Marriott Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Offers Beachside Relaxation Minutes from the Airport

Story, photos and video by Cassie Hepler

Nestled on a sandy strip between the Sierra Madre Mountains and Banderas Bay in Mexico, Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa offers a combination of zen, nature and fun in the sun. We had been discussing this visit for months, finally making it a reality seemed so surreal and I was psyched. I ended up talking to a former teacher turned principal on the plane most of the flight down, discussing philosophy and the meaning of life. Pretty heavy travel talk, but I loved it!

This mountain-meets-ocean resort is only 7 minutes from the Puerto Vallarta airport which is a relief in itself and only a two hour flight from Phoenix, Arizona. Besides driving down to Rocky Point (Puerto Peñasco), it’s probably the closest beach for Arizonians minus California via flight. Once you’ve cleared customs, do not stop until you are outside by the tiki bars unless you want to get wrangled into a 4-hour vacation wasting timeshare.  Hopefully you have a ride lined up already as it is haggling chaos upon arrival. In our case, a driver from Marriott picked me up as I was working with them on this story. They do have Lyft and Uber but as a solo traveling gal, I’m not a huge fan of riding with strange men that aren’t employees of a brand or company.

Once we arrived, the bell men were quick to whisk me away to the front desk along a lush and green path perfect for your overstuffed rolling luggage. Somewhere from there to the front desk, my silver straw sombrero went missing and it was “Dude, Where’s my Hat?” for most of the day. And yes, I was stressing because I had just gotten not one but two moles removed (pale people problems) and was supposed to stay out of the sun… But fortunately for me, it was cloudy, rainy and moody for the first day. So my silly little sun visor with my hair poking out the top worked well in the meantime.

Once I settled into my beachfront room with a balcony with its epic views especially on a stormy day, room service came with a delicious charcuterie board tray which was the perfect food bridge between arrival and dinner. I learned fast that the humidity was so intense that my Nikon couldn’t keep up with the change from extreme air conditioning to London foggy lense vibes. So I relied heavily on my Samsung Galaxy S24 this time. As a photographer, it feels weird – like you’re cheating on a high school exam. But honestly, it was a lifesaver most of the time as you’ll see below. I also was testing out a GoPro however because the 13 is the shiny new toy right now, it was impossible to find one so I settled for the GoPro 12 creator bundle, which was okay. Honestly, the cell phone came in clutch there too! I thought I’d be in the Pacific Ocean more but with the jelly fish and alligator warnings and murky color, I barely got in so no waterproof camera needed. You cannot float around on your back like a big turd in this part of the ocean gleefully!

The whole Marriott team was on the hunt for my hat as I checked in with the open air concierge and front desk. My spidey sense told me it was long gone and I needed to say goodbye and relax stat! I trusted in the brand itself (who I love so much I became an affiliate) and decided to book my included massage right then and there so I could chill the fuck out. As a lady of a certain age, you need all the relaxation you can get! And lucky me, Mondays offer an extra 30 minutes when you book 50. So off I went to Ohtli Spa, ready to drift off into that glorious comatose state for a while. I returned giving less fucks about the hat and then got ready for dinner at Las Casitas that night as I wanted to be as close to the beach as possible. It is, much like the rest of the resort, an open air concept no doubt ideal before climate change began sweeping the world. As with most of Marriott brands, the food was superb. I even forgot my Rolaids to coat the stomach each morning hack and was feeling fine the whole time. Another thing I liked about Marriott PV was the refillable water stations like they have throughout the West Coast. Less micro plastics for humans and Mother Nature, please!

Each morning I would meander down half awake for breakfast at Leisure, the casual breakfast space where the go-to meal is chilaquiles however I am a basic bitch sometimes and enjoy my homemade omelet with bacon and TONS of fresh fruit. The coffee was excellent and strong, the servers jovial and kind and by the time I left, I was awake and ready to slay the day. I soon was connected with the Marriott PV team via WhatsApp and Miguel Arizmendi came to my rescue, let me pick out a new floppy hat – this time with SPF 50 – and we sat and chatted at the cafe for a while. I was extremely grateful. I think he took one look at my skin and was like eeek, get this gal sun coverage asap! Plus my gross looking healing moles probably didn’t help. With newfound hat in hand and soon on head, I was all over the place exploring the grounds.

A little before sunset each night, head to the activity center by the pool right behind the view above. An employee can point you in the direction of the turtle release program, which happens every night during the season (September through November) on the beach at sunset. Mother Nature rules hatching time and the resort has its own sea turtle nursery on site which I’ll be sharing in a separate story. Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa has been leading the way in conservation efforts among hotels and resorts in Banderas Bay. The program began in 2005 and is responsible for the release of an average of 60,000 baby turtles each season.

I went back to catch the last baby sea turtle release program but they must have hauled ass this time as not one left at sunset! So up to my room I went and thought I’d watch a movie however I literally fell fast asleep as soon as my head touched the pillow. When I woke that morning, I thought about ordering room service but since I saw a chicken and egg agriculture conference happening with over 500 people and their families, I thought I’d better just go enjoy my buffet one last time. It was buzzing and full of energy in there! I also thought about doing a final dip in the pool but with hundreds of little kids… well, you already know. So I chilled in my room with MTV on (where they actually play music videos) in the cool AC while it was 104 outside at 10 a.m. with intense humidity (eeek!) until it was time to head back to the airport.