Lazy River coming to Vidanta Riveria Maya (2017)

[jssquared]

Here are the plans for the new area.

 

[holdaer]

Wow! Those plans look impressive! Hope it comes to fruition.

 

[Eric B]

Famous last words but, "this time is different." When we were in RM this Thanksgiving they were almost done with the new Grand Luxxe Jungle lobby. Literally moving in some furniture. It is probably open by now. With all of the jungle units going in far from the beach and removed from pretty much everything else, they kind of need a central pool, lobby and activity area. This is probably that space. Hopefully, will be done soon. The plans at least looked fantastic.

Jungle Luxxe Lobby is finished now and open. Looks quite nice and conveniently located for the lazy river/waterpark.

 

[mikenk]

Eric,

We have not been to RM for years - considering going next year. DW hard to convince as she likes NV. Couple of questions.

Can a GL villa resident use the Lazy River - or is it exclusive to 'Jungle Folks'? DW likes lazy river; being restricted would not go over well.

Any other considerations for us NV GL people to entice us to go to RM - or not?

Mike

 

[pittle]

Eric,

We have not been to RM for years - considering going next year. DW hard to convince as she likes NV. Couple of questions.

Can a GL villa resident use the Lazy River - or is it exclusive to 'Jungle Folks'? DW likes lazy river; being restricted would not go over well.

Any other considerations for us NV GL people to entice us to go to RM - or not?

Mike

I would think that GL Villa Owners can use any of the pools in RM. GLV is a significant upgrade of the GL Jungle units. The higher levels can always go down, but you cannot go up to the amenities of the higher levels from a lower one.

Tell Betty to try it once - just because. Then you will have it out of your system and go back to NV. The golf is not as good at RM as it is in NV per my golfing friends.

 

[Sandy VDH]

Do you have an overall map of RM now? I am trying to figure out where this Jungle part fits into the whole RM layout.

 

[mikenk]

I would think that GL Villa Owners can use any of the pools in RM. GLV is a significant upgrade of the GL Jungle units. The higher levels can always go down, but you cannot go up to the amenities of the higher levels from a lower one.

Tell Betty to try it once - just because. Then you will have it out of your system and go back to NV. The golf is not as good at RM as it is in NV per my golfing friends.

Hi Pittle,

While I realize in the past, the higher levels could always go down in amenities, I have not been as active recently in following all the changes. It seems I keep seeing more building specific amenities showing up in discussions. That's why I asked. I don't want to be the person to tell Betty she can not use the Lazy River - or anything else.

You're right; the golf does not compare between the two - but the Par 3 RM course is still quite fun.

Mike

 

[richontug]

We were at RM a few weeks ago. We had exchanged into GL. We had to do the "update" to get access to GL pool.

Someone at the pool said the Lazy River could not be completed because of significant archaeological remains being found in certain area. The water slides park will be completed.

Rich

 

[Eric B]

Eric,

We have not been to RM for years - considering going next year. DW hard to convince as she likes NV. Couple of questions.

Can a GL villa resident use the Lazy River - or is it exclusive to 'Jungle Folks'? DW likes lazy river; being restricted would not go over well.

Any other considerations for us NV GL people to entice us to go to RM - or not?

Mike

Mike,

What we were told by sales is that the Lazy River, now being called the Water Park, will be free access for Grand Luxxe, but not for anyone else in the resort. It being Riviera Maya, it's not entirely clear whether that will include folks exchanging into GL rather than using their own ownership weeks to go there as is the case periodically for the GL Pool and the Beach Club. If you're using your own week in a Villa, you should be able to access it if it is open then. Last word I heard from sales was they are targeting June of this year for opening; there is a lot of construction going on there and it is much closer to being ready than it was when we were there last year, so I'm confident they are still planning on opening it, though as usual the date is in question. One of the concierges in the Jungle Luxxe buildings said it wouldn't be opening for another year, but we were just asking as many people as we could to see if anyone had any actual information available; I don't put too much stock into either the sales or the random individual responses as to what the actual date will be, but work is progressing.

Jssquared posted a plat of what will be in the Water Park earlier in this string. Looks like it will include a wave pool and there were a lot of water slide parts visible in the construction area last week as well as some of those large buckets you see in other water parks. In my opinion, it's going to a bit of a bigger deal than just a Lazy River; the sales folks were also saying that they would be allowing outside visits for fees to a limited extent as well as free access for GL, but it's not really apparent from the plat whether it will really be set up for that. Prior site plans had included a more major water park installation inland from the Cirque Theater, so it's not really clear to me whether this is replacing those plans since their using the same terms to discuss it or whether there will be two water parks. We'll have to see what ends up happening, but I'm pretty confident that they will finish the one by the Jungle Luxxe units. As an aside, they now have a wood pathway between the Jungle Luxxe units and the water park with extensions that go into the park; looks to be a very short walk for folks that stay there and might be worth considering as an option for stays in RM in the future if that's what interests someone going there.

As for other considerations, the new Salum area has a nice selection of smaller restaurants, including the RM version of La Cantina. We didn't eat at that one, but did like the Waves and Tacos, which wasn't terribly expensive for the size of the tacos as compared to ones out in town. There is also a tamale stand and an ice cream stand in the Mexican Mercado portion of Salum that are good and not terribly expensive. I won't say there inexpensive, but somewhere between what you would pay in a more traditional Vidanta restaurant and what it would cost out in town. They also have a decent selection of Mexican craft beers on tap at a bar in Salum that are worth trying if you're into that (I am). I haven't seen that many craft beers on tap in NV, so I count that as a plus for RM. The house draft beer at the Beach Club last week was a Mundo Maya Clara or Obscura; I'm fairly certain that the brewery was ripping off @pittle for the term "Mayan World" but can't prove anything. The Mundo Maya Obscura really isn't all that dark and seems more like an American Pale Ale or an IPA; think it was 110 pesos for a 14 oz draft; 2 during happy hour. They do have some decent theme nights at Salum; we enjoyed the Retro Night (60s-80s music) and the Mexican Kermes Night. The only other enticement I can think of is the Cirque Joya show; seems like it'll be a while before they get one in NV. We like the fact that it's a nonstop flight for us down there instead of having to connect through Houston to get to PV/NV, but to be frank, for me the treatment differential between owning and exchanging is much higher in RM than NV as is the differential between platinum and non-platinum. I think we've figured out getting off the resort much better in NV and I'm more comfortable just walking off there, but both are manageable.

Eric

 

[Eric B]

Do you have an overall map of RM now? I am trying to figure out where this Jungle part fits into the whole RM layout.

Sandy, you can find the map at the Vidanta.com website at https://www.vidanta.com/documents/65216/76629/Riviera-Maya.pdf. The Jungle Luxxe units are the two strings north of the Bliss; the last Bliss building on the east of the string of three is now the Jungle Luxxe Lobby. You can get a more current map and better info by downloading the Vidanta Resorts app; that will also include the Salum area, which is west of the Beach Club. I'm assuming you're asking about the Jungle Luxxe; there is also the GM Jungle part, which is labeled with the number 6.

 

[Eric B]

Hi Pittle,

While I realize in the past, the higher levels could always go down in amenities, I have not been as active recently in following all the changes. It seems I keep seeing more building specific amenities showing up in discussions. That's why I asked. I don't want to be the person to tell Betty she can not use the Lazy River - or anything else.

You're right; the golf does not compare between the two - but the Par 3 RM course is still quite fun.

Mike

The only building specific stuff I know about would be the pools on the top of NV tower 5 and the residence building. I know you have to be in those buildings to use those pools, though they also let platinum folks in. I don't know of any building-specific ones in RM unless you count the coffee service, though I did see a coati that wasn't staying in GL building 4 in RM going for the cookies they had set out with the coffee one morning. I don't think he was supposed to be doing that, but there wasn't anyone from security or anything to tell him he couldn't; in fact, I don't think he had any wristband on at all....

 

[petenjen]

I can attest to the quality of La Cantina restaurant at RM. It was excellent. However, ordering a second round of the mezcal tasting was probably a mistake...

 

[MoPops]

I forgot about the Salum area. It was under construction when we were there last year. Sounds great. We will try some craft beers for sure. We did eat a breakfast over at the nice restaurant near there. It was the same breakfast buffet they have everywhere, but was more expensive there. I think it was Quinto. Nice restaurant, just surprised they charged additional for the same breakfast. We didn’t try it for dinner. Three years ago the prices were more reasonable (in my opinion) then when we went back last year, it seemed like they had increased meal prices to more what we would pay in the US. Might just have been my imagination. Definitely looking forward to this water area. We have reservations for 1-15-2020 for two weeks. Will have grandkids with us for some of that. The water park would be great. Hopefully another 11months is enough time to get it done.

 

[jssquared]

I will put in a plug for the churro bar in Salum in RM. If you are into it - the Nutella stuffed (or caramel stuffed) churros are fantastic. My daughter will literally not get a churro anywhere else not that she had one in RM this past November. I think Salum is a fantastic addition to the RM resort.

 

[rpennisi]

The Salem area is a great addition to the resort, so many additional restaurants to pick from. They packed a lot in a small area.
The Vidanta phone app is also a excellent addition, esp the gps function with the new winding paths and “jungle” vegetation.

 

[MoPops]

We are here.. Managed to get 3rd floor in building #2. Downloaded the app. Much improved from last year. One thing I noticed that’s changed from last year. The trams are much bigger. So, I doubt everyone is waiting like we had to last year. We were in the furthest back GL jungle loft building and we walked most of the time, as waiting for tram was forever. Unfortunately the trams are now powered by little tugs. They aren’t electric anymore which means a bit louder. Still a great place.

 

[MoPops]

Ok, here’s an interesting tidbit. Maybe new to this group. I went into member services this morning. I received a lot of very good information about my contract. I also ran into 2 couples trying to rescind the agreements they had signed the day before. I managed to tell one about this website, and thread about rescinding agreements in Mexico.
The news about the water park is this. At the last meeting the person I was speaking to in member services said it was announced that the water park which is supposed to be done by July or December, will be independent from the resort and open to the public. If you are in the resort and want to go, you leave and come back in through the public entrance. Everyone will have to pay to go. I asked is this including the lazy river right by Grand Luxxe Jungle units? I was told yes.
I’m going to try and change my reservation for next Jan from RM to NV. I was told it could also be changed any time.

Ate in Salum last night. Had the tacos. Great place. We sat at the bar (kitchen really) and watched the 3 cooks make 1,000 tacos. Really enjoyed it. And some great shrimp tacos. Going for sushi tonight. They had a festival going on with a band, singing and dancing in the Salum market.


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[pittle]

At the last meeting the person I was speaking to in member services said it was announced that the water park which is supposed to be done by July or December, will be independent from the resort and open to the public. If you are in the resort and want to go, you leave and come back in through the public entrance. Everyone will have to pay to go. I asked is this including the lazy river right by Grand Luxxe Jungle units? I was told yes.

Years ago in Acapulco, you had to pay to use the water park. Once the GM was built, GM people could use it for free but MP people had to pay. The first time we were upgraded to GM, we gave our wristbands to some people we met when we left so they could use them.

I do hate that they are charging owners for use - after-all, this was originally for MP units that were far from the beach. It has been under construction for a LONG time. I saw the beginning of it back in 2005 and in 2007, it looked nearly ready to open.

I prefer NV to RM. While both are huge, it is easier to escape NV and if you do not, there is a much nicer beach and lots of pools.

Thanks for the update. Glad that you were able to get answers to your questions from Customer Services.

 

[MoPops]

Another discussion with someone trying to convince me to go to the owners update meeting says the lazy river is not part of the water park. It “will” be available to everyone staying at RM and will be ready in July. I’m sorry if I’ve confused anyone. Everyone here has a different story! Ha


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[jssquared]

Perhaps there is some confusion as over time there has been talk of two different things: lazy river complex near the now Jungle Luxxe units and a Xel Ha - style water theme park across the highway behind the Cirque theater. From pictures I have seen, I would imagine it would be hard to let someone use the lazy river but not the water slides within the lazy river complex. I can easily imagine Vidanta charging a couple of bucks to ride the water slide (I have absolutely no information regarding this) kind of like paying per ride at an amusement park. I don't think this lazy river complex, while fantastic for Vidanta guests, would be too much of a draw for outside visitors (particularly with a steep entrance fee). Now, if and when they build the Xel Ha style park I can easily believe they would charge everyone for access (or maybe sell a Xel Ha park access package to Vidanta owners - like the entertainment package). Who knows. With the water park we will see soon.

 

[atlantabusch]

During my trip to RM last month we had an opportunity to see the water park first hand. The lazy river was huge and with all concrete work finished. There was a huge play/tree house type thing with the preverbal bucket to drench those underneath. I could see over 6 slides and people were working like crazy. I was told April for opening -which I find very optimistic, but another date in June seemed reasonable. Although there are was no official communication, we were told Grand Luxxe would get complimentary access while other levels would have to pay. The rep did make it clear that to use the water park you would have to be paying Grand Luxxe MF. So, if you were at the Grand Bliss as a Grand Luxxe owner that would not cut it.
Of course this is all subject to change. Our next trip to RM will be in November, so it should definitely be open by then.

One other thing, it looked like there would be cabanas and places you could rent/reserve. Hopefully this waterpark will take a bit of pressure off of the Beach Club which is has a huge waiting line every morning in the peak season.

 

[MoPops]

Interesting about the lazy river. I look forward to your update in November. We are supposed to be going back next Jan for 2 weeks, and will have grandkids with us for a week. We were thinking about changing over from the GL to a GB 2BR, but it would appear we wouldn’t be able to get in to the Lazy River if we did that..
Also, we just got back a couple of weeks ago. We used to go over to the beach club in years past, but didn’t go once on this last visit. We just stayed over at the GL pool. I heard the music was getting turned up, and the crowds were worse, so we just stayed away. If the lazy river takes pressure off of the beach club, maybe we could go back. Ha! I don’t know how I ever got this antisocial.

 

[atlantabusch]

I would recommend you staying with the GL. GB is on the other side of the property from the lazy river and GL pool.

 

[MoPops]

Thanks. I think we are switching to NV for next year. Reservations made today. Then we will try to switch to GB 2BR. I’ll see how that goes 5/1.
Jeff