• The TUGBBS forums are completely free and open to the public and exist as the absolute best place for owners to get help and advice about their timeshares for more than 30 years!

    Join Tens of Thousands of other Owners just like you here to get any and all Timeshare questions answered 24 hours a day!
  • TUG started 31 years ago in October 1993 as a group of regular Timeshare owners just like you!

    Read about our 31st anniversary: Happy 31st Birthday TUG!
  • TUG has a YouTube Channel to produce weekly short informative videos on popular Timeshare topics!

    Free memberships for every 50 subscribers!

    Visit TUG on Youtube!
  • TUG has now saved timeshare owners more than $24,000,000 dollars just by finding us in time to rescind a new Timeshare purchase! A truly incredible milestone!

    Read more here: TUG saves owners more than $24 Million dollars
  • Sign up to get the TUG Newsletter for free!

    Tens of thousands of subscribing owners! A weekly recap of the best Timeshare resort reviews and the most popular topics discussed by owners!
  • Our official "end my sales presentation early" T-shirts are available again! Also come with the option for a free membership extension with purchase to offset the cost!

    All T-shirt options here!
  • A few of the most common links here on the forums for newbies and guests!

Grand Mayan Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta: travel advisory/ safety

T

trook

Guest
Joined
Feb 20, 2023
Messages
35
Reaction score
5
I am looking to book a two bedroom at the Grand Mayan Vidanta in Nuevo Vallarta with an Interval International bonus free week I have. In researching things more there is currently a US travel advisory “reconsider travel” due to violence and kidnapping in the Jalisco region. I would be traveling with my wife and 4 young children. I obviously don’t want to put them in any harms way, but also we have no intention of leaving the resort grounds other than one of us adults to get groceries from a nearby Walmart. From what I understand there is also resort arranged transportation from the airport PVR to the resort which is only 15 minutes away.

Can anyone who has been there recently speak to their overall feeling of security on property and any concerns you might have felt as an American tourist? I personally don’t have reservations, but my wife is very concerned.

Thank you for your opinions.
 
I can not speak to this specific town or resort for the travel advisory. I can say that if I followed these issued by the State Department I probably would never have traveled to Cabo. Which I have been doing for over 20 years.
 
Last edited:
trook said:
I am looking to book a two bedroom at the Grand Mayan Vidanta in Nuevo Vallarta with an Interval International bonus free week I have. In researching things more there is currently a US travel advisory “reconsider travel” due to violence and kidnapping in the Jalisco region. I would be traveling with my wife and 4 young children. I obviously don’t want to put them in any harms way, but also we have no intention of leaving the resort grounds other than one of us adults to get groceries from a nearby Walmart. From what I understand there is also resort arranged transportation from the airport PVR to the resort which is only 15 minutes away.

Can anyone who has been there recently speak to their overall feeling of security on property and any concerns you might have felt as an American tourist? I personally don’t have reservations, but my wife is very concerned.

Thank you for your opinions.
Click to expand...
We were just there. Vidanta picks you up at the airport and takes you safely to the resort. They can arrange cabs to take you shopping or anywhere else you want to go with vetted drivers. The resort itself is huge and very secure. One tip: when you are at the airport, the Vidanta rep will be outside when you exit the airport. Ignore the mob of sales reps inside the airport after you exit baggage claim, many of whom may have Vidanta signs. They're just trying to sign you up to some activity or experience unrelated to Vidanta. The Vidanta rep will be wearing a Vidanta shirt and will have a clipboard to check your name off his list and get you on the shuttle.
 
I have been going to Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo since 1991 and every year since 2008. We took our son, his wife and 9 month old grandson in 2000, and many times as my grandson grew up. He is about to turn 25 and loves going there. This past November, he joined us and brought 2 friends. The boys explored a lot, but did make a point to be home by 9:00 most nights and took an uber to their condo. They do that in Phoenix too, if they are going to a sports bar.

Your family will be very safe at the Vidanta resort. You did not say which of the Vidanta resorts you will be staying in, but if it is Grand Mayan, Grand Bliss, or Grand Luxxe, you can hang out at the kids pool area and there is also a wave pool and water slide that kids love. (I think that if you are at the Mayan Palace, you can use the kids area but not the lazy river.) There are some palapa beds that you might want to snag for a day in the pool area. Some times of the year, one of you will have to go down early and hang out in you chosen one until the others get there. They proide some shade and a great napping place for younger kids. Just take sunscreen and bug spray as it is the jungle afterall.

I just turned 77 and am taking a friend who is 63 with me in April. She has never been to Mexico. We will be staying at the Vidanta Mayan Palace in the Marina area of Puerto Vallarta. I just downloaded an app that has bus routes and uber app so that the 2 of us can explore the town. We will use the bus during the day - even to Bucerias or Punta Mita and uber if we go out somewhere and it gets dark.

The Mexican people in general are very gracious and welcoming. Tourism in the PV/NV area is their livelyhood. We always find it interesting to watch families there as a child can be having a tantrum and both parents are patient, kind and loving towards the child. You never hear them yell or swat a bottom. Once my husband commented on that and said "That tells you a lot about a person and the way they were raised."

Go and have fun. Maybe in a few years you will go back and then you can explore the area.

I plan to go every year as long as I can and would not do so if I did not feel safe.
 
trook said:
I am looking to book a two bedroom at the Grand Mayan Vidanta in Nuevo Vallarta with an Interval International bonus free week I have. In researching things more there is currently a US travel advisory “reconsider travel” due to violence and kidnapping in the Jalisco region. I would be traveling with my wife and 4 young children. I obviously don’t want to put them in any harms way, but also we have no intention of leaving the resort grounds other than one of us adults to get groceries from a nearby Walmart. From what I understand there is also resort arranged transportation from the airport PVR to the resort which is only 15 minutes away.

Can anyone who has been there recently speak to their overall feeling of security on property and any concerns you might have felt as an American tourist? I personally don’t have reservations, but my wife is very concerned.

Thank you for your opinions.
Click to expand...
We have been traveling to Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta and Riviera Maya since 2003 and have always felt 100% safe and secure when at the resort. The security at all of the Vidanta resorts is very good. They limit access in an out of the resorts, have security personnel on the beaches and in our experience look for people that don't belong. On one occasion, we had just checked out and were headed to the rest rooms before we left when we were stopped and questioned by one of the security staff because we had taken off our bracelets. When outside the resort, particularly in the cities, we typically do not venture out walking or driving on our own very often. We have frequently taken a cab to Walmart for groceries in NV with no issues. But if you are concerned about going to Walmart, you can also use a grocery shopping and delivery service.
 
The entire area of Banderas Bay is safe. We walk or drive, and have stayed all over the Banderas Bay area. The safety issues I see are related to high curbs, cobblestone roads / walk ways and contaminated food or beverages. Other things to consider are crocodiles, sea life and insects in the area, that can be dangerous but rarely encountered. Some activity vendors have a deserved bad reputation so use companies like Vallarta Adventures who has a track record of safety.

The number one thing I recommend is to only drink bottled beverages. Even if the resort water is treated, a persons physiology may have problems with acclimation. Number two recommendation is to bring a small first aid kit and sun block.

We usually rent a car and do to Costco, La Comer, Walmart and Mega for groceries and water.

Bill
 
Thank you all very much for sharing your experiences. I will plan to tell my wife, convince her to let me book it, and enjoy a relaxing family vacation.

@koelemay thank you for the airport tip!
 
We were just there during the Halloween 2023 week - on the property there was never a concern for our safety, going down to the Malecon, and Zona Romantica, day or night we never had issues. Honestly felt safer in Puerto Vallarta, than we did going to the likes of Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, or Los Angeles.

We were cautioned a couple times by Taxi Drivers about venturing out of the Tourist area's, which we never intended to begin with.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top