Occidental Nuevo Vallarta - All Inclusive
Occidental Nuevo Vallarta is a 274-room, seven-floor mid-range all-inclusive on the Riviera Nayarit beachfront that earns its best reviews from guests who book the Royal Level floors. The upgrade unlocks a third pool with a hydro-massage tub and premium bar, a private beach area with Balinese beds, and the Royal Level Restaurant, which serves a la carte breakfast and dinner on a casual-formal dress code while the main resort queues for the buffet. The Royal Level team gets named, repeated praise in 2026 reviews. For a family hotel that otherwise mixes everyone together, the tiered setup is a real feature, and the gap between a standard Deluxe room and the entry Royal Level category is small on the brand's October 2026 rate page.
Traveler Insights
Pros
- +Royal Level, on the hotel's reserved upper floors, buys a genuinely separate resort inside the resort: its own a la carte restaurant open from 7 AM breakfast through 10:30 PM dinner, a private pool with a hydro-massage tub and premium bar, and a private beach area with Balinese beds. Royal Level staff draw repeated, specific praise in 2026 reviews
- +Three heated pools rather than one crowded basin: a main pool, a shallow children's pool with a small slide, and the Royal Level pool with hot tub. The hotel's own FAQ says one of the three is adults-only
- +Five named restaurants in the all-inclusive, with the brand page's dinner a la cartes (Los Olivos Italian, El Mariachi Mexican, Tokyo Japanese with an interactive show at the table) earning the best 2026 comments, and Le Buffet covering breakfast, lunch and dinner without reservations
- +Riviera Nayarit location means Pacific swimming without the sargassum seaweed that plagues the Caribbean side of Mexico, and Banderas Bay is far calmer than Cabo's open-ocean beaches, so children and weaker swimmers can actually get in
- +The Royal Level price gap over a standard Deluxe room is modest on the brand's own rate page (October 2026), which is why travelers keep recommending the upgrade over a pricier Puerto Vallarta resort
- +Kids Club for ages 4 to 12, a tennis court plus a multi-sports court, and kayaks and paddleboards included, so families get real programming at a mid-range price
- +Just 25 minutes (about 7 miles) from Puerto Vallarta's airport by the brand's own figure, with plenty of direct US and Canadian flights into PVR
Cons
- −A minority of 2026 reviews still mention wear and tear, mostly around the pool deck (scarce dry loungers, pool water that runs warm), and the main pool draws complaints that it is small for the resort and has no snack service at its edge. The brand page still carries the 'formerly Occidental Grand Nuevo Vallarta' name, a reminder that this is an older building rather than a new build
- −Food is good-not-great by the chain's own positioning: the a la carte restaurants are dinner-only, require reservations and enforce a no-shorts dress code, so lunch means Le Buffet or the beachfront Snack Bar. Garza Blanca and Velas Vallarta remain a league above for dining
- −Puerto Vallarta's old town (Zona Romantica and the Malecon) is a 25-30 minute taxi or rideshare away across the Ameca River; you cannot walk to anything resembling a town from the Nuevo Vallarta strip
- −No nightclub and no dive or fishing desk on site despite what some booking listings imply: the brand page's full activity list is yoga, water volleyball and aerobics, water polo, ping pong, beach volleyball, zumba, tennis and non-motorized watersports. The Lounge Bar stays open to 1 AM, and that is the extent of the late-night scene
- −Reviewers in 2026 flag the evening shows as repetitive, and the guest mix skews toward retirees and multigenerational families, so younger party-minded groups may find it quiet
- −The best parts of the resort (the quiet pool, the Balinese beds, the Royal Level restaurant and bar) sit behind the upgrade paywall; standard-room guests get the busy main pool and the buffet-plus-reservations routine
- −Spa access at the U Wellness Spa costs extra and is limited to guests 16 and over, so the one indoor retreat on property is not part of the package
The everyday experience tracks other mid-range Pacific Mexico resorts. The beach is swimmable Banderas Bay water with no sargassum. The three heated pools cover the main crowd, the kids (a shallow pool with a small slide) and Royal Level, and the hotel's FAQ says one of them is adults-only. Dining runs through Le Buffet all day plus three reservation-only dinner a la cartes: Los Olivos (Italian), El Mariachi (Mexican) and Tokyo (Japanese with an interactive show). Reviews in 2026 call the dinner restaurants the strong point and the cleanliness excellent, while a minority still note pool-deck wear and tear, a main pool that feels small with no snack service, and repetitive evening shows. Garza Blanca, Velas Vallarta and the Secrets brand are in a different league for food and polish, but they cost meaningfully more.
The Nuevo Vallarta location on Paseo de los Cocoteros is 25 minutes from the airport by the brand's own figure and a 25-30 minute taxi from Puerto Vallarta's Malecon, which is worth at least one evening. Nearby strolls along the beachfront strip and the marina fill the rest. This resort fits families with mixed needs, where one adult wants a calm Royal Level pool while the kids use the main one, and value-minded couples or older travelers who want Pacific Mexico without Garza Blanca rates. Skip it if you need nightlife, a dive operation or a resort that feels new.
Common Questions
Is the all-inclusive at Occidental Nuevo Vallarta truly unlimited, or are some restaurants extra?
What does the Royal Level upgrade actually include?
How far is Occidental Nuevo Vallarta from Puerto Vallarta's old town and the airport?
How is the beach in Nuevo Vallarta compared to Cabo?
Which restaurants need reservations and is there a dress code?
Is Occidental Nuevo Vallarta good for a honeymoon or romantic couples trip?
Restaurants (5)
| Type | Restaurants |
|---|---|
| Buffet | Le Buffet |
| Mexican | El Mariachi |
| Italian | Los Olivos |
| Japanese & sushi | Tokyo |
| International & fusion | Royal Level Restaurant |
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
Zona Romántica25 min drive · 13 mi
Los Muertos Beach25 min drive · 13 mi
25 min drive · 13 mi
Marina Vallarta20 min drive · 7.5 mi
Conchas Chinas Beach30 min drive · 14 mi
Our Lady of Guadalupe Church25 min drive · 12 mi
More things to do (24)
- Whale watching (December to March) · excursion20 min drive · 7.5 mi
- Sunset sail from Marina Vallarta · excursion20 min drive · 7.5 mi
- Splash Water Park · water park8 min drive · 2.6 mi
- Las Caletas beach day trip · excursion20 min drive · 7.5 mi
- Camarones Beach · beach25 min drive · 11 mi
- Destiladeras Beach · beach30 min drive · 14 mi
- Playa Palmares · beach30 min drive · 16 mi
- Puerto Vallarta Malecón · town25 min drive · 12 mi
- Paradise Village Marina · marina6 min walk · 0.3 mi
- Aquaventuras Park · water park8 min drive · 3.0 mi
- Flamingos Golf Club · golf14 min drive · 5.7 mi
- Bucerías · town14 min drive · 6.6 mi
- Evening show and dinner at Las Caletas · excursion20 min drive · 7.5 mi
- Sport fishing charter · excursion20 min drive · 7.5 mi
- Playa de Oro · beach20 min drive · 9.3 mi
- Estero El Salado · nature20 min drive · 8.9 mi
- Boca de Tomates Beach · beach20 min drive · 6.4 mi
- Vidanta Greg Norman Golf Course · golf20 min drive · 6.3 mi
- Marina Vallarta Golf Club · golf20 min drive · 8.1 mi
- Playa Los Tules · beach20 min drive · 10 mi
- Playa Las Glorias · beach20 min drive · 10 mi
- Jardín Mágico Butterfly Garden · wildlife25 min drive · 8.1 mi
- La Cruz de Huanacaxtle · town25 min drive · 11 mi
- La Manzanilla Beach (La Cruz) · beach25 min drive · 11 mi
Amenities
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Style & Rooms
Atmosphere
Google Reviews★ 4.5 · 7,827 reviews
“My extended family of 16 had a fantastic stay at the Occidental. For the money we paid, we feel we got excellent value. We paid a little more for the balcony rooms and that was definitely worth it. The beach is beautiful and we spent a lot of time...”
“Incredible place and staff was wonderful! Many props to the HR department for hiring such kind and caring people in every department from the buffet to room service. The superstars of the resort were the photographer, who went out of his way, literal...”
“Overall very good experience. The people at the hotel are so welcoming, nice, very helpful and kind. We had massages and facials and cannot recommend this enough. It is very loud around the rooms. There is no rule about people yelling in the hallways...”
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