TESTIMONIALS OF Costa Azul

Dear Costa Azul,
My wife, three children and I just returned from a 9-day stay at your resort. I just wanted to tell you that we all feel it was the single best vacation experience we have ever had! The setting is absolutely beautiful. The people were totally accommodating. The food was exceptional. Wahoo's bar and grill was delicious…it varied enough to not make us wish that we could or should eat elsewhere during our stay. We returned home really feeling that we had visited a foreign country. Our kids had the opportunity to truly experience another culture, and all of our interactions with the Mexican people we met were totally and unequivocally positive. A special thank you to Eduardo, Jesus, Gau and Pancho. They all went out of their way to make our vacation extra special. Although we were sad to leave, we took with us a lifetime of memories. It was great to have our expectations exceeded. Thanks again!
Yours truly,
Jeffrey, Cowan, Ellen, Friedman, Celia, Molly and Sam!

Well let's start at the beginning. The reservation staff located in San Clemente California has got to be the nicest and most accommodating group of people you could ask for. This was our fifth annual trip to Costa Azul (we have three families, adults and kids) and unlike others before this time we had concerns of swine flu to deal with (which were completely unfounded and nonexistent in the Nayarit area). The staff, lead by Pam, was proactive in getting updates for the region and passing them along. Our trip was booked and all requests and details concerning special occasions and transportation were handled completely and went off without a hitch.

Once we had arrived we were greeted with a warm smile and a cold margarita. Although some staff changes from year to year many of the familiar people are there to extend their hospitality. Eugenia and Miriam take care of care of all of the details regarding the room, trips and special occasions, Omar always makes a great cocktail, and Carrie and Martin make certain that your breakfast is served to order. It is a true testament to the ownership and management that these quality people stay on year after year. There are some great new faces this year like Julio and Gonzales that are making their mark as well (not to mention all of the behind the scenes people like the cooks and awesome maids).

The key to Costa Azul is to understand what IT IS and more importantly what it IS NOT prior to booking. Costa Azul is a beautiful, relaxing (no phones and no TV), tropical getaway for those looking to surf, fish, play ping pong and horseshoes on the beach or just kick their feet up and read a good book by the pool. The rooms are clean and well kept. The food is excellent and made to order (they have a new chef and menu). There are iguanas that roam the grounds and an occasional cat or dog that may stop by to say hello while walking down the beach. What it IS NOT is the Westin. If you are looking for water slides or in room pay-per-view look elsewhere. I would say however if you think you or your kids need that sort of thing to have fun you might be pleasantly surprised to find they don't.

The surrounding area and town are very safe. The people are kind and will go out of their way to help you. If you choose to venture out to eat dinner I would highly encourage you to go to either Mar Plata or Ola Rica (I hope I spelled them right). Mar Plata is just down the road from Costa Azul (a 3 minute walk at best) the food is great and the ambiance is very nice. It is a little pricey for San Pancho so check the menu and prices before you sit down. if you choose to eat there you won't be disappointed. Ola Rica is in the town ( a 10-15 minute walk or a $3.00 cab ride). The food is very good and if you are itching for a martini it can be found.

There are great adventures to be had. Make sure to talk to the staff about all of the things they have to offer (surf trips, kayaking, snorkeling etc) but also don't forget to make your own adventures by hiking through the jungle, renting surfboards in the neighboring town of Sayulita for the day or just strolling through the quaint town of San Pancho.

Enjoy your trip and try to keep it our little secret. :)

I thought Costa Azul was the perfect get-away in Mexico. Its in San Pancho, about 30 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta. San Pancho is a typical "sleepy Mexican village" where you can get the authentic flavor of the local area without the excessive tourism of other nearby towns (like Sayulita). San Pancho offers local flavor and wonderful restaurants with good Mexican food. Costa Azul resort offers lots of beach space, and yet it's also a cozy, intimate place where everything is within close proximity. The rooms are clean and spacious, and the staff are friendly and professional. They had a new chef, so the food was excellent, and the activates were all great fun. We helped save some baby turtles, and rode horses on the beach at sunset. My family of 7 stayed there for a week, and we all - even the little ones - had the best time! We would go back there ANY time.

We went to Costa Azul on vacation in December and had a great time. When arriving to the resort we immediately fell in love with the location. It feels really secluded and safe, I was a bit worried about the safety of the area traveling with my toddler twins. I would definitely recommend staying in San Pancho versus Sayulita if you want a more relaxing vacation. Sayulita had a lot more tourists and was way more congested. San Pancho felt more like a laid back Mexican town with fewer tourists, like a hidden secret.

The staff was very friendly and accommodating (we generally had more requests traveling with children).The maids were all very sweet and would clean around napping schedules, they did a great job cleaning floors, making beds, and refreshing towels, etc. every day.

The rooms were great; I really loved the idea of staying in a resort and actually feeling like I was in Mexico. I didn't want to go to Mexico and feel like I was staying in Southern California. It had a great vibe. The restaurant was positioned right on the sand, eating all our meals while watching the waves crash was breathtaking. The pool also had a little kiddie pool that was really nice for us having toddlers.

We went horse back riding right at sunset which was so fun! Surf lessons were great; our instructor was a really good teacher. I actually got the concept of surfing and was able to ride some good waves! I was able to go to get a work out in as well. It really felt like a personal training session! The palapa is right on site at the resort, again with just amazing views, it couldn't get much better. We also went snorkeling at coral island, it was perfect for the kids to play on the beach while the rest of our party went snorkeling. With all of our adventure trips we just showed up at the front desk at the time scheduled and were greeted with smiles and a waiting cab ready to take us on out adventure.

We had such a great vacation! San Pancho is such a great little town with so much character and very friendly people. They really wanted us there. The resort was a perfect place to stay for our family. All of the guests seemed to be having a great time as well.