RCI Mexico Resorts

[IDKAnymore]

I did a bit of research and couldn't find anything new-ish on this topic. I have RCI through HGVC and would like to know if any community members have RCI recommendations for Mexico. We have three young children and would like something that's not all-inclusive as those fees are staggering. I swear I was looking at Vidanta resorts a few weeks ago and they didn't have fees...but now the fees to stay there a week can go up to $6500 USD, so that doesn't make any sense.

Does anyone have any good recommendations?

Thanks!

 

[WorldT]

Vidanta had reset their high resort fees since last year.
The good thing about RCI (as opposed to II), assuming the access you have through HGVC works like the regular RCI, is that you can filter any search to remove resorts that are all-inclusive mandatory. From there you can select which part of Mexico, when you want to travel, room size, room capacity, etc.

 

[easyrider]

I did a bit of research and couldn't find anything new-ish on this topic. I have RCI through HGVC and would like to know if any community members have RCI recommendations for Mexico. We have three young children and would like something that's not all-inclusive as those fees are staggering. I swear I was looking at Vidanta resorts a few weeks ago and they didn't have fees...but now the fees to stay there a week can go up to $6500 USD, so that doesn't make any sense.

Does anyone have any good recommendations?

Thanks!

You haven't said what region of Mexico you would go to but generally, you can use the filter to choose resorts without mandatory all inclusive with RCI. There aren't too many in non-all inclusive resorts in Mexico.

Is there an area of Mexico you are checking out ?

Bill

 

[IDKAnymore]

You haven't said what region of Mexico you would go to but generally, you can use the filter to choose resorts without mandatory all inclusive with RCI. There aren't too many in non-all inclusive resorts in Mexico.

Is there an area of Mexico you are checking out ?

Bill

We're pretty open. We've done Cabo and Cancun, but open to whatever is a nice resort in a nice area.

 

[IDKAnymore]

So I checked out Vidanta today and all resorts have crazy fees except for Mayan Palace at Vidanta Puerto Vallarta, which is showing no resort fees. Is it possible RCI isn't calculating a fee properly? There's a few statements on the listing about other fees, contact resort directly, etc...but all the other resorts have the crazy fees.

 

[WaikikiFirst]

I have RCI through HGVC

We do also. We have looked there for Mexico many times. We don't have young kids but also will not book an AI resort. I don't think you will find much there unless you get very lucky. We never did. I think you will have better luck looking in the TUG marketplace. I have seen Villa del Palmar & Pueblo Bonito Rose in there at good prices. 2 bdrm may be rare, but I think the odds are at least as good as RCI via HGVC.
Nope. I'm not shilling for something listed in the marketplace. I'm not even a member. I doubt I can post a rental there. I have seen some interesting ones. It ends up depending on dates matching.
If you have FAR too many HGVC pts, then I guess you can try to force it via RCI, but if not, I'd say save yourself time and look elsewhere, like TUG marketplace. Your HGVC pts are better used at HGVC

 

[easyrider]

So I checked out Vidanta today and all resorts have crazy fees except for Mayan Palace at Vidanta Puerto Vallarta, which is showing no resort fees. Is it possible RCI isn't calculating a fee properly? There's a few statements on the listing about other fees, contact resort directly, etc...but all the other resorts have the crazy fees.

The fee's for Vidanta are really high. In RCI there is the Bunganvillas which is a pretty good location with great resort grounds but not at all the same level of resort as Vidanta that has all inclusive as optional. There are others, you just have to check the filter.

Bill

 

[WaikikiFirst]

just hit me; you own Borgo Alle Vigne? That is hard to book, aka valuable. make a Home Wk res. I guess next summer is gone for Home Wk, but see what there is or maybe wait 1 yr. Then, become a TUG member. Then, try to do a Direct Exchange for Borgo to Mexico. I'll bet even a 1 bdrm Borgo wk in the summer would pull a lot of weight with people who own 2 bdrms in Mexico.

 

[T-Dot-Traveller]

So I checked out Vidanta today and all resorts have crazy fees except for Mayan Palace at Vidanta Puerto Vallarta, which is showing no resort fees. Is it possible RCI isn't calculating a fee properly? There's a few statements on the listing about other fees, contact resort directly, etc...but all the other resorts have the crazy fees.

You are correct for RCI 1294 Mayan Palace Puerto Vallarta - no resort fee / 1 in 4 rule . These showed up about 3-4 weeks ago.
This is the location in the PV Marina [ not the Nuevo Vallarta Location ] It has about 200 units and is good location for exploring PV or just walking over to the marina restaurants
[The same resort also uses RCI 6634 with resort fees / but no 1/4 rule.]

The 2 bedrooms are lockoffs - so a 1 bedroom with a kitchenette / living room + a hotel room with 2 double beds. [ 2 bd MP = approx 1100 sq feet]
The living room area has 2 sofas that can be used as Mexican Style single beds [when you remove the back cushions.]
The kitchenette has a 2 burner stove and a large bar fridge . It is well equipped with a microwave - coffeemaker - blender -toaster and lots of dishes etc.
There is a large sink [but no dishwasher]

 

[IDKAnymore]

You are correct for RCI 1294 Mayan Palace Puerto Vallarta - no resort fee / 1 in 4 rule . These showed up about 3-4 weeks ago.
This is the location in the PV Marina [ not the Nuevo Vallarta Location ] It has about 200 units and is good location for exploring PV or just walking over to the marina restaurants
[The same resort also uses RCI 6634 with resort fees / but no 1/4 rule.]

The 2 bedrooms are lockoffs - so a 1 bedroom with a kitchenette / living room + a hotel room with 2 double beds. [ 2 bd MP = approx 1100 sq feet]
The living room area has 2 sofas that can be used as Mexican Style single beds [when you remove the back cushions.]
The kitchenette has a 2 burner stove and a large bar fridge . It is well equipped with a microwave - coffeemaker - blender -toaster and lots of dishes etc.
There is a large sink [but no dishwasher]

This is great info, thanks! Do you know why a resort would be in twice, one with fees and one with no fees? Seems the availability for the no fee resort is much worse.

Also, now I'm intrigued and did a bit more searching. It appears these low/no-fee resorts don't show up with a blanket Vidanta search. However, if I search Vidanta Resorts - Riviera Maya, I get The Grand Mayan at Vidanta Riviera Maya, resorts 6973 and 6974, and 6973 is only a $17.75 fee, whereas 6974 is nearly $4k.

 

[T-Dot-Traveller]

This is great info, thanks! Do you know why a resort would be in twice, one with fees and one with no fees? Seems the availability for the no fee resort is much worse.

Vidanta has had 2 RCI acct numbers some resorts for a long time.
At one time[ it was speculated that] one was for developer deposits & one for owner deposits.

Prior to 2006 - RCI was Grupo Mayan’s main exchange & owners had mandatory MF.
Their brands were Sea Garden - Mayan Palace - Grand Mayan [ GM added 2003]

 

[JMinBarcelona]

I agree with Bill. The Bunganvillas in PVR is a reasonable option in a great location. It's attached to the Sheraton, but has it's own buildings which are going through renovation. The bigger units out on the point are nice but dated. The old units in the main building are dated for sure but the renovation is progressing as far as I know. They used to have some good availability on RCI but I suppose as they get renovated that may get limited. The Mayan Palace in PVR by the Marina is a great location but very dated as well. We own Vidanta for years and have stayed there in the past but would not anymore. They desperately need a renovation. We stay at the Vidanta in NV and it's awesome. Not all inclusive but I would say expensive ala carte. But with a bigger unit you can shop at the grocery and make a lot of your own meals. Hope this helps. We do rent our units on the TUG marketplace for Vidanta now after Redweek limited the way they operate, so maybe check that out.

 

[Eric B]

I own at Buganvilias in PV - it's a good option in a good location. Note that there is a 1 in 4 rule for RCI reservations there.

 

[iftravel]

This is great info, thanks! Do you know why a resort would be in twice, one with fees and one with no fees? Seems the availability for the no fee resort is much worse.

Also, now I'm intrigued and did a bit more searching. It appears these low/no-fee resorts don't show up with a blanket Vidanta search. However, if I search Vidanta Resorts - Riviera Maya, I get The Grand Mayan at Vidanta Riviera Maya, resorts 6973 and 6974, and 6973 is only a $17.75 fee, whereas 6974 is nearly $4k.

There is no current Exchange availability forThe Grand Mayan at Vidanta Riviera Maya(Resort ID 6973).

 

[2beRelaxed]

I did a bit of research and couldn't find anything new-ish on this topic. I have RCI through HGVC and would like to know if any community members have RCI recommendations for Mexico. We have three young children and would like something that's not all-inclusive as those fees are staggering. I swear I was looking at Vidanta resorts a few weeks ago and they didn't have fees...but now the fees to stay there a week can go up to $6500 USD, so that doesn't make any sense.

Does anyone have any good recommendations?

Thanks!

The Royal Resorts family of timeshare properties began in the early 1980's in Cancun. They offered a unique investment option; purchase of a specific unit for a specific week for a term of 30-50 years. Many families purchased multiple weeks and the resorts currently experience 3rd generation family members. The Royal Cancun and Royal Sands are still wonderful beachfront resorts for families and are located in Cancun. The Royal Haciendas is a beach-front resort with 200+/- units nestled in a private, gated, golf-course community within a mile of 5th Avenue and Playa del Carmen. The resort has wonderful amenities, restaurants, and staff. Villas have a private patio with Jacuzzi tub, 2 bedrooms, full kitchen and living/dining area, and all units have an ocean view. The 3 Royal Resort properties were acquired by Holiday Inn Vacations Club around 2 years ago. In the acquisition, members have been allowed to keep their existing fixed weeks or join HICV. RR/HICV non-members who book a reservation through RCI or II are required to purchase the resort's All-Inclusive food package. However, if you rent directly from an owner, the current rules are that you are NOT required to purchase the AI package. With free shuttles from the resort to Playa and hundreds of great restaurants in town to choose from, that's a nice option for guests. Also, the kitchen is well-equipped for cooking and there are numerous grocery store options close to the resort as well as one smaller store within the resort. When you view any of these 3 resorts on TUG, the classified ads are usually coming from owners who are offering their unit/reservation for a price that does NOT require a purchase of the AI package. I think this is one of the best ways to explore the Yucatan east coast on a budget. Check it out! And please recognize that rules can change plus my dates can be slightly off. My point is to share an option for visiting Mexico without having the AI factor. Please also note that the beach is in the process of a major restoration that is not reflected in the photo attached.

 

[BRD]

I did a bit of research and couldn't find anything new-ish on this topic. I have RCI through HGVC and would like to know if any community members have RCI recommendations for Mexico. We have three young children and would like something that's not all-inclusive as those fees are staggering. I swear I was looking at Vidanta resorts a few weeks ago and they didn't have fees...but now the fees to stay there a week can go up to $6500 USD, so that doesn't make any sense.

Does anyone have any good recommendations?

Thanks!

I own ar Raintree vacation club. None are AI. Are you interested in doing a direct exchange with me?

 

[jp10558]

I own ar Raintree vacation club. None are AI. Are you interested in doing a direct exchange with me?

I feel like this would be a good thing to get into TUG2 in the direct exchange section. I haven't really figured out how to use that myself, but I do keep thinking about it and it'd be a major benefit for avoiding the insane AI fees and resort fees I think. Of course, IDK if anyone would have something someone would prefer to trade for out of Mexico vs straight rent them. I imagine the rental fees might be pretty good.

 

[IDKAnymore]

There is no current Exchange availability forThe Grand Mayan at Vidanta Riviera Maya(Resort ID 6973).

There was availability when I checked last week. It's crazy how often it changes. I was looking at the Playa Grande Resort in Cabo, had tons of availability through March next year a day or two ago, now only showing availability starting April 2026.

 

[Lowsky]

I did a bit of research and couldn't find anything new-ish on this topic. I have RCI through HGVC and would like to know if any community members have RCI recommendations for Mexico. We have three young children and would like something that's not all-inclusive as those fees are staggering. I swear I was looking at Vidanta resorts a few weeks ago and they didn't have fees...but now the fees to stay there a week can go up to $6500 USD, so that doesn't make any sense.

Does anyone have any good recommendations?

Thanks!

We have a timeshare in the Villa del Palmar in Puerto Vallarta. It is on points and floating. What time are you looking for and how many bedrooms.
Villa del Palmar is AI optional

I did a bit of research and couldn't find anything new-ish on this topic. I have RCI through HGVC and would like to know if any community members have RCI recommendations for Mexico. We have three young children and would like something that's not all-inclusive as those fees are staggering. I swear I was looking at Vidanta resorts a few weeks ago and they didn't have fees...but now the fees to stay there a week can go up to $6500 USD, so that doesn't make any sense.

Does anyone have any good recommendations?

Thanks!

 

[easyrider]

I own at Buganvilias in PV - it's a good option in a good location. Note that there is a 1 in 4 rule for RCI reservations there.

So far, knock on wood, SFX has always come through without the 1 in 4 rule.

Bill

 

[observer]

Raintree has a great location being so close to the Marina.... but i believe they also have an additional fee just not as ridiculous as Vidanta.
I personally think RCI should NOT allow the resorts to add fees to stay on top of all the other costs... my gosh, you buy a timeshare ..so you begin with a layout of initial funds for purchase... add annual maintenance fee plus a periodic extra assessment fee...continue to add on RCI membership cost and more fees to exchange... that is not an insignificant amount of money when added up. But if that isn't enough, now the resorts are charging a fee on top of everything else. and as mentioned earlier, some of the resort add-on fees are quite high. i am appalled at the money grab by these resorts and surprised RCI has not done anything to protect their members from the extorsion.

 

[jp10558]

Raintree has a great location being so close to the Marina.... but i believe they also have an additional fee just not as ridiculous as Vidanta.
I personally think RCI should NOT allow the resorts to add fees to stay on top of all the other costs... my gosh, you buy a timeshare ..so you begin with a layout of initial funds for purchase... add annual maintenance fee plus a periodic extra assessment fee...continue to add on RCI membership cost and more fees to exchange... that is not an insignificant amount of money when added up. But if that isn't enough, now the resorts are charging a fee on top of everything else. and as mentioned earlier, some of the resort add-on fees are quite high. i am appalled at the money grab by these resorts and surprised RCI has not done anything to protect their members from the extorsion.

I think RCI / II feel like they're a duopoly and don't have to compete at all for customers, and we all take what we can get. To some extent that was true, but now that there is really a rise of the mini-systems if I was RCI I'd be concerned. They're pushing back a little in some places with more obvious resort fee listings, but I agree with you - RCI should either massively drop their exchange fee or put their foot down that this is an even exchange, no extra fees allowed or they can't trade in RCI.

 

[WaikikiFirst]

RCI / II feel like they're a duopoly and don't have to compete at all for customers, and we all take what we can get.

OK, I need to know, RCI gets new members when people buy new TSs, right?
How many new members/yr does RCI get when people buy new TSs?
How many new members/yr does RCI get when people otherwise decide to "join RCI" & pay the fee?
How many new members/yr does RCI get when it gives a free membership to other people? Free for 2 or 3 yrs at least.

How many new members/yr does RCI LOSE?
How many new members/yr does RCI LOSE, when people die?
How many new members/yr does RCI LOSE, when people who bought a new TS never re-up, never ever pay a yrly fee?
How many new members/yr does RCI LOSE, when people who were long-term members quit?

You say "RCI should ...". W/o knowing these #s, you don't know what they should do. Of course, they know they have to compete. They're membership is declining at about 3%yr, iirc. Concerned? They're playing the same game CATV does. They jack up the price and make as much money as they can off the people who have shown themselves to be "sticky". CATV does this b/c they know they are in a secular decline.
Is RCI in a secular decline? Hmmm? Whether they think they are or not is Issue #1 for what strategy they should use to maximize profit.

 

[Eric B]

I'm not a big fan of resort fees, but there are quite a few Mexican resorts that make large amounts of bulk deposits of developer-owned inventory into the exchange systems. They don't get much in return for that other than a flow of fresh meat for the sales mills; the resort fees seem justified to some extent to cover some of the cost of operations on the hotel side of the business. Some of them seem out of whack for what actual costs seem reasonable (e.g., Vidanta) - they're likely set that way because the usage fees there are quite high and if they didn't have the resort fees there would be a disincentive to sales. In general, I try to avoid exchanging through RCI or II to those sorts of places but when I do I go in with both eyes open, having done the math to figure out what the true costs to me for the week are as compared to using other routes like SFX.

 

[jp10558]

OK, I need to know, RCI gets new members when people buy new TSs, right?
How many new members/yr does RCI get when people buy new TSs?
How many new members/yr does RCI get when people otherwise decide to "join RCI" & pay the fee?
How many new members/yr does RCI get when it gives a free membership to other people? Free for 2 or 3 yrs at least.

How many new members/yr does RCI LOSE?
How many new members/yr does RCI LOSE, when people die?
How many new members/yr does RCI LOSE, when people who bought a new TS never re-up, never ever pay a yrly fee?
How many new members/yr does RCI LOSE, when people who were long-term members quit?

You say "RCI should ...". W/o knowing these #s, you don't know what they should do. Of course, they know they have to compete. They're membership is declining at about 3%yr, iirc. Concerned? They're playing the same game CATV does. They jack up the price and make as much money as they can off the people who have shown themselves to be "sticky". CATV does this b/c they know they are in a secular decline.
Is RCI in a secular decline? Hmmm? Whether they think they are or not is Issue #1 for what strategy they should use to maximize profit.

Don't you think companies ought to try to get out of secular declines? I know many Cable Companies became ISPs also, in fact my fiber ISP started as a cable company. They also introduced bundles for phone service and some also offer cell services. It seems like running your company expecting it to eventually fail and to just raise prices to try and get the most possible money out of customers till you fail might both increase the speed of failure (each price increase gives people reasons to leave) and leave you more vulnerable to any disruptor. A la cab companies and Uber. Or Netflix - many people came to hate the cable companies but felt trapped, as soon as there was another option they switched immediately.

I generally think the more you can get your customers to like you and the service, the better off you are as a company.