Location, especially if you are a gay man, could not be better. Sitting right on a beautiful stretch of beach in the heart of the gay section and extremely close to all the gay hot spots, it doesn’t get better than this. If you’re not gay, it’s still fantastic as the beach is very family friendly and there’s tons of great dining from excellent street food to high end, beachfront dining, and lots of activities right outside your door. And it’s an easy walk to the malecon and the Centro for a more hetero experience. Very close to the pier for the boat charters and people watching. Safe area as well. Staff is very helpful and the breakfast is a good value. Lots of beach chairs and loungers, and umbrellas and palapas for shade with full service for food and drinks. You can pay to go to a nearby beach club too, but the hotel provides chairs for guests included in the price. Lots of stairs to navigate so take note if you have mobility issues.

Rooms are dated and some staff can be brusque, but for the price and location, I’ll take it any day. Excessive beach vendors so you should learn at least 2 words of Spanish if you’re not interested in buying: no, gracias. On the other hand, you can go shopping from your beach chair for everything from clothes, massages, jewelry, hats, sunglasses, fresh oysters, fruit, and much more. Vendors are nice, aren’t pushy, and are unlikely to disturb you if engrossed in a book. Vallarta is a party town in a poor country so a little grace goes a long way.

I didn’t have breakfast included, I paid once and wasn’t happy with it

My room had no real windows, there was lots of hair from previous guests, I emailed and asked for a fridge in my room and was told it could be accommodated but when I arrived they said they have no fridges.

This was a really nice hotel. I'd been to other Tropicana properties in Vegas and remembered them to be a bit dated. This spot was great! Very comfortable, beautiful view, great location, really kind staff. The beach chair/umbrella, beach service is unbeatable. We saved so much money by choosing a hotel with beach access so we didn't have to go to any beach clubs or bars to find a nice place to sit.

This is not a spot you can work remotely from. Come prepared to unplug, as even phone service in the stucco building isn't reliable. I took a couple calls from the beach and sent a few emails from the lobby and it was no problem, but make sure you know what you're signing up for. We saw some mean customer screaming at the staff about his wifi, but it was very apparent what to expect from the reviews before booking. Don't be that guy.

ANA BERTHA IN FRONT DESK WAS VERY HELPFUL AND VERY NICE. LIKED THE LOCATION. CLOSE TO MANY GOOD RESTAURANTS. THE ONE IN THE HOTEL WAS VERY POOR!

THE RESTAURANT. BAD FOOD, BAD SERVICE AND VERY EXPENSIVE.

Food was delicious and prices were reasonable

Reception should be more thorough with what they expect from us. For example: turning in wrist bands on book out or else they charge a fee for not turning in….

We loved the relaxed vibe of the hotel, the pools and the comfort of the room. Our AC worked great and we had a beautiful balcony facing the ocean. Location was also outstanding. It is close to everything, but far away enough to escape most of the street noises from restaurants and the busy main street.

1 - They should separate the pools for adults and children. It was noisy when kids were there and it did spoil our enjoyment for a bit. They have two pools and could easily separate them with signs. 2 - The room had a safe deposit, but the lock was missing making it unusable. We didn't have valuable items, but had to lock our documents into our suitcases. This should be improved. 3 - They give you a bracelet upon check in to be used during your stay, but it is a bit strange because when I was in the pool or in the beach in front of the hotel. the staff wanted the payment in cash or card. I wanted to charge to the room and they looked confused and would not accomodate. This also needs to be improved.

Had a great stay here! Perfect location in the romantic zone. Was upgraded to an ocean view and it was awesome. The ladies at the desk were lovely and always trying to help. Room was clean and comfortable. Pool was amazing...sunsets were perfect there. Great location in the Romantic Zone. Breakfast was easy to get at the hotel and if you choose to not have it included then it's about 185 pesos/person for a full breakfast including coffee. Chairs were available at the pool and beach under umbrellas or palapas. Having problems with Wifi? Go to Oxxo and get a SIM card for 150 pesos. Drinks were kind of expensive at the beach. Go to the deli across the street and pick up a cooler (110 pesos) and get some ice (35 pesos). Sip Coronas for 28 pesos instead of 70.

None of my negatives were related to the hotel!

Despite some recent, online negative postings about declining Tropicana Hotel experience in recent years, we experienced none of this - and we have stayed there many times over the past 20 years. The Tropicana is still the same, slightly dated but beautifully designed, and slightly 'retro experience' hotel - which is why it continues to remain so affordable and charming in an age of 'cookie-cutter package', (and increasingly expensive), all-inclusive Mexico vacations. The pool is great, the bar/restaurant immediately nearby, it's right on the best beach in the very best location in P.V. Zona Romantica (i.e. 'old town, with its many close-by restaurants). Lots of helpful staff, large and spotlessly clean rooms and property, and reasonable pricing considering the overall facilities within a retro-beautiful property. And daily room maid service, even. Very highly recommended, but be sure to book a Superior room. When booking request a seaview room not pool or garden view. Hint : if you can get Room 546, you WILL be very happy !

There can be the occasional bit of sewer smell when you first enter your room, which is EASILY RESOLVED by placing covers over the bathroom floor drains and turning on the AC for 10 minutes : Ask the maid service for plastic, drain covers (the hotel has a supply of these) if need be. After doing this there was no smell whatsoever in our room for the next 8 days. So NOT to worry, therefore, this is EASILY resolved.

The room location was amazing, right on the water and I loved hearing the sound of the ocean all day. I didn't hear any noise from the street or loud music, just relaxing waves. The room was huge and felt super spacious. It was nice having beach chairs and umbrellas waiting when we came out to the beach.

There was an odd smell coming from the drain, wafting into the room, but my partner covered it finally with a washcloth and it was Soo much better. There were also a lot of vendors on the beach, constantly, which was not super relaxing. I know that's not the hotel's fault though.

The hotel had amazing views of the ocean and bay. Very walkable to different restaurants, shopping, and other amenities, like banks and money exchange. The restaurant at the hotel had wonderful food at fairly reasonable prices, so long as you paid in pesos and not dollars.

Exchange rate was pretty terrible at the hotel. I believe they were offering about 3 pesos per dollar less than the bank/money exchange shops. Also, the smaller pool that was designed for younger kids and families was super warm. It didn't feel very good. The second, deeper pool (maybe 5 ft?) felt much better as it was much cooler. Given the heat and humidity of when we stayed in mid-July, it was a great relief.