# only one grand bliss updater?..



## ssally (Apr 13, 2009)

Recently, I put a call out for all grand Mayan owners to post thier comments on the grand bliss spiel and what was offered for what price.At this time I can say there is only one updater  and that is Mike (who has been very helpfull  by the way..thanks Mike).So this New thread should be a catchall for any new or unposted impressions.I think if you buy a new car...you should at least know what the going rate..(plus or minus)  is going to be...                                   thanks sally  Mike had promised grupo mayan not to divulge his $$$ amount..as he most likely earned his deal in 10 hours of dealing...to this he has remained loyal.I am sure most other deals are not that secretive..afterall.. a car dealer can not tell EVERY customer not to tell others what each car buyer paid.Also..thanks to pizza and pittle..


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## pittle (Apr 13, 2009)

Ssally - I think you will find that most of us do not like to state exactly what we paid for our upgrades.  It is one thing to brag about the deal you got on eBay, but another thing to talk about individual negotiations with the developer.  Occasionally, someone is lamenting how much they paid and then discovered how they could have bought the very same thing on re-sale for about 15% of what they paid.

I do not know how much upgrades are.  We took the tour for Bliss from a street hawker who never asked if we already owned. So we were talking new, not upgrade.  I do know that they usually a have bottom-line upgrade figure, but do not know how much that is.


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## mikenk (Apr 13, 2009)

In addition to what Phyllis said, it is also difficult to look at price on an upgrade out of context with the amenities offered. It is really a package. When you buy resale, you are buying from ground zero and it is pretty much standard stuff. An upgrade is a delta to what has already been paid (or assumed to have been paid) in exchange for new and more vacation stuff. The developer has a lot of freedom to bundle things that a particular buyer might want for a set price. I believe (no strong evidence) that they will get to their price point pretty quickly and won't budge more on price (they want cash). For me, this worked great as I am looking at vacation value no only at the dollar figure.

Mike


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## ssally (Apr 13, 2009)

*yes..but.......*

all good points,for sure.but this being an info forum on timeshares, I think price and perks are right up there on the list of (good things to know).Somewhere I think there are upgraders that are willing to share thier (spiel workings).One can only hope.You know....there are people who talk about surviving the sharks all the time..If the field was a bit more level ,we would all benefit.                  sally


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## pammex (Apr 14, 2009)

I would love to know the same info..so guess we shall have to see if any others post but as some have said many are not wiling to divulge their info on price as it relates to their particular circumstance etc....


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## ssally (Apr 14, 2009)

*human nature..*

I am counting on peoples  good nature to share thier story..also on the (brag effect) I have to say the main reason we are interested in the bliss is #1 ..unit location..I hate waiting for those little carts!Riviera maya is our main loction choice(we need clear ocean water)


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## ssally (Apr 15, 2009)

*grand luxxe??*

does anyone know anyone who has purchased the grand luxxe unit? my understanding is that it comes with tons of perks...anyone know exactly what they are?and what they wanted for one? I believe you are automatically included in the residence club,this is a VERYexclusive network of house sized units all over the world.Can anyone confirm this?American express sent us an offer similar to a club like this,I wonder if they are one in the same..........               sally


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## mikenk (Apr 15, 2009)

Sally,

You might go here: http://www.grand-luxxe.com/

There seems to be owners there that have been through upgrades to that level. At my last update, there did not seem any way for it to make sense with my present contract and vacation goals; as such, I really can't recall all the differences.

Mike


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## ssally (Apr 15, 2009)

*thanks mike..*

for that link


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## stopfraud (Apr 15, 2009)

Sally,

*only one grand bliss updater?..*

I really wouldn't mind posting how much I paid for the update to grand bliss - but I understand the concerns of others. (My only concern would not be about "bragging" but rather the shame how gullible and stupid I was - even though I was inexperienced and did not know about TUG.)  Maybe you could volunteer to personally collect the information from everyone and then summarize it and post it while keeping the sources anonymous? This would be beneficial to all.


*grand luxxe??*

I did not upgrade to grand luxxe and I never will (even the grand bliss was a waste of money for me) but at the sales presentation we recently attended (disguised as "owners meeting") they wanted $56,000 (see my story in the thread "Grand Mayan/Grand Bliss ... beware").


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## ssally (Apr 16, 2009)

*no problem...*

I would be glad to cover that task.


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## ssally (Apr 16, 2009)

*just..*

drop me a private message(NO NAMES WILL BE USED)


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## mikenk (Apr 17, 2009)

While certainly price and amenities are things to consider when upgrading. Here are a few other points I think are valuable to ponder.

Thinking the way Tuggers think that the price of a TS is what people are willing to pay, not what the developers set, then an upgrade is kinda messy. You are really selling your old Mayan TS and buying the GB or GL TS. If you have a TS with a MF due whether you use or not, then this might be a good way to get rid of it. As also in my case, if you have a contract that the renovation fee is this year, then this is a good way to restart the 5-year clock. Other than these conditions, why would you want to sell your old, especially since the new units don't even exist.

Also, an unknown question is what will GB and GL units cost on the resale market. Since the transfer fee is so high (5XMF) and the VC week doesn't transfer, and because of the no-use-no-pay MF, I don't believe that these units will ever sell for less than the transfer fee to a buyer; it would really make little sense for the buyer or seller. Therefore, an upgraded unit is probably yours forever. For me personally, that is no problem; for others, it could be.

Another consideration for those who rent their units (we don't) , the free golf and spa stuff should certainly be easier with a GB or GL TS.

With these things in mind, then the upgrade choice is rather straightforward.   Are the extra goodies (amenities) worth the extra dollars to your family. If not, negotiate until they are, or walk. In my opinion, if you are not willing to upgrade at any cost and you are not willing to prepare beforehand, then don't go to the upgrade presentation; you will be at their mercy.

Sally, I predict you will be their worse nightmare. Make sure you schedule the upgrade thingee on the first day to leave time to rescind. Sic 'em Girl!

Mike


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## ssally (Apr 17, 2009)

*mike...*

You are correct..I too  see your point on timeshares and thier worth.We have friends that told us that timeshares are for people that do not no how to best use thier money....I have to snicker to myself when we have these people over and they compare the types of resorts and the luxury units we enjoy to thier hotel type rooms.They marvel at the photos..and I do see some foot in mouth .The $$$$$ we save on food cost  with the kids over the years has alone most likely covered a good amount of the original purchase costs!!Now we get to vacation in a $350. a night unit ..for about a hundred bucks a night.     sweet.Many people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.Looking back ..with kids almost all grown...I would not change a thing about the way we have spent our vacation dollars. Life IS short and bygod ONE bad vacation can stay with you a long time..Timeshares are an investment IN YOUR VACATION ...simply put ,invest in your QUALITY of vacation.........................no I am not a timeshare salesperson


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## stopfraud (Apr 17, 2009)

*Sally:*

Great! I will drop you my private message. Hopefully others will do too.


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## QuietCanadianMale47 (Apr 17, 2009)

Sally, we initially decided prior to the "Owners presentation" that if we could upgrade for the same $$$ that we previously spent to upgrade from the Mayan Palace to the Grand Mayan that we would do just that.  Now, in order to do that they said we could but we would be going for a 1 Bdrm instead of a 2 Bdrm unit.  They insisted that with HSI we could reserve a larger unit whenever we needed it.  We did buy into that, but when we talked later we wanted to rescind the upgrade.  After much negotiating as they didn't want to return the money (but, they still would have) and we just insisted that we weren't going to settle for a 1 Bdrm Grand Bliss, they settled for the 2 Bdrm at an additional $2K.  Making our upgrade a total of $10,600 - but don't use this e-mail at a presentation.  I am sharing it for information purposes only.  

We have gone on vacations to other resorts since becoming Grand Mayan owners, and are always comparing the costs and the facilities and we know that we will end up saving $$$ each and every year and stay in a nicer resort while doing so!


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## ssally (Apr 17, 2009)

*dear 47*

thanks so much for sharing  happy vacations!!


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## mikenk (Apr 18, 2009)

The QuietCanadian response reminded me that they wanted me to trade 5 years of my VF weeks for HSI Breakaway weeks; for that, they would reduce the purchase price by so many dollars - don't remember how much. I am curious how many of the upgraders took that deal to get the price down.

I didn't because I don't trust vacation clubs like HSI and I wanted my VF weeks, although I have no personal experience with HSI.

Mike


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## pittle (Apr 18, 2009)

I agree with Mike on this type of vacation club - we have a similar one that came with our last purchase and what they told us was not exactly what it is - you cannot use the "points" they give you for air travel, just hotel discounts.  We probably will not renew it.

When we took the Bliss tour in November, they wanted our VF weeks for 5 years and were either going to rent them and pay us, and we were also going to get all kinds of HSI benefits.  The thing you need to remember, if you do let them rent your week - they will deduct the cost of the mf for the week they are renting from the price they say they will pay you.  Someone has to pay those mf  and it is not going to be them.   They are not going to pay you that $1700 and then rent it out to a prospective buyer for the same amount (or even a reduced price to entice them to come) and not get at least the $999 for a week of MF back.  While I love the Mayan Palace/Grupo Mayan/Grupo Vidanta resorts so much that I own 6 weeks, I know that they are in the business of making money. All transactions involving $$$ will be in their favor.

We have not upgraded to Bliss or Grand Bliss, but have been "given" HSI on 2 occasions in the past few years when we purchased other timeshares.  The first time we did not find it what we expected and chose to cancel when it was time to pay our annual membership fees.  The 2nd time, I did make an effort, but it is not all that you expect. You need to read all of the documents they give you and what is on the internet to find out how to use it to your benefit.   I wrote a long post back in March about my experiences.  We do not feel that it is something we want to continue with and I am in the process of transferring the membership to a friend who does not have as many timeshares as we do.  He can use this to purchase vacations for just a little more than the cost of mf and get an extra week where and when he wants to go without purchasing more timeshares.   If we only owned one timeshare week, it would probably be something that we would have used, but we own 13 weeks plus 6 VF weeks and a similar deal with another timeshare, so we are pretty much set.


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## mikenk (Apr 18, 2009)

Phyllis, thanks for the input on HSI. IMHO, Any of the projections the sales people make are absolutely worthless unless written into the contract. In my experience, grupo Mayan is excellent on honoring what is actually in the contract. 

 I also remembered that when I upgraded, there was a sizable chunk (2-3K$) I believe for closing costs and taxes. For folks responding to Sally's request for upgrade costs, you might indicate whether the costs include these fees.



Mike


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## mikenk (Apr 19, 2009)

A related question:

Currently, does a first time purchaser only get offered the Mayan Palace (Regency) during the initial sales presentation, or can they purchase the Grand Mayan, Bliss, GB, or GL from the start? Or is the Bliss now the starting point?

Mike


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## ssally (Apr 19, 2009)

*mike*

I was wondering that myself...is a mayan palace regency just a fancy way of saying a mayan palace unit??


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## Pizza67 (Apr 19, 2009)

Back when we first purchased (in 2006), they started out with the GM and ended with a MP regency.  I_ think_ the regency is the MP w/ a few more perks, Pittle?  The contract we initially purchased was actually someone else's old trade-in, so it appears that we got it cheaper than was originally offered (I'm sticking to that idea as it makes me feel better  ). 

Anyway, I think they start out with the top of the line and then work their way down until they get you to a price that you're comfortable with to buy something.


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## stopfraud (Apr 19, 2009)

Pizza67 said:


> Anyway, I think they start out with the top of the line and then work their way down until they get you to a price that you're comfortable with to buy something.



That was my experience. But I am not sure that they would now start with the Grand Luxxe for a new customer. They probably make a rough estimate of your wealth and start at that level, then go down until they get you to buy - whether you are comfortable with it or not.


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## ssally (Apr 20, 2009)

*please.......*

all bliss updaters or new members contribute to the pricing poll...via private message to sally........thanks sally  it is coming along


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## pittle (Apr 21, 2009)

mikenk said:


> A related question:
> 
> Currently, does a first time purchaser only get offered the Mayan Palace (Regency) during the initial sales presentation, or can they purchase the Grand Mayan, Bliss, GB, or GL from the start? Or is the Bliss now the starting point?



Mike - we took the tour as "newbies" in November at Nuevo - we wanted to see what the regular person on the street was told nowadays.  They told us there were no MP, MPR, or GM weeks available.  They then pushed the Bliss to "get us into the family".  We never did tell them that we were already big time family members.  We just said no - a LOT, and finally got out.  They did not offer any trade-ins like they did before.  We were very persistent about saying no and how that being retirees watching our IRA's plummet and hubby having just had 2 surgeries,  we were NOT going to spend any more money right now.

Pizza67 - yes, the MP Regency is a MP with extra perks and as far as I can tell, it is the same unit with granite countertops.  The Bliss model in PP is a renovated unit on the 5th floor of the MPR tower there.  It has been gutted to make the bathrooms look totally different and the tile is white and the kitchen reconfigured a little bit.  They are currently building a new building for the Bliss and another one for the Grand Bliss there.  The Bliss looked to be basically the same size as the MP/MPR there and the GB will be larger, because it is basically the same size as the GM.


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## stopfraud (Apr 21, 2009)

pittle said:


> Mike - we took the tour as "newbies" in November at Nuevo - we wanted to see what the regular person on the street was told nowadays.  They told us there were no MP, MPR, or GM weeks available.  They then pushed the Bliss to "get us into the family".  We never did tell them that we were already big time family members......



Phyllis, I am confused. I seem to remember that not long ago you were wondering how someone was able to do that because they check into their computer system which gives them all the information on you. That is what happened with me too: when they recently lured me to a presentaton, they came with a printout sheet with all our history at Grupo Mayan. So how could you take the tour as "newbies"?


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## pittle (Apr 21, 2009)

I have no idea!   When I posted before, I mentioned going as a "newbie" and someone asked about the computer "catching" us.  We have a total of 5 contracts and you would have thought at least one, if not all, would have popped up.  We even have the Profile A status and were staying at the Grand Mayan the next week.  We used the exact same names that are on our contracts and our address.  We showed them our driver's licenses and a credit card.  We stood right there at the desk while the person typed all of our information into their computer.  It never said we were owners!

I am sure that if it had popped up that we were owners, they would have been all over us to combine our contracts into Grand Bliss contracts.  In Mazatlan, they wanted to combine all of our contracts into a new Grand Mayan contract + about $20,000 more.    That was to take our 2 GM weeks plus our 3 MP contracts that we had at the time and write us a new contract for 4 GM weeks. (We would have had 1 week less week.)  We said no thanks to that offer.  

Since then, we bought one more MP week on eBay, so we now own 4 MP weeks and 2 GM weeks.  We have plenty of weeks now and are not planning to upgrade.  Three of our contracts have the 1 mf transfer amount, and one contract has the 10% of the original purchase price for transfer.  All but one of our contracts has a letter stating that we have the no mf unless we use option.  We do not golf and do not rent our units.  Therefore, we do not see a reason to spend more money.  As I said before - we can buy a lot of plane tickets for the price of upgrading!  If it would cost $20,000 to upgrade to a GM, I am sure it costs even more for the GB.  I also have one more contract to throw into the mix, so more $$$.


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## stopfraud (Apr 21, 2009)

Phyllis, probably it was someone else who made that remark. I will try to go back and find that posting. And I will try to do that next time we go there. But, is it possible that you went to that presentation as "newbies" via an appointment you received from a street agent and not when checking in for you own week? That is the only way I can think of when they might not check you out in their system.
Anyway, you are very savvy and I learn a lot from your postings. Thanks!


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## pittle (Apr 22, 2009)

stopfraud said:


> But, is it possible that you went to that presentation as "newbies" via an appointment you received from a street agent and not when checking in for you own week? That is the only way I can think of when they might not check you out in their system.!



Yes - we were snagged at the Mega when we were staying at the Buganvilias the week before going to the GM.  

Thanks for the compliment.     I love this forum and like to see what others have to say.  After 10 years as MP owners, we have learned a lot about them.


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## toby9116 (Jun 29, 2009)

*MP regency*



ssally said:


> I was wondering that myself...is a mayan palace regency just a fancy way of saying a mayan palace unit??



It was  explained to me they are the same units but contract has more perks


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## toby9116 (Jun 29, 2009)

Folowing is a copy of E-Mail I sent to Grupo following or last visit and owners update presentation.

Beware It Is Lengthy



Grupo Mayan
To whom it may concern. (if anyone cares)

	We went through the timeshare presentation process at Mayan Palace Riviera Maya when we purchased a few years ago. It was explained to us that none of the building face the water because the developer/owner was very concerned about the ecology. He was concerned about the effect of sun light reflection off the windows harming the coral and sea life as had happened in the resort corridor in Cancun. And by placing the building perpendicular to the water lessened the damage caused by hurricanes. We were shown through the Grand Mayan display model and upon arriving at the sales coral were shown the model of the grounds and the buildings that would be available to us as Mayan Palace owners were pointed out to us both on the model and pointed out across the pool area. It was explained how to rent our units by any number of venders to pay our maintenance fees plus enough left over to pay our expenses for our own vacation. We were assured that every one would have an equal opportunity to make a reservation. The interviewer assured us that Grupo Mayan monitored and protected its members from deflated resale market. After assurances that Grupo Mayan would protect our investment and we agreed to a purchase of a contract that did not require mandatory maintenance fees. It was a substantial investment but with no mandatory maintenance fees and sure fired way to rent out the units we decided to purchase. It did appear to complement our existing timeshare holdings.
	To take advantage of the info we had received at the presentation I contacted and signed a contract a “highly recommended” vendor (DIvacations) to rent out our unit. When we signed the contract there were only 47 units ahead of ours. That was April 2007. April 2009 there are still 10 units in front of us to be rented. I am now hoping to rent out our unit at least 3 times in my lifetime.
Imagine my surprise when after having returned home for a while I found an offer online for a one bedroom contract for under $800 US. After paying over $20,000 US for a 2 bedroom I could not resist. I felt we were in a very good position with 2 contracts with Grupo Mayan. We have a 1bedroom with a small maintenance fee and a 2 bedroom with no mandatory fee. Even if the rental (we were counting on) was a misdirection.
We spent a week at the Mayan Palace Mayan Riviera at the end of January 2009. At check in we were offered incentives to attend and owner’s presentation. We were told this was an opportunity to be made aware of program updates.
We thought we were prepared this time since we had been through the process before.
We arrived for the presentation the next morning at 10:00. We declined the invitation for buffet breakfast as we had already eaten. We were talked into going to the buffet for juice. At this time it became obvious they were not prepared for us as we were left with our juice for 20 minutes as our assigned interviewer disappeared, we assumed to prepare for our meeting.
On our way from the buffet to the sales coral we toured the latest and greatest models. They sure were impressive. We were told this new level of accommodation would be ocean front facing the ocean. My wife and I looked at each other as we were both wondering what happened to the concern for the ecology. What happened to the concern for sea life and trying to minimize effects of future hurricanes? Had the philosophy that we had bought into changed? Or had it ever been there? Was it a sales tool (lie) in pursuit of the consumer’s dollar?
As we were seated for our interview we were cordially offered refreshment and the interviewer/ sales woman opened our file. She commented on what great contract we had in our portfolio. A 2 bedroom at Mayan Palace Registry from Riviera Maya for under $20,000 and a 1 bedroom Mayan Palace from Puerto Vallarta for just over $ 16,000. She asked if she had the right info. I told her the Riviera Maya info was accurate. But the Puerto Vallarta unit I had found on E-bay for under $ 800 plus closing and transfer fees, for a total of just under $ 1500. She seamed surprised that someone would buy resale. How could some one buy resale from someone they did not know? How could you be sure what you were getting?

Now the sales pitch. 
You have a very attractive portfolio BUT we have some new programs you will be happy to hear about. What do you not like about your contracts? I told her we were happy with what we have. It compliments our other programs and we are happy. I said I only wish they would start charging a reservation canelation fee. I suspect people make reservations just to have 1, with no intent on using it. Then when reservations open for what they really want they cancel first reservation and reserve the date they wanted all along. It costs them nothing while the people who wanted the original date are left to wonder if they will be able to get that date or (like us) go somewhere else that year. The fee should be enough that people would stop and think before they make a reservation they have no intention of using. Making reservations 12 months in advance would make it easier to shop for airfare. But we are happy with our current situation.
That was the end of happy.

It went like this
Grupo Mayan would like to offer us a chance to upgrade our contract.
Not interested.
Grupo would like to upgrade us to the new Bliss units 
Not interested.
We would be very surprised how affordable this would be.
Not interested we are happy.
Grupo would like to take our 2 bedroom and 1 bedroom and put us in 2 2 bedroom units in the Bliss. There would be no mandatory maintenance fees and fees would only be due on the part or parts we used not on the whole 2 bedroom unit. All this for under $10,000.
Not interested. We like what we have.
With the new Bliss level you will be able to make reservations 12 months ahead.
No, it is not a big enough incentive to upgrade 
How much would it be worth to you?
I am not interested.
Would it be worth $ 7,000?
No.
$ 5,000?
No.Mayan Palace is fine with us.
When Grupo Mayan begins construction on the Bliss units they will be replacing the Mayan Palace units from the beach back to the Mayan Palace lobby. All the Mayan Palace units will be around a water park and will be located between the lobby and the highway.
WHAT?
Yes and your Riviera Mayan Mayan Palace Regency unit will be fine for awhile But your Puerto Vallarta Mayan Palace unit is not a Regency. It will be worthless in a couple of years.
WHAT?
Yes this is an old contract. If you are making a reservation they have to give priority to someone with a contract they paid $25,000 over this. .
Would you like to upgrade?
How long will it take for that contract to be no good?
What do you mean?
You sold this contract to someone with all the fluff you could muster and promises. It has not even reached its first redecorating fee date and you are telling me it is soon to be worthless. We bought our 2 bedroom unit about 2 years ago and you are telling me that in order to maintain what I have now I am going to have to upgrade. If I should not have trusted Grupo the first time why would I give you more money?
Would you upgrade for $1800?
No
The Bliss contract holders can reserve Mayan Palace Regency units. And they will be able to make a reservation up to 12 months in advance.
What will it be next time? No I came happy with your product because it fit with our other programs and I will be leaving unhappy.
 When I bought the one bedroom unit resale it was actually a contract for 2 one bedroom units but advertised as a 1 one bedroom. They tried to contract me for both weeks. Now I am sure I did the right thing by insisting I would only accept one week.
Before we left we had to sign a paper stating  we had decided not to trade in our units that were valued at ?? ( I am unsure of exact figure but it was over $60,000) and we understood we would never be offered more than that amount. We signed and informed them we had no intention of upgrading ever and may never return.



We are not prepared to constantly upgrade to protect our investment. We may let other people use our time if we can get a reservation. (sounds unlikely). The one bedroom that has a mandatory maintenance fee we will probably deposit with an exchange company. We will not be hurt to bad with 2 or 3 for 1 at SFX or 75,000 points with RCI many more vacations shall be enjoyed.


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## ssally (Jun 29, 2009)

*please..*

someone explain to me the two properties grand mayan and mayan palace regency?? are they similar?


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## pittle (Jun 29, 2009)

ssally said:


> someone explain to me the two properties grand mayan and mayan palace regency?? are they similar?



Previous poster was correct.  The Mayan Palace Regency is a Mayan Palace unit with more "perks".  The Bliss is the newest upgrade to the Mayan Palace with even more "perks".  Some of the MP properties have both regular MP and MPR units that are separated.  When that is the case, the MPR units are usually in different buildings, but further from the pool and beach areas because they were built last. (These 3 types of units are the entry level category of the Grupo Mayan (Vedanta) Group.

PV has only MP units that were built in the 1990's.  If you bought a MPR unit, you use the same units that regular MP owners do.
Mazatlan does not have any MP units - the MP there is billed as Mayan Palace Regency, but most units in Mazatlan are older Sea garden units.  The MPR is further from the pool and beach (up by the road).  Same deal - MP owners use the MPR units.
Mayan Riviera staff once they told me that the units along the golf course were the MPR units.  The only difference that I could tell in the units was that the kitchen countertops at the MPR were marble.  (I think they have changed out the stainless steel countertops in the first 10 buildings now.)  
PP has MP units near the lobby and pool and MPR units over in the tower where construction is going on and the Bliss model is now.  (Just a newly remodeled MP).  
Acapulco was building a MPR on the golf course, but I don't know what has happened with it.  You had to ride the shuttle to go to the beach!  They were tearing down the MP 2-bedroom units the last time we were there and planning to rebuild MP units there.
Nuevo Vallarta has MP units and are tearing a bunch down to build Bliss units.
No MP or MPR units in Cabo.

Grand Mayan is the 2nd level of the units sold and are more upscale -  kitchen is larger, bathrooms nicer, has a big patio/deck with plunge pool.  The living room is actually 18" narrower, but the bedrooms are larger.  (I counted the 12" tiles once when we stayed at GM one week and MP the next.)  Many more "perks" generally come with the Grand Mayan.  The newest GM is the Grand Bliss.  Basically the same unit with more perks.  There are Grand Mayans in NV, Mayan Riviera, Acapulco, and Cabo.  No GM in Mazatlan or PP.  


The newest luxury units are the Grand Luxxe & Grand Luxxe Villas.  The Villas are huge and generally sold as "fractional" units.  These cost more and I would call them category 3.

Just wait a few more years and they will come up with something even snazzier for category 4.


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## KarenLK (Jun 29, 2009)

You actually counted the tiles?? What a great idea. and I would probably do the same to prove a point!!!!


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## pittle (Jun 30, 2009)

KarenLK said:


> You actually counted the tiles?? What a great idea. and I would probably do the same to prove a point!!!!



Yes, I did - I was actually trying to prove a point to my husband last year!     I told him that I thought the living rooms were wider in the MP and he said that everything was bigger at the GM.  So.......I counted the tiles to check the size for sure.   The GM units are deeper than the MP units, but not by a lot.  The bedrooms are wider in the GM than at the MP by about 2 feet.

We stay in MP units a lot and they put the sofas in a L-shape, but in the GM, they put one on each wall.  I like the L-shape layout better for visiting and looking out the window, but it is "tight" in the GM when I move them.  

I remember the MP sizes, but may be a little off on the GM ones.  I can't remember if they are 32 or 34 feet deep + the 6 or so feet in each bedroom for the sitting area.  

A 1-bedroom MP unit is 26x26 - 676 SF  Living Room is 13 feet wide.
A 2-bedroom MP unit is 39x26 - 1014 SF
Balconies are only about 2 feet wide.

A 1-bedroom GM unit is 27x32 + sitting area - 954 SF -not counting patio Living Room is 11-1/2 feet wide
A 2-bedroom GM unit is 42x32 + sitting area - 1524 SF - not counting patio
No tiles to count on the patio, but would guess 12-14 feet deep.


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## ssally (Jul 1, 2009)

*Phyllis..........*

thanks for that!!!


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## wallyworld (Jul 1, 2009)

*Rescinding the upgrade cost me*

Watch when you upgrade then decide to rescind within the 5 day grace period if you are going from Canadian monies to American and back. The cost to buy and sell cost me over $500 Can. I complained to Visa and they said it was out of their hands but in good faith they credited me $250. Next time I might obtain a Visa in US dollars.


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## joelinpsp (Sep 5, 2009)

Hey SSally...


Yes, I have upgraded to the Grand Luxxe -- twice!  I first purchased my Grand Mayan membership as a resale from GrupoMayan.  I was told I would be able to apply my equity into full-ownership.  I visited the Mayan Lakes in Acapulco only to find out that they would retain 30% and be charged a transfer fee.  We downgraded ourselves to visit Mazatlan and learned of the Grand Luxxe.  It was still only a plan on paper at the time.  I was told they would rent my remaining weeks and wouldn't owe the remaining $15K balance of my upgrade after paying $10K down --  even though I initialed on the contract that "my intentions of my purchase were not to generate rental income."  I fell for the Nolan brother team -- agent and sales manager -- sales pitch.  Both are now longer employed by GrupoMayan.  Again, being told I would own an equity membership and could apply what I've paid -- $30k + $25K.  My last vacation to Nuevo Vallarta, toured the Grand Luxxe model and was told since I was one of the first members my equity was around $150K.  But again, found out I did not own an equity-share.  Only to find out there were two levels of Grand Luxxe memberships.  Again, another lie from the Mayan sales team.  Therefore, I upgraded to the Villa membership.  Went back to cancel and my deal was "sweeten" with an additional two corporate weeks per year.  So now I own four weeks in the two-bedroom Villa.  My perks included spa and golfing privileges.  If I opt not to use my 16 rounds of golf, I could either receive a credit for MF's or to be used at the venues to be built in the new village planned for Nuevo Vallarta -- restaurants and shops.  Now that I've finally attained my equity membership, I'll be entitled to a 30% discount of the pre-contruction prices once plans are finalized for condos and villas slated for Nuevo Vallarta, Puerto Penasco, and possibly Cabo or Riviera Maya.    This last upgrade cost me an additional $20k.  I understand my best options should I want to sell is that the new owner would be entitled to the pre-contruction discount and equity of my ownership.  My Vacation Fair and Corporate Weeks would be lost.  I am totally satisfied with the quality of the resorts, but not a fan of their sales team.  I apologize for the lengthy response but would like to know about others who've been given the run-around from GrupoMayan.


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## joelinpsp (Sep 5, 2009)

*Grand Luxxe upgrade run-around!*

Hey SSally...


Yes, I have upgraded to the Grand Luxxe -- twice!  I first purchased my Grand Mayan membership as a resale from GrupoMayan.  I was told I would be able to apply my equity into full-ownership.  I visited the Mayan Lakes in Acapulco only to find out that they would retain 30% and be charged a transfer fee.  We downgraded ourselves to visit Mazatlan and learned of the Grand Luxxe.  It was still only a plan on paper at the time.  I was told they would rent my remaining weeks and wouldn't owe the remaining $15K balance of my upgrade after paying $10K down --  even though I initialed on the contract that "my intentions of my purchase were not to generate rental income."  I fell for the Nolan brother team -- agent and sales manager -- sales pitch.  Both are now longer employed by GrupoMayan.  Again, being told I would own an equity membership and could apply what I've paid -- $30k + $25K.  My last vacation to Nuevo Vallarta, toured the Grand Luxxe model and was told since I was one of the first members my equity was around $150K.  But again, found out I did not own an equity-share.  Only to find out there were two levels of Grand Luxxe memberships.  Again, another lie from the Mayan sales team.  Therefore, I upgraded to the Villa membership.  Went back to cancel and my deal was "sweeten" with an additional two corporate weeks per year.  So now I own four weeks in the two-bedroom Villa.  My perks included spa and golfing privileges.  If I opt not to use my 16 rounds of golf, I could either receive a credit for MF's or to be used at the venues to be built in the new village planned for Nuevo Vallarta -- restaurants and shops.  Now that I've finally attained my equity membership, I'll be entitled to a 30% discount of the pre-contruction prices once plans are finalized for condos and villas slated for Nuevo Vallarta, Puerto Penasco, and possibly Cabo or Riviera Maya.    This last upgrade cost me an additional $20k.  I understand my best options should I want to sell is that the new owner would be entitled to the pre-contruction discount and equity of my ownership.  My Vacation Fair and Corporate Weeks would be lost.  I am totally satisfied with the quality of the resorts, but not a fan of their sales team.  I apologize for the lengthy response but would like to know about others who've been given the run-around from GrupoMayan.


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## ssally (Sep 11, 2009)

*hey Joe....*

thanks for the update...we did the luxxe tour in r. maya .soooo..sweet.you know ...sometimes I think these dollars that we spend on vacation stuff..are the best  things your money can buy!! you and yours can now rest assured that your time off will be spent in complete and total ...well...luxury!!          memories of good times is what it is all about anyhow...now you have put yourself at the front of the line in top vacation resorts!!  hassle free top service..no...I do not work for grupo mayan..I just know 1st tier product when I see it..                                                                                                             ssally


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