Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
September 2025
I am writing this review because I was not satisfied with the reviews I found online. It was clear that many of the reviews were only written to name drop certain employees, there must be an incentive program at the resort that makes for an increase in this sort of reviews. I also found some reviews were so negative that they seemed to have an agenda or perhaps the reviewer was having a bad day (or life). This vacation report will be short on nit picks. It will focus on factual descriptions and our experience at this resort relative to other all inclusive experiences we have had.
All inclusives are not always as all inclusive as you would hope. There are may be things that are not included and, depending on how reasonable you are, maybe they should be included and maybe it will start to take away from your enjoyment of your stay. We have been to a handful of all inclusives as wall as a handful of cruises (all inclusive at sea) Our first cruise was amazing, but in retrospect, the newness of the cruise may have been a factor in our experience. Since that time, are expectations are either rising or the experiences are failing to meet our expectations.
Property
Photos of beautifully landscaped grounds and sparkling swimming pools are an important part of the All Inclusive marketing efforts and why not? However, the experience may be a lot more real and a lot less ‘escape’ than you hoped.
There are three main buildings, each between six and seven floors. The lobby is nice and serene, but not as dazzling as some other resorts in the Riviera Nayarit. From the lobby we could see into the central activity area pools and palapas and lush landscaping It is not an enormous resort, but still has a lot of nice amenities, and we didn’t feel that it lacked for much. The grounds are very well maintained, the buildings are equally so. This resort has far less wear and tear and ad hoc repairs and construction than other resorts we have visited.
The main buildings at Marival Distinct are pretty stark, clean, modern, efficient, whichever adjective you prefer. They are white with brown louvered elements that run up the faces of the buildings. It would be nice to have more traditional Mexican character, color, and of course more bouganvillas. You really can’t go wrong with more bougainvilleas bursting with color.
The all inclusives we have stayed at in Mexico have very nice garden areas and a large crew of landscapers. Marival Distinct was no exception, in fact it was next level. Everything was well maintained and the employees tasked with maintaining the grounds were pleasant and professional. I was surprised to see a fresh checkerboard pattern raked into the sand around the poolside fire pit every morning. Details like this caught my eye.
The property is not on the ocean and ocean views are not available for the lower floors of the building, but the view from the upper floors is sweeping. There is a corner of the property that reaches the ocean. This is the beach club. Mozza Mare has a great restaurant and plenty of seating and cabanas on the beach and around the swimming pool.
Room
Large, elegantly designed rooms and large verandas can make a vacation great, but quiet rooms, cleanliness and hot water are baselines that must be met. How does this resort stack up?
Our room at Marival Distinct included a kitchen, dining area with table with chandelier, living room, two bathrooms, bedroom and balcony. The balcony is full width and the living room and bedroom have full height windows and doors to the balcony. The balcony is furnished with a couple of potted plants and a table with four chairs (no other seating on our balcony). We were on the second floor so our view was limited, we could see the pools and palapas, but we also had privacy behind some trees. The bedroom had blackout curtains but the living room did not. Since it was pretty hot we kept the doors closed and ran the AC when we were in the room. The AC worked very well and was whisper quiet. At night the landscape uplighting was pretty bright on our floor so the lack of blackout curtains in the living room would not have allowed for darkness in the living room if it were used as sleeping room. We normally travel with our children and they sleep on sofa beds if we only have one room. I did not verify if the sofa in the living room made into a bed, but if it did, it would be pretty small, since the sofa was more of a love seat.
The kitchen was a full kitchen, it even had a dishwasher. We never intended to use the kitchen and if we had we would have found it lacking. There were not really any dishes, silverware, pans, nor upper storage cabinets. There were three small snacks provided when we got into the room, but they were never replaced. Coffee pods (Nespresso maybe) and sugar were replaced as part of the maid service There was no cream or creamer, but the coffee seemed pretty creamy. There were sodas and -very small- bottles of beer in the fridge along with two pitchers of water. Water, sodas and beer were replaced when we had maid service. Filtered water was available in dispensers on every floor.
I found the construction, fixtures, finishes, decor and detailing to be very well done. Doors and cabinets operated well, lighting was nice, including some very nice concealed lighting and light fixtures. One puzzle that is unsolved in open floor plans is the bank of light switches that control multiple lights around the space. In a home, you have time to learn what switches control what, but in a short stay at a hotel, it’s mostly guess work.
The washer and dryer got a lot of use from us, as we brought a small amount of detergent to allow us to do laundry. I understand you can buy some downstairs.
The bed was large, comfortable, firm and stable. The bedroom was roomy and stylish with a sliding door out to the balcony. The attached bathroom and closet was large and well finished, however, the lack of doors between the bedroom and bathroom was undesirable, so we also used the second bathroom near the kitchen and entrance.
And yes, the room was quiet (to be fair, it is possible that the low occupancy played a role) and very clean. Hot water was a bit of a wait, though.
Staff/Service
A vacation can become magical if the relationship with staff is strong and sincere. There is no amount of beautiful swimming pools and lavish dinners that can overcome shortcomings in service. Did this resort live up to our expectations?
We found that staff to be helpful and friendly. Of course there are exceptions, but it did not seem to be the general attitude of the staff. The sit down restaurant staff at Omaggio were great without exception and this really made the dining experience enjoyable. The food and drink staff around the pool were helpful and friendly, but one needs to understand that service at the pool may not start as early as your pool time does. Our incidental interactions with maintenance staff and housekeeping was always pleasant, even though our spanish is weak. The staff in the lobby at the front desk and the concierges was hit and miss and we got more rejections here than we would have liked. We waited for a room a bit longer than we expected and a benefit promised by our travel agent was not provided, but it did little to diminish our enjoyment of the week. Chai the Concierge Dog was always fun to visit with.
Before our vacation I did a lot of research and one thing I was watching for was the time share/vacation club pitch I read about several times. After our check in at the lobby bar (nice touch), a very friendly woman went over a map of the facility, scheduled events and amenities. We were asked to join her for breakfast the following morning (this is where they make their pitch) and I declined all her entreaties and ultimately she relented, but it was clear she was disappointed. I have no interest in fractional ownership and even less interest in hard sell tactics. The good news is that we were not approached again during our stay, we did see many families touring the property during the mornings of our stay. Ultimately it was a pretty painless interaction, but I certainly stone walled the initial sales pitch in as friendly a manner as I could.
Another thing that caught my attention when I was reading reviews was the possibility of sporadic restaurant hours that were indecipherable to guests. I did not find this to be a problem at all, we were given a schedule of restaurant hours and events that seemed to be completely accurate, when the schedule expired, we went to the front desk and got a schedule for the next week.
Activities
All inclusive resorts are meant to be a break from the day to day responsibilities, but having the option to participate in some activities can help the day have some highlights and build lasting vacation memories.
One cool thing about Marival Distinct is that there is more than one property to use and explore. There is a shuttle parked at the valet station near the lobby of Marival Distinct that will whisk you off the Marival Emotions whenever you want.
Marival emotions is a larger, more active and typical Mexican all-inclusive resort that is about five minutes away from Marival Distinct. You will find lots of activities at the main swimming pool, it’s on the beach, they have swim up bars in two of the pools and a kids pool with slides and play structures. Music at the pool is energetic covers of songs we might recognize if we listened closely. It has some wear and tear and is not as refined as Marival Distinct. Marival Emotions main activity area is not very landscaped is mostly hard surfaces, but there are several other courtyards. One of them has three much quieter pools and one of them has shuffleboard and bocce ball. The beach in front of Marival Emotions -at least at the time we were there- is quite small and we were discouraged from going in the water because it had a red flag, which means dangerous conditions and a purple flag, which indicates dangerous fauna in the water. They do have a boogie boards and kayaks for loan and a beach shack in front of Marival emotions, but they won’t lend them out if any flags are up. Nobody was in the water and the water was a little bit rough and cloudy with sediment. It was very warm though, maybe too warm.
They had a bingo game at 10 and at noon they were gonna do aqua aerobics, but the instructor did not get enough people to participate and gave up so they did not do aqua aerobics. On another visit they had a raucous game of water polo going on, it looked fun.
Poolside cocktail service began at 10 at the activities pool. It was very easy to get seats by the pool when we arrived at 10 AM, keep in mind this was in the middle of September and maybe it’s not a popular time for people to go to these resorts
The water in the pools at Marival Emotions seemed a little bit cooler and more refreshing than the water at Distinct, but that might be because they were larger pools. When we tried to get food at the pool, it appears that they don’t really serve food at the pool, which is disappointing but understandable. At Marival distinct, you can get food at the pool, you can even eat it poolside with your body in the water. They are very accommodating.
There are apparently many restaurants and bars at Emotions, but since we weren’t staying at this resort, we didn’t really explore them very much.
There was no night time entertainment at Marival Distinct so we went to a show at Marival Emotions Theatre one night. It was Pirates themed and it was energetic and a little bit chaotic, but it was OK. The theater was covered and enclosed, but also allowed some outside air from the eaves and entrance.
The pool at Marival Distinct appears to be a saltwater pool, which is good if you have chlorine sensitivity. The loungers are very nice and each one has a rolled up towel on it waiting for a guest to use (this seems to be a good way to combat the lounger hogging issues found at many resorts). When you sit down the pool attendant will come over and spread the towel over the lounger for you. There are small tables between most of the loungers and permanent umbrellas. We spent many hours sitting poolside with drinks or food on the table and shade over one or both loungers (depending on time of day).
There is an cabinet near the pool, which has books left behind by previous guests as well as sunscreen and maybe some other things that you might need at the pool.
The music played at the pool is a kind of mellow jazz. It made me feel like I was being sedated, which I did not love. I also would have liked a more active pool scene (like Marival Emotions). The pool might not be large enough for much pool activities. The pool scene at Distinct was very quiet and adult, dare I say -retired- adult. There were a decent amount of children there, but it was still pretty quiet. Go to Emotions for activities.
Mozza Mare is the beach club at Marival distinct The pool at Mozza Mare is not large and is maybe five feet deep, I liked it a lot. Because the pool is not very big, there are not many loungers and one side is an infinity edge so there is no pool deck on that side. However the ocean is another option at Mozza Mare. The water was very warm and gradually got rougher over the week we were there. The water on the Pacific side of Mexico is much different than the Caribbean side, but at least there is not really a sea weed problem. I was directed to a palapa building on the beach which -apparently- had ocean equipment for loan. I didn’t visit the palapa as the red flag was up and I a felt that I would get the same negative response I received at Emotions.
The garden path to Mozza Mare was a botanical garden wonderland and we loved the five minute walk. However, if you want a ride, they shuttle people down the path in golf carts.
We checked out pickle ball equipment from the concierge and played pickle ball three times, once on the tennis courts because rain made the pickle ball court slippery. The equipment was usable, but not perfect. We also checked out bikes -for free- and took a ride down the bike path on the main road. The path was nice, but the bikes were not well suited to adult size people and of course the weather was hot and muggy. The neighborhood in Puerto Vallarta where the resort is located is pretty sterile, mostly big resorts and condos and some shopping centers with very little mexican flair. We didn’t leave the resort much as there was not much to see or explore and its probably a 45 minute cab ride to the Romantic Zone in Puerto Vallarta. Even the resorty area near the Marina in Puerto Vallarta has more vibrancy than this part of Nuevo Vallarta
A highlight for a lot of our trips is spotting interesting plants and wildlife. Iguanas are common and fascinating. Geckos were doing their thing. We spotted some cats near the path to Mozza Mare. The best thing we saw were baby turtles on the beach as the sun rose! That will never get old.
Food
All inclusives are not known for the quality of their food. People tend to indulge when there is no limitations placed on their appetites. All you can eat buffets and cruise ships face the same issues as all inclusive resorts. I suspect that the primary way that these resorts combat the costs involved with indulgence and waste is to reduce the cost of the food, limit the costs involved in restaurant staffing and also the reduce the promptness of the service. After it became clear to me that eating a meal in the main dining room on a cruise ship took much longer that it would in a restaurant in my home town, I began to suspect that this tactic might be a good way to limit the amount of food and drink the guest could consume.
The only limitations I could detect at Marival Distinct was a reduced access to restaurants. I attributed this to the low occupancy during our stay. There was always somewhere to eat, but there might only be one place, sometimes two or even three, even though it seemed as though there were few guest at this time of year. Portions were small for a few dishes, but other portions were so big that it was more than I could or should eat. When dishes were small, it might have been clearly stated that they were tapas or appetizers. I really like having a little of a lot, so small dishes appeal to me, after all, I can always order more!
I found that we were always asked for a room number and asked to sign the bill even though we wore bracelets indicating that we were guests. I dont recall this protocol at other all inclusives, but it was a minor inconvenience.
We ate meals at each of the restaurants on the property and I dont feel like we got bored with the food after a week. There were some things that we wanted (and had) more than once, but we tried to sample a lot of the menus.
There is no buffet at Marival Distinct, all the food was made to order. Generally, buffets are handy when you are in a hurry, either the service during our stay was prompt or we were in no hurry, I never missed the buffet.
Lemmongrass (yes, two m’s, I can see I will be fighting with spell check here)
The first meal we ate was lunch on our day of arrival. Lemmongrass is the poolside restaurant that has a palapa dining area with about ten tables and they also provide poolside food. The lunch menu included salads, seafood, chicken hot dogs, burgers, mexican food and desserts. We ate here several times and had a lot of the menu. My wife had the fried calamari rings several time and loved them, they reminder her of Barcelona, they even came in a paper cone. She also noted that the Caeser Salad was exceptional. We were beginning to suspect that the food was going to be a high light. I had the burger, which was great!, they even asked how I wanted it cooked (this is not our experience at other all inclusives). I also loved the Tacos Gubanador which had the tastiest shrimp I have ever had. One comment that I read in my review research was that the desserts were not great. I only had one dessert at Lemmongrass (it was lunch, after all) but it was delicious (more on desserts later). This was -by far- the best poolside food we have ever had.
Insu
Insu is their rooftop restaurant/bar. Do yourself a favor and dont do any research before you go to this restaurant. A half hour before sunset, get in the glass elevator in the lobby and press T. The bar opens at around 5 or 5:30 and food service starts at about 6 or 6:30. They only serve dinner and it is tapas style. We went here enough times that we had about everything that we really wanted off the menu. The menu is broken down by region and each includes a dessert: Asian, European, North American and South American. I have found that interpretations of food from other regions sometimes involves substitutions that really subtract from my expectations. This was really not such a big deal at Marival. The burrata was good, the basil, the Caesar salad, the dumplings. They really did a pretty good job with the food fidelity (food-elity?). Even if the food was not great (it is pretty darn good), you will not regret going here. We went nearly every night, if only for a drink and a small plate or two.
Omaggio
Omaggio is the main restaurant and serves breakfasts and dinners. The breakfast menu does not change from day to day, but it probably has something that you want. The menu starts with juices. They are made fresh and they frappe the heck out of them. We each got at least one juice each day! They have a nice selection of mexican breakfasts, eggy breakfasts, lighter breakfasts and sweet indulgent breakfasts. I had the nutella french toast with a scoop of ice cream on it (just to give you an idea of what I mean by indulgent). Coffee was good and over time we discovered that lattes, cappuccinos and mochas were available. They appeared to be Nespresso drinks and I liked them just fine. There is indoor dining and outdoor dining. We ate breakfast outside each day. This was the primary breakfast dining room, but one day we had breakfast at the beach club. Breakfast at Omaggio is very good, but it was probable the most pedestrian meal we had and it was still really good.
There is no lunch at Omaggio, but dinner is served most nights. Dinner at Omaggio has a rotating menu. As I recall there was an Italian menu, an International menu and a Mexican menu. The dinners at Omaggio offer starters, salads, mains and desserts (depending on the menu that night). The portions were large enough that I did not order both a starter/salad and a dessert at the same meal (well, I may have the first night, but not after that). I have found that Mexican pastries are not as sweet or rich as I am accustomed to, but the desserts at Omaggio were decadent and excellent. I had steak twice at Omaggio despite not being a big beef eater. I had steak twice because the first one was excellent (Balsamic Marinated Beef Medallions). I found the food at Omaggio to be great and my wife -who attempted to have sea food with every meal- also gave the food top marks. The service was great and we discovered that the kitchen was visable behind a full height glass wall with a mirrored graphic on it. It was an elegant space. The food really was as good as any restaurant we have been to, maybe not the best, but … maybe it was!
There was also Pizza and Pasta some nights, this appears to be provided by another restaurant called Al Fresco. The dining room was a poolside palapa and they looked to have a wood fired pizza oven. We never ate here, but I suspect the pizza was very good.
Mozza Mare
The beach club has a restaurant too, and we had one breakfast here and several lunches. Breakfast was excellent and the menu was not the same at Omaggio but it had a lot of the same things (not the frothy juices though). It was really nice to be outside near the beach while the day was not yet overly hot. We ate lunch here several times as we read and relaxed on our loungers down by the ocean. The service was great (hat tip to Ruben) and the menu was extensive, especially considering it was served on the beach! I had a delicious hot dog there (Yeah, I know, a hot dog? But, it was bacon wrapped and had delicious condiments and toppings). I also had a fried chicken sandwich which was enormous and really good. Ceviche and other seafood was also a delicious option. Dinner at Mozza Mare was likely quite a lovely experience, but not available the week of our stay. They had beautiful lighting and a fire pit and the infinity edge pool … oh and the sound of the waves crashing.
Room Service
Room service is available with a 10% service fee. We never used room service so I can’t weigh in on it other than it is provided 24 hours and the menu is pretty extensive.
I know this portion of the review sounds pretty biased, we really did not have a bad meal and it was far better than any all inclusive we have eaten at. I started becoming obsessed with my next meal because I had spotted something I wanted to try last time I ate.
Time of the Year
September is probably not the best time of year to be in Nayarit. It is hot, it is humid and it is a little buggy. It rains some, but the rain in September is kinda fun.
Pros: poolside loungers, and amenities are not crowded, rates may be discounted
Cons: because it is the low season and there is not a lot of occupancy, not all amenities will be available, sadly. Also, it’s pretty hot and muggy. And buggy.
Wrap up
Marival Distinct provided an experience that would meet the expectations of many travelers. It is a bit small, but that can be a positive. The food is fantastic. The staff and service is -largely- great. The pool scene is a bit too serene for my taste, but it might suit some people. The rooms were nice but not perfect. Having access to Marival Emotions and the beach club make this resort a great option for most people.
Wow. Now that’s comprehensive! Thank you.