Casa Yvonneka is consistently a top-rated luxury rentals Puerto Vallarta on Trip Advisor because of the many amenities enjoyed by our guests, including our sparkling, heated infinity pool with its beautiful view of Banderas Bay. However, sometimes our guests want to explore the beautiful beaches in our area, and our luxury vacation villa is within easy walking distance to the best beach clubs in Puerto Vallarta.
On the south side of Los Muertos Beach, this popular beach club features an infinity pool, beach loungers, umbrellas, changing rooms with lockers and a beach-chic restaurant with a menu designed by Chef Thierry Blouet of the famed Café des Artistes.
http://www.mantamarvallarta.com/
Over the stay of several days, cons clearly outweigh the pros in many aspects.Key highlights: obnoxious and unmanaged crowds (securities and staff turning a blind eye), poorly controlled (freezing) water temperature, and staff nor management have any interests in taking feedback.
Like Almar, this property was once marquis, and instead is merely drafting off a reputation from better times.First, the high point; they finally renovated their bathrooms which were candidly horrific. Be on the lookout for the floor grates though, they are large and easily your toes barefoot will get stuck in them. Bring your sandals!Speaking of sandals, others have commented you can "have it all" and take photos of the sign over the pool that says as much. I'm not sure if they mean you or thieves. There is a rack for sandals and a coat check but neither are monitored particularly well.Cabanas are available, but while there are capacity limits Management bends those rules frequently for people which means your Cabana for 2 or 4 may be overrun by someone next door with literally 15 people using it, blocking your entrance.Security does nothing to police this, and unlike most properties where a Cabana gives you some degree of access control these don't. In happier times during events they used to police the area in front of the cabanas for safe ingress and egress but have forgone that now. This also means leave nothing in your Cabana if you hop on the pool. Two Cabanas do have lockable cabinets doubling as a side table but most don't.Food is so so. Ours was cold as the server could not literally deliver it due to throng of people next door (literally a party of 15.)Management was cold to indifferent.There aren't really other options to suggest, beyond Eden on the 5th floor of Almar if you are a hotel guest (albeit with less of a party atmosphere.) Personally, I'd suggest spending the day at Eden and visiting a place like Industry for an evening event if that's your aim. You can "have it all," spend a fraction, and have much more fun. An added bonus is you get to keep all your belongings.
I wanted to love this place, but as a solo traveller it wasn’t great. I get that the servers make money off groups, especially drunk groups, I’m a solo traveller who doesn’t drink, I am well aware that I’m not a huge draw for the server to pay attention to, but I’m still going to order overpriced drinks.My server seemed extremely unenthusiastic to have to serve me, the lads around me he put the show on for, he barely acknowledged me, until the time came to pay, and then he tried some small talk. I was speaking to a friend while paying, he said something went wrong with the payment, I couldn’t check my banking app cause it was down at that moment, so I paid again.I look like a total gringo, but I’m Italian and I can understand the gist of Spanish. I saw him throw the receipt out after the first one, and then the second transaction was exactly the same and he said it was perfect.I go to leave and this aggressive female security guard grabs me, tells me to wait, she doesn’t think I paid, even though my wristband had been noted, my server was there and asked if it was okay, I said can you tell her I paid. Through the conversations they had in Spanish, she said, I think he needs to pay more, and the server said, I charged twice, don’t worry, he can go.I was shocked. So I paid almost 300$ to sit at the beach and have a few mocktails on a broken recliner.I understand the disparity, but this place is a gay resort, and none of them seem like they even like gay people, they just want our money. If you want to be bothered literally every 5 seconds from people selling things that no one wants, this is your place.
Worst run bar on planet earth. 10 bartenders totally ignoring customers. Come here to look, but not to drink!
This place is fun! However, I heard a circuit remix of “Sweet Caroline”… the music is not good.
Very nice place, everyone friendly, good service, friendly, pleasant atmosphere, a little complicated to enter but they solve it very well with a parking voucher that is attentive to each one
Definitely my preferred beach venue. Everything is elevated compared to adjacent beaches as far as venue design, food and clientele. I suggest trying the shrimp pizza.
Great music, amazing atmosphere and super friendly staff. Top tier pool party
The beach club is boring and the people there steals from you someone take my cell phone, My mistake left my cellphone for a second on the side table of the cabana just to ask for a drink at the pool bar. I need to ask for security to check. They found my cellphone on the bed next to me under the towels. The drinks are bad and expensive.
Excellent place to enjoy facing the sea with a very good atmosphere and delicious food
I went yesterday and it was low season, I enjoyed the quiet pool and the quick service. I think the prices are a bit high but to get to know and have a fun weekend it's worth it.
It was alright...they quote you a day pass fee at the front desk but once the bill comes, they charge more....sushi was good...drinks were basic and light. ...bathrooms under construction so had to go to hotel behind it...always a line....male dominated place...
Careful folks. They rip you off and then say it’s the day passes for the the taxes.
Always a fun time but the less crazy days or weekends are the best. Great service, drinks and even the poolside food!
I came here during the off season and the pool was closed. I still had a great time. They didn’t charge for chairs there was just a 500 peso minimum. Service staff was great and I enjoyed the food. I’d recommend the chicken club or the margarita pizza.
Lovely Roof top bar. Stunning view, great cocktail, good place to relax. Friendly staff
Very fun beach parties here on Saturday, but was quiet when we visited on Sunday. It is extremely expensive (900 pesos) but includes beach lounger and pool access and you can use their cloak room for your bag. If you don’t want a beach lounger you can negotiate a cheaper price just for pool access. They also expect a 20% tip. Overall worth it for Saturday, which was a great party with a good Brazilian DJ, but not for quieter days.
We enjoyed Mantamar very much every time we went. I wish the beach chairs were more comfortable (pads would be nice) but that’s my only real complaint. Staff was all very kind and had great senses of humor. Much slower weekdays but hopping on the weekends so make sure to reserve chairs in advance especially if you want front of beach
We own a Timeshare with the exclusive Gay Resort ALMAR, across the street, so a perk is access to Mantamar's Cabanas for free, IF booked ahead of time. However this isn't usually the case as they still reserve a unpredictable amount of Cabanas on the lower levels. During this visit we only had access too Cabanas in the upper level. I guess it all depends. When it came to service, I found it to be just satisfactory, members aren't particularly prioritized, but I do feel ignored when they deem your stay there to be a less profitable one. What we did enjoy and came back for was the Sushi and the Tuna Sandwich. Overall Mantamar is unique to Puerto Vallarta and access to all things Gay and the Beach makes it an LGBTQ2+ hot spot. If you have the money to spend that is, Non Almar members pay upwards of ₽10,000 for a Cabana (up to 4ppl can share), and ₽1500 per beach chair. Prices vary during Parties/ Events and High Season. Thanks for the Drinks & Sushi guys!
Good food and great staff. Guacamole with chips (totopos) is highly recommended. The fish tacos were also very good. The prices are pretty high... but that's consistent with the area/beach.
Service is good. Fun club. But triple check your bill when you get it. They’re notorious for over charging. I also added a 20% tip at check out that became a 30% tip. Check you bill and make sure all the charges were actually incurred.
Had an absolute blast here on a Saturday. The drinks were strong and the crowd was amazing. Such a fun time. We met so many great people here, some who we partied with during the remainder of our stay in PV. I’ve been to many day-party kind of places but none quite like this (the crowd was exclusively LGBT) which I loved! This is definitely a place we will visit repeatedly the next few years.
I had a great time at Mantamar pool. The music for memorial day weekend was lit. The aguachile was fire and the drinks were so good as well. The prices are not over the top which is much appreciated.
We have so much fun every time we go. Whether it's for a chill afternoon or for a fun party day. Good music. Very good food. The Baja tacos are great.
800 peso cover fee, with very little pay off. The pool is nice, but not worth the steep entrance fee. The service is mediocre, and the drinks are very expensive, the food is average at best. Save your money and go next door, where the service is exceptional, and they don’t charge you to sit down.
You will probably enjoy mantamar for the pool parties and the drinks. The servers there try to swindle you. I ran a tab with David. I closed the tab with him. He was pushing me to tip him a certain amount. When I did the math it was higher than I would normally tip but figured it was fine because of the volume of drinks we had had.Two others in our group and on my tab went to David to make sure everything was good. He claimed that they don't run tabs at the bar and they would need to pay cash. They then gave him 1000 pesos to pay their part of the tab.We went back to mantamar the following day to dispute this and spoke with Ana. After some back and forth, she said she couldn't find record of our friends paying the 1000 pesos.As this was not fixed ever, I assume David pocketed the 1000 pesos.I get that 1000 pesos doesn't translate to a lot in USD but if this the practice, I'm sure the money adds up.
Mantamar is where you want to be seen. Hedonism at the finest::: their 500 pesos cover charge is a bit rich, but they provide comfortable loungers and towels. The food is expensive, but good. Forget about mixed drinks, all watered down, stick to beer. The waiters demanded their tip be based on the total bill including a percentage on the cover charge. That was a bit of a stretch, then to argue with you if you didn't take the cover charge into consideration when tipping. Mantamar is okay maybe once a week, next door it Ritmos is just fine.
My Chicken was raw ,I complained, the comment of the waiter was, you like it cooked.The dessert are disappointing. Wines are priced ok.
we love Mantamar but the general prices and waiter expectations have become outrageous. so 1500p pp for the chairs and then more for food and drinks - no problem - we are happy to pay. but expecting a beachgoer to tip ON the chair fee is ridiculous. Sergio is a nice guy but hardly a 4 star waiter - seriously they are crazy if they expect a tip off the chair fee. i feel embarrassed for them as they have been conditioned to raise an artificial wounded warrior pose expecting more for delivering towels and a few smiles. Mantamar needs to train staff a bit better to accept those who are more generous and walk away from those who are more pragmatic.
We had a great time on 3 total visits to Mantamar. Our waiter Billy was the best! Drinks are actually quite good. Our favorite way to visit is to buy day passes for beach chairs, but be warned: you will be accosted every minute by beach vendors selling everything from drugs to tattoos, oysters and coconuts, bracelets, bags and massages. You’ll also get some aggressive sales from Mantamar’s own massage therapists.Tips: day pass is cheaper earlier in the week, lockers are convenient, reserve in advance for busy weeks, don’t get caught without a wristband.
For a more casual beach club on Los Muertos Beach, Swell is a great option with loungers and umbrellas on the beach and a cool castaway vibe. Tip: We love their “big salads” from the lunch menu.
Ordered a stuffed avocado salad and it was lovely. We packed for the beach and grabbed a palapa, in the sand served by Swell restaurant. They came around and offered nice cold beer, cocktails and had a menu with a good selection. Prices are not the lowest but but not high. The location on the beach is worth a little extra.
The food was great and the service was unbelievable at their beach area. Cesar is the nest of the best when it comes to hospitality and customer service. We will continue to go there just because of him, and I suppose because of the food as well, but mostly because of him and his service mentality.
RIPOFFNEWFirst of all been coming to Swells for about 9 year. Living here now and last year. Come about once a week. Best coconut shrimp in town. Tell everyone and tag on Facebook. Came by today for breakfast. The first time Adrian waited on us. He speaks pretty good English. We speak a little Spanish so I don’t think there’s any misunderstanding. We told him we wanted to order one plate with one egg and one plate with two egg’s. He said do you want rice and beans with that I said no just the eggs then we order two green juice, one coffee and two fruit plates, and one water or two glasses of ice. The eggs were supposed to be over easy and they were barely cooked super runny. And there was just a little bit of fruit on the plate so then Speedy came over to help us. I said we had fruit plates and he said he must’ve misunderstood so he brought us one fruit plate. The bill came back at 580 pesos. There’s no way this is correct speedy was very helpful and felt bad. Sent the bill back two times to you and he said no correction and I said this is ridiculous. We live here and we won’t be back. Speed he said sorry, but you could not adjust this. I’m hoping it was not the owner. And that we be can offer us some type of a credit. It’s not the amount of the money. It’s the principle we like your restaurant and your servers but we will not be back if there’s no compensation.1 egg side 302 eggs side 602 green juice 100 estimatedCoffee 401 water 2 glasses 40estimatedFruit plate 85355 total, should of beenThey charged 580 almost doubleMike and Sue LopezThis is what it should of been, give or take a few pesos but was overcharged around $12 US. Took right off menu. Be careful!Owner just argued with me multiple time with no adjustmentFelt like I have been overcharged in past because they scribble on note pad that you can’t read and in the afternoon after a couple drinks I just let it go. Wasn’t drinking this time so I was sure
On the beach with good food and good service. What else do you want? A great place to eat a meal or hang out all day. We both had fresh and tasty salads. Prices are pretty reasonable for Los Muertos Beach too and they take credit cards.
They will steal your money. The manager charged us more than they used to few days ago for the same thing. We will never go back. Be careful about your bills.
This place is a hidden gem, the staff is friendly and on top of it. Locals know this is the place to go. Tipping the staff extra goes a long way. My favorite food there is the fresh seared Tuna, but there are many good food items on the menu.
great service the staff was always there when you need them, the food was also nice and the location is great just by the water
We are so glad we found this place while on vacation! Best service hands down and the shrimp and steak tacos were delicious! If speedy is there than try to get seated with him, otherwise everyone else was great too!
Service is excellent. Jimmy is magnificent! Ordered chicken quesadilla, margaritas and beers. Delicious! Can’t beat the view.
Great spot to relax by the water. Only have to spend $1000 pesos and can sit on the beach!
First come first serve beach chairs, 50 pesos per person, which is hard to find as most places are reservation only or at least $60 USD per person. However bathrooms are a little walk away depending on where you are sitting, wifi is also spotty. Quick service for drinks though.EDIT: as previously stated, Salvador certainly did most charge us 100 pesos for chairs, and then further charged us appropriately for our beverages. Maybe ask the guys running the bar/restaurant close to the bathrooms for assistance so you don’t get charged!
So so so bummed that the owner went this direction. We have loved Swell a long time and love the waiters too (Speedy etc etc). The owner has decided that the prices should be very close to the US. We were there for a couple hours and the bill was $150 US. 2 well Margie’s each and a couple tacos and Guacamole. It pains we to write this but I could eat fine dining with a sunset view in the rest of PV for the same prices. $14 well margaritas (with tip). The place is still crowded (it takes people a while to find out the new reality) and if you are on vacation it’s no big deal. The issue is that you can do much better other places and eventually it will be known what strategy he has taken. He used to cater to the expat crowd and now it’s about the short term payoff. Too bad. We will have an amazing dinner/show/and drinks tonight for the same price as our short stop at the beach at Swell… Hard review to write but I am loyal to businesses that are loyal to me and don’t get me wrong I am not on a fixed income and prices are up everywhere but I hate tourist traps. .
This used to be my fav beach hang out. But it’s changed. Not sure if it’s new owners or new cooks but the food is no longer good. My turkey cranberry sandwich was served on a rock hard bun when it used to be served on nice bread. The turkey itself was so dry I couldn’t even swallow it. Their onion rings are horrible giant things not good at all. Prices are high and was told need to have a min bill of $500 pesos to lay down. Not to mention you are getting bombarded every 30 secs from vendors it’s not relaxing it’s not enjoyable. Luckily I found a new spot on the other end with better food/prices/atmosphere
We love swell. Private beach, buckets of beer, workers are fast. Coconut shrimp is awesome!
Too bad they didn't want my business because I spoke Spanish to them. Totally discriminatory. Go to Sapphire better, much better service and food. Never again.
Nice friendly beach front bar. Small, and easy to miss with its larger neighbors on either side. Actually, they all seemed the same, offering the same level of hospitality, food and lounge chairs and umbrellas. Also a small towel.You ask the waiter for a place to sit or lie down. No charge for the lounger, but they would like you to eventually order something. No pressure, though. Prices are very reasonable.Bathrooms are clean. I think there were 4, all single person.The beach is fine. Sandy without seaweed or rocks. The waves carry a punch, though.
Looking for a place to sit back and relax on a gorgeous beach while enjoying a meal and beverages, Swell Beach bar on Playa Los Muertos, Puerto Vallarta, is the place for you. The bar has numerous tables and umbrellas set up on the sandy beach for your enjoyment.. steps away from the water, the food was tasty and hot, while the drinks where ice cold, service was good and the staff were super friendly, prices were reasonable. Recommended. Barry 🇨🇦
A beach club which also offers a gourmet dining experience and a pool, Sapphire offers free Wi-Fi and mobile charging stations to keep you connected, loungers and umbrellas, and courtesy “aqua frescas”.
http://www.sapphire.mx/
I have been to PV several times and have tried a few of gay beach clubs in PV. Sapphire is certainly the nicest one with really nice lunge chairs, towel service, and a nice clean pool. They have a more relaxed and chill vibe here and a reservation is highly recommended.Service and food quality was fantastic. Service was very friendly and attentive. The facilities were very clean and well maintained.
Good place to grab a beach chair and umbrella for the day. Food and drinks are great. Beach is clean. The service staff is attentive and quick. My wife and I have been here for a Beach day on a number of trips to Mexico.
Stopped for the day pass. $300 pesos per person. That's only for entry and reserved seats. Ended up with pool side which we wanted. Decent breakfast, the French toast was tasty, eggs Benny were good but eggs a little under done. Watched our French toast sit on the counter for 5 minutes before the staff came to serve, we were one of two tables there at breakfast. Slow service poolside during the day. Smaller pool, chairs are often splashed by children playing. Not really worth the cost.
We went on a Sunday, very busy and slow service. Cocktails were good but definitely pricy
They gave a broken chair at first. I switched it for another one myself. The service was kinda of slow. Had to almost stand up to get the servers attention. They def seemed short staffed though. Excellent breakfast burrito. My wife enjoyed the ceviche. My favourite was the oysters from a beach vendor.. (they don’t serve oysters). This place is pricey.
A pleasant find. LGBT crowd mostly yet mixed. It's Mantamar without the outrageous peak season admission fee $15 US for a chair, towel and umbrella vs $100 New Year's week. More chill than Mantamar as well Best food of the three beach clubs I visited Reservation recommended .
Sapphire Ocean Club … not such a “gem” after all.I’ll start by saying that I guess any place can have a bad day, and if that was the case today for Sapphire Beach Club, it was an awful day for sure. For starters, I called ahead for a beach chair reservation for my out-of-town friend and me, and was told on the phone that there was a “choice spot” waiting for us “close to the front” line of the beach. However, when we got there (20 minutes after I called), we were stuck in a far back corner next to a construction zone where we had to listen to power skill saws and hammers most of the day. Second, when our waiter finally showed up, and “proudly” told us that he would be taking “good care” of us, he took 30 minutes to return with the wrong drinks. As he was running away, I tried to tell him that our drink order was wrong, he looked over his shoulder at me and carried on in the direction he was going without even a second glance. Finally, and I mean like 20 minutes later, I got the attention of another waiter who corrected the situation. But our waiter, who was supposed to be taking such “good care” of us didn’t show back up again for another 30 minutes to reluctantly see if we wanted anything else to eat or drink. At the risk of continued delays and disappointment, we ordered more drinks and food. With no surprise, they arrived another 45 minutes later. After we finished or food and drinks, and another hour passed with empty plates and glasses on our table, (never mind anyone coming back to check to see if we wanted anything else), I gathered everything up, cleared the table, and took it all back to the bar myself. Still no sign of our “devoted” waiter. At this point I’m more than ready to leave, but then this clown/waiter shows back up with mezcal shots we did not order (I don’t even drink) and provided our check for over 1000 pesos for a bottled water, a coke, a glass of wine for my friend, chips and guacamole, and a load of bad service. This was clearly one of the most disappointing experiences I have had at a Puerto Vallarta beach club. Needless to say, we will not be back. Blue Chairs, Green Chairs, even “NO” chairs would have been better. UGGGGG!!!!!
Wonderful people here! Everyone is very friendly. Bathrooms are very clean. Small fee for the chairs here and they are super comfy and staff is very attentive! The bar makes great margaritas. Don't be late or you won't get a spot! Reserve a spot.Para sailing perhaps today from the beach here looks like a blast!
The staff are friendly. The team made sure we are all set for our stay and ensuring poolside space every day (shoutout to Victor). Thank you Sapphire staff!
the charged me 500 pesos for 1 drink and a beer. then said afterwards that the day pass price is mandatory. service is slow too
Nice place to spend the day which access to the pool and use of the sun beds and tower provided. Not too experience for entry fee either ($300). Staff were great and friendly. Place was nice and clean too and easily accessible.
Lovely place directly on the beach. Just a few rooms, the hosts are super lovely and welcoming.
Love sapphire! Great spot to relax and service was really good. Sergio, our waiter, was really attentive and makes us feels so welcoming. Thank you sapphire. Definitely going back next time i go back to PV.
Rented beach chairs on a busy day. The constant hawking of merch by beach peddlers was absolutely a burden, especially since we paid for chairs. Dunno if this can be helped legally but damn was it a detriment. Staff was not terribly attentive and grouchy. Wouldn't return. Ocean view and sand were great.
I really wanted to enjoy this place because our hotel owns it and recommended it but the experience was horrible. Made a reservation 3 days prior for 6 people, got there and only 4 chairs. Had to convince them to add two more. Took another 30 minutes to get the first round and then after being there for 3 hours we only got one more round. Overall service was terrible and then the server got mad that we were frustrated. Ended up apologizing for getting so upset with us but I do not recommend this place. I wish I could but I ended up leaving frustrated and disappointed.
Nice views. Good Music. Beautiful terrace. Pool is OK. Beach is nice as it gets. I ordered the day’s combo, that day was shrimp burger and it was very good with quality of ingredients. Portion size is rather small for American standards but it did the job, no fries were included. The combo included a blue margarita but lacked flavor 🤷🏽♂️. Overall, nice place with small portions but quality food. I’ll come back for the beach.
Sapphire is my favorite beach spot! Wonderful, full loungers, great service, food and drinks…always!
Mixed feelings here. Our waiter Oscar didn’t seem too friendly, esp when compared to other staff. But we kept coming bc the location is great and drinks are good. Last day we purposely took chairs outside his ‘zone’ and Danny was fantastic.
Food and drinks are good but service is not great. The waiter barely checked on us even when it wasn't busy. Beach front is nice.
Incredible deal, great service and drinks. Just wish they had some restrictions on the amount of vendors that can enter,. Ut otherwise highly recommend.
The place is great and the wait staff really hustles. But don't waste your money on a week's pass. I bought one to reserve a spot for the week and showed up the next day to find out your spot is only reserved if you show up by 11am! It is in the fine print, but no one mentioned it. So frustrated and disappointed!
You’d want to spend the day there, with everything at your finger tips at a very reasonable cost. They are attentive but a little slow (they get really packed, kinda understandable). The day pass is about $15USD each; totally worth it, towels included. They also have a private dipping pool by the bar area.Our guy Junior really took care of us over the past few days! Great service, friendly, and he goes out of his way to make sure we are comfortable! Amazing experience, it’s gonna be hard to go back to reality:)
First of all a huge shout out to Junior!! He provided us with amazing service and was so nice and accommodating! This place is wonderful! Spent the day here with my two kids. Everything was great— the food, the chairs, the towels, amenities and the clientele. Everyone was friendly! They have comfortable beach chairs, clean absorbent towels and the food was excellent. The bathrooms were clean and well attended to and the shower and pool were a much appreciated respite to the salt water. We had such a great time we can’t wait to come back! Thank you to everyone at Sapphire!
Great service. Great food. Nice setting. Love going here. The best french fries I have ever had are here. Delicious!!!
A bargain compared to other beach clubs and the food, drinks and service are top notch! Feels like you're spoiling yourself. Highly recommend the Aguachile!!
1st time here. Loved the chairs. Loved the food. Loved the drinks. Service was a little slow but it was very busy. Overall highly recommend. 5 stars!!!
A fabulous location is just one of the reasons that Casa Yvonneka guests return again and again, for perfect Puerto Vallarta vacations.
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