Sheraton Buganvilias Puerto Vallarta

[JenA]

Hello, I have an upcoming stay at Sheraton Buganvilias in Puerto Vallarta. Booked it through Intervalworld getaways -- 1 week in a 2 bedroom and 2nd week in a studio. I want to call ahead to request a building -- looking for recommendation on which building to request. Would like balcony and ocean view if possible ... I'm happy to hear any tips or recommendations for this hotel. Thank you in advance.

 

[rpennisi]

Hello, I have an upcoming stay at Sheraton Buganvilias in Puerto Vallarta. Booked it through Intervalworld getaways -- 1 week in a 2 bedroom and 2nd week in a studio. I want to call ahead to request a building -- looking for recommendation on which building to request. Would like balcony and ocean view if possible ... I'm happy to hear any tips or recommendations for this hotel. Thank you in advance.

We just returned from two weeks at the Buganvilias, first week in a studio, second week in a one bedroom junior suite.

The studio was the kitchen side of a one bedroom suite in the main building. The kitchen and bathroom were great, nicely remodeled, the view and balcony were terrific (floor 21). The bad part is the bed, a pullout couch that is very uncomfortable. We got a foam pad put down, and after the first night, a second pad on top of the first. From that point on, my wife and I sleep separately. One on the pullout, sleeping horizontally on the pullout out part (more comfortable), and the other on the second "couch" that was very firm. Why they use such an uncomfortable pull out is beyond me. A Murphy bed would make more sense. Their model on the same floor was an identical setup so not a random case. The folks who were in the bedroom side couldn't wait to get into our kitchen side the following week. Seeing them at the pool, they also complained about the pullout bed! They both chose to sleep on the firm second "couch".

The one bedroom junior suite needs a remodel. Hasn't changed much in over 20 years we've been visiting. Flintstone furniture, no balcony, but a nice view (floor 17). The biggest downside is the high stepover to get into the tub. I don't know how many do it, seeing how old the folks are around the pool.

The grounds and pools are very good. The problem is unless you are an early riser (like 6AM, we're not), by the time you go down after breakfast, all you see is a wall of towels "holding" lounges and umbrellas all the way around the pools. This is despite signs saying you cannot reserve lounges. Many of those lounges are not used until hours later. Seems to be a thing at this resort.

 

[fleecer]

Great location. Food and drink options in town are outstanding.

 

[pittle]

JenA - Good luck - I am an owner and owners tend to get the units with the best views. My unit is fixed, but I reserve my oceanfront bonus week a year in advance while there. Most of the 2-bedroom units have not been renovated yet - they have balconies but only a pool view.

 

[JenA]

Thank you all for your advice! Phyllis, is there a certain building or floor you would recommend I ask for if I email ahead of our stay?

 

[pittle]

We just returned from two weeks at the Buganvilias, first week in a studio, second week in a one bedroom junior suite.

The studio was the kitchen side of a one bedroom suite in the main building. The kitchen and bathroom were great, nicely remodeled, the view and balcony were terrific (floor 21). The bad part is the bed, a pullout couch that is very uncomfortable. We got a foam pad put down, and after the first night, a second pad on top of the first. From that point on, my wife and I sleep separately. One on the pullout, sleeping horizontally on the pullout out part (more comfortable), and the other on the second "couch" that was very firm. Why they use such an uncomfortable pull out is beyond me. A Murphy bed would make more sense. Their model on the same floor was an identical setup so not a random case. The folks who were in the bedroom side couldn't wait to get into our kitchen side the following week. Seeing them at the pool, they also complained about the pullout bed! They both chose to sleep on the firm second "couch".

The one bedroom junior suite needs a remodel. Hasn't changed much in over 20 years we've been visiting. Flintstone furniture, no balcony, but a nice view (floor 17). The biggest downside is the high stepover to get into the tub. I don't know how many do it, seeing how old the folks are around the pool.

The grounds and pools are very good. The problem is unless you are an early riser (like 6AM, we're not), by the time you go down after breakfast, all you see is a wall of towels "holding" lounges and umbrellas all the way around the pools. This is despite signs saying you cannot reserve lounges. Many of those lounges are not used until hours later. Seems to be a thing at this resort.

Sorry to hear about the beds - the units we own have very comfy beds. I have just this year and next year in the Imperial Sky Suite on the top floor end unit facing town. Then I get a 2 bedroom oceanfront unit for my bonus week. It is not as large or snazzy, but the balcony and view make up for it.

They are slowly working in the building with the Jr. Suites. They needed to finish the Tower first. Marriott bought the hotel several years ago and since I get lots of emails from Marriott, they must have bought the Vacation Club too. They kept the name Sheraton Buganvilias for the hotel and Buganvilias Vacation Club for the timeshare. My contract was honored so I do not care. Like I said, I have 2 more uses and then I’m out. I’m too old for another 15 year contract.

I will use my Pueblo Bonito and Vidanta weeks which end in 2030 and 2033. I use PB for exchanges - a $400 resale purchase and very low MF - we used it many times for an extra Buganvilias 2 bedroom week for less than the Bonus week fee.

I love the Buganvilias for the location. I prefer hanging out in a palapa on the beach instead of the pool, and if you go at 9:00, you have your choice.

Thank you all for your advice! Phyllis, is there a certain building or floor you would recommend I ask for if I email ahead of our stay?

You will be going during the high season and will most likely get a unit in the building that overlooks the pool. - Building C. That building has the most 2-bedroom units. I think the building C is about 6-7 stories high. Many of the long time owners purchased fixed weeks years ago and the February and March weeks are the ones they purchased the ones in Building B oceanfront. Many also have the 2-bedroom units in Building D that are oceanfront also.

The Studio unit will be in Building A - the Tower. It will be like the one Ron described.

You can call and request a higher unit with a view, but do not be surprised if you don't get one. Everyone wants those and owners get priority. As my grandson told me 20 years ago when we were buying souvenir zipper pulls for his classmates and I was asking about different ones and how many girls there were and how many boys, he said his teacher told them when treats were handed out - "You get what you get and don't have a fit." That sometimes applies to timeshares.

This is a list I made of where various units are:

Buganvilas Building Numbers

1st floor starts with 11xx and 20xx (10th floor) 25xx (15th floor.) My unit is 2565/2566 so is on the 15th floor end of hallway on the town side (Thanksgiving week).

Building A - the Tower xx47-66 ocean view at higher levels 22 and up– faces pool and ocean - All of these have been renovated in the past 13 years.

Building B xx87-92 low building ocean front (Theses owners generally come each year.) About 5 floors

Building C xx81-86 facing toward pool and ocean view on higher levels - balconies (Mostly 2-bedroom units.) These need renovating but do have a balcony overlooking the pool. 6 or 7 floors

Building D xx67-80 windows facing toward town and ocean xx67, xx79, xx80 have balconies in the 2 bedroom units 9 floors

Free WIFI in the units for owners. Exchangers have to pay for the code. In 2015, there were routers in each room.

 

[pittle]

I copied the current Google Earth Photo .

FYI -You may use both pools, the palapas on the beach in front of the hotel pool, all the restaurants.

The Club (timeshare) side is at the lower end of the picture.

• The lobby and 2 restaurants are where the Pin is on the map. Be sure to tell the taxi driver that you are going to the Vacation Club. The hotel has the larger entrance at the stop light, but you need to go to the next entrance.
• The tall slim building closer to the road is tower A.
• The one that is parallel to the ocean is Building B
• The one towards the middle near the pool is Building C.
• The one closest to the bottom is Building D All of the D units have an ocean view, but no balcony. Most of the units are 1 bedroom ones (Jr Suites), but there are some 2 bedroom ones and a few 3 bedroom ones that were created out of 2 Jr Suites several years ago.

 

[rpennisi]

I copied the current Google Earth Photo .

FYI -You may use both pools, the palapas on the beach in front of the hotel pool, all the restaurants.

The Club (timeshare) side is at the lower end of the picture.

• The lobby and 2 restaurants are where the Pin is on the map. Be sure to tell the taxi driver that you are going to the Vacation Club. The hotel has the larger entrance at the stop light, but you need to go to the next entrance.
• The tall slim building closer to the road is tower A.
• The one that is parallel to the ocean is Building B
• The one towards the middle near the pool is Building C.
• The one closest to the bottom is Building D All of the D units have an ocean view, but no balcony. Most of the units are 1 bedroom ones (Jr Suites), but there are some 2 bedroom ones and a few 3 bedroom ones that were created out of 2 Jr Suites several years ago.

View attachment 106221

Our studio in Tower A on floor 21, unit 2152 (which is really the tenth floor, the bottom floor is numbered 11) had a great view of the ocean and pools. Every other time we've been to the Buganvilias we've had building D, also excellent views but no balcony, this year unit 1771. The Buganvilias lobby, since its remodel, is very impressive and a good place to seat and read late at night. Some folks play cards there as well. As Phyllis mentioned, the beach palapas were more available even later in the morning as compared to pool lounges with shaded umbrellas.

El Patron and El Barracuda our favorite restaurants nearby. Mariscos Cueto was also very good, just a bit more of a walk past the sports complex. El Andariego is another restaurant we go to every visit. I am really impressed with the sports complex across 200. It's an amazing facility for every imaginable sport and is widely used (soccer, baseball, softball, handball, paddleball, track, trampoline, weight training, etc).

 

[JenA]

Thank you so much, I appreciate your honest advice! I will make my request and see what happens Looking forward to our 2 weeks there!

 

[brentw52]

Is this a Marriott property? Would a getaway stay qualify for elite night credits?
Thanks

 

[easyrider]

Our one bed unit this year at the Bunganvillias was building d with no deck but a really nice view of the ocean and of Puerto Vallarta. It was an exchange unit. Having no deck actually works out because there is a huge opening window and more floor space in the unit. Since our last visit on the same 3rd floor a couple of years ago there seemed to have been a few things that were updated like the mattress and kitchen items. The two couches in the living room are concrete with pads that seem antiquated but both my wife and I could lay down on a couch in comfort while looking at the view. We really liked the views from this room.

The resort grounds are very nice. We never went out to the pool area until after 11 am and all of the better spots were occupied except the tree branched covered area. The staff would clean loungers and place them for us. When using nature as shade it's important to look at the deck for bird droppings. Some areas have way more than others. We didn't have a problem but we saw others that did.

Bill

 

[pittle]

Is this a Marriott property? Would a getaway stay qualify for elite night credits?
Thanks

Yes - Marriott bought bought Sheraton Hotels several years ago. I was told by someone at the front desk that they kept the Sheraton Buganvilias name because it is so well known in PV as it has been there so long. The Buganvilias Vacation Club is the one that sends my info for Maintenance fees. I get email from Marriott once or twice a month. I do not know about Elite night credits.

 

[pittle]

For a good cheap breakfast - walk towards town and eat at La Mission It is across the street from El Andriego's.

 

[JenA]

Love the recommendations, thank you! My parents owned at Villa del Palmar for many years, but I haven't been back to PV for quite a while. We'll have our teenage son and his friend with us, so definitely looking to get into town with them for food and entertainment. Do they offer pool or beach games for older kids at the Sheraton?

 

[rpennisi]

Our one bed unit this year at the Bunganvillias was building d with no deck but a really nice view of the ocean and of Puerto Vallarta. It was an exchange unit. Having no deck actually works out because there is a huge opening window and more floor space in the unit. Since our last visit on the same 3rd floor a couple of years ago there seemed to have been a few things that were updated like the mattress and kitchen items. The two couches in the living room are concrete with pads that seem antiquated but both my wife and I could lay down on a couch in comfort while looking at the view. We really liked the views from this room.

The resort grounds are very nice. We never went out to the pool area until after 11 am and all of the better spots were occupied except the tree branched covered area. The staff would clean loungers and place them for us. When using nature as shade it's important to look at the deck for bird droppings. Some areas have way more than others. We didn't have a problem but we saw others that did.

Bill

View attachment 106227

Yep, we tried the loungers under the trees. My wife was hesitant, but I scoffed and then got bombed, and we left those loungers for the beach palapas.

 

[rpennisi]

For a good cheap breakfast - walk towards town and eat at La Mission It is across the street from El Andriego's.

Phyllis, we have passed by La Mission a number of times (although not at breakfast time) and although it looks authentic with old time charm, we never saw anyone eating there. Made me feel sorry for the staff(?).
Have you ever had dinner at La Mission?

 

[rpennisi]

Love the recommendations, thank you! My parents owned at Villa del Palmar for many years, but I haven't been back to PV for quite a while. We'll have our teenage son and his friend with us, so definitely looking to get into town with them for food and entertainment. Do they offer pool or beach games for older kids at the Sheraton?

They have water aerobics, table tennis and pool games at the pool by the Sheraton. Nothing like that at the Buganvilias side.
They do have stretching by the Buganvilias at 10:15 AM, around the corner on the grass behind Bldg B

 

[JenA]

They have water aerobics, table tennis and pool games at the pool by the Sheraton. Nothing like that at the Buganvilias side.
They do have stretching by the Buganvilias at 10:15 AM, around the corner on the grass behind Bldg B

Thanks! and I'm assuming we have access to both sides of the hotel?

 

[pittle]

Phyllis, we have passed by La Mission a number of times (although not at breakfast time) and although it looks authentic with old time charm, we never saw anyone eating there. Made me feel sorry for the staff(?).
Have you ever had dinner at La Mission?

We had dinner there once a few years ago. It was good. The breakfast is great and costs about $6 US.D I tend to get an omelette. Two years ago, one of my brothers asked about the hotel and the lady told us we could go up and take a look. It was old but clean. Every room had a small bathroom. They even have an above ground pool on the roof. Rooms were less than $100 per night USD.

 

[pittle]

Thanks! and I'm assuming we have access to both sides of the hotel?

Yes you can use it all. They have water aerobics and I think volleyball in the pool at the hotel side. Music is playing all the time. I hear the music when I am under a palapa reading my Kindle and the nice server brings beverages as needed. I always start with water in my insulated cup and sometimes bring Corona Light in a small cooler in my beach bag. I am very discreet about it and some days I do purchase beverages at Happy Hour.

 

[PrairieGirl]

My two weeks in January (via SFX exchange) at the Sheraton BV Club were spent in what was listed as a one bedroom unit, we were fortunate to get the END unit on the 6th floor of Tower A and LOVED IT. Nicely remodeled. When we checked in we were given keys to both 1665 and 1666. (A bit of a "hmmmm" moment). Slightly odd set up, two separate entrances with an interior door between the two units - made me think that it must have been a hotel conversion. One side had a great full kitchen, bathroom and living room with a the pullout bed under the couch (that I would NOT have wanted to sleep on) and nice deck on both sides since it was a corner unit. The other room had a GREAT King bed, nice bathroom and a jacuzzi tub near the entrance to the deck. A very small fridge and coffee maker. Combined, these two rooms made for a VERY comfortable 1 bed, two bath full kitchen unit with a huge wrap around balcony. The view from the one side was blocked by greenery and the other (older) tower with just a slice of ocean peeking through, but looking out the other side (end of building) the view was over the vacant lot next door and towards downtown with a full bay view. We were treated to fireworks every night off of the "pirate ship" in the distance towards town.

Great happy hour at the pool 3:00-5:00 (2 for 1) and good free entertainment various nights at the lobby bar. La Mission (short walk) is generally super busy for breakfast, but totally worth the wait. In general, this location is perfect for walking - grocery store in one direction, the Malecon and downtown in the other.

El Patron is a nice walk past the sports complex and has GREAT food for a reasonable price. They stop seating at 7:00, and there is always a line so plan accordingly. Lots of fun live music within walking distance, usually 3:00-6:00 at Captain Don's or La Roma. For a super fun experience, take a cab up to La Huerta for great BBQ and a lovely setting along the Rio Cuale and also live music 3:00-6:00.

If you like botanical gardens, you can take the local bus from downtown directly to a very nice one south of town for only 50 pesos. 300 peso entrance fee. Spend the day enjoying the gardens and have a nice lunch at the on-site restaurant. You catch this bus at the corner of Basilio Badillo and Aguacate streets in the Romantic Zone. Look for the bus to “El Tuito”, it leaves every half hour.

We found it hard to find open chairs around the pool (the chair hog/early morning towel placers are out in force), but soon realized that there are lots of chairs piled around in stacks that can easily be moved out to the grassy area overlooking the ocean for a much more pleasant experience anyway! You get a view of the ocean from your chair and the pool is only a short walk away.

The little market in the lobby sells beer and Michelada/Cheladas (Sol brand calls them something else) at a VERY reasonable price. You are welcome to buy them there and sit at the little tables in the lobby to drink them or take them down to the pool/grassy area with no problem (cans). In general that market has decent prices - we got some great cheese there.

Final note - be sure to visit the Friday market across the street by the sports complex. Nice local wares and good food! ENJOY!!