# WM Zihuatanejo being refurbished this year?



## DaveNV (Jan 11, 2020)

According to the WM website, the Zihuatanejo resort will be refurbished later this year: _"The resort will undergo a large scale renovation project Sep. 4 - Nov. 1, 2020, that will revamp the lobby, restaurant and all units."_ From the current description of units, kitchens are mainly non-existent.  Any ideas of whether this refurbishment will add them in?  Or is unit size an issue?  Two months doesn't sound like very long, if the entire place is being shut down for the refurb.  Has anyone stayed there?  What are your thoughts?  The last Tug threads that mention the resort are five years old.

Dave


----------



## Passepartout (Jan 11, 2020)

My only exposure to Zihuatanejo was a cruise ship stop. I caught a sailfish and I've wanted to go back ever since.


----------



## DaveNV (Jan 11, 2020)

Whattaya say, Jim - road trip? 

Dave


----------



## Passepartout (Jan 11, 2020)

DaveNW said:


> Whattaya say, Jim - road trip?


We'll talk about this in CdA.


----------



## easyrider (Jan 11, 2020)

I think many of the newer WM Mexico resorts are hotels that Wyndham bought for WM as the developer. WM Zihuatanejo and WM Isla Mujeres both came into the WM system around 2015. 

The Coral Baja in SJD was a hotel back in the day but was converted into very nice timeshare condos for WM. 

Bill


----------



## geist1223 (Jan 11, 2020)

Zihuatanejo and Isla Mujeres were Raintree Resorts that Wyndham took over and dumped into Worldmark. These along with several other former Raintree Resorts were part of the deal when Raintree sold the Real Estate to Wyndham in Park City on which Wyndham Park City is built. Wyndham really wanted the Real Estate in Park City and Raintree wanted to cut back on the number of Resorts it owned and managed. So if Wyndham wanted the Real Estate they had to agree to taking over all or parts of different Resorts to include management (Worldmark Park City, Birch Bay, etc).

Actually Coral Baja was originally designed to be pure Condos that people owned 100%. Like Point at Poipu. But sales were not going well and Worldmark stepped in and bought. There are still 4 or 6 Condos that are fully owned. Those are the reserved marked Parking spaces.

Too bad Wyndham could not acquire The Raintree Resort in San Jose del Cabo. But it is part of the original Club Regina.


----------



## DaveNV (Jan 11, 2020)

Has anyone ever stayed at WM Zihuatanejo?  Is it worth the hassle and expense to get there?  The pictures look very nice.

Dave


----------



## HitchHiker71 (Jan 12, 2020)

DaveNW said:


> Has anyone ever stayed at WM Zihuatanejo? Is it worth the hassle and expense to get there? The pictures look very nice.
> 
> Dave



I haven’t stayed there but it is on my wish list to go. Not sure if I will be able to do so as a Wyndham owner via Club Pass though. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## T_R_Oglodyte (Jan 12, 2020)

geist1223 said:


> Zihuatanejo and Isla Mujeres were Raintree Resorts that Wyndham took over and dumped into Worldmark. These along with several other former Raintree Resorts were part of the deal when Raintree sold the Real Estate to Wyndham in Park City on which Wyndham Park City is built. Wyndham really wanted the Real Estate in Park City and Raintree wanted to cut back on the number of Resorts it owned and managed. So if Wyndham wanted the Real Estate they had to agree to taking over all or parts of different Resorts to include management (Worldmark Park City, Birch Bay, etc).
> 
> Actually Coral Baja was originally designed to be pure Condos that people owned 100%. Like Point at Poipu. But sales were not going well and Worldmark stepped in and bought. There are still 4 or 6 Condos that are fully owned. Those are the reserved marked Parking spaces.
> 
> Too bad Wyndham could not acquire The Raintree Resort in San Jose del Cabo. But it is part of the original Club Regina.


That's not the complete picture.  

The Raintree Resorts in Acapulco, Zihau, Oaxaca, Isla Mujeres, and the Puerto Vallarta across the street from the Westin/Club Regina were Vila Vera resorts, not Raintree Resorts.  Raintree had a business relationship with Vila Vera that made those resorts part of the Raintree system, and I believe Raintree managed the resorts.  I believe that Raintree wanted to acquire them but was unable to finance the purchase - hence the operating relationship.  

Acapulco was closed due to security issues.  Raintree ended up acquiring the Puerto Vallarta, which still exists as Vila Vera Puerto Vallarta as part of Raintree. 

When Vila Vera wanted to sell the remaining properties, Raintree was unable to purchase the properties, so Vila Vera sold them to Wyndham, ending the relationship with Raintree (though the resorts can still be booked as rentals via Raintree).

Club Regina properties were never up for consideration because Club Regina is owned by Raintree, unlike the Vila Vera properties.


----------



## T_R_Oglodyte (Jan 12, 2020)

BTW - we think Zihua is wonderful.  We will be making our second visit this year, staying in the Pacifica Grand property near Playa de las Gatas.


----------



## easyrider (Jan 12, 2020)

DaveNW said:


> Has anyone ever stayed at WM Zihuatanejo?  Is it worth the hassle and expense to get there?  The pictures look very nice.
> 
> Dave



For the amount of points required by WM to stay here I think I would trade into a larger and nicer unit instead. 20,000 points for a one bed is kind of high when you can trade for 10,000 points and fee's for a 2 bed unit, imo.

Bill


----------



## PrairieGirl (Jan 12, 2020)

DaveNW said:


> Has anyone ever stayed at WM Zihuatanejo?  Is it worth the hassle and expense to get there?  The pictures look very nice.
> 
> Dave


Dave,

No idea about the WorldMark property itself, but absolutely YES, Zihuatanejo is wonderful and actually from Seattle (aren't you near there?) not a hassle at all - Alaska flies in with a short stop in LAX. 

Just got back from Zihua yesterday.  The weather is wonderful and very consistent in January. 85 (give or take a degree) and sunny every day. Lovely beaches, great food, cheap drinks and best of all kind, friendly people.

Zihua has an expat and snowbird community (probably half Canadian) as well as short term tourists, and although only a few miles from Ixtapa (same airport) it is LIGHT years different in both appearance and feel.  The beach in Ixtapa is beautiful (as it should be, it's a Fonatur development) right on the Pacific with big wave action, side by side high rise all inclusives and a golf course.

By contrast, Zihua has a low key beach bum vibe. It is set back on the bay so there is very little wave action, nice sandy ocean entrances and lots of small local beach bars with beach chairs.  The commercial center has both touristy and local shops and tons of good restaurants both casual and higher end.  GREAT seafood options, there is lots of local fishing opportunity.  Many, if not most, of the visitors to Zihua that we met have been coming there for years.  And when you say "oh, you must have seen lots of change over the years" they reply "oh, not really". 

This trip my husband noticed the signs for the WorldMark, before that I was unaware that they had a property there.  I just looked it up on their website and I know exactly where that property is, always wondered what it was. Might have to check it out after the facelift!  There is also a sizable Embarc (formerly Club IntraWest) Property in Zihua right on Playa la Ropa.

LeAnn


----------



## geist1223 (Jan 12, 2020)

We had some World Mark friends stay there a couple years ago. Once you get use to having to eat out for all meals (not normal for Worldmark) they had a great time.


----------



## DaveNV (Jan 12, 2020)

Thanks. everyone.  LeAnn, that is especially helpful information.  I've been looking for that "low key beach bum vibe" for awhile now.  The resorts I've stayed at in Mexico have all been higher-end, more crowded, larger places.  Nice, but definitely seeking the tourist dollar.  Staying at a smaller, slower-paced place sounds perfect.

I've checked the Alaska airfares, and they're not as bad as I had expected.  Somehow I thought there were multiple flights required to get there.  Having a one-stop itinerary isn't bad.  Pricing is something to plan for, but it's not over the top.  Now I just have to decide when to go. 

Still seeking better (non-Developer) pictures of the WM units there.  I found a few on independent websites via Google, but they don't explain much about what there is and isn't.  One question I always want to know is: How private are the balconies?  I dislike that "sitting in a fishbowl" feeling at a lot of resorts, where you're relaxing on a lounge chair, open one sleepy eye, and realize you're staring directly at the people on the adjacent balcony - who are staring directly back at you. 

Dave


----------



## geist1223 (Jan 12, 2020)

Dave: Have you been to WM Coral Baja? We like it a lot. We always try and get a 2 Bedroom Ground Floor. We like walking out to the Pool. But above the Ground Floor the Balconies are pretty private. But do not accept the Back Building.


----------



## T_R_Oglodyte (Jan 12, 2020)

DaveNW said:


> Thanks. everyone.  LeAnn, that is especially helpful information.  I've been looking for that "low key beach bum vibe" for awhile now.  The resorts I've stayed at in Mexico have all been higher-end, more crowded, larger places.  Nice, but definitely seeking the tourist dollar.  Staying at a smaller, slower-paced place sounds perfect.
> 
> I've checked the Alaska airfares, and they're not as bad as I had expected.  Somehow I thought there were multiple flights required to get there.  Having a one-stop itinerary isn't bad.  Pricing is something to plan for, but it's not over the top.  Now I just have to decide when to go.
> 
> ...


I think it's a transfer in LAX - not a one stop.  Looking at arrangements out of SEA, it's either leave SEA on an early flight, or go down the day before and spend an evening in a hotel near LAX.  With PAE now doing commercial flights, you can probably do an itineraries through there.


----------



## DaveNV (Jan 12, 2020)

geist1223 said:


> Dave: Have you been to WM Coral Baja? We like it a lot. We always try and get a 2 Bedroom Ground Floor. We like walking out to the Pool. But above the Ground Floor the Balconies are pretty private. But do not accept the Back Building.



I haven't yet, Tom, but it's on my list. I have only spent a little time in the Cabo area, and I liked San Jose much more than Cabo San Lucas. I enjoy that slower pace. (And let's be honest - how much fun is Cabo Wabo, really?  Once was more than plenty for me.)

Are the building numbers at Coral Baja the Phases they mention on the WM site? So Building 1 is Phase 1? The room descriptions don't really equal the varied descriptions.

Dave


----------



## geist1223 (Jan 12, 2020)

Phase 1 is the Main Building with the Lobby in it. Building we prefer. Phase 3 is more or less perpendicular to Phase 1. They both face the Pool, Mama Mia's (Restaurant and Bar), and the Ocean. The Pool does have a swim up Bar. Back Building is at Back of Parking Lot near the Highway. No views. We avoid this Building. Though I believe the 2 Bedroom Units have Hot Tubs on the Patio in compensation. We love San Jose del Cabo. We avoid Cabo San Lucas.


----------



## Tacoma (Jan 13, 2020)

I stayed there this March. Units are not a bad size but no kitchens. Our room had a mini fridge and that's about all. Could not even cut up a pineapple I bought I had to go to the bar to get a knife. If you can do without a kitchen we liked the quiet location and the pool that overlooked the bay. Our room had a balcony but some did not. I would definitely want a balcony.  The restaurant was fine but we did not eat there a lot. We did meet others who ate their most of the time. There is a staircase a few houses away that go down about 275 steps and then its a 10 minute stroll into town. I walked up once but decided for 50 pesos we would taxi up. ANything else you want to know just ask. Definitely the low key beach bum vibe.  Leanne's description of Zihua and Ixtapa is right on. We loved Zihua not so much Ixtapa.
Joan


----------



## geist1223 (Jan 13, 2020)

I believe the Presidential Unit (1) has a kitchen. The Studio Delux has a Mini Kitchen. It says no oven so I assume it has a one or two Burner Stove Top.


----------



## T_R_Oglodyte (Jan 13, 2020)

Tacoma said:


> I stayed there this March. Units are not a bad size but no kitchens. Our room had a mini fridge and that's about all. Could not even cut up a pineapple I bought I had to go to the bar to get a knife. If you can do without a kitchen we liked the quiet location and the pool that overlooked the bay. Our room had a balcony but some did not. I would definitely want a balcony.  The restaurant was fine but we did not eat there a lot. We did meet others who ate their most of the time. There is a staircase a few houses away that go down about 275 steps and then its a 10 minute stroll into town. I walked up once but decided for 50 pesos we would taxi up. ANything else you want to know just ask. Definitely the low key beach bum vibe.  Leanne's description of Zihua and Ixtapa is right on. We loved Zihua not so much Ixtapa.
> Joan


Last year we stayed in Ixtapa but took the bus into Zihua most days.  We loved the town, and we loved the mercado (public market) in Zihua.  In most traditional towns in Latin America, the Mercado is the main shopping area.  You can get everything you need for daily living at the mercado - food, clothing, school supplies, electronics, hardware, etc.  Vendors have stalls, and they are grouped, so all of the meat vendors will be together, the seafood vendors will be together, produce  will be together, clothing together, etc.  So it's almost like a department store. We would stop by most days and just get some items to have back in our unit.

This year, if I'm ambitious enough, I plan to go to Paseo de los Pescadores (Fishermen Street) just after sunrise to pick up some freshly caught fish.  The fishermen work all night, and return just before sunrise.  They put out their catch, and there's fish market, right on the beach next to the Marina.  By 9 a.m., it's done.  That's where all of the locals, including restaurants and seafood stores, get their supply.

BTW - if you enjoy being in the water (swimming and playing in the surf), and speaking as a former public health sanitation engineer, I would not go in the water in any Zihua beach with the possible exception of Playa las Gatas. If that is important, the beaches in Ixtapa are decidedly more sanitary.


----------



## bizaro86 (Jan 13, 2020)

T_R_Oglodyte said:


> That's not the complete picture.
> 
> The Raintree Resorts in Acapulco, Zihau, Oaxaca, Isla Mujeres, and the Puerto Vallarta across the street from the Westin/Club Regina were Vila Vera resorts, not Raintree Resorts.  Raintree had a business relationship with Vila Vera that made those resorts part of the Raintree system, and I believe Raintree managed the resorts.  I believe that Raintree wanted to acquire them but was unable to finance the purchase - hence the operating relationship.
> 
> ...



That is super interesting! Thanks for sharing! 

Although iirc at the same time WM got units at the Miner's Club, as well as Raintree resorts in AZ and WA. Which suggests that at least some larger deal was in play.


----------

