Several options await guests in Mexican region
IAN STALKER
The Marriott Resort Puerto Vallarta sees its share of repeat visitors.
And some of them are flippered.
The oceanside property’s commitment to sustainability includes its having a sea turtle nursery, with a biologist on hand during the June-December nesting period, with that biologist overseeing the careful gathering of turtle eggs from the beach, which are then placed in the nursery where they remain until they hatch, with the young reptiles then being safely released into the ocean.
The survival rate for those turtles is higher than those left to hatch on their own and Elsa Perez — multi-property director of sales and marketing for the Marriott and nearby sister property The Westin Resort & Spa Puerto Vallarta — said a homing-like instinct means turtles will years later return to within a kilometre of where they were first released into the sea when it’s time for them to nest.
Perez says that kind of program underscores the different sides to the Marriott Resort Puerto Vallarta, which produces its own brand of tequila, growing its own agave, the source of the spirit.
“The idea is not to compete wit the high-level brands,” Perez says of the Marriott tequila. “It was more about embracing the culture.”
Puerto Vallarta is in the state of Jalisco, seen as the home of tequila.
The Westin and the Marriott provide choices, with Perez noting that guests can choose from several options spanning from simply booking a room to an all-inclusive program, prompting Perez to to state the hotels provide a “hybrid.”
Both hotels are in Puerto Vallarta’s marina, with Perez reporting that the Westin has a wellness bent, a natural for a property surrounded by a onetime coconut plantation and the grounds of which have hundreds of palm trees.
The hotel happily welcomes families, with parents able to request in-room teepees for children, and a kids club available.
The pet friendly hotel also has Heavenly Dog Beds, with Perez reporting that those beds have the same features as Westin’s Heavenly Beds but are smaller.
The Marriott was renovated in 2019 and the Westin is slated for renovations shortly.
Meanwhile, Perez is quick to promote her destination as an ideal destination for those who enjoy nature, beaches and Mexican culture.
“It’s a great,” location,” she says. “You have the colonial side of Mexico and then you can return to your hotel.
“It’s quite unique. There’s so much nature in the destination.”
Whale-watching is available in the April-November period, she noted.
