My husband and I needed a break with no kids (have 3, youngest are 5 year old twins) and chose an adults only (but not swinging!) hotel. In the photos, CV looks incredible, and the lobby, pool, restaurant and spa, and the grounds are lovely! Clean, sparkling, beautiful. It's the rooms that we had our issues with.

We were there a total of 6 nights and moved 4 times. Really very sad, and it took a lot of time and was very unfortunate. So, in somewhat abbreviated form, here is what happened. We checked in at night and were taken to a room at the end of the hallway in the basement. The room was fairly large, but had no couch or chairs -- so half of it was empty -- and the other half had a nice big bed, TV, etc. The next morning, we realized that we were in the back of the resort - with only a tiny window, very dark, depressing room. No way were we going to stay here for the week, so we talked to the desk, they said they'd move us later, and they did! So we packed our bags, and they moved us at about 3pm to a nice room upstairs, with a view of the grounds, and a little balcony with a nice little tub for 2 outside. perfect. well, almost. About 1 am -- the room smelled of rotten eggs, and we called the manager on duty, who came up to our room to check it out, and he agreed with us! ew. so guess what? we moved down the hall (in our jammies, we left our luggage) and slept in another room. The next morning, we went back to our room, and headed to the pool. Later that day, they explained that the air conditioner needed work and asked us if we would move. So, we did. To make it up to us, they moved us to a villa! (sounds nice, eh?) Just wait. We pack our bags (again) and are moved to a condo type room at the back of the property that has a small pool outside, a little porch, sitting area, etc. Great, we think -- and we shower to go to dinner. In the shower, as we look closer, ew. Mold, dirt, funk. We start to look closer and realize that this place has no ventilation, and seems like it has not been touched in years. No offense, but like really old, ancient smelling -- stale, funky, not at all what we want. So, we stop at the front desk on our way to dinner and the manager says that oh! he now has a room, like the one we had, and liked, and we can move into it! Well, that is all we wanted in the first place. So later that night WE PACK AGAIN AND move again to a normal room. It was a freaking nightmare.

OK -- BUT the spa is incredible, and we live in the wine country (Sonoma CA) and know good spas. The staff was very well trained, gracious, the place was lovely, sparkling, to die for!

The restaurant on property felt like a 5 star 90% of the time, which is more than we could hope for. The wait staff was so good, so well trained, so friendly, remembered us and our needs/likes each night -- we never wanted to eat anywhere else and I don't think we did! It was impeccable -- food and service. Just fantastic.

Finally -- on our next to last day, I am at the pool when a nicely dressed man with a clipboard comes over asking me about my stay. Boy, I say to him, did you hit the jackpot! Sit down my friend. I proceeded to tell him my saga, and within 10 minutes he excused himself, asking if I'd be at the pool for an hour. He came back with an older Mexican man, smoking a cigar who asked to hear my story. They both shook their heads and made it up to us on our final bill. They could have done more (in my opinion) but hey, some discount is better than nothing.

What they could not give us back was our precious time. For the expense, I expected a fairly seamless experience. It was tiring -- but parts were lovely. Hope this helps!

My husband and I have stayed at some pretty impressive places. I have to say that nothing compared to the Casa Velas. The staff, food, service and beauty of the Hotel was beyond our expectations . (I kept saying I can picture Jennifer Aniston staying here and it turns out that she was at a villa right down the street on the same weekend!)

We would like to express our special appreciation to the staff. They made our stay extraordinary. A special thanks to Mauricio, Angel, and Oscar! Well done Casa Velas Boutique Hotel!

We stayed here for our honeymoon. This was our first all-inclusive trip and will not be our last. The staff of the hotel were courteous, and nothing short of fantastic. Omar checked us in, and made us feel welcome. We had lunch at the restaraunt while our room was being prepared,and relaxed in the lobby.
During our stay, there was only one bad time to be had. It's been mentioned time and again, but feel I should say it one more time. The time share pitches were awful. Just don't fall into the trap, and you'll have a fantastic time. If you're headed there as a couple and especially for your honeymoon, I highly recommend the "Rhythm of the Nights" excursion. We did it our final night in PV, and it was duly impressive and a lot of fun.

I have intentionally waited for 3 months to write my review to ensure that my comments were based on reality and not just a dream. We spent 5 nights at this truly fantastic hotel in March and I am still ecstatic about our stay! My wife and I spent over 3 months searching for the PERFECT place to spend our 20th wedding anniversary. Our search included (warm) accommodations all over the world and finally settled on Hotel Casa Velas. From the moment we arrived I knew we would not be disappointed but never dreamed that it would be more than we imagined. This is the place where "dreams really do come true". I was truly hesitant to write a review sharing my experience because my selfishness wanted to keep this hotel a "secret" for only us to enjoy, but it is only just to the excellent staff at Casa Velas that I share with you my experience of the excellent, courteous and friendly service; the delicious and beautifully presented food; and the desire of the entire staff to make our stay the most incredible vacation we have ever experienced.
ACCOMMODATIONS
We stayed in a Grand Class Suite with a king size bed, in room jacuzzi and plunge pool off the patio. The linens were luxurious and the room was very spacious with an attached living area (couch, tv, and dining table). The hotel is gated with security, not that is needed, since we always felt secure even in taxis and while shopping and walking downtown.
SPA SERVICE
We booked an all-inclusive package that included spa treatments. Annabelle and her staff at the spa were fabulous! We scheduled an evening couples massage on the beach in private tents complete with white linens, rose petals scattered over the tables, and soft music and candlelight.....It was all we could do to drag ourselves back to the room after finishing the evening drinking champagne and savoring strawberries dipped in chocolates to look like they were wearing tuxedos. The spa at the hotel was clean, professional, and offered full services including salon treatments.
STAFF SERVICE
Everyone at the hotel including the front desk, the bellboys, the waiters, and the pool staff all called us by name and truly made us feel that we were the ONLY couple staying at their hotel. It seemed that everyone was there just to make sure we were well-pampered and had anything we wanted. The new manager of the hotel, Sergio, is constantly evaluating the service staff standards which results in outstanding and friendly service. The staff even remembered our favorite drinks and food selections from day to day. They would attentively spot our arrival at the pool and have our favorite drink available before we could even sit down. The food would arrive within the next 5-10 minutes hot off the grill (tempura shrimp and grilled mahi-mahi sandwich for me) once they confirmed what our desire was for that afternoon. The hotel is very well run with timely shuttle vans running constantly between the Beach Club, Velas Vallarta and if necessary the airport. Angel, Miguel, and the other gentlemen make the trips quick and entertaining. They are always smiling and enjoy making their guests happy. All of the hotel staff that conduct most of the interaction with the guests are bi-lingual and understand and speak English fluently. We enjoyed conversing in our atrocious Spanish and everyone was very gracious and experienced a lot of good natured laughter at our attempts and took time to coach us even though our improvement was limited.
FOOD
Emiliano's restaurant was beautiful and the staff was very knowledgeable and really enjoyed explaining the different selections in detail. Breakfasts could be enjoyed in your suite via room service or at Emiliano's vast buffet. We enjoyed the room service for several mornings and the staff gladly provided it wherever we wanted (on the patio, in the bed, or by the plunge pool). Omelletes made to order and huge selections of fresh fruits and entrees are the order at Emiliano's. Dinner is exactly what you would expect from a fine dining establishment serving 5 course meals, fabulously presented, and perfectly prepared. The wine list is extensive and complementary to every meal.
PRIVATE BEACH CLUB
The private Beach Club (only available to hotel guests) was a favorite destination. Our server, Emiliano, took excellent care of us and we also had a romantic dinner enjoying the sunset over the Pacific there one evening. The beach vendors are not allowed onto the elevated Beach Club area where the pool and lounge chairs are located. A simple, courteous, No, thank you from a distance was all that was required to let them know we only wanted to relax. They only try to get your attention if you are looking toward the beach or they can catch your eye. It's really a non-issue. They are really nice people just trying to make a living and are extremely low key.
One of the nice things was the additional access to Velas Vallarta, the sister mega-resort, which had additional restaurant selections and entertainment. After goint to a "fiesta" party, and listening the the mariachi band in the Velas Vallarta lobby, it was nice to be able to return in the evening to our little paradise which only has 80 rooms and is quiet and tranquil.
CONCLUSION
Our desire was to spend a relaxing and slow paced vacation to focus on each other without any interruptions, entertainment or excursions. We only left the hotel grounds once to travel into the city market for gifts and spent the remaining time on the hotel grounds or at the Beach Club. The comfortable room, beautiful hotel grounds with gardens of bougainvillea, pampering spa, and out of this world service made all of our dreams come true!! I hope it never changes and I promise you that we will be back for MANY future visits to this wonderful hotel. I highly recommend it for a romantic getaway, honeymoon, or anniversary celebration! Trust me, look no further gentlemen, this is the place to really treat your lady to the pampering she deserves!! A guaranteed HOME RUN!!