Hilton Vallarta Riviera All-Inclusive

Accommodations:

MASTER SUITE WITH ENCLAVE ACCESS

• Spacious suite with separate living and sleeping areas
• Private balcony overlooking Banderas Bay
• Enclave access with private check-in and checkout
• Entry to the exclusive Enclave Lounge on the 13th floor
• Dedicated concierge service throughout the stay
• Upgraded in-room amenities and welcome touches
• Full minibar and in-room dining available

Room Features:

• Ocean views from the suite and private balcony, and every room at the resort faces the water
• Comfortable living area with plenty of space for a family to spread out
• Premium bedding and plush robes
• Flat screen TVs in the living area and bedroom
• Espresso maker and stocked minibar
• In-room dining available around the clock
• Luxury bath amenities

The Enclave Lounge:

The Enclave upgrade is the answer to the question everyone asks about premium tiers at all inclusive resorts: is it actually worth it, or is it just a different wristband? Here it is worth it, and the lounge is the reason. It sits on the 13th floor with sweeping views over Banderas Bay and becomes your home base for the entire stay. Breakfast in the morning, coffee and snacks any time of day, and premium drinks in the evening while the sun drops into the Pacific. Add private check-in and a dedicated concierge and the whole week runs smoother. If you are staying more than a couple of nights, book the Enclave tier.

Restaurants and Dining:

The resort runs seven restaurants, all included. Some genuinely deliver and others fall short, so here are our honest takes after a week of working through the lineup:

• La Luce. The clear winner of the trip. An Italian trattoria built around an artisanal stone oven with a menu inspired by the Italo-American tradition. Everything coming out of that oven was excellent, and this was the dinner we kept wanting to repeat.
• Maxal. The Mexican restaurant, designed as a journey across Mexico’s regional cuisines from street food to Oaxacan moles. I wanted to love it, but it was honestly not my favorite. Some dishes landed and others did not. Worth one visit, but I would not use two dinner reservations on it.
• Vela. The buffet, and honestly just okay. It covers the basics with a live cooking station and a rotating menu, but it was average for a resort at this level. Most days we preferred ordering room service or eating at the Enclave Lounge instead.
• Seasalt. The open-air grill blending American classics with Mexican touches. It was closed for our entire stay, so we never got to try it.
• Susan Sushi. Japanese with an oceanfront backdrop. It was fine but not amazing, and the light portions make it more of a snack stop than a dinner. Worth one visit, but we would not go back more than once.
• Cocomar. Fresh seafood, which is exactly what you want steps from Banderas Bay.
• Premium bar service at the restaurants, pools, and beach, all included in the package

One honest critique: lunchtime is the gap in the dining program. Dinners are strong and breakfast is well covered, especially with Enclave Lounge access, but midday thins out. We had also read that the resort runs food trucks, but they were nowhere to be seen during our week. The one bright spot we saw was a beachfront barbecue, but it appeared exactly once during our entire week, starting at 1:30 in the afternoon on the day we were checking out. We were walking out the door right as the grills were firing up, which made it sting even more. Why a beachfront barbecue is not a daily or at least weekly fixture here is beyond me. If it ran regularly, lunch would go from the weak spot of the resort to a genuine draw.

The Snorkeling:

We did not book this resort for the snorkeling, and it ended up being the highlight of the entire trip. The property sits in its own private cove at the base of the Sierra Madre mountains, and that geography is the secret. Rocky edges, protected water, and marine life right off the beach. No boat, no tour, no schedule. Grab your gear, walk into the bay, and you are in it. Banderas Bay stays calm enough that this worked for everyone in our group, and it turned into a daily ritual rather than a one-time excursion. If you want to level up, Los Arcos de Mismaloya, the national marine park and the signature snorkel and dive spot in the area, is a short trip south of town. But the cove kept us plenty busy.

Beach and Cabanas:

We rented a cabana for a beach day and it was one of the better experiences of the trip: shade, comfort, and attentive service steps from the water. Worth doing at least once. One miss on the beach, though: kayaks are listed among the activities, but none were available during our stay and nobody offered an explanation. On a bay this calm, that was a disappointing gap in the water sports program.

The All Inclusive Experience:

The Hilton Vallarta Riviera gets the fundamentals of a luxury all inclusive right. The setting in a private cove gives it a secluded feel that most Puerto Vallarta properties cannot match, every room faces the ocean, La Luce and the Enclave Lounge can carry your dining for a full week, and the Enclave tier delivers real value instead of just a lanyard upgrade. This is also a Hilton property, which means Hilton Honors points and elite status work here, and all inclusive resorts are one of the best uses of Hilton points because a redemption covers food and drinks for the whole family, not just the room.

For a family looking for an oceanfront all inclusive with genuine luxury touches, easy access to Puerto Vallarta, and the rare ability to snorkel right off the resort beach, the Hilton Vallarta Riviera is an easy recommendation. Would we go back? Yes. And next time I am booking it on points.

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• How to Book a Hotel Suite with Points — Our complete guide to turning points into suites
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