We went to the Canto del Sol from Feb. 28-March 7th, 2009 with a group of our friends. We had booked our package with Signature Vacations and flew with Skyservice Airlines. Bill and I had “Star Class”, which has enhanced legroom, priority check in, and free drinks onboard. We had a separate line at check in and were looked after right away. On the plane though, sometimes we were forgotten about (didn’t get offered any wine with our meal on the flight down to PV) and the flight attendants did not come around too often to really have us take advantage of the free beverages on board. I also noticed that there wasn’t really a “priority” with the baggage handling when we arrived. All in all though, we got to our destination on time and our transfer bus was waiting to take us to the Canto del Sol!
When we arrived at the resort, it was a few minutes to midnight. The lobby was pretty quiet and we were all checked in right away. It was a bummer that the bars close at midnight at this resort because by the time we got there everything was just closing down. At least they offer room service in your room, where you can order a 6-pack of Modelo beer with some sandwich options and fruit. (Try the club sandwich…excellent!)
A few guests were not happy with their room (neither were we) so we were told to come back the next morning around noon to see if there was something else that could be offered at that time. Some wanted a better view, while some wanted larger rooms with a king bed instead of two doubles)
We walked around the resort to acquaint ourselves, and the pool bar was our main hang out point (aside from the fact that it was closed…but with so many convenient shops around this resort, especially the Oxxo store, you can go grab some alcohol or food if you prefer). The pool area is nicely lit up at night with lights wrapped around the palm trees. There are some guards at the stairs that lead down to the beach, and they just make sure that everything is going OK.
In the morning, this was the time we took to really look around and see what our resort had to offer us. We had our buffet breakfast at the main restaurant, which was OK…nothing to really write home about. Note: if you want bacon, you have to ask for it! It is behind the counter, at the omelette station. Freshly made omelettes were excellent, by the way.
We noticed that the snack bar by the pool did an a la carte breakfast with omelettes, pancakes, french toast, and sides like bacon or toast. The food here I have to say was better than in the main buffet restaurant.
If you like activities, you’ll have the chance to do aqua aerobics in the morning, and in the afternoon they change up their activities to include tequila volleyball, water polo, beer drinking contests, belly flop contests, etc. The pool is definitely the place to be by day. Of course, it is hard to find chairs so you may want to put your towels down to save your spot…just make sure you don’t lose your towels, or else it’s $40USD fee.
The Canto has a few different options for meals…at lunch, the main buffet is open, as well as the snack bar by the pool if you just want to grab a burger and fries. I really enjoyed the burgers, hot dogs, tacos and fries at the snack bar that I didn’t even eat at the main restaurant all week! For dinners, the main buffet has a theme dinner nightly, and the resort has 2 a la carte restaurants: Mexican (which is located in the lobby bar area) and Italian (which is across the street in the sister hotel, Villas Vallarta). There is also “La Terraza” which is a grill that appears to only be open on the weekends…but it is definitely worth a try, the food was excellent. You’ll find it right by the tennis courts.
The Canto is located in the main hotel zone of Puerto Vallarta, and a cab ride to the malecon only costs you $5USD. You can also take the bus which stops along the major highway in front of the resort. Banks and internet cafes are close by, which is very convenient. I liked the location of this resort, as the last time I went to PV I was in Nuevo Vallarta and it’s a 30 minute cab ride into town.
Overall, the Canto Del Sol is a solid 3 star resort. Good food, good service (you even get turndown service at night, with chocolates on your pillow!), and good drinks (especially at the lobby bar). It’s a great resort for those looking to enjoy downtown Puerto Vallarta and is a good value for all vacationers, whether you’re travelling single, with your family, or with your significant other.
