Marival Armony Luxury Resort and World Spa — Hotel in Nayarit

First I was confused about this place since I also saw it referred to as Marival Armony, but it turned out that Rancho Banderas is the original resort from years ago and now kept as a separate tower of its own (tower or building #5) even though it's part of the resort which from what I heard were new hotel rooms. From the outside they did a good job blending the new with the original but from the inside it appears that the Rancho Banderas units which are suites with kitchens seemed to be neglected as they're in need of update and maintenance. So don't get this confused with the 5 star rating the rest of the property gets. Also unlike the other buildings Rancho Banderas has no elevators. It was mentioned in my Interval small print but I called the resort to confirm and was told all their buildings have elevators so the receptionist must not have been thinking about building 5. Even though it's the older building, I think its location is best on the resort since it's closest to the beach.||Even being farthest from Puerto Vallarta I'd ever stayed at, from the confusion I thought it would be a great experience since it seems as a place to stay for relaxation and wellness being sort of secluded from the busy tourist areas. Knowing this distance from the city, from the airport we decided to first stop at a local supermarket to pickup our drinks and snacks before check-in. The worst part of the drive in was the last couple of miles off the highway making our way to the resort driveway. It seems they should invest in filling the potholes all over that road to make it more comfortable for guests as they come and go from the property. We chose rideshare to get around spending our time away mostly at the small town of Punta De Mita about 25 minutes away. ||Check-in was prompt and shortly we got to our room 5311 feeling sorry for the bell boys who carried our luggage and groceries without help of an elevator to get to the 3rd floor. First thing to put away were the drinks to get them cold to enjoy later in the day. After about an hour the refrigerator was still at room temperature prompting a phone call to the front desk. About an hour later maintenance had arrived and confirmed the problem saying they would return to replace the refrigerator with another. I then had to unload all the groceries from the refrigerator and waited until the replacement came, then I had to reload that refrigerator. ||During that wait I noticed certain items in the unit that seemed to be of age and/or just neglected such as the light bulb over the toilet just dangling from its wire, none of the bathroom sink cabinets would open as they appeared cracked and held in place with screws, the kitchen sink counter seems to have had a fixture that was removed so now there was just a hole on the counter, the shower's soap holder was missing a tray and the metal had turned dark green, the showerhead was so old with some of its holes clogged that the spray was in multiple directions, and the bedroom door would have difficulty opening/closing since the bottom was rubbing so much against the floor. Then later when it came time to shower the hot water was not getting hot prompting another call to the front desk. They said they would send maintenance next day at 9am but no one showed up. We placed a call again basically reminding what we were told. By 10am thy arrived and ran the water demonstrating to get the hot water to come out meant first either turning on the hot water at the kitchen and bathroom sinks first, or just let the shower's hot water handle be left on for about 5 minutes which of course was a waste for either option.||The first evening my son and wife had the buffet dinner that was setup in the middle of the resort's path between the lobby and main pool. I had come to join them after the refrigerator replacement but was told I shouldn't since the food was very disappointing. They described how nice the food looked but the taste didn't match and my wife complained that with the various meat options there were no potatoes or rice selections available. So for me I went straight to the Blend bar restaurant were I had pizza for dinner. The food there was tasty but the menu was small and so were the portions since it's more intended as bar food. We had eaten at Blend for a few more occasions usually late at night when we were also there for drinks. We had also eaten at Essence once and twice at La Brise for their breakfast buffet which was delicious with variety. There was also Insu which was a bar lounge on the top floor of the building above Blend, but we were only there for billiards since there were a number of pool tables there. The balance of our meals were outside the resort.||A great part about staying at the resort is their entertainment. During the day they had either live music performance or a DJ at the main pool, then on some nights they had evening performances in the courtyard, DJ or live music at Blend. There were also guest activities such as bingo, black jack, painting/sculpture, etc. The walks from one end of the resort to the other was always nice in that there were basically 2 paths surrounded by lush tropical vegetation and palm trees. Some of the plants looked like they could be healthier since their leaves were yellowish or brown. Usually there was soothing music playing from hidden speakers. One evening the entertainment was a large Dia de los Muertos character (about 10 foot tall) moving around the audience and a fire dance show that followed. I was on my way to Insu walking on the path behind the seated audience when that character walked through the aisle between the audience and came towards me keeping me from moving forward. So with the music playing I went along with the show and started dancing when that character leaned forward and its head had come off hitting me in the head. I had to have a bag of ice on my head the rest of that evening to avoid swelling. I made it to Insu then my family and I went to watch the fire show which was top notch (about the same or better than the fire show at Rhythms of The Night we paid to watch later in the week). ||The pools, most specially the large main one with the infiniti pool was a thing of beauty how it blends in looking like it's attached to the ocean. The beach was also nice in that there was a long stretch of coast with hardly anyone so just the sounds of the waves and ocean breeze gave feeling of tranquility. With the issues we had with our unit we got at check-in, we were given the opportunity to move to another in the same building which had a spectacular view of the beach from its large balcony. We enjoyed having our morning coffee each day at that balcony and watching the few people get their morning run on the firm sand closer to the water. At the beach they had a building where they had items for beach use available to guests, and the staff would also place beach lounge chairs, tables and umbrellas there. ||The resort's gym located below the spa lobby was just the right size with the right equipment. My son and I spent every starting morning there which really came into good use for my need to stretch my back to start each day. They also offered yoga and other wellness type classes. One morning I had seen a staff member training a guest to work a paddle surfboard in the main pool.||Even though things didn't start well considering the problems with the first unit we were given then suffering a concussion, the rest of our stay at the resort went well. Given its location we spent most our time outside visiting the towns of Punta De Mita, La Crus, Bucerias and Sayulita, all of which were still a distance adding up on transportation costs but worth it for the time we were there to see the sites. ||Names of staff members who were helpful to us is first the manager of Blend bar lounge Leonardo. He was so kind and attentive to us and had a good ear for listening or just having a conversation with. Also there was Daniel at Blend who served us most of the time we were there. Then there was Oliver who is the entertainment manager who was friendly and seemed to always be walking about making sure guests were enjoying. On blackjack night he was the DJ while our card dealer kept the fun going. Lotte (I believe how his name was spelled) is the tall host at Essence who was very friendly and smiling throughout. Then at the lobby there was the concierge Sergio then Daniella and Victor at check-in/front desk. Day or night the staff members throughout were friendly to greet with a buenos dias, buenos tardes or buenos noches. The least friendly seemed to be those at the front desk most notably one whose name starts with an "S" that didn't smile and was so unhelpful as if she didn't enjoy being there.||Overall a great resort but be aware of these expectations. I almost thought I should post this review with Marival Armony in case others go there to look for info when they should be looking at...

My wife and I stayed here from 4/14/25-4/18/25.

The resort was extremely nice and it is only 6 years old, so all is still very new and contemporary.

The pros- Food was excellent at the ala carte restaurants and the buffet as well. The buffet had made to order omelets, hamburgers, tacos and a ton of other options. It is also at a great location between the side of the pool and the beach. They had a few pools, but the main pool had a swim up pool bar, it was large, infinity edge and a great view of the ocean. Lounge chairs at the pool were padded, comfy and each pair of loungers had an umbrella (this is an anomaly at most resorts). Pool service was always on point, fast, food and drinks were all great. The restaurants were all both exceptional with the food, service and ambiance. Spa was excellent in all categories you'd expect. Gym was large and had all you'd expect, plus things you wouldn't expect like a Pilates reformer. Beach- extremely nice, water was only set back about 150 feet from the edge of the resort (it is a 1/4 mile walk if you stay in Puerto Vallarta), it was all sand, no rocks and the surf break was very mild, so very swimmable. Grounds were very well maintained. Room service was the same caliber of food and service as the ala carte restaurants. Rooms were massive (we had a 1 bedrooms suite), well laid out and the bed was very comfortable.

Cons- Our room 2301 was directly below the rooftop restaurant. Anytime a dining room chair was slid upstairs, the sound would resonate through entire room to the point of where it would wake you up if sleeping. I cannot stress how loud it was and how the sound somehow perfectly transferred through the block walls like a tuning fork, into all of our room. Not many food options. Although the food was amazing, there were only 2 ala carte restaurants to eat at for dinner and the buffet was closed. The buffet was open on the weekends (when we didn't stay) and I am guessing that the buffet would be open every night if they were busy, but it was closed at night while we were there. Location is great for the amenities, but if you want to do anything or go anywhere, then you are very far off of the beaten path. You are looking to walk somewhere for shopping, dining or activities, then it is not going to happen. The rack rate prices- Although the resort is nice, very nice, I would never pay their posted rack rates of $550 a night or whatever they are. In the US, yes the price would be astounding for this type of resort, but in Mexico they are just all too common.

Timeshare/vacation club/residence club sale presentation- Unless you are paying the full rack rate, then you are likely committed to attending a sales presentation. Unless you are strong willed at saying no, then good luck. They are all the same, in that they will start with you eating breakfast or lunch, the salesperson will be attractive, complementary and relatable. They will ask you all types of innocent sounding questions during your meal, but they are all based on how to sell you their product an hour later. You will be walked through the resort, they will show you the 1 bedroom suite and eventually end up at the rooftop lounge with your seats facing the ocean view. They will explain that they aren't selling you a timeshare "Oh God no, those are horrible", but rather a way for you to pre-pay for your vacations at a very reduced rate. From there, it is a combination of every sales tactic in the world, there will always be a rebuttal to anything you have to refute what you have to say and all else. It will start with one offer, but then they can cut it down to this offer. OK, OK, we will bring it down to this price, no interest and also throw in all of these extras. If you get to this point and still say now, then they will offer you one last loss leader offer that admittedly it a great deal, but we still passed. It was for like $3,500, it included 3 years of 7-10 day trips, plus an additional 4 night trips. It was a great offer, but I just...

Today is our first day at resort and all me and my girlfriend can think of is getting a refund and going home, not exactly what you want to think about on vacation. First off the place is under heavy construction, half the place is shut down and not accessible, and also lots of noise anywhere you go from construction, its prided as nature and tranquility. The complete opposite of the experience we are having so far. But that can be a little understandable, we booked opening week when it was suppose to be officially done, but it wasnt. You would think because of that it woukd be required ro compensate the guests due to that. Now next thing is this is advertised as an all inclusive and a luxury one, it has 2 restaurants. 1 is a buffet and has next to no options, it had 1 beef, 2 fish, 1 vegetable, and rice options. Like nothing to choose from, its like if you were to go to a hotel and rent out a room with some food, those little hot plate things you get your food out of, there is a few of those, some fruit and vegtables, and some dessert, thats it. We didnt like anything there, so we decided to go check out the sit down restaurant, as we are told its included, but when we sit down we are greeted with menus that cost for everything and not cheap either. The restaurant is not included and cost the entire time. So as a all inclusive you get 1 restaurant to choose from and it has next to no options and its not very good. Service is not top notch either and the worse of any resort we have stayed at for all inclusive. For example, we sat down to eat and the waiter only talked to me about what i wanted to drink and ignored my girlfriend and she was left without a drink. You always ask the lady first and definately dont skip her. Second time we went we were not approached at all for drinks and spent 5 minutes trying to wave down someone with no response u til finally someone came and took our order. Third time my girlfriend ordered a mojito and it never came and we just walked out as my girlfriend was done eating already and had nothing to drink. The cost of this place puts it up in the higher end to visit yet never have we had service or food or experience in general half as bad as this as we stay at a lot of all inclusive resorts. If it were our choice we would just take a refund and go home.

UPDATE Second day in, we thought it couldnt get worse than first day but were proven wrong.

The pictures of the gym are FAKE the real gym is 2 hotel rooms put together with like 5 pieces of equipment in it and called a gym and it closes at 7pm, had none of the equipment needed for us to do our workputs on this trip for our 90 day challenge so ruined our challenge that we paid a few hundred to participate in with strict guidelines to follow.

The pictures of the spa? FAKE as well, the spa is 1 hotel room turned into a spa and nothing like the photos either.

The resort inquired so many complaints since we got here (we came in a group of 400 people and havent talked to a happy person yet of this experience) they seemed to open up the second restaurant for us for free, the same one the first night they tried charging us for, so i think they realized they messed up on that part and opened it.

But our experience was terrible there, it took 1.5 hours to get our food. We ordered a shrimp pasta for me and a steak medium well with potatoes for my girlfriend and 2 salads. No salads came, my girlfriends steak was rare, and no potatoes on her plate, the shrimp pasta was so salty it was near unedible (this was coming from my girlfriend who puts salt on her mcdonalds fries, so it wasnt being picky) and the salads never came. Mind you this is after 1.5 hour wait. We told them the salads never came, so they went to go get them they said, again, never came. Now we were almost done woth our meals, no follow up from waiter at all, and empty glasses. (Ran out of room for review, it...