Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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Nestled on a serene beachfront, Samba Vallarta All Inclusive receives accolades for its friendly staff and clean facilities, with guests often highlighting the well-maintained grounds and comfortable rooms. While the vibrant atmosphere and kid-friendly amenities are popular among families, some visitors felt the rooms could benefit from modernization and noted unexpected charges for certain amenities.
The hotel's location garners consistent praise for its tranquility and convenience, though opinions on value and service experience vary, with a few travelers pointing out inconsistencies.
Location
Beachfront
Atmosphere
Lively
Rooms
Dated
Value
Reasonable
Cleanliness
Meticulous
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Satisfactory
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This will sound like most of the reviews but I felt I had to contribute.
We hadn't left the country or got on a proper vacation in over 10 years. I spent a lot of time looking at all the resorts and destinations (considered Cuba, Dominican, as well as Mexico - PV area and Cancun), and settled on Nuevo Vallarta area. Then I looked at all the options there, and the reviews, and because of how highly rated and favourable the reviews were for Samba it was a contender. Another factor was we didn't want to stay at a massive resort where it was a journey to the beach, pools and where there were lines at 6 restaurants and 10 bars. Wanted small, simple and easy so as to not watse our precious vacation time navigating acres of property to get to what we want and need. Samba checked all our boxes.
Like many have said, this is an older property and not fancy at all. But it more than makes up for that as the staff work tirelessly around the clock to fastidiously clean every orifice of this resort and bend over backwards to ensure you have the best experience possible. There is no shortage of staff, ever, and they are extremely good humoured and service-oriented and very friendly. You get lots of attention whether at the pool, beach, buffet, or a la carte restaurants. You never go without - someone is always ready to ask what you want, take a plate away, etc.
The food was very good. This is what every Canadian seems to want to complain about the most. Buffets were always full and fresh (they are running out fresh platters of food even 5-10 minutes before the buffets are scheduled to end). Again this is not a Michelin Star food experience, nor should it be unless you are dropping ~$10,000 per week per person. We really enjoyed just about everything. The fresh baked goods, fruit, fresh produce at the salad bars, and most of the main dishes. Personally we understand how to be selective when traveling so there were some things we decided to just not bother with and like any country or region, there will be some foods they do better than others. That said, nothing here would ever be on the level of getting food poisoning, etc. The breakfast and lunch buffets stood out for us, and we managed one a la cate at the Mexican and Italian, each, over 10 days. Both good. You will never go hungry here and there is enough across the three buffets, two a la carte restaurants, and snack bar to please every palette.
The beach is spectacular. Pristine, puffy sand from the start to a sloping all sand bottom in the ocean. In March the water temp was 78-81f daily. Absolutely perfect. We seemed to be there at a slower time and there were always plentiful open lounge chairs and palapas on the beach at any given point, same with the pool and lounge chairs. Very chill and low stress knowing you can walk out anytime of the day and get a noice spot on the beach or pool. The pool area was also very neat and tidy, and the pool was pristine all day every day. Lots of space in and around with seating options and even beds that are free (even those seemed to be available here and there).
They clean this place constantly. The rooms are basic but again, clean. At any of the bars (restaurant bar, beach bar, pool bar, lobby bar) they will give you anything they have and how you ask for it. No hassle and no fuss, all day every day and with a smile.
This is not a party or entertainment-forward resort. It's smaller, quiet and very chill. There are some fun activities and music at the pool but the overall atmosphere is very calming. What your vacation goals and demographic are will dictate whether this is the right experience for you. The town of Bucerias is not a far walk on either the path or the beach (45 mins) and that too is a great experience. There is also a corner store and pharmacy a short walk from the resort.
We met many really friendly guests and we too will give a shout out to our beach palapa neighbours, Mel & Perry! Was nice to connect with some fellow islanders who can appreciate a nice resort, in a beautiful place and a friendly hardworking staff who seem to legitimately enjoy their work and each other and welcoming guests to their country and culture.
10/10 would come again. We had some many great staff over the 10 days and I want to give a proper shout out to them all, but here are the ones who stood out and we interacted the most with (and that we can remember): Carlos (I think there were two and both are great), Karina, Gilberto, Bruno, Norma, Salvador, Antonio, Sergio...the list goes on, and we didn't remember the front desk staff but they were all attentive and wonderful as well.
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Date of stay: March 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from SAMBA VALLARTA, Director General at Samba Vallarta All Inclusive
Responded 28 Mar 2024
Dear guest; Thank you for choosing Samba Vallarta as your vacation destination, and especially for taking some of your valuable time to share your comments about your stay. We are pleased to know that this was a pleasant and enjoyable experience. It is very satisfying for us to know that our staff has given you the attention you and your family deserve. This kind of comments are what drive us to continue offering the best service, day by day and thus achieve our main goal which is to create experiences in each of our guests. We appreciate your comments about our facilities, the kindness and service offered by our staff; we will publish your comments on our internal information board, so you will know about your appreciations. We are at your service for future visits, we hope to have the pleasure of having you again in this your home, Samba Vallarta.
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We just returned last night and wanted to share our experience! As first timers to PV we are used to much larger hotels in the Cancun area. Samba is just 4 floors which was wonderful not having to depend on or wait for an elevator. We asked to change rooms once because the safe wasn't working but zero complaints. We had an early whale watching excursion the next morning so they moved everything to our new room for us. As others have said the rooms are a bit dated but clean (bring your own hair conditioner if you are used to using it, shampoo and bar soap provided, bottles of lotion if requested). We had a balcony which we used a couple of times. There is a small gym with 1 treadmill, 1 elliptical, 2 bikes and weight machines. Staff are exceptional and will remember you and what you like to drink almost immediately. Meals are very good. Tons of choices on the buffet each day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We only had 1 specialty meal (steak night) but enjoyed sitting outside overlooking the ocean. We heard the seafood meal was to die for! You can have a nice Mexican dinner or Italian if you don't want the buffet. All in all a GREAT value for the money. We typically visit Cancun and pay much more. Getting to see whales in the distance from your beach chair was my favorite part! (Jan-March). Built in shade over your beach chairs so you can be in or out of the sun. Not all resorts nearby have this amenity. Water not "Cancun clear" but still very nice! No rocks or seaweed so you can wade in and/or swim which we did often. We saw small rays sunning on the surface of the water often but they stay clear of people.
All in all we recommend Samba to anyone!!
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Date of stay: February 2020
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Only the end rooms have a full Ocean view, others have a partial view.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from SAMBA V, Gerente at Samba Vallarta All Inclusive
Responded 5 Mar 2020
Dear klp4nu, Thank you so much for sharing your kind comments about your last stay at Samba Vallarta, we are so glad it has been a pleasant one. Receive our gratitude, It will be a pleasure to have you back soon at this your home Samba Vallarta.
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We just came back from samba and I am already missing the good time spent there. The resort is old but nicely maintained and they have tons of activities to keep you busy if you want. The entertainment staff(cheke boy, julio)will always make you smile and Yessi at the kids club is so good with the kids. The pool is good size and never crowded,the Pirate ship is added bonus for kids. Beach is one of the best ones with soft sand and no seaweed.we spotted couple of sting Ray's and they were harmless. They have boogie boards and single kayaks to enjoy. Bike tours are also there but we never got the time for that. The activity center is full of games.kids club also has lots of games and movies to keep the kids busy. Now coming to the food. Food was good and had lot of variety, they also have Venetian and mexican restaurants which can be easily booked from the room. The staff is so helpful, Salvador, Carlos they all went out of their way to make us feel special.
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from SAMBA V, Gerente at Samba Vallarta All Inclusive
Responded 5 Mar 2020
Dear swapna, Thank you very much for sharing your good comments about your stay at Samba Vallarta Hotel, we are so glad it has been a pleasant one. This kinds of comments are very motivating for all of us to continue offering the best, the quality of our friendly and courteous staff make us a favorite for vacationers. Receive our gratitude for being one of our most valued guests; It will be a pleasure to have you back soon at this your home Samba Vallarta.
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We are currently staying at the Samba and here is our review... First to good stuff...it is a small resort which is nice because you are close to the ocean and pools. Lots of loungers around the pool and down by the ocean! The grounds are gorgeous, clean and well manicured! A la carte’s are very good. And the staff are very friendly despite many staff having limited English! The resort is also very well lite and feels safe!
Checkin was extremely slow! And then our rooms were not ready so we had to come back later and wait again!
Our rooms smell very musty even the beds and pillows smelled! Maids have missed cleaning our room or come very late in the day like 4pm. The couch and chairs are falling apart in the room. The safe looks like you could break into it with a hammer. Phones didn’t work great either. You could not even call our room!
Our reservations at the a la cart was not actually booked (maybe due to the language barrier or the phones cutting in and out but they did say it was booked) so we showed up and we weren’t on the list. The staff were not willing to do anything about it.
The pool area is nice and they have waiters who will bring you drinks but you are not allowed to have food around the pool. However, it seemed liked people who could speak Spanish to the security, were allowed you to have food at the pool.
At check-in, your fridge has 2 water, 2 pop and 2 beer. After that daily they only stock it with 2 water. If you need more than that you have to pay.
Kids Club seems to have random hours however the staff was great!
When it rained there was no where to go except your room. Most of the common areas were closed or the roofs leaked.
For over $1400 next time I will be finding somewhere else to go!
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from SAMBA V, Gerente at Samba Vallarta All Inclusive
Responded 12 Feb 2020
Dear X5227IYmandyw, We thank you for tanking your valuable time to writing your reviews about your stay at Samba Vallarta Hotel, such thing is very useful, because reading this we can be sure about the things we can improve. We deeply apologize for the inconvenience you may had during your stay which unfortunately diminished your total perception of our Hotel. I have taken attention from each one of the points that you mention. I commit my self and my staff to correct these faults. Our main goal is to providing best possible experience of service. Samba Family is always glad to help and be at your service, please feel free to contact us, I´m sure we can do something to recover your trust and confidence. Hoping you visit this place again to show you how unique and memorable your vacation can be.
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Food was awful, same every day. Only two restaurants. They spray chlorine by the pool while you eat at the Mexican and the Italian was awful, only 3 tables at once allowed in (although there were about 15 there empty and they turned people away). The Italian had no music and poor service. We had to leave the resort 3 times to eat out we hated it so much. They don’t even have salsa and guacamole?!?
Drinks are Bad! Terrible booze, nothing premium. Only one red and one white wine. The red is so bad it tasted like paint thinner. Why serve bad wine? Drinks at the bar are all sugar and bad. I think they water down all their bottles. I had to drink beer which was decent light beer. Service was friendly but they serve Mexicans before foreigners we all noticed.
Rooms were small and mouldy! It was so damp nothing was drying and a mould mushroom grew in the bathroom on the wall! (SEE PICTURE).
We tried to leave early but Air CANADA wanted a large change fee. Tried to change rooms but they were all the same.
On a good note they did a nice job on the New Year Party outside dining party.
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Date of stay: December 2019Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from SAMBA V, Gerente at Samba Vallarta All Inclusive
Responded 14 Jan 2020
Dear Mr. GregVancouver, Thank you for let us know your feedback about your past stay at Samba Vallarta Hotel. We deeply apologize for not been able to met your standards and expectations, we honestly believe that our guests comments are the only way to improve our performance. I would like to share with you that we are constantly upgrading the facility and improving our service to positioning the property as an attractively, intimate, family-oriented option. On food, following our customer`s comments and suggestions, we have been constantly improving the variety of our buffet menus, we have a wide range of choices and are still continuously adding more options. We hope retain their confidence and preference to have the opportunity to see them again.
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A nice little resort but needs a bit more maintenance in some area's. The rooms especially had a dampness and slight odour to them. Nothing dried inside and the venting needed to be cleaned. Other guests we got talking too also mentioned they were experiencing the same thing. The pool also had some damaged tiles. On the good side -The staff were always very friendly and eager to help. There were always a supply of beach chairs empty so you didn't have to reserve them with your towel. Yoga was good but they need a designated area for it that is dry as we always had to go on lawn that had just been watered 5 min prior. Food was good and plentiful
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Date of stay: February 2020
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from SAMBA V, Gerente at Samba Vallarta All Inclusive
Responded 5 Mar 2020
Dear H1801MXjenniferc, Thank you for staying with us, we appreciate the time you spent writing this comment, such thing is very useful, because reading this we can be sure about the things we can improve. We deeply apologize for not been able to meet your standards. We are constantly upgrading the facility and service to positioning the property as an attractively priced, intimate, family-oriented option. We hope retain their confidence and preference to have the opportunity to see them again
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This was our third stay at the Samba; this time for 10 days.
Vidal on the front desk juggled things around to get us the great poolside room we loved, and the rest of the warm and welcoming staff continued their fabulous care.
You won't find nicer staff anywhere, especially Alexander, Ismail, Carlos, Manual and our breakfast chef Lori.
Our room was well maintained , the bathroom was fine and we had no problem with the firm beds. The pool area gets a bit noisy during game-time around 4 pm but otherwise the Samba was quite quiet and relaxing.
They've improved the food choices at the main dining room, added a great beach bar and replaced, (and perhaps added additional), palapas. on the excellent beach.
The main building exterior is a bit dated and could use some renovation, but the interior stairs and stairwells are all well-maintained and freshly painted.
Samba Vallarta is a small welcoming resort and an excellent place to relax and enjoy the terrific rain-free Mexican sunshine.
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Date of stay: February 2020
Value
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from SAMBA V, Gerente at Samba Vallarta All Inclusive
Responded 23 Mar 2020
Dear JES1944, On behalf of Samba Vallarta Hotel, thank you for your kindly comments about your stay at Samba Vallarta, we are so glad it has been a pleasant one, this kind of comments are very motivating for all of us to continue offering the best. We hope you continue being one of our most valued guests at this your home “Samba Vallarta Hotel”.
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We were a group of 12 aged 4-84 and we all had a great time. The resort is smaller but that worked for us. The rooms are basic and older but we barely spent any time in them and they were perfectly adequate. Water pressure and hot water supply were both excellent. No issues with bugs in the rooms though some of us were bitten by mosquitoes in the evening.
The staff are all fantastic, the service at this resort is second to none. There are lots of activities, the pool is great and there was never an issue getting chairs by the pool or the beach.
The beach and sand are also great, you can walk for hours in each direction. We saw dolphins and whales in front of the resort. The kayaks are free to use and available until noon, the dolphins hung around as we kayaked in the morning. Amazing experience!
We had no issues with the food, it was hot and there was sufficient selection. Always a different theme along with standard Mexican fare each evening. We tried the Italian a la carte and also lucked out and got the Seafood Garden which we didn’t find advertised but was set up to the left of the Mexican restaurant Friday night. We had a 6:30 sitting and were able to watch the sunset. Food there was fantastic and probably our favorite meal. (Guacamole is available at the lunch buffet if you ask for it, they will bring you a dish and chips)
There are shows each evening, we made it to the magic show and the Michael Jackson show, both were awesome!
Overall it’s an older, smaller resort, if a basic room is not an issue, you want to be able to find the people you came with easily and go back to your room without a half hour walk for whatever you’ve left behind, it’s a fantastic place!! (Odd numbered rooms will have a pool view, even numbered rooms will have a view of a parking lot and the next door Riu. Not all rooms have balconies)
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from SAMBA V, Gerente at Samba Vallarta All Inclusive
Responded 10 Feb 2020
Dear JenniferL982, Thank you very much for sharing your good comments about your stay at Samba Vallarta, we are so glad it has been a pleasant one. Your compliments towards our friendly staff are very appreciated as it is very motivating for all our associates to continue offering the best. Also, guest feedback help us to identify our opportunity areas to improve and continuing work on a daily basis and reach the goal of satisfying our guests on each and every service aspect. Receive our gratitude for being one of our most valued guests. It will be a pleasure to have you back soon at this your home Samba Vallarta.
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I traveled with my wife and 5-year old daughter for a 7 days all inclusive stay. There we met my 82 and 83 year-old parents who came from Colombia. For all of us, the staff service was great. The really make their best to make you feel comfortable. The only thing that I would mention that wasn't great was: My parents were supposed to check out at noon. They had to be at the airport at 7 PM so they had some hours to spend with us. Maybe have lunch together and spend time in the beach for a while. In every all inclusive hotel we have stayed, we are allowed to have lunch after doing the check out, and the bracelets are removed when is time to go to the airport. At Samba Vallarta, they removed the bracelets to my parents right away and they were charged 550 MX to get access to the Restaurant. That was not something I was expecting, even though we might have go to the restaurant without being charged as the Hostess knew us already. But we wanted to do it properly. S, yeah, they charged us for being honest :D Anyway, other than that, it was a good stay.
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Date of stay: December 2019
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip:Rooms with balcony are 35 USD more expensive than those without one.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from SAMBA V, Gerente at Samba Vallarta All Inclusive
Responded 10 Feb 2020
Dear emolano76, Thank you very much for taking your valuable time writing your comments about your stay experiences in Samba Vallarta. We strive to continue improving our service and your input help us to provide best possible experience. Following our customer`s suggestions and constructive comments, we are constantly upgrading the facility and service to positioning the property as an attractively priced, intimate, family-oriented option and make us a favorite for vacationers. We hope you and your family continue being one of our most valued guests at this your home Samba Vallarta
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We had a WONDERFUL time at Samba! We stayed for 6 days, and felt welcome at every turn. We were greeted with friendly faces and drinks upon arrival. The bar tenders/servers were always kind and ready to help!! Some of our favorites: Jose, Fernando, Morgan “Freeman”, Jesus, Juan, and Luis! The food was fresh and mostly delicious!
My mom has a gluten allergy, which they were able to accommodate for.. in fact, the chefs made her special meals if nothing was available!
A few things to note: 1. My family was the only American family at the entire resort, and there was a little bit of a language barrier at times.
2. If you have an allergy, make sure you know how to say it in Spanish. Not everyone is fluent in English.
3. The rooms were very clean, but t he maid service was a bit inconsistent. We didn’t ever receive wash cloths, the number of towels we received was different each day, and our mini bar was not always restocked properly. We could have called the front desk, and requested the items, but it didn’t bother us much. Hopefully this review will help them know what training needs to be addressed.
4. This resort does not offer free COVID testing to its patrons. They can bring a service in, or refer you to an outside source. We were able to walk to another resort and get tested.. plan on paying $30-$50 usd per person for the test..
With that being said.. this small resort was the perfect get away! It was not over crowded, we were always able to find beach chairs for 7 of us. The food was great, the service was even better!!! We felt like family throughout our entire stay!! Thank you Samba familia for an incredible vacation!
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Date of stay: October 2021Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from SAMBA VALLARTA, Director General at Samba Vallarta All Inclusive
Responded 16 Nov 2021
Dear 221darcik, Thank you very much for choosing Samba Vallarta to spend your vacation. Your compliments towards our friendly staff are very motivating for all our associates to continue offering the best. Following our customer`s comments and suggestions, we strive to continually improve our service and your input help us to provide best possible experience. We sincerely hope you continue being one of our most valued guests at this your home Samba Vallarta.
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