Villa Amistad: Entire 6BR Ocean-View Villa, Private Heated Pool, Walk to Town

Villa Amistad is our boutique hillside villa in El Cerro, Puerto Vallarta's historic Centro, a 5-minute walk to the Malecón. Book it whole and it's all yours: four apartments across two floors, six king bedrooms each with its own ensuite bath, and the heated saltwater pool and every terrace exclusively for your group. The top floor and its two private terraces have the villa's best ocean views, and the pool looks out over the bay. Two full kitchens plus two kitchenettes, full daily housekeeping Monday to Saturday, over 4,000 sq ft (372 m²) indoors and 1,200 sq ft (111 m²) outdoors. Sleeps 12.



Every apartment at Villa Amistad is named for a friend who helped build it. Amistad means friendship, and we hope you feel it the moment you arrive.



THE VILLA

• Layout: all four apartments across floors 2 and 3, built for a group that wants to be together with room to breathe.

• Bedrooms: six king bedrooms dressed in luxury linens, each with its own ensuite bath with a rainfall shower, air conditioning and a ceiling fan.

• Top floor: sliding glass walls open to two private terraces facing the ocean, one with a hammock. From December through March you can often spot humpback whales offshore.

• Main level: its own terrace by the pool and a balcony over the cobblestone alley. Glass doors and open breezeways pull the outside in throughout the villa.

• Kitchens: two full kitchens plus two kitchenettes make group meals and private chefs easy. Filtered drinking water comes straight from the tap (as everywhere in the villa), and we keep you stocked with coffee from the Chiapas region for your whole stay.

• Work: fast fiber Wi-Fi, up to 1 Gbps with a backup line, keeps the whole group connected.

• Style: authentically Mexican and handcrafted, with warm terracotta tones, Parota wood and artisan pottery. Two favorite details: an original stone wall that runs right into one of the showers, and a hand-hewn beam ceiling lined with handmade terracotta tiles, one with a dog's paw print pressed into the clay.

• Jonathan's entrance: something you won't see anywhere else. Jonathan's Lugar, on the main level, has its own door, reached by crossing a little arched bridge over the villa's entry staircase.

• The art: during the villa's 2019 to 2020 renovation, we saved its antique Parota wood cabinet doors and commissioned a local artist to paint each one into an original piece. You'll find them hanging throughout the apartments.



YOUR PRIVATE POOL AND TERRACES

• The heated saltwater pool is yours alone, open 24/7, kept around 29 to 30°C (85 to 86°F) in winter, and it overlooks Banderas Bay.

• Every terrace is yours too, with the honor bar and the BBQ grill, and the lower terrace has a table for nine, so the group can eat together.

• You get full daily housekeeping Monday to Saturday, with morning dishwashing, linen and towel changes on a set schedule, and extra changes whenever you ask. The full schedule is in your Guest Stay Agreement and guidebook.



A REAL HOUSE, ALL YOURS

Villa Amistad is a real house, not a compound or a hotel, and that's why groups love it. Gather for morning coffee on the terrace, spend the afternoon by the pool, grill dinner as the sun goes down, and end the evening around the big table. When you want your own space, every bedroom is a private retreat with its own bathroom, and the four-apartment layout gives couples and families natural wings of their own.



YOUR HOSTS

This is an owner-operated boutique villa: we live here, we know the neighborhood, and we take real pride in every stay. It's a serviced villa: our staff are onsite from 10 AM Monday to Saturday (except some Mexican holidays), and when they've gone for the day, on Sundays and on holidays, we're here to help. Mark, your host, and a villa staff member are based in a private entry-level apartment, entirely separate from the guest villa, which also holds the villa office. John, our co-host and operations manager, oversees daily operations and lives in a private apartment on the rooftop level; he may occasionally pass through to reach his home, mostly in the evening, as unobtrusively as he can. Any staff presence in your spaces is only for housekeeping, maintenance or your requests. We're here when you need us and out of your way when you don't.



YOUR GUIDEBOOK AND VILLA EXTRAS

After booking, you'll receive a link to answer a few check-in questions and sign our Guest Stay Agreement, and your welcome message includes the link to the digital guidebook we built ourselves: check-in details, a guide to the villa and our favorite places in town. It's also home to our Villa Extras: airport transportation, a private chef or grocery delivery, tours and romantic beach picnics, private onsite Spanish lessons, Priority Early Check-in or Late Check-out, an in-house massage from a vetted provider, and your Honor Bar tab.



THE NEIGHBORHOOD

El Cerro is one of Puerto Vallarta's original hillside neighborhoods. Our quaint cobblestone alley has been home to the same Mexican families for generations; neighbors look out for one another, it feels lived-in and safe, and it's quieter than most of downtown (you may hear children playing or a dog barking now and then).

• Malecón and Rio Cuale: 5-minute walk downhill, the Romantic Zone just beyond

• Five of Puerto Vallarta's top-rated restaurants: within a 5-minute walk

• Camarones Beach: 9-minute walk. Los Muertos Beach: 17 minutes

• Pharmacy: 4 minutes. Convenience store: 1 block. Cafés with Wi-Fi: 1 block to 10 minutes

• Getting around: Centro, the Romantic Zone and 5 de Diciembre are all walkable (5 to 25 minutes; the walk back up is moderate). Uber and taxis are plentiful, buses about 10 pesos. The airport is about a 25-minute drive.



GOOD TO KNOW

• Getting in: we make a point of meeting every guest on arrival. We'll ask for your flight details or arrival time so we can be there to help you settle in and walk you through the villa, its amenities and our house rules. If we aren't able to meet you upon your arrival, the guidebook contains your personal security code and complete instructions for getting in and to the apartments; the same code opens the entry gate and every keyless door, and keys will be waiting in the sliding-door locks of the two apartments that use them. There's a video doorbell at the entrance gate; there are no other cameras or video monitoring devices on the property. Every apartment has a smoke and carbon-monoxide detector, and there are fire extinguishers in the villa.

• The hill: Villa Amistad sits on the hillside of El Cerro, in Centro. Our alley has a gentle to moderate slope, and the most direct street up from the Malecón is a moderate climb. Most guests enjoy it as a little daily exercise, and it’s what gives us our views. If you’d rather ride, taxis and inexpensive rideshares are always close by.

• Stairs: it's 17 steps up from the street to the gate, then interior staircases between the villa's levels, including a spiral staircase to the top-floor studio, with shady spots along the way to stop and take in the view. There's no elevator.

• Parking: there's no parking in our alley, but free street parking is available on the adjacent streets. A car can stop at the entrance to drop off people and luggage (drivers may need to back down the alley to leave).

• Check-in and check-out: check-in is at 4 PM and check-out at 11 AM. If the villa is ready by 3 PM, you're welcome to check in then at no charge; there's no need to ask, we'll message you on arrival day. Earlier check-ins and late check-outs may be requested for a small fee; see the guidebook for full terms and to make a request. Arriving before check-in? You're welcome to drop off your bags from 10 AM, and we'll keep them safe while you head out to explore; if you're arriving on a weekend, just message us beforehand, as our team may not be onsite. Need a place for your bags after check-out? The guidebook has the details, and you can request it under Villa Extras.

• Before you arrive: after booking, you'll receive a link to answer our check-in questions and digitally sign the Guest Stay Agreement; please complete it within 48 hours of booking and before arrival. Your entry code appears in the guidebook once it's signed. The day before arrival we place a $200 USD authorization hold on the card used to book: a temporary hold, not a charge, to confirm the card can cover any damages, incidentals or balances; your bank releases it after checkout if nothing is outstanding.

• Damage Waiver: a $35 USD Damage Waiver is included with your booking and covers accidental damage up to $500 USD; the details are in the Guest Stay Agreement.

• Guest count: Villa Amistad sleeps 12, and that limit is firm. Our guest count includes everyone of any age, infants included, and everyone sleeps in the beds provided. The one exception: we can welcome one infant aged two or under above the villa's limit when you bring a travel crib. Traveling as a smaller group? You can book one of our apartments on its own, or a combination like the Penthouse or Las Brisas.

• House rules: Villa Amistad is a peaceful retreat on a quiet residential street, not a party house. Have fun out on the beaches and in the bars, then come home to a calm villa. Here, please keep music and voices at a moderate level at any hour, by the pool too; our neighbors live just steps away and will let us know. Quiet hours are 10 PM to 8 AM, we don't host parties or events (the villa is for the registered guests staying with us), and the whole property is smoke-free. It comes down to respect for all, and it's why we have such a good relationship with neighbors whose families have lived here for generations.

• Everyone is welcome: couples, families, groups and LGBTQ+ travelers alike. The villa isn't childproof (unfenced pool, open stairs, low railings, breakable art), so if you're traveling with little ones, reach out and we'll help you decide whether it's the right fit.

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