How do the Mayan Time Share's work

I just had some questions as I was looking at buying The Grand Bliss or Grand Mayan on the resell market.

1) Is it a points system program? I know you can stay at a few different places? Also, is there is a booking fee?
2) How does it work if you own a 1BR, but want to stay in a 2BR?
3) Difference in if you own at Grand Mayan, but want to stay in the Grand Bliss or own at the Grand Bliss, but want to stay at the Grand Mayan?
4) I have been told you only pay the Maint fee when you use it and seems about $700 per week for 1BR Grand Bliss. Is this true?
5) Any other gotchas about buying this on the resell market?

Thank you,

Adam

Honestly? I'd say you should consider renting instead of buying. There is an enormous amount of inventory available all the time. That way you can get what you want, when and where you want it, and without any of the hassles of ownership.

Dave

Grand Mayan

Ask about the resort transfer fee!!! Is the seller going to pay it? I have heard that there is a very hefty fee from the resort to transfer ownership. That's why it's so hard to sell any of the Mayans.

AdamFrey said:

I just had some questions as I was looking at buying The Grand Bliss or Grand Mayan on the resell market.

1) Is it a points system program? I know you can stay at a few different places? Also, is there is a booking fee? Not a points system, but a floating week system. You should have access to any of the Vida resort locations. First come, first served for the reservations. No, there isn't a booking fee to reserve a week.
2) How does it work if you own a 1BR, but want to stay in a 2BR? To my knowledge, you cannot do this (unless by some chance they happen to be out of 1 BRs and move you to a 2 BR. Wouldn't count on it.)
3) Difference in if you own at Grand Mayan, but want to stay in the Grand Bliss or own at the Grand Bliss, but want to stay at the Grand Mayan? They are basically the same 'level'--just that the Grand Bliss is newer. I've not heard of any major upgrades other than newer furnishings. Others with more experience will hopefully respond.
4) I have been told you only pay the Maint fee when you use it and seems about $700 per week for 1BR Grand Bliss. Is this true? Depends on the contract re. whether you have a 'no m/f unless you use.' Not sure about the current m/f for GB 1B.
5) Any other gotchas about buying this on the resell market?
See if you can get a copy of the original contract from the seller &/or confirm with the resort with seller on the phone or with seller's approval. Look for transfer fee costs as mentioned above. Check to see if you have a required 5-year renovation fee & how much it is. The contract is key.

Thank you,

Adam

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I've answered what I can above in blue.
Perhaps others will pipe in later.
BTW, as BMWguy says, renting or exchanging in is a good option to consider, especially if you haven't stayed there before.

MuranoJo gave some good answers; I will add a couple of points.

If you own at the Grand Bliss, you can usually book down to the Grand Mayan or Mayan Palace; the reverse would not be true.

Here is the key point. Almost all Mayan contracts are different based on the year offered and any addenda attached. Everything will be spelled out in the contract. I would not buy any Mayan contract on resale unless I had the opportunity to read the contract beforehand.

Some of the older contracts had the no MF unless you use, but these might not transfer depending on the contract. Unless you can find one of these, I agree with the poster above that it might be better just to rent. Personally, I will never own any timeshare with mandatory MF.

Mike

I just had some questions as I was looking at buying The Grand Bliss or Grand Mayan on the resell market.

AdamFrey said:

1) Is it a points system program? I know you can stay at a few different places? Also, is there is a booking fee?

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These are weeks not point systems. To exchange to places outside of the Mayan World of Puerto Vallarta, Nuevo Vallarta, Riviera Maya, Acapulco, Cabo San Jose, Mazatlan, or Puerto Penasco, you need to belong to an exchange company like RCI or Interval International. These companies have annual fees and fees for exchanges which would run an additional $400+ per year if you exchange and $160+ just to be a member. With these exchange companies, you can find non Mayan World resorts. SFX does have a free level and then you pay the exchange fee that they post to go somewhere else.

AdamFrey said:

2) How does it work if you own a 1BR, but want to stay in a 2BR?

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With an exchange company, this is sometimes possible, but at the Mayan Resorts, if you own a 1BR GM, that is what you will get. If you own a 2BR, you can get a 2BR or a 1BR for a week and a Hotel room for a week.

AdamFrey said:

3) Difference in if you own at Grand Mayan, but want to stay in the Grand Bliss or own at the Grand Bliss, but want to stay at the Grand Mayan?

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You can always book down, but not up with the company. The cost would be the cost of your MF, so why book down unless there is not GB availability at the resort you want to go to at a specific time? GB MF will be higher than GM MF.

AdamFrey said:

4) I have been told you only pay the Maint fee when you use it and seems about $700 per week for 1BR Grand Bliss. Is this true?

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$700 seems a little low for a GB 1BDR, it is probably closer to $1000. The GB is newer and little larger than a GM - much larger deck & kitchen area), plus it has free WIFI.

AdamFrey said:

5) Any other gotchas about buying this on the resell market?

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I have had the No Pay unless you go feature since 2006, not long after it starrted, and with every contract there is a statement that says that feature does NOT transfer to another owner and the Vacation Fair weeks (bonus) do not transfer to new owners. That is why most of us say to read the actual contract and addendums if you can, or at least check with Mayan Customer Service with the contract number if you can get it, to find out specifically.

When we first bought our Grand Mayan in 2006, the contract said that the transfer fee was 5 MF - about $6000 now. I think the first GM contracts that were written had 10% of the original purchase price - $about $3000+, but those probably do keep the VF weeks. They did not have the No Pay feature. The newer contracts have 10MF for transfer so that could be very costly, plus the extra benefits do not transfer.

You may want to contact Vida directly. The past couple of owner updates we have attended, a resale division has been mentioned. Not sure if it really exists, but buying resale direct may allow you to negotiate for some of the options that go away when transferring a contract. And, with high transfer fees, it may be about the same cost.