When my fiancé and I were looking into booking a trip to Puerta Vallarta, we decided to book through a WestJet Vacations package. The package included a 7-day all-inclusive stay at Canto del Sol. The reviews on Canto del Sol were pretty mixed so we weren’t sure what to expect but decided it was worth the risk. Booking through WestJet Vacations was very simple and we felt we got a good deal.
Location
When we arrived in Puerto Vallarta we took a shuttle that West Jet Vacations arranged to our hotel. The hotel is only about 6km from the Licenciado Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport (PVR). It’s also only 3km away from the Malecon, about a 10-minute drive. We usually took Uber’s to the Malecon which was very affordable. We also walked along the beach from the Malecon back to our resort and it took about 30 minutes. The hotel does not offer a free shuttle service, but it never took long to get an Uber or a taxi and they were always very reasonably priced.
Just outside the hotel is a convenience store that has cold drinks, snacks, and anything you might need! There are also a few small clothing shops and plenty of tour operators.
Arriving Experience
We arrived at the hotel at 4 pm on a Saturday in November. The lobby had an open design, and there was no line to check-in. Upon arrival, they watched our bags for us while we went through the check-in process and they brought us a welcome drink! I’ve stayed at one other all-inclusive resort before and Canto del Sol had a better first impression and felt very welcoming.
They gave us 3 reservation passes for their reservation-only restaurants. The check-in receptionist was friendly and efficient! My biggest fear with checking into any hotel or resort is getting to the resort and them saying we have no reservation or having some sort of problem where we can’t get a room (I’ve had a few bad experiences), but thankfully all went well, they checked us in and said “welcome home!”.
The bellhop helped us with our bags and showed us to our room, giving us a mini tour along the way. We were staying in the Mountain Villa, about a 5-minute walk away from the main area of the resort.
Our Room
Our room was spacious with a balcony and kitchenette. It was stocked with pots, pans, plenty of cooking utensils, and even had a full-sized fridge! Our room had the typical amenities like a TV, hairdryer, microwave, and safe. The bed was very comfortable. Our room was very clean and we felt very safe and comfortable.
It was pretty hot in our room when we arrived so we turned the AC on, the AC was very loud and we needed it on the majority of the time. Even with it on max, the room wasn’t very cool. It wasn’t a huge problem though, especially since the ceviche restaurant right down the hallway had ice cream. We didn’t mind too much, just something to keep in mind!
The mountain section of the hotel was very quiet. There’s a rooftop pool area and a bar that was never very busy, there were even times when we had the pool all to ourselves!
There’s also “La Cevicheria” restaurant which serves 13 different types of Ceviche (we tried the apple ceviche, which was super good!) and they serve ice cream!
Restaurants and Bars
We ended up not trying all of the restaurants at the resort besides La Cevicheria, Santa Maria, and El Pescador (the buffet).
We decided that we would eat off the resort to try some street vendors and local restaurants and we liked not having to plan around reservations, but if you were planning on not leaving the resort much it seems like you’d have a good variety of food options.
They have 3 restaurants that are reservation only, an Italian food restaurant, Il Cantico, a Japanese restaurant, Akita, and a seafood restaurant Mar y Tierra. Then they have restaurants you can visit without any reservations, the buffet, El Pascador, Santa Maria, Mi Morenita, La Cevicheria, and snack Peces.
The Buffet – El Pescador
The El Pescador buffet area is conveniently located right next to the main pool. It has a charming beach hut design and is quite big. You need to wait to be seated but there was rarely a long wait. The servers offered drinks and were very attentive and friendly. The buffet had different food each day and offered lots of delicious options. My favourites were the fried squash and the huge selection of fruit. Almost daily they offered a selection of fruit-infused water, and a variety of unique juices, which was very refreshing.
We stayed over American Thanksgiving and they put out a huge Thanksgiving feast. The whole restaurant was decorated beautifully, they had a violinist walking throughout the restaurant, a turkey carving station, a huge charcuterie board, and loads of delicious desserts. It was a great surprise and was one of the highlights of our stay. So if you’re staying over a holiday, you don’t need to be worried about missing out on a grand holiday feast!
Property & Amenities
The decorations and vibe of the resort were very pleasant, it had an open feel and was colonial style. While we did not use it, there is a fully equipped gym on the property and a steam room. They also have tennis courts available!
There are three bars, one in the lobby, one next to the main pool (which also serves as a swim-up bar), and one next to the rooftop pool in the mountain villa section of the hotel. We had a good experience at each bar, they made really good pina coladas!
Entertainment
Canto del Sol offers new activities throughout the day. We attended their “showtime” show, a fire show by the pool, and karaoke. It seems like most days, if not every day, they have games by the pool, volleyball, and live music.
Pool and Beach
There are 3 pools at Canto Del Sol. The main pool is right outside El Pescador, right in the middle of the resort close to the beach. This pool has a swim-up bar and there’s even a resident iguna that seems to frequent around the pool.
There’s a kid pool right next to the main pool and a third pool in the mountain villa section of the resort, which was never very busy and was much quieter.
The resort is located right on the beach! However, this is a public beach so there will be vendors walking around selling things but they were never a problem. The resort has chairs and umbrellas set up for guests to use and the beach was never super busy, although the waves were very big the whole time we were there. It was still nice to lay out on the beach and watch the sunset.
Staff
The employees at Canto del Sol were continuously very friendly and accommodating and we never had or witnessed a bad experience. The waiters would often recognize us and remember what drinks we would order, which was really nice and made us feel very welcome!
A big thank you to the amazing staff at Canto del Sol who made the experience so great!
How far is Canto Del Sol from the airport?
Canto del Sol is located a 15-minute drive (6km) from the Licenciado Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport (PVR).
How far is Canto Del Sol from the Malecon?
Canto del Sol is 3km away from the Malecon, about a 10-minute drive. We usually took an Uber to the Malecon which was very affordable. We also walked along the beach from the Malecon back to our resort and it took about 30 minutes.
Would I go again?
Canto del Sol was a great experience, I loved Puerto Vallarta and would love to stay at Canto del Sol again. I recommend a stay here to anyone looking for an amazing all-inclusive experience in Puerto Vallarta!
