If you enjoy staying at an early 1980s Motel 8 off a noisy interstate in the US then you will feel right a home here. The hotel staff first off lied about the hotel being renovated, it is NOT. Next the hotel room smelled moldy and was generally very shabby. The bed was the worst of all and I'm still sore from sleeping on it., hard as a rock. I even tried sleeping on their smelly sofa but that was just too much to stand. The bathroom had chipped paint and the toilet didn't work. Oh, and the door to the room looked like it was previously broken into, and a very poor fix-it job by this so called hotel. The only saving grace for the hotel was the view and the pool. The food and drinks by the pool were very good but overpriced for Mexico. If you want a nice hotel stay at a non-timeshare resort. Also, make sure it is a name brand or ask some who has previously stayed there. I still enjoy Mexico but it will not be at this hotel in the future.

My husband and I are owners at all the Playa del Sol Resorts. We have only ever traveled to Costa Sur due to the fact that the entire resort is feet from the ocean. Every room has a full view of Banderas Bay. Yes the rooms are a little outdated, but the owners are waiting for the former Costa Vida member's Time Share years to run out. Apparently 80% of them will be finished in 2008/2009. Then the renovations will begin.

We enjoyed all aspects of the resort. We travel to Wal-Mart by bus every few days to buy groceries. We ate a few times at the resort but we weren't too impressed with the food compared to the prices. We ate many times up town or down the street at El Set.

All employees at Costa Sur are friendly, ready and willing to help.

We are already planning our next trip for 2009.

The first night we arrived the room smelled pretty bad and it was blazing hot. We complained and switched rooms the next day. The rooms are somewhat run down and the towels and bedding are pretty old.
The staff was not very friendly. We had several experiences with staff being less the helpful and sometimes they were just rude. Of course there were some staff that were great, but they were few and far between.
The food at the resturaunt was terrible, except for the buffet breakfast which was good.
There seemed to be a bit of pollution in the lagoon out front of the hotel so we opted out of swimming at the lagoon.
For the price you can get a better place to stay.

My wife are owners at PDS Grand, but we wanted to stay closer to town so we stayed at Costa Sur. It is odd what PDS considers a 5 star gold crown resort.
The decor is dated, but the room we had (1102) was was ok despite that. The view from the room was amazing, literally amazing. I have stayed in Nuevo and at the Marina many times, but there isn't a place that compares to this. The room had a standard size refrigerator, which was nice, but it had a tendency to transfer odd flavors to items stored in it. There was a toaster, coffee maker, and 2 burners, as well as dishes and utensils. The bathroom had a large stand up shower, but it was riddled with cracked tiles. There was a queen size bed that was too firm and a couch that was a pullout. Pretty standard, but definitely not 5 star. More like Courtyard by Marriott.
We didnt eat at the hotel at all, but the restaurant must have been good as it was always packed. The pools were very small but clean of debris. One of them was heated. From the pool area you have access to the "lagoon" they have right out front. There isnt any sand there, its all rocks, so it hurt when barefoot. But once you got into the water is was the same as if you were on one of the overpriced snorkling tours. The lagoon was teeming with fish including puffers, barracudas, mullets, crabs, clown fish, etc. It was unbelieveable how much fun it was.
There is an internet room with 3 terminals, which was handy. A gym full of brand new high end equipment and a spa are in the same area.
Even though we didnt eat at the restaurant, we did drink by the pool and at the bars. The waiters by the pool were slow and unattentive, and the bartenders were not much better. All the more reason to head into town and eat on the street, just like the locals do.
Puerto Vallarta is a great place. The town is safe, even at night, and there is endless variety. Once the bus drops you off in the Romantic Zone (about a 10 minute ride for $0.55) you could wander in any direction and find delicious food. The Malecon is a short walk along the oceanfront and crossing a bridge over the river Cuale. Most nights there are vendors at the central point as well as street performers. It is a very pleasant town, which never feels like a big city, even though there are probably a million residents.
We had a great week but the hotel was underwhelming. The decor really affected how we saw the hotel. It was really clean though, and that helps you feel better about where you are staying.
Be sure to take the bus heading south to Boca Tomatlan. A cute village, the restaurant Mangos had great food and great service. There are several other restaurants and a taco stand. A great little diversion.