Velas Vallarta: a great place to stay in PV

I hadn’t been to Puerto Vallarta (fondly known as PV to those who know and love this beautiful Mexican resort community) for many years. But I jumped at the chance to join my colleagues at the North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) annual conference, which for the first time, was being held at this popular beach destination on the Pacific coast. Of course, when you attend a conference and have a good dose of research time thrown in, you rarely have time to enjoy the beach. But I certainly enjoyed the amazing view from my suite at Velas Vallarta!

A view of Banderas Bay, palm trees, and the pool at Velas Vallarta made my time in Puerto Vallarta remarkable.

We spent five glorious nights at the Velas Vallarta beachfront resort and I never tired of waking up and sitting out on my veranda to soak up this view while I sipped my morning coffee and got ready for each busy day. The all-inclusive hotel is situated on 10 acres of property that is meticulously groomed with gardens, swimming pools, and fish ponds. The guests weren’t the only ones to enjoy the amenities! Velas Vallarta is home to a number of peacocks and iguanas that make every day an adventure!

This four-foot long iguana (including tail) seemed to be attracted to the beautiful blue of the pool at Velas Vallarta.

Although I never had time to swim in the pool, the iguanas certainly enjoyed their time around the pool! I never saw one in the water, but they sunned themselves by the pool and enjoyed eating the flowers in the nearby bushes.

The peacocks were equally abundant, and woke us up every morning with their calls. I was touched that this peacock tried to get me to extend my stay by giving me this private show on the morning of my departure.

The peacocks at Velas Vallarta really like to strut their stuff.

You could always find a peacock or two hanging around the hotel’s spa. I followed them there one day and was treated to a delightful chocolate wrap. There’s nothing better for a chocolate writer, than to discover another spa that appreciates the healing benefits of chocolate. The Velas Vallarta Spa is small, but a lovely place to spend a few hours on self-care.

The chocolate wrap body treatment at the Velas Vallarta Spa left me feeling energized and pretty as a peacock.

I also loved the personalized service our group received from the staff at Velas Vallarta. Each afternoon, when we returned from the events of a busy day, we were treated to a shot of tequila in a lovely ceramic shot glass that was ours to keep–accompanied by a treat of the day! A great way to get our second wind and get ready to head out for a busy and always enticing evening.

Each day we were treated to an in-room shot of tequila accompanied by a pastry and touch of fruit.

These are just a few of the reasons I loved my stay at the Velas Vallarta in Puerto Vallarta. The only criticism I had of the resort is that the internet reception is spotty, and I couldn’t get internet in my room (even though I’d spent considerable time on the phone with their technician to try and rectify the problem.) I could get reception (on occasion) if I was on my balcony and pointed my iPad toward the main building, so I was satisfied with that. But keep this in mind if you absolutely must get work done during your visit, as I’m sure that reception is better in some rooms than others. I was in room 3517, and would give this property an overall rating of 4 stars out of 5 on a global scale, and a 4.5/5 by Mexican standards.