echoal
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I was just looking at the booklet "Happiness Guide" that you get on check-in with the map and all the restaurents, activites schedule etc.
The Burger Custom Made it says Grand Luxxe Guests Only.
I find it odd that they would close off a restaurant to paying customers. Is Burger Custom Made a small restaurant? Does it not have the capacity to handle guests from the rest of the resort?I was just looking at the booklet "Happiness Guide" that you get on check-in with the map and all the restaurents, activites schedule etc.
The Burger Custom Made it says Grand Luxxe Guests Only.
And usually our first stop after checkin.It’s fairly small, only open 11-5, and right by the GL pool.
Their beach club is not great. IMHO not having access to Custom burger is a loss. They have things other than burgers and it was nice using the pool and eating there. We just canceled an exchange because we wouldn’t be able to use the pool.We canceled our Grand Luxxe Riviera Maya Jungle Suite exchange trip after reading this thread. Now we are using points plus cash to stay at Ritz Carlton in a 1 bedroom ocean front suite for 3 nights and at the Intercontinental ocean front Club level (top floor with balcony) room for 4 nights. Total cost with breakfast and evening snacks and drinks is approx $1200 including taxes vs $1075 at Grand Luxxe plus taxes without any food or ocean front views. Plus Intercontinental, while an older hotel, is on the best beach in Cancun/Riviera Maya because it is protected from waves and currents due to the way the island is curved. Everywhere else in Cancun/Riviera Maya is rocky or has rough waters even the Ritz Carlton. Otherwise, we would have stayed at the Ritz Carlton for the week. They gave us an excellent deal to stay in the 1 bedroom Ocean Front Suite for the week but we declined because we want to go back to the Intercontinental's most beautiful beach. It is almost as great as Bora Bora and Tahaa in French Polynesia but only in that little section in front of the Intercontinental. If Grand Luxxe were not limiting exchanger benefits, we would have stayed there because we were so looking forward to using their Beach Club. We could care less about the Burger place. We do not eat burgers.
Their beach club is not great. IMHO not having access to Custom burger is a loss. They have things other than burgers and it was nice using the pool and eating there. We just canceled an exchange because we wouldn’t be able to use the pool.
What companies are doing exchanges that can be so easily cancelled?
They all can be pretty easily cancelled. The question is how much money you’re comfortable forfeiting.[/QUOTE
Anyway to cancel exchange without losing money?
Some people though II may have added EPlus and can retrade three times for free. With a cancellation, at least in II, you end up with a cancellation replacement and just need to pay a new exchange fee to go elsewhere. So you are out at most $199.What companies are doing exchanges that can be so easily cancelled?
They all can be pretty easily cancelled. The question is how much money you’re comfortable forfeiting.
I used ePlus and I did not forfeit anything.They all can be pretty easily cancelled. The question is how much money you’re comfortable forfeiting.
it was only the spa that was off limits unless you had a treatment booked
That is correct you need to sign up at Brio or Spatium. It is just to control the number of people in the common area at one paticular time.We were able to use the spa facility without having any treatment. In the Spatium, there is a common area with whirlpool, sauna, steam room, and another area for GL guests with spa appointments. The common area is free for GL guests but reservation is required. This is our experience in September 2017. I don't know if they change the rules now.
So I got my answer. As of April 2nd, guests coming into Vidanta properties on an II certificate are going to be charged $30 per person per day, increasing from $11 per person per day. That is $60 per day per couple, $420 for the week. Good thing it's just the two of us. It's my fault for booking this not knowing the fees, and expecting that if there were any fees they would be reasonable. Lesson learned. If I knew my cost was going to be almost $800 for the week instead of $350 I would have just paid more to book WLR or even book Aruba which also had some nice resort selections for the accommodations certificate.
I'll make sure I highlight this on my II post trip survey and will write a letter to II when we return. Fees at $30 per person per day need to be highlighted more prominently in some way in the main search, similar to the way II prominently warns about the additional all inclusive fees charged by some resorts with the blue plus sign in the circle.
That is correct you need to sign up at Brio or Spatium. It is just to control the number of people in the common area at one paticular time.
Thanks. Does it mean GB guests have 2 color bands, for owners and non-owners?
It is all Grand Luxxe exchangers. Only Grand Luxxe owners or those staying in the owners reserved units get access to the pool.Question: Is it just Grand Luxxe Jungle exchangers that have been denied access to the Grand Luxxe pool, or all Grand Luxxe exchangers? If it's just Jungle, that makes more sense, as it is (kind of) a lower level than full Grand Luxxe.
It’s all GL exchangers, or was when I was there in the spring.
We are new GL owners and have a reservation for our GL unit for next June. Also I will be going there in February using an II trade. Being an owner but staying in February as a trade will I be allowed to use the GL pool and beach area?