Visiting Puerto Vallarta - Part 11

Tipping Guide for Mexico continued:-

What to tip at All-Inclusive resorts.

All-Inclusive resorts have been a big growth area for Puerto Vallarta. Over the years our family have stayed at a number around the world including some in Puerto Vallarta.

However, although the brochures for these resorts will state that tips are included it is not really true.

What you should know is that the resorts do not put aside a part of your room charges for tipping their staff. So not only is it general practice to tip appropriately during your stay, it is also highly recommended that guests at all-inclusive resorts do in fact tip.

These resort employees do work very hard to earn a living. The small amount you tip them is not going cause you problems and in fact, as you are relying on some of these people to enjoy your break it can be money well spent.

So here is my suggestion for tipping at Puerto Vallarta all-inclusive resorts.

Bell Boys: $15 pesos per piece of luggage.

Maid: $75 pesos per day.

Mini-bar Restocker, if you use this service: $30 pesos per day

Bartender: $75 – $150 pesos at the start of the day to ensure quick and attentive service, then $15-$30 pesos every few rounds.

Waiter in Buffet Dining Room: $75 pesos. This is the person who is responsible for seating you, serving and refilling drinks, and keeping an eye on your table, ready to assist if needed. This is the person who can make you stay much more enjoyable.

Waiter in Specialty full service Dining Room: $150 pesos.

Puerto Vallarta Beach Vendors

Beach Vendors are a pain or a pleasure depending on your point of view and what they have to offer. It can range from cheap rubbish ‘knock off’ sun glasses and watches to artistically produced local objects. The former does not interest me but I am always willing to at least look at the latter. So while this is a guide to tipping I thought I would also include bargaining for items you might want.

Here again, all the vendors tend to be selling for someone else and only make any money if they sell something above the minimum price they must pay for it. At the end of the day, you can see them all return to vans and hand over unsold goods and their earnings.

Most of the vendors, when we have been there, were selling craft type products. Their job is very hard walking the length of the beach several times a day in the hot sun. When you also factor in that they are carrying all their stock on their back or in their arms it makes for a hard life. Unlike other parts of Mexico the vendors here are not ‘in your face’ and a simple “no gracias” will ensure that they do not bother you for the rest of the day as they walk up and down.

If you like the look of something, ask the price, then bargain so that both you and the vendor are happy with the result.

Visiting Puerto Vallarta continued in Part 12.