Marival Residences | Nuevo Vallarta Mexico
This post is LONG overdue, but the wonderful thing about travel is the memories never get old. My husband and I went to the Marival Residences, a four diamond resort in Nuevo Vallarta, last November. Prior to this resort, we have stayed at two other all-inclusive resorts in Mexico, both were five star. The Marival trumps those other resorts hands down and is our all time favorite all-inclusive resort. We can't imagine how any other resort could beat it and we seriously cannot wait to go back. For those of you who are not familiar, all-inclusive means all you can eat and all you can drink. We say a resort where you can leave your wallet in your room! It's truly the best way to really relax.
This was our first time to Nuevo Vallarta. It is a dreamy paradise down there in Mexico, just outside of Puerto Vallarta. We had been to Cozumel and Cancun prior to this trip, which are both on the east side of Mexico, so this was our first time to the west side of Mexico. When we were flying in I instantly noticed a HUGE difference in terrain! Puerto Vallarta has the most amazing mountains that are covered with jungle, they are stunning. Nuevo Vallarta is about a twenty minute drive from the airport in Puerto Vallarta.
Like I said before, we stayed at a FOUR DIAMOND resort... yes, diamond (more than 5 star)! The Marival Residences Luxury Resort, and luxurious is the only word to describe this place. A ton of our friends had stayed there already, but this was our first time. Our friends hyped this place up like crazy, so my expectations were HIGH... but honestly it surpassed my expectations. This place is so tranquil, luxurious and peaceful. The amenities, pools, etc were the best we have ever experienced at a resort. The food and drinks at the Marival are out of this world. Really, I couldn't find one complaint about this place.
The Marival Residences has a sister resort that is called the Marival Resort and Suites. When you stay at the Resort, you do not have access to the Residences, however, when you stay at the Residences you have access to both properties. They are a short golf cart ride away from each other. The greatest part about being at the Marival Residences vs the Marival Resort is that it is more private, peaceful and intimate. But if you want to venture over to the resort which is also extremely nice (just a bit louder and has a more party vibe), you can. When you go over to the Marival Resort there is a private VIP beach for the guests staying at the Residences. This beach is perfection. The sand and water are stunning, and the service there is like nothing I had ever experienced. They have people walking around serving you drinks and food. I had so many margaritas at this beach it was amazing, and don't forget, it is an all-inclusive. So I would of course ask for a double shot margarita with top shelf liquor. Haha can you blame me??! As a guest of the Residences you have access to top shelf liquor, which was great because at most all-inclusive resorts it is the house liquor/well drinks that is included.
Infinity pool at the residences
The rooms at the Marival Residences are luxurious. They START at 1,400+ square feet! That is what we stayed in, the one bedroom. It was bigger than our apartment at home! Equipped with a full kitchen, two bathrooms, washer/dryer... You feel like it's your home away from home, it really isn't fair to just call it a hotel room. They even have residences that are four bedrooms. Like I said before, the service here is top notch. They provide a pillow menu... Yes, a menu that you can order different types of pillows from. Who knew there were so many types of pillows! They even had scented ones. We ordered a few different pillows of course, why not.
1,400 square ft. rooms
Bathroom
Chocolate strawberries upon arrival
Room service (food, not pillows) is also amazing. We ordered breakfast a few times during our stay... it's the perfect way to wake up. We also ordered lunch one time and the sandwich I got was so delicious that I still crave it to this day. When we go back to this resort it will be the first thing I order (picture below). Well, that and the fried Oreos. Don't knock it till you try it. When a friend said to try the fried Oreos I made a disgusted face like "oh man do you want my arteries to clog on the spot?!" But then I gave it a shot and... WOW. So yummy. Everything in moderation though, I didn't want to gain 100 lbs on one vacation. Therefore I only ordered it twice... one too many times to be exact hehe.
Pillow Menu!
View from our room
Room Service - Veggi Sandwich (I still crave it, the best I have ever had in my life)
Shrimp Tomato Salad at the VIP Private Beach
Room Service- breakfast
Marival Resort & Suites
Private beach for Marival Residence guests
Cabanas at private beach
Beach for guests of Marival Resort & Spa
Tequila, sunshine & an ocean breeze = Happy girl!
I highly recommend doing an excursion while you are on a trip like this. Especially in Mexico, they have so many things to choose from to get you on an adventure. We chose to go zip lining through the jungle! They did not allow us to take our cameras past a certain point so I don't have a lot of photos for you, but this picture below is the jungle I am talking about. Would you look how lush and green it is!
For me personally, I loved this excursion so much. It was my favorite part of this trip, and a top highlight from last year. I am a little scared of heights and still thought it was a blast. It's about an hour drive in the shuttle from the resort, but worth every minute. To get to see the jungle and mountains up close and personal was worth the drive in itself. Zip lining was something I wanted to check off my bucket list for a few years now, and I'm so grateful we did it in Puerto Vallarta because of how stunning it is. The tour we used was Canopy River Zip Line Adventure. I have zero complaints about them, we really enjoyed it. At the end of our zip line experience it included some tequila tasting. That was really fun and who knew there were so many flavors and types of tequila?! I sure didn't but I loved tasting them.
Tequila
My husband and I are super grateful to get to visit resorts such as the Marival. I get asked often from readers wondering how we get to travel so much; a huge part of it is the travel club we are part of. It helps us save a TON of money so we are able to go to higher end destinations for a discounted price. Such a blessing. If you ever have questions about that, feel free to email me. You can also simply click this link and become a member too.
I hope this post inspired you to explore more! You know what they say...the world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.
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It was truly one of the best experiences of our lives! We got such a good deal and are so grateful we got to stay at a place that is so high class and luxurious.