# cabo huricane resort damage report? [merged]



## oldbuyer

If you are in Cabo today and can provide any specific damage by resort it would be appreciated.
UNCONFIRMED REPORTS that I read:
Grand Solmar- main pool damaged
PBSB- partial building collaspe and multiple units with patio doors blow out
Possible severe damage to Sorianas store


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## ada903

Thanks for starting this thread. 

The live Grand Solmar camera shows the pool damage below:

http://www.grandsolmarresort.com/LiveCamara.php

Does anyone have info on the status of Cabo villas and Casa Dorada Medano beach?


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## ocdb8r

I'm apparently a hurricane magnet this year.  Was at the Westin Kaanapali last month and spared...not so much for my Cabo trip.  We were at the Grand Solmar which they completely closed along with the Solmar and evacuated everyone to the Playa Grande.  Rode out the storm here last night and I feel like one of the fortunate ones.  Some water came into our room through the sliding doors, but towels managed that mostly.  Surveyed the hotel this morning and several people had glass doors blown out in their rooms which are now a complete disaster.

Lots of minor damage and flooding around the hotel.  Glass windows and doors blown out in several common areas.  The shuttle bus for the Grand Solmar is completely blown over in the Port Cochere.  They said we can go back to the Grand Solmar, but they don't know when/if the rooms will be open.  Internal phone systems down but we still have power, internet and TV.

Will try to post some pics...


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## Bill4728

ada903 said:


> Thanks for starting this thread.
> 
> The live Grand Solmar camera shows the pool damage below:
> 
> http://www.grandsolmarresort.com/LiveCamara.php
> 
> Does anyone have info on the status of Cabo villas and Casa Dorada Medano beach?



The pool looks empty which IMHO means it is damaged.


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## ada903

If you look to the bottom right you can see a giant hole - part of the pool collapsed.


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## PStreet1

I found these posts on Trip Advisor:


Report from San Jose Del Cabo, the Grand Mayan.  Bear in mind that there's no question infrastructure has been damaged even if a particular resort is in relatively good shape.

4. Re: Grand Mayan Hurricane Odile damage
Sep 15, 2014, 1:43 PM
My parents are there right now. We got word from them this morning and were safe in a shelter through the night, however, they said The Grand Mayan suffered extensive damage. I have not been able to talk to them since early this morning for any other updates. I hope your trip will still go as planned.

6. Re: Grand Mayan Hurricane Odile damage
Sep 15, 2014, 2:43 PM
We were booked at the Grand Mayan for Oct 5 - 13th and were called this morning to cancel our reservation due to damage at the hotel. Didn't even realize there was a hurricane in the area until they called us. We were offered to re-book us at the Grand Mayan in April of next year or another Grand Mayan resort location not in Cabo. Hope this helps for those who haven't been notified yet.

Radio Report from La Paz--which was not hit nearly as hard as Cabo and San Jose del Cabo.pforadio.com/hurricane-odile-wreaks-havoc-ca…

Cabo San Lucas--report from Fiesta Americana on Medano Beach

1. Re: Status of Fiesta Americana
Sep 15, 2014, 12:29 PM
We were there last week and they were still cleaning up from hurricane Norbert! Elevators were out for 3 days but most of the other damage was due to erosion from heavy rain. The beach area was moderately damaged.

We left on Saturday to avoid Odile and thankful for that! Looking forward to some post Odile info as we are due to be back in a few months.

2. Re: Status of Fiesta Americana
Sep 15, 2014, 12:31 PM
As others have said multiple times on this forum, Cabo was struck head on by a category 3 hurricane. While the resort itself may or may not have significant damage, the infrastructure of the city and mainly, the livelihood of the many employees may be devastated.

I wouldn't count of spending next week in Cabo, there will be too many people trying to rebuild their lives to cater to tourists.

9. Re: Status of Fiesta Americana
Sep 15, 2014, 2:59 PM
We are at secrets marquis, still in shelter, no running water or electricity..

Grand Solmar Storm Damage
Sep 15, 2014, 11:41 AM
http://www.grandsolmarresort.com/live_cam

The pool has washed away. Bottom right corner.

2. Re: Grand Solmar Storm Damage

Sep 15, 2014, 12:02 PM
That was virtually inevitable............sadly....................also, no restaurant left at TerraSol, PG had much damage, and sadly, it is looking really bad for the entire area. It looks like Odile may be turning east a bit, so she could continue to do great damage 

2. Re: Playa Grande
Sep 15, 2014, 12:41 PM
There is some pretty extensive damage at Playa Grande... the palapa roof on the restaurant/bar totally collapsed. Cleanup and repair won't happen over night. Grand Solmar next door lost a pool to the ocean... If you do go I wouldn't expect it to look very pretty.


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## klpca

*Before and after pictures of Grand Solmar pool*

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/weather/infinity-pool-falls-sea-after-hurricane-odile-n203846
(they are embedded in the article.)

I also saw it mentioned that there was a fire at Cascadas. 

My heart is heaviest for the residents of Cabo. This is devastating.

More info here: http://www.itravel-cabo.com/news.aspx


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## oldbuyer

*anyone at Cabo Villas now?*

I've seen several reports on the Pacific side and marina damage but no report on Medano beach. The CV web cam is damaged and under debris. Anyone know how hard CV was hit? I'm sure the Ericksons are considering sending out special assessment emails right now.


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## ada903

I would like to know too, I own the Bay Suites oceanfront two bedroom and that's right on the beach.


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## klpca

Info here about Cabo: 
http://www.itravel-cabo.com/news.aspx


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## ocdb8r

*Grand Solmar Pics*
https://plus.google.com/photos/115455726250607607499/albums/6059402766849510193?banner=pwa

*Playa Grande Pics*
https://plus.google.com/photos/115455726250607607499/albums/6059403041056100065?banner=pwa

Let me know if those links don't work.  I can try to embed some in another post.

We're back at the Grand Solmar.  Most of the rooms were spared.  No real glass breakage like at the Playa Grande but many have some level of water damage due to water under the doors (both the sliding doors and the main entry door).  Some also have some internal water leakage as well. The one tower closest to the beach where the erosion ate away under the central infinity pool is closed as they aren't sure if there is further structural damage to that building.  We were told the pool closest to the rocky outcropping by the arch also suffered severe structural damage.  They've closed off that area and it's not visible from our room, so I don't have any pics.  Otherwise I think the resort did fairly well comparatively.  Staff is doing their best to get what they can back up and running.  We've got water, power, internet and a couple of cable channels (all the satellite channels are out).  A/C is kind of working.  One restaurant is open with a limited menu.

I'll add, the Playa Grande isn't in great shape.  Met MANY people who's sliding doors blew out and the resort is telling them they don't have anywhere else to put them at the moment.  The central areas suffered some damage, pool area is largely a disaster.  That said, the lobby is in great shape.  Bar was hopping with lots of people drinking and watching TV.  They served a breakfast and lunch buffet down in the conference rooms for everyone (many slept down there).  I am SO thankful the room they had us in there suffered little more than rainwater coming in under the doors (which we largely stopped with towels).  We had power through the night, hooked up the laptop to the TV and watched a couple of movies to drown out the terrifying wind noises.  Very fortunate to have survived this as well as we did.


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## klpca

ocdb8r said:


> *Grand Solmar Pics*
> https://plus.google.com/photos/115455726250607607499/albums/6059402766849510193?banner=pwa
> 
> *Playa Grande Pics*
> https://plus.google.com/photos/115455726250607607499/albums/6059403041056100065?banner=pwa
> 
> Let me know if those links don't work.  I can try to embed some in another post.
> 
> We're back at the Grand Solmar.  Most of the rooms were spared.  No real glass breakage like at the Playa Grande but many have some level of water damage due to water under the doors (both the sliding doors and the main entry door).  Some also have some internal water leakage as well. The one tower closest to the beach where the erosion ate away under the central infinity pool is closed as they aren't sure if there is further structural damage to that building.  We were told the pool closest to the rocky outcropping by the arch also suffered severe structural damage.  They've closed off that area and it's not visible from our room, so I don't have any pics.  Otherwise I think the resort did fairly well comparatively.  Staff is doing their best to get what they can back up and running.  We've got water, power, internet and a couple of cable channels (all the satellite channels are out).  A/C is kind of working.  One restaurant is open with a limited menu.
> 
> I'll add, the Playa Grande isn't in great shape.  Met MANY people who's sliding doors blew out and the resort is telling them they don't have anywhere else to put them at the moment.  The central areas suffered some damage, pool area is largely a disaster.  That said, the lobby is in great shape.  Bar was hopping with lots of people drinking and watching TV.  They served a breakfast and lunch buffet down in the conference rooms for everyone (many slept down there).  I am SO thankful the room they had us in there suffered little more than rainwater coming in under the doors (which we largely stopped with towels).  We had power through the night, hooked up the laptop to the TV and watched a couple of movies to drown out the terrifying wind noises.  Very fortunate to have survived this as well as we did.


Amazing pictures. I'm so sorry that you have had to go through this. I'm glad that you and your family are safe.


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## Karen G

I just found  these pictures from the Weather Channel. So sad for everyone in Cabo.


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## Karen G

*earthquakes in Baja*

As if the hurricane wasn't enough, there were  two earthquakes further north up the Baja peninsula about where the storm is tracking as it moves northward.


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## Passepartout

Saw the damage on CBS News. Heartbreaking. They said the airport is closed, 10's of thousands stranded there, the Army has been called in for cleanup duty. Look after one another.

Jim


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## lbertera

*Solmar Beach Club*

Does anyone know how the Solmar Beach Club survived the huricane?


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## ocdb8r

*Central Cabo Pics*
https://plus.google.com/photos/115455726250607607499/albums/6059448864274162097?banner=pwa

We went out and walked around just to see how central Cabo was doing (and hoping to pick up some provisions).  Pics above.  Looks pretty bad.  Lots of people around trying to protect their shops, clean up or loot (nothing violent, but saw lots of locals taking "souvenirs" such as signs and other items that had blown down.

It's not looking good for getting out of here either.  Southwest Airlines is reporting on their travel advisory page that local officials have told them the soonest the airport will reopen is September 22.  We're now scrambling to find any other way back home before then.  Considering a flight to Tijuana from La Paz airport (I live in San Diego) but no solid reports on what condition it's in.  II was able to exchange us into an additional week here at the Grand Solmar so we're covered but we really do need to get home...I feel stupid typing that as I am sure there are thousands that need to get home as well.  Driving is also not a real option.  Almost every rental car here on site has blown out windows and I really am not up for following a hurricane up the Baja Peninsula in any case.

*Airport Pics* (thanks to klpca for posting the general link) 
http://www.itravel-cabo.com/images/airport after odile.jpg
http://www.itravel-cabo.com/images/los cabos airport after odile.jpg

I can't complain too much.  We're in a fairly clean air conditioned room with power and internet (and 2 cable channels working - NBC from Seattle and E - go figure).  Feel incredibly sorry for the locals.  Have chatted with quite a few of the staff here, many have been here over 24 hours straight.  One single girl we spoke with had been working for over 24 hours.  We then ran into her later as we were walking through town and she was on her way back from checking on the damage at her home.  She said lots of water damage, no water and no power...so she was headed back here as she felt it was better to work in the nice conditions than to stay at home.

Overall, VERY impressed with the general staff.  Not so impressed with Solmar management.  Very poor communication about the big picture.  Last minute evacuations.  No systems in place to deal with returning guests at the Grand, despite Playa telling all of us to go back.  Lots of other little things.  I'm sympathetic given the situation but it seems like the normal workers are busting their butts while management seems to have no clue what's going on.


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## tommy1005

does anybody know how Fiesta Americana made out? We are traveling there Oct 1-5th and hope that the hotel and everyone associated with it made out ok. My prayers go out to the locals down there, being a lifelong Houston area resident I know what it's like to be in hurricanes. I pray they can get their lives back quickly.


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## T-towngirl

*T-towngirl*

Hello everyone.....I am a timeshare owner at Grand Solmar. Someone mentioned that they evacuated building B (directly next to the damaged infinity pool) for safety reasons; until they can have it checked for possible structural damage or issues. I am very interested to hear or know the results on this and what they find/discover. I would also appreciate any info or updates on this, as well as any pictures of this building. Sounds like the building is intact, but they want to make it is structurally stable for everyone.....?


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## kparam

Greetings.  My husband had traded into the Grand Solmar through II - to arrive September 27.  Our hearts go out to the people in Cabo and pray they can get assistance to make the repairs.

I was able to try out Interval's "Re-Trade" function tonight and re-traded the Grand Solmar week for a 2 bedroom villa in Riviera Maya at the Royal Hacienda Resort (Same Week)  We are Royal Members and get a discounted price on the IA package @ $69 per person per day.

I called both airlines I had used to book one-way trips (using miles = United and American).  Both were very helpful and agreed to waive the fees to change the itinerary.

Now we are just crossing our fingers that there won't be a hurricane hitting the Yucatan.

So far, things have worked out fine and don't have to mess with the travel insurance or cancel our vacation - just change the location and flights.

We will definitely try to trade into the Grand Solmar in the future to enjoy the new, renovated pool.


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## 8gauge

*Pueblo Bonito Rose\Pueblo Bonito Los Cabos*

Found this picture on the internet and thought I would pass it along. It shows the view out from the pool section of the Rose toward Medano Beach the day before the eye came in during the night.  Cannot imagine the size of the waves later that night!  I was scheduled to be at the Rose starting on the 22nd of this month (next Monday) for two weeks.  Oceanfront suites #3002 and #5001.  Doubt they have any glass windows left in those suites . . and maybe a lot of water in the third floor suite.  in the picture Medano beach area appears to be the bottom floor for giant waves.  Hope this link works:

http://instagram.com/p/s8l1mVgx4g/?modal=true


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## maja651

kparam said:


> Greetings.  My husband had traded into the Grand Solmar through II - to arrive September 27.  Our hearts go out to the people in Cabo and pray they can get assistance to make the repairs.
> 
> I was able to try out Interval's "Re-Trade" function tonight and re-traded the Grand Solmar week for a 2 bedroom villa in Riviera Maya at the Royal Hacienda Resort (Same Week)  We are Royal Members and get a discounted price on the IA package @ $69 per person per day.
> 
> I called both airlines I had used to book one-way trips (using miles = United and American).  Both were very helpful and agreed to waive the fees to change the itinerary.
> 
> Now we are just crossing our fingers that there won't be a hurricane hitting the Yucatan.
> 
> So far, things have worked out fine and don't have to mess with the travel insurance or cancel our vacation - just change the location and flights.
> 
> We will definitely try to trade into the Grand Solmar in the future to enjoy the new, renovated pool.



FYI- if you are members of the Royal Resorts you are not required to purchase the AI, even at the discounted rate.


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## csxjohn

Passepartout said:


> Saw the damage on CBS News. Heartbreaking. They said the airport is closed, 10's of thousands stranded there, the Army has been called in for cleanup duty. Look after one another.
> 
> Jim



An expected occurrence after a natural disaster like this.  It makes me wonder why everyone than can get out ahead of time does not get out.

Even if you can ride out the wind and rain, you still have to deal with the damage to the infrastructure.

I feel badly for those who don't have the ability to evacuate and are forced to deal with this.


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## Pat H

Stayed at PBSB in March. Beautiful resort. My sister also stayed there in April and they loved Cabo so much that they just booked Worldmark Coral Baja through Wyndham starting 10/3. Any word on this resort? Wonder how long it will take to get the airport functional?


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## tommy1005

I called Hilton this morning and they said Fiesta Americana had no significant damage and would be cleaned up well before our arrival Oct 1st and that the airport is supposed to reopen tomorrow. I also called United, but they wouldn't tell me when the airport would reopen and want to charge us $200 per ticket to change our location.

Now the debate begins on whether to risk that Cabo will be somewhat back to normal in 2 weeks or do we cut bait and head somewhere else. Looking at the pictures it appears the infrastructure is pretty well shot.

I get it that the airport and resort will be open, but what if there's no way to get from the airport to the resort? I haven't seen any pictures of the roads other than the ones that appeared to be washed out in town.


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## DebBrown

Any news on the San Jose area?  I didn't see many pictures.  I love the town and all the galleries.    What about the Grand Mayan?

Deb


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## Karen G

*Two pictures from Pueblo Bonito Rose*

These two pictures are from the PB Rose Facebook page. It looks like
perhaps the damage isn't as bad as I feared it might be.


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## klpca

DebBrown said:


> Any news on the San Jose area?  I didn't see many pictures.  I love the town and all the galleries.    What about the Grand Mayan?
> 
> Deb



There are two helpful threads on tripadvisor about the Grand Mayan: 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopi...e_Odile_damage-Los_Cabos_Baja_California.html

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopi...Cabo_San_Lucas_Los_Cabos_Baja_California.html

From my internet reading, my sense is that the damage is worse towards the corridor and San Jose del Cabo vs. the Marina area.

We are supposed to stay at Club Regina (in the corridor) in January and I am even a bit worried about that trip as it seems like that area had extensive damage. The adjacent hotel, The Westin, posted this on their facebook page: _Due to Hurricane Odile, which came ashore at Los Cabos in Baja California on Sunday and Monday, September 14-15, The Westin Los Cabos Resort & Spa, and the Sheraton Hacienda del Mar Golf Resort & Spa have sustained damage, and are unable to accept any new guests at this time.  It is too soon to determine when the hotels will be fully operational, but it is not expected until at least October 31._ I have the luxury of time to make my decision. I feel terrible for the residents of the Cabo area, tourists who are stuck there, and those who have upcoming trips planned.

Here is a link to a Facebook page regarding the damage in Los Cabos: https://www.facebook.com/groups/727074667339978/

For information regarding a specific resort I would start with the Cabo tripadvisor forums - a lot of threads there are property specific. I would also check for facebook pages specific to the resort, and also do searches on twitter and instagram.


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## jefrazier

*Same "boat" here*

My husband and I own a timeshare at Hacienda Encantada.  Our dates are 18-24 October.  So far we have seen zero info on the status.  Would appreciate a reply post if any one has info on HE.

Thanks!


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## kparam

tommy1005 said:


> I called Hilton this morning and they said Fiesta Americana had no significant damage and would be cleaned up well before our arrival Oct 1st and that the airport is supposed to reopen tomorrow. I also called United, but they wouldn't tell me when the airport would reopen and want to charge us $200 per ticket to change our location.
> 
> Now the debate begins on whether to risk that Cabo will be somewhat back to normal in 2 weeks or do we cut bait and head somewhere else. Looking at the pictures it appears the infrastructure is pretty well shot.
> 
> I get it that the airport and resort will be open, but what if there's no way to get from the airport to the resort? I haven't seen any pictures of the roads other than the ones that appeared to be washed out in town.



I spoke to United last night and the agent made a call to get approval to waive the change fees (I had booked with miles).


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## tommy1005

kparam said:


> I spoke to United last night and the agent made a call to get approval to waive the change fees (I had booked with miles).



I think we're going to switch to Grand Mayan Riviera Maya instead. I don't see anyway that Cabo will be back to normal by the end of the year, much less in 2 weeks. I was really looking forward to doing some fishing during prime season. Oh well, that's the gamble you take booking a trip at the tail end of hurricane season.

I continue to pray for the people down there that they will be able to rebuild their lives quickly.


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## MommaBear

jefrazier said:


> My husband and I own a timeshare at Hacienda Encantada.  Our dates are 18-24 October.  So far we have seen zero info on the status.  Would appreciate a reply post if any one has info on HE.
> 
> Thanks!



My daughter owns there as well. We are anxious to hear how the resort fared.


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## oceanvps

any news on club cascadas? all the news mentions is a fire


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## Passepartout

MommaBear said:


> My daughter owns there as well. We are anxious to hear how the resort fared.



IMO, Nobody OWNS anything in Mexico, other than the right to use some time there. It will be interesting to see how this devastation effects the resorts, their employees, and the maintenance fees. Not to mention if the REAL resort owners try to hold up timeshart RTU owners for special assessments to address repairs.

Jim


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## klpca

*Update for those in Cabo right now*

"Mexico's government said late Monday night that army and commercial planes would be sent to La Paz and Los Cabos airports to ferry out some of the tens of thousands of tourists stranded in temporary shelters in hotels."

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/mexico-to-fly-out-tourists-stranded-by-tropical-storm-odile/

The article is light on details. Hopefully this happens soon.


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## 8gauge

*Medano Beach Damage and Pueblo Bonito Resorts There*

More pictures of Medano Beach around Pueblo Bonito Los Cabos and damage to the side of that resort next to Pueblo Bonito Rose:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/hur...as-mexico-gallery-1.1940481?pmSlide=1.1940458

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/hur...as-mexico-gallery-1.1940481?pmSlide=1.1940465


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## Passepartout

I have also been wondering if both Cabo and La Paz airports are unusable, how about the overnight ferry, La Paz to Mazatlan and flying from there? Either way, I'm happy to be home.

Jim


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## klpca

*Tripadvisor thread - updates only*

Another good Tripadvisor thread: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopi...Cabo_San_Lucas_Los_Cabos_Baja_California.html


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## Wonka

*Westin Regina damages?*

Does anyone have any photos or other information on the extent of damages of the Westin Regina Los Cabos?  Also, were any Tug members in Los Cabos during the hurricane?


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## Andyk1980

*Terra Sol in Cabo*

Have not seen any updates/information on Terra Sol - looks like resorts on both sides were hit hard, does anyone have any information/photo's?

Am booked to go there in 3 weeks and was to stay in one of the Ocean front condo's ... by the sound of things may not be an option and I have not received reply from unit owner


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## jefrazier

Passepartout said:


> IMO, Nobody OWNS anything in Mexico, other than the right to use some time there. It will be interesting to see how this devastation effects the resorts, their employees, and the maintenance fees. Not to mention if the REAL resort owners try to hold up timeshart RTU owners for special assessments to address repairs.
> 
> 
> 
> Jim




I fully expect our maintenance fees to go up.  The question is going to be how much.  We will definitely need to do a refresher on the contract.


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## KathleenKat

ocdb8r said:


> *Grand Solmar Pics*
> https://plus.google.com/photos/115455726250607607499/albums/6059402766849510193?banner=pwa
> 
> *Playa Grande Pics*
> https://plus.google.com/photos/115455726250607607499/albums/6059403041056100065?banner=pwa
> 
> Let me know if those links don't work.  I can try to embed some in another post.
> 
> We're back at the Grand Solmar.  Most of the rooms were spared.  No real glass breakage like at the Playa Grande but many have some level of water damage due to water under the doors (both the sliding doors and the main entry door).  Some also have some internal water leakage as well. The one tower closest to the beach where the erosion ate away under the central infinity pool is closed as they aren't sure if there is further structural damage to that building.  We were told the pool closest to the rocky outcropping by the arch also suffered severe structural damage.  They've closed off that area and it's not visible from our room, so I don't have any pics.  Otherwise I think the resort did fairly well comparatively.  Staff is doing their best to get what they can back up and running.  We've got water, power, internet and a couple of cable channels (all the satellite channels are out).  A/C is kind of working.  One restaurant is open with a limited menu.
> 
> I'll add, the Playa Grande isn't in great shape.  Met MANY people who's sliding doors blew out and the resort is telling them they don't have anywhere else to put them at the moment.  The central areas suffered some damage, pool area is largely a disaster.  That said, the lobby is in great shape.  Bar was hopping with lots of people drinking and watching TV.  They served a breakfast and lunch buffet down in the conference rooms for everyone (many slept down there).  I am SO thankful the room they had us in there suffered little more than rainwater coming in under the doors (which we largely stopped with towels).  We had power through the night, hooked up the laptop to the TV and watched a couple of movies to drown out the terrifying wind noises.  Very fortunate to have survived this as well as we did.



We are due to travel to Playa on Oct. 5. We have a ocean facing penthouse located on the second floor. Can anyone assess what type of damage may have occurred or find out anything about room 2254? Thank you in advance!


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## PamMo

Terra Sol's restaurant was destroyed (it's below grade and open to the beach, so was inundated with water and sand). I haven't heard any reports on individual condos there, but I'm sure they have sustained some damage. How much isn't known yet.


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## csxjohn

Am I the only one??

Thousands of people stranded trying to get out, damage all over the place, and people are wanting to go there in the next few weeks?

And now another storm is brewing that may or may not take the same path as this one.

If it were me, I'd be going over my plan "B" and checking my travel insurance in case I need to make a claim.

Even if individual units and buildings are intact, when the army has to come in to help, it's not a good sign.


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## ada903

It will be at least a month or two before things get significantly better.  It may be as much as 3 or 6 months for resorts like Grand Solmar where the pool collapsed for things to get fixed.  I wouldn't plan on travel to Cabo for the next few months.  Airlines will likely waive change fees and offer refunds as travel dates get closer.


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## PamMo

Nope, you're not the only one thinking that. I just believe people have a hard time facing that their vacation plans have gone kaput, and/or grasping how BIG a disaster this is. Cabo hasn't had a storm like this in 60 years (when it was just a little fishing village). ALL the area infrastructure has taken a wallop. I'll be going back, but not for a few months.


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## KathleenKat

csxjohn said:


> Am I the only one??
> 
> Thousands of people stranded trying to get out, damage all over the place, and people are wanting to go there in the next few weeks?
> 
> And now another storm is brewing that may or may not take the same path as this one.
> 
> If it were me, I'd be going over my plan "B" and checking my travel insurance in case I need to make a claim.
> 
> Even if individual units and buildings are intact, when the army has to come in to help, it's not a good sign.



Certainly not the only one. We have friends that live there and have been checking in on them and their families and doing what we can for them from here. I am asking and not wanting to cancel because I am getting married on Oct 11 in Cabo at Playa and have not been able to get a response from the resort; so I reached out here. 

The difficulties the community face are terrible and I am so glad that those we have befriended over the last eleven years are safe and their families, too.


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## ada903

This is very useful - a summary for the status of multiple resorts compiled by Cabo Villas:

http://www.cabovillas.com/blog/?p=2547


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## DebBrown

We have reservations in January and I'm wondering if some of these resorts are overly optimistic about being open in a couple of months.  I'm also making a mental note to myself:  if a hurricane is coming, just get out ahead of it.  Don't wait to see.

Deb


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## csxjohn

DebBrown said:


> We have reservations in January and I'm wondering if some of these resorts are overly optimistic about being open in a couple of months.  I'm also making a mental note to myself:  if a hurricane is coming, just get out ahead of it.  Don't wait to see.Deb



Exactly what I was thinking when I read how many are trapped.


----------



## jefrazier

PamMo said:


> Nope, you're not the only one thinking that. I just believe people have a hard time facing that their vacation plans have gone kaput, and/or grasping how BIG a disaster this is. Cabo hasn't had a storm like this in 60 years (when it was just a little fishing village). ALL the area infrastructure has taken a wallop. I'll be going back, but not for a few months.




It's just a tad complicated.  There is no guarantee that the airline will refund tickets or that we can file a claim on a cancellation IF Hacienda and the airport are functioning by mid October.  I'm not holding out hope but I suspect there will be a fight with the airline.  Already hearing some stories regarding airlines charging change fees even with this disaster.

On another note when one's timeshare is out of commission, albeit temporarily, due to a natural disaster, can you still trade or rebank?  Interval is who we deal with.   First time dealing with this scenario.


----------



## calberry

We have two weeks planned at a timeshare in Cabo starting on Oct. 11th. The resort is saying (through a phone call to us and Facebook posts) that there were no major damage and that current guests are actually helping with the cleanup.  Power is by generator though, since the electricity is out for the whole area.  They are able to have one of the restaurants open.

We are truly ambivalent about whether to go or cancel, even if the airport is open by then.  The humanitarian side of me says we could go and help, but the 'selfish' side says we are retired and this was to be a nice vacation for us.

We have an Annual Timeshare Owner Protection Plan with VacationGuard, but this is the verbiage on the policy regarding when you can cancel relative to a natural disaster;

"Your and/or Your Traveling Companion’s principal place of residence is made 
*uninhabitable *by fire, flood, volcano, earthquake, hurricane, or other natural disaster.

The Timeshare unit remains *uninhabitable* within 14 days immediately prior to and including Your scheduled arrival date or becomes uninhabitable while You are on Your scheduled Timeshare Trip due to a documented fire, flood, volcano, earthquake, hurricane, or other natural disaster."

Since our timeshare resort is currently open for guests (although perhaps sub-optimal), it sounds as if the policy would not be useful for us even if we did decide to cancel this trip and re-schedule it.

Ironically we did a trade via Interval into Cancun during the middle of the Swine Flu scare a few years ago.  Occupancy at the resorts was about 50%, and we were treated like royalty wherever we went since all the establishments were hurting for customers.  This time I would expect it to be even worse...but a LOT of restaurants/bars will probably not be repaired/open by the time we are due to arrive ;-(

Dilemma....


----------



## LisaH

calberry said:


> We have two weeks planned at a timeshare in Cabo starting on Oct. 11th. The resort is saying (through a phone call to us and Facebook posts) that there were no major damage and that current guests are actually helping with the cleanup.  Power is by generator though, since the electricity is out for the whole area.  They are able to have one of the restaurants open.
> 
> We are truly ambivalent about whether to go or cancel, even if the airport is open by then.  The humanitarian side of me says we could go and help, but the 'selfish' side says we are retired and this was to be a nice vacation for us.
> 
> We have an Annual Timeshare Owner Protection Plan with VacationGuard, but this is the verbiage on the policy regarding when you can cancel relative to a natural disaster;
> 
> "Your and/or Your Traveling Companion’s principal place of residence is made
> *uninhabitable *by fire, flood, volcano, earthquake, hurricane, or other natural disaster.
> 
> The Timeshare unit remains *uninhabitable* within 14 days immediately prior to and including Your scheduled arrival date or becomes uninhabitable while You are on Your scheduled Timeshare Trip due to a documented fire, flood, volcano, earthquake, hurricane, or other natural disaster."
> 
> Since our timeshare resort is currently open for guests (although perhaps sub-optimal), it sounds as if the policy would not be useful for us even if we did decide to cancel this trip and re-schedule it.
> 
> Ironically we did a trade via Interval into Cancun during the middle of the Swine Flu scare a few years ago.  Occupancy at the resorts was about 50%, and we were treated like royalty wherever we went since all the establishments were hurting for customers.  This time I would expect it to be even worse...but a LOT of restaurants/bars will probably not be repaired/open by the time we are due to arrive ;-(
> 
> Dilemma....



Hi Berry, this is truly a dilemma. 
I would call the insurance company to see what's their take on this. I would think that if the airport is not open, it's not reasonable to expect you still making the trip even if the resort is open.
On a separate note, you may also want to contact your airline and your exchange company (assume these are exchange weeks) to see if they can help you find a different location without additional charges...


----------



## calberry

LisaH said:


> Hi Berry, this is truly a dilemma.
> I would call the insurance company to see what's their take on this. I would think that if the airport is not open, it's not reasonable to expect you still making the trip even if the resort is open.
> On a separate note, you may also want to contact your airline and your exchange company (assume these are exchange weeks) to see if they can help you find a different location without additional charges...



Thanks.

I did call the insurance company and explained it almost exactly the same way you did and they said to refer to verbiage in the contract.  Ugh.

I'm going to wait a few days until we see what is going on with the airport before I call the the timeshare company or United.  Our first week is our owner's week and the 2nd was a trade through Interval.

Steve


----------



## vacationhopeful

jefrazier said:


> ....On another note when one's timeshare is out of commission, albeit temporarily, due to a natural disaster, can you still trade or rebank?  Interval is who we deal with.first time dealing with this scenario.



Years ago, a hurricane took OUT the Wyndham Santa Barbara resort -- it was closed with 6' chain link fencing for YEARS. The fixed week owners were totally SOL. No exchange depositing - *BIG HUGH SPECIAL ASSESSMENT *- no Wyndham "we are here" but "we will convert your fixed week to points for $$$$$" ... I know, as I walked around the chain link fencing, saw the 2 motels next door empty and eventually torn down along with the large (and nicer) Oceanfront motel/resort across the street from those next door motels.

So, no trading as you have NOTHING TO deposit; bet re-bank is the same as you have nothing to rebank.... unless you had insurance on your vacation.


----------



## klpca

ada903 said:


> This is very useful - a summary for the status of multiple resorts compiled by Cabo Villas:
> 
> http://www.cabovillas.com/blog/?p=2547



Excellent summary for many of the Cabo resorts (not just Cabo Villas). Thanks for posting - I'm sure that it will help a lot of people seeking information.


----------



## Carol C

I heard on news, maybe weather channel, that the airport will be closed til Oct 10. That's a long time...is this possibly true?


----------



## Pat H

Depends on your resort whether or not you may still have weeks to deposit. Resorts that have multiple locations, e.g. Mayan, Westin/Starwood, Hilton, etc. have been known to deposit substitute weeks so members can still exchange. Had that happen to me when the Mayan Palace PV had a fire due to an earthquake. It was out of commission for over 2 yrs. Mayan deposited other weeks with RCI so we could get an exchange. Of course, we still had to pay the yearly m/f.


----------



## jefrazier

vacationhopeful said:


> Years ago, a hurricane took OUT the Wyndham Santa Barbara resort -- it was closed with 6' chain link fencing for YEARS. The fixed week owners were totally SOL. No exchange depositing - *BIG HUGH SPECIAL ASSESSMENT *- no Wyndham "we are here" but "we will convert your fixed week to points for $$$$$" ... I know, as I walked around the chain link fencing, saw the 2 motels next door empty and eventually torn down along with the large (and nicer) Oceanfront motel/resort across the street from those next door motels.
> 
> So, no trading as you have NOTHING TO deposit; bet re-bank is the same as you have nothing to rebank.... unless you had insurance on your vacation.



That's a downer....but kinda of suspected that was the case.


----------



## PamMo

jefrazier, if you look at the link Ada903 posted (www.cabovillas.com/blog/?p=2547), you'll see that Hacienda del Mar does not expect to be fully operational through October 31. I think Starwood would refund your money, or at least give you a voucher for a future stay. Airline customer service is horrible these days, so not sure how they'll handle it? I hope it works out for you.

I think EVERYTHING is up in the air right now, as people are trying to recover from the direct hit and assess the damage from Odile.

Added: Part of MF's go towards insurance, so hopefully that will cover any damage, and you'll avoid a special assessment. I know some resorts DO give replacement weeks after a disaster, so hope for the best, and don't assume the worst.


----------



## jefrazier

PamMo said:


> jefrazier, if you look at the link Ada903 posted (www.cabovillas.com/blog/?p=2547), you'll see that Hacienda del Mar does not expect to be fully operational through October 31. I think Starwood would refund your money, or at least give you a voucher for a future stay. Airline customer service is horrible these days, so not sure how they'll handle it? I hope it works out for you.
> 
> I think EVERYTHING is up in the air right now, as people are trying to recover from the direct hit and assess the damage from Odile.
> 
> Added: Part of MF's go towards insurance, so hopefully that will cover any damage, and you'll avoid a special assessment. I know some resorts DO give replacement weeks after a disaster, so hope for the best, and don't assume the worst.



PamMo- We have a timeshare at Hacienda Encantada...not Hacienda del Mar.  We still have time...so we'll call and see what the situation is once things have settled down a bit.  We might be able to go to a sister resort.  On the airline side...just called and we are basically SOL (US Airways).  $200 per person fee if we change our tickets.  Ugh:annoyed:


----------



## klpca

Carol C said:


> I heard on news, maybe weather channel, that the airport will be closed til Oct 10. That's a long time...is this possibly true?



If you follow through Ada903's link (above) and find the information from Pueblo Bonito Resorts, you will find this information about the airports:

_"Regarding the airports, a definite date has not been announced for the Cabo International airport (SJD) to reopen, but current advice from airlines indicate that it may reopen around September 22nd for arrivals. Local news is reporting that, according to the Secretary of Tourism, the airport’s two terminals were damaged but the airport is operable. The smaller Cabo San Lucas airport (CSL or MMSL) is not operable and is reported to be closed until October 10th. - See more at: http://www.cabovillas.com/blog/?p=2547#sthash.1faA4bJC.dpuf"_


----------



## topmom101

My friends and I were due to leave for Cabo Villas this coming Saturday.  Obviously, the trip is cancelled.  United waived cancellation fees and gave us credits to be used up until April 2015.  It's heartbreaking to look at pictures of the devastation.  At this point we are not sure what the resort will do in terms of re-booking another week. Would love to get any info on damage sustained at Cabo Villas.


----------



## ilene13

jefrazier said:


> PamMo- We have a timeshare at Hacienda Encantada...not Hacienda del Mar.  We still have time...so we'll call and see what the situation is once things have settled down a bit.  We might be able to go to a sister resort.  On the airline side...just called and we are basically SOL (US Airways).  $200 per person fee if we change our tickets.  Ugh:annoyed:



USAir has a travel advisory for Cabo listed on their sight.  If it comes down to your dates and you are unable to go to the resort call them and deal with customer relations.   They waive the fees for a variety of reasons.


----------



## Running Man

*Any info PB Sunset Beach*

Hello Everyone

Does anyone have any info on PB Sunset Beach?

We will be going there in December.

Cheers


----------



## pittle

Passepartout said:


> IMO, Nobody OWNS anything in Mexico, other than the right to use some time there. It will be interesting to see how this devastation effects the resorts, their employees, and the maintenance fees. Not to mention if the REAL resort owners try to hold up timeshart RTU owners for special assessments to address repairs.
> 
> Jim



Jim - We are "owners" of RTU weeks at Buganvilias and "Mayan World".  Both of these had significant hurricane damage since we have been "owners" and neither charged a special assessment for their repairs.  

The Buganvilias was totally closed for 18 months because the water damaged the HVAC in the basement of the buildings. They did not charge MF while they were closed, and if you did want to pay MF so that you could deposit your week, they deposited a week for when they would be open again.  

Mayan Palace Mayan Riviera took a direct hit with Wilma in late October 2005 and we actually went 3-1/2 weeks following it as planned for a large family vacation.  We learned so much about Grupo Mayan and their employees while we were there.  The employees were so gracious and helpful, but were glad we were there so they still had jobs.  Everyone, including clerical staff had helped scoop sand out of the pool. Grupo gave most of the food that was in the refrigerators and freezers to their employees, plus some water damaged furniture.  The employees were so grateful to the management for helping them however they could as many had lost everything.  The management rotated the employees around so that everyone got a chance to work directly with guest (therefore receive tips) during the clean-up time.


----------



## ada903

Very good updates here as well about airport situation:

http://www.itravel-cabo.com/news/cabo-news/cabo-news-roundup---sept-16


----------



## klpca

*State Dept info from the Tripadvisor Update thread*

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopi...Cabo_San_Lucas_Los_Cabos_Baja_California.html See post #74

_74. Re: Hurricane Odile - Updates Only
Sep 17, 2014, 8:57 AM
You are receiving this email in reply to the email you sent to the OdileEmergencyUSC@state.gov<mailto:OdileEmergencyUSC@state.gov> email address. We are very concerned for the welfare of U.S. citizens in the affected areas and are dedicated to providing information to help them make educated decisions about their safety and travel to, from, and around the affected area.

The Mexican government has begun military evacuation flights from San Jose de los Cabos International Airport, Los Cabos Airport, and La Paz Airport. U.S. citizen travelers and residents should assess the safest route to the nearest airport and move there expeditiously during daylight hours. For additional information on these evacuation flights, please contact local authorities. Flights are arriving in both Tijuana and Mazatlan. U.S. government personnel are at both of these airports providing assistance to U.S. citizens.

You can alert us to U.S. citizens affected by the storm, including yourself, by visiting https://tfa.state.gov/ccd, selecting “2014 Hurricane Odile,” and providing as much information as possible. You can also contact us at 1-888-407-4747 (From the United States and Canada), +1-202-501-4444 (From all other countries).

We are closely monitoring Hurricane Odile and its effects on Mexico. Though Baja California is a popular destination for U.S. tourists, the U.S. Consulate in Tijuana has received no reports of U.S. citizens injured or killed .

We can confirm that, because of damage the storm caused, the airport in Los Cabos is temporarily closed to commercial flights. Commercial flights will be available once the airport reopens. If you have flight tickets, you should confirm your flight status with your airline before departing for the airport.

Please see the Emergency Message on the homepage of the U.S. Consulate in Tijuana (http://tijuana.usconsulate.gov/service.html) for links to various websites that provide further information about the progress of the storm, as well as contact information for the Consulate and the U.S. Department of State.

The safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas is a top priority of the Department of State. We encourage U.S. citizens traveling and residing abroad to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) at www.travel.state.gov<http://www.travel.state.gov>, and to read the Country Specific Information also found on the site.

If you are concerned about the well-being of a U.S. citizen in the affected area, we encourage you to continue your efforts to contact your loved one(s) directly by telephone, text, or social media to confirm his/her welfare and whereabouts.
._


----------



## BarryD

*Pueblo Bonito Los Cabos*

We are due to arrive there on Nov 3 for a week but not sure if we should cancel or not as well as airline. Called RCI and they said, it shouldn't be a problem by then but who REALLY knows. Sent an email to the resort but no reply as of yet. May try to call direct the first part of week.

Any more info out there??

THANKS


----------



## calberry

I am also curious as to the status of The Office and Tobasco's.  It is one thing to have the resort up and running (albeit on a generator), but another to have our favorite restaurants closed.

Steve


----------



## BarryD

> have our favorite restaurants closed.



 I hear you! We also have our favorite places to eat and the hotel/resort may be up and running by then but wonder about other places of business.


----------



## icydog

My friends are trapped in Cabo.  I have a thread going on in Flyertalk about my 75+ year old friends who are experiencing terrible hardships since the hurricane hit.


----------



## klpca

calberry said:


> I am also curious as to the status of The Office and Tobasco's.  It is one thing to have the resort up and running (albeit on a generator), but another to have our favorite restaurants closed.
> 
> Steve



Tabasco's thread: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopi...Cabo_San_Lucas_Los_Cabos_Baja_California.html


----------



## calberry

klpca said:


> Tabasco's thread: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopi...Cabo_San_Lucas_Los_Cabos_Baja_California.html



Thanks.  That video pretty much confirms that we will be rescheduling this tirp and head to PV, Playa, or Cancun instead ;-(

Steve


----------



## csxjohn

icydog said:


> My friends are trapped in Cabo.  I have a thread going on in Flyertalk about my 75+ year old friends who are experiencing terrible hardships since the hurricane hit.



I agree with you that those who went down are stupid.  I'd ask, what were they thinking? but it obvious they weren't.

Air lifts bringing in food and water to try to help people survive they they go down voluntarily.

Anyhow I wish you and your stranded friends luck.  It wasn't all that long ago that when people went on vaca they were not in constant touch with those back home and the human race has survived.


----------



## slhoosier

We called about the Fiesta Americana Grand in Cabo yesterday as we are scheduled to be there the 28th-4th. They said minimal damage. Then I saw this:
http://abc7.com/weather/hurricane-odile-socal-woman-talks-being-stranded/310312/

We are going to give it a few more days before we decide. We are more concerned about how to get from the airport to FA than anything. Who knows what the roads are like and if they will have rental cars.  I feel so sorry for the residents of Cabo.


----------



## slhoosier

*Pictures from Fiesta Americana Grand Los Cabos*

http://abc7.com/weather/hurricane-odile-socal-woman-talks-being-stranded/310312/


----------



## indyjuli

*Club Cascades*

My friend who was planning to go there from 10/9 -10/16 cannot go.  The resort had extensive damage for the resort to close down for a few weeks.  This is in the heart of Medano Beach next to Pueblo Bonito.  No water, power, or telephone service there.

Here is the link he sent me:
http://www.tradingplaces.com/comm/r...m=email&utm_campaign=CCDB Owners&utm_content=


----------



## jannaB

Playa Grande unit damage request.  How awful for everyone in Cabo and my heart goes out to tourists and residents alike.  

Can someone check out the following Playa Grande units and/or buildings for damage?
I'm especially concerned about the PG building with all units facing the beach. This is the "A" building.

A-1374 - Third floor unit directly faces the beach and open ocean!
L-2602 - Sixth floor unit in building with the high arch breezeway from main lobby.
Ridge A-3203 - Third floor facing the marina on end nearest Finisterra.

I've been going to my Sol Mar/Playa Grande timeshares same time for past 22 years! 
I own those units in weeks 7, 8, 9 in that order and am scheduled to return starting Feb 14, 2015.  Sure hope all is back in order by Feb but wonder!

Many thanks!  And, I pray all of you tourists get home safely and soon!


----------



## taffy19

pittle said:


> Jim - We are "owners" of RTU weeks at Buganvilias and "Mayan World".  Both of these had significant hurricane damage since we have been "owners" and neither charged a special assessment for their repairs.
> 
> The Buganvilias was totally closed for 18 months because the water damaged the HVAC in the basement of the buildings. They did not charge MF while they were closed, and if you did want to pay MF so that you could deposit your week, they deposited a week for when they would be open again.
> 
> Mayan Palace Mayan Riviera took a direct hit with Wilma in late October 2005 and we actually went 3-1/2 weeks following it as planned for a large family vacation.  We learned so much about Grupo Mayan and their employees while we were there.  The employees were so gracious and helpful, but were glad we were there so they still had jobs.  Everyone, including clerical staff had helped scoop sand out of the pool. Grupo gave most of the food that was in the refrigerators and freezers to their employees, plus some water damaged furniture.  The employees were so grateful to the management for helping them however they could as many had lost everything.  The management rotated the employees around so that everyone got a chance to work directly with guest (therefore receive tips) during the clean-up time.


The Buganvilias extended our contract by a year so we lost nothing nor did we have to pay anything extra.  They must have been insured for hurricane damage.  Our timeshare condo was damaged pretty bad as we saw it right after but the first floor was even worse.  The waves went as high up as the third floor.


----------



## taffy19

slhoosier said:


> http://abc7.com/weather/hurricane-odile-socal-woman-talks-being-stranded/310312/


How awful and many locals lost their homes and everything.  Really devastating.


----------



## calberry

Sort of hate to admit it, but we pulled the plug.  Although the resort (Villa del Palmar) says they are open with minimal damage, using a generator for power I'm guessing means no A/C, and mold will probably be rampant.  Not to messy beach, closed favorite restaurants, etc.

We used Interval to swap out our Cabo rooms for Puerto Vallarta, and United was very nice (as in no charge) in swapping our flight for Oct. 11 from Cabo to PV.

We'll save Cabo for next year ;-)

Steve


----------



## taffy19

calberry said:


> Sort of hate to admit it, but we pulled the plug.  Although the resort (Villa del Palmar) says they are open with minimal damage, using a generator for power I'm guessing means no A/C, and mold will probably be rampant.  Not to messy beach, closed favorite restaurants, etc.
> 
> We used Interval to swap out our Cabo rooms for Puerto Vallarta, and United was very nice (as in no charge) in swapping our flight for Oct. 11 from Cabo to PV.
> 
> We'll save Cabo for next year ;-)
> 
> Steve


Great that you could do this.  A resort with multiple locations has an advantage that you can go to another location.


----------



## Tacoma

Well according to worldmark's home page the Coral Baja is not accepting guests until January 31st.  We are booked for Christmas.  Got a great deal on airfare and our resort is next door to where my daughter's best friend (who lives in another city now) stays.  So my questions are should I still go?   Any resorts I should look for?  We were booked Tuesday to Thursday to get the best airfare and I won't find that in another timeshare.  Ugh first family vacation in 3 years and I really don't want to cancel.  At least I have a lot of time to sort this out.  So main question what resorts are in good shape and do any check in from any day of the week?

Joan


----------



## calberry

iconnections said:


> Great that you could do this.  A resort with multiple locations has an advantage that you can go to another location.



Actually it was WAY more complicated than that 

Our first week in Cabo was using our owners week with UVC and the 2nd was from an Interval trade using the 2nd leg of an E-Plus exchange.

We had been planning to go to PV next year anyway, so had an active on-going deposit first trade request in for a favorite resort there a year from now, and then would figure out our second week once that trade went through.

So, 1st we cancelled our owners week at Cabo for Oct. 11th and rolled the points to next year for use 'wherever'.  Then we cancelled the trade request for next year at PV and used it to book week #1 in PV.  We still had an un-used Marriott week on deposit with Interval, so we used it to trade for PV week #2.

Phew! :whoopie:

I'm not exaggerating when I say that between checking room availability in Playa del Carmen, PV and Cancun, calling Interval and UVC to see what they could do to help, and calling United a couple of times, it literally took us close to 5 hours...thank goodness we're retired.   I didn't get out of my PJ's until 2pm  :rofl:

Steve


----------



## BarryD

Just contacted RCI and they will exchange our week in Cabo to Mazatlan with no charge but Alaska AA.  wants an addition 550.00 to change for wife and I. 

Everything MIGHT be fine by Nov 3rd but who knows.


----------



## pittle

*Pueblo Bonito Report from Facebook*

Update from PB Members page: 
 -Attention Family, Friends and Fans-

Once again, thank you so much for all of your support. We are moved by all the warm words and offers for help we have received. We would like to reiterate that all of the guests and employees at our hotels are doing well. Thanks to our backup generators and to our company’s water plant, we have been able to provide food and water to everyone, as well as provide power at all Pueblo Bonito resorts. We would also like to repeat the fact that there was no structural damage at the resorts; only cosmetic damages and a substantial accumulation of debris.


The evacuation process has been scheduled as follows: all guests at Pueblo Bonito Pacifica are being evacuated today. Tomorrow another 700 guests will be evacuated, all from Pueblo Bonito Los Cabos (Blanco) and Pueblo Bonito Rosé. Guests at Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach will be evacuated over the course of two days: Thursday and Friday.

Evacuees will be flying to Mexico City, Guadalajara, Tijuana and Mazatlan so that they can get connecting flights from those cities to return home.

Cell phone service was restored to the destination today, and there is now WIFI service at our Pacifica and Sunset Beach resorts. Please try to contact with your loved ones via these methods of communication. 

If everything goes well for the destination, all of our resorts, including the Pueblo Bonito Pacifica, Sunset Beach, Los Cabos, Rose and Montecristo Estates properties will be ready to receive guests starting October 1st

For guests scheduled to arrive in Los Cabos between September 17th and September 30th please reschedule for a later date or change your plans and visit one of our Mazatlan resorts. If you need to cancel your reservation, Pueblo Bonito Resorts will not charge any fees. Please make changes to your reservation by contacting the channel through which the reservation was booked (Pueblo Bonito Reservations, Travel-Agent, RCI, etc).

We continue to ask for your patience, and appreciate it greatly. We will keep working hard to provide you with the most current information, so please continue to check back with us for further updates.


----------



## Passepartout

I don't  know if it's a record, but in the roughly 60 hours this thread has been live, over 30,000 views of it have been logged. Over 500 per hour. I think that the Mexican government, an the people of the Los Cabos area will work tirelessly to clean up the damage and get back to normal as quickly as possible. They will appreciate the support of the traveling public. That is the best way we can help. Just not right yet. Let the people there get the necessities like water, power, stores, airport up and running, and their own homes rebuilt. It won't happen overnight.


Jim


----------



## ocdb8r

Brief Update.

I am just now home in San Diego after enduring the rather trying evacuation process.  Each resort was asked to evacuate their guests in waves today through Friday.  The Grand Solmar struggled a bit, despite only having about 240 guests.  They hand intended to use their own resort shuttles but encounter hours of difficulty this morning getting them fueled and up and running.  It was 4:30pm by the time they were able to get us to the airport and there were hundreds of people in line and some airport officials suggesting we go back to the resort.  Our small group of ten (the Grand ended up having to send half of us in van taxi's) decided we would wait it out and we fortunately got on flights to Tijuana.  Staff did everything they could but the process itself was less than organized.  The terminals are trashed so we largely waited out in the sun in lines after lines.  Can't tell you how thankful we were to be on a plane.

I'll post a longer report once I'm rested tomorrow, but I wanted to advise anyone considering going down in the next 60 days to reschedule.  The infrastructure in general is going to require quite a bit of work.  This will add to the general difficulty of the various levels of rebuilding required at different resorts...I just don't think it's going to be a very pleasurable experience to be down there until later in the year.  Passed an incredible amount of looting.  Mega and Costco we're being completely ransacked.  Lots of work to be done to get back to normal.


----------



## csxjohn

ocdb8r said:


> Brief Update.
> 
> I am just now home in San Diego after enduring the rather trying evacuation process.  Each resort was asked to evacuate their guests in waves today through Friday.  The Grand Solmar struggled a bit, despite only having about 240 guests.  They hand intended to use their own resort shuttles but encounter hours of difficulty this morning getting them fueled and up and running.  It was 4:30pm by the time they were able to get us to the airport and there were hundreds of people in line and some airport officials suggesting we go back to the resort.  Our small group of ten (the Grand ended up having to send half of us in van taxi's) decided we would wait it out and we fortunately got on flights to Tijuana.  Staff did everything they could but the process itself was less than organized.  The terminals are trashed so we largely waited out in the sun in lines after lines.  Can't tell you how thankful we were to be on a plane.
> 
> I'll post a longer report once I'm rested tomorrow, but I wanted to advise anyone considering going down in the next 60 days to reschedule.  The infrastructure in general is going to require quite a bit of work.  This will add to the general difficulty of the various levels of rebuilding required at different resorts...I just don't think it's going to be a very pleasurable experience to be down there until later in the year.  Passed an incredible amount of looting.  Mega and Costco we're being completely ransacked.  Lots of work to be done to get back to normal.



I'm glad you're home and safe.

It's not surprising to me that things were disorganized and I hope others will heed your advice on staying away for a while.

The area depends on tourism to fuel it's economy and wants everyone back as soon as possible but the reality is, the locals and their businesses are not ready for an influx of  tourists just yet when you consider they are trying hard to get people out.


----------



## ada903

Welcome home, and thank you for the updates!

Good article here about the situation re: looting.

http://www.itravel-cabo.com/news/cabo-news/cabo-gets-nasty-after-odile


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## klpca

ocdb8r said:


> Brief Update.
> 
> I am just now home in San Diego after enduring the rather trying evacuation process.  Each resort was asked to evacuate their guests in waves today through Friday.  The Grand Solmar struggled a bit, despite only having about 240 guests.  They hand intended to use their own resort shuttles but encounter hours of difficulty this morning getting them fueled and up and running.  It was 4:30pm by the time they were able to get us to the airport and there were hundreds of people in line and some airport officials suggesting we go back to the resort.  Our small group of ten (the Grand ended up having to send half of us in van taxi's) decided we would wait it out and we fortunately got on flights to Tijuana.  Staff did everything they could but the process itself was less than organized.  The terminals are trashed so we largely waited out in the sun in lines after lines.  Can't tell you how thankful we were to be on a plane.
> 
> I'll post a longer report once I'm rested tomorrow, but I wanted to advise anyone considering going down in the next 60 days to reschedule.  The infrastructure in general is going to require quite a bit of work.  This will add to the general difficulty of the various levels of rebuilding required at different resorts...I just don't think it's going to be a very pleasurable experience to be down there until later in the year.  Passed an incredible amount of looting.  Mega and Costco we're being completely ransacked.  Lots of work to be done to get back to normal.



Glad that you got on the plane yesterday. It looks pretty bad down there. Welcome home.


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## Pat H

Here's a link to lots of pics - https://www.facebook.com/piscesspor...90434898744/10152690431973744/?type=1&theater


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## klpca

*Alaska changes travel dates for rescheduling*

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopi...Lucas_Los_Cabos_Baja_California.html#61311061

_Hurricane Odile Los Cabos, Mexico (SJD) September 14, 2014 September 14 - November 20, 2014 Change fees and difference in fare waived if new travel is booked in same cabin to Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, Manzanillo, Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, Guadalajara, or Mexico City and completed on or before December 20, 2014. Tickets must be exchanged or refunded by December 20, 2014_

Guess their crews saw the destruction and told management to reevaluate their dates.


----------



## ocdb8r

Ok, as promised, a bit of a more fulsome wrap up of my experience post the hurricane. (Apologies now if this is a bit long/verbose)

As I previously posted, we settled back into the Grand Solmar the day after the hurricane.  Other than the lack of the pools and common areas, things were in pretty good shape.  We had power, A/C, water and internet.  There were less than 250 of us on the resort.  Maids came and cleaned rooms.  The main restaurant served a limited menu during regular meal times.  There were dozens of workers cleaning up in various ways.  Generally, I think most of us were rather complacent and figured we’d start to be able to leave in a day or two…

…things largely changed in the afternoon on Monday.  Southwest Airlines seems to have been the first to report there was long-term damage to the airport.  I went down to ask the hotel front desk what the plan was considering the airport would be closed for at least a week and they all had no idea and were also under the impression it would be back up in a day or two.  I let them know about the Southwest notice and they said they’d try to get more information.  We then went into town to check it out and buy some provisions.  I posted those pics earlier.  After returning we hopped back on the internet and try to make a plan for ourselves.  I noticed I could buy a ticket out of La Paz to Tijuana for Wednesday and my friend and I discussed this option.  However, we had no idea if/how we would get to La Paz, nor did we have any solid reports on the condition of that airport.  We decided to wait to see if we could get more information…sadly this wouldn’t happen as we lost internet about 7:45pm on Monday.  This is when things would really start to take a bit of a turn.

Without the internet, we (and the rest of Los Cabos) were cut off from the world and largely each other.  There was still no cell service, no local news channels and the situation in downtown started to deteriorate.  The lack of access to verifiable information also created a resort rumor mill, fueled by many people going back and forth to Playa.  It seemed there was no plan, no information and no way to get any.  About mid-day Tuesday, the Grand Solmar sent a staff member to the airport.  She returned with news the military had already begun evacuating tourists from San Jose del Cabo and would mass evacuated everyone from Cabo San Lucas on Wednesday.  This morphed into an evening meeting where we were told the resort didn’t know the scope of the evacuation yet and was meeting with officials later that evening.  It may take 2 days to evacuate.  Wednesday morning at 8:30am the story then became it would take three days and approximately 80 per day would be allowed to leave the resort.  Each resort had a “reserved” number of seats on evacuation planes and we would not be able to go to the airport on our own.  The first group of 80 would leave at 11:45am.  We were actually not on the list for the first day evacuation, but ended up getting out as a result of 6 people chartering their own plane to take them to Mexico city (and basically by being tenacious, we ended up getting two of their spots).

The “evacuation” did not go particularly smoothly.  Solmar was basically going to use all their resort shuttles to get people to the airport.  We ended up sitting outside, on stairs and ledges for over 4 hours waiting for our shuttle to arrive.  They had been stuck in traffic and gas station lines for hours.  All the furniture in the arrival area had been stored for the hurricane, which staff eventually started to bring back out at about 3pm.  At about this time, cell service started to come back on.  The 80 of us were then gathered about 4pm to be told only one shuttle would make it to us and so only 40 would be sent.  They prioritized the elderly and those with infants and children.  After that bus left they told the other 40 of us we could go back to our rooms if we wanted.  About 25 did, but we waited.  At this point, I knew this was not a particularly organized system and I just had a feeling we shouldn’t move yet.  Sure enough, about 15 minutes later the GM showed up and said they had been able to get ahold of several van taxis that were on their way and would take us.  

The first two showed up and the 15-18 of us who had waited, piled in.  A heated argument erupted between the GM and the driver of our taxi and we were then asked by the GM to get out.  The taxi driver was charging triple and refused to be paid by the resort.  The GM sent him on his way (as has been reported, lots of profiteering going on).  We actually felt quite fortunate as the next van to arrive was bigger, newer, had amazing A/C and an amazing driver.  He zipped us through town and quickly as he could.  We passed the enormous amount of looting too quickly for me to get any pics.  The worst traffic we hit was passing Costco as many had just parked right on the main road to get up there to get what they could.  My commentary on the looting was that it wasn’t terribly violent.  I am sure there are many that were not necessarily trying to take advantage of the situation, but knew there was no one to “buy” supplies from and if they didn’t take what they needed, there would be nothing for them to “buy” later on.  It was a sad situation.

The devastation of the area was obviously widespread.  Powerlines down everywhere.  Resorts in varying degrees of destruction.  Many cars stranded along the roads.  Lines 40-50 cars deep at the few gas stations with fuel.  The army presence was lighter than I expected and those who were there were basically just keeping the peace and allowing the general lawlessness and despair to go on (not a judgment on them at all…there were obviously not enough of them to do anything more).   We actually arrived at the airport just as the last people on the Solmar shuttle were getting off.  There was a line of 800 or so, out in the sun with no water or even makeshift shelter (thank goodness it was later in the day by now).  Some officials were telling us to go back as by now it was after 5:30 and “only 4 more planes will be leaving…you will not get on a plane.”  Given the effort to get out, our taxi of 10 decided we weren’t going anywhere, plopped into line and all got on planes.  There were no lists, no seats reserved, no sign of any organization.  Only a line.  

We basically waited through two checkpoints to get into the airport.  There was little “choice” on where you were going.  We were fortunate that Tijuana just happened to be the next set of planes to be going when we go to the front.  However, as we waited to board, officials did make announcement about random small sets of seats on planes to other destinations that some took advantage of to get to Mexico City or Mazatlan.  This was largely thus luck of the draw.  There was no security screening, we got on with our Gatorade and water!  We were basically walked on the tarmac and up onto the planes via stairs.  After a large group us boarded, the flight attendants took counts and then we waited some time for a few trickles of other people to fill our plane before we left (this explained the random announcements of sets of seats we had encountered earlier).  Lots of cheering as we took off and were on our way to TJ.  Once landed we hopped in a cab and were dropped to walk across the border.  Nearly no lines at this hour and I couldn’t believe we were back in the US, just miles from home after everything the day and week had brought. 

My commentary on a couple of things:

Grand Solmar
There will be MANY posts and reports on how amazing the staff is/was.  I largely agree.  Certainly the general staff was AMAZING.  I am a bit more judgmental of upper management.  There was no real contingency plan.  No sense of urgency after the hurricane to figure out what the next steps would be.  Very little communication.  What appeared to be very little forethought. I expect the general staff to do the job they’ve been assigned to the best of their ability, and the Grand Solmar staff totally excelled here, going above and beyond in any way they could.  For upper management, I expect them to be thinking about things like “Are our shuttles fueled,” “should we have an area prepared for people to wait in to board the shuttles,” “what will conditions be like at the airport?” “should we be starting early in the day (like 7/8am instead of nearly noon) to ensure our guests get on to planes?”  “Will there be traffic and major delays to getting fuel,” “as Solmar, do we have relationships we can leverage to make this process better?”  “how can we best communicate everything to our guests?”  These sorts of questions and considerations seemed largely absent.  I also found some management very curt with some guests who were distressed.  

Los Cabos
It’s going to take quite some time to get things back to normal.  The lack of power, water and infrastructure is going to delay rebuilding supplies getting in and the general ability to rebuild.  Even once these basic things are restored, MANY resorts need extensive rebuilding.  Even the Grand Solmar, who’s rooms largely just need a good cleaning, doesn’t expect to re-open for 4 weeks.  Downtown is a complete mess and Medano beach is gone (it will come back).  The level of overall rebuilding required is going to take months.  I appreciate the sentiment about supporting the tourism economy down there, but I personally don’t think it’s a good idea to head down until the end of the year at the earliest.

Again, I’m so happy to have been kept safe and to be home.  Know that those of you that adore Cabo, it will be back and likely better than ever.  Everyone there was determined to get back on their feet and continue to make Cabo a great vacation destination.


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## icydog

Absolutely enlightening.  I'm so glad you're back home.  My friends are there and will be going through all you mentioned today.  They are already encountering long lines and little information.  The last I heard was an hour ago when she said she paid $10 for a van. That was the last I heard from them and I HOPE to God that the Van was going to take them to the airport.


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## calberry

ocdb8r said:


> Ok, as promised, a bit of a more fulsome wrap up of my experience post the hurricane. (Apologies now if this is a bit long/verbose)



No apology needed.  That was a great post and we appreciate your observations and candidness.

Tenacious pays off at times 

Steve


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## Pat H

Thanks for the first hand report and glad that you got home safely. The residents are in for a long painful recovery. I hope they get the help they need.


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## icydog

pittle said:


> Update from PB Members page:
> -Attention Family, Friends and Fans-
> 
> Once again, thank you so much for all of your support. We are moved by all the warm words and offers for help we have received. We would like to reiterate that all of the guests and employees at our hotels are doing well. Thanks to our backup generators and to our company’s water plant, we have been able to provide food and water to everyone, as well as provide power at all Pueblo Bonito resorts. We would also like to repeat the fact that there was no structural damage at the resorts; only cosmetic damages and a substantial accumulation of debris.
> 
> 
> The evacuation process has been scheduled as follows: all guests at Pueblo Bonito Pacifica are being evacuated today. Tomorrow another 700 guests will be evacuated, all from Pueblo Bonito Los Cabos (Blanco) and Pueblo Bonito Rosé. Guests at Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach will be evacuated over the course of two days: Thursday and Friday.
> 
> Evacuees will be flying to Mexico City, Guadalajara, Tijuana and Mazatlan so that they can get connecting flights from those cities to return home.
> 
> Cell phone service was restored to the destination today, and there is now WIFI service at our Pacifica and Sunset Beach resorts. Please try to contact with your loved ones via these methods of communication.
> 
> If everything goes well for the destination, all of our resorts, including the Pueblo Bonito Pacifica, Sunset Beach, Los Cabos, Rose and Montecristo Estates properties will be ready to receive guests starting October 1st
> 
> For guests scheduled to arrive in Los Cabos between September 17th and September 30th please reschedule for a later date or change your plans and visit one of our Mazatlan resorts. If you need to cancel your reservation, Pueblo Bonito Resorts will not charge any fees. Please make changes to your reservation by contacting the channel through which the reservation was booked (Pueblo Bonito Reservations, Travel-Agent, RCI, etc).
> 
> We continue to ask for your patience, and appreciate it greatly. We will keep working hard to provide you with the most current information, so please continue to check back with us for further updates.



Some of this is true and some of it is a downright untruth. First of all, there was serious structural damage to two buildings at the Pueblo Bonito Sunset. In fact, those whose rooms were in those buildings had to be evacuated first since the buildings appeared to be falling down. 

There's food if you can wait on long lines in the sun for it.  And once you finally get into a restaurant food and water are rationed! 

The evacuation is haphazardly arranged with folks standing in long lines just to get a group number to get on a bus.  

My friends, who are 75+ have told me it's a zoo there and especially difficult with the randomness of their instructions. 

As I just posted, she sent me a text an hour ago. She said she and her husband got into a van and paid the driver $10 just to avoid the LONG lines in front of PB Sunset. I don't know where she's going and I doubt she does either. I haven't heard from her since then. 

I'm waiting here at home near my phone and computer to help her get out of wherever the military plane takes her. I can get her Home (to Newark) or Houston or Vancouver from Mexico City. To Mexico City from Guadalajara or Matzatlan.  Then a change to a flight home from there. If she makes it to Tijuana I'll guess she can go to San Diego from there.  

But, she has insisted on taking her 50 pound suitcase and her carry ons and I'm worried about her and him trying to manage on the Tarmac or across the bridge from Tijuana to the USA.


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## mmkcmo

[IMGR][/IMGR]





Wonka said:


> Does anyone have any photos or other information on the extent of damages of the Westin Regina Los Cabos?  Also, were any Tug members in Los Cabos during the hurricane?



My wife and I are owners at the Club Regina. We left Cabo the Saturday before the storm hit. The guests we had with us were supposed to fly out the Sunday after. Their flight got cancelled and they were forced to ride out the storm at the club. They finally made it back to the US late last night. They did share some photos with us of both the Club Regina and the Westin. I can't seem to upload them from my phone on here. I will say that it appears that the Westin suffered more extensive damage than the club Regina from what can be seen in photos. I will post what I have if I can figure out how to upload them.


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## klpca

ocdb8r said:


> Again, I’m so happy to have been kept safe and to be home.  Know that those of you that adore Cabo, it will be back and likely better than ever.  Everyone there was determined to get back on their feet and continue to make Cabo a great vacation destination.



Thank you so much for taking time to post your first hand report. You have been through quite an ordeal.



mmkcmo said:


> [IMGR][/IMGR]
> 
> My wife and I are owners at the Club Regina. We left Cabo the Saturday before the storm hit. The guests we had with us were supposed to fly out the Sunday after. Their flight got cancelled and they were forced to ride out the storm at the club. They finally made it back to the US late last night. They did share some photos with us of both the Club Regina and the Westin. I can't seem to upload them from my phone on here. I will say that it appears that the Westin suffered more extensive damage than the club Regina from what can be seen in photos. I will post what I have if I can figure out how to upload them.



I'm selfishly interested in seeing your pictures because we are booked there (Club Regina) the first week of January. I thought about trying to change to PV instead - we can't quite decide what to do. Re: posting photos - I think you need to post them on a photo sharing site (photobucket, flicker) first, and then post a link to the album.


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## ocdb8r

I should have probably thought to post some suggestions for those in contact with others still trying to get out.  My thoughts:

1) Get to the airport any reasonable way possible as soon as you can.  The resort led us to believe there was no way to do it on our own, there would be numerous checkpoints and only those on official lists would be let through.  We were also told only those on "lists" would be allowed on planes on certain given days.  None of this was true. There were no checkpoints and it was simply first come first served at the airport...I wish we had tried to get a taxi first thing yesterday morning, although everything worked out for us in the end.  Gas is going to run out for both the generators and for those running taxi's and shuttles. 

2) Take water with you wherever you go.  If you don't have any, buy it or boil it now if you can.  We boiled 5 gallons of water in our room on Monday and travelled with gatorade and water...much of which we ended up providing to others at the airport, dehydrated in the heat.  There is little shelter anywhere.

3) Do NOT go into town alone.  It's peaceful now, but at some point supplies will disappear and tourists may start to look like targets. If you need supplies, try to get them from the resort. If you need to go into town go in a group with a resort employee.  

4) Cash is king.  With some internet and cell service restored, if you don't have a small supply of cash, try to get some.


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## klpca

From my husband's company's daily travel alert:

_Mexico: Baja California Sur: Defer non-essential travel; those already in the state should stand fast, follow directions of authorities
Members should defer all non-essential travel to Baja California Sur state due to extensive infrastructural damage sustained during the passage of former Hurricane Odile. Tropical Storm Polo could further complicate relief efforts with the potential for severe weather conditions to southern portions of Baja California Sur over the weekend. The security forces are organising evacuations out of hurricane-affected areas. Travellers should stand fast until contacted by the authorities and given specific directions._

(Although, I agree with what ocdb8r posted above about getting to airport any way that you can, but that is a personal decision).

Fingers crossed that Polo doesn't hit Cabo.


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## mmkcmo

klpca said:


> Thank you so much for taking time to post your first hand report. You have been through quite an ordeal.
> 
> 
> 
> I'm selfishly interested in seeing your pictures because we are booked there (Club Regina) the first week of January. I thought about trying to change to PV instead - we can't quite decide what to do. Re: posting photos - I think you need to post them on a photo sharing site (photobucket, flicker) first, and then post a link to the album.



I will transfer them to my laptop and upload them this afternoon. I will post all I have collected from our guests as well as the photos I've been able to track down online from others who were there. It doesn't appear that there was near the damage to any of the structures at the club when compared to the Westin. The water damage to the rooms and their contents may be a whole different story though. Our guests said that many rooms lost their windows as well as doors (both sliding glass and entry doors) at the club.


----------



## icydog

icydog said:


> Some of this is true and some of it is a downright untruth. First of all, there was serious structural damage to two buildings at the Pueblo Bonito Sunset. In fact, those whose rooms were in those buildings had to be evacuated first since the buildings appeared to be falling down.
> 
> There's food if you can wait on long lines in the sun for it.  And once you finally get into a restaurant food and water are rationed!
> 
> The evacuation is haphazardly arranged with folks standing in long lines just to get a group number to get on a bus.
> 
> My friends, who are 75+ have told me it's a zoo there and especially difficult with the randomness of their instructions.
> 
> As I just posted, she sent me a text an hour ago. She said she and her husband got into a van and paid the driver $10 just to avoid the LONG lines in front of PB Sunset. I don't know where she's going and I doubt she does either. I haven't heard from her since then.
> 
> I'm waiting here at home near my phone and computer to help her get out of wherever the military plane takes her. I can get her Home (to Newark) or Houston or Vancouver from Mexico City. To Mexico City from Guadalajara or Matzatlan.  Then a change to a flight home from there. If she makes it to Tijuana I'll guess she can go to San Diego from there.
> 
> But, she has insisted on taking her 50 pound suitcase and her carry ons and I'm worried about her and him trying to manage on the Tarmac or across the bridge from Tijuana to the USA.




My elderly friends took a van to the airport.  They took a look around and left.  She went back to PB Sunset. There's around 10,000 people standing in the sun on the Tarmac now. I'm waiting to hear if she got a room.


----------



## icydog

ocdb8r said:


> I should have probably thought to post some suggestions for those in contact with others still trying to get out.  My thoughts:
> 
> 1) Get to the airport any reasonable way possible as soon as you can.  The resort led us to believe there was no way to do it on our own, there would be numerous checkpoints and only those on official lists would be let through.  We were also told only those on "lists" would be allowed on planes on certain given days.  None of this was true. There were no checkpoints and it was simply first come first served at the airport...I wish we had tried to get a taxi first thing yesterday morning, although everything worked out for us in the end.  Gas is going to run out for both the generators and for those running taxi's and shuttles.
> 
> 2) Take water with you wherever you go.  If you don't have any, buy it or boil it now if you can.  We boiled 5 gallons of water in our room on Monday and travelled with gatorade and water...much of which we ended up providing to others at the airport, dehydrated in the heat.  There is little shelter anywhere.
> 
> 3) Do NOT go into town alone.  It's peaceful now, but at some point supplies will disappear and tourists may start to look like targets. If you need supplies, try to get them from the resort. If you need to go into town go in a group with a resort employee.
> 
> 4) Cash is king.  With some internet and cell service restored, if you don't have a small supply of cash, try to get some.



I'm listening to you.  I'm going to convey what you posted to my friends in Cabo, when she finally calls me, and suggest they get up before dawn and get to the airport first thing tomorrow. I sincerely hope she listens to me and not the stuff the resort is telling her. Thanks so much for your post. I'm glad you got home safely and did not heed the naysayers.


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## PStreet1

The posts on staying safe and not being alone appear to be right on:

http://www.aol.com/article/2014/09/...rid7|htmlws-main-bb|dl5|sec1_lnk3&pLid=531897


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## icydog

icydog said:


> I'm listening to you.  I'm going to convey what you posted to my friends in Cabo, when she finally calls me, and suggest they get up before dawn and get to the airport first thing tomorrow. I sincerely hope she listens to me and not the stuff the resort is telling her. Thanks so much for your post. I'm glad you got home safely and did not heed the naysayers.



I just spoke with my friend. They got their room back but the clerk told them that this will be their last night. They HAVE to leave tomorrow. I reiterated that she should find her own way to the airport and I said she should find someone to share her taxi with them when they eat dinner in the restaurant. She said she'll try but I know she won't. She'll follow the herd and leave when the resort van takes her and no sooner. I absolutely read her the post about getting to the airport any way she could but she said, and I quote "this is a disaster area there are no cabs". So she'll go to the airport with those left at PB Sunset. The one good thing is the lines for the restaurants have vanished, but soon, so will the food. I told her to boil water. She told me the resort says the water is filtered and clean but she'll boil some just in case (which I also doubt she'll do).


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## PStreet1

It may be effective for your friend to point out that she's "75 and really too frail to deal with all this."  Mexicans, in general, are very soliticious of the elderly.  This is one time her age might do her some good.


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## icydog

PStreet1 said:


> It may be effective for your friend to point out that she's "75 and really too frail to deal with all this."  Mexicans, in general, are very soliticious of the elderly.  This is one time her age might do her some good.




Wow, have you hit a bruised spot! My friend has been lying about her age for so many years it will kill her to admit to her real age. But if there was ever a reason to tell the truth and come clean, this is it. I'll tell her.  Let's hope she does it. Thanks for the advice!

Now how to convince her to find another couple to take a taxi with? She still insists on carrying her 50lb + gigantic suitcase.


----------



## icydog

icydog said:


> Wow, have you hit a bruised spot! My friend has been lying about her age for so many years it will kill her to admit to her real age. But if there was ever a reason to tell the truth and come clean, this is it. I'll tell her.  Let's hope she does it. Thanks for the advice!
> 
> Now how to convince her to find another couple to take a taxi with? She still insists on carrying her 50lb + gigantic suitcase.



She's always been stubborn about "knowing what she's doing" but dragging this suitcase around in 100 degree sun makes zero sense to me.  They couldn't even get it out of the van when the driver took them back to the resort after they realized how crowded the airport was! I know she's scared to death, but please listen to me a little bit! :ignore:


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## ocdb8r

I fully appreciate the apprehension.  It's a daunting situation and many of the resorts are currently much more comfortable than the airport.  I had this very conversation with my friend as we realized it would be after 4pm before we left the Grand Solmar.  She was very concerned about us getting stuck at the airport overnight.  However, this is what I told her: First in, First out.  The people at that airport first are going to be the first to get out.  If we had waited we'd be behind anyone who showed up in the next 12-14 hours (at best) before we could have returned.  Do the math in the article posted by PStreet.  They've been operating evac flights since Tuesday afternoon.  They estimate through Wednesday they had evacuated approximately 5000 tourists...while they estimated there were as many as 30,000 stranded.  That's at least 6 full days of evacuation necessary, not taking into consideration the approaching tropical storm.  Not that I want her to "work" the system, but anyone in a wheelchair or with children under 10 is getting straight through the front of the line.

There is currently food and there may currently be clean water, but the power is going to go out at some point...at some point the water filters will stop working (if they haven't failed due to the storm already, which is why we took the precaution to boil water).  There are no new fresh supplies to be gotten.  Dehydration to me is the next biggest risk given the heat and humidity and the unavoidable reality that you're going to have to wait in some sort of line at the airport at some point.  PB is not the only group making clear everyone must be out by Friday.  They know another storm is coming and they are already running by a thread.  They know they can't really support people past Friday given the current situation. 

I think I am fortunate to have traveled extensively and to have lived in developing countries.  It has stripped me of the sort of complacency I gained growing up in the suburbs of CA with little more to worry about than the occasional earthquake.  Even in the US we have struggled with profound natural disasters (Katrina) and in a place with fewer resources and a slightly less robust infrastructure, there are bound to be serious problems.  At some point you have to accept that someone else will not always be able to take care of you (even if they REALLY want to) and you have to take a measured response into your own hands.  I think my friend thought me a bit odd to have started boiling water and to have told her we need to go buy protein and carbohydrate dense items to keep on hand...after all, the resort promised us we'd all be out by Friday and they seemed to be serving plenty of food. However, I don't think we regret it one bit, even now haven gotten out fairly quickly (Ok...off my soapbox).

I pray everyone finds a safe way out or just pure safety until they can.


----------



## icydog

ocdb8r said:


> I fully appreciate the apprehension.  It's a daunting situation and many of the resorts are currently much more comfortable than the airport.  I had this very conversation with my friend as we realized it would be after 4pm before we left the Grand Solmar.  She was very concerned about us getting stuck at the airport overnight.  However, this is what I told her: First in, First out.  The people at that airport first are going to be the first to get out.  If we had waited we'd be behind anyone who showed up in the next 12-14 hours (at best) before we could have returned.  Do the math in the article posted by PStreet.  They've been operating evac flights since Tuesday afternoon.  They estimate through Wednesday they had evacuated approximately 5000 tourists...while they estimated there were as many as 30,000 stranded.  That's at least 6 full days of evacuation necessary, not taking into consideration the approaching tropical storm.  Not that I want her to "work" the system, but anyone in a wheelchair or with children under 10 is getting straight through the front of the line.
> 
> There is currently food and there may currently be clean water, but the power is going to go out at some point...at some point the water filters will stop working (if they haven't failed due to the storm already, which is why we took the precaution to boil water).  There are no new fresh supplies to be gotten.  Dehydration to me is the next biggest risk given the heat and humidity and the unavoidable reality that you're going to have to wait in some sort of line at the airport at some point.  PB is not the only group making clear everyone must be out by Friday.  They know another storm is coming and they are already running by a thread.  They know they can't really support people past Friday given the current situation.
> 
> I think I am fortunate to have traveled extensively and to have lived in developing countries.  It has stripped me of the sort of complacency I gained growing up in the suburbs of CA with little more to worry about than the occasional earthquake.  Even in the US we have struggled with profound natural disasters (Katrina) and in a place with fewer resources and a slightly less robust infrastructure, there are bound to be serious problems.  At some point you have to accept that someone else will not always be able to take care of you (even if they REALLY want to) and you have to take a measured response into your own hands.  I think my friend thought me a bit odd to have started boiling water and to have told her we need to go buy protein and carbohydrate dense items to keep on hand...after all, the resort promised us we'd all be out by Friday and they seemed to be serving plenty of food. However, I don't think we regret it one bit, even now haven gotten out fairly quickly (Ok...off my soapbox).
> 
> I pray everyone finds a safe way out or just pure safety until they can.




OMG, I AM GOING TO FORWARD YOUR POST TO HER. I know she doesn't believe me and fully believes that the resort will take care of her.  All the resort cares about is getting her off their property at this point. The wheelchair is brilliant.. I wonder can she get one in the airport? I kinda doubt that! I'm going to cut and paste this right now. She's avoiding me cause she doesn't believe I know what I'm talking about which is SO frustrating. Thanks a million! 

Marylyn


----------



## ocdb8r

Someone upthread had asked about the Solmar Beach Club before we lost internet, so I took a few pics.

*Solmar Beach Club*
https://plus.google.com/photos/115455726250607607499/albums/6060519460198000833?banner=pwa

In general the common areas were hit VERY hard.  The bar out by the beach and the other covered area next to the pool are complete losses.  The room buildings themselves seem to have held up ok, with some losing a large portion of their roof tiles.  No idea how the insides look, but I didn't see any other structural damage.

*Grand Solmar*
I don't have any further update on the oceanfront building they didn't allow us to re-occupy as a result of where the pool caved in.  We did go around to the other side and there was some loss of the ledge right in front of that building, so I assume there is a chance of further erosion under the building.  There was some visible signs of wall cracking by the (formerly) covered grass type area between that building and the pool that bordered the Solmar Beach club.  What I can say is that the break has completely changed from the pre-storm days we were there.  There is virtually no beach in front of 95% of the resort and the waves were consistently breaking up against and splashing over into the pools that had survived (and the patio of the restaurant).  I know they say "the beach will come back" but storms can and do permanently change the beach (just look at Cancun).  If the beach doesn't come back and adjust the break, I can't imagine there won't need to be some major redesign given the power of those constantly pounding waves.


----------



## mmkcmo

Here are the photos I have of the Westin and the Club Regina...

Here is a view of the storm moving in over the Club:





[/URL][/IMG]


----------



## mmkcmo

Here is a photo of the "shelter" for those who were staying in the Club Regina. This is actually the sales office that is directly across from the front desk. Why they chose a room full of windows is beyond me.... This was taken by our friends who were stuck there:





[/URL][/IMG]


----------



## mmkcmo

Here is the photo they took of the initial shelter area the morning after the storm.. The shelter gave in and they moved to a kitchen area but the roof gave in there. All guests eventually ended up in a stairwell hunkered down for the night.






[/URL][/IMG]


----------



## mmkcmo

Here is a photo of the Club restaurant "Inizio". This was also taken by our friends who were there.





[/URL][/IMG]


----------



## mmkcmo

Here is a view from the Club looking toward the Westin:





[/URL][/IMG]


----------



## mmkcmo

A panoramic view outside of the lobby area at the Club Regina also taken by our friends:






[/URL][/IMG]


----------



## mmkcmo

Here is the bottom of the road leading down from the Club Regina to the Westin:





[/URL][/IMG]


----------



## mmkcmo

Ok now I am moving on to images of the Westin that I have sourced from the internet....





[/URL][/IMG]


----------



## icydog

mmkcmo said:


> Here is the photo they took of the initial shelter area the morning after the storm.. The shelter gave in and they moved to a kitchen area but the roof gave in there. All guests eventually ended up in a stairwell hunkered down for the night.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [/URL][/IMG]



Is the picture of the glass walls blown in the same place as the picture above it? I did see pics of people huddled in staircases one on top of the other. Each step two people with no ability to move around. Just horrible!


----------



## mmkcmo

Another view of the Westin:





[/URL][/IMG]


----------



## icydog

mmkcmo said:


> Here are the photos I have of the Westin and the Club Regina...
> 
> Here is a view of the storm moving in over the Club:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [/URL][/IMG]



This looks like a surreal painting. I know it is horrible to say but the picture is breathtaking.


----------



## mmkcmo

icydog said:


> Is the picture of the glass walls blown in the same place as the picture above it? I did see pics of people huddled in staircases one on top of the other. Each step two people with no ability to move around. Just horrible!



Yes that is correct. The room full of people in the prior picture is the same room that you see here destroyed. The windows started to give in and everyone rushed into a kitchen area...


----------



## mmkcmo

Another view of the Westin:





[/URL][/IMG]


----------



## mmkcmo

And another:





[/URL][/IMG]


----------



## mmkcmo

Aerial view of the Westin:





[/URL][/IMG]


----------



## mmkcmo

A view of the entrance to the Westin:





[/URL][/IMG]


----------



## klpca

Wow. Thanks for posting. What a mess.


----------



## mmkcmo

And another:





[/URL][/IMG]


----------



## mmkcmo

Another view of the Westin:





[/URL][/IMG]


----------



## mmkcmo

Westin front desk:





[/URL][/IMG]


----------



## mmkcmo

Elevator area at the Westin:






[/URL][/IMG]


----------



## mmkcmo

Think I forgot to post this one. This is an aerial view of the Club Regina:






[/URL][/IMG]


----------



## mmkcmo

And finally, here is a picture of one of the rooms at the Club Regina post Odile.






[/URL][/IMG]


----------



## mmkcmo

Our friends were stuck in San Diego (flew there from Mazatlan after being evacuated from Cabo). They should arrive home sometime late tonight. We plan to meet with them Sunday and I will get any other photos they were able to take then.


----------



## lbertera

*Thanks*

Thank you for the information and pictures of Solmar Beach Club.  Please stay save.


----------



## mmkcmo

Here is a good link for those wanting to see the extent of damage at various places in Cabo and San Jose. Just scroll through and you're likely to see a place you're curious about:
http://www.enjoygram.com/tag/hurricaneodile


----------



## BarryD

After reading all these post and looking at pictures, we decided to cancel our trip to Cabo and re-booked Pueblo Bonita Emerald Bay in Mazatlan. Getting resorts and airline change was a challenge but pulled it off. 

I can't say enough good things about Alaska Airline. One snag we had was that AAL does not fly from San Diego to Mazatlan, have to go to LA so we have to catch a commuter out of here to LA but that is operated by AA and it was going to cost 200.00 for both of us but somehow Alaska got that waived as well. So nothing out of pocket!  

Glad of glad we switch because we are owner at Emerald Bay and it is SO beautiful.


----------



## calberry

This link may have been shared before in this forum, but it is one that I have been refreshing frequently for updates
; http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g152515-i84-k7808236-o240-Hurricane_Odile_Updates_Only-Cabo_San_Lucas_Los_Cabos_Baja_California.html

Steve


----------



## lauelliott

*Hacienda del Mar Vacation Club???*

Does anyone have any news, updates, pics, etc?  Emails are unretruned and phonecalls unanswered.

The Sheraton on the property says they will be closed to at least 10/31 but they have no news about the timeshare.

We are so sad to see our beautiful resort and the people of Cabo in such a state.

Thx


----------



## Shermansf

*Stephen*

Any news on Villa del Palmar, Los Arcos?  What about old the town and the area with many of the restaurants?


----------



## mmkcmo

Shermansf said:


> Any news on Villa del Palmar, Los Arcos?  What about old the town and the area with many of the restaurants?



If you happen to be on Facebook, you should search for and "like" the page titled "United 4 Baja". It provides a wealth of photos and updates on the situation in Cabo.


----------



## linz112284

*nervous bride*

I'm getting married in February in Cabo..... Can anyone tell me the extent of damage to Dreams Resort and Sunset d Mona Lisa restaurant?


----------



## Sundance

The Starwood Hacienda Del Mar hotel is not affiliated with the Hacienda Del Mar Vacation Club - got an email from them this morning stating so, as I had inquired about rebooking our October stay to one of their sister properties per the announcement on their webpage. I have another email in to the Vacation Owner's side waiting to hear what they have to say about reservations in the immediate future...


----------



## PStreet1

Even if by some miracle a resort is completely unaffected, everything around it has been affected:  roads/restaurants/30,000 people with no homes/difficulties getting food/water/fuel into Cabo.


----------



## LoveCabo

*Solmar Update*

We booked a stay at Solmar All-Inclusive in Cabo for December 13-20th.  I haven't heard any reports from Solmar about when the resort will be up and running again.  Does anyone else have any information?

Thanks!

Lisa


----------



## msalbnao

*Royal Solaris*

Does anyone have information on the Royal Solaris? We are suppose to go there on October 9th. Not sure if it will be safe to go.


----------



## jefrazier

Hacienda Encantada just posted on their Facebook site that they are closed until 15 October.  Time to reschedule or trade.


----------



## ada903

I called customer service for Casa Dorada Medano beach this morning who said as of right now they plan to take guests starting September 29, and they said they only had minor damage.  However these are the reps in Florida talking, not sure what the situation is like on the ground in reality. 

I tried emailing some staff from Grand Solmar and Cabo Villas and the emails bounce back.


----------



## huskerfan

*Hurricane Odile impact on Hacienda Del Mar Resort*

Am a timeshare owner at HDM for many years and have vacation booked for 11/19-12/2/14.   Given what has happened with Odile how bad is HDM banged up and should I continue to pursue this vacation??
Any timely advice is appreciated.  I've been on the web but haven't found anything specific to HDM.

Adrian


----------



## klpca

From the Facebook page for Hacienda del Mar: 

_Updated Statement for Hurricane Odile - 15 September 2014
September 15, 2014 at 5:52pm
Due to Hurricane Odile, which came ashore at Los Cabos in Baja California on Sunday and Monday, September 14-15, The Westin Los Cabos Resort & Spa, and the Sheraton Hacienda del Mar Golf Resort & Spa have sustained damage, and are unable to accept any new guests at this time.  It is too soon to determine when the hotels will be fully operational, but it is not expected until at least October 31. 

Although the hotels are unable to welcome you during your planned stay, please know our team would be more than happy to help you make alternate arrangements at one of our other Mexico resorts that were not impacted by the storm. 

Starwood has resorts in Puerto Vallarta (Westin and Sheraton), Punta Mita (St. Regis) and Cancun (Westin) and we would gladly assist you in changing your reservation from Los Cabos to any of these three resort destinations. 

Starwood will also support any guests that would like to cancel their existing reservations by waiving all change or cancellation penalties for arrivals in the months of September and October. 

In order to receive a full refund or change your dates of stay, please email your confirmation number to customercare@starwoodhotels.com (please include Hurricane Odile in the subject line) or call 1-800-328-6242 if you are calling from the U.S. or Canada.  You can expect a refund to be processed within 7-10 days of the receipt of your cancellation email.  We hope you understand the circumstances and will consider staying at our hotels in the future.  If you would like to consider rebooking your reservation to any of our other resorts in Mexico, please call 1-800-328-6242.  If you are calling from outside the U.S. and Canada, you may also visit our Starwood Preferred Guest website at http://www.starwoodhotels.com/preferredguest/support/contact/customer_care.html for additional telephone numbers.  

If you are holding a reservation for arrival after October, and would like to keep your reservation, then no action is necessary at this time, although it is too soon to be certain when the hotels will reopen. We will communicate the reopening date as soon as the information is available.

We look forward to welcoming you to The Westin Los Cabos and Sheraton Hacienda del Mar in the near future, and appreciate your understanding of the changes due to the recent hurricane._


----------



## mmkcmo

jefrazier said:


> Hacienda Encantada just posted on their Facebook site that they are closed until 15 October.  Time to reschedule or trade.



I believe this is a photo of the Hacienda Encantada:
http://www.enjoygram.com/m/813156707950969541_942351


----------



## BarryD

We were also told that Pueblo Bonita Los Cabo didn't have hardly any damage to their resort other than a lot of clean up, so after a week, wife and I talked about it and we feel that most likely the resort it self will most likely be fine by the time we were suppose to go but what about the rest of the city?? So we decided to cancel and book Pueblo Bonita Emerald in Mazatlan.


----------



## jefrazier

mmkcmo said:


> I believe this is a photo of the Hacienda Encantada:
> 
> http://www.enjoygram.com/m/813156707950969541_942351




Yep. It's the outdoor restaurant of HE.  Saw it this morning on Matts twitter feed plus 3 more pics.


----------



## Passepartout

Now that we are 4 days post-hurricane, and many new people have discovered the value of the TUG community, I would hope that some will decide that it's worth the $15 per year to join, and support the effort of TUG members to spread the word to buy resale, and maximize usage, while minimizing cost. When a disaster, such as what struck Cabo occurs, TUG is among the first places one can turn to get first-person reports of how to get out. Among the benefits of TUG membership are reviews of thousands of resorts worldwide. Saving yourself from a bad exchange resort and into a great one makes the cost negligible.

Jim


----------



## klpca

*325 photos*

I think that you need to be on facebook to see these (I'm not sure though). They are quite comprehensive. 

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.477673645704631.1073741854.267978500007481&type=1


----------



## Karen G

klpca said:


> I think that you need to be on facebook to see these (I'm not sure though). They are quite comprehensive.
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.477673645704631.1073741854.267978500007481&type=1


There are lots of amazing photos in this group, and many are from Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach. It appears that the photographer must have been staying there and took photos all along his way from the resort to the airport as well as his flight out of Cabo.

Thanks for posting the link!


----------



## Bill4728

Good News for Cabo  

Tropical storm Polo looks like it will pass 150 miles from Cabo and only have 35 miles/hr winds  which is so much better than the predictions of a full hit of two days ago.


----------



## csxjohn

klpca said:


> I think that you need to be on facebook to see these (I'm not sure though). They are quite comprehensive.
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.477673645704631.1073741854.267978500007481&type=1



I can see the pic without logging in to facebook.  Just click on the link.


----------



## kparam

ocdb8r said:


> I fully appreciate the apprehension.  It's a daunting situation and many of the resorts are currently much more comfortable than the airport.  I had this very conversation with my friend as we realized it would be after 4pm before we left the Grand Solmar.  She was very concerned about us getting stuck at the airport overnight.  However, this is what I told her: First in, First out.  The people at that airport first are going to be the first to get out.  If we had waited we'd be behind anyone who showed up in the next 12-14 hours (at best) before we could have returned.  Do the math in the article posted by PStreet.  They've been operating evac flights since Tuesday afternoon.  They estimate through Wednesday they had evacuated approximately 5000 tourists...while they estimated there were as many as 30,000 stranded.  That's at least 6 full days of evacuation necessary, not taking into consideration the approaching tropical storm.  Not that I want her to "work" the system, but anyone in a wheelchair or with children under 10 is getting straight through the front of the line.
> 
> There is currently food and there may currently be clean water, but the power is going to go out at some point...at some point the water filters will stop working (if they haven't failed due to the storm already, which is why we took the precaution to boil water).  There are no new fresh supplies to be gotten.  Dehydration to me is the next biggest risk given the heat and humidity and the unavoidable reality that you're going to have to wait in some sort of line at the airport at some point.  PB is not the only group making clear everyone must be out by Friday.  They know another storm is coming and they are already running by a thread.  They know they can't really support people past Friday given the current situation.
> 
> I think I am fortunate to have traveled extensively and to have lived in developing countries.  It has stripped me of the sort of complacency I gained growing up in the suburbs of CA with little more to worry about than the occasional earthquake.  Even in the US we have struggled with profound natural disasters (Katrina) and in a place with fewer resources and a slightly less robust infrastructure, there are bound to be serious problems.  At some point you have to accept that someone else will not always be able to take care of you (even if they REALLY want to) and you have to take a measured response into your own hands.  I think my friend thought me a bit odd to have started boiling water and to have told her we need to go buy protein and carbohydrate dense items to keep on hand...after all, the resort promised us we'd all be out by Friday and they seemed to be serving plenty of food. However, I don't think we regret it one bit, even now haven gotten out fairly quickly (Ok...off my soapbox).
> 
> I pray everyone finds a safe way out or just pure safety until they can.



Excellent insights and advise!  I lived in Galveston, TX during hurricane Carla and remember that the hurricane itself was bad, but the aftermath was much worse.  We had no potable water, no electricity which meant that perishable food rotted quickly, sewers backed up, dead fish were washed up and started to rot,....and the list goes on and on.    I am by no means a "prepper" but to this day, I try to prepare for emergencies, especially when traveling.  Last year, we were delayed getting home (Dallas/Fort Worth) for 4 days due to a bad ice storm.  Just taking an extra week's worth of medication with us seemed like a small thing at the time.

Thanks so much for sharing your experiences.


----------



## Running Man

*PB Sunset Beach Facebook Site*

Hello Everyone - Pueblo Bonito has a facebook site with some pictures of the clean up at their resort.  

https://www.facebook.com/PuebloBonitoResort 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqMe-LNgwgU

This last link will give you a great you tube video of the devastation in Cabo. They have lots of work to do.

Cheers


----------



## kunzi

This is the best site that I have found on when the Cabo Hotels and Resorts will re-open. It has been very difficult to get status on Fiesta Americana since they have posted nothing on their site. They are included here.

http://www.cabosanlucastours.net/Hurricane_Odile/index.htm


----------



## DebBrown

kunzi said:


> This is the best site that I have found on when the Cabo Hotels and Resorts will re-open. It has been very difficult to get status on Fiesta Americana since they have posted nothing on their site. They are included here.
> 
> http://www.cabosanlucastours.net/Hurricane_Odile/index.htm



Thanks!  This was very helpful.  My trip isn't until January but, like many of us, we are very concerned and interested in reading about the clean up progress.

Deb


----------



## icydog

ocdb8r said:


> I fully appreciate the apprehension.  It's a daunting situation and many of the resorts are currently much more comfortable than the airport.  I had this very conversation with my friend as we realized it would be after 4pm before we left the Grand Solmar.  She was very concerned about us getting stuck at the airport overnight.  However, this is what I told her: First in, First out.  The people at that airport first are going to be the first to get out.  If we had waited we'd be behind anyone who showed up in the next 12-14 hours (at best) before we could have returned.  Do the math in the article posted by PStreet.  They've been operating evac flights since Tuesday afternoon.  They estimate through Wednesday they had evacuated approximately 5000 tourists...while they estimated there were as many as 30,000 stranded.  That's at least 6 full days of evacuation necessary, not taking into consideration the approaching tropical storm.  Not that I want her to "work" the system, but anyone in a wheelchair or with children under 10 is getting straight through the front of the line.
> 
> There is currently food and there may currently be clean water, but the power is going to go out at some point...at some point the water filters will stop working (if they haven't failed due to the storm already, which is why we took the precaution to boil water).  There are no new fresh supplies to be gotten.  Dehydration to me is the next biggest risk given the heat and humidity and the unavoidable reality that you're going to have to wait in some sort of line at the airport at some point.  PB is not the only group making clear everyone must be out by Friday.  They know another storm is coming and they are already running by a thread.  They know they can't really support people past Friday given the current situation.
> 
> I think I am fortunate to have traveled extensively and to have lived in developing countries.  It has stripped me of the sort of complacency I gained growing up in the suburbs of CA with little more to worry about than the occasional earthquake.  Even in the US we have struggled with profound natural disasters (Katrina) and in a place with fewer resources and a slightly less robust infrastructure, there are bound to be serious problems.  At some point you have to accept that someone else will not always be able to take care of you (even if they REALLY want to) and you have to take a measured response into your own hands.  I think my friend thought me a bit odd to have started boiling water and to have told her we need to go buy protein and carbohydrate dense items to keep on hand...after all, the resort promised us we'd all be out by Friday and they seemed to be serving plenty of food. However, I don't think we regret it one bit, even now haven gotten out fairly quickly (Ok...off my soapbox).
> 
> I pray everyone finds a safe way out or just pure safety until they can.




I want to personally thank you for you excellent advice.  My friends listened and told the authorities that they were 81 and 80 respectively (albeit a little exaggerated) and left at 5 Am from Pueblo Bonito Sunset.  They were on the first plane out, AA, and they were flown directly to Dallas/Ft Worth. I was able to get them out on the last plane from DFW to EWR. They got home safely at 12:30 on Saturday morning. 



icydog said:


> OMG, I AM GOING TO FORWARD YOUR POST TO HER. I know she doesn't believe me and fully believes that the resort will take care of her.  All the resort cares about is getting her off their property at this point. The wheelchair is brilliant.. I wonder can she get one in the airport? I kinda doubt that! I'm going to cut and paste this right now. She's avoiding me cause she doesn't believe I know what I'm talking about which is SO frustrating. Thanks a million!
> 
> Marylyn



She actually thanked me for telling her what to do! She said she wasn't thinking straight and was making mistakes. Thank goodness they're home safely.  But I was right, they combined their two suitcases into one weighing 75 pounds. I can't imagine how they got it down five flights of stairs without help.  I decided it was silly to tell her how I felt about them bringing all that stuff 
home----since it was already over.


----------



## mslater

*Go to Grand Solmar in December or not?*

We are scheduled to stay at Grand Solmar (my timeshare) for 2 weeks starting Dec. 6th. I have seen photos from the property showing one of the pools empty and collapsed on the side closer to Playa Grande. I have yet to hear from Solmar. Meanwhile I was going to stay at the Hilton Los Cabos for 2 days prior to going to Solmar and I received a cancellation email for the Hilton. I'm looking for opinions about the feasibility of going there in early December or should I cancel and go somewhere else?

Any help would be appreciated.


----------



## Passepartout

Unless you are a pioneering spirit, and enjoy seeing the place being rebuilt, and reminiscing about 'how it used to be', I'd get a reservation somewhere else. PV or Mazatlan if you want Mexico's left coast. Hawaii if you can get it at this late date, or Caribbean. 

I wouldn't drag my feet much. Tens of thousands of Cabo owners are trying to make alternate plans too.

Cabo will be much improved next year.

But if you want to go in Dec, it will give local people much needed employment.

Jim


----------



## mslater

Thanks for the advice!


----------



## california-bighorn

*Cabo Rescheduling ?*

Just received an alert from Alaska Airlines that our flight to Cabo on November 2nd has been cancelled due to the damage at the airport. We had our 2 weeks at PBSB reserved for Nov 2nd and Nov 9th.  So although we thought we would be OK with November dates that does not seem to be the case. It appears we will not be able to use our reservations.
I know timeshare weeks are to be be during the prescribed time (calendar year in this case).  I have sent emails to PBSB to ask about their rescheduling policy for situations like this.  They have said on their Facebook page that they will accomidate those who has to cancel Cabo reservations in their Mazatlan locations if there is availability.  We are not interested in going to Mazatlan.  I will post any information I get.  Any one ever encountered anything like this?


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## california-bighorn

jefrazier said:


> Hacienda Encantada just posted on their Facebook site that they are closed until 15 October.  Time to reschedule or trade.



Although some of the resorts would be ready to open, I just received and alert from Alaska Airlines and confirmed by phone, that the Mexican government will not allow flights into Cabo for a while.  Our flight was scheduled for November 2nd and has been cancelled. See above post,


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## jefrazier

We were able to shift our Oct dates to last week of Jan 2015.  Got hit with an increase in airfare but no change fees.


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## johnrsrq

Passepartout said:


> Now that we are 4 days post-hurricane, and many new people have discovered the value of the TUG community, I would hope that some will decide that it's worth the $15 per year to join, and support the effort of TUG members to spread the word to buy resale, and maximize usage, while minimizing cost. When a disaster, such as what struck Cabo occurs, TUG is among the first places one can turn to get first-person reports of how to get out. Among the benefits of TUG membership are reviews of thousands of resorts worldwide. Saving yourself from a bad exchange resort and into a great one makes the cost negligible.
> 
> Jim



If I get a little time, I was planning on sharing my 8/30 to 9/06/14 trip to Cabo- specifically Cabo Villa's with pic's and local info.


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## california-bighorn

jefrazier said:


> We were able to shift our Oct dates to last week of Jan 2015.  Got hit with an increase in airfare but no change fees.



Alaska Airlines is being great about making changes to all flight reservations to Cabo.  They will allow you make changes several months out at no charge and will even refund non-refundable tickets if you can't use your existing tickets.  The potential problem is PBSB not having any vacancies for the rest of the calendar year for the short period of time that the airport will be open from whenever it opens until Dec 31st, 2014.  We are hoping they will allow 2014 weeks to be carried into 2015.  We'll see when they have a chance to evaluate and get back me with my inquiry.


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## pittle

I have read that PBSB is allowing people with reservations for September & October (and maybe November) to re-schedule for a time in 2015 if they want to.

Here is an article about the airport not opening until October 9th.  http://www.itravel-cabo.com/news/ca...s-international-airport-after-hurricane-odile


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## Passepartout

california-bighorn said:


> They have said on their Facebook page that they will accomidate those who has to cancel Cabo reservations in their Mazatlan locations if there is availability.  We are not interested in going to Mazatlan.



What do you have against Mazatlan? The Pueblo Bonito's there are very nice resorts. Emerald Bay is a bit far out of town for me, but the free bus or a 50 peso taxi ($4) gets you to the middle of the Golden Zone. Walk out the gate of the 'in-the-zone' location and a 7-10 peso bus goes anywhere.

That's certainly the lowest cost alternative to Cabo.

Jim


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## LynnW

Passepartout said:


> What do you have against Mazatlan? The Pueblo Bonito's there are very nice resorts. Emerald Bay is a bit far out of town for me, but the free bus or a 50 peso taxi ($4) gets you to the middle of the Golden Zone. Walk out the gate of the 'in-the-zone' location and a 7-10 peso bus goes anywhere.
> 
> That's certainly the lowest cost alternative to Cabo.
> 
> Jim



We loved Emerald Bay and the bus to town which always ran on time. We have friends that own at the other one and love it. They go every April for 2 weeks

Lynn


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## california-bighorn

Passepartout said:


> What do you have against Mazatlan? The Pueblo Bonito's there are very nice resorts. Emerald Bay is a bit far out of town for me, but the free bus or a 50 peso taxi ($4) gets you to the middle of the Golden Zone. Walk out the gate of the 'in-the-zone' location and a 7-10 peso bus goes anywhere.
> 
> That's certainly the lowest cost alternative to Cabo.
> 
> Jim



Although Emerald bay was nice,the SCUBA Diving in Mazatlan sucks!!!!  Went there once and never again.  Just our preference.  In Cabo in November the water is still in the lower 80's with great visibility and all kinds of marine life to see and photo.


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## jefrazier

pittle said:


> I have read that PBSB is allowing people with reservations for September & October (and maybe November) to re-schedule for a time in 2015 if they want to.
> 
> 
> 
> Here is an article about the airport not opening until October 9th.  http://www.itravel-cabo.com/news/ca...s-international-airport-after-hurricane-odile




Having read the Notice to Airman (NOTAM), I'd take a big grain of salt before buying into a open airport on 9 October.  The ONLY thing the NOTAM says is that SJD is open to official, humanitarian and GA flights dm the date of the Notice issuance until 8 October.  With major airlines canceling flights thru 17 October and beyond,  you can probably bet there will be no commercial aviation services until November.


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## pittle

I agree - I personally would not plan to go there before January myself.  

Back in 2005, we did go to the Riviera Maya 3-1/2 weeks after Hurricane Wilma.  Mayan Palace said they were open, but we probably should have changed to another location.  We had 13 people and three 2-bedroom units scheduled so it was easier to try it since everyone had their vacation time scheduled for Thanksgiving and finding a place we could all go and stay at the same place with less than 1 month's notice flying from various areas of the country was practically impossible.

The first week we were there, I think there were less than 200 guests total.    Our family joined us for the week of Thanksgiving and there were significantly more guests there.  Playa del Carmen was barely open and the units in the first 9 buildings at the Mayan Palace and all 7 Grand Mayan buildings were closed.  All windows were replaced and the housekeepers, landscaping & maintenance staff were working frantically.  We watched palapas being rebuilt while there.  We had a great trip and everyone in our group brought lots of $1 and $5 bills to tip with.  Our grandson used his to tip the landscaping guys.  We also ate on site more than usual so that they would have some business.

We had a good time because it was our annual family vacation where we wanted to visit and hang out by the pool.


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## Karen G

I'm happy to see that things are improving and more businesses are able to reopen according to  this article.

There's a wealth of information on that website, and it's free to register for it and be able to see all the articles.


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## klpca

We're supposed to be going the first week of January. It looks like it will be a bit of a nail biter, waiting to see if we can go. We never buy travel insurance but we bought it for this trip just to have the medical evac insurance. It turns out that our policy will cover our lodging only if it is uninhabitable. We can cancel until Nov 5th and get back everything except for $250 (this week was an RCI rental). I guess we'll have to wait and see. Obviously they have to get that airport functional first.


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## california-bighorn

pittle said:


> I have read that PBSB is allowing people with reservations for September & October (and maybe November) to re-schedule for a time in 2015 if they want to.
> 
> Here is an article about the airport not opening until October 9th.  http://www.itravel-cabo.com/news/ca...s-international-airport-after-hurricane-odile



I just received a reply from PBSB about my question on extending our 2 weeks we had reservations in November for.  I was told if we didn't want to lose the weeks we needed to deposit them with RCI.  Obviously, I'm not accepting that as we don't belong to RCI and even if we did, weeks deposited 5 weeks prior to check in at a location where there was no Airline service wouldn't be worth much.


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## california-bighorn

klpca said:


> We're supposed to be going the first week of January. It looks like it will be a bit of a nail biter, waiting to see if we can go. We never buy travel insurance but we bought it for this trip just to have the medical evac insurance. It turns out that our policy will cover our lodging only if it is uninhabitable. We can cancel until Nov 5th and get back everything except for $250 (this week was an RCI rental). I guess we'll have to wait and see. Obviously they have to get that airport functional first.



The trouble, at least with PBSB, is they are stating the rooms* will be **habitable*.  Trouble for us, according to Alaska Airlines,  is the airport will not be open on Nov 2nd.  So PBSB may take the position our room was ready to occupy so it's not their problem.


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## jefrazier

california-bighorn said:


> The trouble, at least with PBSB, is they are stating the rooms* will be **habitable*.  Trouble for us, according to Alaska Airlines,  is the airport will not be open on Nov 2nd.  So PBSB may take the position our room was ready to occupy so it's not their problem.




I'd say it's their problem in that they are located in a area without a functioning airport.  That's not your issue, it's theirs.


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## california-bighorn

jefrazier said:


> I'd say it's their problem in that they are located in a area without a functioning airport.  That's not your issue, it's theirs.



I meant that in a generic manner.  That it could be the position of any or all of the resorts.  Actually PBSB has contacted us. Fortunately they are being* very* flexible with re-booking our reservations.


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## klpca

*Airport updates*

http://www.itravel-cabo.com/news/ca...s-international-airport-after-hurricane-odile


"_GAP operate twelve airports within Mexico's Pacific region, including Los Cabos International Airport (SJD). In the meantime, following extensive damage to terminal buildings 1 & 2 in the aftermath of Hurricane Odile (as reported here), the focus will be on restoring these to meet minimal FAA regulations. GAP managed to clear the runways at SJD within twelve hours of Hurricane Odile and, working alongside Federal and State authorities, have secured the safety of around 25,000 people through airlifts out of the affected area.

They have confirmed a commitment to fully restore facilities at the airport by November 25th 2014, stating that they are continuing to work alongside the federal government, the FAA and the State of Baja California Sur._"


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## scobrn

*Grand Mayan San Jose del Cabo*

I called the Grand Mayan central reservations number to see when the resort would re-open.  I told them that we had reservations Dec. 20-27.  They told me that all reservations through January are cancelled.  Has anyone else been told that?


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## Barbeque

For those whose reservations may be in jeopardy due to the airlines
Sky Auction has buy it now rooms at Pueblo Bonito Emerald Bay in Mazatlan for  $199 for a week   so that may ease some pain if you cant get your lodging switched


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## T_R_Oglodyte

Some information on Diamond Resorts and Cabo Azul in this thread in the DRI subforum: DRI - Cabo Azul Hurricane Odile disaster response


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## klpca

*Alaska Airlines says they are starting some flights on Oct 8.*

This totally conflicts with the earlier information, but it looks like it's good news.

http://blog.alaskaair.com/2014/09/26/alaska-airlines-to-resume-los-cabos-flying-oct-8/

_  Posted on September 26, 2014 By Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines will resume flying one daily roundtrip flight from Los Angeles to Los Cabos starting Oct. 8 following the recent announcement that Los Cabos International Airport will reopen. Tickets are now available for purchase at http://www.alaskaair.com/.
The airport sustained significant damage by Hurricane Odile and has since been closed for repairs.
Starting Oct. 8, Flight 236 will depart Los Angeles at 10:10 a.m. arriving in Los Cabos at 1:26 p.m. The return Flight 251 will depart Los Cabos at 2:25 p.m. and arrive in Los Angeles at 3:45 p.m._


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## klpca

scobrn said:


> I called the Grand Mayan central reservations number to see when the resort would re-open.  I told them that we had reservations Dec. 20-27.  They told me that all reservations through January are cancelled.  Has anyone else been told that?



Check out these pictures. https://www.facebook.com/grandmayanhurricaneodile
 Looks like they were hit hard. Here's a link to the tripadvisor thread. http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopi...e_Odile_damage-Los_Cabos_Baja_California.html

I heard that Worldmark Coral Baja wasn't opening until Jan 31.


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## huskerfan

Hey Kunzi--
Any word websites with status on the recovery of San Jose del Cabo.

Adrian


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## Karen G

*Updated list of Cabo businesses opening dates*

Here's an updated list of business opening dates. Looks like they are making progress down there.


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## Karen G

*email from Pueblo Bonito*

I just got this message:



Dear Pueblo Bonito Guests,

Following the initial recovery efforts after Hurricane Odile, we would like to give you an update on the progress happening at the Pueblo Bonito resorts and villas. Our hardworking team members are working relentlessly to finish the cleaning and repairs of certain areas of the resorts, and great progress has been made. For updates on the advancements made and images of the resorts, please visit our Facebook page. 

The official report is that the Los Cabos International Airport (SJD) is projected to open again for commercial flights by October 8th. Because of this, October 8th will also be the first day that we will start receiving guests at our Pueblo Bonito Los Cabos, Pueblo Bonito Rosé and Pueblo Bonito Pacifica resorts. 

In order to ensure the complete satisfaction of our guests during the month of October, the Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach Resort & Spa will reopen on October 13, 2014. Should your arrival at the Sunset Beach Resort be scheduled for an earlier date, we will gladly help you switch reservations to another Pueblo Bonito property. 

Most airlines have confirmed that they will resume flights from certain gateways on October 8 or 9. For the latest flight information, please check with your airline. For those who cannot travel to the destination because of flight cancellations, we recommend that you reschedule your vacation for a later date or that you switch the stay to one of our Mazatlan Resorts. Please make any and all changes to your reservation by contacting the channel through which the reservation was booked (Pueblo Bonito Reservations, Travel-Agent, RCI, Expedia.com, etc). 

On a final note, the reopening date for the Quivira Golf Club is October 9th. We will be extending our Soft Opening Rates throughout the month of October. 

If you have any questions, please contact us at 1-800-990-8250 (US) or 1-855-478-2811 (Canada), or by emailing reservations@pueblobonito.com. 

We appreciate all of the patience, compassion and understanding you have all shown during this time. We are very excited to start welcoming you at our properties again, and look forward to providing you with a wonderful vacation experience in the very near future!


Sincerely,

The Reservations Team
Pueblo Bonito Resorts and Spas


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## DebBrown

Pueblo Bonito welcomes first guests back.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40HFsT8x_Ps


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## MuranoJo

DebBrown said:


> Pueblo Bonito welcomes first guests back.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40HFsT8x_Ps



Message at link says it was removed by user, whoever user is.


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## Karen G

Some people might enjoy this blog report about Alaska Airlines and what the company did in Cabo after the hurricane.  Great job!


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## MuranoJo

What a heart-warming story of what Alaska Airlines did.  Thanks for sharing.


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## DebBrown

This is the best yet:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vJ1s-LRH4o

Pueblo Bonito timeshare sales manager looting Costco.  The facebook comments are hilarious.  Some people defending the timeshare sales force, some not...

https://www.facebook.com/United4Baja


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## klpca

DebBrown said:


> This is the best yet:
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vJ1s-LRH4o
> 
> Pueblo Bonito timeshare sales manager looting Costco.  The facebook comments are hilarious.  Some people defending the timeshare sales force, some not...
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/United4Baja



He joined the Pueblo Bonito Owners FB page a few months ago and let's just say, it wasn't a warm welcome. According to some of the owners, he and his girlfriend were let go immediately after the video was released. There are a lot of happy owners at PBSB now.


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## ada903

Issue resolved, never mind.


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## california-bighorn

california-bighorn said:


> The trouble, at least with PBSB, is they are stating the rooms* will be **habitable*.  Trouble for us, according to Alaska Airlines,  is the airport will not be open on Nov 2nd.  So PBSB may take the position our room was ready to occupy so it's not their problem.



Update:  The reservations staff at PBSB has been great working with us on making new reservations.  They even got approve from management to let us use our 2014 weeks in 2015 if needed.  Airport is supposed to open today so we may get there this year after all.


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## scobrn

klpca said:


> Check out these pictures. https://www.facebook.com/grandmayanhurricaneodile
> Looks like they were hit hard. Here's a link to the tripadvisor thread. http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopi...e_Odile_damage-Los_Cabos_Baja_California.html
> 
> I heard that Worldmark Coral Baja wasn't opening until Jan 31.


Thanks.  Looks awful.  We confirmed that the resort is closed until at least Feb. 1.


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