We were disappointed in the hotel for the following reasons.
First, we had to change rooms because of a hammer drill directly over our room. Next, the hotel allows stray dogs onto the property. Once, I watched another guest laying by the pool eating, drinking, and reading a book. When she left to go to the bar, a stray dog jumped onto the lounge chair where she had been laying down, and the dog started to eat the food scraps out of her plate. Many times I saw stray dogs walk next to hotel employees and the employees did absolutely nothing to run off the dogs. In addition, one night we went to the internet cafe and the night clerk tried to charge us for the service that was supposed to be free. Also, the hotel is supposed to be family friendly, but there are no childrens tv channels. The pictures in the hotel rooms are of sad looking mexican children, which made my children uncomfortable. Lastly, the water in the hot tub is not hot or even warm.

We have just returned from a weeks stay and have fallen in love with Casa Iguana. Is it simply a gem which we intend to frequent many more times. Note this is 15 minutes by bus from PV so it is not a hotel for party animals who like the night life. However, for a family it is ideal. The rooms are quaint and rustic and there is lots of storage space. The resort itself is very clean and the restaurant totally safe for tummies. We ate breakfast there every day (great omelet’s) and dined in the evenings (nice dorado fish cooked in garlic and olive oil) a couple of times. It is a minutes walk to the bus stop to town and 3 or 4 minute easy walk to the beach at Mismaloya. The staff at the hotel were very friendly and by the end we regarded them as friends. The restaurant and bar are run by Jorge, his son Jorge and son-in-law Ricardo. On Saturday night Jorge (who told us he is called George Sinatra) got his guitar out and snag and entertained the guests. Luis on the front desk was very helpful with any needs or requests we had. We had a decent wireless connection in our room and the hotel had a library of books to borrow and read sunning by the pool. The pool and hot tub were also spotlessly & cleaned every day. While I was there I developed a nasty toothache due to an abscess. While I was in the onsite minimarket asking where the nearest Pharmacia was (to get some recommended antibiotics) an American came in and offered to help. It turned out to be the owner, Stuart, who then proceeded to tell me he was going into PV for some meds of his own. He then insisted he would get some amoxicillin on my behalf and have it delivered to our room. He would not take cash upfront and said he would get paid when he delivered. It cost 48 pesos and when he returned, he would only take exactly 48, not even a fifty or something for gas. Talk about going our of your way to please the guests, what a nice guy! The only relatively insignificant negative is that hotel website does mention a gym being ready in June but it is was not ready when we were there. Overall, we felt lucky in our choice and felt sorry for the guests at the large & ugly nearby Barcelo La Jolla Hotel (who we read on Tripadvisor frequently get sick off the dodgy buffet)

We opted for the Casa Iguana because it seemed to be a good balance of amenities, peacefulness, and access to Puerta Vallarta proper. But if we had the thing to do over again, we'd opt for another place to stay. I hate negative ranting reviews on TripAdviser and I'm not trying to do that here. I'm just going to point out why we were disappointed with our stay.

The first problem was when we arrived to our 2 bedroom room, which we planned to share with another couple, and saw that only one of the rooms had a king sized bed while the other had 2 twins. This would be great for a family of 4, but they couldn't accomodate two couples. Apparently no rooms with 2 king beds are offered or were available.

The next problem was the hot tub. The grounds have a great looking pool and a well framed hot tub above the pool which sits underneath a grass hut canopy. Only problem is the hot tub gets shut off at 10pm and even when it was on the water was cold. This was really disappointing and the employee who worked nights claimed he couldn't do anything about it.

Another problem was the wireless signal which was (predictably) inconsistent. We like having access to the web to plan activities and we counted on having that access.

Most problematic for us though, a 20 something couple, was the location. It just would have made more sense to stay in puerta vallarta than to have to ride the bus or a taxi into town every day for the activities we had planned. There really is no town to speak of surrounding the Casa Iguana. So if you want a late night bite or just want a place to wander in the evening, the area around the Casa Iguana won't do it for you. This might have been an even trade off if the hotel pool or hot tub opened later or if the surroundings of the hotel were particularly pretty, but that just isn't the case.

One final incident deserves mention. On the second night there was some kind of party going on in the vacant field behind the guest rooms. While this glimpse of Mexican culture would have been great on a typical day, the party and the throbbing music kept up until about 4:00 a.m. and we were doing our best to get some sleep before scuba diving the next morning. I thought it was weird that the hotel did not do anything to prevent that kind of disturbance or at least alert guests to what the heck it was all about (or invite us to the party).

Hope this is helpful.

At the Casa Iguana Hotel, we couldn't have asked for more. On a cobbled street across from the gargantuan La Jolla de Mismaloya, Casa Iguana offers a smaller, quainter, Mexican experience. The hotel is indeed comfortable, clean, and possesses all the necessary amenities such as a mini kitchen, fans, and a telephone. We actually bought avocados and tortillas in the general store and made our own guacamole. The rooms are very charming and spacious, with rustic furniture, Mexican folk art, tiled floors, with bedspreads and cushions covered in traditional style fabrics of red and orange hues. They are also equipped with communal balconies looking out over the pool, the palapa covered restaurant “La Cocina,” and to the lush surrounding jungle that climbs the hills in all directions.

D.J./ concierge Jamie plays mellow and moody world music throughout the day, loud enough to hear but quiet enough to read a book by the pool. The grounds are landscaped with grass and Kana flowers and vegetation surrounds the curving and voluptuous pool. Accompanying this scene are the sounds of wild life in the nearby creek. Parakeets, parrots, and a variety of tropical birds dance in flight overhead. Ironically, in this very comfortable little hotel, iguanas, geckos, turtles, donkeys, chickens, and dogs are never too far off. At night, the sounds of the jungle come alive carrying us in our dreams deeper into another time and place.

(For those who actually want to stay in touch with the world, Internet services are also available.)

Casa Iguana Hotel is, moreover, the perfect location since it is approximately 20 minutes by bus to Puerto Vallarta and about 10 minutes to Boca Tomatlán, where one can take water taxis to the more remote settlements on the south coast. On the first day, however, we simply walked down the dirt path to the beach, ordered a bucket of beer and ceviche, and talked with the locals. Just to remember: One little restaurant across the creek, nestled between mango trees makes great huevos rancheros. I believe it is just past the store, “La Pasadita” on the south side on the way to the beach. Another thing you cannot miss when you stay at the Casa Iguana is hiking (or driving) up to El Eden waterfall. I felt like a little kid, again, swinging from the rope to plunge into the deep, natural pool. You can also climb up a wooden ladder on the side of some rocks and ride down the slick boulders like a water slide. Wonderfully, there is a full service restaurant and bar right next to this jungle paradise so you can snack on ceviche, chips and salsa, and drink rusas de cerveza (beer, salt, and lime) in between cannonballs.

On the southeast corner of highway 200, near the bus stop there is a little makeshift food stand that changes its merchants and its concessions throughout the day. In the mornings, a mother and son team will squeeze fresh juices of all sorts and prepare breakfast and tacos on site. In the afternoons, Anselmo offers heaping cups of papaya, watermelon, jicama, mango, and coconut, all with their share of chili, lime, and salt (if you like).

I didn’t envy anyone at the more heavily touristed La Jolla de Mismaloya and will return to Casa Iguana for another charming Mexican experience. It was so very pretty and peaceful…the food at La Cocina was also good. I suggest that people sit at the one upstairs little table…that one is the best. The Casa Iguana Hotel is truly a little piece of magic. Beautifully situated, it is tucked along a tiny cobbled road in the village of Mismaloya while still close enough to all the sites. One can always take the bus or taxi into town in the evening for more action. This gem is the right spot for anyone who is looking to not only get away to a tropical paradise but to experience a little bit of the real Mexican color.

I hope all who reads this review will enjoy the Casa Iguana as we so did.
Buen Viaje!