Vallarta Sun Suites & Hotel

From the street, Vallarta Sun Suites doesn’t look like much. It’s an unmarked three-story condo complex that looks exactly like all the other unmarked three-story condo complexes in the area. (On our visit, we only knew we were in the right place because of Google Maps.) Just inside the wrought-iron entry gates there’s a small office and a tiny hand painted sign with the hotel’s name. Not much goes on here. The majority of guests are Canadian snowbirds who rent units for the entire winter, so the property feels more like a residential apartment complex than a hotel.  

Vallarta Sun Suites has an excellent location in Puerto Vallarta’s downtown Zona Romantica. The neighborhood’s cobblestone streets are lined with cute shops, a variety of restaurants, fun bars, and small grocery and convenience stores. Guests can walk to Playa de Los Muertos in 10 minutes, and the famed Malecon in 20. There’s always something fun going on in the neighborhood, but there’s also constant construction to keep up with tourism demands -- which makes the area quite noisy throughout the day and at night. Some guests complain that the neighborhood is too loud for relaxing or getting a good night’s sleep. We didn’t find the noise too troublesome -- the apartments’ ancient air-conditioning units create a white noise buffer -- but light sleepers may be restless.  

All of Vallarta Sun Suites’ rooms are nearly identical, though corner rooms are considered an upgrade. Each of the rooms is a studio-style apartment, with a full kitchen, tiny living room, and one queen size bed. The bedroom and living room areas are separated by a half wall, and the kitchen is adjacent to the living room. Room decor is emphatically dated -- expect old tile work in the kitchen and bathroom, heavy wood furniture and old cabinetry, and thick drapery. The living room couch is really a trundle bed topped with a thin cushion and a few pillows. Kitchens are equipped with ovens, full-size refrigerators, microwaves, and coffeemakers, but guests can expect nearly all of the appliances to be two or three decades out of date. Walls are painted in a subdued beige color, except for the rear sponge-painted focal wall, which features garish shades of orange and pink. Unattractive striped bedspreads have their own attached bed skirts, and mattresses feel like they’ve been slept on one too many times. Besides dated tile work, there isn’t much to complain about in the bathrooms, which feature decently sized vanities and large shower stalls. All of the apartments have outdoor balconies that overlook the pool. These are furnished with a plastic table and chair set, which for most people, serves as a kitchen table, since there isn’t one inside. 

Besides a small pool and free Wi-Fi, there aren’t any amenities at Vallarta Sun Suites. The pool is located in the hotel’s front courtyard. It’s small and rectangular and surrounded by worn lounge chairs. According to long-time guests, the pool doesn’t get cleaned very often, but it was spruced up before our arrival. Behind the pool, there’s a thatched covering with a take-a-book-leave-a-book library. This is also where the Wi-Fi routers are located, so the signal tends to be best around the pool and on rooms’ balconies. Wi-Fi is free for all guests. It's worth mentioning that the owner of Vallarta Sun Suites has a reputation for being unpleasant and grouchy, and that was no different on our stay. According to long-time guests, his surly attitude is a mainstay. The hotel’s rock bottom rates -- not the owner’s hospitality -- are what continually attract repeat guests.