Hi! We Had no snags on our trip. The airline (Continental) left on time from Newark and we made our connection easily in Houston. We arrived in Manzanillo right on time and our baggage too. The taxi cost $35 to the hotel and we didn`t have to wait at all and we made it easily. The Barcelo Karmina Palace was beautiful. We had a great room which was a Studio on the 3rd floor. The room was all marble, and had a terrace overlooking the grounds and the ocean. This was excellent. Fantastic views. The bed mattress was very hard and that took some getting used to. All service at this hotel was excellent with a very friendly staff throughout. The swimming pools (5) were beautiful, very clean and lots of space to spread out if you wanted. Pool service by the staff provided drinks throughout the day and it was easy to simply walk over to the palapa restaurant and have lunch buffet. One thing about the food at the buffets was that it was just OK, but not very high quality. However, I`m nit picking a bit here. There was plenty to choose from and we ate more than our share. The entertainment each night was very good. Since we added one extra night to our stay (8) we got to see the Mexican Fiesta twice. Great experience. The buffet included a pig roast and plenty of delightful items on the buffet menu. Great deserts too. Since this hotel has the "all inclusive" it is wise for anyone to sign up for that with the travel agent. it is well worth the money. 3 meals a day, a snack bar down near the beach, unlimited drinks all day long, the entertainment, water sports, and the services of a very well trained staff all over this hotel. This hotel is also great for families. All the kids were having a great time in the kids pool which had a great water slide out of the "Mayan Temple." We took 2 tours that we booked through the travel desk located near the main lobby. we were treated fairly and the tours went off without any problem. We had an english speaking guide on each tour and all seemed to enjoy themselves. We did. The International restaurant had both a great location on the tip of the rocky point just above the ocean. It was a huge thatched palapa with open air viewing of the water or grounds of the hotel. This requires a reservation. The food is excellent and the "all inclusive" allows a couple to enjoy one night only for no extra charge. I had requested a special outdoor seating and when we arrived we were led to the outside and down a few stairs to a very romantic spot overlooking the sea. The main restaurant in the hotel was very nice. We ate breakfast outside every morning. Very nice view of the grounds while we ate. Very tranquil. There was fresh eggs done to order, plenty of fruit, bread and other goodies for a big breakfast. Juices were nice and all you could drink. A nice touch for people who get up early (before 6am) was that although the restaurant was not open yet, a coffee urn was set up with cups, spoons and milk and cream and sugar and I used that every morning. I`m a travel/nature photographer and get up very early to catch scenes with first light. So this service touch was a big plus for me. I would highly recommend The Barcelo Karmina Palace to anyone. The following is for your information if anyone ever wants to travel between Manzanillo and Puerto Vallarta We also spent 7 nights in Puerto Vallarta at another hotel. We learned how to travel between Manzanillo and Puerto Vallarta very inexpensively. A taxi would have cost us whatever a taxi driver wanted. From a low bid of $130 up to a high of $230 US we began to ask the hotel Concierge (Ranata) about other options. She told us about the public bus. We took her advice and went to the bus station in downtown Manzanillo, booked the "Premier Plus" bus to Puerto Vallarta. It is a huge coach with reclining seats, bathroom (very important), curtains on the windows, air conditioning, 2 movies on the TV screens one in Spanish and one in English, and they even added a snack of peanuts (hot) and a soda for each of us. We brought a couple of sodas and additional; snacks. The trip took 6 1/2 hours, but was very comfortable and we enjoyed watching the scenery going by as we went through several small towns. The cost was $23 each and was the biggest bargain for such a long connecting trip. There are several companies at the bus station and all are very large coaches and comfortable, but all do not have the bathroom feature. The "Premier Plus" is the one to tell your clients about if they have to make this trip between the cities. Thanks again for your reliable booking for our trip and I hope that the info I just provided can be of help to you in future bookings with your clients. I have over 500 images shot during this trip and we enjoyed everything. Sincerely, Jim and Lorraine Moerschel