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First Timers to Grand Luxxe Nuevo Vallarta

T-Dot-Traveller

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I'm getting a bit confused. So how much do all the Vidanta "fees" add up to in USD for a 1 week stay in a 1 bedroom suite.

As per the post by cd5 / Chantal :

resort fee $ 378 per week / one bedroom Nuevo Vallarta resort - all brand levels . (RCI & II)
<Some exchange companies are less . SFX remains $ 75 per week .>

Resort fee varies by Vidanta location .
Mazatlan has none / NV has the highest $ amount

Resort fees at Vidanta have been updated a number of times since instituted in 2016.
Vidanta honours the resort fee structure in place at the time you booked the exchange .
 

Eric B

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Same prices with Interval at the moment... Grand Luxxe is generally only available through II.

GL NV is in RCI as well at the suite level; resort id is RB71. The Villas & Spas in NV as well as the studio and penthouse lofts are available in RCI Platinum as are the GL Spas in RM. Sometimes the NV residence and loft units show up there as well.
 

dmurray007

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I was wondering more specifically about waiter service of drinks and food to the loungers pool side.
Usually good, have been to RM 3 times and NV 2 at GM, MP and GL level. as a Vidnta owner & echange through II
 

macmanrider

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Your fixed week is at Costa Sur Resort & Spa - correct ?

I do not think fixed weeks were ever sold by Vadanta / Grupo Mayan / Vidafel
Yes it is it will be over in 2030 and at that point we will renew for another 30 years if a family member wants the deed.
 

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Vidanta actually provides transportation from the airport; you should be able to find instructions on your confirmation to sign up. You’ll have to pay for the taxi back when you leave (~180 pesos).

Vidanta has an app for the resort that is worth downloading. It includes a map that uses your phone’s gps, too
Note the names of service people that treat you right so you can acknowledge them in your check out survey and/or on trip advisor; it makes a big difference to them. Also, you have to ask for envelopes to tip the maids in Vallarta; they automatically provide them in Riviera Maya. Treat them right; there are a number of very lowly paid single mothers working there.

Enjoy your stay! We always do.:thumbup:

Hi, Great info. First time at GL. Just wondering the norm for tipping housekeeping etc., also do you have to use the envelopes?
Thanks
 

pittle

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Hi, Great info. First time at GL. Just wondering the norm for tipping housekeeping etc., also do you have to use the envelopes?
Thanks

You do not have to use the envelopes. We leave Pesos on the unmade bed each day so that the person doing the work gets the tip. 50-100 Pesos per day per bedroom seems to be the average. We do our own dishes and hang our towels up each day. They do not have to do much in our space. When we have family, we tend to tip more and also tell them to also.There is a big difference in a unit with just 2 people who clean up after themselves and use just 1 towel each per day than 2 people who use 4-6 towels per day and leave them on the floor. (Some of our friends or family members are in the is category.)
 

Flasher42

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Eric we would love that! We have a 3BR booked and the last 2 times that put us in Punta, so I'm expecting the same this time. I've got 2 kids and 1 still naps and we schedule everything to try to get down in time for popsicles and crafts with the Joy Squad. LOL!
Just enquiring what your room was like? We have a 3bdroom booked Punta would be awesome?
 

zentraveler

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[QUOTE="amanven, post: 2234011, member: 31355"
As for the presentation, ...I know better than to take it but the financial compensation is tempting ...... How would a Vidanta presentation compare to that if you make it clear from the get go that no way now how are you buying another timeshare or right to use week.


We have only been to the Vidanta NV property/Grand Luxxe NV twice before and have successfully resisted getting roped into "the pitch". They are never happy, but we just have kept politely saying no in one form or another, and in decently short order they have showed us to our room. And although not great rooms in the pecking order, we have been happy with them (so far we have had one hotel room and one 2 BDRM - all II trades).

This trip will be our first in high season (March 1-8) and we were only able to get a studio/hotel room - quite a come down after our two bedroom in November 2018 through II. SO.... we are thinking we might brave the presentation (although we, like others, really can't manage or use any more time share weeks. [I.e. we are not remotely interested in buying now but genuinely would be interested in knowing more about their properties and system. Who knows for the future? But definitely now now.]

Any suggestions about what we should expect/ask for in exchange for spending 1/2 day (optimistically from what it seems....:()? Likewise, any tips for helping them understand that they will make better friends of us if they get it that we are interested in information about Vidanta, but are NOT going to buy something on this trip?? Any and all tips appreciated!
 
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Eric B

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10% off room charges is fairly standard. As an exchange in high season you’ll be unlikely to have access to GL pool or Beach Club if it’s Riviera Maya, but can bargain for it in exchange for attending presentation; no issues there in Nuevo Vallarta. Either one you should also get the Vida Privileges discount card. You could also ask for taxi fare back to airport.
 

zentraveler

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10% off room charges is fairly standard. As an exchange in high season you’ll be unlikely to have access to GL pool or Beach Club if it’s Riviera Maya, but can bargain for it in exchange for attending presentation; no issues there in Nuevo Vallarta. Either one you should also get the Vida Privileges discount card. You could also ask for taxi fare back to airport.

Thanks Eric B. Any idea if we would be likely to negotiate for a 1 BDRM upgrade if we agree to the presentation? On previous trips I was so sure I was unwilling to do the presentation that I don't even remember what they offered us. I do remember something about free classes (yoga etc) the last time.

And have just read through several other threads about the room designations at GL and the oft-changed policies by Vidanta. What a nightmare! We love the GL NV, which is the only one we have been to so far, but owning Vidanta seems not for the faint of heart, the overly trusting, or the disorganized unless I am mis-reading some of the posts!
 

Eric B

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Well, you can always ask. They might do it, but it’s less likely in the high season.
 

hellolani

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Just enquiring what your room was like? We have a 3bdroom booked Punta would be awesome?
Sorry I missed this question! It's lovely. I've attached the floor plan.
 

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zentraveler

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Can anyone familiar with the rooms at the GL NV answer a question about the studio units? Do they have a coffee maker and if so is it the kind using a coffee pod or some other kind? Similarly is there a mini-frig and/or microwave?

We stayed in a corner 2 BDRM in November and the studio was larger than the ones in the middle of the building and had a separate cabinet with wet bar, frig, microwave, coffee maker, place settings etc. We would love one of those we can't count on getting one. We will request it but we will be there high season in March so probably not likely. Our last visit in a studio was a middle of the floor one (thanks to EricB in a previous post describing the various room configurations and vastly contributing to my knowledge about this) but it was long enough ago that I don't remember exactly what was in the room.
 

Eric B

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A corner 2 BR would actually be what they call a Grand Luxxe Villa Master Suite; the studio side of that is called a Junior Villa and includes a microwave and a coffee maker. What you get as a studio makes a difference because they have a number of different room configurations that could be that. The Grand Luxxe Master Room is the studio side of a Grand Luxxe Master Suite and has a coffee maker (filter type) IIRC. That's your most likely one if you are going through RCI. There is also the Grand Luxxe Loft, which is a studio-type unit in tower 5 that has a two burner stove, microwave and a small fridge. In any case, all is not lost for coffee as they have coffee service on every floor from 7:00 through 10:00 or 10:30, though you'd be stuck with those little coffee creamer tubs rather than real milk/half-and-half. (Depending on what floor you're on, the coffee actually shows up somewhere between 6:00 and 6:45 for those of us that get up early.)
 

Eric B

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Also, when are you down there? We're in Buganvilias for week 9 (3/2-9).
 

zentraveler

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A corner 2 BR would actually be what they call a Grand Luxxe Villa Master Suite; the studio side of that is called a Junior Villa and includes a microwave and a coffee maker. What you get as a studio makes a difference because they have a number of different room configurations that could be that. The Grand Luxxe Master Room is the studio side of a Grand Luxxe Master Suite and has a coffee maker (filter type) IIRC. That's your most likely one if you are going through RCI. There is also the Grand Luxxe Loft, which is a studio-type unit in tower 5 that has a two burner stove, microwave and a small fridge. In any case, all is not lost for coffee as they have coffee service on every floor from 7:00 through 10:00 or 10:30, though you'd be stuck with those little coffee creamer tubs rather than real milk/half-and-half. (Depending on what floor you're on, the coffee actually shows up somewhere between 6:00 and 6:45 for those of us that get up early.)

Thank you so much Eric B. Good to have a review of the 3 types of studio possibilities. We are going through II and we always turn down the presentation, so we are likely to be at the bottom of the pile. I do remember about the lobby coffee and it is certainly good in a pinch although not great coffee (although we are very happy to have it when we need it) and we usually bring our own. And I travel everywhere with my own "mini-moos" half-and-half. Started doing it years ago as I detest coffee creamer. I buy them in a box of 192 "units" through Amazon for something like $10 and they last for months. Very handy.

We will be at the GL NV March 1-8. Too bad you won't be there! (I just had surgery so I am sure we won't get out of the property this trip.)
 

zentraveler

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Can anyone familiar with the rooms at the GL NV answer a question about the studio units? Do they have a coffee maker and if so is it the kind using a coffee pod or some other kind? Similarly is there a mini-frig and/or microwave?

We are in a studio (regular studio not one of the corner ones) and there is a pod style coffee maker, a very small but usable frig and a couple of wine glasses. No microwave.
 

GW2

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Our first time to Grand Luxxe NV. Wife & I will be checking in Saturday 3/9/19. We do not plan to attend a timeshare sales presentation. We learned long ago how to say “no”.

Question: Does our decision to not attend a sales presentation have any effect on the unit we will receive? That is to say, will we be able to check in before any contact with sales people? Or, will we be first directed to sales…and receive a less desirable unit as a result of declining the sales presentation?

Background: This is a trade through II. Our confirmation states that our unit is 2 BR MSUITE ($11 per day/per person resort fee).
 

Eric B

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That really depends. Rooms are not assigned to exchangers completely beyond the control of the sales department until after you check in. Rooms are also generally not ready until 5:00. You might get a room assigned before the sales folks get to you if you check in after 5:00, but then you run the risk of them using up the better situated ones on sales prospects.

The good news, however, is that all the rooms are actually quite nice. On an exchange in March to a 2BR, you're unlikely to get in one of the towers closer to the beach or in a unit with a spectacular view; @zentraveler did quite well, but was in a studio and a high status owner probably has a 1 BR suite for the week, leaving the well situated studio available. That was part of the sales attendance incentive, of course. I don't think you could get as good a location for a 2 BR even if you did attend (of course, getting the good room by saying you'll go, then canceling would cost you the $20 deposit, so should be avoided...).

Enjoy your week there!
 

Flasher42

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In NV Are the 3bedroom units on the lower floors? We traded for one in Oct 2019.
No we will not be attending the presentation.
Not sure if we will need a three bedroom as some family may bailout. Has anyone ever bartered for a smaller unit on a higher floor? Any suggestions?
Thank you
 

Eric B

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Not on the first floor - the only 3 BR units are spa units, which are in tower 4 on floors 4-9 and loft units, which are in towers 3&4 on floor 3 and tower 5B on the 9th floor.
I would keep the 3 BR. If it’s a spa you could wind up on the 9th floor in October. The lofts are fabulous even when lower. And the resort fee is the same as a 2 BR.
 

GW2

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"Rooms are not assigned to exchangers completely beyond the control of the sales department until after you check in"
Not sure I understand your post. Do I have to confront the sales people before I check in? ..or can I do that after check-in?
 

bizaro86

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Not sure I understand your post. Do I have to confront the sales people before I check in? ..or can I do that after check-in?

It's sort of at the same time. You check in and they are right there, and you generally have to talk to them prior to getting the room number.

That comment about the $20 deposit is interesting... not something I ever would have thought of. My reflex to timeshare presentations is a hard no always, but I would have paid $20 to save the 20 minutes it took the Grand Mayan RM check in shark to take no for an answer.
 

T-Dot-Traveller

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Not sure I understand your post. Do I have to confront the sales people before I check in? ..or can I do that after check-in?

Those aren’t TS sales people - they are the people whose role is to convince you to go to a
presentation . They work for the sales side . They have the room assignment power .

The front desk folks work for the hotel side .

My suggestions are :
1) if your staying at Grand Luxxe - read Eric B’s post on what unit sizes are in what buildings .
use this information to your advantage . YOU can control this process.

2) Be polite - this is their job . Confrontation generally gains you nothing .
Some use honey / some use the “bad room” stick . Don’t let either work - if you have no interest in going to a (great) breakfast , a tour ,and 90+ minutes in the sales room under high pressure .

3) They may say - “ when would you like to do YOUR presentation - Tues or Weds ?”
as if it is a day at the spa .
Always say something like - I will think about it - and what is my room number. - and then do the chit chat politely for a bit & get your wrist band - room key (this will likely get you a next day phone call follow up - so then politely say no thank you - not this vacation ; maybe next time. )

4) Always accept the room given - without comment .
There are no bad rooms* . If for some reason you do not like the room location , once you are in it - you can always go back & negotiate for a better location . If you choose this path - then get more for your time - than “a better view” & 10% off room charges.

******
IMO - If you wish to learn how a really efficient , high pressure TS sales operation works , including exit package gauntlet hand offs - then sign up and go to a presentation .
LOL.

You will then realize that the room assignment process is a gatekeeper process that can be kept generally pleasant .

* - the only truly “bad room “ TUG Vidanta story I have read - is Pittle’s - next to the air conditioning compressor when the resort location was less than 50% full .

Enjoy your vacation
 
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