Samba Vallarta

Samba Vallarta is a smal resort so getting everywhere is very quick. There isn't the glitz and glamour that you will find at the newer, bigger resorts;which we were trying to avoid and why we chose to come here.
The beach is as beautiful as described in all the reviews; soft sand, surprisingly warm ocean water and the waves were small.
We never had to stress about getting up early to save a lounge chair, there were always plenty available under the palaypa covers. The bonus was the small bar that would be setup on the beach so you didn't have to walk far to get a drink.
We had upgraded rooms with balconies, very spacious and comfortable; lots of hot water and great water pressure.
The buffet food was excellent, the best mashed potatoes ever!
We never tried the restaurants
The grounds are beautiful
The pool was large and there is a great area for children in it with a pirate ship that has a slide.
Lots of activities if that's what you are looking for; pool tables, ping pong, shuffleboard, yoga, aqua exercise and much more.
They also have bike tours or you can borrow a bike and helmet at no cost if you want to explore on your own.
Bucerías and the mega grocery stores are all less than a hour walk away. A very safe and comfortable walk, we went to both.
Thank you to Bernardo, the concierge and Alejandro, Carlos, Salvador and Cele in the buffet for the excellent service. All of you helped make our stay very enjoyable.
We will be back [Details]

Hotel Staff friendly
Rooms and food need to be updated
All and all a nice place to stay with family [Details]

We enjoyed our time at this resort. Spent a lot of time on the beach and often saw whales breaching. Bucerias is within walking distance if you are in good shape, otherwise, taxis are reasonable - 140 pesos. Most of the evening entertainment was good, including the band that plays once a week at the poolside. The DJ music by the pool was good until the afternoon which became more suited to adolescents rather than seniors and families which seemed to be most of the clientele. Would have been nice to hear some Mexican music instead of the disco type, constant beat which got quite irritating. The concierge was very helpful with a medical issue that we had. Bruno in the lobby bar gave excellent service. [Details]

A very positive experience with 10 family members. Good value for the $$ [Details]

I don't think i'll re-visit Samba cause the hotel is aging (i felt like the hotel hasn't renovate for at least 15 years) i'm a pescatarian but they don't have a lots of seafood selection, it's only one kind of fish throughout my whole trip (kinda boring), no ice cream, yes, i can't believe they don't provide ice cream, the other things that really annoys me is the dolly of the room service is making tons of noises early in the morning, my girlfriend didn't go to the swimming pool because she prefer without the kids horse around at the pool...unlike Krystal grand Vallarta that we visit 3 months ago, the have a pool for everyone and one swimming pool is for adults only, she really like this idea!, last but not least, the convenience store charge me almost Can19 dollars for a tablet of chocolate which we can get one from Canada for only 3-4 dollars! [Details]

Loved the feel of the smaller resort! Kind, caring staff. My kids loved the kids club. It had crafts galore, video games/ TV's, organized activities. Short walk to everything, buffet, pools, beach. Entertainment was great and varied. Easy to get loungers and even the cabana beds if you got out to the pool before 9ish ( cant reserve them or leave stuff early in the morning and come back hours later after prepping for the day). Food was good, We aren't picky and always found things we enjoyed eating.
** not the place to go and party late into the night [Details]

Comfortable Beach incredible Food good,Mexican restaurant,waiter,Jose served us royally.Lupita cleaned room joyfulsmile Gabriel,Alfredo,Salvador
bars/Antonio bellboy,Bernardo guest
concierge, all very helpful [Details]

Honestly, the people were amazing and extremely friendly. The only thing is that the pictures do not match the experience of the actual hotel. It's older, and while they have done some updates, it is still in need of repairs. The food was awful.... I ended up getting very sick and ended up eating the rest of my meals off the resort due to horrible food.
Warning: since it is an older hotel, there is NO sound proofing. So get ready to be woken up by loud neighbors at 12am, or a crying baby.
If you want a restful, relaxing trip with good food - DO NOT book at this hotel. [Details]

Booked a Superior Room which wasn't available upon check in ! Had to spend the night in a room on the 1st floor, facing the parking lot and the sliding glass door had been compromised and no longer closed! The room smelled strongly of mold. Awake all night and up early to wait in the lobby until the manager arrived @ 9:30(ish) to approve a different room - the new room was on the 4th floor - still facing south but a good view of the Riu next door which was kind of entertaining. No bathtub and the room also smelled vaguely of mold and the sliding glass door didn't close properly. This hotel is probably great for families but not so much for older singles as there really is no adult focused entertainment. Made for early nights watching my own Netflix account via the large TV. WIFI was hit and miss and extremely slow - it was good very early in the a.m. (6 - 9). I really think they would benefit from a chef consult as the food is lacking a variety of spices which made the other cultural dishes that were served a sad attempt, also the beef there is nothing like what we have in Canada. Nowhere to be found was good old fashioned tortilla chips and guacamole - no guacamole! Fried eggs by Lorena were good although after 2 days she decided I only needed 2 eggs and not my usual 3 - bacon was ok but odd - possibly deep fried but tough texture and form and not anything like bacon in Canada. After the first day the coffee packages for in the room costs 20 pesos. [Details]

It's a small but pretty nice resort. Very good for family. I would give 4.5 out 5 because the building is old and has mold smell. Other than that, the service is good, food is excellent, and staff are very kind. I would give a shout to doorman Antonio who provided us very detailed information how to use public transit to downtown, as well as the cafeteria staff Alex who always provides excellent service. [Details]

Everything about it was perfect. It is small, which makes it so convenient. Food in the main restaurant was plentiful and there were always many excellent options. The desserts were excellent, which I did not expect in Mexico. The staff went out of their way to make the stay memorable. Bucerias is a short 30-minute walk. Great, relaxing vacation. [Details]

I have been to many resorts and this one was phenomenal! The service was great! Everyone was so kind, and friendly, and helpful. It was just me and my husband this time but we both agreed that the next trip we are bringing our children, the amenities looked perfect for children and they would have had a great time. If you are wondering where to go for your next trip to Mexico I would highly recommend going here!!! [Details]

We loved our week at the Samba... paid for an upgrade to a room with balcony (I recommend that!) and enjoyed sitting out on it, 2nd floor, watching families, resident iguanas and birds. As seniors, we needed some down time :-) People working there were very friendly and helpful both in the buffet restaurant and around the property. They made us feel special... it helped that it was a small property. This is not a party resort and it seemed very popular with young families. Excellent pool! The room was in need of a serious facelift, especially the bathroom, but it was all clean, there was hot water and the beds were comfortable.
Easy to hop a bus and go into PV. Also a new walking/biking trail to Bucerias that starts at the end of Cocoteras (maybe 5km each way?) [Details]

This hotel was exactly what we were looking for in a vacation. :) The beds were comfortable, a very important issue for us. We also wanted a quiet resort, not a party resort. We wanted to rest and find relaxation from our stressful life and that is what Samba provided for us. The food was excellent, the staff friendly and the beach and pool were the intimate size we wanted. [Details]

My experience was mixed. Hotel was good despite being dated and a muggy smell. The service and overall person experience was greatly lacking. There food is not very good. Disgusting at most times. They would put pork in everything. The food labels say beef or something but you find pieces of bacon. I chose an all inclusive resort so that I would have people who spoke English to help me at the hotel. No one spoke English and navigating the service at the hotel was very difficult. I found many of the front desk people very rude. I don't recommend this place if you have food allergies or don't speak Spanish. And don't take off bracelet just before checkout. They have to cut it off or they will try to charge you extra money. [Details]

This was a great spring break away. Samba is a wonderful place to stay, the staff and guest were very friendly. [Details]

The hotel was dark and barely a light on in the main lobby when we arrived. Had requested a king bed and a balcony. We were the only couple out of 5 rooms that had been requested and the only room to not receive a balcony. The manager tried charging an additional $50 American for us to change to a room with a balcony. The room was very dated and the washroom was in dire need of an upgrade. Facet able to be turned around and taps on sink and shower constantly leaking and toilet constantly running. At an all-inclusive resort, we had to purchase water. Our room fridge on day one was filled with two beers, two pops and two waters. For the rest of the week we did not see any further beer and only two other waters. Quite often there was not one bar open at the resort. [Details]

The building is old and not good maintained. The rooms are not impressive and lack some basic features and amenities (We stayed at 2 rooms and upper floor one was a little bit better)
The way they wash the cups and dishes not hygienic...

In total we had a good and relaxing time. [Details]

Small resort, super nice landscape, great for kids to play, the building is old but have a great potential with some investments. Very nice stuff, the food could be better. The beach is a little bit neglected. Lot of very nice locals. [Details]

Small resort, super nice landscape, great for kids to play, the building is old but have a great potential with some investments. Very nice stuff, the food could be better. The beach is a little bit neglected. Lot of very nice locals. [Details]

This resort has lots of potential but could be so much more.
The outdoor aesthetics, looks, grounds, pools, beach, resort size, location are all great and for the most part the food was acceptable.
The overall service was good, with some aspects being great and other parts poor.
The room experience to say the least was disappointing. Very poor condition overall, but the 2 we stayed in did have nice views.
The first room was very dated, which was fine and I expected that in an older hotel. It was clean, but the A/C wasn't working and it just blew hot air. Things break and I can accept that, but it did make for an uncomfortable sleep. I mentioned it to the desk and they tried to repair but had to move us to a different room the next day.
The first thing I noticed in the 2nd room was it was nice and chilled. Yeah the A/C works! Then I realized the the counter at the entrance with the sink and bar fridge was missing and a poor wall patch in its place. There was a bar fridge but it was just sitting on an end table in the spot where the sink and counter should be. Then I went to plug in a USB charger and two outlets in the room weren't working. Then I went to put stuff away in the washroom and a section of the vanity counter was missing and no space to place toiletries in the washroom.
It was then I went to adjust the A/C because the room was getting very cold (Temp app on my phone had it at 16c) and discovered neither the temp setting or the fan speed on the thermostat was working and it was at max speed and max cold with no way to adjust.
I didn't want to seem like a whiner, but honestly this isn't what I paid for, so I went back to desk and mentioned my concerns. They told me they would take care of it, but nothing happened the last 7 days of our visit and I just lost faith in them after that. We opened the patio door to adjust the room temp. It worked kind of, but you shouldn't have too. We didn't spend much time in our room except to clean up and sleep so we made it work, but I was very disappointed in the lack of effort to solve the issue and provide what I paid for.
Dining service was good, not great, but acceptable. The pool staff and bar tenders and servers were terrific.
Absolutely fantastic beach and had a great beach massage as well.
Overall we had a good time and enjoyed the stay, but the first 3 days put a damper on it for me.
We've stayed at many of the big popular resorts, but last year we changed and tried a small older one closer to PV and it was wonderful. We thought we'd try another one this year and it didn't come close to matching up in expectations. Too bad because it could be so much more. It's just not there yet.
This could be an incredible resort with some work, but until that happens we wont be back. [Details]

Our stay at Samba Vallarta was good, maybe not worth the price we paid though. The resort is small, which was great for us as a family with two young children (and we traveled with extended family as well). It was easy to get from point A to B without much walking.
The kiddie pool was perfect for my kids (1 and 3 years old), beach was nice, food at the buffet was fine (a la carte restaurants were better, which is to be expected). The staff here were great, especially Salvador! Everyone was so kind to us and our kids.

Keep in mind though, that it is a 3.5 star hotel which shows in the condition of the resort. I would actually give it 3 stars, Rooms are a little run down (we had tears in our blinds, our toilet seat was cracked, a fair amount of mold and mildew can be seen in the bathroom, sofa bed was horribly uncomfortable and cushions were stained, however my 3 year old didn't seem to mind!) Rooms are a little musty, it seemed to be better the higher your room was in the building (3rd and 4th floors were ok). Most people don't spend a ton of time in the rooms anyways, so it would be easy to overlook this stuff. However with young kids, we spent more time in our rooms due to naps (2x/day) so it could have been more comfortable. [Details]

I was very happy with my choice of this resort. The staff were very friendly and always very helpful. They made my stay there that much more enjoyable. I had a couple very minor problems with my room and they were up immediately to fix the issues.The room I stayed in could have used some upgrades but this is expected in an older resort.I did not eat at any of the A la cartes but was told by several other people that they were very good. The buffet was good. Not fantastic but good, had a nice variety and was always able to find plenty of choices that I liked.This resort was perfect for me and I will definately go back. [Details]

I had been to SAMBA before and was thrilled to come back. The staff and Service make this place stellar. I must say however, I would have preferred the 2 year ago stay due to increased wifi (RF signals) Prior stay internet was only available in a certain areas of the hotel. Now like many other places the Wifi strength is increased and throughout all rooms. Many guests from the Prairies complained about being dizzy for 3 days on their initial arrival and others woke with bad headaches. I am well versed in this problem and bring a specialized meter with me everywhere, and yes, the levels are too high for human health (not just Samba) . I had to change my room three times and ended up in the exact same room I took 2 years prior. It was better but not clear and I only slept 2 nights through my whole stay as these frequencies tend to be too stimulating ...see www.C4ST.org
All in all I soooooo loved this special place and wish the world would wake up and realize more is not better when it comes to low level microwaves for cellular service. After all, we all get away to "get away" from stressors and into peace. Something to think about. [Details]

We felt we had a good value for the more expensive week of the year to travel, plus children were free. It is not a 4 stars resorts though, so if the prices are high and similar to another 4 or 4.5 stars resort, I would consider to book elsewhere, especially if food is very important to you. Otherwise, it's a great base and we ate out 3 times during our week to make up for the food offered. We would consider going back again if we have a last minute deal. [Details]

This is the third year we have visited this hotel at spring break. The staff are excellent and very friendly from check in to check out. We love the food choices as we always find something we like to eat at the snack bar,buffet or ala carte restaurants.This year they added a coffee/smoothie bar by the buffet. The beach is excellent with lots of palapas. As the hotel is smaller there always are loungers at the pool or beach available. You can go for endless walks on the beach, walk or taxi into Bucerias .Quieter resort great for families and retired couples. We can't wait to go back next year! [Details]

The most boring place ever unless you are 70 years old or go to bed early because you are there with small children.
Rooms smell of dampness and food wasn't great except for the desserts. No entertainment at all saw one small 1 hr show the whole time we were there. Thank God for free internet everywhere on resort for something to do and the staff is amazing. We went to pier for nothing by cab due to excursion cancellation but no one told us and phone never rang in our room night before or that morning when tour operator tried to reach us. Left message at front desk but nobody advise us......worst place I have been too [Details]

The staff is what makes this place. They are so fun and friendly and really work extremely hard to make sure your trip is enjoyable.

Carolina, at the Buffet Restaurant, Bruno in the night lobby bar, Martin at the beach Bar, Gilberto at the night time restaurant Salvador bringing drinks to the beach all day long, these are just a few of the names of the outstanding staff you have.

We were never at the pool, too many kids for us, it is a very small family resort, so if your looking for action and nighttime activities, this is not the place.

I was very please that we never had to worry about finding beach lounge chairs with covers at the beach.

The rooms are clean, thanks to the staff, but no character! Nothing on the walls. We had to pay to upgrade to a suite because when we got there they wanted us in a Kingsize bed for 2 single woman and would move us later. That was not satisfactory, so we paid to upgrade was the only option except for sleeping on a cot, we still would have had to move, not something we wanted to do. Even the suite, although clean and nice, dated. The couch was so old and stained we didn't want to sit on it. It was total waste of space because it lacked any character.

We had a pool and ocean view which was great except the loud music started by the pool at 9 am and if you like a slow morning like we did, it got very loud, very quickly, no afternoon naps as the music was too loud.

I loved how small the resort was and the other guests of the hotel were Mexican families which was fabulous! I don't travel to meet other Canadians, so it was nice to chat on the beach with local people.

Would i go back, probably not, not because of the hotel but I wont go back to Puerto Vallarta area because of the beach and water. I prefer the eastern Mexico and Caribbean for the white sand and blue waters with no surf. [Details]

It was awesome. The food and drinks and all the staff were great. The weather was beautiful everyday. [Details]

Overall good value for the money we paid. [Details]