There are plenty of beach resort areas in Mexico where you can take a vacation, but many of them are primarily purpose-built long resort strips without a whole lot else to offer. The city of Puerto Vallarta, however, is a different story. You have the chance to stay in a thriving city filled with culture, great restaurants, and an art-filled malecón walkway along Banderas Bay.  It has great air connections with the USA and Canada too, so it’s easy to get to for even a holiday weekend trip.
You have plenty of great hotels and resorts to choose from in the area. Some are in the heart of the action, while others spread out along the bay. Here are some of the best luxury hotels in Puerto Vallarta where you can get a great room with a view.
Ocean Views From Your Balcony
There are some stunning views from the top luxury hotels in this city on Banderas Bay, with choices of boutique hotels, high-rises, and all-inclusive resorts.  
The most luxurious place to stay in P.V. on most counts is Hotel Mousai. This 72-room tower with panoramic views is audacious and brash, with bold design elements and amenities that go well beyond the norm. You’ll enjoy butler service, a heated toilet seat, entertainment and lighting functions controlled from an iPad, and one of the highest rooftop infinity pools in the region.
See our detailed review here and if you’re ready to vacation like a rock star, check out their penthouse suite here.
Mousai shares some facilities with its slightly older sister property, Garza Blanca, which is right on the water. Garza Blanca features suites with kitchens and views of the bay with the famous Los Arcos rock formations not too far away.
You also get great views from rooms at Secrets Vallarta Bay on the main Puerto Vallarta beach. Secrets Vallarta Bay is adults-only, while there’s a Dreams on the other side that is family-friendly. Both are all-inclusive resorts, with no gotcha fees and plenty of quality liquor and good wine to enjoy during your stay. To get your own plunge pool right over the beach, book the Preferred Club Master Suite Swim Out Oceanfront category at either resort.
At the high-rise Westin Puerto Vallarta, you get this view below over the palm trees and shady pool complex. This resort in the marina area is close to the airport and a golf course, plus it has some neighborhood restaurants and bars you can walk to, handy since this is not an all-inclusive hotel.
Some guests really like this one at night because you can see the lights of PV in the distance and you can see boats coming in and out of the marina.
Puerto Vallarta Views From the Center
If you’d like a little foreground with your ocean background, the most romantic view in Puerto Vallarta might be from Hacienda San Angel downtown, right behind the main church. This was once the private home of Richard Burton. There are magical views from the restaurant and pool area that everyone shares. If you stay in their Celestial Suite though, you get a large private terrace where you can sit and take in this view:
Later the owner launched Casa Kimberly, which was the Elizabeth Taylor side of the equation for the area’s most famous temporary residents. This house, which Burton gave her on her 32nd birthday, was connected by a bridge over the street. For the best views, stay in the suite that bears her name and get a walkaround balcony taking in the city and the sea, your own small pool, and a bathroom that’s as big as the sleeping area.
If you like being able to walk out the front door and be in the heart of the action, these two evocative boutique hotels will really make you feel like you’re in Mexico.
If you want to be downtown and be on the beach, the top choice is Villa Premiere, where every room has an ocean view. That’s the view from one room in the photo at the top of this post. Book the Honeymoon Suite for your own Jacuzzi and hammock on a private terrace looking out at the water.
Rather View a Golf Course?
Some people are not beach people, which is why there are plenty of happy homeowners in Puerto Vallarta who are not facing the water. Some of them would rather look out at the wide expanse of lawn known as a golf course. There are two courses in Vallarta itself: Vista Vallarta Golf Course high on a hillside, then another that’s just 10-15 minutes from the historic center.
If that’s your idea of the ideal view, head straight to Hotel Casa Velas, situated a couple of blocks from the beach on the centrally located Marina Vallarta Golf Club. Here you get all the usual adults-only resort amenities on an all-inclusive basis, including use of a nearby beach club, but some of the best suites have a balcony with this visa instead of the sea.
See our review of Casa Velas and then check out all the options at Preferred Hotels or at their website.
These aren’t the only hotels with a view in Puerto Vallarta of course: the destination has more than 80 hotels to choose from. So besides the luxury options here, you could cash in some loyalty points at a Hilton, Marriott, or Sheraton, or upgrade your convention stay room at the Fiesta Americana.
We had a great stay at Velas Vallarta many years ago when my daughter was along, taking advantage of the all-inclusive location right on the beach. I returned later for a writers’ conference and had some terrific meals there. You could turn a stay there into a luxury one by booking a three-bedroom oceanfront suite or the four-bedroom presidential suite.
If you’re more the villa type than the hotel type, you’ve got lots of rental options too. Check out the house we stayed in a few years ago in this post about Punta del Cielo villa.
For more information on the area, including frequent events and the long list of things to do and see, check out the official Puerto Vallarta website.
Article by Timothy
Timothy Scott is the founder and editor of Luxury Latin America and has been covering the region as a travel journalist since the mid-2000s. He has visited each country we cover multiple times and is based in a UNESCO World Heritage city in central Mexico, where he owns a home. See contact information here.
