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Westin Puerto Vallarta: Chillin' Like a Sea Turtle

Where: Paseo de la Marina Sur #205, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Jalisco 48

[Ed. Note: Hotel Maven Tim Leffel has headed down to Mexico to check out the hotel scene in Puerto Vallarta. We will be bringing his reports all week long. Enjoy.]

Puerto Vallarta is a happening place, but parts of it are definitely a West Coast version of Cancun. There are plenty of spots on Banderas Bay where one hotel looks just like another and the main difference is what's on the buffet table for lunch.

The Westin Resort & Spa, in the Marina area, is a significant notch above most of the other hotels in Puerto Vallarta proper. For one thing, it occupies a huge amount of land. Part of this is taken up with a timeshare operation (you'll know you've wandered off to their side when you hear the Village People, the Bee Gees, and Journey blasting from the sound system.).

Still, it's an impressive complex with four endless pools, a long beach, fancy cabanas, and nice wooden poolside lounge chairs-a rarity in these parts. There are even some nice tile lounges built into the pool so you can catch some rays while staying cool.

Speaking of staying cool, there is another rare quality here: shade. The architect didn't plow down all the palm trees to build the swimming pools. Instead the pools meander around the palm trees. So while the beach offers plenty of sunburn potential, much of the pool area is shady enough that you can forget about sunscreen. Not that we recommend that of course.

More on the Westin Puerto Vallarta after the jump.

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