option.