Decameron La Marina Guayabitos, Ramada All Inclusive Resort
Decameron La Marina Guayabitos is the kind of resort that rewards travelers who've already done the Cancún or Puerto Vallarta all-inclusive circuit and want something different. Rincón de Guayabitos is a genuine Mexican fishing village: small, unpretentious and beautiful in the way that places not fully built out for tourism still can be. The bay is the star. Bahía de Jaltemba is naturally protected, calm enough for kids and non-swimmers, and Coral Island sits about 2 km offshore in full view. From December through March humpback whales come close enough to spot breaching from the sand.
Traveler Insights
Pros
- +Located in Rincón de Guayabitos, a small fishing village about 62 km north of Puerto Vallarta's airport, one of the most authentically Mexican all-inclusive settings you can find, far from the hotel-zone feel
- +Guayabitos Bay (Bahía de Jaltemba) is naturally calm and protected, giving lagoon-like swimming that suits families with young children and nervous swimmers
- +Whale watching from December through March is outstanding in Jaltemba Bay, and you can sometimes see humpbacks breaching from the beach without booking a boat
- +Staff are consistently praised as the resort's strongest asset, with guests calling individual team members out by name for warm, personal service
- +Coral Island sits about 2 km offshore in plain view of the hotel, and the short boat trip out for snorkeling is the excursion travelers rave about most
- +Decameron added a supervised kids' zone and a synthetic-turf soccer field at all three of its Guayabitos hotels in June 2024, so families now get more than the pool deck
- +The inter-hotel pass lets you use the bars, restaurants and shows at sister property Decameron Isla Coral, which takes the edge off having only two restaurants on site
- +The village itself has cheap street food, family-run seafood spots and a Sunday market that give the trip a flavor you won't get in a purpose-built resort zone
Cons
- −The property shows real wear: guests report hard mattresses, rusty balcony railings, dated bathroom fixtures and plumbing issues in older room blocks
- −Dining on site is one buffet (Costa Calma) and one à la carte seafood restaurant (El Dorado, dinner only), so the food turns repetitive within a few days
- −El Dorado seats run out fast, and guests who don't book through the app or the QR codes early often end up at the buffet every night
- −The WiFi kicks you off and makes you log back in repeatedly, which rules out sustained video calls or streaming
- −There is just one family pool, and it plus the beach loungers get crowded during Mexican holiday periods
- −Music runs loud across the common areas from morning until late, with few quiet corners to escape to
- −Rincón de Guayabitos has limited medical facilities, so guests with health concerns should factor in the hour-plus drive to Puerto Vallarta hospitals
The physical property is worn. Rooms are kept clean but show their age in the mattresses, balcony railings and plumbing, so anyone expecting polish will be disappointed. Food comes from one buffet and one dinner-only seafood à la carte, plus three bars and a single family pool, and the menu gets repetitive by midweek. The inter-hotel pass to sister property Isla Coral adds variety, and since June 2024 a supervised kids' zone and a synthetic soccer field give families more to do. What consistently rescues the stay is the staff, whose warmth feels more personal than at bigger chains, along with non-motorized water sports on the calm bay and boat trips to Coral Island.
This resort suits budget travelers, families with young children who need calm water, and repeat all-inclusive visitors after an off-the-beaten-path Mexico trip. It sits at the low end of the price range for Mexico's Pacific coast. If polished rooms, reliable WiFi and a varied food program matter most, a Nuevo Vallarta or Riviera Nayarit property at a higher price will serve you better. But for the village, the whales and that calm bay, La Marina delivers at a price that's hard to argue with.
Common Questions
What makes Guayabitos different from other all-inclusive destinations in Mexico?
Is the whale watching from this location actually good?
How are the rooms, and is the property as run-down as some reviews suggest?
What is the Coral Island excursion like and is it worth doing?
How far is this resort from Puerto Vallarta and is it easy to get there?
Is the food good enough for a week-long stay?
Restaurants (4)
| Type | Restaurants |
|---|---|
| Buffet | Restaurante Costa Calma, Restaurante Costa Canua (at Decameron Isla Coral) |
| Mediterranean & Spanish | Restaurante El Dorado |
| International & fusion | Restaurante Ídolo Moro (at Decameron Isla Coral) |
From the resort's own dining pages. Only restaurants the resort lists are shown. All are covered by the all-inclusive rate, per the resort.
What's nearby
Sayulita Beach30 min drive · 19 mi
San Pancho Beach25 min drive · 15 mi
5 min drive · 1.1 mi
La Cruz de Huanacaxtle35 min drive · 25 mi
40 min drive · 26 mi
Bucerías40 min drive · 27 mi
More things to do (24)
- Playa Las Cuevas · beach40 min drive · 15 mi
- Playa de los Muertos (Sayulita) · beach35 min drive · 19 mi
- Playa Monterrey · beach30 min drive · 13 mi
- San Francisco (San Pancho) · town25 min drive · 15 mi
- Splash Water Park · water park50 min drive · 33 mi
- Guayabitos Beach · beach5 min drive · 1.1 mi
- Destiladeras Beach · beach40 min drive · 29 mi
- Playa Litibú · beach45 min drive · 26 mi
- Playa del Beso · beach4 min drive · 0.7 mi
- Playa Los Ayala · beach6 min drive · 1.2 mi
- Playa Frideras · beach7 min drive · 1.6 mi
- La Peñita de Jaltemba · town7 min drive · 2.5 mi
- Piedra Bola · ruins13 min drive · 4.1 mi
- Lo de Marcos Beach · beach20 min drive · 8.8 mi
- Altavista Petroglyphs · ruins20 min drive · 11 mi
- Playa Canalán · beach20 min drive · 5.7 mi
- Playa Los Venados · beach20 min drive · 9.8 mi
- Las Huertas Golf Club · golf25 min drive · 15 mi
- Playa del Toro · beach25 min drive · 7.4 mi
- Mirador Los Ayala · viewpoint25 min drive · 7.4 mi
- Playa Punta Raza · beach25 min drive · 7.2 mi
- Playa Malpaso · beach30 min drive · 17 mi
- Boca del Naranjo · beach30 min drive · 12 mi
- Playa Patzcuarito · beach35 min drive · 20 mi
Amenities
Style & Rooms
Atmosphere
Google Reviews★ 4.6 · 4,700 reviews
“Wasn't happy to come here at first. Service was great, can't complain about that. Highly recommend La Bamba restaurant. The food was delicious. The only thing i didn't like was the lack of restaurants (a la cart for dinner). Servicio al huésped fue u...”
