Friendly Fun Vallarta Difference Experiences

It is geared to younger guests.
Yet there were a lot of retired people there
Wanting to rest and relax but they blasted techno music full blast. The owners need to Read the room. See who their clients are.The lounge beds were all reserved by guest by 8 am. Why should we have to get up early just to be able to get a chair. Food was repetitious.. never hot. We were first to go in for buffet lunch opening and food was already cold.
Half the time restaurants closed need signage
With hours.
Need to label the food as we didnt know what we were eating half the time. Whether fish or chicken. Tables half wiped. Pizza bar no gloves bare hands handing out cold pizza and wiping his nose.
More concerned about helping the co workers set up cooking class.The drink service was great. No shows at all.
Entertainment was bingo or cooking classes
There was conventions going on and day guests allowed.
So pool full on weekends.
Rooms clean beds good. A bit dated.
Highlight was over 100 bats flying over balcony from roof top resting above us.
Listened to hotel next door fans for cooking.
The owner needs to go incognito live there for 2 weeks.
Will not go back. [Details]

Horrible, old and run down with lack of maintenance makes this place that much undesirable.
Find food outside of resort well $ spent.
Never again here [Details]

It was as expected 3.5 stars in my opinion. [Details]

Friendly Fun Vallarta was incredible! Front desk made everything so easy and welcoming as it should be. Daniel was always smiling and ready to help with anything we needed.
The room was pleasant, they gave us an extra rollaway bed because we were 3, the view from our balcony was fantastic....Oceanview and pool view. Unfortunately we ended up in a room with an adjoining door that we could hear the neighbors very clearly. They did offer to move us but we decided to give it another day and the people settled down.
Loved that they had 2 adult pools and they were always warm. Tons of loungers and lounge beds, if we didn't get a spot by the pool, there was always several by the ocean and the beach was fabulous. Two buffet restaurants always had so many things to choose from and the wait staff were on their game. The food at the ala carts were a little disappointing by comparison. There was music playing almost constantly but it was not loud or obtrusive, just subtlety playing in the background, such as a Celloist played on our last day on the beach, so relaxing.
Our transportation back to the airport wasn't until 4:30 and check out is noon, so they held our luggage in a safe room and let us keep our wrist bands to enjoy the amenities till our departure and also let us use the Spa to freshen up before we left. [Details]

Well out of 3 years this was our worst year.all the music for the 21 days we were there was Spanish and there is absolutely no entertainment, there's nothing to do. The loungers suck, they are awful. Food was always cold, the hottest thing was sometimes the soup.. I have never before seen so many Mexican kids running and screaming for hours, even had to call down to the front desk at 11.30 at night cause we couldn't go to sleep, it was awful. The only person that helped us with anything was Jorgie at the front desk, he was just awesome to us. Also no one speaks English so they don't no what you are talking about. I truly think this is our last time to friendlys it's really sad how the place has changed. [Details]

This was a last minute booking. We booked 2 rooms with hopes that the 2nd room would be nearby or could be adjoining for our older children(16 & 18). The staff were very accommodating and provided us with a suite that met our needs.
The resort seems to cater to the 60 or families with young children (maybe just during the time we travelled during February break?).
There are no specialty restaurants on site so no formal dress code for dinners but food was the same daily. There is a Food Park within 5 min walking distance from the resort.
Seating around pool and on beach was limited. People were reserving their seats before 7am while we were there, even with signs posted not to reserve before 8am. There was a constant stream of local vendors, staff were vigilant about getting rid of them if on resort property.
Staff were friendly and attentive. Drinks were cold and good. [Details]

Enjoyed everything about it. A good flow from hotel to beach. Easy access to bars and restaurants. Good entertainment at night. Top notch musicians. The hotel has a comfortable and authentic Mexican atmosphere. [Details]

It was our first time at Friendly and we were not sure what to expect and we were presently surprised.. Excellent locations, beach, and great adult-only pool that is heated and warm. Morning yoga and sound healing, very good quality drink and food. Could use a bit more food choices. Mostly seniors, but lovely entertainment with DJ, live band, etc [Details]

The staff are amazing
The food was so so cold always the same no a la carts
Hard to know what it was need signs beside the food so we know what we are eating
Rooms were ok beds and pillows very hard
Loved our maid service always cleaned up our room nicely and amazing towel art
No shows or night activities at the resort [Details]

The hotel staff was very friendly and helpful. The food was satisfactory and many restaurants to choose from. The coffee bar and ice cream bar was very nice to have at our fingertips. Our room was a little disappointing. The shower leaked and so did the walls when it rained. The air conditioning made everything feel damp all the time. If the room was better I would definitely stay here again. More of an old timers resort but plenty of activities to do daily [Details]

This is the 3rd time I stayed at this hotel and I'm very pleased every year I stayed their I requested a room change and 2 days later I had one I highly recommend this hotel [Details]

very relaxing and enjoyable holiday [Details]

Fantastic experience. Very friendly and helpful staff. Always someone available to help! [Details]

This is our eight year at the Friendly our home away from home and we were so disappointed with the Spring Breakers. They were spitting in the pools,spilling their drinks in the pools, using fowl language and took over the whole new hot tub all day long. It was noisy and not relaxing at all. Otherwise the food, rooms and service were awesome as usual. Sure hope this does not happen every year in March or will have to stop coming unfortunately. Thank you [Details]

My experience was great! The staff are wonderful, hard-working and very friendly! They make an extra effort to ensure visitors have an enjoyable vacation. The whole resort is kept extremely clean and comfortable. I would and have recommended this resort to everyone I know. There were a few staff members who went above and beyond and I plan on returning as soon as possible! [Details]

My wife and I really enjoyed our time. We did as little or as much as we felt like on any given day. The entire staff was friendly and welcoming. We would and have already, recommended this Hotel to friends. [Details]

Wonderful , very pleasant, clean [Details]

Very cute, clean hotel with excellent staff. The only frustrating part was not being able to ever get a chair or lounger near the pool. Signs in one location stated NO SAVING, another sign said first come first served. There are a lot of places to sit, if you get to them by 6:00 in the morning. Good food, and activities for all ages. [Details]

Great staff..food was ok..older hotel but with some good renos including new pool and washrooms Would recommend [Details]

Friendly - Great Staff. On the last 2 days they started some construction which was disappointing as it took at least 5 palm trees out that created some nice shade at the beach. Not sure what they were doing but I think the money should have been going into the rooms and not the beach. [Details]

The staff at this resort live up to the name but I'm not sure if that carries it pass a 5 out of 10 rating. The food was marginal. An attempt at American fare with pasta, lots of meat, pizza and limited salad bar. What was missing was MEXICAN FOOD! There was a language barrier to some degree with employees from the front desk to the ones in the eating facilities. The rooms were adequate. Clean but very old and very much showing wear. The plumbing fixtures were from the 60's and water ran everywhere. The tub was held together with duct tape and silicon! I
would have a hard time recommending it to anyone as I feel one could get a much better resort for the same or a little bit more cost. Puerto Vallarta is not the cleanest town on the west coast as well and although the weather was very nice I will look elsewhere for my next vacation. [Details]

The staff are ready and willing to help with anything.Hotel is clean and modern but the rooms are older style . [Details]

Second stay at this marvellous resort!Wonderful staff, food, refreshments, and nightly entertainment, especially the Mariachi Band every Monday evening in the newly renovated lobby! Lovely pools, beach, with service on beach, from lounge chair setup to drinks and food! 5 star! Koodos to Pakko and entertainment staff! Our room had an awesome view of ocean and PV! Love, love this resort! Surprise cookouts on the beach (seafood, barbeque meats etc.) and Beach Party Fiesta style one night that was unbelieveable! [Details]

Was there in Feb 2016 really appreciated the non smoking lobby/bar pools rooms restraunts staff were delightful & helpful especially the event staff & front desk staff enjoyed adult hot tubs & pools was there for 2 weeks enjoyed all events at hotel will definitely go back next year [Details]

My stay was excellent. Excellent location, excellent staff, excellent food, my room was clean, I ran into lots of Canadaians and very few Americans (bonus!) Easy fast direct flight from Victoria, Good service from Transat rep at the hotel. Danced all night at a beach party. Good times! [Details]

when I went the furniture was tired and very dirty in the lobby. Now the furniture has been changed but I worry the same lack of cleanliness will continue. The beds are brand new and many room upgrades. Food was good (Seafood bisque) but they washed our dishes out back in a bucket of water at the bar. [Details]

This was our 2nd vacation at this resort and it continues to improve and impress.
We traveled with another couple and had an excellent time. We kayaked, played water volleyball, the simple games located on the beach. Our friends did yoga and bracelet classes. Never did we not have something to do. The rooms where perfect for our needs. The new soft mattresses were a pleasure for comfort over last year. The food was amazing. Special requests are promptly made no worries. All smiles from all the staff always and everywhere.
This resort is becoming more popular year after year because it has 5 star service at 4 star price. [Details]

The hotel is not new, and the rooms could use some small details for repairs, but for me it suited the need to sleep, bath and store my things very well. All of the staff lived up to the name, Friendly. Everyone attended to my needs and requests with great enthusiasm. I was treated very well all of the time. [Details]

As always we had 2 great weeks at the Friendly Vallarta. The staff are so great and always soooo happy. The food, service, rooms and staff are all great. We have stayed many times and will absolutely be coming back. [Details]

The staff was outstanding. Service excellent, particularly the food staff and recreational staff. Kerrie is wonderful!! Either there should be more NON smoking areas or the no smoking areas need to be enforced. The lobby is a smoke pit in the evening. The March 3 beach band was AMAZING. you're doing it right by having more than one eating establishment open when there are shows on. Other than the smoke problem, everything was great! [Details]