Grand Mayan Nuevo - November 26 - December 3rd, 2016

[pittle]

We arrived yesterday around 11:45. We knew it was early, but decided to take our chances. Check-in seemed to take forever, but they did give us wristbands and sent us to the gal who tries to talk you into taking the tour about 12:20 to get our room assignment. We were listed as GLO (Grand Luxxe Owners) on her sheet even though we were using a SFX Bonus Week. She said that our room was not ocean view, but she would see what she could do. She then turned us over to another gal who tried her best to convince us to take the owner update on Friday morning and get our new member photo ID that would even include free transportation back to the airport. We told her that we had already attended a GLO meeting 10 days ago that was Q&A with one of the Customer Services Managers. Of course she was going to have to verify that and wanted to know who we went with. She also said that our room was not ready and we could explore the resort and come back later.

We went to lunch at Samba and came back about 1:45. The first gal we talked to said she did not have any luck changing our room. An interesting aside to me was that when you check in, they do not give you a room number until you check with these people. I am pretty sure that the paperwork said unit 3111, but we got unit 3606/3608. (Once you were given your room number, you had to go to the assigned building and check in one other place to have your wristband activated to open the door.) The odd number units in GM are on the ocean side and the even number on the street side. Of course, 1st floor would not have had a view of anything except trees and no breeze, so we do prefer to be higher. Our view is of the parking garage for one of the Mayan Island condos next door and one of the lakes. It is OK since we basically just read when on the patio. We are just barely on the property - there is just one unit north of us and then the Mayan Island condos start. It is a short walk out to a towel stand and then past the kids club to the palapas on the beach.

The GM shuttle stop is over by Brio in the building that is closest to the Grand Bliss. It is still a fairly long walk for someone who needs assistance. You can request a handicap shuttle if needed and they will come to the main door.

Our son and D-I-L went out for dinner last night and discovered the need for making reservations at the rush hour times. I told them to download the OpenTable App and make reservations through that. (Hint from the GLO meeting.)

The wristbands are softer than before, but even though the guy that gave us ours said they are adjustable, they are not. I asked for mine to be loose so I could take it off at night, and that was when he told me not to worry, they were adjustable. Once you slide them tighter, you cannot remove them without cutting them off. There are little "grippers" inside the slide. Hubby's is now in his pocket because when he tried to wiggle the slide to loosen it, it got tighter.

 

[T-Dot-Traveller]

Hi Phyllis & family ,
It sounds like your GM building is in a good location to take the beach walk over to the NV Sea Garden .

It is actually a nice walk .
<However - the thread Mikenk started - requesting shuttle access to SG is important to many owners - since not
everyone has the mobility or stamina .>

I wondered how Vidanta would make sure - the wrist band folks - talked to everyone .
When we were at MP PV -Marina in Feb 2016 the front desk was giving out the room key / wrist bands-
and " catching " everyone had become more complicated for the team whose job it is to get you to a presentation .

It sounds like Vidanta has " improved" that part of the check in procedure .

Enjoy .

.

 

[dice934]

We arrive at the GM on Friday and our plane lands around 12:45 so should be at GM by 1:45 or so and I guess dong the check in dance. This week we bought a get away on II and the second week is an exchange and we are at a 2 bedroom Master suit at the Grand Luxxe. We own a time share and have no interest in buy another and it seems like the incentive to attend a meeting is not very attractive.

How is the weather been? I hope you have a great week.

 

[Zib]

I am still wondering about the shuttles to & from G.M. When we were there a few months ago, there were NO shuttles for G.M. You had to walk from the taxi stop to the resort. Then walk all around wherever you wanted to go. The "escape" by walking the beach is too difficult for us now, as well as not safe in the dark, if you want to go to dinner over on the Marina by Sea Garden. And if you took a taxi to get there, you had to turn to the right when you got out of the Vidanta "new entrance" down by the highway, and go ALL the way back to the "turn around" in Puerto Vallarta!! and start again to get to Sea Garden Marina! What a crazy thing just to keep you from leaving! And there is no possible way to get to the bus stop to town now. Makes us feel really trapped. Still love the resort but it's getting too difficult for us to use now, I think! Hopefully the Vidanta Group is thinking of making some easier changes for us older members so we can continue to come next year??

 

[rpennisi]

Pueblo Bonito in Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas runs a free hourly coach bus between their resorts. Why can't Vidanta do the same between Sea Garden and the rest of the NV resort?

 

[pittle]

We arrive at the GM on Friday and our plane lands around 12:45 so should be at GM by 1:45 or so and I guess dong the check in dance. This week we bought a get away on II and the second week is an exchange and we are at a 2 bedroom Master suit at the Grand Luxxe. We own a time share and have no interest in buy another and it seems like the incentive to attend a meeting is not very attractive.

How is the weather been? I hope you have a great week.

The weather is awesome. It can get hot in the sun. We have been down to the beach and sat under a palapa two days and there was a good breeze. In the shade it is really nice. You can still get more sun than you imagine with the rays reflecting off the sand.

Friday check-in is probably not as crazy as Saturday check-in. It will still take a while for them to get you to a room. When we checked in last Saturday, it seemed like most people in line were told that it would be about 3:00 before their unit was ready. If you are arriving at the resort around 2, it should not be too long of a wait.

10% all you charge to your room does not interest us at all, because so far, all we have charged has been the $75 fee and the daily room charges. Our son & his wife have eaten at many of the restaurants and been to the bars, but they share meals so I do not think that they have run up a $500 tab. Taco break at the top of LaPlaza has been a favorite of theirs and it is the least expensive place here.

You will enjoy your 2 weeks.

 

[pittle]

I am still wondering about the shuttles to & from G.M. When we were there a few months ago, there were NO shuttles for G.M. You had to walk from the taxi stop to the resort. Then walk all around wherever you wanted to go. The "escape" by walking the beach is too difficult for us now, as well as not safe in the dark, if you want to go to dinner over on the Marina by Sea Garden. And if you took a taxi to get there, you had to turn to the right when you got out of the Vidanta "new entrance" down by the highway, and go ALL the way back to the "turn around" in Puerto Vallarta!! and start again to get to Sea Garden Marina! What a crazy thing just to keep you from leaving! And there is no possible way to get to the bus stop to town now. Makes us feel really trapped. Still love the resort but it's getting too difficult for us to use now, I think! Hopefully the Vidanta Group is thinking of making some easier changes for us older members so we can continue to come next year??

There is only one shuttle stop at the GM - it is between the GM and GB down by Brio - but not at the entrance of a building. I would suggest that a few days before you go, you contact the concierge and request to be in the building south of the entrance. It is closest to the stop, but again, I have seen some people picked up at the front entrance. You just need to let them know on check-in that you need some accommodations for transport.

I will leave the suggestion that rpennisi suggested on my comments on check-out. I had thought of that too - a shuttle every hour from Santuario. In Acapulco they used to have a shuttle time posted to the Sea Garden & Sea Market there. I do not know why they cannot do it here.

 

[rpennisi]

......I will leave the suggestion that rpennisi suggested on my comments on check-out. I had thought of that too - a shuttle every hour from Santuario. In Acapulco they used to have a shuttle time posted to the Sea Garden & Sea Market there. I do not know why they cannot do it here.

Hi Phyllis,
Thanks. Hopefully more folks will leave that comment as well. Every time I have checked out of any NV stay, I have commented on their "iPads" about the isolation factor and the tv selections Vidanta has compared to any other Mexican TS.
When we stayed at the GM in Acapulco last January, they only had an on demand shuttle van to the Sea Garden and Sun Market. Same for going to the MP Golf Resort. A number of people used that one to then walk to the highway nearby, I assume for restaurants or buses (?).
Ron

 

[Linda74]

Phyllis, I will be there at the end of January for two weeks. Do you if they are still selling the meal vouchers?

 

[pittle]

Phyllis, I will be there at the end of January for two weeks. Do you if they are still selling the meal vouchers?

They do not tell you about them, but if you go to the Concierge desk, they sell them. We did not do that, but a we walked by one day, I overheard someone talking about the fact that she had 2 meals left and was going to purchase one more packet. So they obviously are selling them.

 

[Johnsp]

Meal plans are available for 4690 Pesos which includes 6 breakfasts and 6 dinners. We are on site now and purchased one. We usually purchase one entree and use one meal plan coupon when eating out. We split the appetizer and dessert. There is more than enough to eat. Have fun in January .

 

[m4travels]

Are the six dinners in the plan any ordered dinner or just the buffet meals? We were at Mayan Palace Vallarta last week and I thought the concierge mentioned that the dinner coupon could only be used for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights, the nights they had the specialty buffets. We arrived on Sunday and knew we were leaving earlier (Thursday) in our seven-day stay so we didn't purchase it, plus there are/were plenty of restaurants in the marina to walk to if and when we wanted to eat off campus.

 

[dice934]

We have been here all week and the Marina has so many good options for food that is very reasonable as well as buying excursions at the corner booth by the turnaround that are at least 30% cheaper then the Resort will sell you. The two gentleman who run the booth are very friendly and happy. They will give you there recommendations based on past costumers. One restaurant has two for one ribs on Tuesday and Thursdays I really enjoyed the ribs and it was about $24 for two rib dinners.

The best place for us was right at the Marine called Mar Etxea they had two for one Margaritas ($65 pesos for two) and we ate the sliders with onion rings and a salad as well as the 3 steak tacos...Total with 4 Margaritas and the food was $425 pesos for a great early dinner and fantastic food. I highly recommend this place.

 

[Johnsp]

The meal plans are good 7 days a week at any restaurant onsite. They can be used for regular meals or buffets. The only buffets where we have used a meal plan coupon are the breakfast buffets at Cafe Del Lago and Fresha. We do eat offsite occasionally in the Marina area by walking down the beach from Grand Mayan to Sea Garden where there are several good restaurants. One of the restaurants we went to in the past, Prime 159 has closed down. Also Taco Break, which was renamed Taco Corner outside of the old entrance is now closed. Taco Break opened a new restaurant on the 3rd floor of the Plaza and is always crowded.

 

[rpennisi]

Is the restaurant, Portobello, next door to Prime 159 still open?
Also do you know if 8 Tostadas, which is close to the two mentioned above, is still in operation?
8 Tostadas and Eddies are always two of my favorites in NV.

 

[Johnsp]

Is the restaurant, Portobello, next door to Prime 159 still open?
Also do you know if 8 Tostadas, which is close to the two mentioned above, is still in operation?
8 Tostadas and Eddies are always two of my favorites in NV.

Portobello and Eddies are still open. Eddie died last year but the family still operates it. I am not sure about 8 Tostadas.

 

[rpennisi]

So sorry to hear of Eddie passing...RIP He was a wonderful host
Is his son there for Eddies and their other restaurant around the corner near the marina?

 

[Linda74]

The meal plans are good 7 days a week at any restaurant onsite. They can be used for regular meals or buffets. The only buffets where we have used a meal plan coupon are the breakfast buffets at Cafe Del Lago and Fresha. We do eat offsite occasionally in the Marina area by walking down the beach from Grand Mayan to Sea Garden where there are several good restaurants. One of the restaurants we went to in the past, Prime 159 has closed down. Also Taco Break, which was renamed Taco Corner outside of the old entrance is now closed. Taco Break opened a new restaurant on the 3rd floor of the Plaza and is always crowded.

 

[Linda74]

Thanks, Phyllis and everyone!!!! I think we'll purchase a book. We're there almost two weeks and will definitely head offsite for some meals but nice to have the coupon savings option.

 

[itchyfeet]

8 Tostadas is still open. Ate there Thursday before leaving for the airport.

 

[rpennisi]

Thanks itchyfeet. I love their Molcajetes.

 

[hellolani]

The other cheap place on site to get food is Sweet Paris on the ground floor adjacent to the market and bakeries of La Plaza. The savoury crepes are huge and quite delicious, and about $12-15 bucks CAD the last time I was there. Sorry I couldn't tell you what that is in pesos. We pack enough dry food to manage dinner and breakfast after check in, then haul off to Walmart to stock up for the 2 weeks. Sweet Paris is a great stand in for either of those meals though in a pinch, and also for the meal before a walmart restock foray.

Actually, in case anyone is interested, here is a viewing only link to our 2 week meal planning spreadsheet. I like to count the number of eggs and slices of toast needed so that we don't run out or overstock. Then I print just the cells with the grocery list and quantities after the week or 2 weeks is mapped out, and I just recycle this with every trip, changing dates and particulars.

I'm a little control-y but I enjoy it. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1tw0lB5Dmrp94wDeHQ87FArKjgQ0DQhlyLTLeIKPOEOo/edit?usp=sharing

 

[MuranoJo]

The other cheap place on site to get food is Sweet Paris on the ground floor adjacent to the market and bakeries of La Plaza. The savoury crepes are huge and quite delicious, and about $12-15 bucks CAD the last time I was there. Sorry I couldn't tell you what that is in pesos. We pack enough dry food to manage dinner and breakfast after check in, then haul off to Walmart to stock up for the 2 weeks. Sweet Paris is a great stand in for either of those meals though in a pinch, and also for the meal before a walmart restock foray.

Actually, in case anyone is interested, here is a viewing only link to our 2 week meal planning spreadsheet. I like to count the number of eggs and slices of toast needed so that we don't run out or overstock. Then I print just the cells with the grocery list and quantities after the week or 2 weeks is mapped out, and I just recycle this with every trip, changing dates and particulars.

I'm a little control-y but I enjoy it. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1tw0lB5Dmrp94wDeHQ87FArKjgQ0DQhlyLTLeIKPOEOo/edit?usp=sharing

I checked out your spreadsheet. Wow, you really do get the details laid out. But, ya know, I admire that as it's probably the most efficient, stress-free and economical way to go with a family. Good job! (We kinda fly by the seats of our pants--get a few things for in-room breakfast and snacks and the rest is whatever will happen. But these are trips without kids.)

 

[hellolani]

Lol, traveling with toddlers is like deploying the army. You better have your supply chain worked out beforehand.

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