Puerto Vallarta continues to tempt visitors with its lush tropical setting on sparkling Banderas Bay and its still-authentic Mexican air.
As more and more direct flights are offered from the U.S., travelers jet south for Puerto Vallarta’s international dining, its gourmet and film festivals, and its golf, scuba, surfing, whale-watching. The town center flaunts a lively central square with music and dancing at night and interesting shopping in the day time.
What to Expect at Presidente InterContinental Puerto Vallarta:
The Presidente is one of the older, more intimate brand-name hotels in this tourist magnet.
This relatively small (120-room) hotel is compact and manageable; guests don’t traipse up and down paths or feel lost and forgotten amidst check-in hordes. This is not a particularly family-oriented hotel, and few children will be in evidence.
The Presidente may offer seclusion, but not a lot of style. Its staff is English-speaking but not not memorably warm. Run-of-house rooms are all-white, and can come across either ethereal or clinical. For guests seeking snazzier digs, the hotel’s penthouse suite is both beautiful and a fine value.
The hotel offers two good restaurants, a café and bar, an impeccable golden-sand beach, handsome pools, a tennis court, a free 24-hour gym, and complimentary PC use. (A modest resort fee, charged daily, covers these activities and room-service charges.) While there is no spa, the hotel furnishes a massage room and in-room services. Puerto Vallarta’s only Pilates studio is on-premises.
The Presidente is located toward one end of Banderas Bay, and trips to Puerto Vallarta’s town center involve 15-minute taxi rides. However, these trips are inexpensive, and hotel parking is free for guests with rental cars.
Guest Rooms at Presidente InterContinental Puerto Vallarta:
The resort’s 97 basic rooms are plain-looking but spacious. They comprise a good-sized bathroom, a roomy bedroom, and a balcony overlooking the pool and the Pacific Ocean beyond.
Rooms are all-white with a curious absence of decorative touches save for generic framed prints. Finishes are motel-like: white pebble-textured ceiling and walls, white tile floor, and Ikea-esque white TV tower and small dining table.
The sole splash of color comes from a soft cotton bedspread. Beds are king, silk-sheeted, and just firm enough, and both foam and feather pillows are offered.
Bathrooms feature a single sink, plenty of counter space, separate toilet, and a molded bathtub with showerhead. There are robes, slippers, and Neutrogena toiletries.
Nineteen suites feature a capacious closet area as well as bigger balconies. Suites also have a Jacuzzi set right in the bedroom, Poconos-style. Master suites contain a second bedroom plus a living room with a bar and additional seating.
All rooms have a TV with many satellite channels, DVD and CD players, coffeemaker, safe, and hairdryer. Housekeeping brings fresh handmade soap, bottled water, and ice daily. Evening turndown involves candlelight and bedside foot mats. The aptly named “welcome amenity” is a small bottle of tequila brought with salt and limes.
Honeymoon Suite at Presidente InterContinental Puerto Vallarta:
Honeymoon couples, twosomes visiting with another couple or with children, or guests in search of real south of the border flair are advised to consider the hotel’s beautifully appointed, truly Mexican-feeling Presidential Suite on the penthouse floor.
Measuring nearly 2,000 square feet, these roomy ocean-view lodgings offer two king bedrooms with bathrooms, a dining room, and a rambling terrace with a bar and a fireplace for nippy nights. Much of the suite is indoor-outdoor, with seating areas, tropical plants, stone landscaping, Jacuzzi, and swimming pool with a waterfall feature.
While the Presidential Suite is much costlier than regular rooms, overall rates at this hotel are low in comparison to other local hotels. For what you get, the Presidential Suite is a steal.
Weddings and Honeymoons at Presidente InterContinental Puerto Vallarta:
This compact property can deliver a pretty hotel wedding, but brides dreaming of fairytale nuptials in a remote tropical paradise will find reality intrudes.
The Presidente is a good choice for small or medium-sized nuptials at which guests will not get lost. In-house professional event planners assist couples planning their wedding and/or Mexican honeymoon at the Presidente. Mexican nuptials are subject to a three-day residency. Group rates may be available for guests.
Venues cover indoor and outdoor spaces including event rooms, the beach, poolside, and landscaped gardens. The hotel’s restaurants offer gracious seating and customizable menus to wedding parties.
Personal touches for honeymoon couples include flower petals on the bed and in the Jacuzzi, floral bouquets, Champagne and chocolates, and dinner served in a storybook outdoor gazabo.
Romance packages may be offered seasonally. Check the hotel Web site for descriptions and availability.
Dining, Activities, More about Presidente InterContinental >
