Hidden Beach - Marietas Islands

Carlos, Emilio and Rodrigo are the best crew. They took great care of us, were very knowledgeable and friendly, and made the excursion a memorable one. Reaching the hidden beach by swimming was much more strenuous than I anticipated, but between the lifejackets and Rodrigo and Carlos assisting those of us who were weaker swimmers, we made it. The snorkeling was the highlight of the trip for me. Simply beautiful. We saw plenty of all kinds of fish as well as a really large green eel! Plenty of stops along the way to admire the birds and turtles. Lots of appreciation for the local culture as well as the environment and its preciousness. The length of the trip was just perfect. I didn't get too tired, nor did I think it was too long or too short. The price of admission was worth every penny.

I was having stomach problems the night before I was supposed to go and slept in because of it. I asked if I could go a different day instead as I had already payed for it. Acccording to the website they had spots available for the next two weeks I will be here. They will not let me go a different day or give a refund.Really I would prefer a different day to go though. I will never use them in the future or suggest them to anyone!

This was great experience with this company the person in charge is funny and jokes around. Awesome hidden beach area hard to swim into but totally worth it. The snorkeling is an awesome experience. My first time I have had a great experience snorkeling would highly recommend this tour. Very trustworthy people.

Hector & Brenna were awesome! Hidden Beach was magical as was the snorkeling. We highly recommend this trip to anyone who can swim well and is up for adventure!

This was an awesome view and amazing experience. I will say that there is a swim to get to the island. Aside from the swim everything was great. So worth it!

We booked with this company then received an email to meet at a ‘only this time’ place. We ended up on a boat with 80 people instead of the max 6! On this new boat we weren’t given everything we paid for. It was now extra to do the island tour to the stone bridge or see the entire island. Extreme language barrier so i didn’t know what was happening a majority of the day. Our 6 person 5 hour tour for $180 ended up with 80 people and 9 hours where people paid $70!!!

We set out for our tour 3 days after hurricane Joslyn came through the area so we were not sure what to expect. We did learn only 116 people may visit the hidden beach per day due to conservation efforts. So book well far in advance. Our trip took us by out to the Isla Marietas Islands at the mouth of Banderas Bay buy speed boat. When we arrived the opening to the cave that takes you into the beach was not exposed. The tide was high and the water very choppy around the island. So our guide took us around to explore the beautiful islands, and birds. We also did some snorkeling. The snorkeling was not good due to the ocean being so stirred up due to the hurricane, but was very warm. We did finally get to enter the cave opening to the Hidden Beach. You must wear this huge bulky life jacket and helmet. The swim to the cave opening was around 50 yards. I would not recommend this if you are afraid of ocean or not an ok swimmer. The water was still quite choppy when we jumped into the water. Once we got to the beach the wait and swim was well worth it!!! So beautiful and definitely a check off the bucket list kind of trip!

It was wonderful! What a way to spend the day. The guides were very helpful and very friendly. The only thing I would say is to make sure you go to the right marina! We ended up going to wrong one and then frantically trying to get to where we needed to go.

Such an amazing experience! Great attention received by Luis and the crew. Always safety first. I´m planning going back to take my scuba diving certification.

Amazing experience! Don Gato is an excellent guide. He is hilarious and helped us to see the dolphins and turtles.

This was another highlight of our trip. Booking was a breeze with Jesus who was super responsive and made the process easy. Our captain Mario was great and Daniel was friendly and helpful. We were in good hands! They even put up with our teenage daughters’ music! We saw sting rays, whales and went swimming at a private beach. Wonderful way to spend the day on the water.

From our experience this tour is not worth the $4,600 mxn. When you go to hire them they have an excellent service, but when you get to the stand of "Beach boys" begins the disappointment, the people who give you the ticket have a bad attitude, this tour is not worth it, for the following: - The value of the tour includes food which is of terrible quality and very little quantity (breakfast: two pieces of pineapple, very little egg with ham, two mini hotcakes and a bad coffee. Lunch: a poor quality beef hamburger, potatoes and a vegetable salad). It says it includes unlimited drinks but the truth is that they dilute them with ice, as well as the beer. Water activities: it includes several activities but you can't do them all because of the time and bad organization, so the value you pay only gives you time to do a maximum of three, making a mockery of the activities they describe. If you decide to take the snorkel activity, take into account that they are not disinfected, they take it from the same bucket of those who did the previous tour. - The staff (waiters) with good attitude but the aquatic staff does not like their job. As for the care of the crew towards the tourists, I can't complain. - You waste all day on the boat, listening to not so nice contests if you are not used to derogatory comments. - You must carry a considerable amount of cash because inside the boat they make additional sales: potatoes, extra tours, photographs, tips and charges in case you lose the water equipment. - If you sit on the top of the boat, bring plenty of sunscreen and the attitude to withstand the sun and cold. Most of the recreational activities are on the bottom of the boat. - Bathrooms: just like you read, gross! And as the weather progressed they got worse. There is no water and no paper, as for the latter they kindly warn you to use little because it will run out. Just imagine a boat with approximately 200 people with unlimited drinks. The total tour lasts approximately 10 hours from the time you arrive at the Marina. Most of the time is spent sitting down. I definitely do not recommend it and evaluate very well before shelling out this amount of money.

Unbelievable experience in nature and memories that will last a lifetime! Prepare for an out of this world excursion!

The islands were amazing and our guide was very nice, but it was a bit unorganized. We arrived early like they told us to, but once we got there we had no guidance as to where to go, and our tour started late. The tour was supposed to include breakfast and alcohol, and we didn’t get anything like that.

We went to Islas Marietas on October 11, it was amazing and the tour guides Adrian and José were great, they made us feel super safe and it was very well organized. Mr. David also received us super kindly in the Marina. I will totally come back and use their services.

This is a good activity. For the ones that complaint that there is little time at Hidden beach, well, that is the way it is with any company. You are allowed by law to be there just 20 minutes. You get in, you get out, other people come in. You are sailing in a little boat. If you are propense to get sea sick, you will. the guy in charge was very polite, and helpful. If you are not a strong swimmer, he will help you out. It was a good experience. I do recommend this company.

I really enjoyed this activity and the facilitators did a good job of keeping us entertained throughout the journey to the beach and back. Keep in mind this takes a while to get to the island and once you are there it's not so much time at the hidden beach.

We had a fantastic time with Vallarta Extreme! The ride there was enjoyable, we saw lots of marine life. The hidden beach itself was beautiful, I only wish we had more time on the island itself, it was only about 20 mins. The whales were amazing! Saw some dolphins too.

This tour was absolutely amazing! Very affordable and great staff. Would like to thank Chris, Calvin, Shannon and Lucio for showing us the beauty of the island and the hidden beach! They are very passionate about what they do and love their jobs, you can tell in how they present the trip. It wasn't a huge group which was nice. Would do it again!

For lovers of the sea and new experiences, this is the tour, it is very much enjoyed from the exit of the pier. They should only have patience for the start because there are many people who go to different activities on the pier, but going with good attitude and well hydrated up to the line is enjoyed. I recommend looking for the best time of the year before booking the tour, because that will depend on it being the best or worst experience. Carry cash, to pay for tours, taxes, drinks, food, souvenirs, photographs, tips, all that is but they do not tell you until you are there, so it is warned.

Excellent tour. A paradise, The guides and the captain excellent. They explained everything. The care of the protected natural area is very good.

We had to see whales very close to us, we had an amazing time, the food they give you is not good, but you can bring your own food

The hidden beach is very nice, the place is very preserved, excellent attention by the guides, I would recommend sensitive people to drink something for dizziness before the tour

The walk was beautiful for the surroundings, the route and Playa Escondida, although Playa Mezcal is crowded with tourists. They never gave us the tube to snorkel, supposedly for health reasons, while other groups did carry it and for what they charge, they should give everything they offer; and we only swim with sight glasses like 50 m., without having seen a single fish. We were touched by a guide who seemed to gendarme, He did not do the pleasant walk, he did NOT help us at all, he just put us tension and stress (...swim fast so that the current does not take them, fast that the time runs......) Lunch, rather austere: 1 cake (not baguette) which was more bread than anything else. The truth is that, for what they charged, I expected much better quality and, above all, a better deal. Vessel Black Wind; the captain very well; the guide, very despot and not attentive.

The attention of the stand "Beach Boys" is not at all good and in the water they do NOT help you at all. The walk to Marietas Islands and Hidden Beach is beautiful but totally disappointed with the treatment of the Beach Boys staff and the boat "Sea mi amor"

Excellent attention and accompaniment at all times of the guides, very well explained and delicious snack! A must-see tour!

Excellent attention by experienced guides (Javier and Hector). An unforgettable experience, super recommended.

It was an amazing experience and the whole team is trained. They make you feel safe at all times.

Both the guide and the captain of the boat provided us a very good Service, very friendly and attentive, the day accompanied with a good weather, very good experience

Excellent! experience! Very friendly people, especially Mr Lorenzo, who was with us on the islands, excellent person and knowledgeable about the place. We'd love to come back.

Adrenaline to the max. You must know how to swim. I don't recommend it for kids. It's one of the best experiences I've ever had. An amazing place, worth every second of being there. As for Vallarta Extreme, super recommended, 100% reliable, real, very happy with the Service received. My husband and I were really happy with all the Service and experience. An amazing beach!

Our activity was CANCELLED 10 minutes before departure (so-called a problem of broken down boat, while the company owns several boats). We were offered to go somewhere else so that we didn’t travel for nothing, we accepted because we came from a very long way. However, the original price was justified by going to Hidden Beach (very popular and very touristy). So we didn’t go to that place and they refused to refund us part of the price we had originally paid.

It was quite a long excursion, but entertaining at all times. I recommend going in low season because when there are many people there are activities that are not as enjoyed, such as the stay at Nopalera beach and snorkeling next to the Marietas. Because Playa Escondida itself is restricted from access, it was quieter with people there. The quality of the trip and the people who serve you is excellent. The boat is comfortable, the boys always very attentive and friendly, the overall process was pretty tidy, and the food was fine. They gave us breakfast and food, plus the open bar at the end. It was father that the Vallarta Extreme team takes pictures of you throughout the trip. In the end they sold us the package of over 100 photos for $500, and they were photos in and out of the water. I thought it was okay so you wouldn't worry about wearing a camera or watching your cell phone. I recommend it in low season, or if you don’t mind the number of people, at any time. It was a good experience overall!

All excellent! Great experience, everything was accomplished in very punctual time would definitely take it back 100% recommended

Super friendly and attentive staff guys. Very well explained the whole tour, they took care of everyone's safety and very enjoyable entertainment. I would definitely travel with them again. Just keep in mind that the portions of the dishes are not the usual large portions; especially the burger, which is actually a portion for children. If they are good toothed, do not choose this saucer option.

Go down to the island and be in direct contact with the water in that area. It was spectacular to have seen whales jumping out of the water during the trip as well as listening to their singing with an apparatus from one of the guides. I would have liked to have been allowed to float around the boat with lifeguards without needing a board or kayak. The staff, excellent, always attentive.

Excellent Service, we were attended by Don Gato, always friendly and above all responsible for our safety, during our visit to the islands the tide was very high and almost we can not enter the hidden island, in the end it was achieved and it was incredible, what we could not was snorkeling but we did better, they changed it for whale watching and we ran hopefully, we saw several jump and get close enough to see how they pull out their fins to show their strength.

Die Tour ist an sich gut. Hoffen beach, toller Strand auf Nachbarinsel. Wale und Delphine gesehen. Allerdings wurde uns Dreien der Zugang zum Playa del Amor verwehrt. Von 7 Personen auf unserem Boot durften nur 4 mit dem Guide hinschwimmen. Wir mussten an Boot bleiben, obwohl wir bewusst für den Hidden Beach mehr gezahlt haben, als für die übliche Tour ohne diesen fällig gewesen wäre. Begründung: Zahl der Slots ist begrenzt. Was ja stimmt, aber dann sollte man das direkt bei der Buchung regeln und nicht nach 30 Minuten Auto- und 60 Minuten Schifffahrt erfahren !

We had the opportunity to go in the boat “black wind II” with the guide Adrian and the experience was AMAZING, hidden beach is the most exceptional place I have visited, as well as the Marist islands. We were the only ones on the boat and it really became an unrivalled experience. My husband and I greatly enjoyed the day and the time we were allowed to be there.

The whole team of Vallarta Extreme always very attentive and helpful, from the ticket purchase process to finishing the tour. If they become dizzy it is advisable to take a pill before the tour, as in some parts it is a lot of movement of the boat, and it could be an unpleasant experience. When arriving at the beach of love or hidden, if swimming is required to enter the beach, due to the waves it is a bit uncomplicated, you just have to be patient and not despair... the exit is much easier with the help of the waves. The best experience with our guide, Adrian, always attentive and explaining every part of the tour, many congratulations for his treatment, patience and kindness, made the difference throughout the tour. They recommend wearing water shoes, but they are forbidden to go down to the beach, the guide carried a waterproof suitcase to take the cell phones to the beach, so you do not need to swim with it, so they do not risk losing or wetting it. An amazing experience, worth visiting Puerto Vallarta!

Very good prices and they attended to me at the time. I would tour with them again. Not to mention fag islands, it's a really cool place.

Excellent guides and quality protection/snorkeling equipment. The only detail is that two divers were with us and we had to wait for them above the boat while they finished their activity

The activity was very organized, on time, the captain and guide very friendly. All as they expose in their services. Highly recommended.

I loved the experience, from booking (it was super simple), payment and arrival to the place. The tour was taken with the guide "El Gato", excellent guide, was explaining several details during the trip, very friendly, enthusiastic and prepared for the experience. During the journey we had the opportunity to spot some whales, which was an excellent plus of the trip. The islands are beautiful and the experience of being there unforgettable. Fully recommended.

I really liked it, I went in the black wind with "the cat" and had a great time, very good guide, few people, we could do everything. I recommend not going on large boats because it makes the trip difficult.