Vidanta Grand Luxxe in Puerto Vallarta

[trailwalker]

interested in people's experience and how they would rate the beach and golf course. Thank you!

 

[hurnik]

There is no Vidanta Grand Luxxe in Puerto Vallarta. There is a Vidanta complex in NUEVO VALLARTA which is about 30-40 minute drive NORTH of downtown Puerto Vallarta.
There is a Mayan Palace in Puerto Vallarta (or so they say but it's by the Marina, about 20 minute drive north of downtown Puerto Vallarta).

 

[rpennisi]

The beach at Nuevo Vallarta, home to Grand Luxxe, Mayan Palace, Grand Bliss and Grand Mayan is long clean and sandy with no sea weeds like on the east coast.
The golf courses are excellent and well maintained..

 

[echino]

The beach at Grand Luxxe NV is bad. You need to drive a ways North (Sayulita etc) or South (Tomatlan etc) for great beaches.

 

[T-Dot-Traveller]

The beach at Grand Luxxe NV is bad.

Can you add your reasons for this opinion

 

[T-Dot-Traveller]

interested in people's experience and how they would rate the ...golf course. Thank you!

There are 3 golf courses.
All the golf courses are well kept. One was used for the Mexican Open that CBS broadcast in February 2025 & 2024

There is the par 3 / 10 hole one that is lit for night golfing . My friend played it by himself mid afternoon - and loved it for the nature & foliage.
It is close to, & viewable from various Grand Luxxe buildings.

He also played one of the other courses with his son .
[ He & his wife did a presentation and negotiated various better prices. They got the green fees to about $ 150 per person.
They also got a number of single use bracelets to use the lazy river as they were in a Mayan Palace 2 bedroom
- and a bunch of other stuff ]

There is a suspension bridge for golf carts to take you to the other side of the Ameca River

 

[petenjen]

I've played the par 3 course and the PGA course several times. They're always in great condition and are fun layouts. They have a really nice practice area too.

The beach is huge with usually a fairly gentle surf break. The only knock comes from the fact that the Ameca River empties into the bay right there so the water is a little cloudy. Got to go farther north for really clear water.

 

[rpennisi]

I've played the par 3 course and the PGA course several times. They're always in great condition and are fun layouts. They have a really nice practice area too.

The beach is huge with usually a fairly gentle surf break. The only knock comes from the fact that the Ameca River empties into the bay right there so the water is a little cloudy. Got to go farther north for really clear water.

Or south toward Playa del Carmen and Cozumel, where the snorkeling is great, crystal clear.

 

[easyrider]

Can you add your reasons for this opinion

Sometimes the tide or flooding takes out the sand and leaves pebbles. Sometimes debrie washes down the river and washes into the beaches on the South end on NV. Once, the floiding left a sandbar at the mouth of the river. We were able to walk a good distance into the bay on the sandbar.

BIll

 

[hurnik]

Can you add your reasons for this opinion

I wouldn't quite say "bad". It is not fine smooth sand though, but not as bad as the pebbly area at the Buganvilia Vacation Club.
semi-pebbly? LOL

 

[CaptDaveRetired]

interested in people's experience and how they would rate the beach and golf course. Thank you!

Did not play golf, but it is a very long walk to the beach.

 

[amsunshine]

Or south toward Playa del Carmen and Cozumel, where the snorkeling is great, crystal clear.

That would be quite a trek from Nuevo Vallarta!

 

[easyrider]

I wouldn't quite say "bad". It is not fine smooth sand though, but not as bad as the pebbly area at the Buganvilia Vacation Club.
semi-pebbly? LOL

Yup, the Bunganvillas is more like big rocks to pebbles Bayside. The public beach south of the bvc definitely lacks sand.

Bill

 

[easyrider]

What we really liked at the Grand Luxxe was our room. It was the most opulent room of any of our stays. If we were to go back the the show Ludo would be at the top of our list. Sunset from the restaurant pool area on the roof of Luxxe Tower 5 is spectacular. Having a sushi brunch at the breakfast buffet in Cafe del Lago was excellent. Tubing the lazy river was fun. Lunch at the seafood grill next to the wave pool was great.

Try to avoid the presentation.

Bill

 

[trailwalker]

What we really liked at the Grand Luxxe was our room. It was the most opulent room of any of our stays. If we were to go back the the show Ludo would be at the top of our list. Sunset from the restaurant pool area on the roof of Luxxe Tower 5 is spectacular. Having a sushi brunch at the breakfast buffet in Cafe del Lago was excellent. Tubing the lazy river was fun. Lunch at the seafood grill next to the wave pool was great.

Try to avoid the presentation.

Bill

Thank you for your informative reply. We're considering staying at the Grand Luxxe. Is it a long walk (10 minutes?) to the beach.

 

[easyrider]

Thank you for your informative reply. We're considering staying at the Grand Luxxe. Is it a long walk (10 minutes?) to the beach.

It depends where you end up. The property is huge. We only walked when we wanted exercise. Most of the time we were taken in golf carts. The walking trails are pretty cool. Vidanta does a fantastic job of landscaping. It kind of has a jungle feel. The trails or paths are lighted at night with small low to the ground deflected lights which makes it easy to stay on course.

We were in tower 5 which was the farthest tower from the beach. It might be close to 10 minutes walking from there to the beach. Tower 1 is pretty much beach front. The rest of the towers follow the river away from the beach.

Bill

 

[T-Dot-Traveller]

Hi @trailwalker
Re: Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta building locations.
The Grand Bliss and Mayan Palace buildings are the most central and closest to the beach.
The Grand Mayan buildings are close to the beach - and are the closest beach walk to the NV Marina
[Note : the beach walk is the "get off resort free" exit . It is about a 10 minute walk to the OXXO and restaurants etc. in the NV marina area]

The Grand Luxxe Punta & GL buildings 1 & 2 are the closest to the beach of the GL .

Shuttle travel is the norm; although many people choose to walk as @easyrider posted above.

There are lots of palapas on the beach and servers come from the poolside restaurants.
The palapas are segmented by Vidanta brand.

 

[ecassidy6]

Over the years, we have stayed too many times to count, in one and two bedroom Grand Luxxe units on both coasts. In March 2025, we stayed in a Riviera Maya Grand Luxxe one bedroom unit (Bldg 3, 3rd floor); in October 2025, we stayed in a Grand Luxxe Nuevo Vallarta Grand Luxxe one bedroom unit (Bldg 3, 4th floor). On both trips we encountered some of the usual up scale amenities, but overall it was a huge disappointment to discover a big decline in services - noticeable staff cuts, lack of trams, lack of umbrellas (which we were told were purposely removed to allow more of a sun deck), restaurants open on rotating basis, pristinely clean units that clearly were in need of furniture upholstery updates, concierge not in buildings, etc. Beach has virtually eroded on Riviera Maya. If you are able to get a ‘good deal’, both resorts are fine, but certainly neither one are of the same caliber they once were, and not worth paying the large resort fees often charged.

 

[ecassidy6]

Amend: In 2025!

 

[rpennisi]

That would be quite a trek from Nuevo Vallarta!

Oops, wrong coast

 

[wmgjr]

I wouldn't quite say "bad". It is not fine smooth sand though, but not as bad as the pebbly area at the Buganvilia Vacation Club.
semi-pebbly? LOL

BVC beach is criminal.

 

[wmgjr]

What we really liked at the Grand Luxxe was our room. It was the most opulent room of any of our stays. If we were to go back the the show Ludo would be at the top of our list. Sunset from the restaurant pool area on the roof of Luxxe Tower 5 is spectacular. Having a sushi brunch at the breakfast buffet in Cafe del Lago was excellent. Tubing the lazy river was fun. Lunch at the seafood grill next to the wave pool was great.

Try to avoid the presentation.

Bill

When did you stay?

We stayed in 2024 and I wouldn't say opulent since it was pretty worn but it's definitely Grand.

 

[wmgjr]

Over the years, we have stayed too many times to count, in one and two bedroom Grand Luxxe units on both coasts. In March 2025, we stayed in a Riviera Maya Grand Luxxe one bedroom unit (Bldg 3, 3rd floor); in October 2025, we stayed in a Grand Luxxe Nuevo Vallarta Grand Luxxe one bedroom unit (Bldg 3, 4th floor). On both trips we encountered some of the usual up scale amenities, but overall it was a huge disappointment to discover a big decline in services - noticeable staff cuts, lack of trams, lack of umbrellas (which we were told were purposely removed to allow more of a sun deck), restaurants open on rotating basis, pristinely clean units that clearly were in need of furniture upholstery updates, concierge not in buildings, etc. Beach has virtually eroded on Riviera Maya. If you are able to get a ‘good deal’, both resorts are fine, but certainly neither one are of the same caliber they once were, and not worth paying the large resort fees often charged.

Totally agree.
We got a great deal booking the 4 bedroom residence in NV.
I was pretty disappointed in services and condition of unit.
I know MX doesn't charge annual MF but they should that place needs help.

 

[T-Dot-Traveller]

BVC beach is criminal.

Part of the beach directly in front of Buganvilia Vacation Club is quite rocky and probably unusable.
We stayed in the hotel side for a night in early March 2022 before our flight home ; and I recall the beach in the front of the hotel to the north side to be much better.
We were under a [rather low] hotel side palapa and I recall going into the ocean.

@hurnik @rpennisi
Anyone have an update on the Buganvilia area beach(s) ?

 

[hurnik]

Part of the beach directly in front of Buganvilia Vacation Club is quite rocky and probably unusable.
We stayed in the hotel side for a night in early March 2022 before our flight home ; and I recall the beach in the front of the hotel to the north side to be much better.
We were under a [rather low] hotel side palapa and I recall going into the ocean.

@hurnik @rpennisi
Anyone have an update on the Buganvilia area beach(s) ?

IMO, it's about the same as it was last year (technically we stayed Dec. 2025 and Dec. 2024). I did not walk "up" the beach area however. It used to be more sandy as you went up. Under the palapa area it's ok (not great, not horrible, "ok"). little tiny pebbles (maybe 1/4 to 1/6 the size of pea gravel?) But I wouldn't walk barefoot for a long distance, IMO.

Now, if you get further south (like where La Palapa and the Pier thingy is at) the sand is very nice there. But no timeshares there, LOL. I'm trying to remember how the beach was where El Barracuda is (there's a hotel to the right of it, Buenaventura?) I think that's slightly better (but not as fine a sand as down further).

While I love beaches/ocean, I don't mind the BVC area mainly as if we're on the beach, we stay under the palapa and visit the pool. I like the ability to stay in a timeshare and walk easily to lots of food, etc.

Now, I certainly wouldn't mind being closer to old town/good beach, but I've seen the condo rental prices and they can be a bit steep (same time period). But we may do that in a few years (try to do a few weeks at BVC) and then rent for an other 2-4 weeks.