Marival Distinct Luxury Residences

Marival Residences & World Spa (not to be confused with sister property, Marival Resort & Suites Nuevo Vallarta All-Inclusive), is one of Nuevo Vallarta’s most luxurious resorts. Geometric white buildings with dark wood inlays give the hotel a sleek modern look, which is accented by surrounding fountains and reflecting pools. The open-air lobby feels equally sophisticated, with a large central water feature separates the room into twin halves. At the end of the lobby, a small staircase leads outside, where the heart of the property opens up around the main pool and restaurants. Marival does an exceptional job of appealing to both couples and families. The hotel feels equally appropriate for romance and families with kids. Adults enjoy upscale amenities like private pools, a world class spa, and a stunning rooftop lounge, while families take advantage of the beach club, two large outdoor pools, a kids' club and the on-site family concierge.  

Marival Residences Resort & World Spa is located in Nuevo Vallarta, a popular resort town about 30 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta and 20 minutes north of the airport. Nuevo Vallarta was developed in the 1980s as a resort community, and hasn’t stopped growing since. The beach is lined with mega resort after mega resort, and large shopping complexes house restaurants, supermarkets, and American fast food outlets like Starbucks and Subway. However, there's little of interest within walking distance of the hotel and most guests spend their entire vacation on property. Nuevo Vallarta doesn’t have the same authentic Mexican feel as Puerto Vallarta, and is known more for family-friendliness than nightlife. Guests should note that Marival was not originally built as an oceanfront property. The hotel isn’t directly on the beach, but its private beach club is a five-minute walk from the main property. 

As its name implies, Marival Residences is composed of one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom apartment style units with full kitchens and separate living spaces. Starting at 1,407-square-feet and culminating near 4,000-square-feet, Marival’s rooms are huge, but they’re also luxuriously finished with upscale decor and excellent amenities. Bold accent colors are a Marival hallmark, and each room is designed around its corresponding hue. In the two-bedroom unit we visited, the living and dining rooms featured shades of red, while the master bedroom was decked out in blue. Besides eye catching color schemes, rooms are richly styled with abstract canvas artwork, textured light fixtures, and sleek dark wood furniture. Kitchens have gray granite countertops and stainless steel appliances -- including full-size refrigerators, cooktops, and dishwashers. Bathrooms are nicely outfitted with travertine tile showers and L’Occitane toiletries. Master bathrooms have additional soaking tubs and twin vessel sinks. All of Marival’s rooms have private outdoor balconies or patios. Several ground-floor units feature walk-out access to a semi-private infinity pool that overlooks the central property. Other units, like the hotel’s top-floor penthouses and two-story villas have their own private pools. Nice extras include in-room pillow menus and personalized turndown service. 

All-inclusive dining is rarely great, but at Marival Residences, it’s superb. Each of the hotel’s five restaurants occupies a distinct space, and serve a variety of cuisines. Menus are diverse, ingredients are fresh and flavorful, and presentations are downright artistic. Omaggio is the hotel’s largest restaurant. It’s adjacent to the lobby and has floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the main pool. Omaggio serves a la carte breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast features impressive renditions of American and Mexican favorites, from strawberries and cream Belgian waffles and eggs Benedict with asparagus and chipotle hollandaise, to huevos rancheros and four different types of chilaquiles. Omaggio’s lunch menu takes a Californian approach to dining, with fresh, healthy options like crab and calamari salads, blackened tuna sandwiches, and Mediterranean vegetable wraps. Dinner menus rotate nightly, so guests will experience everything from Italian, to Mexican, to Pan-Asian. Standout dinner entrees veal ossobucco, enchiladas suizas, and rendang marinated lamb.Lemmon Grass is an outdoor restaurant, located next to the pool. Lemmon Grass is open for lunch and dinner, but hours can vary if it’s raining. Lemmon Grass is more casual than Omaggio, and features lighter fare, like mango gazpacho, portobello burgers, and local aguachile. Brunello, the lobby wine bar, serves drinks, snacks, and gourmet bites. Guests can order from an extensive wine list, but should note that not all wines and alcoholic beverages are included in the hotel’s all-inclusive rates. Brunello’s gourmet bites menu features tapas-style small plates like charcuterie boards, shrimp tostadas, and goat cheese toast points. Mozzamare is located within the private beach club. Mozzamare serves lunch and dinner in a gorgeous ocean-view setting. During the day the space is casual, and guests are welcome to dine in their bathing suits and flip-flops. But at night, the space transforms into something more upscale and romantic, and a corresponding dress code is required.  Insu Sky Lounge, a rooftop tapas bar with incredible sunset views, is Marival’s most popular restaurant. Though Insu is part of the hotel’s all-inclusive restaurants, it’s also open to the public. With a happening atmosphere, great cocktails, and an international small plates menu, Insu is one of the most sought after restaurants in Nuevo Vallarta. The dinner menu features four sections with small plates selections that reflect four different continents. Guests can order dim sum and spring rolls alongside beef sliders and corn dogs, or sample Italian arancini with Argentinian choripan. Guests will likely notice three upscale restaurants adjacent to Marival’s hotel buildings. These restaurants are located beneath the hotel’s spa, but are not considered part of the resort. One restaurant, Nicksan, is a famed Los Cabos eatery with locations in Mexico City and Nuevo Vallarta. Unfortunately Nicksan and its neighbors are not included in the hotel’s all-inclusive rates, though they’re worth a visit for those willing to pay. 

Marival has two large pools, one in the center of its property and one at its private beach club. The main pool is a large freeform shape, with light and dark blue mosaic tiles that mark shallow entry points and deeper swimming areas. The main pool is surrounded by luxe cushioned lounge chairs and umbrellas, as well as several cabanas (though the cabanas are reserved for time-share members). Though there are lots of lounge chairs around the pool, chair-saving tactics begin in the early morning hours. Next to the pool is a separate palm-tree shaded oasis with a large hot tub and pergola-covered day beds. The pool also has its own fire pit, which comes alive in the evening hours when staff members hand out s’mores supplies to guests. The beach club pool is smaller than the main pool, but has a sleek infinity edge that offers stunning ocean views. 

Marival’s private beach club is its hottest amenity. Though the hotel isn’t technically on the beach, it built a private beach club at the end of 2017 that’s connected to the property via private walkway. It takes between five and 10 minutes to walk to the beach from the main pool area. As we’ve mentioned, the beach club has its own pool and its own restaurant, Mazzamare. It also has an open-air bar and tons of lounge areas along the sand. The beach is lined with cushioned cabanas, lounge chairs, beach tents, and umbrella-covered Adirondack chairs. Nuevo Vallarta’s beach is a long stretch of golden sand, with calm waters ideal for swimming, boogie boarding, and kayaking. 

The Melange Spa has an interesting concept where each treatment room is designed to represent a different part of the world. Each room’s decorative elements reflect the healing inspirations of its culture. There’s a Japanese Shiatsu room, a Balinese aromatherapy room, an Indian Shirdodhara room, and a Thai massage room (with a traditional floor-based massage mat). There’s a Russian Banya and a Turkish Hamman, and there are treatments that incorporate Italian wine and Mexican agave. The American treatment room is the hair and nail salon on the ground floor. The Melange Spa also has several non-themed rooms for guests seeking traditional treatments like hot stone massages, facials, or exfoliating body wraps. The outdoor whirlpool is set in a garden that includes romantic day beds. 

Families are well catered to at Marival, which has a special family concierge and a kids' club. The family concierge is known as Family Emotion (weird name, great service), and can supply guests with baby/toddler/child necessities like cribs, playpens, strollers, tricycles, carseats, swim diapers, beach toys, Xbox, dvd players, movies, and games. In order to access the Family Emotion concierge, guests must elect the Family Emotion plan, which is pricier than the regular all-inclusive rates, but may be beneficial for those traveling with little ones. The Family Emotion plan also includes a family photo shoot, two free kid-friendly tours, and eight hours of free babysitting (per five-night stay). The kids' club hosts regularly scheduled activities, and is a fun indoor/outdoor place for little ones to play during the day. Omaggio, the hotel’s main restaurant, also has an excellent all-day kids' menu.