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mayan palace resorts are the gold of the mexican t-s world and the reasons why!

S

sally

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This thread is for people who would like an honest opinion of the mayan palace properties.THE PROPERTIES, not the sales people..witch we all know, many here find frighteningly aggressive.I have posted many threads here sharing what I like and (dislike) about these properties, compared to other resorts we have visited. Check posts if interested.I have found an unfair slant on the mayan resorts here, based on thier sales force.What I seek to correct with this thread is a fair assesment in one (capsule) of the properties, service staff and policies themselves, plus the surrounding vacation area. I do not work for the mayan palace,I just hate SPIN.If it is from our goverment or a disgruntled person of a sales presentation ,spin is spin and it makes me think that some people think that they are so much smarter then everyone else! Positives and negatives of the resorts themselves.This would be great! (hey I like run on sentences!)We love these resorts and just hate to see so many dis them, from lousy sales expieriences.
........sally
 
If you go to TripAdvisor.com and read the negative comments, most are from people who attended the timeshare presentations. People who stayed at the resort and said No to TS sales pitch had a much more positive view of the resort. The biggest complaint I seem to gather from them (people who can say No) was the food was so so.
 
I dislike the cold pools, the EXTREMELY expensive food, the long walk to get anywhere, it's too far from town, and the beach at the Riviera Maya property. Other than that it's a great resort ;)
 
What I love best is that they are so cheap to rent and there is so much availibility. ( I think I expressed myself without a run on sentence.)
Marty
 
california-bighorn said:
What I love best is that they are so cheap to rent and there is so much availibility. ( I think I expressed myself without a run on sentence.)
Marty
Click to expand...

You are right.
I forgot that its so easy to get an exchange. I can pull Grand Mayan with a South Africa week. Total cost under $500 for a week in a 2bd.
 
I sent my wife and daughter to the Grand Mayan Riviera for Presidents Week a few years ago using a $99 developer bonus week from RCI. Can't beat that!!

Plus it gave her a perfect way to shut off the timeshare flies "I'm married and my spouse isn't with me."
 
now we are all on the correct path!

keep the thoughts coming! I can recall 1) great proximity to area activities in riviera maya,eg.tulum, xel ha,cenotes,xcergerat,cozumel,and playa del carmen.2)great hot tub.3)really attentive maids and 4) nice swim up bars.

sally
 
The Mayan Palace online reservation system is very easy to use and well done. I've also found their phone customer service to be friendly and efficient.
 
Sally- "Lousy sales experiences" are not specific to the Mayan Resorts. In fact, many folks come here fuming about being taken by other salesmen at other resorts and for huge sums of money. Therefore, I would think a lousy sales experience- be it for $20,000 or $30,000 or the amount you paid- is enough to sour folks on timesharing forever. You, however, have not only not soured, you are thrilled. That makes you very special here. I do intend to visit these resorts one day, and I will use my South Africa week, purchased for $365 and main fees of $200 to do it. So, for my cost, I will likely love the Mayan Palace resorts as much as you do!
 
bravo..blondie!

I admit ..you have me,I AM thrilled and not-soured like you say so many here are.I did come to the conclusion a long time ago that we are only here on this earth for so many days and those days are becoming less and less all the time !why not spend what time you have left ,thrilled and enjoying the people you have around you! I have found that the mayan resorts supply the perfect setting and location to do just this.

When you are dead and gone ,how will people remember us? Will it be thrilled and fun to be around? or sour and pissy,bitching about some aggressive time share sales jerk that tried to rip us off!

tick- tock ..the days are flying by,get out there and have some fun!
Everyone loves a great deal,I am happy for you and hope you stay in the GRAND units ,when you do stay at the mayan palace!
Perhaps you will see that life,and how you live it is a little more precious ,then a few bucks.

sally
 
I, for one, am READY to get to the Riviera Maya in early March for my spring break. I did not get a one bedroom, only a hotel unit. But that is not souring me on the upcoming visit.

I know that we will stay at the RM, and not the GM, which everyone says is better/nicer/more modern, etc. But so what? I am concerned with sitting by the pool, enjoying the food and the festivities at the resort, getting into Playa as so many have suggested.

I fully intend to have a ball. I have not yet decided whether to take the Timeshare tour, my husband absolutely HATES those things.

The ONLY way I would even consider the T/s tour is if they can upgrade us to the GM. I think my husband might even go for that, but the resort says they are quite full that week. If no upgrade, then probably forget the timeshare tour.

Whatever we decide, even if they are high pressure, it certainly will not destroy our visit.
 
The MP resorts is a cut above many of the resorts, resorts in Hawaii are comparable.
I am going to compare the MP to a car. If you can afford a Benz you would go to the dealer and get one, there might be a special on some models but not often. The question is (are you Benz person of a KIA person trying to be in a Benz). And to justify yourself, you gripe about the resort. Deals are great but is it a great deal or is it what you can afford.
Some people are overwhelmed with the size and beauty and feel that is where they have to be and do buy and later regret it when the numbers start adding up. The timeshare sharks don’t help by telling people they can rent their unit for $2k or better. I love the MP and I did go to a presentation, bought a 2BR unit and we are enjoying it to the max. We were toll we can buy an extra unit and rent it, was not interested and said no. We were in Acapulco and went to a sale pitch just for updates about MP, we mentioned no sale just info and he agreed, we saw GM and the question was asked could we use MP to get into GM, he said no and the obvious was how do we get in. We went to his table he gave us a price and we said no, got another and now we are GM owners. Happy and contented. For kicks and giggles we might look at what Mayan Island have to offer down the road.
 
most important!

SAFETY!, the resorts have the safest security I have ever come across in mexico.In fact, the resort is so large it is like a world of its own.For childeren and teenagers this is the type of resort you want to be at. mexico can have its seemy side to it, with alot of desperate people.I like the more remote locations for this reason.Less crowding and plenty of hard working security.You just do not walk into these places, like so many other resorts in Mexico.plus...drinks that actually contain booze in them.Not your watered down versions you see so many times

sally
 
Sally you are right MP do have great security. I was at Island Seas in Freeport one year before the hurricane and there were kids playing catch with a golf ball in the pool, security only stopped them after someone got hit in the head while lying on a lounge chair. MP you don't have to worry about horse play by the pool while you are reading or soaking in the sun. No boom boxes and or wild teenagers, that is what I call R&R.
 
echoal..

I was thinking more of not being sure your kids are going to come back from the beach or the other end of the HUGE pools.The mayans are surely not a spring break for teenagers partying hardy type of place, although they are more of an adult resort that is kid friendly.We had no worries about are childerens safety,as this is one thing that I feel strongly about.You can not relax if locals selling stuff are swarming around you.

sally
 
Me, too.

I'm a thrilled owner also! No sour grapes for us! We vacation almost exclusively in Acapulco. My home away from home! I've never been to the Riviera location and don't know when I'll make it. I almost can't stand the thought of not being at the MP-Acapulco for vacations!
 
Sales staff not considered. The Mayan Palace resorts are great!!! They are very large that is true, so if you want boutique these are not for you(look I made a poem). I have found the service excellent. The food might seem pricey to some people. The food is still cheaper then five-star resorts in the US. Room service is great. I do not own Mayan Palace, but often check out the resale prices. The rooms are grand and the maids come twice a day. The Grand Mayan units are even nicer with more services. I have stayed at the Maya Riveria resort 4 times and enjoyed it more each time. Also the Puerto Penasco mayan resort. Very nice, also large and far away from town. I love the town of Playa Del Carmen so much I ended up buying timeshare there on my last visit(resale). but this is because I wanted something in Playa. If I wanted a resort vacation with spa and top notch service, but also many transportation options I would stay at mayan palace in a heartbeat.
Note: Everyone bragging about getting in to GM with their cheap weeks. That won't last forever. Everything changes in the timeshare game. The longer the resorts are selling the more owners there will be and weeks for RCI and SFX will dry up. I am not suggesting you buy from the developer, but resale will always be available.
 
Monica.

Monica said:
I'm a thrilled owner also! No sour grapes for us! We vacation almost exclusively in Acapulco. My home away from home! I've never been to the Riviera location and don't know when I'll make it. I almost can't stand the thought of not being at the MP-Acapulco for vacations!
Click to expand...

Monica you need to go to the MP in Nuevo Vallarta, it makes Acapulco look a dog house. They are saying the one in Cabo is going to be better than NV, can't wait to visit.
 
Been there.

I've been to NV. Sorry to disagree, but there is no way I'd describe Acapulco as a dog house! It's just not new. But that is changing. They've already torn down 1/2 of the 2-bedroom building and started the tower. As long as it's clean and not worn out, I don't care about the rooms too much. It's the pool, amenities, beach, friends and the city of Acapulco that I go for!
 
A progressive resort!

This is one of the main reasons we purchased the grand units.As time unfolds, present grand mayan owners are going to be able to visit new exotic locales.Cabo san Lucas promises to be every bit as outstanding as the other flag ship mayan properties! Also as I have heard Costa rica mayan palace will be coming on line in a few short years! You think riviera maya has A lot to offer..just wait until you see costa rica!(had A friend who vacationed there recently).I agree... as the (rabid) sales force presses relentlessly onward, few rci traders will find open weeks in the grand, or the resorts themselves for that matter.Very few people look ahead more then A couple years.So many here brag about how easy it is to get into these resorts, I have to laugh...It is almost like the internet stocks, everbody thought that was the place to put your money. In the end,it was the greater fool thing happening.These resorts are the opposite, they hold great value, but are not in favor, but that too will change as they continue to be sold out.I see a massive inflationary wave coming that our government will not be able to avoid.Things of value (such as a bought and payed for top of the line premium resort week,will be more costly,as the American dollar will not purchase a
s much abroad..imho.. darn it! I sound like a salesperson! I am not, just some one who looks ahead a little

sally
 
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Perhaps more like fool's gold.
 
tonyg

perhaps you are the smart and witty one here....


perhaps you are not!


sally
 
Well, what many smart Tuggers have learned is that a bought and paid for "top of the line premium resort week" need not cost more than a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. Now that is what I call a thing of value!!
 
tonyg is absolutely correct!!!! You can purchase a MP for a fraction of the developers price and with all the "extra" weeks members get conned into, you can rent a MP unit for the cost of maintenance fees (or less) without a huge initial expenditure. I'm of the belief more MP rooms (and other resorts also) will become available. I'm seeing more and more people who buy on a whim, then find out they can't sell nor rent for what they were told, so they just try to rent for the cost of their MF's. When a friend of mine had to suddenly change vacation plans this year, there were lots of MP rooms available, but little else. For trade, he used a timeshare that he bought for around $250 on ebay. Now that is value.
If my stocks follow the value of MP timeshares I'll never be able to retire.
Enjoy your resort. That's what it's for. Many happy vacations. In fact some day we may meet by a MP pool. You, with your expense room and me with my cheap rental.
Marty
PS Maybe I'm just secretly jealous I didn't get to pay $20k for a MP.
 
The Gold of the Mexican T.S.

Sally, congratulations for your Grand Mayan purchase. I stayed a week at the Mayan Palace in Acapulco about 7 years ago. The service was excellent, and the installations were all first class. If the Grand Mayan is even better than that, then it has to be fabulous.

But... "the Gold of the Mexican Time Shares"... I think not... The Gold cannot be an outfit that treats people the way they treat their guests. I refer to the person who said that half of his family was at the Grand Mayan and half was downgraded to the Mayan Palace, and then they were not allowed onto the grounds of the Grand Mayan. This is unbelievable. You mean, you are not allowed to have guests in your home (or timeshare Villa) even if they are your family?

We are both timeshare owners, so I would like to ask you a few questions, as a timeshare owner to a timeshare owner, because that is what TUG is for...

Don't these bad reports make you feel that the value of your investment at the Grand Mayan has decreased?

Can you guarantee that if I or anybody else rent a week from you at the Grand Mayan we would not be downgraded to the Mayan Palace?

To tell you the truth, even if you would tell me that you guarantee it, I would not rent from you. If R.C.I. doesn't have the power to get them to honor their reservations, I think you don't have the power to guarantee that I would actually get it, either. Maybe they won't downgrade owners (for a while) but after reading what happened to others, as an outsider I would quite frankly be afraid to rent or trade into any Grand Mayan, anywhere... There have already been too many reports that this has happened time and again, so I am not going to risk getting a stomach ache over something like this.

And maybe others feel the same way I feel, too. So right there, the value of your investment has already decreased, because you are already going to have a harder time to rent or trade your weeks than I will, or than you yourself should have. When you purchased, I think you expected them to honor their reservations so that you could honor yours, and not to bait and switch on anybody at the last moment, and maybe that is why you paid as much as you did.

I would consider it a disaster to my patrimony if such a thing ever happened to any guest at any Royal Resort, and I would never buy another week again... in fact, I would want to sell all of my weeks, and find a timeshare whose management does not do these dirty tricks. Fortunately, even though the Royal Resorts are not as luxurious as the Grand Mayan or the Mayan Palace, I have never heard any complaint like this in nearly 30 years as a Royal Resort owner.

So... I really hope you enjoy your stay at the Grand Mayan when you go... It really is Grand, if you are one of the lucky ones that does not get shafted.

But when you are there, think of the people that have been mistreated with their reservation, and tell the managers or the salesmen at the Grand Mayan that they have made their gold lose some of its glitter, and your investment lose some of its value.

It won't do any good, but tell it to them.

- Ellis
 
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