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cabo huricane resort damage report? [merged]

I called customer service for Casa Dorada Medano beach this morning who said as of right now they plan to take guests starting September 29, and they said they only had minor damage. However these are the reps in Florida talking, not sure what the situation is like on the ground in reality.

I tried emailing some staff from Grand Solmar and Cabo Villas and the emails bounce back.
 
Hurricane Odile impact on Hacienda Del Mar Resort

Am a timeshare owner at HDM for many years and have vacation booked for 11/19-12/2/14. Given what has happened with Odile how bad is HDM banged up and should I continue to pursue this vacation??
Any timely advice is appreciated. I've been on the web but haven't found anything specific to HDM.

Adrian
 
From the Facebook page for Hacienda del Mar:

Updated Statement for Hurricane Odile - 15 September 2014
September 15, 2014 at 5:52pm
Due to Hurricane Odile, which came ashore at Los Cabos in Baja California on Sunday and Monday, September 14-15, The Westin Los Cabos Resort & Spa, and the Sheraton Hacienda del Mar Golf Resort & Spa have sustained damage, and are unable to accept any new guests at this time. It is too soon to determine when the hotels will be fully operational, but it is not expected until at least October 31.

Although the hotels are unable to welcome you during your planned stay, please know our team would be more than happy to help you make alternate arrangements at one of our other Mexico resorts that were not impacted by the storm.

Starwood has resorts in Puerto Vallarta (Westin and Sheraton), Punta Mita (St. Regis) and Cancun (Westin) and we would gladly assist you in changing your reservation from Los Cabos to any of these three resort destinations.

Starwood will also support any guests that would like to cancel their existing reservations by waiving all change or cancellation penalties for arrivals in the months of September and October.

In order to receive a full refund or change your dates of stay, please email your confirmation number to customercare@starwoodhotels.com (please include Hurricane Odile in the subject line) or call 1-800-328-6242 if you are calling from the U.S. or Canada. You can expect a refund to be processed within 7-10 days of the receipt of your cancellation email. We hope you understand the circumstances and will consider staying at our hotels in the future. If you would like to consider rebooking your reservation to any of our other resorts in Mexico, please call 1-800-328-6242. If you are calling from outside the U.S. and Canada, you may also visit our Starwood Preferred Guest website at http://www.starwoodhotels.com/preferredguest/support/contact/customer_care.html for additional telephone numbers.

If you are holding a reservation for arrival after October, and would like to keep your reservation, then no action is necessary at this time, although it is too soon to be certain when the hotels will reopen. We will communicate the reopening date as soon as the information is available.

We look forward to welcoming you to The Westin Los Cabos and Sheraton Hacienda del Mar in the near future, and appreciate your understanding of the changes due to the recent hurricane.
 
We were also told that Pueblo Bonita Los Cabo didn't have hardly any damage to their resort other than a lot of clean up, so after a week, wife and I talked about it and we feel that most likely the resort it self will most likely be fine by the time we were suppose to go but what about the rest of the city?? So we decided to cancel and book Pueblo Bonita Emerald in Mazatlan.
 
Now that we are 4 days post-hurricane, and many new people have discovered the value of the TUG community, I would hope that some will decide that it's worth the $15 per year to join, and support the effort of TUG members to spread the word to buy resale, and maximize usage, while minimizing cost. When a disaster, such as what struck Cabo occurs, TUG is among the first places one can turn to get first-person reports of how to get out. Among the benefits of TUG membership are reviews of thousands of resorts worldwide. Saving yourself from a bad exchange resort and into a great one makes the cost negligible.

Jim
 
klpca said:
I think that you need to be on facebook to see these (I'm not sure though). They are quite comprehensive.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.477673645704631.1073741854.267978500007481&type=1
Click to expand...
There are lots of amazing photos in this group, and many are from Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach. It appears that the photographer must have been staying there and took photos all along his way from the resort to the airport as well as his flight out of Cabo.

Thanks for posting the link!
 
Good News for Cabo

Tropical storm Polo looks like it will pass 150 miles from Cabo and only have 35 miles/hr winds which is so much better than the predictions of a full hit of two days ago.
 
ocdb8r said:
I fully appreciate the apprehension. It's a daunting situation and many of the resorts are currently much more comfortable than the airport. I had this very conversation with my friend as we realized it would be after 4pm before we left the Grand Solmar. She was very concerned about us getting stuck at the airport overnight. However, this is what I told her: First in, First out. The people at that airport first are going to be the first to get out. If we had waited we'd be behind anyone who showed up in the next 12-14 hours (at best) before we could have returned. Do the math in the article posted by PStreet. They've been operating evac flights since Tuesday afternoon. They estimate through Wednesday they had evacuated approximately 5000 tourists...while they estimated there were as many as 30,000 stranded. That's at least 6 full days of evacuation necessary, not taking into consideration the approaching tropical storm. Not that I want her to "work" the system, but anyone in a wheelchair or with children under 10 is getting straight through the front of the line.

There is currently food and there may currently be clean water, but the power is going to go out at some point...at some point the water filters will stop working (if they haven't failed due to the storm already, which is why we took the precaution to boil water). There are no new fresh supplies to be gotten. Dehydration to me is the next biggest risk given the heat and humidity and the unavoidable reality that you're going to have to wait in some sort of line at the airport at some point. PB is not the only group making clear everyone must be out by Friday. They know another storm is coming and they are already running by a thread. They know they can't really support people past Friday given the current situation.

I think I am fortunate to have traveled extensively and to have lived in developing countries. It has stripped me of the sort of complacency I gained growing up in the suburbs of CA with little more to worry about than the occasional earthquake. Even in the US we have struggled with profound natural disasters (Katrina) and in a place with fewer resources and a slightly less robust infrastructure, there are bound to be serious problems. At some point you have to accept that someone else will not always be able to take care of you (even if they REALLY want to) and you have to take a measured response into your own hands. I think my friend thought me a bit odd to have started boiling water and to have told her we need to go buy protein and carbohydrate dense items to keep on hand...after all, the resort promised us we'd all be out by Friday and they seemed to be serving plenty of food. However, I don't think we regret it one bit, even now haven gotten out fairly quickly (Ok...off my soapbox).

I pray everyone finds a safe way out or just pure safety until they can.
Click to expand...

Excellent insights and advise! I lived in Galveston, TX during hurricane Carla and remember that the hurricane itself was bad, but the aftermath was much worse. We had no potable water, no electricity which meant that perishable food rotted quickly, sewers backed up, dead fish were washed up and started to rot,....and the list goes on and on. I am by no means a "prepper" but to this day, I try to prepare for emergencies, especially when traveling. Last year, we were delayed getting home (Dallas/Fort Worth) for 4 days due to a bad ice storm. Just taking an extra week's worth of medication with us seemed like a small thing at the time.

Thanks so much for sharing your experiences.
 
kunzi said:
This is the best site that I have found on when the Cabo Hotels and Resorts will re-open. It has been very difficult to get status on Fiesta Americana since they have posted nothing on their site. They are included here.

http://www.cabosanlucastours.net/Hurricane_Odile/index.htm
Click to expand...

Thanks! This was very helpful. My trip isn't until January but, like many of us, we are very concerned and interested in reading about the clean up progress.

Deb
 
ocdb8r said:
I fully appreciate the apprehension. It's a daunting situation and many of the resorts are currently much more comfortable than the airport. I had this very conversation with my friend as we realized it would be after 4pm before we left the Grand Solmar. She was very concerned about us getting stuck at the airport overnight. However, this is what I told her: First in, First out. The people at that airport first are going to be the first to get out. If we had waited we'd be behind anyone who showed up in the next 12-14 hours (at best) before we could have returned. Do the math in the article posted by PStreet. They've been operating evac flights since Tuesday afternoon. They estimate through Wednesday they had evacuated approximately 5000 tourists...while they estimated there were as many as 30,000 stranded. That's at least 6 full days of evacuation necessary, not taking into consideration the approaching tropical storm. Not that I want her to "work" the system, but anyone in a wheelchair or with children under 10 is getting straight through the front of the line.

There is currently food and there may currently be clean water, but the power is going to go out at some point...at some point the water filters will stop working (if they haven't failed due to the storm already, which is why we took the precaution to boil water). There are no new fresh supplies to be gotten. Dehydration to me is the next biggest risk given the heat and humidity and the unavoidable reality that you're going to have to wait in some sort of line at the airport at some point. PB is not the only group making clear everyone must be out by Friday. They know another storm is coming and they are already running by a thread. They know they can't really support people past Friday given the current situation.

I think I am fortunate to have traveled extensively and to have lived in developing countries. It has stripped me of the sort of complacency I gained growing up in the suburbs of CA with little more to worry about than the occasional earthquake. Even in the US we have struggled with profound natural disasters (Katrina) and in a place with fewer resources and a slightly less robust infrastructure, there are bound to be serious problems. At some point you have to accept that someone else will not always be able to take care of you (even if they REALLY want to) and you have to take a measured response into your own hands. I think my friend thought me a bit odd to have started boiling water and to have told her we need to go buy protein and carbohydrate dense items to keep on hand...after all, the resort promised us we'd all be out by Friday and they seemed to be serving plenty of food. However, I don't think we regret it one bit, even now haven gotten out fairly quickly (Ok...off my soapbox).

I pray everyone finds a safe way out or just pure safety until they can.
Click to expand...


I want to personally thank you for you excellent advice. My friends listened and told the authorities that they were 81 and 80 respectively (albeit a little exaggerated) and left at 5 Am from Pueblo Bonito Sunset. They were on the first plane out, AA, and they were flown directly to Dallas/Ft Worth. I was able to get them out on the last plane from DFW to EWR. They got home safely at 12:30 on Saturday morning.

icydog said:
OMG, I AM GOING TO FORWARD YOUR POST TO HER. I know she doesn't believe me and fully believes that the resort will take care of her. All the resort cares about is getting her off their property at this point. The wheelchair is brilliant.. I wonder can she get one in the airport? I kinda doubt that! I'm going to cut and paste this right now. She's avoiding me cause she doesn't believe I know what I'm talking about which is SO frustrating. Thanks a million!

Marylyn
Click to expand...

She actually thanked me for telling her what to do! She said she wasn't thinking straight and was making mistakes. Thank goodness they're home safely. But I was right, they combined their two suitcases into one weighing 75 pounds. I can't imagine how they got it down five flights of stairs without help. I decided it was silly to tell her how I felt about them bringing all that stuff
home----since it was already over.
 
Go to Grand Solmar in December or not?

We are scheduled to stay at Grand Solmar (my timeshare) for 2 weeks starting Dec. 6th. I have seen photos from the property showing one of the pools empty and collapsed on the side closer to Playa Grande. I have yet to hear from Solmar. Meanwhile I was going to stay at the Hilton Los Cabos for 2 days prior to going to Solmar and I received a cancellation email for the Hilton. I'm looking for opinions about the feasibility of going there in early December or should I cancel and go somewhere else?

Any help would be appreciated.
 
Unless you are a pioneering spirit, and enjoy seeing the place being rebuilt, and reminiscing about 'how it used to be', I'd get a reservation somewhere else. PV or Mazatlan if you want Mexico's left coast. Hawaii if you can get it at this late date, or Caribbean.

I wouldn't drag my feet much. Tens of thousands of Cabo owners are trying to make alternate plans too.

Cabo will be much improved next year.

But if you want to go in Dec, it will give local people much needed employment.

Jim
 
Cabo Rescheduling ?

Just received an alert from Alaska Airlines that our flight to Cabo on November 2nd has been cancelled due to the damage at the airport. We had our 2 weeks at PBSB reserved for Nov 2nd and Nov 9th. So although we thought we would be OK with November dates that does not seem to be the case. It appears we will not be able to use our reservations.
I know timeshare weeks are to be be during the prescribed time (calendar year in this case). I have sent emails to PBSB to ask about their rescheduling policy for situations like this. They have said on their Facebook page that they will accomidate those who has to cancel Cabo reservations in their Mazatlan locations if there is availability. We are not interested in going to Mazatlan. I will post any information I get. Any one ever encountered anything like this?
 
jefrazier said:
Hacienda Encantada just posted on their Facebook site that they are closed until 15 October. Time to reschedule or trade.
Click to expand...

Although some of the resorts would be ready to open, I just received and alert from Alaska Airlines and confirmed by phone, that the Mexican government will not allow flights into Cabo for a while. Our flight was scheduled for November 2nd and has been cancelled. See above post,
 
Passepartout said:
Now that we are 4 days post-hurricane, and many new people have discovered the value of the TUG community, I would hope that some will decide that it's worth the $15 per year to join, and support the effort of TUG members to spread the word to buy resale, and maximize usage, while minimizing cost. When a disaster, such as what struck Cabo occurs, TUG is among the first places one can turn to get first-person reports of how to get out. Among the benefits of TUG membership are reviews of thousands of resorts worldwide. Saving yourself from a bad exchange resort and into a great one makes the cost negligible.

Jim
Click to expand...

If I get a little time, I was planning on sharing my 8/30 to 9/06/14 trip to Cabo- specifically Cabo Villa's with pic's and local info.
 
jefrazier said:
We were able to shift our Oct dates to last week of Jan 2015. Got hit with an increase in airfare but no change fees.
Click to expand...

Alaska Airlines is being great about making changes to all flight reservations to Cabo. They will allow you make changes several months out at no charge and will even refund non-refundable tickets if you can't use your existing tickets. The potential problem is PBSB not having any vacancies for the rest of the calendar year for the short period of time that the airport will be open from whenever it opens until Dec 31st, 2014. We are hoping they will allow 2014 weeks to be carried into 2015. We'll see when they have a chance to evaluate and get back me with my inquiry.
 
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