This was our second visit, having been in May 2019 so I can make some comparisons. The hotel has clearly been repainted on the outside so looks quite fresh. The WiFi has improved considerably since our last visit, we were in Block 5 overlooking the adult pool at the back of the property and could use the Wifi in our room as long as we were standing in front of the balcony door. The Wifi signal was very good around the adult pool and in the Wok/JapJap restaurant. We also had good WiFi in both the main buffet restaurants and the whole of the beach area in front of the hotel. It's still a pain with regard to being logged off every 5 minutes if you don't use the WiFi. The safe key for the room was free but the safe is still quite small and cannot accept a tablet or laptop but is fine for smaller items that you need to secure. The booking system for the speciality restaurants is now done online. Whatever restaurants that are open on a particular evening have availability released at 8 am each morning and can be booked on a first come basis. Make sure you are quick, as they fill up in no time. Not all the restaurants were operating on any given day. Thursday and Sunday are "Mexican Nights" so the speciality restaurants are either closed or operate a Mexican buffet on a walk in basis. The rooms themselves have not changed in the style of furnishings and some pieces are looking a little worn and tired. The door to the room is still key operated and not very secure but we did not hear anyone complain of any thefts while we were there. Food in the speciality restaurants was good and a better option than the main buffets for quality, freshness and offerings. There was usually something of interest in the main buffet but they could do with maybe introducing some more theme nights other than Mexican. The staff in the restaurants and bars were all helpful and friendly and if you visit the same bar regularly, they get to know your preferences and prepare your drinks as you walk up. Room service was varied, we could never tell when our room would be made up irrespective of whether we left the "please make up my room" card on the outside of the door or not. Also we found the towel replacement was haphazard, sometimes hand towels and or the shower mat towel were removed but not replaced. The vast majority of the guests during our stay were Mexican with Canadians and Americans making up the next group. There were usually 5-6 Brits arriving each Wednesday and Thursday. If I was to return to the area, I would probably stay at the Decameron again.…
We are currently at the Royal Decamaron for 3 weeks and after reading the negative reviews wanted to give my opinion after being here for 3 days. Obviously the hotel is still recovering from the past few years but are doing their best to recover the fantastic experience we have all had in previous years. Check in: yes....it was slow, can't argue there. Room keys are now issued on a lanyard so much easier to carry round. No charge for safety box key. Cleaning is relentless, the grounds are so well maintained, pools are checked and cleaned daily so far. Face masks are compulsory in restaurants, gel provided on entry, and staff wear masks at ALL times. Plenty of choice for all meals and long opening hours so no rush to eat. Some premium spirits available at the many bars and huge choice of cocktails all included Rooms are spacious enough and clean. As mentioned there are no fridges in the rooms but I believe they can be requested if needed. That's it for now, I'll add later in to our holiday but I wanted to allay any concerns for those ariving soon and concerned about the negative comments as we were. Just come back from the beach and there were small rays swimming along the shore,,, fantastic!…
Having read some of the reviews on this place we came here feeling a little skeptical, but after 3 years of not being able to holiday abroad I was very much ready for 2 weeks in the sun. I’ve been to Mexico before but to Cancun so was completely new to Bucerías and Decameron. First impressions - maybe somewhat rundown, but in all honesty the age of the building and resort is the main factor. Maybe some renovations slightly overdue? The front desk staff were very welcoming, introducing us to Decameron, advising us of Covid-19 precautionary measures (having travelled from England where we no longer have any restrictions or requirements for masks) otherwise we wouldn’t have known. Reception also provided us with extra masks for restaurants and stores around the resorts. There was another staff member who eagerly took all of our bags, and offered us a drink for the walk to our hotel room. The hotel room again first impressions quite basic, again slightly rundown. But the air conditioning was AMAZING, instant cool blast upon opening the door. Amenities were basic, no fridge or cooler or drink making facilities. The shower and bathroom area again quite old fashioned but to be honest this is all completely irrelevant to me - the room is for sleeping and washing, and I was very happy with what I was provided. Also great view from the balcony. The room was cleaned daily by the very polite maids, bottles of water provided upon each clean. The only gripe I have with the maid service is that the times they arrived varied, sometimes as early as 9am and if you were only just getting up or out the shower it was quite inconvenient. They were always happy to return later if not convenient, BUT the main issue is that if you put the do not disturb sign on the door, THEY WILL STILL KNOCK AND ATTEMPT TO COME IN. There are soooo many drink choices at the bars around the pools and the beach bar, also Corona on tap which was great. Food choices again good, however felt a bit “repetitive” as there wasn’t an awful lot of variation. I’m not a picky eater so happily ate most things. I can imagine if you travel with fussy eaters this could be an issue. The al-a-carte restaurants are the best however very difficult to book into as they fill up by 8am. So if you want to enjoy one of these restaurants be sure to get up early enough (although it is still a gamble). The pools are excellent, and an adult only area which was quiet and clean and only a stone throw from the bar. Overall the stay was excellent, I can’t say it was the grandest experience I’ve had by means of the hotel buildings itself, but the staff were all extremely friendly and helpful and couldn’t do enough for you. Very happy memories made from this place!…
Older but well maintained resort. Wish the buffets would mix it up a little more but that's the only thing . Love the fact they had a adults pool as there was a lot of families and kids. Very short walk into Buceria. The reservation system for the special restaurants is web based, so a tablet or a phone is needed.
My family (9ppl, 7-72 y.o) stayed a the Royal Decameron for ten days. We overall loved the area and resort. Pros: close to the airport, clean beach w/ soft sand and slow incline into water, in town, good food, clean, family friendly Cons: Wifi The hotel is older but clean. Beds were comfortable, AC worked great. All staff we interacted with were friendly and helpful. Some spoke more English than others but the only true challenge we had was if we got too off topic with our questions. Resort is very family friendly, pools were shallow and many small wadding pools for small children. Beach is great, not weedy or rocky. We loved being in town and took many walks into the community. We were very impressed with the food (no food allergies or preferences in our group). It was all great but we loved "Mexican" nights the best. We really enjoyed every meal we had. We tried all the al acarts, Brazilian was our favourite. Night time entertainment was hit and miss for our group. The performers are very talented but performances were not always as "family friendly" as we would have preferred. We did not enjoy audience participation nights as there were always participates who were obviously uncomfortable, embarrassed by what they were asked to do. Day time activities were fun and we joined in several times but in general were more geared for adults then kids. We would absolutely go back to RD, especially if we found another great deal. …
My wife and I stayed at the Royal Decameron Complex in Bucerias from 23-30 April 2022. This was our first stay at this hotel but not our first in the Puerto Vallarta area. WestJet and Tripadvisor rate this hotel as a 4 star location but it’s really only a 3 star. On the good side, the hotel grounds are beautifully maintained and the rooms are clean. Lots of iguanas wandering around the pool and a few even went for a walk across the very shallow areas. The complex has an adults-only accommodations block and pool area which is nice for avoiding the family noise and loud music at the other pools. Service at the bars is good and food at the buffets is decent. Not spectacular but pretty good. We weren’t able to book any dining at the a la crate restaurants (they were full by 7:00 AM) so we are unable to provide any info about them. As an alternative, we had a few meals at Karen’s on the Beach, a lovely restaurant about a 15 minute walk away into town - great food and great atmosphere. Customer service during our check-in was sub-par. Many of the front desk staff are not very proficient in English and that hampered many conversations. No one offered to bring our bags to our room and no one even directed us to it - we had to find it on our own. Our building did not have an elevator (only one building on the complex does) so I had to carry our bags up three flights of stairs. We were not provided with a key for our in-room safe (no, it wasn’t a “code” one) or even told of the requirement for a separate key for it. I had to call the front desk, have staff come to the room, call the front desk again, then go to the front desk only to be told there was a daily charge for use of the safe. After complaining, we were given the key for free but there shouldn’t be a charge for this - especially when the hotel itself advises guests to use the safe for valuables. Wi-fi reception in our room was non-existent. We had to go down to one of two designated areas on the complex to get any sort of decent signal. Some of the shops in Bucerias are lovely and, as always, shopping and bartering in the flea market/bazaar was a highlight. However, DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM MARIANO AT THE GALLERIA MAYA AND JEWELRY right outside the hotel gates. We were scammed out of $400 due to him double-running our card. We were told the first transaction “didn’t go through” (and shame on us for not double-checking) so he ran the charge again on a different machine. When we returned home, we discovered that the first transaction had gone into his personal account and second had gone into his business account. Bottom line - even with accounting for necessary changes due to COVID, this was not the vacation we expected and we will not be returning to this hotel again.…
This was probably our 6th visit to the Decameron in the last 10 years. We have never expected a high end hotel but have enjoyed the laid back feel. Our room change request to ground floor was honoured, so we were happy. No charge for the safe this time. THE GOOD : Block 5 area and pool is still very nice. Many staff are friendly. Anselmo, Dolores (omelettes), Cruz, bellboys Jose, Erick & Antonio, Oscar (bikes) Garry says hi. Omelettes always very good. Beautiful grounds & beach. Our maid kept our room cleaned every day. Drinks OK. Tables always sanitized. THE BAD: There have been no renovations and the place needs improvement constant paint touch ups do not help. The food has really gone downhill catering only to local visitors, we ate out a few times. Piccolo Restaurant is still very good, but you are very rushed. It’s about time for a fridge, coffee maker etc. This resort is no longer cheap. The doors to rooms could easily be kicked in. Room number on keys. Public washrooms in very bad shape. Problem getting small bills for tips at the front lobby, therefore we often couldn’t tip, most hotels provide this service. The staff are doing their best, and seem to be rushed off their feet, they need more staff in restaurants. It’s a fabulous location and could be so much better! We probably won’t return because we’d rather pay more elsewhere. Will have to do better if you want Canadians to return. Lynn and Mike…
It was my 3rd stay in this hotel. Things have changed due to Covid and unfortunately not for the best. Overall I had a good experience and a few issues that I had were resolved within the first 2 days. The hotel is due for renovation and the bathrooms definitely need an upgrade. The quality and variety of food had gotten worse. They are probably doing their best given the situation. Mexican à la carte restaurant was closed. The cleaning service was good and the beds comfortable. Most of the staff members were helpful and willing to accommodate. Excellent service from Angel and Idris at the bar and Lady at the buffet. Very good night shows and entertainment during the day. Keep up your great job Jaime Santana and the team! I hope the mask mandates will be lifted soon for the staff members. Hopefully things will improve soon and everything will be back to the Royal Decameron standards.…
Over the past 14 years, I've visited the Royal Decameron Complex four times. Maybe even five. If you were to look back, you'd see any review I've written on the resort has been glowing. I stayed in April of 2022 and not only was it disappointing for the Decameron, but probably a low point compared to any resort I've stayed at. The grounds are still beautiful, the colourful buildings bring a smile, the location is wonderful, and most of the staff is very friendly and helpful. The resort could certainly use a few updates, all of which I was aware of before booking my latest visit. The rooms don't have fridges, most of the buildings don't have elevators, and the rooms themselves are pretty dated. It would be nice to see a few improvements - like fridges in the rooms - given that the resort is quite large and finding something to eat or drink after 10 pm can be a chore. But, none of that accounts for my disappointment. These were all things I was aware of prior to arrival. The negative - I'm not picky about food. I can find something to eat almost anywhere, but this visit the food was routinely pretty terrible. Breakfast is always pretty easy - hard to go wrong with a fresh omelet. After that, it was all down hill... if you could get in to the buffet that is. I routinely waited in lines of 30 to 40 people (or more) just to get a table. Perhaps this is an issue of post-pandemic staffing issues or overcrowding, but on several occasions, I took one look at the line and opted to forgo a visit. Not really something you are looking for in an all-inclusive. The food quality was often so poor, that I dined off resort more often than on the resort. There were issues with the pools being quite dirty, even to the point of the adult pool being closed for a day and a half - something I have never seen at this resort. For the first time, I encountered rude staff, which again has never happened at this resort or any other resort for that matter. Again, this was not the norm and perhaps it is a case of being overworked and I can certainly understand that and will generally just forget it as an off moment. However, the totality of concerns from this latest visit leads me to giving what has historically been my favourite resort a sub-standard rating. My hope is that the issues will be resolved and perhaps some updates performed to return this resort to the standard it has previously achieved. For the time being, though, I'll be going elsewhere.…
Arrived May 3, Rivirea Nuervet north of PV 1st full day left gratuitie for room cleaning lady, all serveses its just what we do on every vacation to Mexico. Gratuities follow accordingly, we saved money at this resort. Visited the room to get something @ 12:30 2nd full day, room next to ours was being cleaned. We returned to room 3:30 to have room not cleaned. After 2 unnecessary aggressive calls to guest service room was cleaned at 4:15. We unfortunately and still today May 18 feel it was discovered we were a same sex cpl when room was cleaned 1st full day. Service was real bad rest of our stay. It bothers me to this day I've thought about it alot trying to justify it otherwise. I tried to put it behind us but just can't being treated as such as a same sex cpl feels the same as racism. I have to leave a review. I can't wait to go back to PV definitely not Riviera Nuervet worst vacation in 6 yrs including PV Cancun Los Cabos.…
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