Does anyone have something nice to say [about Mayan Palace] ???

[mikenk]

-Does anyone know the TRUE status of the Argentina Resort?
-Is it true that they've purchased and renovated a resort in Dominican republic?
-Are they ever going to build Bliss?

During my last trip a month back, here are my thoughts after discussions with a friend in member services.

Grupo Vidanta's building strategy and sales effectiveness are closely aligned. The Luxxe brand has been received quite well and that is where the bulk of the construction is. The Bliss brand has not been as well received as it is a renovation of the Mayan Palace and most entry level people seem to prefer the Grand Mayan units. My belief is there will not be a Bliss brand or buildings.

The building strategy at the owner level seems to be constantly under review based on sales income which drives construction and customer input. It appears from the discussion that a resort complex in the Dominican Republic is a go; Argentina I think is still up in the air as to timing and what they build if anything.

Mike

 

[Pat H]

As far as I know, the Bliss is not going to be built. I think there is a Grand Bliss building completed but I am not sure at which location.

 

[DeniseM]

I could certainly be wrong, but I was thinking that it was TUG member pittle that stayed there?

 

[mikenk]

As far as I know, the Bliss is not going to be built. I think there is a Grand Bliss building completed but I am not sure at which location.

The Grand Bliss is a renovation to the Grand Mayan units. There is one existing in Nuevo and one to be built in Riviera Maya. How many will be built and how fast I think will depend on the percent upgrading to the GB versus the GL.

Mike

 

[california-bighorn]

I am fluent in Spanish, my wife is Mexican and I lived in Mexico and Venezuela. I have never heard nor seen anybody that speaks Spanish ever say "problemo". The word does not exist in the Spanish language.

There are both Gringos/Latinos and Gringas/Latinas. The former refers to males and the latter to females.

I would love to know why you think "problemo" sounds better than "problema". This is not slang, it is just incorrect.

Sounds more 'normal' because that's what I'm used to hearing ( yes, even here in Northern California). I am well aware the word with an "o" on the end does not exist in Spanish, and the "a" and "o" refer to gender, I confirmed that in two Spanish dictionarys prior to replying. I was just trying to make light of the nature of your reply to Easyrider and Tropical lady. Apparently this doesn't go over very well with those who are wound a little tight. Vacationing and everything that goes with it, including timeshare discussion should be fun, relaxing and enjoyable as well as educational. "If we weren't all crazy we would all go insane" JB & the Coral reefers. Sorry this has gotten off subject of the MP's.
BTW, we have stayed at MP's 3 times and think they are great places, just need to stay away from the sales staff to keep your vacation enjoyable.

 

[pittle]

I could certainly be wrong, but I was thinking that it was TUG member pittle that stayed there?

Gosh, a lot has gone on since I have been out of town for a few days without a computer!

Denise, I was at the Mayan Palace Regency in Acapulco in January - this is only the 2nd MPR that is listed in the RCI book, but, I will say that the name "Regency" was not on either building (we have been to both) - they just say Mayan Palace. I am also not sure that there will ever be just "Bliss" buildings. I agree with mikenk that the Bliss just seems to be a MP with different furniture. The one model that I saw in Puerto Penasco did not impress me at all - white fabric on the sofas, no tubs in the bathrooms (not family friendly if you have small children), fewer drawers in the bedrooms to store your clothing, but the kitchen area had a larger over the cook-top microwave and the sink was on one side which created a larger prep area. I was not impressed with the Grand Bliss at all. The kitchen had an island, but there were two under counter refrigerators in the island - I would prefer a larger refrigerator than two large dorm-sized ones.

I did go to an update breakfast in January and they said that the Argentina location is almost ready to open, but it is NOT a Grand Mayan like we all thought it was going to be - it is a Mansions of the World Resort (HOTEL). That is the same for the Dominican Republic location. My personal opinion is that they will not build in Hawaii as they will have too many regulations.

I love the Mayan Palace and the Grand Mayan Resorts. We purchased our first unit from the developer and then started buying via eBay so that we could have more weeks for less $$. We have upgraded some of the eBay purchases to a couple of Grand Mayan units. We saved $$ going this route. We currently own 4 MP weeks and 2 GM weeks and all have the Vacation Fair weeks and the no pay unless you go feature, plus we have the Profile A designation for our GM weeks. We are happy with what we have and do not plan to upgrade any more. Our grown children will have the opportunity to assume our contracts when the 25 year renewal comes up, but if they do not want them, we are done. I have stated many times that when we are between 79-86, our traveling may slow down. We do not plan to renew any contracts in our names and definitely do not plan to extend our contracts by upgrading/re-writing any of our contracts.

PatH is correct that the Grand Bliss in Nuevo has opened. From what I understand, others are under construction but no specific opening date has been suggested for any of them.

 

[DeniseM]

Thanks, Phyllis - I stand corrected.

 

[sally13]

Well Denise..

you are so funny as well...

The lifestyle (in case you have been under Jims rock,with him)..Is wintering in mexico....... high season is december through april..Many want to live in a warmer climate for these months..

most grand luxxe buyers are MOST interested in THESE months..

You will NEVER be able to stay in a luxxe unit in these months with your unit trade..

You stand corrected AGAIN,as these months book out within minutes of (1st day of month)open booking..as well as most months all year long..

II is just recieving inventory as an EXPOSURE deal..to drum up buyers ...meaning trading is NOT an ongoing given..56 weeks are nothing but a lotto for a few onetime lucky souls..to think otherwise is just silly..

To purchase grand luxxe is the ultimate in timeshare ownership..

You can not even remotely compare starwood units ,in an even bedroom trade..and they will NEVER be treated as such..

All your (reasons) ..why you will be able to trade into Grand Luxxe,will not last,and have not stopped folks from going to Mexico,even in these hard times...also grupo Mayan properties are the industry poster child ,for keeping folks safe...both in thier 5 star eaterys as well as within thier gates..

also again...boy... did I need (Pigsdads)support on tug not being a spelling bee ,as he so stated...You know in past posts ,that you complained I was uneducated??...for missing a few words..

I do know how to use spellcheck..but will not because you demand..sorry ..just the way I am..

 

[John Cummings]

Is April an off week in Mexico?

No, April is not an off week. In fact the week before and after Easter are two of the busiest weeks as that is when all the Mexicans vacation. We stayed at the Grand Mayan - Nuevo Vallarta at that time and the resort was well over 100% occupancy. This is especially true in Puerto Vallarta, Nuevo Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Acapulco.

 

[John Cummings]

1) Travel to Mexico is very depressed

Actually, the 56 weeks were spread over 7 mos. - quite a nice range of date choices - April through Dec.

Actually that is not true. Tourism in Mexico is up substantially. Check this out:

http://travel-industry.uptake.com/b...ourism-and-violence-expected-to-rise-in-2011/

That date range is the slow time or off time in Mexico.

 

[John Cummings]

Actually I have found the food very good.

I agree with you and the prices are certainly NOT expensive for the type of resort.

 

[DeniseM]

Sally - You kind of lost me with your post above, but as far as trading into Grand Luxxe - only time will tell. I will be sure to let you know when I see all the deposits...

Hey Jim - your rock or mine? :rofl:

 

[John Cummings]

I suspect that the Grand Luxxe weeks that are available now are developer weeks. Being a new product, they want to get people there for potential sales.

 

[DeniseM]

I just did another search for Grand Luxxe with my one of my Starwood weeks and there are more than 60 deposits now - including Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve week.

 

[mikenk]

Sally - You kind of lost me with your post above, but as far as trading into Grand Luxxe - only time will tell. I will be sure to let you know when I see all the deposits...

:

I agree: time will tell. In reality, I believe Grupo Mayan largely controls that as it appears they are bulk releasing properties into II and SFX inventory. If so, I think this is a dangerous business strategy as it cheapens the brand name, and makes ownership less valuable.

In my case, I upgraded primarily to receive the extra goodies like free golf and massages but, as an owner, I certainly want first crack at the available inventory. To me, it doesn't appear that has happened in the past with Grand Mayan inventory; from all appearances, the Grand Luxxe policy seems to be pointed also in that direction. I hope it is only temporary, but time will tell.

Mike

 

[Passepartout]

Hey Jim - your rock or mine? :rofl:

It'd get kinda cozy under there with your DH and the LOML. Maybe we'd just have to exchange into a Luxxe one in Mexico. JR

 

[easyrider]

I agree with you and the prices are certainly NOT expensive for the type of resort.

Is the cost of this about $8500.00 per week ? 60K / 10 = 6k + $1500 mf per year. That would be about $1200 a night.

John and Sally feel that this is a good price and have paid this kind of money to stay at a resort ? I guess its a price seen at many resort websites.

I have not been to the Lux but I bet if I do it would be in the winter for around $1500.00 to $2000.00 for the same two bed unit for the entire week. This is because many people buy these on impulse and decide they don't want to go so they rent their week to people like me.

 

[dollydaydream]

Does anyone know anything about Worldventures ???

Hello Everyone,

Thank you all, Karen and Denise and many others have been great, I have had little sleep since joining this group but I now feel better equiped to deal with my situation. I am currently in Lake Chapala and have met some fellow Canadians, I spoke of my purchase etc. and they have told me about this amazing travel club which they belong to and it costs very little about $300 US a year !!!!!! you can use ALL timeshare company exchange weeks and a lot more..... it is called Worldventures, does anyone have any information or opinion about them please?
You do not have to buy, they do operate a multi level marketing program which I have no interest in, for me like Amway, I became a distributor just because I wanted the products and I still buy them but I never got anyone apart from my brother to join up.

I did sleep last night and am enjoying this last part of my holiday up in the Mexican mountains.

kind regards

Dolly

Hello again,

No one made a peep about this company, on the internet they maintain they are huge.
Does anyone have personal experience with them?

Thank you

Dolly

 

[DeniseM]

Dolly - Travel Clubs are not well-regarded around here. They have no underlying deeded ownership, so when they go bankrupt, the owners are left with nothing. Also - most of their inventory is the leftovers from the exchange companies.

I would never buy into one, and I hope that you will wait until you have gotten home, rescinded your Grand Luxxe contract, and done a lot of homework on TUG before you buy ANYTHING.

Did you notice the posts in this thread about inexpensive rentals and trades into the Grand Luxxe? Hang around and find out about that option.

BTW - what's going on with your rescission????????

 

[easyrider]

Hello again,

No one made a peep about this company, on the internet they maintain they are huge.
Does anyone have personal experience with them?

Thank you

Dolly

Its likely a scam.

http://www.scam.com/showthread.php?t=6750
http://www.ripoffreport.com/Search/world-ventures.aspx

http://www.ripoffreport.com/travel-...es-tra/world-adventures-travel-inte-a52j9.htm

 

[John Cummings]

Is the cost of this about $8500.00 per week ? 60K / 10 = 6k + $1500 mf per year. That would be about $1200 a night.

John and Sally feel that this is a good price and have paid this kind of money to stay at a resort ? I guess its a price seen at many resort websites.

I have not been to the Lux but I bet if I do it would be in the winter for around $1500.00 to $2000.00 for the same two bed unit for the entire week. This is because many people buy these on impulse and decide they don't want to go so they rent their week to people like me.

My post was about the price of meals at their restaurants.

Plus your math is terriblly flawed. It is not 10 weeks. It is 40 weeks over a 10 year period. Go back and read all the posts. That is $1500 /week for a 2700-3000 sq. ft. luxury unit with special amenities.

You certainly jump to a lot of conclusions without knowing anything about it.

 

[DeniseM]

Dolly - they have a C- rating with the BBB:

Complaints are regarding misrepresentation of the promised savings on travel, slow or non delivery of promised refunds and dissatisfaction with customer service. Specifically, customers complain that paying the company fee and following the company business model does not provide promised savings as stated by company representatives. The company resolves complaints by offering refunds or refering to the agreement for explanation. However, customers complain that the refund was delayed or not received. Additionally, customers indicate that they have difficulty contacting the company.

 

[dollydaydream]

Just curious.

Denise,

I will not rush into another purchase of this nature, I value your opinion and appreciate all the advice I've received from this group. It seems to me that everyone involved asides from a property you may own, ultimately you are at the total mercy of exchange companies or resort developer offers to secure reseravations unless you rent unwanted weeks from individuals.........am I wrong in deducing this ???? I have read horrid things about class action law suits re. RCI and I hear of weeks for sale for $1 a stay, the whole slambango seems unreliable and unregulated by anyone; even amongst the users here I see vast differences of what is or maybe correct. Is there a book like [timeshare for dummies] on this way of travelling so I can grasp gist ????

Dolly

 

[sally13]

gosh Denise..

The only one really declaring that you will ALWAYS be able to trade a basic unit ,for a Luxxe unit ..is YOU..

What if Dolly likes to travel to Mexico in the winter months??

Please give her a way ...........so that she can be SURE to travel to the grand Luxxe in the winter...can you do this..she is in Mexico now is she not??

No answers??? Whats your plan grand poobah???she is waiting..we are all waiting for your strategy...

Do not promise her something ..and then say..Oh well,I guess your resort booked up fast!!

You are sounding more and more like the very Mayan salesperson you warn about..!!:hysterical:

Tell her...she is waiting..



and also..I use rci frequently..I AM aware of thier new resort rating system..and ,grand Bliss....a step UNDER grand luxxe is rated almost the very highest VALUE offered...

 

[DeniseM]

Denise,

I will not rush into another purchase of this nature, I value your opinion and appreciate all the advice I've received from this group. It seems to me that everyone involved asides from a property you may own, ultimately you are at the total mercy of exchange companies or resort developer offers to secure reseravations unless you rent unwanted weeks from individuals.........am I wrong in deducing this ????

Yes - you can buy a deeded week on the resale market, for a resort you want to visit, during the season you want to visit, and make a reservation and go every year - you are at no one's mercy. You don't have to ever use an exchange company, if you don't want to, and if you buy resale, you don't deal with the resort developer AT ALL!

Let me give you an example: We own 2 ocean front weeks on Kauai - this timeshare is selling for $1 on ebay. I can reserve them 18 mos. out from check-in and every year, we go there for 2 weeks in the summer. I don't deal with any developer, or exchange company - I send a simple email in Feb. and I'm done. Couldn't be simpler.

I have read horrid things about class action law suits re. RCI

That has been over for some time with little or no effect.

and I hear of weeks for sale for $1 a stay

They aren't for sale for $1 a stay - the deed is for sale for $1. You still have to pay the regular yearly maintenance fee. But you are the buyer - it's a buyer's market - it's GREAT to be able to buy a nice timeshare for $1!

the whole slambango seems unreliable and unregulated by anyone; even amongst the users here I see vast differences of what is or maybe correct. Is there a book like [timeshare for dummies] on this way of travelling so I can grasp gist ????

You have found the best place for timeshare info. - TUG. But there are no quick and easy answers, because we all have different wants, needs, incomes, interests, etc. There is no "correct" answer - it takes some research to find out what is best for you.

Here are some questions for you to think about and answer here if you wish, to start to narrow down what kind of timesharing would be best for you:

New buyer questions:

1) Where do you want your home resort to be?
2) Do you want to visit your home resort at least half the time, or do you want to trade more than half the time?
3) What are your 5 top trade destinations?
4) How many people do you usually travel with?
5) Can you travel any time, or are you locked into the school schedule?
6) Can you make firm plans 12 or more mos. in advance?
7) Can you vacation for a full week at a time?
8) How much can you afford to spend upfront, without financing?
9) How much can you afford to spend every year for a maintenance fee that will come due right after Christmas, and increase each year?
10) Are you a detail oriented planner?
11) Do you understand that once you buy a timeshare, it may be very difficult to sell or give away, and you are responsible for all fees, until you do?