Loved every minute of our stay. We could not have made a better choice. Everything was top notch.

The hotel and resort is absolutely beautiful! It is surrounded by lush, tropical mountains that make it seem very secluded and private. However, it also has a few restaurants/ bars on the beach that are open to the public - frequented mostly by tourists, though. The pools are awesome, and of course the pool bar was great! The physical layout of the resort was perfect. The one drawback to its seclusion is that its one of the farthest resorts from downtown PV. This makes it more expensive to go into town for any reason. We had to go into town several times b/c we went on 4 excursions. Must do the Outdoor Adventure! Rated one of the best zip-lining trips in the world! EXTREMELY satisfied for the price!

This place was clean, the rooms were big, the service was good, and the hotel is right on the beach. it's a bit outside of the city, though, i'd say about twenty minutes away. i've never stayed at an all-inclusive (not including cruises) but i found the alcoholic drinks to be pretty bad. bottom shelf liquor. the only alcohol i had any interest in drinking was beer, which is hard to screw up. Capri's, the Italian alacarte restaurante on site, was excellent. we didn't eat at the steak house or the spanish restaurant. the buffet was decent. i'd recommend staying at a resort closer to the airport and city though. our last night we stayed at fiesta americana and it had everything we needed.

I just spent 4 nights here with a friend with the intention of doing nothing but relaxing. It totally fit the bill. We parked ourselves on lounge chairs until the sun went down, then took naps before dinner. We picked our favorite poolside server and tipped her well, so she was always bringing us whatever food and drink we wanted. There was kind of a freak occurance while we were there - the waves were unusually strong and one broke over the seawall next to the hotel and then crashed through a plate glass window and into the restaurant where we were dining ("Don Quioxte"). The staff was very calm and reassuring, and within a day the window had been replaced. The resort was very clean and well maintained. My only complainted about the room was that the walls seemed kind of thin - I could hear the neighbor's TV, etc. Overall, I appreciated the relaxed atmosphere. It was not a "scene" kind of place and was not crawling with creepy guys like I was worried about. I would totally come back here!

Hotel and staff was outstanding. Loved the location, but if there was a drawback, it would be the distance to town. Taxis get expensive.

We were totally amazed when we arrived at the Barcelo resort – the pictures did not capture the beautiful ambiance of this resort or the great hospitality! We loved the couples massage and our room with the separate living room and bedroom. We visited the lovely botanical gardens (just south of the resort), the quaint town of Bucerias (a few miles north of PV) and the zoo (about a 30 minute walk from the resort – I wouldn’t recommend walking there by yourself - like I did, but it depicts how the proverty-stricken live). If you visit the zoo, please check on the four adorable, large tiger cubs (a couple of people on this site recommend this zoo). One of the workers asked if I wanted to see the tigers and he opened a padlocked totally enclosed plywood container (4’x4’x4’). It was sad to see the young tigers in plywood container with no openings for the tigers to see out or ventilation. I sent the Puerto Vallarta Zoo officials an email asking if they would be willing to provide better conditions for these tigers and I only received a response that they received my message. Also, they have a faithful Mexican Hairless dog in a cage and I feel that dogs should not be on display with wild animals.

Overall the trip was great...great service, great food, great drinks. If you're looking for long walks on the beach this is not the place for you. The beach is tiny. The pools are beautiful though if you just want a swim.

This was my second stay, we went for our anniversry, and really loved it. The Barcelo La Jolla is now one of my favorite destinations. No timeshare types at the resort, which was nice. The resort is very well maintained, great staff, very helpful. My husband got a little tired of the buffet food after a couple of days, that could be fixed. Loved the breakfasts! Our room was lovely, you have to love that each has a balcony and a great view of the ocean. the area around the hotel is just beautiful. Take the bus into town for 7 pesos and really get a bit of local flavor. We felt quite safe, and enjoyed the outings alot. Don't purchase airport transfer online, just grab a taxi at the airport, only about 25$.I would go again tomorrow!

My wife and I had already booked this trip when we saw that it was ranked the #3 resort in all of Mexico on the Travel Channel. After our trip there and having been to Mexico many times I would have to say, "no way". We found another all inclusive gem in the Cancun area that will go nameless but I will use for comparison purposes and we've gone back there twice. Pros: Beautiful scenic area surrounded by mountains. A very cool zoo within a short walk of the hotel that also allows you to see a bit of how life is lived in rural Mexico along the way. Not too far to PV and the boardwalk for good shopping, restaurants and nightlife. Cons: Annoying vendors on the beach, non-stop. Little to do in the evening. Entertainment kind of boring. One little pub with not much going on. Sand fleas on the beach leave some lasting itchy welts. Staff don't seem interested in making sure you get a drink or sometimes even food service, and we tipped, all the time. Some staff were great though, just not consistent. I know weather can't be controlled but the waves were crashing all the way up to the hotel a couple of days leaving the beach area unusable. The food was passable but compared some AI, not even close. We ate out a few times here, at the other place, never. Overall we had a good time with good weather and did some fun things. Having another AI to compare to though made it clear to me that we would not go back to La Jolla.

This was our first time to Mismaloya and we loved it. Great small town feel, not the tourist Mexico you get in Cancun. Small roads curve around the Sierra Madre Mountains. Great views, however, not good water to swim in (common in Mexico since the hurricane). You will not be dissappointed with Barcelo.

I would stay here again. Food was excellent with a good variety. The buffet was excellent. We loved the view of the ocean. Our room was huge and the bed was super comfortable. The pool area was real nice. Go to the zoo! Walk too, it's only a mile. Be sure to go to the "restaurant" not to get food but to hold a tiger! I would stay at this place again. But, the beach was not the best. We walked the beach once then did not step our foot on it again. Our last night was the "Rythms of the Night"... THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE MUST! This was the highlight of our trip!

The Barcelo La Jolla de Mismaloya was fantastic! The service was great. The restaurants and buffets on-site have various themes and excellent food. There are a variety of activities available, and the beach was wonderful. Their concierge was helpful in arranging outside activities as well. All the staff was helpful in giving us information about the area such as the current exchange rate and prices for taxis and buses should we wish to use them. Our room was large and airy. We had a view of the pool, but the layout is so pleasantly arranged that we enjoyed it. We look forward to returning to this hotel many times in the future!

This place exceeded my expectations at all levels. If you are looking for a "girls gone wild" type, crazy party scene, then this is NOT the best place to go. There are other resorts in Mexico that cater to those kinds of demands. For a family or couple, on the other hand, this is an EXCELLENT and beautiful resort. The workers are extremely friendly and polite, they always ask you if you need anything, and they smile all the time. Along with the innumerable activities that they offer throughout the day, you are guaranteed to be stuffed on delicious food during your entire stay. If you decide to stay here, I would also recommend doing at least one of the optional activities (I recommend ATVing, horseback riding, and zip lines). I would also advise you to pay for the transportation option through expedia, as there are many shady people who will try to sway you the moment you exit the airport. Overall, this vacation was definitely worth the money for me.

Stayed at this hotel 3 years ago. Nothing changed. It is still the same beautiful place with the nicest employees. Even the beach vendors are kind and considerate. They do not allow them to harass you. We will be going again and again. Very relaxing place.

We thought everything about the hotel was wonderful. We loved the location - between the mountains, with a view of the jungle. The buffet was great - there is a lot to choose from, even for a vegetarian. The service was excellent. The Italian restaurant was very good and the service was top-notch. We were disappointed with the food and service at the steak and seafood restaurant. Luckily we preferred the beach because people had their towels in chairs by the pools reserving them early in the morning even though they weren't occupied until later in the day. Bring $1 bills to leave for tips - they are appreciated. We went to the zoo across the street from the hotel - ask which road to take - it is a diagonal. We did get to see the tiger cubs and my daughter played with them (nominal fee) but worth it. We went on a snorkeling trip to Los Arcos - the crew on the boat was fun. We saw two humpback whales pass by the boat on the way. Take a cab to the Marina - the bus from Puerto Vallerta let us off at the wrong marina. Since this was our first trip to Mexico, we would like to try another location,,, but we would recommend this hotel and would consider returning.

The hotel is very nice, but not 5 star. The room was perfect for our family of four. Our 18 and 20 yr old sons had a great time. Not a ton of nightlife for them, but that's OK. The food was good...some things were outstanding, some things just so-so. The beach is very small and there are constant people trying to sell you their goods. The pools are nice, plenty of lounge chairs. We visited Dec 23-30, so it was very busy, lots of families with kids of all ages. We upgraded to the "premium". It was nice, but not sure it was necessary. We took the ATV jungle tour provided through the hotel. We had a GREAT time and the tour guides were excellent. We also went on a snorkeling excursion w/ Vallarta Adventures. It was nice, but the snorkeling was not so good, and you go to Yelpa where they take you to a waterfall (beautiful) but you walk through some sad, sad areas. Also, it's a bit of a tourist trap. I would try another Barcelo property...not sure if we would return to Pureto Vallarta, only because we like to visit different places.

We spent a beautiful and amazing New Year's at La Jolla. The food, service, atmosphere and location were all amazing!! We would highly recommend this resort. It's a short drive out of PV, but definitely worth it!!

We reserved the hotel 2 days before we left and the timing was perfect. We were at the Hotel the 2nd week of November and the weather was great. This hotel is about 45 minutes south of PV and well worth it if you want to get away from the city and relax. The beer, top shelf alcholol, and overall food was good. We were able to get to two of the three restaurants in the hotel with our 6 nights stay and it was well worth it over the buffet style regular dinner. Do not reserve a taxi via expedia as it is easy to find one once you arrive. (Only $25) The room was wonderful and we had fresh flowers on the bed and dining table everyday once it was cleaned. I have lots to say about this place, but not enough time. We will be back, hopefully sooner than later.

Check in was quick and convenient. The room we received was not what we expected (on the water, at least 1,000+ square feet of living room, bedroom, and bathroom, not to mention the dining room). All the staff were very friendly, especially the bellhop (Hemberto) who was quick to offer anything we wanted, even a night trip to a close by island by one of the local fishermen he knew for a very reasonable price! The dining establishments were great, the food was always fresh and never had to wait in a long line.