Almar Resort Luxury LGBT Beach Front Experience — Hotel in Jalisco

I visited with two friends this time and when we pulled up to the property, we had no idea this was the start of nearly seamless visit. Check-In The two guys who greeted us stacked our shopping bags and luggage on a cart, as we settled our room details. Our IDs and payments for both "incidentals" ($500 pre-auth) and for the resort fees ($30 per night) were taken. I requested that the mini-bar refrigerator be emptied to avoid a charge Room I chose the Mantamar Backstage room and I received rm 317, whose view was an alleyway. The room's retro-futuristic style, included neon accents, stained glass and mesh inserts in the doors. The room had a king bed, large table, nightstands, a dresser, a wall unit w/ a sink, microwave and mini-fridge. The restroom has a water closet, safe, shower and two large storage drawers. However, the room does not have a closet, only a clothing rack. Atmosphere The whole property is pristine, down to wall art and the setup of the Eden Pool Deck - you definitely feel like you’re in an exclusive environment and we met several groups of very friendly guys. Food My friend who ate at the Top Sky Bar; he had a the breakfast sandwich with potatoes and salad. He indicated that it was tasty and fresh. Drinks I didn't drink on property, but I saw several interesting artisan drink additives (dried fruit, etc.). Friend #2 (see below) ordered a margarita b/c he's a lightweight - he noted that the drink was weak Gym/Spa The gym is probably less than 250 sq. feet; it has weights up to about 50 lbs., a couple pieces of cardio equipment. There is a small multi-workout machine, a couple incline benches and a kettle bell or two. There were towels and a stellar view of the Banderas Bay; gym opened at 8am Pool There is much said about the Eden Pool Deck and - it's a very serene environment with the infinity pool overlooking Mantamar and the Bay. I feel they could stand to amp the music a bit; one warning, the folding beach chairs on the Eden Pool Deck are free to use, however, the lounging beds which hold 2-4 people are $250 for the day Beach During my stay, all of the Mantamar chairs lining the beach were available but they were sparsely used; we never sat there because the "seen and be-seen" Mantamar vibe was not there since it was closed Wifi I had to work two of the days I was on vacation; if you are leading a Zoom meeting and need a stable connection, you may be out of luck; Using video and sound together seemed to cause frequent disconnections. Staff Every member of staff I personally experienced was very accommodating to me; anything I requested was normally done with one exception: I had to make three requests for an ironing board before I received one. Overall, I can attest to the fact that the staff listens and they respond. According to friend #1 below, he had a small issue with manager upon check-in, which I were due to glorified online room descriptions Summary of overall Experience The property owner(s) have successfully created a highly Instragrammable experience - however, small details are lost at times (WIFI, finishes/materials in the guestrooms). Noise from construction can be annoying, but luckily we were gone quite a bit I polled both of my friends and: **Person 1 (me): 8.5, based on the fab look of the property, friendly staff, attentiveness, views from the public areas of the coast, chill environment and friendly guests **Friend 1: 8.5, cleanliness of the property and styling of the guest quarters **Friend 2: 8, based on the quality of the breakfast, property cleanliness PROS: quiet b/c of Mantamar closure, very nice front desk personnel and housekeeping staff, styling of the guest quarters, pristine common areas CONS: daily construction noise (minimal), drinks were weak, Mantamar was closed, navigating the property and multiple elevators servicing different areas of the property, expensive Eden lounge beds, slow responses to some requests, inaccurate website room descriptions, inartful management...

The rooftop bar “The Top” Cool vibe, not busy on peak nights (at least 4th of July weekend). The bartenders are great and very friendly. Gerardo working the host stand is awesome. Gerardo is the reason I returned to "The Top" bar each night.

The concierge: Mariana. Love her! She’s been on the job for 1 month and truly takes pride in her work. She was able to set us up for a Timeshare presentation. She went above and beyond to cater to my friends birthday party that was to take place in two days at Mantamar. After providing her a budget, she went out and purchased balloons, a cake (the best cake ever!), party favors, decorations. Then she took the time (on her day off) to decorate the two cabanas at Mantamar. Truly knows how to WOW a guest.

The Sales and Marketing Manager: Claudia. On our first morning, we woke up to attend a timeshare presentation. I had my notes pad, pen, calculator ready to go into this with the intent to purchase a timeshare with Almar. We did not purchase. Claudia said to our group of 6, “why are you even here? You don’t seem interested.” I stated, “uhh…I’m very interested. We all woke up earlier than normal for this and I have a pen and paper ready to go to take notes.” Claudia stated, “I have been in this business for a long, long time, and people who take notes, or don’t make a decision after the presentation don’t purchase a timeshare.” That’s it…I mentally checked out. I still went through the 2-hour dog and pony show so I can get my 1,000 Peso credit. But I was no longer interested in a $24,000, 20-year timeshare. Not when the competition offers a better product for the value with a friendlier touch.

The Room: 5 months before arrival, we booked a one bedroom ocean view Jacuzzi suite with breakfast included. This room was to have a king bed, jacuzzi tub, balcony, dining table for 4, microwave, dual sinks. At the time of booking, we requested a high floor away from the elevator. The room was clean as expected upon entry. However, there was no microwave or dining table for 4. Furthermore, the jacuzzi tub would not hold water but rather slowly drain as the mechanism was broken. Lastly, although a request for a high floor away from the elevator was made 5 months prior to arrival, we were placed on the lowest guest room floor, smack dead in front of the elevator (you could imagine the loud volume from people at all hours of the night entering and exiting the elevator). Regarding breakfast included in the room: We were told that breakfast was not included in the reservation. I had to show the front desk the confirmation email that indicated breakfast included and they agreed and granted it. Sadly, once again, started to feel nickel and dimed.

Pros to Almar: 1) Location-If you’re a daily beach and pool-goer. However, can also be a con, see below 2) Room rate- expected rates in line with the market at any given time. 3) Some of the staff members like Gerardo and Mariana as mentioned above. 4) Views- From The Top bar or guest room that are beach facing. 5) Housekeeping- clean rooms with consistent quality.

Cons to Almar: 1) the feeling of being nickel and dimed; Extra charge for coffee in your room (50 Pesos per bag); Timeshare credit not on bill upon checkout, so had to ask; servers asking for more than 15% gratuity; breakfast was included in our reservation but wasn’t granted until we asked for it. 2) Noise- no insulation given the nature of concrete/brick construction; housekeepers begin work at 8 am and can easily hear noise adjacent/connected rooms; construction on Almar and nearby is way too loud. 3) Location- a solid ½ mile walk (up hills on cobblestone) to get to the main romantic zone and nightlife [shortcut if you don’t mind sand is to walk out of Almar toward Mantamar, and walk along the beach to the main pier and turn right). It’s flat, and you avoid the major hills. 4) Service- servers/bartenders don’t anticipate guest needs. So when you are ready to cash out, you have to chase/wave down…expect an average of 10-minute...

Almar Luxury Resort may have "luxury" in its name, but our experience was far from it. While the location is great and within easy walking distance of local bars and eateries, the check-in process was anything but luxurious, feeling more cheap and tacky.

My husband and I were greeted with a cocktail upon arrival, a nice gesture by the wait staff who were genuinely friendly and welcoming. However, the reception staff were not as accommodating. They spoke quickly and appeared evasive, almost as if to distract us from issues like hidden fees, an unfavorable exchange rate, and our "beach view" (Junior Suite Beach View) room actually being a "partial beach view." they told us to read the fine print. Additionally, they scanned and kept a copy of our passports, something I’ve never encountered in a true luxury hotel. It seemed sketchy and we asked them why that was necessary. They said it was required so we uncomfortably obliged.

The check-in process took a grueling 1.5 hours, and we were subjected to a 20-30 minute sales pitch for VIP access and spa services, even though we kept declining. They do not just hand you the keys. They tell you it's "a short orientation" but it's a solicitation. Finally, when we got to our Junior Suite with "ocean view," we discovered it was only a partial view (Junior Suite ocean view), and worse, the room smelled strongly of mold. When I mentioned it, I was told it was due to the humidity. I gave benefit of doubt.

Things didn’t improve from there. The following evening, after a long day our keycard stopped working. After several trips to the front desk and waiting over an hour, a staff member finally forced the door open. The room still reeked of mold, and the dehumidifier they sent up was noisy and ineffective. The next day, before we left for a day long excursion, we reminded them to fix the lock. When we returned, it still hadn’t been addressed.

The receptionist said they had not heard of anything and that they called the building manager. When the building manager got there he had a laptop saying he had never reset a door before and didn't even know how to turn the laptop on and had to charge it. We waited in the lobby 30 min, then he asked for my help bc hedidn't know how to connect to Wi-F. I helped him. He struggled another 20 min clicking around. Finally he said that the day manager would have to help. I went to the front desk again and they offered me an adjacent room to rest in while they worked on it. We accepted but realized once we were in the room, we didn't have any belongings or toiletries as they were locked in our room! We just laid down to nap. However, the room smelled like mold, although not as bad as our room. I was just anxious and wanted to brush my teeth. I waitied an hour and went to check in for an update. The front desk said that we could just sleep in the other room until morning. I told him we had zero belongings, phone chargers, and toiletries. My patience had run out and I was starting to become livid. It was ridiculous! After going back down again to explain we needed our things, another wait staff literally climbed the balcony to get into the room (scary) and opened the door.

In the morning we complained to management. We were finally moved to a top suite—beautiful, with a jacuzzi and a proper view, but it was our last day, making the upgrade feel too little, too late. (top floor doesn't smell like mold)

One other point: the showers were all clogged. The music selection felt very out of place. It was exclusively American circuit party music, catering primarily to a specific crowd, with no Latin music or local flavor. While I enjoy circuit music, it would’ve been nice to have a more inclusive vibe that celebrates Mexican culture. For anyone looking for that experience, this may feel like West Hollywood in Mexico rather than a true Puerto Vallarta escape.

In the end, I would not stay at Almar again. I’d rather invest in a real luxury Airbnb where I can enjoy my time, make my own strong drinks, swim at any hour, and experience the...