I am a travel agent and we travel often and usually stay in resorts when we go, where I take note of features & benefits for future reference for my customers, but this place is the WORST place we have stayed in at least 20 years. When we checked in, they claimed they didn't have my request for a king bed, and said all they had were doubles. Ok, not happy, but we took it. Then we got to our room (#318) & it was like a dungeon!! It smelled like heavy mold & mildew, and when we opened the curtains to see the patio, it was a concrete enclosure with no view of even the sky - just a couple of "windows" with white opaque plastic instead of glass, which was the only source of light for the patio! The room did not even have a refrigerator (and this all-inclusive resort advertises that refrigerators are stocked daily with beer & sodas & water)! I could not stand the mildew smell and we immediately went to the front desk and complained. They said they only had one other room available in our category (I still have no idea what category we had - it certainly wasn't the cheapest! ) The desk clerk walked us up to the room to see if we'd take it and it was a no brainer! No mildew smell, & a balcony with a view of water over roofs and surrounding properties. Still 2 beds, but we gladly took it (#619). They have an app for phones called Go Guest, but it does not work properly. Once I registered, we were supposed to be able to use it to book specialty restaurant reservations, but that never worked! Thank goodness for WhatsApp, because that is how we ended up finally getting a reservation for my husband's birthday dinner. There is construction going on in several places, and at no time did all of the elevators work. One of the elevators is the only accessible way to get to the poke & sushi rooftop bar, and it was broken when we tried to go there. It also closes at 8pm. The buffet restaurant does not require reservations, but the food is not great. Some of the dishes were excellent, but some were overcooked and dry and some were practically tasteless. The best food was usually the Mexican dishes, and the ceviche was great. This is our first & last time staying at this place. I will be sure to let customers know of our experience. I'm giving 2 stars because staff members were cordial, beachfront location is great, pool area is very nice, and daily activities offered were decent. read more

Hotel Krystal - From 2nd room balcony, view of water over roofs. - Resorts Near Me - Puerto Vallarta, JAL

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Absolutely Horrible Experience - Catfish Nightmare! I am completely appalled by my experience at Krystal Hotel Puerto Vallarta - this place is a total catfish and should be ashamed to operate under the guise of a resort. I'm a timeshare member, and this was my first experience using the membership I've already invested over $15,000 in. What I got in return was a rundown, dirty, unsafe, and frankly traumatizing experience. From the moment I arrived, the property reeked of raw sewage, the "members' villas" were severely outdated, windows didn't even close, and doors barely locked. I didn't feel safe for a single second. The entire property looked abandoned, more like a set from a horror movie than a vacation destination - I even saw a noose hanging from a tree and feral cats roaming around that looked sick and possibly rabid. To make things worse, when I raised my concerns to management, I was blamed for booking there without calling ahead, as if it's my fault I trusted the misleading photos and dishonest reviews. How is it my fault that they misrepresent the resort online? And it gets worse. I paid in May for a reservation in June and was never even given an address by the timeshare contact. I had to Google the property myself, and when I arrived, the taxi driver told me there are multiple Krystal locations. I had to call around just to find where I was staying. That's unacceptable. Once I finally got there, I was in shock at how horrifying the property looked. The front desk's response? "What did you expect?" That tells you everything you need to know. On top of all this, the "all-inclusive" system is a scam. As a timeshare member, I was told I'd have to pay $100 per person per night for meals - yet a non-member off the street only pays $76 for full all-inclusive access. How does that make any sense? Bottom line: * Unsafe, unsanitary, outdated. * No accountability from staff or management. * Scam-level pricing structure for members. * Zero communication from the person who booked me. This was supposed to be my dream vacation, and instead, I've been living a nightmare. I'm pursuing legal action regarding my timeshare investment and want a full refund. Do not waste your money or your time. Stay far away from Krystal Resort and avoid timeshares at all costs. I checked out immediately after the manager told me it was my fault for believing the photos and not calling and confirming what I expected. After that experience, I was so scared, but I had to get out of there. So I went to the Holiday Inn express. I highly recommend it. I just got here and I feel better already is exactly what you would expect compared to the nightmare I was at this is a palace in comparison. And their customer service is amazing. Check out is at 1 PM. What else you want and have amazing restaurants. read more

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Smells light sewer and Ernesto Gonzalez is a joke old & long walks to your room first and last time staying here!

Hotel service was really bad, we payed for a hotel but got a villa instead the villa had mold,bathroom tiles broken,lights would randomly go out, and beds really hard. Although the villa was really bad the food was ok but not many options, there was sand in the pools and no pools that we saw were clean and all of them except for one was 4,10ft so no kid could go in it. DEFINITELY not staying here again would not recommend read more

New staff Very unhappy staff working here. Dirty pools. Terrible at check in. All inclusive is a joke here ; we ended up eating outside the hotel. read more

Happy stay for what I paid!! At the price I paid per night I wasn't expecting a 5 star experience. I actually liked their hotel a lot more than I thought I would. Our stay was booked by my cousin and when she told me the price I was nervous it might be a poor experience. Our stay was great! Our room was in the tower building. The room is as spacious and clean. The bathrooms are nice and look newer to me! We had a beautiful view of the ocean. The hotel is older and there are areas that need renovating but it didn't take away from the comfort of my stay. The pool is an infinity pool and was clean and well kept. I was happy with my stay. read more

Motel 6 on the beach to some it up. Came here for a wedding in November 2021. Upon working with the agent who was assisting with reservation for the bridal party, it was difficult having to print each document. Fillable PDF's should be considered. I informed the agent we would be getting in around 9am, and if we could do an early check-in. She said yes. Upon arrival, they didn't honor that early check in and said it wouldn't be ready until closer to 3. Mind you we had a red eye 9 hour flight with layovers. They said we can hang out by the pool and use the amenities until our room was ready. My BF and I went to eat at the buffet which is included in the all inclusive package. The manager came up to us and asked for our wristbands. I explained the situation and how the front desk said we could use the amenities, he disagreed and was going to charge us for the plates we made ($30 per plate, US dollar). I gave the plates back to him as that food was NOT worth $30. Our room was ready a little before 3 and we were so exhausted we lost out on our 1st evening there. The Key to the room is an old metal card, and if you lose it you have to pay for the lock smith as they only have one key available for the guest of that room. The all inclusive alcohol doesn't begin until 11 and there is only one person manning the bar. By that time there is a long line, so if you do decide to stay here get a couple drinks at once. The food was no better than microwavable generic food. The staff were friendly, and tried there best to work with the low accommodation obviously put in place by management. We had an ocean view room which kept us sane during the stay here. read more

Hotel Krystal - View from balcony, ocean front room - Resorts Near Me - Puerto Vallarta, JAL

Pésima atención al cliente. Los cantineros poco amigables. No se te ocurra llegar antes por q no te dejan entrar. Muy mala la comida.

After being at another resort for a week, we have two nights here before heading home. Interestingly both resorts have a two star rating. As I reviewed the prior resort with four stars, (though more like 3 1/2) this one definitely is a two star. Food so far is so so. Not real exciting. The room is clean and nice, but the rest of the resort a lot to be desired. It is in need of an update throughout with the exception of the tower we're staying in. The quality of the beach is definitely a step below as well. It is a large resort and unfortunately we hit the couple days that a large college party group is here. A lot of young drunk adults running around. Or should I say, stumbling around. I don't see as many staffers cleaning up the beach chairs, sand, sidewalks, etc as with the other place we stayed. I think they could spend a little more time attending to those details which would bring their rating up. The staff so far has been very friendly and accommodating. No complaints there. The front of the resort is nice as well. There's a city bus stop right out front which is very convenient for heading downtown. For an all inclusive, which I typically do not do, it is alright if you know what to expect. read more

This place is an absolute joke. We ended up switching rooms because our first room was a joke. The a/c didn't work, the pool filter didn't work, some faucets had either only hot water or cold water. Couldn't get both from a few of them. The shower was what used to be a bathtub, and they just threw a shower head and a piece of glass in the front half to stop the water from coming out. That didn't work out too well and nothing was ever sealed off and water leaked everywhere. After the first week we switched rooms. The a/c finally worked in here! However....there were many other issues. Yet again the pool didn't filter so we never ended up using it. Just sat back there going to waste. There was mold growing from the roof that started working it's was down the ceiling. Doesn't look like that section had been cleaned in a very long time! Some of the bricks around the back door were falling apart. Had the same issue again with the bathtub turned into shower. Water everywhere! The other bathroom we had has spots of mold growing along the shower. This place was just a freaken joke. 20 years ago it may have been a great place. But it sure doesn't seem like they did any maintenance on it and it is completely run down. Don't waste your time coming here! read more

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Never book the hotel here if u gonna have guess come to visit ....they charge you extra money for bring anyone here it's horrible

If I could give less than 1 star I would. I am not a picky traveler BUT this place is awful. Rooms are jenky, food is worse than generic, air conditioning doesn't work, walkways to pools smell like a sewer, barely hot water, internet unstable at best, beds uncomfortable,can hear neighbors through walls, pools cold, not enough chairs for guests. We left each day to sightsee thank goodness because otherwise had this "resort" been our vacation we would have wasted every penny and had a miserable trip. Do NOT book here. The owner clearly doesn't care at all. It is a rip off. read more

Hotel provided false information regarding covid testing for USA travelers. Site says test "onsite" however, they do not do onsite - they arrange a taxi to take you offsite to a clinic which is unacceptable. We talked to Antonio days before arrival, emailed him a copy of the website's claim stating "on premise testing" Still no help or answer from Antonio. Then we coordinated and paid for our own testing with a Lab who came to the hotel and the hotel staff would not allow the lab tech on premises. Also needed to print a copy of forms for reentry to USA, and was told by front desk that they could not print for us. Wish we had stayed elsewhere.... No pillow cases on our pillows, room keys for 2 or our 6 rooms stopped working several times so each time we had to go to front desk. Positives about the hotel: Service staff at restaurant and bar: Octavio, Marco, Gladys, Miguel, Roman Food was great at the buffet. read more

Im torn between a 3 and 4 star. It wasn't horrible but it wasn't the best either. Hotel Krystal sits right on the beach in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. You have the choice of staying in a regular room with a view of the water or a villa suite. They offer all inclusive which includes breakfast,lunch, snack and a dinner buffet; unlimited non alcohol and alcohol drinks. You also have the choice of making reservations at the Japanese or Italian restaurant on certain nights. My room included a king size bed, mini fridge, safe, sitting area and a view of the Beach. They provided bottles of water (I didn't drink but I heard that the water was not good). Gym, two pools, a Kiddie pool, a kitty recreation area, a spa and lots of activities to do on the beach. We didn't spend much time in the room or even at the hotel however when we were there we were able to relax and have a nice time. 99% of the staff only speaks Spanish and the 1% that speaks English, it was still hard to communicate. I understand, Im in Mexico, native language is Spanish. However, its also a tourist location, guess I excepted at least someone to speak a clear sentence. The food was definitely not the best; for almost a week didn't eat any meat.... I love meat. I had lots of liquor and fries while at the hotel. The view was calming and spectacular. During the night, you can see the stars as if they were reachable from my balcony. One thing I didn't like is that they tried to sell you a time share. I go on vacation to relax not listen to a pitch. (Sales people spoke great English). At the end of the day ... I probably wouldn't stay here but if I have too I wouldn't pay extra for the all-inclusive. read more

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They have the slowest check in service in the world. Totally unacceptable. 120 minutes wasted Not good... I am nit coming back read more

Likely the worst hotel I've ever been to. I don't even know where to start. I stayed in a two-bed ocean-view room for 9 days. You really get what you pay for. I recommend staying in a airbnb over this dump. - Wi-fi was unreliable and borderline unusable. They should not even advertise it as being available. I ran several speed tests. I averaged 600kbps. At this speed, everything but the most basic application is unusable. I had to pay $60 to use a coworking space for a week just to get my work done. Very inconvenient. - The thermostat was broken and stuck on the lowest temperature. My room was freezing cold my entire stay. I had to open the balcony doors to let warm air in, which made the room extremely humid and damp when the air cooled. Maintenance pretty much shrugged their shoulders and said they didn't know how to fix it either. - They gave me the wrong room when I first came. When I came back to the reception desk to switch rooms, they gave me the wrong key to the second room. - The head of reception accosted me in the lobby and demanded to see my bracelet. When I explained I didn't have it and it was probably in the room, she called security. She told me I better have it or I was going to have to pay $1000 pesos for a new one. This is a plastic wristband. When I protested, she said she would kick me out of the hotel if I didn't find my wristband or buy a new one. I found my wristband in the shower. She did not apologize. - A group of frat bros and their girlfriends staying on my floor played music every night until 4AM. A few of us complained several times. Security took a long time to come each time we called and did nothing. The kids banged on our room doors as revenge when the security guard left. - The walls are paper-thin and you can hear every single word from the room over and most words from the room down the hall... - The breakfast was pretty good and the coffee was strong. This was one of the only nice things about the Krystal. Would not stay here again even for $50/night. read more

Where do I start. First of all, the check-in was a hazel! We got here around 2 pm and we were told check in was at 3. We waited till 3. After the hour of wait; I went to grab my keys and I was told the room was not clean yet: that they will look for me and let me know when it was clean (10 min or so, to be ready) Well they never reached me out so I went back to the lobby and I got my room till 3:40 pm. The drinks that are provided at the "buffets" are very small, you finished them very quick and you need to chase them to get a refill: the food variety it's very small. They have an Italian night which is only Lasagna and Alfredo. The rest is just the usual.. fish, salad, soups, etc... the drinks at the bar by the pool are also very small, and the line gets sometimes long. There should be servers going around offering drinks instead of people doing a line and wait there for some quit time. The room was okay the ocean it's very close by, and I had an ocean view room so it was quit nice waking up to the sea. My overall experience with the whole hotel in general was not very pleasant. read more

Hotel Krystal - Resorts Near Me - Puerto Vallarta, JAL

Our stay here so far has been great. We're staying in a timeshare, and the room is a good size, the kitchen is adequately sized, there's a grocery store nearby to get anything you could possibly need, the staff has been perfectly friendly, and the beach and pool are clean and pretty. I have talked to a couple people who are staying in the hotel and have not been pleased, but we're completely happy. The rooms aren't "new," but I feel like they're maintained fairly well and are bug free. Our A/C works just fine too. The beds could be a little nicer, but we just trotted on down to the farmacia and got some ambien and sleep just fine. All in all. I don't understand the negative reviews. It's freaking Mexico, and it's beautiful and laid back and stop expecting everyone to kiss your butt. You're just being high maintenance. read more

This hotel is run down. Most of the casitas with private pools have no water in them. The staff is not polite and they wouldn't let our friends staying in another resort (a much nicer resort) come to our room to meet before heading to dinner without paying $20 us for a "day" pass. I wouldn't waste my money here - there are much nicer resorts similarly priced. Don't waste your money read more

really basic rooms, older, really could use a refresh. the staff seams OK, when you can find someone. they were pretty light staffed over the holiday. the food had good days and ok days. the assortment did not change much in the buffet. the location is hard to beat. being able to walk to the marina, short taxi downtown, and the beach right out back. good spot for a cheap vacation. read more

I'm not sure why this place doesn't have good reviews. I really liked it. It's not super fancy like a regular resort, but it feels like a real local experience, and it's very clean, and the campus is really adorable. When I arrived I got checked in. The folks at the front desk don't speak English very well so there was a little miscommunication, but it was quickly cleared up, and the bellhop took our luggage to our suite. We had a 2-bedroom suite with kitchen, living room, 3 full bathrooms, and a PRIVATE POOL! I felt like a queen LOL The AC in the unit was great, the unit was always cool (sometimes too cold!). The pool in the backyard was great, they came and cleaned it for us on the first day which was great. The beds were super comfortable (firm, just how i like it). There were plug/outlets everywhere so we could charge our iPads and phones and such. Our unit was located in the back of the campus so we were very close to the beach, pools and gym. The gym was amazing - AC and had a lot of options for treadmills, weights, etc. I worked out there very morning to keep my regular routine. There's a Starbucks within walking distance, which is great. There's also a small 'bodgea' right outside so you can get snacks and beer (or liquor). The restaurant(s) were really good. They mostly had buffet meals but you could ask for a menu and order off the menu if you wanted. I always chose menu. I don't like buffet. Anyway, the fruit plate was AMAZING. their tortilla soup was super delicious. and the chilequiles yummm. I liked the food for sure. The bar was nice too - no weak drinks there! Anyway, I really enjoyed my week here. It was very nice. No complaints. I'm not sure why this place has so many bad reviews... so weird. I guess there's a lot of unsatisfied americans out there :/ read more

The room is okay for the price but you can hear people in the other rooms/ hallway. The water at the beach is brown and dirty due to a river flowing near the hotel. The food at this place is not good. I tried to eat the rice but it was not cooked fully. The OJ tastes like watered down sunny D. I hope management does something about the meals here because people really look forward to quality food while on vacation, not on having to go elsewhere for a meal. I would not recomend this hotel. read more

No food past 9, no restaurants nearby after 11. The "open bar" is made up of cheap rubbing alcohol tequila, the pool is dirty and hotter than the ocean, no room service. The elevator takes about 15 minutes to come.and the pools are overrun with locals. I would NEVER return to this place read more

They put us in the "Newly constructed" building. The good: The room was super modern, had a spa like feel, large room with microwave and mini fridge and bathroom was also great size. Btw I needed pull out and plug in the mini fridge as it was brand new and apparently no one had felt that was necessary to leave it turned on and working. Comfortable bed and good shower. The buffet (only paid for breakfast) was decent. The pools were nice and warm and the hotel is on the beach with a gorgeous view. The bad: According to the porter, the hotel had just opened this building a week ago. I had to walk up two flights of stairs with my 70 year old mother (there is no elevator installed yet) I walked into the room and it smelled strongly of fresh paint. Great. Just what you want to enjoy on vacation...paint fumes. The view from my room, mid-construction on building next door so I had to keep our balcony door closed otherwise not only would the room be super dusty but no one wants to sit on a balcony to watch guys building a roof. I also had to keep signing into the wifi a couple of times a day as it would just disconnect. Bottom line the new rooms are really nice but need to be aired out and definitely need a working elevator. I think it's nice if all you want to do is hang out by the pool or beach. read more

The staff at Krystal was very nice, however very few staff members spoke English. This wasn't as much of an issue for me as I speak Spanish however my boyfriend had a semi-difficult time communicating on his own. They put us in a huge suite that was at the very front of the resort, farthest from the beach. It was a very weird set up. The master room not only had a king bed but a set of bunk beds as well. We got a wonderful price so we dimissed it. However the food was horrendous. I got extremely sick every single night for all 5 nights and it was not pretty. The seagulls attack the outdoor buffet area and its just very unsanitary. Overall I definitely learned that you get what you pay for! read more

I would NOT recommend this hotel! It is a great location and the service staff were very nice however we did not get to check in until after 4:00. When we arrived at our room it had two double beds instead of a king. We were told that was all that was available. The next day after unpacking the night before they said they had a king room so we packed up and moved two doors down. The view was very nice and the pool staff were lots of fun. We tried to book a hiking excursion and were told it would be $75 American. Then received a call about looking at a time share to lower the cost. We were not interested in spending our morning viewing something we didn't want just for a discount. We went down the street and book the same excursion for $56 and no time share hipe! The final straw was when we received a note in our door telling us to call the front desk. This was two nights before we were scheduled to leave. They stated that we needed to move that night or the next day to the big tower because they were going to do maintenance in our room. We were already in bed and not moving that night. The next morning we spent two hours packing up moving (double beds again) straightening things out and moving AGAIN to a king bed. We spent the majority of the afternoon by the pool and NEVER saw any maintenance happening on our previous room. When complaining to the front desk about our dissatisfaction we were offered a breakfast voucher. This seemed like a very small gesture considering we spent two of our 7 day stay moving instead of enjoying our vacation time. WILL NOT RETURN!!!! read more

My experience here was HORRIBLE!!! They charged me a different rate than told upon check in. Between the manager and one of the shady front desk guys they stole 500 pesos from me while I had my back to them. The ac doesn't get cooler than 75* no matter what you set the thermostat to. The beds are hard as laying on stone. The concierge desk are just as rude. I LOVE PVR and the grounds might be pretty but every hotel is pretty in PVR. I do not recommend staying here. OH! And we had cockroaches in our bathroom. read more

Look for another resort! It took them 3 hours to send someone for a tv control. The rooms have a middle door which leads to the other room, you can hear everything going on next door. Terrible.The water in the shower was cold. They did not offer another room, they did nothing about it! Spoke to the manager Barbara and she was rude. She offered no compensation for any inconvenience and seemed not to care at all. I have stayed at the Cancun resort and that was spectacular. this one should be considered a hotel not a resort. Will never stay here again much less recommend to anyone. read more

Not highly recommended. Rooms are deadly old. Air condition is like 50 years old, u won't be able to sleep due to noise. I was scared for my life, lol I thought it's gonna explode by the sound of it. Moth's flying inside the room then will stare at u. Balcony is wabbly and unstable, it can be a ride. Very old furnitures older than my grandma. Nice thing about it, they have 2 small TV, one in the Living Room and one in the bedroom so of course you also get ONLY ONE REMOTE. Let's talk about the bathroom that is so disgusting. No hot water and what's even worst is No WATER from morning till afternoon. So make sure to wake up before sunrise to take a shower then go back to sleep. Oh by the way, there is no hair blower but there is a holder for it. I can also hear people talking from wall to wall, I thought at first I was hallucinating coz I can hear somebody is talking like they were inside the room. My friend thought there was a ghost inside the room so she ended up hiding under the old old blanket which I thought was a carpet. There is also no WiFi at all. So, if u want a halloween like adventure, come to this hotel and u will be surely satisfied. read more

If there was a 0 star option, I would have selected it. I am a frequent traveler of Mexico, and booked this hotel for my birthday, a friend had recommended it for its location. I knew it wasn't going to be the RIU or Garza Blanca but there are standards that every hotel should meet. Upon arrival, the lamp did not work so there was no lighting in my room. I left to my birthday brunch celebration and came back to a puddle of water on the floor, which also wet the clothes inside my luggage. The A/C was dripping down the wall and created a large puddle by one of the beds. I called to report it and someone came to "fix it". The next morning I woke to shower, and there was no hot water. Again I called to report, and someone came to "turn on the boiler". Every day after, I had to call every time I wanted to shower so that someone could turn on this "water boiler". My sister arrived to the hotel the next day while I was out, she had just arrived to Vallarta and I left her name at front desk so that she would have access to our room while I was gone. Upon entrance, she slipped and fell into a new puddle. The A/C had began to leak again while I was gone. I reported it again and they came to "fix" again. I asked to speak to a manager and they assured me that one would call the room. I waited 2 hours and nobody called. I walked over to front desk and spoke to a manager Monserrat who told me that as soon as I checked out they were going to close down the entire unit. She offered no solution- only explanations as to why the room was how it was. Her response was "Nobody has told me that you have been calling every day to complain". That is an internal issue with your staff- not the guests' problem. Worst stay ever. Would have rather stayed at the local MOTEL. The late check out I was offered was a joke for the amount of issues that I encountered during my stay. Never booking again, and would never recommend. read more

We spent a few days at this hotel after getting a great deal through Travelzoo. The hotel was clean. Our room was bigger than most hotels we've stayed at but we found some problems. First and most importantly, the beds and pillows were so uncomfortable! The first night we didn't feel it as much probably because we were exhausted from traveling. The second night, ugh we felt it a little more but by the third night, I couldn't wait to get home to my bed. The shower in our room only had cold water available so we took baths every single day which was not ideal. Food was ok at the buffet although not a lot of healthy options or proteins. I really enjoyed the food at the Italian restaurant. We were not able to get reservations for the Japanese restaurant because all the slots available (which are between 5-6 per night) for familias with little kids were taken. The staff was very friendly. On our last day, we needed to be picked up by 4 pm so we needed a late check out. The latest available was 12 pm and no further accommodations were possible. Again, not ideal when traveling with a toddler. For the price we paid, I'd probably come back but I will complain if I have issues with my bed. It's not a vacation if you can't relax. read more

Absolutely terrible resort to stay at the food was terrible , the service was terrible. Spoke with the manger about our a/c not working was told they'd send someone down. Three days later we checked out early from the resort. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY. The all inclusive is not what you Will be told it is. From tap water to warm tap beer. After we left we were told they'd refund us the remainder of the all inclusive and never did tried to email him multiple time and he never responded. read more