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Vidanta Members Coalition

1950panda

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Some of us bought at a Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta resort before seeing all of the valuable messages on TUG. For me it was over 10 years ago and we are trying to make the best of our investment. The staff are amazing and it is a beautiful resort but members are unhappy that much of the expansion has spoiled our enjoyment of the resort.
We are unhappy that access to the local community has been blocked off, shuttles no longer go to Grand Mayan, and access in and out of the property is difficult. People feel trapped on the resort.
Feedback and surveys have not been successful in the changes we want. A group of members on site recently decided to start a coalition to address these issues as a collective with the hopes that it may give it more weight.
If you are interested in more information about the Vidanta Members Coalition please email me.
This includes Seagarden, Mayan Palace, Grand Mayan, Bliss, Luxxe etc.
 

pittle

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We have been "Mayan World" owners since February 1999 and have been to NV many times. We have not been to any of the restaurants that are in the Marina area - I know that is hard for some of you to believe! In November 2014, we made a point to walk down to the Marina area to see what all the fuss was about, but did not eat at any of them.

We look at most of the Mayan properties as a destination resort. We either cook our own food, eat at one of the restaurants or take a taxi to wherever we want to go. We have only eaten at Taco Break one time - it was good, but there are better restaurants on the property in my opinion. We love to go to Bucerias or Punta de Mita, but take a taxi to the main highway and then catch a bus. It sounds like that we might be able to just get off near the new entrance and then take a shuttle to Santuario. We generally walk when in the resort, so shuttle access is not a big deal for us.

So, we are not interested in participating.
 
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Solski

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Missing out I thought they had some really excellent restaurants


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Solski

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I might add that when we were in nv last week it appears the local community is unhappy with Vidanta current expansion dreams of taking people by train straight to resort my understanding is the bought land that can make that possible there was a protest outside resort area while we were there do not know all details


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T-Dot-Traveller

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Take a beach walk reach NV Marina - easy and beautiful

The beach as we know is public and access to it cannot be blocked - unless Vidanta wishes to run a beach resort with no beach access.

It is a very easy walk past the 5 condo buildings if you leave from the Grand Mayan end and then regain access to the NV Marina area near the Sea Garden.

We were at the Mayan Palace - Marina last week and certainly heard owners who
preferred to be there rather than NV due to the changes you mention

Vidanta / Vida / Mayan is a RTU timeshare - right to use / not right to run .- so unless upgrades , sales to new owners and / or occupancy drop .....the plan is probably the .plan .

I did notice that in the promo info for El Mercado, ( market /opened Dec 2015 ) Vidanta says it offers "authentic fresh Mexican street fare " I am pretty sure I can find that on every street / paseo in Mexico . Maybe they think all us gringos want a fenced in resort where we can experience "real Mexico "
Maybe for some they are right / and others feel like they are in the world's best gulag . Your choice .

You can always buy a Pueblo Bonita for a buck on eBay and go to Cabo .

----Or walk 1200 or so feet on the beach to the NV Marina - just bring a flashlight - and be back before bed check .

I hope some enterprising beach vendor starts selling LED lanterns .If anyone reading this post knows one well- pass on this potential money making opportunity - to an authentic Mexican beach vendor .

Anyway - the sunshine will still be shining in PV /NV Mexico when you visit
so enjoy .
 
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rpennisi

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The beach walk is no fun after dark, with or without flashlight.
I enjoy both the restaurants on and off site in NV.
I strongly resent what they have done the past few years, especially at NV restricting owner egress.
As a result, last year, this year and next year I am going elsewhere: PB's in Mazetlan, GM in Acapulco, and PB's in Cabo respectively.
Love NV, really dislike the restrictiveness
Can't fault anyone for forming a coalition to bring about changes.
 

pittle

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The beach walk is no fun after dark, with or without flashlight.
I enjoy both the restaurants on and off site in NV.
I strongly resent what they have done the past few years, especially at NV restricting owner egress.
As a result, last year, this year and next year I am going elsewhere: PB's in Mazetlan, GM in Acapulco, and PB's in Cabo respectively.
Love NV, really dislike the restrictiveness
Can't fault anyone for forming a coalition to bring about changes.

If you can get into the GM in Cabo, it is great and not a problem to leave the property - it is about 4 blocks from the town square in Cabo San Jose. All units have an ocean view too!
 

mikenk

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Some of us bought at a Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta resort before seeing all of the valuable messages on TUG. For me it was over 10 years ago and we are trying to make the best of our investment. The staff are amazing and it is a beautiful resort but members are unhappy that much of the expansion has spoiled our enjoyment of the resort.
We are unhappy that access to the local community has been blocked off, shuttles no longer go to Grand Mayan, and access in and out of the property is difficult. People feel trapped on the resort.
Feedback and surveys have not been successful in the changes we want. A group of members on site recently decided to start a coalition to address these issues as a collective with the hopes that it may give it more weight.
If you are interested in more information about the Vidanta Members Coalition please email me.
This includes Seagarden, Mayan Palace, Grand Mayan, Bliss, Luxxe etc.

For me, there is a real fine line between folks joining together to address real common issues and folks joining together to nitpick things that are actually no big deal to many. Realistically, most of the ones listed seem more nitpicking than real issues. Yea, I was a little annoyed when they cut off the road access to Nuevo - but realistically was no big deal - just got a cheap taxi and moved on - certainly never felt trapped on resort, and actually preferred other restaurants than the ones in Nuevo.

Nuevo management has a history of dumb planning decisions and then changing them for the better on their own. Don't like a rule, wait a bit and they will change it. Real issues to me are the room reservation system, golf reservation system, how they address addenda at reservations, and of course, the sales system. Also, to be effective, the coalition should propose workable solutions not just complaints.

Maybe the coalition plans on making constructive suggestions - but not really seeing it in what's published here.

Mike
 
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mikenk

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If you can get into the GM in Cabo, it is great and not a problem to leave the property - it is about 4 blocks from the town square in Cabo San Jose. All units have an ocean view too!

We really liked the Cabo resort before the storm - but haven't been back. The changes look like a great upgrade - need to go back there.
 

rpennisi

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If you can get into the GM in Cabo, it is great and not a problem to leave the property - it is about 4 blocks from the town square in Cabo San Jose. All units have an ocean view too!

Loved the GM in SJD 3 years ago. Great location, easy to go to restaurants in either direction.
 

1950panda

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I have read all of the posts to date and appreciate the input. We are not trying to persuade people who are satisfied, but rather to provide an opportunity for those who may be interested to be involved. While management advises us that 85% of people are fully satisfied from their surveys and tracking other websites such as Trip Advisor, it was our perception that this may not be the case. They too hear a lot of the same concerns but they do not necessarily get reflected in writing so it is not documented. Should we not have meaningful support we may have to reconsider our position.

Just a response to some of the comments.

Yes, many people are able to walk down the beach to the local community. I cannot. I am handicapped and use a scooter.

I think one of the changes that tipped people over the edge this year was curtailing the shuttle to the Grand Mayan. It is a very long walk from the Santuario, especially for the elderly and infirm. I had a 90 year old guest for the past two weeks and had no idea she was going to have to walk that far as I arrived earlier and used the handicapped shuttle with a ramp which does go to Grand Mayan.

Quote:
“Vidanta / Vida / Mayan is a RTU timeshare - right to use / not right to run .- so unless upgrades , sales to new owners and / or occupancy drop .....the plan is probably the plan .”
Response: We do understand that Vidanta is privately owned and that we do not have a right to make decisions. We also spoke to management who advise that the owner is making an effort to get feedback and is more responsive when concerns are expressed by the owners. Management that we spoke to were against some of these decisions and are encouraging us to put our concerns forward. See also quote below.

Quote:
“Nuevo management has a history of dumb planning decisions and then changing them for the better on their own. Don't like a rule, wait a bit and they will change it. Real issues to me are the room reservation system, golf reservation system, how they address addenda at reservations, and of course, the sales system. Also, to be effective, the coalition should propose workable solutions not just complaints”
Response:
Management has advised that the owner makes some of those changes as a result of feedback. I do not golf but otherwise agree with all of your comments. While the access issues were the catalyst the intention was not to preclude addressing other concerns. I think the intention is to get input and develop a brief that is endorsed by the mail list. As you point out the owner does make changes.

I have had numerous people sign up at the resort and several private emails supporting and asking questions. I will attempt to respond to some of them below.

1. I am not the organizer. I am just collecting emails of interested parties. Since I am a member of TUG I thought I would make any Vidanta owners aware of what we are doing.
2. We just started talking about this last week and are in the infant stages. The person organizing is on his way home and I expect to hear from him when he has access to his computer.
3. We did meet with the General Manager at Grand Mayan and I have had an opportunity to speak with someone in management in customer services. They have not discouraged but rather encouraged us to put our concerns forward.
4. No decisions have been made and we do not have a strategy but from the discussions had thus far, here is what I would anticipate.
a. The organizer will put together a brief outlining the concerns and yes, proposed remedies.
b. Those on the list will have an opportunity to view the draft and provide input.
c. Those on the list will have the opportunity to endorse the final proposal that is intended to be submitted to the owner for consideration.
d. I am not sure if names and or emails will be need in the submission of the proposal. We may only have to disclose how many. If it is necessary to disclose, only those explicitly giving permission will be included.
e. There will probably be more than one proposal. Some individuals may support some proposals and not others.

I know this is still sketchy but I hope that it gives a better idea of what we are up to.

While I did not initiate this, I can give my personal reasons for participating.
My husband and I do not vacation in Puerto Vallarta, we winter here. It is our home away from home in January, February and March. One month at least is spent at Vidanta. We drive from Canada and it is not desirable to be travelling back and forth from other locations. I really love the area, the staff here are wonderful, and I really like many aspects of the resort. In more recent years my enjoyment has been diminished. We do make the best of it but if there is something I can do to bring about changes that will improve my stay I would like to give it a try. It may not work, but at least I made an effort. While it is privately owned, we did make a sizable investment and it is very different in many of these aspects than what we purchased. And yes, in the meantime I will enjoy the sun and the Mexican culture.

If any of you change your mind and want to connect to at least see the brief and what we are doing feel free to let me know. If anyone goes on the list and then requests to be removed I will delete them from the contact list.

If not thanks for your input and wishing you a fabulous vacation next time you visit.

I will check in to posts at least once a week.
 

mikenk

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I think one of the changes that tipped people over the edge this year was curtailing the shuttle to the Grand Mayan. It is a very long walk from the Santuario, especially for the elderly and infirm. I had a 90 year old guest for the past two weeks and had no idea she was going to have to walk that far as I arrived earlier and used the handicapped shuttle with a ramp which does go to Grand Mayan.

I Actually didn't realize this. On the surface, this sounds like one of those stupid decisions that someone made without thinking. Instead of focusing on getting a coalition organized to attack a broad spectrum, why not just focus on this one issue here.

We know that Member services monitors this forum (aka Karen Rose). I think I can safely say that all of us think stopping shuttle service to the main location makes no sense.

So, maybe someone from Vidanta would kindly enlighten us.

Mike
 

travs2

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I applaud those spearheading this "Coalition" formed to strengthen our case in addressing and putting forward to "Management" many owners common concerns. eg. transportation throughout the resort, not honouring golf or spa packages as members contract outline and many other concerns important to others. What may seem like "nitpicking" to one member may be a huge problem for others. We need to support one another so that ALL may enjoy their investment at the resort. Clearly there is strength in numbers and hopefully by doing so "Management" may take these concerns seriously. After all, individual comments and concerns written and verbalized have been largely ignored.
 

1950panda

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I Actually didn't realize this. On the surface, this sounds like one of those stupid decisions that someone made without thinking. Instead of focusing on getting a coalition organized to attack a broad spectrum, why not just focus on this one issue here.

We know that Member services monitors this forum (aka Karen Rose). I think I can safely say that all of us think stopping shuttle service to the main location makes no sense.

So, maybe someone from Vidanta would kindly enlighten us.

Mike

Because the concerns for members are broader than just this one issue. we have talked to management and they advise that while they were not in favour it was a decision made by the owner. We have been given to understand that the owner may be more amenable to hearing from members so we are going to give it a try.
 

heathpack

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I'm confused.

We were at GL NV in November and could get a shuttle over to the Grand Mayan? Since November, they've cancelled shuttle service from Grand Luxxe to Grand Mayan?
 

PassionForTravel

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We were just at Grand Mayan (on an exchange) and while we enjoyed it and had most of our meals at the on site restaurants (as we planned to do). The one thing which will probably keep me from going back is that they restrict access to the outside world. I do not like feeling like I'm in a prison. The only way to the Marina is on the beach. We came back on the street and didn't realize there was no way in or out that way. We ended up walking in the employee entrance without realizing it. Got a lot of weird looks but people opened the gates for us. But the whole incident just left a bad taste in my mouth and I will most likely pick someplace else in the future when visiting that area.

Ian
 

mikenk

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We were just at Grand Mayan (on an exchange) and while we enjoyed it and had most of our meals at the on site restaurants (as we planned to do). The one thing which will probably keep me from going back is that they restrict access to the outside world. I do not like feeling like I'm in a prison. The only way to the Marina is on the beach. We came back on the street and didn't realize there was no way in or out that way. We ended up walking in the employee entrance without realizing it. Got a lot of weird looks but people opened the gates for us. But the whole incident just left a bad taste in my mouth and I will most likely pick someplace else in the future when visiting that area.

Ian

While I really don't like the idea of no shuttles to the GM, we never felt like in a prison as we didn't find it that difficult or expensive to take a taxi to wherever - did it for about half the evenings - including the marina.

Mike
 

rpennisi

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From the posts, you can see that it is difficult to know what you are getting access-wise at this resort from visit to visit.
My experience over the years:
Carts would take you to the Sea Garden.
No carts, but you could walk to Sea Garden.
A fence is put up blocking getting to Sea Garden.
A guarded gate allows walking access to Sea Garden.
A permanent wall blocks any access directly to Sea Garden.
And now, the entrance is closed and is moved miles away from getting to Sea Garden, except by auto.

Of course when I write the restriction is to Sea Garden, the real motive as I see it is to any of the restaurants beyond not owned by Vidanta.

The reasons given were guest security, but the beach walk to Sea Garden is still open and not guarded so what does that tell you?
 

1950panda

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Shuttle to Grand Mayan stopped

I'm confused.

We were at GL NV in November and could get a shuttle over to the Grand Mayan? Since November, they've cancelled shuttle service from Grand Luxxe to Grand Mayan?

The shuttle no longer goes to the Grand Mayan. Whether you are coming from the parking lot or wherever, it stops at Santuario and you have to walk the rest of the way. For the elderly or anyone with a physical problem this is a hardship.
 

gilrob

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Vidanta interest group

Some of us bought at a Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta resort before seeing all of the valuable messages on TUG. For me it was over 10 years ago and we are trying to make the best of our investment. The staff are amazing and it is a beautiful resort but members are unhappy that much of the expansion has spoiled our enjoyment of the resort.
We are unhappy that access to the local community has been blocked off, shuttles no longer go to Grand Mayan, and access in and out of the property is difficult. People feel trapped on the resort.
Feedback and surveys have not been successful in the changes we want. A group of members on site recently decided to start a coalition to address these issues as a collective with the hopes that it may give it more weight.
If you are interested in more information about the Vidanta Members Coalition please email me.
This includes Seagarden, Mayan Palace, Grand Mayan, Bliss, Luxxe etc.

Please add me to your mailing list. We own in the Residences, stay at the Grande Luxxe--and love it and really dislike some aspects that you have mentioned---my e-mail is srobinson67@sympatico.ca
 

MN2Travel

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Grand Mayan

We hadn't been back for 4 years. What a surprise when we found out we were in prison instead of a resort. My husband had double knee replacement and I have a bad back. The walking was too much. We enjoy eating off the resort at the Marina and other places. We used to walk a couple of blocks. Now if you take a taxi there, it is $6 to get there and $6 to get back. The reason is the new entrance. It is also difficult to catch the bus to go downtown. I feel a luxury resort is one that makes it easy on their guests. We used to get dropped off and picked up at the front door of our resort. Now we have to walk over a half mile to get there. They claim it is for security. How secure is it if you could take a wire cutter and cut through a 4-5 foot wire fence? An 80+ year old woman was nearly in tears after having a fight with a security guard that would not let her go out the gate to walk down to the marina to meet up with friends. Really Vidanta? Making old people fight with your employees to leave?
 
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