HOTELITO PATIO AZUL — Hotel in Jalisco

Attempted THEFT on the bill — check your receipt! 16.10.2025 @ 1500

I was the victim of an attempted theft at this restaurant. The male waiter in the hotel’s restaurant omitted my two coffees from the itemized check (40 MXN each = 80 MXN) and then presented a total of 370 MXN. The printed ticket only lists an omelet for 190 MXN; the correct total with the coffees should have been 270 MXN, not 370 MXN.

An unexplained 100 MXN was added — not authorized and not presented as a tip. The waiter approached me rudely and aggressively, insisting that I pay immediately because his shift was ending, while trying to justify the inflated amount instead of simply leaving the check. At that moment, I was on the phone with my mother for her birthday — a call that ended up being cut off because of his insistence.

When I questioned the charge, the waiter became defensive, and the manager allowed him to confront me directly, showing a total lack of managerial control — as if she had no authority or respect from her staff. As I walked away, I heard the front-desk staff laughing, which made it clear this was not an isolated incident and presumably a common practice by the fact they allowed the male waiter to stand there, directing comments at me when I was attempting to speak with a manager, which would never be tolerated in a professional environment.

In Mexico and elsewhere, this conduct fits the legal definitions of fraud, misappropriation, and abuse of trust. I reference these terms to describe the behavior and recommended action by the business owners against the employee. I am posting this so that other customers check their receipts carefully before paying.

Note to Management: This was not a billing error but a clear attempt at fraud and misappropriation, possibly also abuse of trust toward both the establishment and the customer. The employee tried to keep 100 MXN from my payment while simultaneously concealing 80 MXN worth of coffee sales that were never entered into the system — effectively harming both the customer and the restaurant.

Under Mexican criminal law, this behavior falls within the concepts of fraude and apropiación indebida in the Código Penal Federal, as it involves deception and unlawful economic gain at the expense of both the consumer and the employer.

I suggest management review this employee’s previous tickets and look for credit-card authorizations nearly double the printed total or bills missing beverage entries — the inconsistencies will be obvious. This type of conduct rarely happens only once. The only acceptable outcome is to terminate the employment of this employee, and I suggest you review previous tickets to determine if there is a case to bring a potential charge of criminal conduct.

—If I need direct contact information is provided in response, I’ll open to discussing directly if any further information is required to assist with your review.

—I intended to stay at this hotel tonight through the weekend and was going up to the front desk to reserve a room upon finishing my phone call. This was a very disturbing experience by a thief working at your hotel. To the credit of the very professional woman at the front desk, she immediately returned the 100 pesos to me and added the two coffees to the check, but it appears this type of action is tolerated by your manager, which didn’t appear to take any decisive action. Any other respectable environment, the employee would be immediately fired if not referred to the...

And just like that, a quick left turn out of the hustle and bustle of Conchas Chinas, leads you to the charming quiet solace of Patio Azul. The winding cobblestone roads and antiquated street lamps remind you of what Puerto Vallarta may have been like many years ago. The boutique hotel is beautifully decorated. The staff was immediately so helpful and welcoming. The hotel is situated up a hill and is vertical in design which would not be suitable for anyone who has problems climbing stairs. The room had an excellent view of the ocean and we were able to see whales breaching in the distance. The bedding was very comfortable and the A/C worked great which were MUST haves for our vacation. The room advertised a hair dryer but didn’t have one so we had to call for that but the internet worked great. We stayed in the first day and enjoyed drinks and lunch at the pool where the service was slow, but great. There was plenty of shade and sun. |There were a few downsides that spoiled our stay. For example , was “ fitness center”. The elliptical machine was not only inop, it was in shambles. The screen had fallen off and screws were in the cup holder and it had no electricity with the wiring sticking out of the bottom. The floor in the room was filthy. The free weights and bench were in working order but a cardio option would have been desired. The spa was about $20 more than the local|Massage spot 15 min away so we didn’t use it and the little pool there was pretty sketchy. |The biggest disappointment was the restaurant! We are used to traveling on “island time”, but the food and service was beyond slow. (Besides the lunch service ) Our last night, we were worn out from an all-day excursion and sat down for dinner. After waiting almost an hour after we ordered (which took 20|Min to even get anyone to pay attention ) and having glass of wine, we got up|And left. Thankfully we had some snacks in our room. The staff was very nice and obviously something had gone amiss. But we were one of 3 couples that walked off. |Also the entire time we were at the hotel, we had no hot water. One day the water was lukewarm but mostly cold. I love|A cold shower but my husband found it intolerable. The sink also had a very slow drain. |Our room was so quiet and comfortable but the experience with the shower, the restaurant, and the fitness center altered our recommendation. In hindsight, I would have stayed somewhere with a reliable restaurant and a true fitness center...

We had an okay experience at Patio Azul that could have been amazing with better service and hospitality. The view of the bay is spectacular and the hotel’s design (furnishings, decoration, installations) is world class and totally unique. The problem was the food and everything related to it. The restaurant is called “The Lottery” for good reason: you don’t know what you’re getting and you almost always lose. Our first night they neglected to tell us beforehand that there would be no dining service that evening, so we had few options given the remote location. We wound up ordering a pizza that the concierge arranged and it was very overpriced ($600 pesos) and not good. We had breakfast at the hotel the next morning and it was very disappointing. Ingredients were not fresh, poor quality, tasteless and overpriced. Plates were missing elements that were supposedly included. We ordered a capuchino which they had no idea how to prepare and the coffee instead they offered was lousy. We gave them another chance at breakfast the next morning, ordered more typically Mexican dishes (chilaquiles) and again, it was disgusting, almost inedible. The icing on the cake was at checkout. The bill seemed high so I asked why we were charged $440 pesos (22 USD) for two small glasses of sparkling water. The manager reluctantly admitted it was a mistake but seemed to think we were lying, made no apology, didn’t ask how our stay was. She agreed to lower the price to $110 (5.50 USD) per water, saying “that’s the best I can do”. It was really unpleasant and left us with a very negative impression of an otherwise amazing hotel. My recommendation is that they get a different chef (Puerto Vallarta is full of amazing chefs) and hire some more professional administrators in line with the high cost...