Great location if you want to be in the heart of the action - Right on the beach in Old town (Romantic Zone). We ended up booking All Inclusive which ensured we wouldn't starve or run out of Sol, however we really only ate breakfast there and spent most of the day away from the hotel on the beach and into town for later meals. The food is basic at best, seems cleanly prepared and didnt cause either of us any woosiness (aside from the occasional glance at some of the dinner items while passing through for a pre-drink beer).

We didnt use the pools, they did look clean and were reasonably sized, just not our thing.

The beach right in front of the hotel is busy and is beside the main fishing pier where there were always local fishermen hauling in their catches - charming really. The beach can get garbagie through the day but they do a good job of raking it up in the evening. Just South a few Hotels is the infamous BlueChairs Hotel where you can people-watch while soaking in the sun and sucking down the margaritas.

The room was 4th floor, ocean view and very large. However, there were some nasty dark corners in the bathroom and cracks in walls in the closet, the a/c grill was pretty dirty, some small stains on the sheets and towels - nasty eh. All that said, still cleaned every day and aside from the marks, the sheets were clean.

Overall Borderline and I would stay in a pinch, h/e, will try a different place next time for sure.

B&D
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Our group of 2 famililies with 2 toddlers just returned from the sunny beaches of Mexico to the dreary spring weather of Calgary. We loved the location of the resort being downtown in the heart of what is Mexico. Our rooms were both on the street side so we did incur some noise the first night we were there(Saturday), but after that we had no complaints. The balconies were a great place to spend the evenings people watching while the kids were fast asleep. The restaurant hours were not great for kids. Breakfast didn't start until 8:00 so we spent many a mornings over at Dee's Coffee shop buying some of the best muffins and coffee in PV. Suppers didn't start until 6:30pm so we ate out just about every night to get the kids fed before they became too tired to be strapped into a high chair. The San Marino is old but it is clean and everything does work. The waiter service during the meals was good, however there was no drink service to speak of on the beach or by the pool. The kiddy pool was the perfect size and depth for our toddlers and we spent many, many hours in there. Overall we had a great time for the price we spent. I would stay at the San Marino again, but would likely try to get into one of the other hotels on the same strip to see if we could get better meals and more suitable rooms (seperate bedroom for the kid).

My husband and I recently returned from our all-inclusive one-week stay at the San Marino Hotel and we loved it! One caveat, however, is that in my view it's critical to have a Junior Suite ocean view room to give this hotel an 'above average' rating.

I'll start with the 'down sides' to this hotel, to get them out of the way. The hotel is older, and many guests with rooms on the "street side" complained of the noise from the street. The rooms are plain & simply furnished with a firm bed. The balcony furniture could easily be upgraded for comfort and appearance. The food is bad (except for breakfast, as many previous reviewers have mentioned). There is minimal drink service on the beach (each day, we spent most of the day on the beach and we were approached only once each day for a drink order)--- so it's basically "get it yourself" at the bar. The resort "activities" are very limited, if you like that sort of thing.

With these negative comments, you might wonder "why did I give the San Marino four stars?" Because the sliding glass doors of our ocean view room opened onto an incredible vista of the Bay of Banderas. We could sit on our balcony and watch the sun set each evening over the bay... and it was beautiful! Our room was large and clean. Also, the hotel's buffet restaurant was positioned well, so that diners can sit and eat by the sea. Or, if you're going out for dinner (as you should!), you can just sip your glass of red wine and watch the sun set from the hotel restaurant, before departing for much better food in one of the many nearby restaurants. I loved the location of this hotel, in the heart of Old Vallarta, with countless bars, restaurants, shops, galleries, markets, taco stands, and public entertainment venues right nearby. Although the hotel food wasn't great overall, the breakfast spread was very nice with every possible food preference covered, including lots of fresh fruit and individually-prepared omelettes. The bar prepared some very nice pina coladas, too. And although the beach was very crowded while we were there, it was the school break for kids in PV, so maybe it's not always so busy. In any event, we enjoyed the hectic beach scene.. great for people-watching! If you want peace and quiet, you can sit around the pool or in a roped-off section of sand right by the beach.

In summary, this hotel is NOT for very fussy people who want western-standard hotel rooms. It's not for teenagers or heavy drinkers/party-ers, because it's a quiet hotel with no clubbing-type night life of it's own or nearby. We enjoyed the diversity of the clientele at the hotel... couples, a few families with young children, gays, mostly Western tourists (many Canadians) and a good proportion of Mexican families, too...however, notably absent were college-age young adults (at least the week we were there)!!. Finally, this hotel's all-inclusive package is not for vacationers who put a lot of emphasis on good food & who expect to get that good food at their all-inclusive. There are no a la carte restaurants at the hotel.

The San Marino is a good hotel, however, for people who are budget-minded, who appreciate a central location in the middle of the amazing little town of PV, and who want to be in a hotel by the sea. Once again, I strongly recommend an ocean view Junior Suite to have a good experience at this hotel.

We (father and teenage daughter) really enjoyed our stay at the San Marino. The staff are naturally pleasant and did there best to makes ones stay enjoyable. Our one problem with a phone resulted in a new one in less than ten minutes. The hotel event coordinator is enthusiastic, even if guest participation sometimes falters. Safety and security was not a concern, at the hotel or in Puerto Vallarta. Five stars on service and staff. The hotel has history although renovated in 2003 - thus, it is probably two stars for rooms but everything is clean and works. As stated in other reviews, the breakfast buffet is great with lunch and dinner being plain but reasonable given what you are paying. The hotel is very central for access to restaurants, shopping and tour departures. Noise is the drawback to being in a central location - most evening noise arises from the neighbourhood rather than the hotel itself. For real world exposure, the hotel caters to all orientations and nationalities, including vacationing Mexicans. Unless there was a far better deal, we would stay at the San Marino again.