# Grand Luxxe Riviera Maya pool for owners only



## lauramiddl

We exchanged into Grand Luxxe Jungle and can’t use the pool or eat st the restaurant. I don’t know if we can sit in the beach chairs or not. We walked around that area on Saturday morning and no both mentioned anything. 

Is this his new? Security guests said it started this week but pool concierge said it’s always been that way. In all my research for this trip, I never came across that restriction for exchangers. It’d be one thing if the lazy river was done but right now it means no pool/casual restaurant at our “level” which I find disappointing. Also, no direct shuttle to a pool we could use. You can request a drop off at Mayan Palace pool though. 

Have also noticed a lot of areas on beach or at “The Beach Club” restricted to Grand Luxxe Platinum members.


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## Eric B

Interesting; we exchanged in last month and had no problem using the Beach Club.  Didn’t try the Grand Luxxe pool, though.  There were a lot of spots set aside for platinum owners, particularly by the pools in the Beach Club, but we used the pools, too.  Mostly relaxed in a beach palapa, though.  Will be back down in April; is this at the Beach Club area, or where?  Any other details on the restrictions?


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## whitewater

was that way last year when we exchanged into MP.  We were told however never tried to use pool.  just used the other HUGE ones.    get there early and one gets a seat.  Arrive after 10 and your SOL.


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## Eric B

Vidanta does key access to pools to the wristband you get when you check in, so I’m not surprised that you couldn’t use the GL pool during an exchange into MP.  I’m surprised about the limitation of one of the GL pools to owners vice people with exchanges into GL.  I know they do give different colored doohickeys (pretty sure that’s what the key things are called) on the wristbands for stays that are exchanges vice paid usage fees, but hadn’t heard of any other actually different treatment.  (I’m acknowledging the different golf/spa benefits, but that’s more of on accounting item for the charges rather than an access item.). The only one that I knew was different was the platinum wristbands. I’m still not positive what pool or restaurant OP couldn’t use.


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## whitewater

Eric B said:


> Vidanta does key access to pools to the wristband you get when you check in, so I’m not surprised that you couldn’t use the GL pool during an exchange into MP.  I’m surprised about the limitation of one of the GL pools to owners vice people with exchanges into GL.  I know they do give different colored doohickeys (pretty sure that’s what the key things are called) on the wristbands for stays that are exchanges vice paid usage fees, but hadn’t heard of any other actually different treatment.  (I’m acknowledging the different golf/spa benefits, but that’s more of on accounting item for the charges rather than an access item.). The only one that I knew was different was the platinum wristbands. I’m still not positive what pool or restaurant OP couldn’t use.


it was via colored bands.  they had black (i think) and ours were multi-colored.  

Guessing it was enforced by staff as there were no gates I saw.  we walked through a couple of times.

  all dining was included to my recollection.


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## bizaro86

Interesting. We exchanged into the GL Riviera Maya last fall and had no issues. There were lots of platinum members only chairs in the beach and at the beach club, never saw anyone using them.

We mostly used the Grand Luxxe pool.


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## Eric B

When I was in Riviera  Maya, I saw that the Grand Luxxe Platinum folks had all black bands, Grand Luxxe owners had black & multicolored bands with brown doohickeys, GL exchanges had the same bands with turquoise doohickeys, and I believe GM had green bands & MP had yellow bands, but I’m not completely sure of the entire spectrum and what it indicates to the staff.  GL Platinum folks got into the Beach Club 30 minutes early and had specific areas reserved for their use, and GL & GB were allowed in when it regularly opened at 10.  The restaurant Chiringuito was inside and I don’t believe GM & below could get there.

The only other restaurant restriction I noted was that there was a sign at Quinto saying only GL guests could have breakfast there.

The staff did say they were working on another area of the beach past the Beach Club around Salum that was going to be GL only.  No one said any of it would be limited to owners using their membership rather than exchangers that I can recall.

That being said, my interpretation of the recent changes to the fees and stay limitations for Vidanta in RCI would be that there may be a shifting in the power balance between the sales and the hotel side of the house.  They’ve raised the resort fees charged to RCI exchangers to a level that gets closer to a Vidanta usage fee for an owner and lifted the stat limitations from the once per year high season and twice per year to being limited only by how many exchanges you can do or extra vacations you want to buy.  That strikes me as changing the profit center to be more on the hotel than the sales side.

I can guess that there may be some desire to have some benefit for owners as compared to exchangers to counterbalance that; otherwise they can pretty much kiss their sales goodbye.  I’m just wondering if they did institute an owners access only thing.  Last time I stayed there was on an RCI exchange into GM; they recognized me as a GL owner and upgraded me to a Jungle Luxxe, which I quite appreciated.  On the other hand, I’ve seen the recent posts from long-time GL owners re: poor room assignment for not doing a sales pitch.  Leaves me trying to figure out how best to optimize a stay there.


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## lauramiddl

I’m staying at the Grand Luxxe. I’m not st Mayan Palacd. We are able to use “The Beach Club” which is open to Grand Bliss and Grand Luxxe only, the Grand Mayan’s three pools, and the main Mayan palace pool. 

This is a new policy. I don’t mind their having an “owners” pool but the don’t have another pool at that hotel level for guests. They will open an lazy river in a few months. Construction is ongoing and it will be quite special. I’ll write more upon my return but I must get back to my guacamole and margarita right now. Eating off the compound tonight on Quinta


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## Lingber

Am I understanding correctly? If we exchange into Grand Luxxe LXR, we can no longer use the Grand Luxxe pool or eat at Custom Burger? We are going in mid March.


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## Eric B

It’s not really clear from the original post which pool/restaurant is owners only.  Can OP clarify this?


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## lauramiddl

“Grand Luxxe pool=owners only”is what staff says. “Only owners in the Grand Luxxe pool,” staff elaborates.  If you are exchanging into Grand Luxxe Jungle (II code LXJ) you get a bracelet that does not let you into the Grand Luxxe pool or the attached Burger restaurant. I was told, again by staff, that GRand Luxxe Jungle exchangers can use the beach chairs between the GL pool and the ocean. I don’t know what happens if you need to use the bathroom, get a towel, or want some food or drink (which would come from the restaurant that you or not allowed at.) Also, don’t be confused by the fact that when you check in you are given a form letter  that is signed by The Senora Suarez that welcomes you to use the grand Luxxe pool and the Grand Luxxe burger restaurant because that’s not true. You can’t.

I was told this policy toward exchangers started this week. I was told this policy started this month. I was told this policy started January 1. I was also told that Vidanta constantly changes their policies, and that’s just life.  

To add more confusion: I have no idea what kind of bracelet you get if you’re exchanging into the Grand Luxxe Residence (a different II code). Maybe you get to use the pool. Maybe not. 

Regarding owners rights. I saw an “owner” staying at the Grand Luxxe Jungle get to switch his bracelet to one that would allow him Grand Luxxe pool access. It was because of the “type” of reservation he had. I have no idea what any of that means, or what type of “owner” he is.  In other words, an “owner” didn’t even get to use the pool, but then got to use the pool. Probably this confusion happens a lot, so owners should get clarification when checking in. 

FYI, there is also another superior owner level. It’s called Platnuim. These guys get special tables at restaurants, special seats at pools and beaches, early entry into “The Beach Club” and other priorities that I’m sure are very nice and worth every cent paid for them. Sometimes, you enter a restaurant later at night, and a hostess will need to remove the platinum placard from the table, and then let a lower class of person, maybe just a mere exchanger into the Grand Luxxe Jungle, use the table. Just saying. 

I hope this clarifies the situation that is in place as of today but may be different tomorrow.


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## Eric B

Thanks!  Clears it up for me.


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## bizaro86

That's interesting thanks @lauramiddl 

When we went in the fall, there was a sign that said Grand Luxxe Residence only at the Grand Luxxe Pool/Burger custom made entrance. We were exchangers into a 4 bedroom GL residence, so I didn't question it.

I wonder if they are making a distinction between Grand Luxxe Jungle and Grand Luxxe Residences, moreso than between owners and exchangers...


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## Eric B

lauramiddl said:


> Regarding owners rights. I saw an “owner” staying at the Grand Luxxe Jungle get to switch his bracelet to one that would allow him Grand Luxxe pool access. It was because of the “type” of reservation he had. I have no idea what any of that means, or what type of “owner” he is.  In other words, an “owner” didn’t even get to use the pool, but then got to use the pool. Probably this confusion happens a lot, so owners should get clarification when checking in.



Vidanta gives owners a benefit called "privilege weeks" that allow them to book extra weeks back at a Vidanta resort or elsewhere through SFX.  Since it's through an exchange company rather than directly booked with Vidanta, it would probably show up as being an exchange, but the "owners" would have been exercising one of the rights to use that Vidanta sold them, so it makes sense to me that they should be able to use a facility otherwise restricted to "owners."  ("Members" would probably be a better term, but that's not what they call it.)  I'm not sure if they have a method in place to indicate whether an "owner" booking through SFX did so using a privilege week or exchanged a different TS, though.

I'm fairly new to Vidanta and still figuring out how things work, understanding that they do change things, too.  It does seem somewhat rational to have some benefits for "owners," though; otherwise there would be no reason they could use to persuade people to buy.  The use of that one pool and restaurant seems a bit of a weak incentive to me; I don't go to Mexico to eat burgers after all.  I wonder what the restrictions on the Lazy River will be.



bizaro86 said:


> When we went in the fall, there was a sign that said Grand Luxxe Residence only at the Grand Luxxe Pool/Burger custom made entrance. We were exchangers into a 4 bedroom GL residence, so I didn't question it.
> 
> I wonder if they are making a distinction between Grand Luxxe Jungle and Grand Luxxe Residences, more so than between owners and exchangers...



Actually, "Grand Luxxe Residence Club" is the name for the Grand Luxxe on the Vidanta website and on the contracts for all of the Grand Luxxe levels.  The name they use for the lofts (except for the studio ones) and the 4 bedroom suites is "The Residence at Grand Luxxe."  They do make some distinctions, or so we were told, for the level of service to people staying in the Residence (e.g., summoning a personal cart for transportation), and the platinum level comes with the 3 BR lofts and 4 BR suites and can be purchased with the 2 BR lofts.  I haven't actually verified any of that, though, but did observe the perks the platinum level gets at the Beach Club in Riviera Maya.


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## pittle

In Nuevo, the bracelets are the multi-colored ribbon ones.  The "doohickey" slides with the electronic key opener are various colors.  At the GM, the exchange ones were red and the owner ones were yellow. (We had red ones when we checked in but got yellow ones when thy moved us to another unit.)  Grand Bliss ones had 2 colors also. There are different color ones for GL exchangers, regular owners and platinum owners.  There may be a color for the gold level owners too.  I think the black ones were on a lot of the wrist bands in NV this past November..  When we went to NV GL in 2014, the bands were plastic and were bands were silver or black (Punta & Building 1 had these).  The exchange ones were burgundy.  

The staff can easily tell your "status" by the color of that doohickey or band.


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## NYFLTRAVELER

Can somebody please clarify.... I just traded my Marriott via Interval to Grand Luxxe Rivera Maya (Code LXR) for a Grand Luxxe One Bedroom Suite (not a jungle suite).  Are you saying that if I am not a Vidanta Grand Luxxe owner yet traded into the Grand Luxxe property (again interval code LXR) which is different than Grand Luxxe Jungle, Grand Bliss, Grand Mayan, The Bliss, Mayan Palace etc. I will **NOT** be able to use the *GRAND LUXXE* pool and beach and related facilities?


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## PamMo

This thread is very interesting. I have two Interval exchanges booked into Grand Luxxe 4BR's this year (one in NV, one in RM). We enjoyed sublime service and amenities two years ago in a gorgeous 3BR spa unit in the Nuevo Vallarta Grand Luxxe, so we were excited about bringing our kids and grands together for some family time, and splurging on a sisters' getaway. The "new" $11/pp daily resort fee was disappointing to read about, but I'll be very sad if we won't have full access to the GL amenities we enjoyed before. My sister and her husband could barely tear themselves away from the GL pool last time!


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## Eric B

NYFLTRAVELER said:


> Can somebody please clarify.... I just traded my Marriott via Interval to Grand Luxxe Rivera Maya (Code LXR) for a Grand Luxxe One Bedroom Suite (not a jungle suite).  Are you saying that if I am not a Vidanta Grand Luxxe owner yet traded into the Grand Luxxe property (again interval code LXR) which is different than Grand Luxxe Jungle, Grand Bliss, Grand Mayan, The Bliss, Mayan Palace etc. I will **NOT** be able to use the *GRAND LUXXE* pool and beach and related facilities?



So far the only facility mentioned has been the Grand Luxxe pool by Custom Burger & the restaurant itself in Riviera Maya.  I had heard you have to be staying in GL NV building 5 to use the rooftop pool there, but hadn’t seen any other restrictions.  In Riviera Maya, I thought the Beach Club was nicer anyway and didn’t even try to use the pool, but did see the sign.


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## davidvel

This sounds like a great company,  and a resort I would feel relaxed and welcome at,  that I'll visit soon.


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## Eric B

davidvel said:


> This sounds like a great company,  and a resort I would feel relaxed and welcome at,  that I'll visit soon.



Only owners are allowed to use the walls for soothing head massages....


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## pianoetudes

We stayed at Grand Mayan RM in September 2017 but got GL bracelet (presentation bribes). We were allowed to hang out at The Beach Club. Some palapas are reserved for GL Platinum members, but we are allowed to use them - maybe because not many people was using the facility at low season (September).

The area on the lower deck of The Beach Club (near the bar) are reserved for guests who spend at least $250 for food and massage. The signs are clear.

They are building Salum and expanding The Beach Club. Certain area will be exclusive for Platinum members. We're told at the presentation that the company is selling exclusivity and status to members.


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## NYFLTRAVELER

Revisiting this, I just read a review on TripAdvisor with the heading “Be Aware if Trading in from Interval International” stating that when these individuals arrived at the Rivera Maya Grand Luxxe they were informed that they could not use the Grand Luxxe private pool, beach club or burger restaurant as they were for “members only” and had to use the pool area of the Grand Mayan.

Can somebody please clarify this? We are about to book plane tickets and if this is in fact the issue, I will likely cancel the trip.  We chose Grand Luxxe (LXR) through Interval for the luxury aspect of the facility.  If access to these areas is not go8 g to be made available even though we are staying in the Grand Luxxe proper (not even jungle) we could have chosen any other resort.


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## dioxide45

I think the restriction isn't because you are exchangers, it is because of the section you are stating at. Refer to this thread.

*These are the pools that are identified on the property map.*

The Grand Luxxe Pool
The Beach Club
Mayan Palace Pool
The Grand Mayan Pool

*Access is as follows;*
Grand Luxxe Riviera Maya - 1, 2, 3, 4
The Grand Bliss Riviera Maya - 2, 3, 4
The Grand Mayan - 3, 4
The Bliss Riviera Maya - 3
Mayan Palace - 3

I don't really know where Jungle (I thought there was only a Grand Mayan Jungle?) falls in to the above. I think it is just considered Mayan Palace. Thus you only have access to The Grand Mayan Pool. Or are you saying you are staying in Grand Luxxe and can't use that pool or the Beach Club?


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## Lingber

I just emailed the Concierge and will advise when I get a response. We are heading there in 2 weeks with an exchange into LXR. I am guessing they are having an overcrowding problem in season now that all four Grand Luxxe buildings are complete and they added the Jungle Luxxe units and Owners who spent many thousands are getting upset. The Grand Luxxe pool probably just isn't big enough for all those people. The Mayan Pool is spectacular. You can reserve a Palapa there and really enjoy a wonderful day. We were there when the Beach Club was under construction and we preferred the Mayan pool over the Grand Luxxe.  That said we are really looking forward to using the Beach Club and will be disappointed if we don't have access to that and Custom Burger


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## Eric B

dioxide45 said:


> I don't really know where Jungle (I thought there was only a Grand Mayan Jungle?) falls in to the above. I think it is just considered Mayan Palace. Thus you only have access to The Grand Mayan Pool. Or are you saying you are staying in Grand Luxxe and can't use that pool or the Beach Club?



Jungle Luxxe is part of Grand Luxxe and gets access to the Beach Club.  We’re GL owners, but had exchanged in there in January, but didn’t try to go to the GL pool, so can’t speak to what the restrictions really are.  Thought the Beach Club was nicer anyway.


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## NYFLTRAVELER

dioxide45 said:


> Or are you saying you are staying in Grand Luxxe and can't use that pool or the Beach Club?



Correct that is what people are saying.  We are staying at Grand Luxxe proper (Interval Code LXR) via a trade of our Marriott Destinations points.  I am seeing in multiple postings that if you are not a "Grand Luxxe Member (i.e. owner)" you will not have access to the Grand Luxxe Private Pool, Beach Club and restaurant.   I am trying to determine if this is in fact the case as we have zero interest otherwise in going to such a large resort if we cannot use the exclusive "Grand Luxxe" amenities.


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## NiteMaire

NYFLTRAVELER said:


> Correct that is what people are saying.  We are staying at Grand Luxxe proper (Interval Code LXR) via a trade of our Marriott Destinations points.  I am seeing in multiple postings that if you are not a "Grand Luxxe Member (i.e. owner)" you will not have access to the Grand Luxxe Private Pool, Beach Club and restaurant.   I am trying to determine if this is in fact the case as we have zero interest otherwise in going to such a large resort if we cannot use the exclusive "Grand Luxxe" amenities.


This would be a significant change. On our 6 exchanges into GL, we've always been treated like we own there, and we had access to the same areas as owners. I find it hard to believe they'd cut access for exchangers...especially to the beach club since GB also has access.  I was planning another visit next year; this would make me change my plans.

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## Eric B

So far no one has said anything about exchangers being unable to use the Beach Club, just the GL pool and Custom Brger restaurant.  There was a sign to that effect at that pool when we were there in January, but we didn’t try to use it; that was an exchange into the Jungle Luxxe.

There were a lot of spots set aside for Vidanta platinum owners there, though.


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## T-Dot-Traveller

NYFLTRAVELER said:


> Correct that is what people are saying.  We are staying at Grand Luxxe proper .....
> 
> 
> Eric B said:
> 
> 
> 
> So far no one has said anything about exchangers being unable to use the Beach Club, just the GL pool and Custom Brger restaurant..
> 
> There were a lot of spots set aside for Vidanta platinum owners there, though.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I as we have zero interest otherwise in going to such a large resort if we cannot use the exclusive "Grand Luxxe" amenities.
Click to expand...


I understand next year Vidanta plans to have special sunshine for Grand Luxxe owners ...
For exchanger's it will be included in the resort fee


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## Eric B

They’ll be able to opt out of the sunshine fee if they carry parasols everywhere....


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## Lingber

Response from Vidanta: 

"There have been some changes, but you still have access to the beach club, only exclusive areas for members are, The Grand Luxxe Pool, and The burger custom made."

Bummed about the Burger Custom Made but really happy the beach club is not an issue. They should consider opening the burger place for dinner a few nights. It would be a great choice for a casual night.


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## ilene13

Lingber said:


> I just emailed the Concierge and will advise when I get a response. We are heading there in 2 weeks with an exchange into LXR. I am guessing they are having an overcrowding problem in season now that all four Grand Luxxe buildings are complete and they added the Jungle Luxxe units and Owners who spent many thousands are getting upset. The Grand Luxxe pool probably just isn't big enough for all those people. The Mayan Pool is spectacular. You can reserve a Palapa there and really enjoy a wonderful day. We were there when the Beach Club was under construction and we preferred the Mayan pool over the Grand Luxxe.  That said we are really looking forward to using the Beach Club and will be disappointed if we don't have access to that and Custom Burger


I’m looking forward to your post on the reply you get from the concierge.


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## NYFLTRAVELER

Lingber said:


> Response from Vidanta:
> 
> "There have been some changes, but you still have access to the beach club, only exclusive areas for members are, The Grand Luxxe Pool, and The burger custom made."
> 
> Bummed about the Burger Custom Made but really happy the beach club is not an issue. They should consider opening the burger place for dinner a few nights. It would be a great choice for a casual night.



Thank you. What was the question you presented to the resort?


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## ilene13

Lingber said:


> Response from Vidanta:
> 
> "There have been some changes, but you still have access to the beach club, only exclusive areas for members are, The Grand Luxxe Pool, and The burger custom made."
> 
> Bummed about the Burger Custom Made but really happy the beach club is not an issue. They should consider opening the burger place for dinner a few nights. It would be a great choice for a casual night.


We have an exchange there in 2019, I will rethink it as we like the GL pool.  The beach club is not that wonderful and it is far from the GL villas.


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## Lingber

NYFLTRAVELER said:


> Thank you. What was the question you presented to the resort?



I asked if exchangers into Grand Luxxe were restricted from using any facilities at the property? I know it is disappointing! But if its about proximity, the Grand Luxxe pool isn't "close" either. It is not like other hotels where you walk outside the lobby and its there. It is a hike. Take a look at the map.

https://www.vidanta.com/documents/65216/76629/Riviera-Maya.pdf/49bef212-0e50-8f0f-508d-b445718ba350

Nothing is really close when you stay at Grand Luxxe. This is not a "Beachfront" hotel experience where you walk out the door and are on the beach. The Vidanta property is a huge compound. They provide each resort with their own shuttle service to make everything more accessible. We also like to use the walkways and even walk to the beach club. The installed wooden walkways and the walk is great exercise and very pretty. The Shuttle service is prompt (most of the time, but hey it is Mexico! ) and the restaurants and overall service have been very good! The Grand Luxxe residences are beautiful and having access to their gym is a huge benefit. We loved the old Beach Club when we were there in the summer about 4 years ago. It had a gorgeous view of the ocean, a swim up bar and lots of seating options, whereas the Grand Luxxe pool had no view of the ocean and very little breeze due to being encircled by vegetation so once we discovered the Beach Club that was our go to.

We are excited to try the New Beach Club and if we find it isn't to our liking there are still two other pools (Grand Mayan and Mayan Palace) and the beach area.  If you have never been there and haven't been to the Grand Luxxe pool, you may not even realize you are missing something. JMHO of course.


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## hurnik

Lingber said:


> I asked if exchangers into Grand Luxxe were restricted from using any facilities at the property? I know it is disappointing! But if its about proximity, the Grand Luxxe pool isn't "close" either. It is not like other hotels where you walk outside the lobby and its there. It is a hike. Take a look at the map.
> 
> https://www.vidanta.com/documents/65216/76629/Riviera-Maya.pdf/49bef212-0e50-8f0f-508d-b445718ba350
> 
> Nothing is really close when you stay at Grand Luxxe. This is not a "Beachfront" hotel experience where you walk out the door and are on the beach. The Vidanta property is a huge compound. They provide each resort with their own shuttle service to make everything more accessible. We also like to use the walkways and even walk to the beach club. The installed wooden walkways and the walk is great exercise and very pretty. The Shuttle service is prompt (most of the time, but hey it is Mexico! ) and the restaurants and overall service have been very good! The Grand Luxxe residences are beautiful and having access to their gym is a huge benefit. We loved the old Beach Club when we were there in the summer about 4 years ago. It had a gorgeous view of the ocean, a swim up bar and lots of seating options, whereas the Grand Luxxe pool had no view of the ocean and very little breeze due to being encircled by vegetation so once we discovered the Beach Club that was our go to.
> 
> We are excited to try the New Beach Club and if we find it isn't to our liking there are still two other pools (Grand Mayan and Mayan Palace) and the beach area.  If you have never been there and haven't been to the Grand Luxxe pool, you may not even realize you are missing something. JMHO of course.



Interesting.  Not sure I like it, but it does sound Vidanta-like.
We were there 2 years ago (?) on an SFX exchange and none of us (I had 3 rooms) were allowed to use the Grand Luxxe Spa either.  Only Owners were allowed to use that.  You could use the spa located down by Havana Moon though (Brio ?), just not the one by the GL building.


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## PamMo

I'm learning all kinds of new things about GL in the Riviera Maya. Exchangers can't use the GL spa? We really enjoyed the GL spa in NV!


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## NiteMaire

PamMo said:


> I'm learning all kinds of new things about GL in the Riviera Maya. Exchangers can't use the GL spa? We really enjoyed the GL spa in NV!


In the past, it was that exchangers couldn't use the daily amenities of the spa unless they had a massage that day. The inability to use it at all would be yet another significant change.

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## melissy123

About not being able to use the spa, that is simply not true.  We were exchangers at LXR last year and were able to use the Grand Luxxe spa.


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## ilene13

Lingber said:


> I asked if exchangers into Grand Luxxe were restricted from using any facilities at the property? I know it is disappointing! But if its about proximity, the Grand Luxxe pool isn't "close" either. It is not like other hotels where you walk outside the lobby and its there. It is a hike. Take a look at the map.
> 
> https://www.vidanta.com/documents/65216/76629/Riviera-Maya.pdf/49bef212-0e50-8f0f-508d-b445718ba350
> 
> Nothing is really close when you stay at Grand Luxxe. This is not a "Beachfront" hotel experience where you walk out the door and are on the beach. The Vidanta property is a huge compound. They provide each resort with their own shuttle service to make everything more accessible. We also like to use the walkways and even walk to the beach club. The installed wooden walkways and the walk is great exercise and very pretty. The Shuttle service is prompt (most of the time, but hey it is Mexico! ) and the restaurants and overall service have been very good! The Grand Luxxe residences are beautiful and having access to their gym is a huge benefit. We loved the old Beach Club when we were there in the summer about 4 years ago. It had a gorgeous view of the ocean, a swim up bar and lots of seating options, whereas the Grand Luxxe pool had no view of the ocean and very little breeze due to being encircled by vegetation so once we discovered the Beach Club that was our go to.
> 
> We are excited to try the New Beach Club and if we find it isn't to our liking there are still two other pools (Grand Mayan and Mayan Palace) and the beach area.  If you have never been there and haven't been to the Grand Luxxe pool, you may not even realize you are missing something. JMHO of course.


We prefer the GL pool as there are fewer children.  We went to the beach club in 2015, it had just opened and we were not impressed.


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## bizaro86

ilene13 said:


> We prefer the GL pool as there are fewer children.  We went to the beach club in 2015, it had just opened and we were not impressed.



For some reason I find this hilarious. 

We preferred the GL pool with our children. Primarily because the beach club was so loud. The music and loud/inebriated adults disturbed my toddlers...

We also often went to the Grand Mayan pool, because it is zero entry


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## lauramiddl

Last week at jungle luxxe, we were able to use the GL spa and fitness center. You could use the spa hydrotherapy rooms onehour before any massage treatment without charge.  You could also pay just to use the hydrotherapy rooms.


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## Lingber

ilene13 said:


> We prefer the GL pool as there are fewer children.  We went to the beach club in 2015, it had just opened and we were not impressed.



ilene13 I understand why you liked the GL pool. It was very serene while we were there and the sorbet and cold towels were nice touches. 

From what I have heard the beach club was demolished in 2016 and replaced with a completely new facility. New pools, layout etc. I think they were going for a more hip vibe so I won't be surprised if there is loud music etc. We shall see in a few weeks.


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## Flasher42

Has anyone bartered to do the presentation to gain full access to the GL pool?
Or what have your bartered for?


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## hurnik

melissy123 said:


> About not being able to use the spa, that is simply not true.  We were exchangers at LXR last year and were able to use the Grand Luxxe spa.



Well it was true back in 2015.  I can assure you that 3 different people in 3 different rooms didn't magically hallucinate and make up the same story when trying to book massages at the spa.  (Sorry, you're not an owner, you're an exchanger, only Owners can book a massage at the spa).

However, Vidanta DOES routinely change things constantly.

Supposedly the new restriction on the GL Pool and Burgers is only temporary according to my source at an exchange company.

When we originally exchanged into GL (this was 7 years ago?) only GL guests could use the pool /burger restaurant.
When we went back in 2015, they had opened the Burger Custom Made to *all* guests (just not the pool).
And now it's apparently (currently) restricted to owners.

Originally they had a 1-4 rule, then it was 1-3 and now there is no more rule (for RCI/SFX).

So they change stuff all the time.


----------



## Eric B

hurnik said:


> When we originally exchanged into GL (this was 7 years ago?) only GL guests could use the pool /burger restaurant.



Only guests, not owners?  Seems odd, but I wouldn’t put it past them.  The Cafe del Lago in RM is the only buffet I’ve run into where you have to have a waiter bring you bacon; maybe they let exchangers back to into Custom Burger, but not have cheese or bacon on theirs next....


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## melissy123

In reading another thread, it sounded like GL owners who exchanged back in had the restrictions about the GL pool.. but who knows.  We need someone who's going to be exchanging into GL which is the LXR code in Interval (not Jungle) and report back....I have an exchange into LXR in October and would be disappointed to not have use of the spa or the GL pool.


----------



## lauramiddl

melissy123 said:


> In reading another thread, it sounded like GL owners who exchanged back in had the restrictions about the GL pool.. but who knows.  We need someone who's going to be exchanging into GL which is the LXR code in Interval (not Jungle) and report back....I have an exchange into LXR in October and would be disappointed to not have use of the spa or the GL pool.



Tug User Lingber is exchanging into LXR and asked Vidanta specifically about LXR exchange access to GL Pool.



Lingber said:


> The response:
> "There have been some changes, but you still have access to the beach club, only exclusive areas for members are, The Grand Luxxe Pool, and The burger custom made."



I'm the OP.  I was able to use the fitness center, SPA hydrotherapy rooms, and book treatments, paying huge sums of money the week of Feb. 17, 2018.

Upon arrival, early Sat. 2/17/18, I was told specifically at check in that I had access to the GL pool and GL burger restaurant, with a form letter addressed to my family, signed by the president, reaffirming this.  A few days later, when denied access, I was told at the front desk that policies around facility access for exchangers often change, and that they won't honor any policy that was in effect when booking your trip, or checking in, apparently. 

*One must roll the dice....*maybe you will have access to something, maybe you won't. I was also told by the front desk manager "on duty" that that management (i.e. customer service and day to day hotel operations type people) have no control over these policies.  I interpreted that to mean that sales/timeshare level benefit people controlled this policy.

I'm sure this policy is in response to Luxxe members complaining about the crowd at the GL pool.  With the opening of Grand Luxxe Jungle, an additional 162 one bedroom plus size units which could easily each have three to four people in it, were suddenly trying to use those exclusive Grand Luxxe facilities.  Now, I bet the Grand Bliss owners are pissed.  Suddenly, a huge mass of people are using their exclusive "Beach Club," overcrowding that area.  So what will Vidanta do about that?  _On and on it goes._


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## ilene13

bizaro86 said:


> For some reason I find this hilarious.
> 
> We preferred the GL pool with our children. Primarily because the beach club was so loud. The music and loud/inebriated adults disturbed my toddlers...
> 
> We also often went to the Grand Mayan pool, because it is zero entry


We have exchanged 6 times to the GL.  Always, high season,  but not school holidays.  The GL pool rarely had children in it as they seemed to prefer the GM pool where there were activities.


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## Eric B

lauramiddl said:


> I'm sure this policy is in response to Luxxe members complaining about the crowd at the GL pool.  With the opening of Grand Luxxe Jungle, an additional 162 one bedroom plus size units which could easily each have three to four people in it, were suddenly trying to use those exclusive Grand Luxxe facilities.  Now, I bet the Grand Bliss owners are pissed.  Suddenly, a huge mass of people are using their exclusive "Beach Club," overcrowding that area.  So what will Vidanta do about that?  _On and on it goes._



The Lazy River in Riviera Maya is supposed to be limited to Grand Luxxe, though it’s not terribly clear to me whether it’ll be owners only or include exchangers.  Once it opens, it should alleviate any crowding due to Jungle Luxxe occupancy for the pools.  When that happens, I would expect them to act rationally and reopen the GL Pool to exchangers, but we’ll see.  That would better maximize their pool bar revenue and make more people happy.  Last I heard they were saying April for the opening; any updates?


----------



## PamMo

We've exchanged ONCE into Grand Luxxe in Nuevo Vallarta, so I am no expert. We absolutely LOVED our experience, and have looked forward to returning one day. With all this discussion over what type of guest gets which privileges, I'm thinking it's become ridiculous. A true first class resort treats ALL guests with care and respect.


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## hurnik

I can see it kinda both ways:

If I bought a 2 BR Grand Luxxe (I was quoted $240,000 USD back in 2014 in Nuevo), I'd be a bit peeved if I went and there wasn't room at the GL only pool because too many exchangers/etc. were there.

On the other hand, let's say an owner deposited a week into an Exchange company and then the exchanger wasn't able to enjoy all the benefits (what difference would it make, it's an "owner's week").

I guess ultimately it's up to Vidanta and they do like to change the rules and treat various exchanges differently.

For example, I believe that II (Interval International) had no 1 in X rules restriction for quite some time, but RCI/SFX did.
Now we have II and RCI having the $12 USD /adult/day (I think it's $12) resort fee, but SFX still has the $75/unit flat fee.  (which for 4 people makes a huge difference).

BTW, all the times we've stayed at Grand Luxxe have been on SFX exchanges, so it's entirely possible that II exchangers had more benefits or something.

I know we've never gotten the free spa treatment that owners get, except one time when one of my SFX bookings was an actual owner's week (vs. a Vidanta bulk deposit week).

Either way, I think Vidanta would be better served by letting folks know ahead of time, rather than "surprise" when you get there.


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## holdaer

RCI is now charging exchangers $30/adult/day to stay at GM Nuevo Vallarta, Riviera Maya and Los Cabo.


----------



## tschwa2

hurnik said:


> I can see it kinda both ways:
> 
> If I bought a 2 BR Grand Luxxe (I was quoted $240,000 USD back in 2014 in Nuevo), I'd be a bit peeved if I went and there wasn't room at the GL only pool because too many exchangers/etc. were there.
> 
> On the other hand, let's say an owner deposited a week into an Exchange company and then the exchanger wasn't able to enjoy all the benefits (what difference would it make, it's an "owner's week").
> 
> I guess ultimately it's up to Vidanta and they do like to change the rules and treat various exchanges differently.
> 
> For example, I believe that II (Interval International) had no 1 in X rules restriction for quite some time, but RCI/SFX did.
> Now we have II and RCI having the $12 USD /adult/day (I think it's $12) resort fee, but SFX still has the $75/unit flat fee.  (which for 4 people makes a huge difference).
> 
> BTW, all the times we've stayed at Grand Luxxe have been on SFX exchanges, so it's entirely possible that II exchangers had more benefits or something.
> 
> I know we've never gotten the free spa treatment that owners get, except one time when one of my SFX bookings was an actual owner's week (vs. a Vidanta bulk deposit week).
> 
> Either way, I think Vidanta would be better served by letting folks know ahead of time, rather than "surprise" when you get there.


SFX still charges the $75 flat fee but for Grand Luxxe don't they charge another $299 fee to exchange in on top of the regular exchange fee.  
I think it is in recognition that the Luxxe units especially the 2-4 bedroom ones in both SFX and II are developer deposits not owner deposits.  II still has the 12 per person per day but RCI now has the higher per person per day and it applies to children 6-12 ( I think as well).  In the past and I don't know if this is still the case, Luxxe deposits listed under platinum priority were excess Registry collection deposits and had no extra fee associated with them.  In terms of straight RCI deposits, I don't think it is an option for Luxxe owners so non registry inventory even the smaller units would be excess developer inventory.  Vidant has so many units resort wide through all the levels.  Looking at the number of deposits the various exchange companies get, my guess would be in the 6,000-10,000 units per year range with the majority of these either being developer deposits and the owner deposits often being owners exchanging back into the resort.


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## ilene13

We exchanged to the GL in NV once and the GL pool was very crowded.  The 5 times we have exchanged to the GL in RM it was fairly empty.


----------



## T-Dot-Traveller

tschwa2 said:


> SFX still charges the $75 flat fee but for Grand Luxxe don't they charge another $299 fee to exchange in on top of the regular exchange fee.
> I think it is in recognition that the Luxxe units especially the 2-4 bedroom ones in both SFX and II are developer deposits not owner deposits.  II still has the 12 per person per day but RCI now has the higher per person per day and it applies to children 6-12 ( I think as well).  In the past and I don't know if this is still the case, Luxxe deposits listed under platinum priority were excess Registry collection deposits and had no extra fee associated with them.  In terms of straight RCI deposits, I don't think it is an option for Luxxe owners so non registry inventory even the smaller units would be excess developer inventory.  Vidant has so many units resort wide through all the levels.  Looking at the number of deposits the various exchange companies get, my guess would be in the 6,000-10,000 units per year range with the majority of these either being developer deposits and the owner deposits often being owners exchanging back into the resort.



IMO - Vidanta likely does developer "deposits" the way hotels and airlines list on travel sites . ie The same week is listed on more than one exchange company . As bookings come in they
update the listings . Call it "floating deposits" for a RTU float week system .

They also have to hold back enough inventory for their  major ARP points in owner contracts (1 year /  6 months) before snowbird months .
 My Mayan Palace contract has 6 month ARP - so Aug. 1 2018 I can book any Feb 2019 week ( using my 2018 registered owner week) . Aug 1 is a very busy day at their Neuvo Vallarta call centre .

Since  Vidanta builds in pesos and collects MF in USD - they have built for peak snowbird season ; and have lots of shoulder season availability

******

FYI - I think there is a lower $ exchanger fee for children .

It is worth looking at the total cost of an exchange / not just the resort fee . For example :
Grand Mayan NV - 2 bedroom - April, May,June 2018 - 8 TPU's - RCI Weeks .

If your TPU cost is around $20 ;  that is about $1300 for 4 ( TPU cost + RCI exchange fee + resort fee x 4 )
-in a spacious 2 bedroom , with full daily housekeeping and towel service, AND $ 210 (25% of resort fee) is credited back for restaurant etc use at the resort .

 Assuming you eat -
 $1090 - Net for the week .

******

FYI - they will bill the resort fee in pesos ( based on their daily posted USD - peso exchange rate )
this helps Canadians and others by not having to pay to convert twice via  a credit card
ie  Mx pesos to USD to $ CAD = xx / is likely more costly than Mx pesos to $CAD .


----------



## T-Dot-Traveller

tschwa2 said:


> SFX still charges the $75 flat fee but for Grand Luxxe don't they charge another $299 fee to exchange in on top of the regular exchange fee.
> I think it is in recognition that the Luxxe units especially the 2-4 bedroom ones in both SFX and II are developer deposits not owner deposits ...... Vidant has so many units resort wide through all the levels.  Looking at the number of deposits the various exchange companies get, my guess would be in the 6,000-10,000 units per year range with the majority of these either being developer deposits and the owner deposits often being owners exchanging back into the resort.



System wide , all brands - the developer deposit number is likely higher .

If the RM : (recently opened)  Grand Luxxe Jungle unit count is in the 160 range ., and you assume 5 months ( May, June & Sept , Oct , Nov ) are the "shoulder season and could be  developer deposited .

This alone could be 3000 + units available through exchange channels . ( 5 months  x 4 weeks x 160 units)

AND 3000 + prospects for a Vida sales presentation .


----------



## hurnik

tschwa2 said:


> SFX still charges the $75 flat fee but for Grand Luxxe don't they charge another $299 fee to exchange in on top of the regular exchange fee.
> I think it is in recognition that the Luxxe units especially the 2-4 bedroom ones in both SFX and II are developer deposits not owner deposits.  II still has the 12 per person per day but RCI now has the higher per person per day and it applies to children 6-12 ( I think as well).  In the past and I don't know if this is still the case, Luxxe deposits listed under platinum priority were excess Registry collection deposits and had no extra fee associated with them.  In terms of straight RCI deposits, I don't think it is an option for Luxxe owners so non registry inventory even the smaller units would be excess developer inventory.  Vidant has so many units resort wide through all the levels.  Looking at the number of deposits the various exchange companies get, my guess would be in the 6,000-10,000 units per year range with the majority of these either being developer deposits and the owner deposits often being owners exchanging back into the resort.



Yes, you are correct on the SFX $299 uplift for Grand Luxxe.  Forgot about that.  (although for *me* it's still cheaper than the $2500 to rent a 2 BR from an owner).

I also forgot about the Platinum RCI stuff (I don't have that via my HGVC RCI account).

So it seems there's lots of variables here when exchanging and that Vidanta constantly changes things, so it does help to be aware of these things ahead of time, although it doesn't help much when you're not told that you can't access the pool/burger place prior to booking.

Although the resorts are still very ooh-la-la regardless and we'd still stay there anyway just because we like the extra nice accommodations.


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## Eric B

Depending on the GL unit (suite, spa, villa, loft, etc.), as an owner I can deposit with SFX, Registry Collection, or Elite Alliance.  I might be able to deposit with RCI, but wouldn’t dream of it because it’s a bit tough to match the quality and the MF is a bit high.  I’d rather rent one to hurnik for the $2500, or better yet go there myself.  I might try out the direct exchange route sometime in the future, but it looks to me like I’ll have to go to other places renting myself instead of exchanging in RCI or use Elite Alliance to match the quality.  The reason the rent is high is because the fees owners pay are high.  We do get the occasional perk, though.


----------



## bizaro86

Rent also stays high because of the no stay-no pay feature. If they didn't have that, I think rents would fall a bit as there would always be a few owners who couldn't go this year trying to recoup fees, which would increase the supply of rentals.


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## Eric B

I was curious, so I tried using the RCI weeks deposit calculator for a GL NV Spa 2 BR, and it couldn’t figure out how many TPU that would get.  Seems like they aren’t really equipped to accept them.  While it’s an affiliated resort, there are probably contractual limitations that prevent an owner deposit.


----------



## T-Dot-Traveller

Eric B said:


> I was curious, so I tried using the RCI weeks deposit calculator for a GL NV Spa 2 BR, and it couldn’t figure out how many TPU that would get.  Seems like they aren’t really equipped to accept them.  While it’s an affiliated resort, there are probably contractual limitations that prevent an owner deposit.



As I understand it - A 2 bedroom Mayan Palace deposited  as 2 units locked off gets 36- 39 TPU's ( 20+16 / 22+ 17 -  range) If the MF is $ 875 ish ( older contract with the 3% MF cap are likely
less $ / I am not factoring the 5 year reno MF on older contracts  ) . So a $ 22-25 per TPU range . Grand Mayan 2 bedrooms may get a few more TPU's but also have a higher MF , so likely in the same range .

If they were to gave you 60 TPU's and the MF is over $2000 for GL- you are closer to $40 than $20 per TPU .

I know there are focused TUG members who have TPU'costs below $15 . Personally I think low $20's probably works well for most folks doing one or two exchanges  a year


----------



## Eric B

I suppose if I got 60 TPU for each side of a GL 2 BR suite, which is a lock off, that would be a decent return, but I don’t think it’d make much sense. I was just looking out of curiosity; the incentives are much better for Vidanta to make bulk deposits at the GL level than for owners.


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## RLS50

We booked a 1BR Grand Luxxe Jungle (LXJ) unit in April via an II accommodations certificate.   I don't see anything in II about daily resort fees?   Is there any?  If so what are they?

I am assuming from the comments to date we won't have access to the GL pool and the Burger place.  I am not sure what that means to us though since we haven't been to this property before. 

Apologize if this II accommodation certificate daily resort fee question is answered conclusively somewhere, but I have seen multiple amounts mentioned (I guess due to the changes and depending on II, RCI, SFX, etc).   So I am not sure what the charges are, if any.


----------



## RLS50

RLS50 said:


> We booked a 1BR Grand Luxxe Jungle (LXJ) unit in April via an II accommodations certificate.   I don't see anything in II about daily resort fees?   Is there any?  If so what are they?


So I got my answer.   As of April 2nd, guests coming into Vidanta properties on an II certificate are going to be charged $30 per person per day, increasing from $11 per person per day.  That is $60 per day per couple, $420 for the week.   Good thing it's just the two of us.  It's my fault for booking this not knowing the fees, and expecting that if there were any fees they would be reasonable.   Lesson learned.  If I knew my cost was going to be almost $800 for the week instead of $350 I would have just paid more to book WLR or even book Aruba which also had some nice resort selections for the accommodations certificate. 

I'll make sure I highlight this on my II post trip survey and will write a letter to II when we return.  Fees at $30 per person per day need to be highlighted more prominently in some way in the main search, similar to the way II prominently warns about the additional all inclusive fees charged by some resorts with the blue plus sign in the circle.


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## dioxide45

This is what I see when I go through the exchange steps on the II website fror Grand Luxxe Jungle RM

_Resort Fee: USD 11 per adult per day Effective April 2, 2018: Resort Fee: USD 30 adult/daily. Children 5-12 years of age: USD 15 per child per day. Member will have a 25% on resort credits. To schedule airport transfer to the resort, please enter to: https://shuttleservices.vidanta.com/ The following information must be provided within five days before check-in: confirmation number, name of the resort, and flight information. Valet parking: MXN 100 daily.  A government imposed Environmental/Infrastructure. Impact Fee of MXN20 per unit, per night will be collected.
_
I don't know if the effective date of 4/2/2018 is for when the exchange was confirmed or when you travel.

We won't ever make it to Vidanta RM, we will stick to using our SOs to go to WLR.


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## Lingber

*So just went on II and tried to book LXR with both with an accommodations Cert and just using my points. Both now have the following language. 

REQUIRED RESORT CHARGES* 
REQUIRED SURCHARGES (energy, accommodations/occupancy tax, bed tax, fees or other miscellaneous) ARE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE OCCUPANT AND ARE PAYABLE DIRECTLY TO THE RESORT. Surcharges are subject to change without notice. Resort Fee: USD 11 per adult per day Effective April 2, 2018: Resort Fee: USD 30 adult/daily. Children 5-12 years of age: USD 15 per child per day. Member will have a 25% on resort credits.

Its getting very expensive to go to these properties. Was a great deal at $75 per week. Not as great for a family at $11 a person but still went. Now at $30 a person, I am going to have to rethink the 2 bedroom I have a request in on for Nuevo LX2.


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## RLS50

dioxide45 said:


> This is what I see when I go through the exchange steps on the II website fror Grand Luxxe Jungle RM
> 
> _Resort Fee: USD 11 per adult per day Effective April 2, 2018: Resort Fee: USD 30 adult/daily. Children 5-12 years of age: USD 15 per child per day. Member will have a 25% on resort credits. To schedule airport transfer to the resort, please enter to: https://shuttleservices.vidanta.com/ The following information must be provided within five days before check-in: confirmation number, name of the resort, and flight information. Valet parking: MXN 100 daily.  A government imposed Environmental/Infrastructure. Impact Fee of MXN20 per unit, per night will be collected.
> _
> I don't know if the effective date of 4/2/2018 is for when the exchange was confirmed or when you travel.
> 
> We won't ever make it to Vidanta RM, we will stick to using our SOs to go to WLR.


Unfortunately we rented our WLR unit this year months ago because of a project I was on at work.   Things went much better than expected and the opportunity to get back to Mexico for a week this spring came up.   Unfortunately I couldn't find a WLR unit for the dates we can travel so I saw this in II and figured we would try out this property for the first time since the cert was only $300 and I haven't stayed at a Riviera Maya resort in 20 years.   I also wanted to scout this out in case the kids (all in their late teens / early 20's) might like the bigger property (and close to Xcaret and Xel-Ha which they like).

In a rush I saw the $11 per person fee, which matched some things I had read last year on TUG, and missed the raise to $30 per person as of April 2.   It was my fault being in a rush trying to book something fast before we had to leave for an event.   But $30 per day?  Per person?   Really?  That seems excessive.   Unless the place totally blows us away I can't see us returning.   And with a family of 6?  Forget that.


----------



## Lingber

Actually, the only way I will book it again is if I find it on a cert at a time we can go that isn't crazy hot and its just hubby and I. Otherwise I am paying for my Hyatt points, then the II fee and now the new, crazy high Vidanta fee. Not a good use of my points!  BTW we were at Grand Luxxe last week. No access to the GL Pool or Burger Custom made and need to be at beach club by 9:30 and wait online until they open at 10 if you want a nice seat.


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## RLS50

Lingber said:


> Actually, the only way I will book it again is if I find it on a cert at a time we can go that isn't crazy hot and its just hubby and I. Otherwise I am paying for my Hyatt points, then the II fee and now the new, crazy high Vidanta fee. Not a good use of my points!  BTW we were at Grand Luxxe last week. No access to the GL Pool or Burger Custom made and need to be at beach club by 9:30 and wait online until they open at 10 if you want a nice seat.


Thanks for that info.  Since I have never been I have no idea what we are missing out on when folks talk about access being denied to the GL Pool and Burger Custom made.


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## Lingber

RLS50 said:


> Thanks for that info.  Since I have never been I have no idea what we are missing out on when folks talk about access being denied to the GL Pool and Burger Custom made.



The Beach Club is beautiful. Just getting there early is pain. It’s a beautiful place overall and we enjoyed our stay very much. Have fun! 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## hurnik

RLS50 said:


> So I got my answer.   As of April 2nd, guests coming into Vidanta properties on an II certificate are going to be charged $30 per person per day, increasing from $11 per person per day.  That is $60 per day per couple, $420 for the week.   Good thing it's just the two of us.  It's my fault for booking this not knowing the fees, and expecting that if there were any fees they would be reasonable.   Lesson learned.  If I knew my cost was going to be almost $800 for the week instead of $350 I would have just paid more to book WLR or even book Aruba which also had some nice resort selections for the accommodations certificate.
> 
> I'll make sure I highlight this on my II post trip survey and will write a letter to II when we return.  Fees at $30 per person per day need to be highlighted more prominently in some way in the main search, similar to the way II prominently warns about the additional all inclusive fees charged by some resorts with the blue plus sign in the circle.



DAMN, that's expensive.  They typically consider "adult" anyone over 12 (even for occupancy).  4 people that's an extra $840 for the week.  Makes it almost prohibitive to go there, IMO, by the time you pay your exchange fee and your MF for your week that you deposited.

Guess they probably only want owners to be there and not exchangers.


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## Eric B

They do give a 25% credit towards room charges on the resort fee actually paid, though, so 4 people would effectively be $630, unless you don't eat at any of their restaurants or buy anything in their stores.  It's set up as 25% of the actually paid resort fee because one of the ways they try to get you to attend a sales pitch is by offering reduced resort fees.

Vidanta does a pretty good job of monitoring social media (including TUG) to manage their reputation.  My guess would be that someone actually took note of the postings here or elsewhere by folks that are dedicated exchangers into Grand Luxxe via II (or RCI) commenting that they'd never buy since they can exchange in for less than half the cost to an owner of going there.  I forget who it was, but someone posted fairly recently that they were getting into the loft or spa units for half the cost of folks that bought in and were staying there without exchanging; the post included saying they had extensive conversations with the owners, too, I believe.  It also wouldn't take much for an organization like Vidanta to realize that this is a major disincentive to sales that they should address; it doesn't make much sense from a business perspective to run a resort of the quality they do for the Grand Luxxe ones with a discount for stays their for people paying maintenance fees to other resorts and exchanging in II.  I think you're on the right track with the preference for owners, but they do want exchangers coming in with appropriate incentives to help turn them into owners.


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## Tucsonadventurer

dioxide45 said:


> This is what I see when I go through the exchange steps on the II website fror Grand Luxxe Jungle RM
> 
> _Resort Fee: USD 11 per adult per day Effective April 2, 2018: Resort Fee: USD 30 adult/daily. Children 5-12 years of age: USD 15 per child per day. Member will have a 25% on resort credits. To schedule airport transfer to the resort, please enter to: https://shuttleservices.vidanta.com/ The following information must be provided within five days before check-in: confirmation number, name of the resort, and flight information. Valet parking: MXN 100 daily.  A government imposed Environmental/Infrastructure. Impact Fee of MXN20 per unit, per night will be collected.
> _
> I don't know if the effective date of 4/2/2018 is for when the exchange was confirmed or when you travel.
> 
> We won't ever make it to Vidanta RM, we will stick to using our SOs to go to WLR.


We are not going back either. They make it difficult to get off grounds without a taxi. We felt like we were sneaking off campus when we learned the beach route to get off grounds. There are some very nice features and non-sales staff are wonderful but I felt like I was on a cruise ship. And this is just our personal experience. Most folks there seemed to love it and be quite happy. Owners seemed to be trading up often and we did love many things about it such as the fireworks and  nightly entertainment on the beach. The pavillion where the shows were, charged a 2 drink minimum per person which excluded us. My husband doesn't drink and after happy hr at the pool and a glass of wine with dinner I am not able to drink 2 drinks.


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## Eric B

Tucsonadventurer said:


> We are not going back either. They make it difficult to get off grounds without a taxi. We felt like we were sneaking off campus when we learned the beach route to get off grounds. There are some very nice features and non-sales staff are wonderful but I felt like I was on a cruise ship. And this is just our personal experience. Most folks there seemed to love it and be quite happy. Owners seemed to be trading up often and we did love many things about it such as the fireworks and  nightly entertainment on the beach. The pavillion where the shows were, charged a 2 drink minimum per person which excluded us. My husband doesn't drink and after happy hr at the pool and a glass of wine with dinner I am not able to drink 2 drinks.



Interesting; the detailed explanation in RCI for the Nuevo Vallarta resorts says the resort fee includes "cover to the 'Santuario'."  That's not included in the discussion of the Riviera Maya ones.  Didn't know they had a minimum drink at the pavilion in Riviera Maya, but then again, we didn't go to any of the shows there last time we were down.  Good to know.


----------



## T-Dot-Traveller

hurnik said:


> DAMN, that's expensive.  They typically consider "adult" anyone over 12 (even for occupancy).  4 people that's an extra $840 for the week.  Makes it almost prohibitive to go there, IMO, by the time you pay your exchange fee and your MF for your week that you deposited.
> 
> Guess they probably only want owners to be there and not exchangers.



I only have RCI weeks to compare - Grand Bliss & Grand Mayan NV - 2 bedroom 9 TPU's / !bedroom 8 TPU 
 April - May - June 2018

at $ 25 per TPU 
$225+ $259 + $630( resort fee for 4 / less 25% restaurant charge rebate) =$ 1114  for the week 
daily housekeeping and towel service etc .

I don't think that is prohibitive and is line with what an owner MF for  a week.


----------



## Eric B

In 2017 a 2 BR GB usage fee was ~$1500 and a 2 BR GM was ~$1400, depending on when the owner bought in.  The resort fee does get the relative costs close to a wash between the two ways of getting there.  I'd say it winds up being a personal choice for folks as to whether it's worth it.


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## Tucsonadventurer

Eric B said:


> Interesting; the detailed explanation in RCI for the Nuevo Vallarta resorts says the resort fee includes "cover to the 'Santuario'."  That's not included in the discussion of the Riviera Maya ones.  Didn't know they had a minimum drink at the pavilion in Riviera Maya, but then again, we didn't go to any of the shows there last time we were down.  Good to know.


I heard it was a fairly new rule. We got kicked out when we ordered 1 drink. It was not crowded at all when we were told there was a minimum.


----------



## hurnik

Eric B said:


> In 2017 a 2 BR GB usage fee was ~$1500 and a 2 BR GM was ~$1400, depending on when the owner bought in.  The resort fee does get the relative costs close to a wash between the two ways of getting there.  I'd say it winds up being a personal choice for folks as to whether it's worth it.



If it's a 2 BR Grand Luxxe, possibly (IMO) as i know the MF they quoted me at the sales presentation was approx. $1800 for a 2 BR GL.
for GM/GB, seems excessive, but I guess it depends.

With HGVC, it's 4800 points to get into a 2 BR GM/GB.  Depending on what type of unit one bought with HGVC, that could be about $800 in MF (or more, but I'm going with mine which are cheaper).
Plus the $240 RCI Exchange Fee.
Plus the now, $30/adult (let's assume 4 adults) = 840
So: $800 + 240 + 840 = 1880.  (edited) forgot to add in the $11/adult/day RCI fee, so another $308), brings it up to:  $2188.

More than the GL MF (and a lot more than the GM MF if I recall as they kept wanting me to buy so they downgraded, etc.)
Average rental on Redweek for 2 BR GM during similar season (just for comparison) is about $1700-$1800.

Currently I can pick up 2 BR GM/GB via SFX for a cost of $702 plus the $75/unit charge, so let's just say $800 with my exchange.  GL is $300 more.

As always, your mileage may vary.  I think that's the highest charge I've seen lately on exchanges ($30/adult/day) for a non-AI resort.  I know DVC is starting something like a $25/day/unit charge and some HGVC via RCI exchanges are around the same (but it's not per adult, AFAIK).

Given the wash between exchanging and renting direct from an owner, (in most cases) I'd say rent from an owner so you get the actual benefits (well mostly, depends on what their contract says) as sometimes you get a free spa or round of golf.


----------



## Eric B

For the 2 BR GL suite/condo level, it was ~$2,100 in 2017.  You can get a 2 BR GL suite in Nuevo Vallarta through Save On Resorts for $2199.  It's not really clear going through there if there are any resort fees attached.  It also seems unlikely that these are owner deposits because of the availability; probably bulk deposits by Vidanta instead.



hurnik said:


> Given the wash between exchanging and renting direct from an owner, (in most cases) I'd say rent from an owner so you get the actual benefits (well mostly, depends on what their contract says) as sometimes you get a free spa or round of golf.



You're probably right about that.  When the Cirque park opens, there are some other perks owners get that would work for rentals; I'm supposed to get 2 days entry for the price of one and access to the entry from the Vidanta resort side.  I know there are some folks that go to the effort of trying to rent out their weeks, but I don't think the numbers really pencil out right to be worth it, particularly for a non-mandatory maintenance fee that's close to the rental amount you could get.


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## Lingber

To book a 2 bedroom after I convert my Hyatt to II, I spend about $800 in Maintenance fees. Add the exchange fees and then the Resort Fees and I am well over $1600 a week. Its a great property and still a "deal" vs getting 2 rooms for 7 nights elsewhere, but there are better deals at beautiful properties in Mexico and elsewhere that are on the beach and don't have some of the drawbacks that this property GL RM does. Since they added the GL Jungle, the shuttles now stop there in addition to the residences. Makes for a much longer ride and wait time. They need to sort that out. They also are really making it harder for exchangers to use the amenities by taking away the GL pool and reserving so many of the chairs at the beach club for owners. I get why, but as an exchanger its an inconvenience. I really want to try the GL NV and still may go someday in a studio with just my spouse instead of the family trip we originally contemplated. But no plans to go to RM again anytime soon. And by the way, I know they want exchangers so they can sell units but we also spend quite a bit while on property on food and drinks. That has to be an incentive to them to keep us coming?


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## Eric B

Spending on food and drinks is an incentive for them, of course, but Vidanta isn't a unitary organization.  It's divided up into different corporate entities under an umbrella corporation, Grupo Vidanta.  The sales side of the house is Vida Vacations and has a great deal of input into things that are inputs into the sales process, including making units available for exchange, room assignments for people checking in, etc.  The hotel side of the house is Vidanta and is responsible for running the resort, restaurants, etc.

My interpretation of the behavior of of the organization as a whole is that there are actually competing incentives for the two sides that are in some ways aligned, but in some ways working at cross purposes.  The hotel side would increase its profits and its contribution to the organization as a whole by filling the units throughout the year to the extent they can, keeping people entertained and happy on the resort itself so that they spend their vacation dollars there rather than just providing a base of operations for people to visit the surroundings.  Both sides benefit from people coming in on exchanges, but to a different extent.  The sales side has potential customers to sell to and the hotel side has restaurant customers; they can't be making much if anything at all from what it costs for an exchange customer to go there since the MF goes to their home resort and the exchange fee goes to II, RCI, SFX, or wherever (though there may be some share going to them of the exchange fee depending on the contract).  Prior to the imposition of the resort fees, it may have actually have been costing the hotel side to have exchangers stay there, though that's just speculation on my part.  The resort fees cover those costs for the hotel side and provide an additional set of incentives the sales side can use to get people to attend sales presentations and potentially buy in.

The thing to keep in mind if you exchange in there is that there are an awful lot of things that you can bargain for if you're willing to give them the time at a sales pitch.  I've heard that some people have gotten owner's bracelet keys instead of exchanger's ones so they can use the GL pool and custom burger, etc.


----------



## PamMo

Eric B said:


> ...The thing to keep in mind if you exchange in there is that there are an awful lot of things that you can bargain for if you're willing to give them the time at a sales pitch.  I've heard that some people have gotten owner's bracelet keys instead of exchanger's ones so they can use the GL pool and custom burger, etc.



Vidanta will lose guests and potential buyers if a prerequisite to enjoying the amenities of a timeshare resort is having to sit through hours of a sales presentation. Come on, we're booking an exchange, not a preview package. 

Some of us own at great resorts with maintenance fees as high or higher than Grand Luxxe (for example, my Harborside and Westin Ka'anapali weeks), so they are pretty even trades. NOT when Vidanta adds crazy high resort fees and limits our access to amenities, though. Sadly, I will not be exchanging into Vidanta again in the future.


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## Eric B

PamMo said:


> Vidanta will lose guests and potential buyers if a prerequisite to enjoying the amenities of a timeshare resort is having to sit through hours of a sales presentation. Come on, we're booking an exchange, not a preview package.
> 
> Some of us own at great resorts with maintenance fees as high or higher than Grand Luxxe (for example, my Harborside and Westin Ka'anapali weeks), so they are pretty even trades. NOT when Vidanta adds crazy high resort fees and limits our access to amenities, though. Sadly, I will not be exchanging into Vidanta again in the future.



That's completely understandable.  Frankly, I wouldn't pay a usage fee at Grand Luxxe to trade elsewhere in RCI because of that trade off; I don't have any other resorts in II, so haven't used them.  Vidanta doesn't seem to be applying the resort fees to some of the exchange methods to get there (i.e., the Registry Collection and Elite Alliance).  That strikes me as being part of a market segmentation effort since the reciprocal resorts in those systems are all ones where maintenance fees are higher, weeding out on the part of the sales side of potential customers that are less likely to buy.  From their perspective, they only care about how high your maintenance fees are at the other resort as an indication of your ability to pay for their product.  Your maintenance fee at the other resort only contributes to their ability to pay there bills to the extent that owners at Grand Luxxe pay maintenance fees and exchange out to your resort.  I might do that for Harbourside or Westin Ka'anapali, but not for the main run of resorts otherwise available; hence the lack of resort fees on more exclusive exchanges.


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## dioxide45

At $30 per person per day, this is definitly getting in to AI territory. My wife has become a travel agent and we have been looking at all inclusives for several clients. One can go to Jamaica, Punta Cana or even Cancun/Riveria Maya for $1250 per person including air.

If we use the below as an example. The $1114 doesn't include air, so add anywhere from $500 to $600 for a couple. It also doesn't include any food or beverage. Perhaps $100 a day? So you are looking at $2400 all in for seven nights. I can get the same deal at an AI and not have to worry about the costs of booking the flight separately or daily costs for food and beverage. Of course the room may not be on par with what you can get at Vidanta, but I am not traveling to sit in my room.



T-Dot-Traveller said:


> I only have RCI weeks to compare - Grand Bliss & Grand Mayan NV - 2 bedroom 9 TPU's / !bedroom 8 TPU
> April - May - June 2018
> 
> at $ 25 per TPU
> $225+ $259 + $630( resort fee for 4 / less 25% restaurant charge rebate) =$ 1114  for the week
> daily housekeeping and towel service etc .
> 
> I don't think that is prohibitive and is line with what an owner MF for  a week.


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## nomadio

Regarding the new fine print: "Member will have a 25% on resort credits."  Has anyone confirmed what this actually means?  Someone suggested it meant 25% off the new resort fee but that doesn't seem to make sense to me.  Might it be the case that you'll receive 25% off your resort purchases for the week (likely just food and beverages)?  In other words, just yet another way to keep people from leaving the resort, but now also an incentive to have you stop making lots of meals in your room?  We just spent a week at GLNV and 25% of our food/beverage bill would have exceeded the new fee if we'd have had to pay it. We ate most lunches and dinners at resort restaurants.  If on the other hand you only eat at the restaurants occasionally, the new fee would be more onerous. When checking out yesterday I asked the check out fellow about the new 25% fee.  He was clueless.

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## TheHappyWanderer

My understanding is that it means 25% of the resort fee will be credited to your account for in-resort enjoyment of services, food and beverages.


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## Eric B

nomadio said:


> Regarding the new fine print: "Member will have a 25% on resort credits."  Has anyone confirmed what this actually means?  Someone suggested it meant 25% off the new resort fee but that doesn't seem to make sense to me.  Might it be the case that you'll receive 25% off your resort purchases for the week (likely just food and beverages)?  In other words, just yet another way to keep people from leaving the resort, but now also an incentive to have you stop making lots of meals in your room?  We just spent a week at GLNV and 25% of our food/beverage bill would have exceeded the new fee if we'd have had to pay it. We ate most lunches and dinners at resort restaurants.  If on the other hand you only eat at the restaurants occasionally, the new fee would be more onerous. When checking out yesterday I asked the check out fellow about the new 25% fee.  He was clueless.





TheHappyWanderer said:


> My understanding is that it means 25% of the resort fee will be credited to your account for in-resort enjoyment of services, food and beverages.



I haven't been there on an RCI exchange since the new fees were instituted, but have interpreted the wording based on what it says later in the fine print, that "Resort credits are calculated on the final total of the mandatory resort fee."  That would seem to make it a credit towards whatever you've charged to your room (not just food and beverages, but also including other stuff like suntan lotion and merchandise and possibly the taxes you have to pay) with the amount being essentially $7.50 per adult per day (25% of the $30), but potentially less if they make a deal with you for reduced resort fees to attend a sales pitch.  I don't think they'd give you a 25% discount on all charges to the room because (1) they typically offer a 10% discount for the sales pitch and (2) they limit the credit in the terms I quoted above.

The other thing to look at is what their incentives would be; these fees and the associated credits to offset them are only for folks exchanging in, so if it were actually 25% off on resort purchases for the week there would be no discount for owners paying the full freight for a usage fee, which is typically higher than most exchanges in.  I could see something like that happening inadvertently, but only for a short period of time before they got an awful lot of feedback from owners; it would be an immense disincentive to sales.  On the other hand, they're pretty much guaranteeing they'll take in $7.50 per adult per day in the bars and restaurants; nowhere near an all inclusive fee, but at least it helps cover their costs.


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## esk444

When I stayed at Grand Bliss in Riveria Maya, they charged a $72 fee for the entire unit.  But offered to waive the fee if I attended a timeshare presentation.  I told them I was OK with paying the $72 and didn't want the timeshare presentation.  He was pretty upset and followed me to my room trying to convince me and offering me more stuff.  

Would they waive the $30 per day resort fee if you did the timeshare presentation?  It was easy to blow off a $72 fee, but if it is now over $1,440 for a family of three, I probably can suffer through a few hours of torture.


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## tschwa2

From what I have heard they will wave about half of the fee but not necessarily the whole fee.  So the question is would $500-$750 off be enough of an incentive to get you to the sales table.


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## Eric B

esk444 said:


> When I stayed at Grand Bliss in Riveria Maya, they charged a $72 fee for the entire unit.  But offered to waive the fee if I attended a timeshare presentation.  I told them I was OK with paying the $72 and didn't want the timeshare presentation.  He was pretty upset and followed me to my room trying to convince me and offering me more stuff.
> 
> Would they waive the $30 per day resort fee if you did the timeshare presentation?  It was easy to blow off a $72 fee, but if it is now over $1,440 for a family of three, I probably can suffer through a few hours of torture.



Not sure how you got to $1,440 unless it's multiple weeks.  Three adults (assuming it's a child over 12) would be $630 per week ($472.50 with the 25% credit taken into account).  Anyway, last time I was there I got half off the old resort fee ($11 pppd) as an incentive.  You can always ask, but I wouldn't count on getting the whole thing off.  They do make allowances for waiving part of the fee; that's why the resort credit is based on the final resort fee paid.  I'd be willing to wager that they do the resort credit before they apply a 10% discount on charges to the room, which is one of the other incentives they tend to offer.


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## esk444

Math is obviously not my strong suit.


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## Eric B

esk444 said:


> Math is obviously not my strong suit.



Then don't go to a sales pitch there under any circumstances!!!


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## TravelTime

We are paying $999 for the week for the Grand Luxxe Riviera Maya Jungle Suite 1 Bedroom plus $75 per week resort fee. I think that sounds pretty good compared to what people are saying here.


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## T-Dot-Traveller

TravelTime said:


> We are paying $999 for the week for the Grand Luxxe Riviera Maya Jungle Suite 1 Bedroom plus $75 per week resort fee. I think that sounds pretty good compared to what people are saying here.



Was it through SFX ? 
I believe SFX  exchanges into Vidanta are still using the $75 resort fee .


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## TravelTime

T-Dot-Traveller said:


> Was it through SFX ?
> I believe SFX  exchanges into Vidanta are still using the $75 resort fee .



No, it was through ICE Rewards, but not affiliated with a timeshare program. I have my own account.


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## Eric B

ICE is pretty closely associated with Vidanta like SFX & The Registry Collection.  I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve got the $75 fee as well.  It probably depends on what contract through ICE it is, though; they’ve got a number of different relationships with various travel companies.


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## TravelTime

Are Grand Luxxe Jungle Suite exchangers paying through ICE Rewards allowed to use the Grand Luxxe pool and Beach Club?


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## Eric B

Not officially, but they will try to entice you to attend a sales presentation with access.  We did see several non-owners at the Grand Luxxe pool the last couple of days, but didn’t check to see what wristbands they had; knew they weren’t owners because we rode in the same van from the airport and spoke with them.


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## hurnik

Eric B said:


> ICE is pretty closely associated with Vidanta like SFX & The Registry Collection.  I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve got the $75 fee as well.  It probably depends on what contract through ICE it is, though; they’ve got a number of different relationships with various travel companies.



Yes, apparently ICE is actually the SFX-Travel store if you look close enough.  (or perhaps vice versa).
Anything booked with SFX-Travel Store (not SFX-Resorts) is actually an ICE booking (at least for cruises and resorts, and car rentals, and hotels, which is the only 4 things I've ever used).

So makes sense they would have the $75 resort fee.  Which is good. (I mean compared to $30/adult/day--ouch).


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## TravelTime

I called and confirmed what everyone said here. Decided to cancel since we can't use GL pool and beach club. Disappointed bc we were so looking forward to the beach club.


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## ilene13

We too canceled an exchange.  Luckily I had done the one where I can change it 3 times!


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## Eric B

It will be interesting to see how long the policy lasts.  We'll be heading to NV in the summer and haven't heard of similar restrictions there, but there seems to be much more exchange availability there than in RM.  They must not be too concerned about their occupancy rate at present.


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## Flasher42

I thought the only restriction was the Luxxe pool and Ready made burger ?
But Will have access to beach club?
Has anyone tried to barter doing the presentation in exchange for full access?


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## Eric B

They've got signs up saying the Beach Club is members only now, too.  That's for both GB & GL, of course.  A number of folks here now that aren't owners did successfully barter access for doing the presentation; that seems to be a fairly standard offer now since the folks we met that did it had never been here before and didn't know about it before coming.


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## Flasher42

It would be nice to hear from someone that actually has done it.
Where have you retarded into?


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## RLS50

We have decided to change our plans and cancel our trip to Grand Luxxe Jungle Riviera Maya.  The new $30 per person per day fee already seemed excessive, but then on top of that to still be potentially restricted from 2 of the best pools and one of the most popular restaurants?  That just doesn't sit well with me.  We were just looking for a relaxing week away.   I don't want to have to worry about haggling over pool access and amenity fee refunds in return for wasting at least half a day to do a sales presentation.

I think we are just going to go to WLR, where we can enjoy access to anywhere we want and know we won't have to deal with the gimmicks.

Eric B. I appreciate the updates you provided.  They were very helpful.


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## hurnik

Eric B said:


> They've got signs up saying the Beach Club is members only now, too.  That's for both GB & GL, of course.  A number of folks here now that aren't owners did successfully barter access for doing the presentation; that seems to be a fairly standard offer now since the folks we met that did it had never been here before and didn't know about it before coming.



Wow.  Guess they really want you to own then.  Will definitely consider going elsewhere from now on, unless they reverse their policy.  No way in Hell I'm sitting through another 4+ hour presentation to get yelled at when saying no.


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## Al D

I didn't see this covered. If we own at GL and let our friends use our week, will we have access to all? Or will they put us in the exchanger category?


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## pianoetudes

Eric B said:


> They've got signs up saying the Beach Club is members only now, too. That's for both GB & GL, of course. A number of folks here now that aren't owners did successfully barter access for doing the presentation; that seems to be a fairly standard offer now since the folks we met that did it had never been here before and didn't know about it before coming.



Do you mind posting photo of the sign? Just curious how it says.


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## Eric B

Will do next time I’m over there.  It’s an add on to the existing sign saying “with Membership” below Grand Bliss.  Made me curious given the changes at the GL pool and Custom Burger, so we asked the concierge there.  TravelTime confirmed with them by phone.


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## Eric B

Al D said:


> I didn't see this covered. If we own at GL and let our friends use our week, will we have access to all? Or will they put us in the exchanger category?



If you let your friends use your week, they should have access because they aren’t exchanging in.


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## Lingber

We exchanged into Grand Luxxe 2 weeks ago and had no problem accessing the beach club. The sign we saw at the beach club mentioned that Grand Bliss use of beach club was restricted to owners. Didn’t mention Grand Luxxe. Did they really change the rules again?


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## Flasher42

Did you reserve a cabana at the beach club? How much was it?


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## Lingber

Flasher42 said:


> Did you reserve a cabana at the beach club? How much was it?



We did not. If I remember correctly, the cabanas were$250 per day and included lunch for 4, 1 bottle of liquor from a list and one 30 minute massage. Things change constantly so the deal may be different this week. I would email before you go.


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## Eric B

pianoetudes said:


> Do you mind posting photo of the sign? Just curious how it says.



Added it to the pictures in the thread for my RM update.


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## alexadeparis

Based on the posted picture, I agree with Lingber’s interpretation of the beach club sign, all GL guests can use, but only owners at GB can use.


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## dioxide45

alexadeparis said:


> Based on the posted picture, I agree with Lingber’s interpretation of the beach club sign, all GL guests can use, but only owners at GB can use.


What post # was the photo of the sign posted in? I can't seem to find a photo


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## pianoetudes

Eric B said:


> Added it to the pictures in the thread for my RM update.



Thanks. Does it mean GB guests have 2 color bands, for owners and non-owners?


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## Eric B

alexadeparis said:


> Based on the posted picture, I agree with Lingber’s interpretation of the beach club sign, all GL guests can use, but only owners at GB can use.



That would have been my interpretation, but I asked the Beach Club rep at the check in desk and they said it’s only owners of GL & GB.  I can’t confirm any further than that because I didn’t see them turn anyone away.


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## Eric B

dioxide45 said:


> What post # was the photo of the sign posted in? I can't seem to find a photo



This one: https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/vidanta-riviera-maya-update-april-2017.272309/


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## Eric B

pianoetudes said:


> Thanks. Does it mean GB guests have 2 color bands, for owners and non-owners?



Not sure.  They always check room numbers, too, though.


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## alexadeparis

I have an upcoming exchange to GL. What’s the point then, of exchanging into it and paying $30 pppd x 7 = $420 for a resort fee if I can’t use either of the exclusive amenities for the section I’m staying in?! Sounds like I may need to EPlus out of there.


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## Lingber

I also think it depends who you talk to as the people working there don’t always have accurate info.  When we checked in at the front desk in the lobby of GL the guy told us my husband couldn’t use the GL gym. But I had emailed a few days before arrival and had in writing that he could. I asked for a manager and then was told he made a mistake, it was only the spa that was off limits unless you had a treatment booked. No one ever questioned my husband and he used the gym each day. We were there on an exchange 3 weeks ago and used the Beach Club everyday. My suggestion is to email the concierge and see what they say if you are concerned. But be advised, they do change the rules frequently. 


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## hurnik

I wonder if anyone has successfully either:
1) Challenged Vidanta by saying that their guest confirmations don't state these limitations
and/or
2)  Called RCI/II/SFX and demanded some sort of compensation/reimbursement for the unadvertised "no soup for you" stuff.


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## echoal

I was just looking at the booklet "Happiness Guide" that you get on check-in with the map and all the restaurents, activites schedule etc.
The Burger Custom Made it says Grand Luxxe Guests Only.


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## tselios

echoal said:


> I was just looking at the booklet "Happiness Guide" that you get on check-in with the map and all the restaurents, activites schedule etc.
> The Burger Custom Made it says Grand Luxxe Guests Only.



We are Exchangers into grand Lux jungle through II. We could not use grand luxxe pool or eat at burgers custom made. Owners only. We were able to use beach club.


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## dioxide45

echoal said:


> I was just looking at the booklet "Happiness Guide" that you get on check-in with the map and all the restaurents, activites schedule etc.
> The Burger Custom Made it says Grand Luxxe Guests Only.


I find it odd that they would close off a restaurant to paying customers. Is Burger Custom Made a small restaurant? Does it not have the capacity to handle guests from the rest of the resort?


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## Eric B

It’s fairly small, only open 11-5, and right by the GL pool.


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## NiteMaire

Eric B said:


> It’s fairly small, only open 11-5, and right by the GL pool.


And usually our first stop after checkin.

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## bizaro86

If you make the GL pool for any group of people, Burger Custom Made has to be for that same group. They are essentially the same place.


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## TravelTime

We canceled our Grand Luxxe Riviera Maya Jungle Suite exchange trip after reading this thread. Now we are using points plus cash to stay at Ritz Carlton in a 1 bedroom ocean front suite for 3 nights and at the Intercontinental ocean front Club level (top floor with balcony) room for 4 nights. Total cost with breakfast and evening snacks and drinks is approx $1200 including taxes vs $1075 at Grand Luxxe plus taxes without any food or ocean front views. Plus Intercontinental, while an older hotel, is on the best beach in Cancun/Riviera Maya because it is protected from waves and currents due to the way the island is curved. Everywhere else in Cancun/Riviera Maya is rocky or has rough waters even the Ritz Carlton. Otherwise, we would have stayed at the Ritz Carlton for the week. They gave us an excellent deal to stay in the 1 bedroom Ocean Front Suite for the week but we declined because we want to go back to the Intercontinental's most beautiful beach. It is almost as great as Bora Bora and Tahaa in French Polynesia but only in that little section in front of the Intercontinental. If Grand Luxxe were not limiting exchanger benefits, we would have stayed there because we were so looking forward to using their Beach Club. We could care less about the Burger place. We do not eat burgers.


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## ilene13

TravelTime said:


> We canceled our Grand Luxxe Riviera Maya Jungle Suite exchange trip after reading this thread. Now we are using points plus cash to stay at Ritz Carlton in a 1 bedroom ocean front suite for 3 nights and at the Intercontinental ocean front Club level (top floor with balcony) room for 4 nights. Total cost with breakfast and evening snacks and drinks is approx $1200 including taxes vs $1075 at Grand Luxxe plus taxes without any food or ocean front views. Plus Intercontinental, while an older hotel, is on the best beach in Cancun/Riviera Maya because it is protected from waves and currents due to the way the island is curved. Everywhere else in Cancun/Riviera Maya is rocky or has rough waters even the Ritz Carlton. Otherwise, we would have stayed at the Ritz Carlton for the week. They gave us an excellent deal to stay in the 1 bedroom Ocean Front Suite for the week but we declined because we want to go back to the Intercontinental's most beautiful beach. It is almost as great as Bora Bora and Tahaa in French Polynesia but only in that little section in front of the Intercontinental. If Grand Luxxe were not limiting exchanger benefits, we would have stayed there because we were so looking forward to using their Beach Club. We could care less about the Burger place. We do not eat burgers.


Their beach club is not great.  IMHO not having access to Custom burger is a loss.  They have things other than burgers and it was nice using the pool and eating there.  We just canceled an exchange because we wouldn’t be able to use the pool.


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## richontug

ilene13 said:


> Their beach club is not great.  IMHO not having access to Custom burger is a loss.  They have things other than burgers and it was nice using the pool and eating there.  We just canceled an exchange because we wouldn’t be able to use the pool.




What companies are doing exchanges that can be so easily cancelled?


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## scootr5

richontug said:


> What companies are doing exchanges that can be so easily cancelled?



They all can be pretty easily cancelled. The question is how much money you’re comfortable forfeiting.


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## richontug

scootr5 said:


> They all can be pretty easily cancelled. The question is how much money you’re comfortable forfeiting.[/QUOTE
> 
> Anyway to cancel exchange without losing money?


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## dioxide45

richontug said:


> What companies are doing exchanges that can be so easily cancelled?


Some people though II may have added EPlus and can retrade three times for free. With a cancellation, at least in II, you end up with a cancellation replacement and just need to pay a new exchange fee to go elsewhere. So you are out at most $199.


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## TravelTime

scootr5 said:


> They all can be pretty easily cancelled. The question is how much money you’re comfortable forfeiting.



I paid $99 to ICE Rewards so I could cancel up to 30 days out. I lose $99 plus some small service fee. I doubt I will ever book through ICE Rewards again. They have the worst customer service ever and fought with me about canceling and would not give me a cancelation number.


----------



## ilene13

scootr5 said:


> They all can be pretty easily cancelled. The question is how much money you’re comfortable forfeiting.


I used ePlus and I did not forfeit anything.


----------



## pianoetudes

Lingber said:


> it was only the spa that was off limits unless you had a treatment booked



We were able to use the spa facility without having any treatment. In the Spatium, there is a common area with whirlpool, sauna, steam room, and another area for GL guests with spa appointments. The common area is free for GL guests but reservation is required. This is our experience in September 2017. I don't know if they change the rules now.


----------



## echoal

pianoetudes said:


> We were able to use the spa facility without having any treatment. In the Spatium, there is a common area with whirlpool, sauna, steam room, and another area for GL guests with spa appointments. The common area is free for GL guests but reservation is required. This is our experience in September 2017. I don't know if they change the rules now.


That is correct you need to sign up at Brio or Spatium. It is just to control the number of people in the common area at one paticular time.


----------



## lorribarnes

RLS50 said:


> So I got my answer.   As of April 2nd, guests coming into Vidanta properties on an II certificate are going to be charged $30 per person per day, increasing from $11 per person per day.  That is $60 per day per couple, $420 for the week.   Good thing it's just the two of us.  It's my fault for booking this not knowing the fees, and expecting that if there were any fees they would be reasonable.   Lesson learned.  If I knew my cost was going to be almost $800 for the week instead of $350 I would have just paid more to book WLR or even book Aruba which also had some nice resort selections for the accommodations certificate.
> 
> I'll make sure I highlight this on my II post trip survey and will write a letter to II when we return.  Fees at $30 per person per day need to be highlighted more prominently in some way in the main search, similar to the way II prominently warns about the additional all inclusive fees charged by some resorts with the blue plus sign in the circle.




If you booked before April 2nd you will only pay the 11 per person..


----------



## Lingber

echoal said:


> That is correct you need to sign up at Brio or Spatium. It is just to control the number of people in the common area at one paticular time.



We stayed at Grand Luxxe in March and they would not allow us to use the common areas in Spatium without a booked treatment. In fact we were told we had one hour complimentary use prior to massages.  Maybe they changed the rules again after we left......??? They seem to change them frequently.


----------



## pittle

pianoetudes said:


> Thanks. Does it mean GB guests have 2 color bands, for owners and non-owners?



Yes - at GB if you have an owner band the "doohickey" is orange and if you are an exchanger - it is gray. 

If you are the guest of an owner who paid MF, and you came instead, then you get the owner band.


----------



## lawduck

Question:  Is it just Grand Luxxe Jungle exchangers that have been denied access to the Grand Luxxe pool, or all Grand Luxxe exchangers?  If it's just Jungle, that makes more sense, as it is (kind of) a lower level than full Grand Luxxe.


----------



## tschwa2

lawduck said:


> Question:  Is it just Grand Luxxe Jungle exchangers that have been denied access to the Grand Luxxe pool, or all Grand Luxxe exchangers?  If it's just Jungle, that makes more sense, as it is (kind of) a lower level than full Grand Luxxe.


It is all Grand Luxxe exchangers.  Only Grand Luxxe owners or those staying in the owners reserved units get access to the pool.


----------



## Eric B

It’s all GL exchangers, or was when I was there in the spring.


----------



## hurnik

Eric B said:


> It’s all GL exchangers, or was when I was there in the spring.



Yeah, and if the Trip Advisor reviews are "recent' stays, looks like they're still restricting access as well.
Bummer.


----------



## mike53

We are new GL owners and have a reservation for our GL unit for next June. Also I will be going there in February using an II trade. Being an owner but staying in February as a trade will I be allowed to use the GL pool and beach area?


----------



## Eric B

mike53 said:


> We are new GL owners and have a reservation for our GL unit for next June. Also I will be going there in February using an II trade. Being an owner but staying in February as a trade will I be allowed to use the GL pool and beach area?



They will typically offer you the owners’ version of the wristbands in exchange for attending a update/sales pitch - that will get you access to the pool.

We’re planning on being down there in February, too, so might run into you.


----------



## mike53

That is what I assumed. I'll be there the 10th - 17th.


----------



## Eric B

We’re down starting the 9th, I believe.  See you there!


----------



## mike53

Great. I have a lot to learn about Vidanta and hopefully you can provide a lot of insight...and a bit more accurate than from the sales folks


----------



## hurnik

mike53 said:


> We are new GL owners and have a reservation for our GL unit for next June. Also I will be going there in February using an II trade. Being an owner but staying in February as a trade will I be allowed to use the GL pool and beach area?



Not sure.  Phyllis is an owner and they stayed on an SFX exchange and I don't think they got full access unless they attended the timeshare update/presentation.


----------



## Eric B

hurnik said:


> Not sure.  Phyllis is an owner and they stayed on an SFX exchange and I don't think they got full access unless they attended the timeshare update/presentation.



My recollection is that on that trip she was staying at Grand Bliss and they wouldn’t let her use the Beach Club without attending an update, which she didn’t do.  Same idea as the Grand Luxxe exchangers in RM not getting to use the GL pool; when I was there in April they were making the same offer to non-owners to get them to go to a sales presentation by the way.


----------



## richontug

We will be there is February on a SFX trade.  We can meet up and share experiences.


----------



## pittle

Sorry that i am late to the party - it was a travel day for us today. We have rented an oceanfront condo in Rosarito for 4 weeks to escape the heat in the Phoenix area.  It is currently 72 here and 102 at home.  Well worth he 6 hour drive! 

Eric & Hurnik are correct, we were not allowed to use the Beach Club that was originally built as the Grand Bliss pool because only owners using their week could use the Beach Club and Grand Luxxe pools. (GB folks could not use the GL pool.)  Had we been there 6 weeks earlier, we would have been able to. We are GL owners using SFX exchange in April 20 - May 4 and were not allowed to use the Beach Club unless we took the update. We declined.  When we were in NV at the GM the past two Novembers on one II and one RCI exchange, we got owner bands instead of exchanger bands.  Of course it does not make a difference with GM.


----------



## melissy123

Anyone stayed at the GL in Riviera Maya recently?  Are they still blocking people who exchange in from using the GL pool/Custom Burger and the Spatium?


----------



## NYFLTRAVELER

Similar question as we will be visiting there in the next few weeks.


----------



## PamMo

I'm trying to figure it out, too. We really love Grand Luxxe in Nuevo Vallarta, so have to manage our expectations for this trip.

TripAdvisor reviews by exchangers into GL have stated they still couldn't use the GL pool, but they were using and really liked the Beach Club.

I keep reading that the Joy Squad is fantastic at the Grand Luxxe pool. We'll have six kids with us, so am wondering if there's another Joy Squad on the property?


----------



## bizaro86

Joy Squad is what they call the entertainment staff. While we found them great at the Grand Luxxe pool with our kids (2 and 4) they were also great at all the other locations in Riviera Maya (Mayan Palace, Grand Mayan, and the Beach Club all have a Joy Squad). We had access to all at the time we went, and they all had pros and cons. 

Mayan Palace (on beach by biggest pool) was the largest and had the most activities, but was also the busiest. Beach Club was always empty, and had few amenities for kids, but the most enthusiastic staff (I think they were bored). We often ended up at the Grand Mayan pool even though the Grand Luxxe was available to us, as we liked the shallow entry, and the giant connect 4 game in the shade there.


----------



## PamMo

Thanks, bizaro86. This will be the first time travelling down there with our kids and the grands (2, 3, 3, 5, 6, and 12), so I really appreciate the info. We did Disneyworld and felt like I needed a battle plan to survive the week. I'm hoping this trip will be more relaxed, but still filled with fun activities for everyone!


----------



## bizaro86

You're welcome.  For a group like that, I'd try to do at least breakfast and one other meal in the unit(s), but YMMV. We got groceries at the Mega store in town, sort of like a Walmart super Centre.  They have a shopping shuttle for a few dollars each way, but we took a taxi on the way back as we stocked right up, would not have been able to fit the groceries on the shuttle.

Our kids really enjoyed going to look at the flamingos which are on a little island in a lake by the Grand Mayan units. They also liked walking on the raised wooden boardwalk between the GL area and the rest of the complex and looking for animals (iguanas, birds, little furry guys).

We basically just hung out every day (rotated pools, did the beach) and had a blast.

We are going to GL Nuevo Vallarta in Oct.


----------



## Eric B

The little furry guys are coati (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coati). We saw some people feeding them out of their windows at the Mayan Palace.  Lots of them on the resort grounds in RM.


----------



## Eric B

bizaro86 said:


> ...
> 
> We are going to GL Nuevo Vallarta in Oct.



Costa Arena, Havana Moon, Si Snack and the Ameca Social House are closed now through October 17th.  The Mayan Palace pool and Balche are closed through October 4th.  So is the Sea Garden; if you walk out on the beach through there you’ll have to go a bit further to the rock jetty.


----------



## bizaro86

Eric B said:


> The little furry guys are coati (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coati). We saw some people feeding them out of their windows at the Mayan Palace.  Lots of them on the resort grounds in RM.



Thanks! We had asked someone at the resort but I couldn't remember anymore. You can tell people are feeding them based on how brave they are!


----------



## bizaro86

Eric B said:


> Costa Arena, Havana Moon, Si Snack and the Ameca Social House are closed now through October 17th.  The Mayan Palace pool and Balche are closed through October 4th.  So is the Sea Garden; if you walk out on the beach through there you’ll have to go a bit further to the rock jetty.



Thanks, that's good to know! We don't arrive until after the 4th, although it's too bad to hear about the beach walk being a bit longer. I'm looking forward to getting off the resort a little more this year than we did at RM. 

My kids are taking Spanish in pre-school, so I want to take them into the town, little bit of extra reinforcement that this is a real thing not just something the teachers are making up...


----------



## Eric B

It's really not much longer, maybe the equivalent of a city block.  There are a few concrete benches on the sidewalk near a footwash; if you're thinking about going anywhere further than just there it might be worth bringing sneakers and socks in a backpack and changing shoes/sandals there.  We borrowed a hand towel from the room as well to wipe off the sand we missed with the footwash.

The town right outside isn't much, though there are a few restaurants and an Oxxo.  We took the bus down to PV and walked around quite a bit, then hit Sam's and Wal-Mart on the way back.  Much less expensive than the resort store; the savings would pay for a cab back if you're stocking up for the week.


----------



## Eric B

Just walked by the lazy river in NV; it’s closed through November 15.


----------



## jssquared

Eric, thank you so much.  I believe a few of the residential towers are closed too.  It sounds as if Vidanta is doing this to control costs during the low season and not for maintenance.  This is a bit annoying.
Do you see any progress at the theme park or the Estates?
Thanks again.


----------



## Eric B

Tower 5 is completely closed now, too.  They just started on the foundation for a third building on that side; they’re nearing completion of the big building that appears to be the lobby and the bones of a second building seems complete.  Here’s a link to some pictures from our deck; I’ll try to get better pictures from Quinto tonight; it’s only open after 5 and the rest of the building is being maintained.  If I do, I’ll add them.

https://www.amazon.com/photos/share/aKA6MVtNMJ6aTLP7XdmBzGJhIaTUOxBnbFzBVTHesop


----------



## jssquared

Eric, thanks so much.  I wonder what the big building across the river will be.  The smaller structure in the background is a model for the Estates pods.  They will be built on stilts.  First two floors of the pods are 1 and 2 bedroom Estates units and the top two floors will be the 4 bedroom penthouse estates.  Do not know if that first model will end up being the actual location of the development or is just a reasonably convenient (near to the bridge) location for a sales model.


----------



## Eric B

They told us the big building would be a lobby/reception building.  Didn't do an update this time; they made us an appointment for one, but canceled since we did one last month.☺

There was another construction site in the clearing near the river in the last picture where they dropped off a load of beans and either a piece of conduit or cylindrical concrete mold; I couldn't tell what it was.  They started digging there with a backhoe this morning, so I think they're putting in another foundation there.  Might try to see if I can get a tour over there next trip.


----------



## bizaro86

Eric B said:


> Just walked by the lazy river in NV; it’s closed through November 15.



Thanks for sharing that! Our group will be pretty disappointed, but at least if I know in advance I can manage expectations....


----------



## gleeful

We are at Grand Luxxe RM now and spent the day at the GL pool.  We are here on an exchange using HGVC points through SFX.  When we checked in, they said we would have access to it and the Beach club. Didn’t question it. Just showed up. Grabbed a chair and ordered a drink!  Maybe a total of ten people there all day.


----------



## Eric B

Thanks, gleeful!  Good to hear that.  Have they made any progress on the Lazy River?


----------



## PamMo

That's great news, Gleeful - I hope this will hold true for us next month! (Keeping my fingers crossed.)


----------



## dmurray007

Could be because it is the low season?


----------



## dmurray007

MHO as a Grand Lux owner, is why should somebody who has not paid the high MF I have, be entitled to the same privileges/perks?
As an exchanger, I would be pissed because I thought I would be getting the GL experience. Two sides of the coin


----------



## Eric B

dmurray007 said:


> MHO as a Grand Lux owner, is why should somebody who has not paid the high MF I have, be entitled to the same privileges/perks?
> As an exchanger, I would be pissed because I thought I would be getting the GL experience. Two sides of the coin



I’m pretty much in alignment with you on both sides of the coin.  As a GL owner, it seems like the usage fees I pay (not to mention the purchase cost) subsidizes exchangers coming in for a lower cost with Vida sales perhaps viewing this as bringing in prospects.  This does, however, provide funds for future improvements when they can make sales, but it’s not the most efficient way for my usage fees to benefit me.  The addition of the resort fees and the elimination of the exchange limitations helps out by better managing the cost allocation and vacancy rates.  I don’t have any problem with paying the fees and exchanging back in using other timeshares I own; it’s all a matter of knowing what I’ll be getting when I exchange instead of paying a usage fee.

If Vidanta were to adopt adjusted prices for the off seasons, when most of the exchanges happen, I’d be much more likely to just pay them instead of using an exchange.


----------



## PamMo

dmurray007 said:


> MHO as a Grand Lux owner, is why should somebody who has not paid the high MF I have, be entitled to the same privileges/perks?...



dmurray007, as I've been somewhat vociferous on this topic, there are many of us who own Westin, Marriott, Four Seasons, Hyatt...properties with MF's as high or higher than Grand Luxxe. My 2BR Harborside at Atlantis MF is $3,000. When you add the exchange fee, upgrade to larger unit fee, and a daily $30pp resort fee, and _then_ change the rules and tell me we can't use parts of the resort - yeah, I feel a bit ripped off.


----------



## Eric B

I guess part of the problem is that the exchange looks the same to Vidanta whether it’s a week with a $3,000 MF or a week with a $400 MF.  I personally don’t like the owners only policy they had at RM, though I understood the reason for having it, or at least my interpretation of it.  It gave the sales folks another thing to bargain with to get a prospect to the presentation.

All that being said, I try to avoid using a GL week for an exchange because the fees are much higher than other TSs I own.  I can use GL to go through more exclusive exchanges (Registry Collection, Elite Alliance, Third Home) but haven’t gone that way yet because I’m still working, have limited vacation time, and haven’t found a destination I’d prefer to vacation at that I can’t get to with my cheaper TSs.


----------



## pittle

That is why I never exchange one of my GL weeks!  I have other options to use for exchanges.  I did get really PO'd that they changed the Gb exchange usage between the time I booked and actually went to the GB in RM.  It is not right to make changes after you book.


----------



## rpennisi

Do exchangers really get GL with $400 MF units deposited?  All my GL exchanges have been with approx an $1100MF deposit.  Still a bargain, but not with the new level of fees.
My last GL and GB exchanges upcoming in 2019 (Jan and Feb) will probably be my last.  They are both $11pp/per day.


----------



## Eric B

GL NV exchange in RCI for a 2 BR is ~53,000 points in the off season.  I get 67,000 points for a 2 BR with a partial kitchen for ~$400 in MF every year; it’s half a lockout - the other half is a 2 BR with a full kitchen that I get 70,000 points for.  Think the MF went up to $820 or $830 for the pair this year, so it’s a bit over $400, but they give me a bonus weeks credit worth about 20 TPU for paying my MF early, so it works out to less than $400 overall. Bottom line is I get 3 weeks I can trade into GL 2 BR units for less than $300 each; even with the current $1050 resort fee and the exchange fee it comes to about $1600, which beats the usage fee for a 2 BR GL suite.  Won’t get me into a Spa or Loft, but still a great exchange.  Of course, it puts me lower on the totem pole for room locations, but there really aren’t any horribly bad GL units.  Not possible for RM because it’s a smaller resort and more convenient to a lot of the US, so that don’t have as much vacant inventory in the low season, but I don’t mind the layover in Houston, where there’s a great USO lounge if you’re a veteran.

The resort fee would be very tough to stomach with a $3,000 MF, particularly at a place that does things like restrict access to amenities.  Vidanta is the only TS (or fractional ownership, as they like to call it now) that I have with an MF in that range; I’ll never exchange it in RCI and have trouble trying to find an equal value in Registry.  There are some attractive possibilities in Elite Alliance, but I’m feeling like I have enough exchange system memberships right now and enjoying using my Vidanta weeks there in the high season.


----------



## Eric B

Oh, if the $1100 MF gets you a 2 BR loft unit, the current resort fee of $1050 in RCI and Registry plus the exchange fee would add up to about $2450, which is lower than the usage fee of $2900.  Not sure if II will be updating to that resort fee amount, but it seems probable.

SFX and ICE still have lower resort fees, so you might explore using them instead.  No guarantee they won’t go up in the future, but there is a fairly close contractual relationship for them with Vidanta for the management of the privilege weeks for Vidanta owners for SFX and ICE for the Vida Lifestyle program.  I believe the fees are lower for Elite Alliance as well; they exchange the loft units and up and are a more exclusive exchange system.


----------



## scootr5

rpennisi said:


> Do exchangers really get GL with $400 MF units deposited?



I exchanged in to a 2 bedroom NV for next spring break with $576 in maintenance fees for the unit I exchanged (Quarter House), plus the $11 pp resort fee and II fee - so about $1075 total.


----------



## bizaro86

I don't think Grand Luxxe is that hard a trade. I've been pretty able to get 4 bedroom GL units in the off season with 1 bedroom units at sheraton desert oasis, which is about $575 in MF (as part of a lockoff).

That same unit seems to only get a 2 bedroom grand luxxe during busier times, but I was just able to book a 2 bedroom grand luxxe NV for March 2020 (our spring break) with my 1 bedroom sdo.

If Vidanta wasn't doing developer deposits these units would have way more trading power because there would be way less of them available, and they're nice.


----------



## Eric B

Think you’re spot on with regard to the developer deposits.  Vidanta builds for the high season and has a lot of excess capacity the rest of the year.  With the way they set things up (fees on the high side, but only payable if you use a week), there isn’t much incentive to deposit instead of use a week, so most inventory on the exchanges is developer deposits to get sales prospects in.


----------



## T-Dot-Traveller

[QUOTE="rpennisi, post: 2187429, member: 44936
My last GL and GB exchanges upcoming in 2019 (Jan and Feb) will probably be my last.  They are both $11pp/per day.[/QUOTE]

*************

I think the best option is : stay opened to all options

RCI - can get you high season ( Feb /March ) at 18 +months out .  ( I don’t have lntervals)
( Ron - like you I have a couple of 2019 Feb exchanges & a 2020 booked at prior resort
fee structures . I did this to upgrade to a 2 bedroom MP )


At the newest fee / $ 1050 - I will pass .
For now I plan to go back to using our owner week 1 bedroom MP - with no resort fee .

However based on Vidanta’s record of regularly “ updating “ restrictions & now fees .
I will watch & see.
 (remember they were up to 1/5 rules & no upgrades for MP owners to Grand Mayan - at one point)

For non- high season - there are the lower cost doorways such as SFX .


----------



## NYFLTRAVELER

bizaro86 said:


> I don't think Grand Luxxe is that hard a trade. I've been pretty able to get 4 bedroom GL units in the off season with 1 bedroom units at sheraton desert oasis, which is about $575 in MF (as part of a lockoff).
> 
> That same unit seems to only get a 2 bedroom grand luxxe during busier times, but I was just able to book a 2 bedroom grand luxxe NV for March 2020 (our spring break) with my 1 bedroom sdo.
> 
> If Vidanta wasn't doing developer deposits these units would have way more trading power because there would be way less of them available, and they're nice.



I’ve never seen a GL or GB available for trade on Interval for peak season and I have/would deposit Marriott (high TDI number of points) or a Worldmark peak 2br (10000 Worldmark Points)

If I could find a GL or GB Rivera Maya during peak (Christmas week, Presidents week, Easter week) I’d be happy.  I only see these for late summer into early fall.  Do these units exist for trade during peak?

I also have looked into buying - but am holding off at the moment.


----------



## Eric B

SFX Resorts manages the peak ones to some extent as privilege weeks for Vidanta owners.


----------



## bizaro86

NYFLTRAVELER said:


> I’ve never seen a GL or GB available for trade on Interval for peak season and I have/would deposit Marriott (high TDI number of points) or a Worldmark peak 2br (10000 Worldmark Points)
> 
> If I could find a GL or GB Rivera Maya during peak (Christmas week, Presidents week, Easter week) I’d be happy.  I only see these for late summer into early fall.  Do these units exist for trade during peak?
> 
> I also have looked into buying - but am holding off at the moment.



I think my 2 bedroom GL for the last week in March 2020 probably counts as a peak week. It is 2 weeks before easter, but is a major spring break week, and the next week (which includes Good Friday) was available when I booked.

It was available with WM as well, I used my SDO because it was cheaper. I dont think your problem is lack of trading power.

Do you look regularly and have and OGS on for peak dates? I've seen a New Years week GL 2 bedroom in open inventory before, but the peak weeks don't last long.

Edited to add (and this is not intended as a sighting, just a data point for discussion): easter 2019, Christmas/new years 2019, and easter 2020 are all available at GL NV right now in studios. Easter 2020 has 2 bedrooms. A variety of studio/1 bedroom/2 bedrooms are available for lots of peak winter dates.


----------



## NYFLTRAVELER

bizaro86 said:


> I think my 2 bedroom GL for the last week in March 2020 probably counts as a peak week. It is 2 weeks before easter, but is a major spring break week, and the next week (which includes Good Friday) was available when I booked.
> 
> It was available with WM as well, I used my SDO because it was cheaper. I dont think your problem is lack of trading power.
> 
> Do you look regularly and have and OGS on for peak dates? I've seen a New Years week GL 2 bedroom in open inventory before, but the peak weeks don't last long.
> 
> Edited to add (and this is not intended as a sighting, just a data point for discussion): easter 2019, Christmas/new years 2019, and easter 2020 are all available at GL NV right now in studios. Easter 2020 has 2 bedrooms. A variety of studio/1 bedroom/2 bedrooms are available for lots of peak winter dates.



What is OGS?


----------



## bizaro86

NYFLTRAVELER said:


> What is OGS?



On going search.


----------



## T-Dot-Traveller

Eric B said:


> I’m pretty much in alignment with you on both sides of the coin.
> If Vidanta were to adopt adjusted prices for the off seasons, when most of the exchanges happen, I’d be much more likely to just pay them instead of using an exchange.



Good idea .
especially for Grand Luxxe larger unit / higher MF contracts .
red season ( basically mid Dec to end of April ) would be at full MF
other seasons / colours - adjusted lower - with a promo price list sent out the prior November .( and limited availability / first come ...) 

The current Vidanta promo ( sent Sept 4 ) for a resort credit for $800 / book by Sept 30 - vacation by Oct 31 .   could be a version of this idea .


----------



## Eric B

Thanks, Tom.  I wouldn’t object if they gave less notice on adjusted prices, though.  It would make sense to me for them to be more flexible on the pricing in order to manage their vacancy rates and keep employees gainfully working.  They do this to a certain extent with some promotions like the current one for going in October, but don’t put the word out on those very well.  When we were down there last month they had a grand total of eight hundred and something guests at the entire NV resort, which seems low enough to make it worth marketing more to me.  We’ll see if things change when they have the Parks open, but that won’t change the weather and school schedules for peoples’ childten, which also drive vacation planning.


----------



## jssquared

I believe that Vidanta is trying to change this reality with the construction of the theme park.  Although there are dedicated rooms within the park itself, I would have to imagine that the resort will also see far more guests throughout the whole year.  I read somewhere some time ago that they were anticipating one million annual guests after the first phase was opened and double that after the whole park was completed.


----------



## PamMo

I've searched, but can't find how much Vidanta Grand Luxxe MF's are. TUG Vistana and Marriott owners maintain a database of MF's for all the different resorts in their systems, and I'm curious how Grand Luxxe units compare. I understand that Vidanta contracts are different and some include golf, spa, Cirque amenities, etc., but what is the base rate for owning at Grand Luxxe by unit type?


----------



## Eric B

vantovidanta said:


> I got this from a friend here.
> 
> Usage fees vary based on contract limitations for inflation. List below is from the Vida Lifestyle website (Run by ICE, not Vidanta, for a contract written last year); your fees may vary.
> 
> *2017 Usage Fees*
> 
> *The Cascades*
> Master Room $600
> Suite $800
> Master Suite $1,000
> *Sea Garden*
> Master Room $567
> Suite $760
> Master Suite $966
> *Mayan Palace/The Bliss*
> Master Room $600
> Suite $800
> Master Suite $1,000
> *Kingdom of the Sun*
> Grand Master Room $900
> Grand Suite/Grand Loft $1,000
> Grand Master Suite $1,500
> *The Grand Mayan*
> Grand Master Room $800
> Grand Suite/Grand Loft $900
> Grand Master Suite $1,400
> *The Grand Bliss*
> Master Room $900
> Suite $1,000
> Master Suite $1,500
> *Grand Luxxe Villa*
> Junior Suite $1,300
> Suite $1,600
> Master Suite $2,200
> *Presidential Units*
> Presidential Suite "H" $1,500
> Exclusive Villa $1,600
> Exclusive Master Villa $2,200
> Presidential $2,700
> *Grand Luxxe Suite/Condo*
> Master Room $1,200
> Suite $1,500
> Master Suite $2,100
> Luxxe Loft $1,300
> *The Residence at Grand Luxxe*
> 1 Bdrm Loft $2,200
> 2 Bdrm Loft $2,700
> 3 Bdrm Loft $2,900
> 4 Bdrm Residence $3,200
> *Spa Tower Residence*
> 2 Bdrm $2,000
> 3 Bdrm $2,200



This was posted on a different thread in the spring.  Costs went up a bit since then.


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## PamMo

Thanks, Eric. You truly are an encyclopedia of knowledge on Vidanta. Looks like the Grand Luxxe MF's are pretty comparable to higher end resorts in other systems.


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## NYFLTRAVELER

I’d be interested in a GL RM ownership of 1or 2 br as a resale. Is that something which one finds often?

I recently took a tour and they were pushing to buy in the theme park, for which I have no interest even if it trades into a GL unit.


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## Eric B

You won’t find them for resale typically in a state that makes them easily transferable.  Vidanta structures the contracts in such a way that there are a lot of aspects that would not transfer in a resale because they are covered by addenda to the contract.  There may be some older GL contracts out there that are more easily transferred, similar to the older GM & MP contracts.  Your best bet might be to make friends with some GL owners that can make you reservations; Vidanta doesn’t charge for guest certificates.


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## T-Dot-Traveller

PamMo said:


> . ... I'm curious how Grand Luxxe units compare. I understand that Vidanta contracts are different and some include golf, spa, Cirque amenities, etc., but what is the base rate for owning at Grand Luxxe by unit type?



Hi PamMo,
The price chart Eric posted is ( IMO) generally accurate for all brands .

FYI-
I own a Mayan  Palace 1 bedroom suite ( 2006 RTU contract ) - my (pay on use only) MF is about $50 less than the $800 listed .
but I have a reno / 2nd MF due every 5 years .I believe ICE has a $99 annual fee and perhaps a small booking fee ( $ 50 ?) So pretty close in the big picture .

I believe in this capacity : ICE qualifies as a Vidanta “concierge “partner -so there is no resort fee . This is parallel to the “privilege weeks “  administered by SFX , that are in more recent Vidanta contracts .

 GL owners can fill in any gaps in the chart .


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## Eric B

Actually, ICE & SFX have resort fees of about $75 per week flat rate.  I have a slightly more up to date price list that isn’t as comprehensive, and is a bit higher, but didn’t feel like typing it.


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## T-Dot-Traveller

Eric B said:


> Actually, ICE & SFX have resort fees of about $75 per week flat rate.  I have a slightly ghy more up to date price list that isn’t as comprehensive, and is a bit higher, but didn’t feel like typing it.



Hi Eric ,
I know SFX has the $ 75 rate for exchanges / but is it also on privledge weeks ?

Since my older contract only has a Vacation Fare bonus week , I am still sort of unclear on how the “concierge partners” work - when part of a Vidanta sold contract or even an exit package like the ones Destinos administers .

By the way the fees i mentioned in my post above may be Destinos not 
ICE  - I was going by memory .


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## Eric B

Actually, I’m not sure about that for the privilege weeks.  I did one for Xmas this year in NV and will let you know.


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