When it comes to visiting the captivating oceanfront destination of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, you’re going to have tons of beach time at any number of the great beaches on offer.
Of course, you can just park a towel on the sand to enjoy the day. But, Puerto Vallarta’s Beach Clubs offer an additional level of comfort and a number of amenities (for a fee).
Clubs are a great option for the growing number of travelers who are choosing to rent an apartment through sites such as Airbnb.
The apartments on offer may be nice and roomy, particularly for a family or larger group, but may not have a beachfront location.
Others travelers may select a budget hotel a few streets from the beach, but without a pool or direct beach access.
This is a great option if you want to spend your time in Puerto Vallarta taking advantage of amazing day trips or excursions.
In this list we will show you some of the best beach clubs in Puerto Vallarta, so you make the best decision based on your beach needs and budget.
That way, you can design your perfect vacation, enjoying all of the besting things to do in Puerto Vallarta (and there are many), without necessarily needing to spend the money on a luxury all-inclusive hotel for every day of your stay.
Here’s our guide to the Best Beaches in Puerto Vallarta, a handy guide for those days that you just want to find a great beach for a stroll or a low key day outside of the clubs.
What do you want in a beach club?
What amenities are important?
Chairs and umbrellas are pretty much the the basics. Bathroom access is another basic, although the quality of the facilities can vary quite a bit from place to place.
Large lounge beds that can fit 2-4 people are a step up from a single lounge chair, and can be priced at a premium over the chairs
All but the smallest clubs offer bar service, and sometimes an extensive food menu. If you aren’t planning on imbibing (or consuming), a smaller club without these options will likely be less expensive.
An additional consideration is the vibe. Are you looking for a party atmosphere, or would you rather spend your day in a relatively quiet space or in one that caters to kids and families?
An important distinction that can make or break you day.
Pricing
There are a few pricing models available. Some clubs offer free (first come, first served) beach chairs, with the expectation that you will order drinks and food.
Most clubs, however, charge a minimum fee for the pleasure of stretching out in one of their beach front seats.
Extras are usually exactly that – an additional cost. If you want to use the private pool, get premium seating, or take advantage of any number of options, be prepared to pay for them.
Our Favorite Beach Clubs in Puerto Vallarta
Sapphire Ocean Club
Beach Location: Los Muertos Beach
Hours and Prices: Open daily from 9AM to 7PM. A day pass costs 200 pesos or 1000 pesos for the week.
Restaurant and Bar Availability: The club features comfortable lounge chairs, domestic and international cocktails and wine and a tasty menu prepared by their internationally experienced chef.
They serve breakfast, lunch, drinks and coffee. The kitchen specializes in Greek and Mediterranean cuisine and seafood.
Amenities: Sapphire offers free Wi-Fi and mobile charging stations to keep you connected, loungers and umbrellas, and courtesy “aqua frescas”.
You will have access to a swimming pool, comfortable lounge chairs and cabañas, towel service, “welcome” flavored and bottled water + 1 refill, plus national and international drinks.
Known for: This famous gay-friendly beach club in the quiet Amapas neighborhood has great amenities and relaxed atmosphere. Their beachfront club is a little more focused on entertainment, as well as interesting cuisine.
Their signature drink and food menu provides options for everything from casual snacks to a romantic dinner with the sound of waves in the background.
Mantamar Beach Club
Address and Beach Location: Los Muertos Beach
Hours and Prices: Open daily from 9AM to 11PM. A day pass costs 500 pesos and includes 200 pesos of consumption from the restaurant.
Restaurant and Bar Availability: The restaurant includes vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free options. The menu features a delicious casual gourmet selection for breakfast, lunch, sushi and dinner.
The bar has a full menu of creative cocktails. This is one of the few beach bars that stays open late.
Amenities: Infinity pool, beach loungers, umbrellas and changing rooms with lockers. The club also offers more adventurous activities, such as yoga classes, stand-up paddle boarding, boogie board and diving lessons.
Known for: The beach club bills itself as “a sophisticated, exclusive, chic and trendy beach club located in one of the most famous gay destinations in the world.
The club offers an atmosphere full of music, luxury and VIP services, making it a perfect option for those looking for the best pool parties in Puerto Vallarta.”
El Dorado Beach Club
Address and Beach Location: Los Muertos Beach
Hours and Prices: Open daily from 8:30AM to 11:30PM; Contact for latest pricing.
Restaurant and Bar Availability: Serves breakfast, lunch, drinks and coffee. The restaurant has vegetarian friendly, vegan, and gluten free options.
They offer a selection of international and Mexican cuisine as well as seafood.
Amenities: Loungers and umbrellas on the beach.
Known for: El Dorado has been around for quite a while – since the early 1960’s. Sitting on Los Muertos, one of the most popular beaches in Puerto Vallarta, the Beach Club at El Dorado is a great place to lay out and enjoy an ice cold Pacifico beer.
Nothing beats snacking on fresh fish ceviche while sunbathing on the beautiful lounge chairs.
Mangos Beach Club
Mangos Beach Club
Address and Beach Location: Uruguay 109, 5 de Diciembre, 48350 Puerto Vallarta
Hours and Prices: Open daily from 9AM to 8PM. There is no charge to use the space as long as you order food and/or drinks.
Restaurant and Bar Availability: Mangos offers a delicious menu for breakfast, lunch, dinner and brunch. They also have a full bar and a spectacular view.
Amenities: The club offers beach chairs, cabanas and music during the day. A 25 peso towel rental fee is added onto your bill.
Known for: Mangos has a casual, family-oriented atmosphere, which you can enjoy while sipping your favorite drink under the sun. Sports fans will also enjoy their bar that features the best sports broadcast on the beach.
Swell Beach Bar
Address and Beach Location: Amapas 182, Zona Romántica, Amapas, 48380 Puerto Vallarta | Los Muertos Beach
Hours and Prices: Open daily from 9AM to 6PM. Contact for pricing.
Restaurant and Bar Availability: Swell Beach Bar serves breakfast, lunch and drinks. In the evenings, the venue switches from a beach club to an on-the-beach fine dining restaurant.
You can enjoy a great meal with your toes in the sand under the star filled sky with candles and torch lighting.
Amenities: Loungers and umbrellas on the beach.
Known for: Swell Beach Bar is a family restaurant/bar. It’s an enjoyable spot for a variety of fresh foods and cold drinks served to you by a friendly and helpful staff.
The beach club is quieter than most, but still has a cosmopolitan atmosphere.
They are known for their delicious salads, sandwiches or seafood dishes, and the club is great for people watching on the famous Los Muertos Beach.
Day Passes at Resorts
Many hotel resorts offer day passes that allows visitors to access all the amenities (and often more) that regular beach clubs offer.
Some also give you the full all-inclusive experience that overnight guests receive, including unlimited food and drinks.
The prices vary greatly based on the option selected, so make sure to check what’s included when purchasing a pass.
These day passes are highly dependent on availability, and the pricing listed below changes seasonally, and can fluctuate at any other time as well. I
t’s best to contact the property ahead of time for the most up to date pricing.
Here is our list of hotels offering day passes within several different areas of Puerto Vallarta, broken down by region.
MARINA VALLARTA
The main sight of upscale Marina Vallarta is of course, the Marina itself. You can wander along the pedestrian boardwalk marveling at the magnificent luxury yachts and elegant hotels.
Keep an eye out for one of the local residents (crocodiles) that sun themselves on the rocks along the marina.
A marina resident (don’t worry, these guys don’t hang out on the beach side)
The iconic El Faro lighthouse also has a rooftop bar that offers incredible views of the marina and beyond. The luxury beachside resorts, nestled on sandy beaches, make for a great day at the beach.
Hotel Melia
Hours and Prices: Daily 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM. $800 MXN; Children (5 – 12 years) $350 MXN.
Amenities: Day passes include food, beverages, pool, bar, and two whirlpools.
Hotel Westin Resort
Hours and Prices: Daily 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM. $500 MXN; Children (under 12 years) $300 MXN.
Amenities: Access to swimming pools, beach club area, towels. Adults get $350 MXN food and drink credit, children get $200 credit.
Hotel Club Regina
Hours and Prices: Daily 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM. $25 USD; Children (3 – 11 years) $15 USD.
Amenities: Access to pool and beach, entrance fee is refunded against purchase of food and drink. Reservations required.
Hotel Flamingo Vallarta
Hours and Prices: Daily 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM. $399 MXN; Children $200 MXN.
Amenities: Day passes include access to pool, loungers, and towel. Entire fee applies as credit to food and drink.
Hotel Marriott Resort
Hours and Prices: Daily 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM. $750 MXN; Children $250 MXN.
Amenities: Access to all hotel pools and credit of $400 MXN (Adults) or $100 MXN (Children) applicable to food or drinks.
Hotel Vamar Vallarta
Hours and Prices: Daily 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM. $849 MXN; Children (4 – 12 years) $399 MXN.
Amenities: Day pass includes pool access, towels, unlimited domestic drinks.
CONCHAS CHINAS
Just a few minutes south from the Romantic Zone, Conchas Chinas is a unique beach area combining sand with unique rock formations.
Hotel Costa Sur
Hours and Prices: Daily 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM. $450 MXN; Children (under 18 years) $225 MXN.
Amenities: Day pass includes private beach and sea cove access, and entrance fee is credited to food and drink.
Casa Karma
Hours and Prices: Daily 12:00 PM – 8:00 PM. $25 USD.
Amenities: Day pass includes access to private beach and infinity pool, towels, and your first drink free.
Grand Fiesta Americana
Hours and Prices:
Day Pass (8:00 AM – 6:00 PM) $75 USD
Night Pass (6:00 pM – 11:00 PM) $55 USD
Full Day Pass (8:00 AM – 11:00 PM) $110 USD
Amenities: Pass includes all-inclusive access to pool and common areas, plus breakfast, lunch, snacks, drinks, and towels.
Hotel Hyatt Ziva
Hours and prices: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Adults $65 USD, children (3-11 years) $45 USD.
Amenities: A day pass includes beach access, drinks, food, towel, access to 3 pools including one adults-only pool.
NUEVO VALLARTA
Nuevo Vallarta, just north of Puerto Vallarta, sits on Banderas Bay. This planned residential-resort community has a marina and long, sandy Nuevo Vallarta beach.
Hotel Samba
Hours and Prices: Open daily from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. A day pass costs $800 MXN (Children under 8 years free).
Amenities: A day pass includes the beach access, towels, buffet, drinks, and access to the three interconnected pools (including a special area for children).
Hotel Riu Palace Pacifico
Hours and Prices: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM. $104 USD; Children (6-12 years): $64 USD.
Amenities: Day pass includes unlimited dining and drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic). Access to beach, whirlpools, pools, swim-up pool bar, and children’s pool.
Additionally, day pass users get full use of the gym, sauna, and whirlpool, plus free WIFI.
Hotel Marival
Hours and Prices: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM. $900 MXN; Children (6-12 years): $450 MXN.
Amenities: Day pass includes access to pool, beverages and food.
PUERTO VALLARTA
The center of Puerto Vallarta is home to the famous malecon, a boardwalk along beach dotted with restaurants and bars.
The Malecon is also home to the Naval Museum, and you can make your own art walk checking out the many unique statues erected by local and international artists.
Puerto Vallarta Malecon (Photo credit: Izabela23)
Hotel Crown Paradise
Hours and Prices: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. $1200 MXN; Children (under 12 years): $600 MXN.
Amenities: Day pass includes access to pool and slide areas, as well as towel and buffet.
Hotel Costa Club
Hours and Prices: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. $550 MXN; Children (5 – 12 years): $250 MXN.
Amenities: Day pass includes towel, buffet breakfast, and snack.
Hotel Las Palmas
Hours and Prices: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM. $600 MXN; Children (5 – 12 years): $310 MXN.
Amenities: Day pass includes beach access, food buffet, drinks, and snacks.
Photo credit: Alfredo Schaufelberger
Puerto de Luna
Hours and Prices: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. $100 MXN; Children 2 and under: Free.
Amenities: Day pass includes towel and access to the pool area
Hotel Buenaventura
Hours and Prices: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM/ 6:00 PM – 1:00 AM. $900 MXN; Children: $450 MXN.
Amenities: Day pass includes full All-inclusive benefits.
Hotel El Pescador
Hours and Prices: 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM. $150 MXN; Children: $75 MXN.
Amenities: Day pass includes access to pool, and reimbursement of $50 MXN for Adults and $25 MXN for Children.
OLD TOWN (ZONA ROMANTICA)
Small and quirky Romantic Zone is home to galleries, restaurants and boutique hotels, as well as a few resorts.
It’s also home to Los Muertos Beach, perhaps the most famous beach in Puerto Vallarta.
Mantamar Beach Club – Old Town
Hotel Tropicana
Hours and Prices: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM. $200 MXN; Children: $100 MXN.
Amenities: Day pass includes use of pool and hotel’s private beach. $100 MXN ($50 MXN children) credit towards food and drinks.
Hotel Playa Los Arcos
Hours and Prices: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM. $750 MXN.
Amenities: Day pass includes access to all pools including infinity pool and children’s pool. Also towels and open bar (domestic drinks only).
Almar Luxury VIP – Old Town
PUNTA MITA
Punta Mita is the private, luxury section of Puerto Vallarta. Home to multimillion-dollar villas, high-end residential communities, and two Jack Nicklaus Signature golf courses.
The resorts in this area have the service (and the price) that you would expect from an ultra-luxury area.
Hotel St Regis
Hours and Prices: Open daily from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. A family day pass (allowing for two adults and two minors) costs $280 USD.
Amenities: Day pass includes access to the luxury hotel facilities and $50 USD food/drink credit.
Hotel Rancho Banderas
Hours and Prices: Open daily from 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM. $950 MXN; Children (6-12 years): 50% off.
Amenities: Day pass includes use of pool, showers, and beach club, as well as towels and open bar (after 11 am)
BUCERIAS
About 4 miles north of Nuevo Vallarta, Bucerias has a 5-mile long beach with beautiful sand and calm waves.
Bucerias Bay is a prime spot for whale watching during the right season, so keep your eye on the water for jumping humpback whales.
Hotel Royal Decameron
Hours and prices: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM. $60 USD; Children (3-12 years): $30 USD.
Amenities: With five swimming pools (four of them with facilities for children), a day pass includes towels, beach access, and domestic drinks.
Hotel Starbay Resort
Hours and Prices: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM. $250 MXN; Children (7-12 years): $50 MXN.
Amenities: Day pass includes access to pool and beach, plus $100 MXN credit for the restaurant.
Hotel Barceló (Mismaloya)
Hours and Prices: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM. $899 MXN; Children: 50% off.
Amenities: Day pass includes access to four pools, sun beds on the beach or in the pool area. Food, drinks, and snacks are also included.
Top Photo Credit: Gustavo Frazao
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