22 Best Hotels in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Palms and plants edge the walkways lining the swimming pool and goldfish ponds, while balconies look down on this idyllic garden scene. Suites have full kitchens, shower-only baths, and tropical-style furniture. The hotel is on a cobblestoned street off the highway; if you don't want to hoof it into Puerto Vallarta, take one of the local buses that pass by every 10 minutes. The beach is a five-minute walk away on the other side of the highway.

Some of the pleasant rooms overlook the beach from a balcony or terrace, but most people stay here for easy access to the good burgers, guacamole, and seafood platter for two ($13) at the adjoining El Alebrije restaurant. The bar, with its cool, brick-floor interior open to the beach, is also popular. Other perks: the long beach, large pool, and hiking and other outdoor activities.

This is an attractive little enclave of cozy and clean (albeit basic) cottages with screened windows. Full kitchens with lots of pots and pans invite cooking, but the real draws are the lovingly tended gardens surrounding the lodgings, the covered patio, and the sparkling, three-lane lap pool. If you love it, settle in for a while; monthly rates are usually available.

Set right in front of the best beach in Barra de Navidad, this is a clean, comfortable hotel—just don't expect any kind of luxury. Mostly frequented by national tourists, Hotel Barra de Navidad has a nice restaurant and offers a wide range of spa services.

A block from the beach and overlooking Lázaro Cárdenas Park, this hotel offers great city and mountain views from the rooftop, which has a pool and party area. Suites have small kitchenettes in one corner. Units with great views cost the same as those without, so ask for one with a panoramic view.

Opened decades ago by a family of dedicated bird-watchers, this meandering, three-story hotel with expansive grounds is the home base of choice for birding groups. Rooms have small balconies and polished limestone floors; junior suites have large whirlpool tubs. Betty Vásquez, who runs El Delfín French restaurant here, studied at Le Cordon Bleu in France; she prepares elegant and very tasty meals.

Simple rooms in this six-story low-rise have somewhat battered colonial-style furnishings; some have tiny balconies but only a few on the top floors have a partial ocean view. The small figure-eight pool in the middle of the courtyard is exposed but still refreshes. The two-bedroom apartments are poorly designed and have stiff Mexican furnishings. J&B Dancing Club next door provides Latin and pop music throughout the week.

This might be the largest building in Mayto and arguably the hotel with the best amenities; the manicured gardens and gorgeous swimming pool offer a quiet and refreshing area for those not ready for the beach. Rooms are clean but nothing remarkable. A good restaurant, Wi-Fi, and camping facilities round out an already attractive proposal from this hotel.

If you hang around the pool or the small shared balcony overlooking the street, it's not hard to get to know the other guests—many of them savvy budget travelers from Europe and Canada. Rooms are spare and vault-like, and some are downright dark. Fredy's Tucan restaurant is popular with locals, mainly for breakfast. The hotel is in a part of the Zona Romántica known for its restaurants and shops; Playa Los Muertos is a few blocks away.

Located in downtown Puerto Vallarta just a block from the beach, Hotel Rio offers quaint traditional accommodations as well as some modern rooms. This was the second hotel ever built in Puerto Vallarta, shortly after Hotel Rosita.

What started as a sleepy 12-room hostelry—Puerto Vallarta's very first—is now a busy 115-room downtown hotel. It's still a viable budget option, mainly recommended for its location on the north end of the malecón close to restaurants and shops. Rooms are very basic; expect white-tile floors and fabrics with floral prints. Request a room facing the water, as much for the view as for the natural light; rooms facing the street are dark, making them feel cramped.

This is a reasonably priced, well-landscaped, bright white hotel at the south end of Playa Los Muertos. Superior rooms don't cost much more than standards, and although they have more or less the same amenities, they're in a newer wing and most have better views. Suites have no separate living area but are larger than other rooms and have several different areas for sitting or playing cards, as well as a four-burner stove, blender, and fridge.

Widely considered the best hotel in Pérula, Playa Dorada features 50 well-appointed accommodations distributed between rooms, suites, and bungalows. Rooms don’t offer ample space but are fully equipped. The bungalows include kitchenettes. There is a swimming pool for families and an adults-only pool. The pleasant picnic area has lounge chairs, tables, palapas, and a playground.

Rates are reasonable considering these small studio apartments have all the creature comforts of home: the spacious kitchens come with juicers, blenders, toasters, coffeemakers, stoves, and refrigerators, and microwaves are available upon request. Each room is configured differently, but all are bright and cheerful, with private patios. Four of the units face the long, beautiful bay and sandy beach. There's a large pool and patio facing the ocean.

Located 50 meters from the beach, this hotel offers low-key lodging in bungalows at affordable rates. Each bungalow comes with two bedrooms and a kitchenette, so you won’t miss the lack of a restaurant on the premises. All rooms include air conditioning and Wi-Fi. A long free-form swimming pool sits at the center of the property.

Beautiful rooms in this converted 19th-century house have lovely old tile floors, beige cotton drapes covering huge windows, rag-rolled walls, and wonderful tile floors and sinks. The dining room has old-fashioned cupboards, and there are dining tables inside and out on two patios festooned with flowers and large potted plants. Second-floor rooms have views of fields and mountains to the west.

The Paramar is a small boutique hotel that makes the most of its outstanding location just steps from Playa Camarones, the only beach in downtown Vallarta. The whole place has a laidback atmosphere, quite different from that of the big resorts. Rooms are large and modern—some include kitchenettes—and the penthouses come with a large terrace and private Jacuzzi.

Catering to small groups and family outings, this ranch-style lodging near the entrance to town also accepts individual travelers. All interiors are pine-wood simple, with ceiling beams and tile roofs, and plain furnishings. The villas have kitchens, and most have a porch and fireplace; many sport a king-size bed. This working ranch offers horseback riding and also rents bicycles and ATVs. Because most guests are Guadalajarans on weekends, prices are discounted 20% Sunday through Thursday.

This homey hotel is on a hill above quiet La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, and offers garden-view or ocean-facing suites; several have a terrace overlooking the coast, and a large dining area/kitchen and living room. A big breakfast is served in the open-air dining room; the adjacent common area has a computer with Internet access. The small swimming pool overlooks a tropical hillside, the marina, and the town of La Cruz.

Villas El Tuito is a big, three-room house done in a contemporary Mexican style. As El Tuito has so few lodging options, clean rooms and Wi-Fi access are just about all you can ask for. The rooms include a TV, shared kitchen, bath, and shower.