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What Resorts Should I Visit In Cancun?

5infam

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My wife and I are set for a brief 4 night trip to Cancun at the end of March/1st of April. Because it is just 4 nights we won't be in a TS, but will be staying at the Hotel Riu Palace Las Americas (all-inclusive) as it appears this resort is undamaged by the hurricane and the beach is still in tact. This is our first venture into Mexico but would like to go there more often and take the kids as well. Since it will just be the 2 of us this time, I figured we could take a little time to check out some of the timesahre resorts, looking for a place to buy. I really have no plans on taking full tours of the resorts as that would take forever, but if we find what we want, then I may be willing to take a tour (although my wife won't want to - she hates tours because of the sales pitch). So here is my criteria, and maybe you Mexico experts can steer us in the right direction of properties to visit so we don't waste our time:

1. Quality of the resort - we are looking for a resort that is 4 or 5 star, with plenty of amenities and is very very clean. We currently own with Marriott and DVC, so this is the quality we are looking for (although DVC is not all that posh, but the location can't be beat).

2. Multiple locations in Mexico that we can book without exchanging into - We are looking for resorts in the major tourist areas, Cancun, Acapulco, Mztl., Cabo, Puerto Vallarta, etc. I don't know how many large chains there are in Mexico, so if they have resorts in many of these cities, but not all, that would be ok as well. We don't want to completely limit ourselves out of a great resort chain because they may not be in one or two of the cities I mentioned.

3. Kid friendly resorts - we have 3 kids ranging from 14 years to 4 years old. They will be traveling with us for awhile so somewhere that welcomes kids is a must. However, they won't be with us forever, so some nice adult areas would be great too.

If there are resorts in the Cancun area that are must see, even if they don't meet all of the above criteria, please feel free to include the name so I can check it out. I also need some suggestions on getting around to check out the resorts. I was thinking I could hire a driver for half a day to drive us around, but I don't know the easiest and most economical way of doing this, or what to expect in the way of cost, so suggestions would be great.

TIA for your help and suggestions!! :) :) :)
 

cymomtx

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I'm quite biased and would only suggest the Royal Resorts, I would start at the Sands and possibly go to their new resort down in Playa del Carmen. We have three kids 9, 10 & 15 and have been staying at the Sands for 6 years and my kids are never ready to leave.

The taxi and bus service in Cancun is very economical and there would be no need to hire a driver.
 

geoffb

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The Royal Resorts group in Cancun does not meet your second requirement but I would say they are a must see if you want to shop around.

If your interest is in properties within Cancun itself you don't need a driver or a car, you can get around easily enough by bus or taxi.
 

DonnaD

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Raintree Vacation Club has multiple Mexican Resorts

Hi, We belong to Raintree Vacation Club and we have resorts in Cancun, Isla Mujeres (small resort there), Puerto Vallarta, Cabo, Acapulco (Villa Vera-small), Zihuatanejo (small resort), Oaxaco. We can also go to Las Vegas, Whistler, Park City Utah, Hawaii, Palm Springs. We have not visited the USA resorts because we love the Mexican resorts for our winter get aways.

Our large Mexican resorts are called Westin Club Regina. In Cancun it is the last stop on the bus in the hotel zone and it has wonderful access to snorkeling. We were just there the end of January and we had a good beach area and most of the rooms had been refurbished since the hurricane. Cancun Club Regina is the oldest of the three, but it has a fabulous view of Puncta Nizuc and when the hotel reopens in March(?) it will again have the restaurants, fitness center available to the members. The hotel has nice pools on east and west sides of building so you can be in sun or shade as you prefer.

Our system is complicated but has great flexibility. I would be happy to explain it to you. I have studied it since our purchase from developer in 1997. We own a sapphire points membership now which will enable us to use 5 weeks of a 1 bedroom by accelerating our points. (That means that we can use our 2046 points in 2006 by just paying the extra maintenance fee. If we want to use our 2006 points we can have a week of a 2 bedroom and a week of a 1 bedroom, or we can have 2 weeks of a 1 bedroom and one week of a studio in prime time at any of the resorts. if we take the "select season", we can have 5 weeks of a 1 bedroom for one maintenance fee. if we wnated to use our points for Christmas, our membership would give us 1 week of a 2 bedroom, but we don't want to be away for the holidays.

We just helped a friend purchase a platinum points membership for $6000 that cost the original owner $24,000 a couple years ago. it entitles them to one week of a 2 bedroom in prime time.

We love the resorts and the flexibility of use that we have. We spent 2 weeks in Puerto Vallarta in October, 2 weeks in Acapulco in January and took a group of friends to Cancun for a week the end of January, all on our membership. We used 6 one bedroom units and one 2 bedroom units in Cancun. We upgraded to points after reserving our 2006 weeks and then they gave us a whole new allotment of points that gave us 5 more 1 bedroom units. all but one unit was ocean front because we were using our member allowance. I can't tell you how much everyone loved the resort. We did continuing education each morning and then they had the rest of the day.
all but 2 couples with us were making their first trip to Mexico. We used Funjet for charter service and got a good price for the group.

The hotel you are visiting is beautiful and the beach is very calm because the point blocks the waves. You will be on the top of the 7 that forms Cancun. You will be within walking distance of shopping and restaurants, but since you will be all-inclusive, you will probably stay pretty close to your resort.

Do not bother with a driver or cab. Take the bus headed toward the hotel zone. if you dicide to visit Club Regina, walk up the drive and take a left into the club. al around toward the registration desk and you will see a small cubby hole type desk. Ask for Christopher or Sandra and tell them that Donna Dannemiller sent you to see the model....or just walk down the hall that is straight ahead when the reservation desk is to your left. They have a model unit that faces the beach (You will cross past the steps down to the pool. Just take a peek at the model and then walk down the steps to the pool and beach area. Go out to the beach and look down to your right and you will see Puncta Nizuc, which is where the coral reef that runs along Mexico begins. it is where we love to snorkel. The water is not deep there and you are protected by the reef breaking the waves, if the waves are moderate (No whitecaps visible).

We fell in love with Club Regina for its quiet setting, its location by the snorkel area, its people and its view. The resort has just been repainted since the hurricane. It is not the fanciest, but it is good for families and mature adults. It is not the place for partying college kids. They do have trips organized to night clubs for those who want to go, but that is not of interest to us in our 60's.
If you have any specific questions, write to me at donnadanne@yahoo.com.
If you take a sales presentation, it is not high pressure. Tell them you just want to learn about what they have to offer and that you will not make a decison on this trip. Do not buy anything from the developer, just explore what you want.

I know that the Royal Resorts are more highly rated, but you get a fixed week in a fixed unit in a particular resort. it sounds like you want to travel around in Mexico, so why pay RCI fees to trade? If we want to go to a different resort, we just rent an extra week through RCI for $200-400 US for the week. We also get Ice Galleries with our membership and they offer extra vacations at resorts or you can trade or just book a cruise trip at a discount.
RCI and Ice Galleries are part of our maintenance fees.

Another idea would be to buy at a resort that you can drive to and that has RCI and then just rent weeks in Mexico from RCI. You could also just rent weeks through TUG, Redweek, or EBAY without having any big investment or ongoing maintenance fees.

You can read a lot of good ideas on TUG. Be sure to read Timesharing 101 on TUG. it explains a lot about timesharing that will give you a basis for a good decision.
Happy Travels!
DonnaD
 

maja651

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Just a comment on the Royal Resorts. If you do decide to purchase one of the Royal Resorts in Cancun, definitely check the resale market before you buy. Unless you are looking to buy at the new Royal Haciendas in Playa del Carmen, you will most likely find a better selection and lower prices if you buy resale. There is a classified section in TUG that lists resales, as well as several other websites that have resales, and some that are specifically Royal Resorts (www.omcancun.com or www.mexicondo.com).

Michelle
 

Janis

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If you are looking for quality similar to DVC and Marriott, then the Royal Resorts are the best option.

Other resorts have larger affiliations - but they aren't nearly as nice as the Royals.

We visited the Westin Regina on our last visit (pre-hurricane). It just didn't compare to the Royals.

I guess you need to decide what the most important factors are: resort quality or resort affiliation.

BTW: The Mayan Palaces are also in the area, and I believe have sister resorts in PV and other resort areas. THey utilize a VERY VERY high pressure sales tactic. I wouldn't recommend visiting them unless you are ready to buy!
 

love2fly

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Hi!

I would suggest taking a tour of the Royal Sands. We have been members there for six years. In Mexico, the Royals Resorts have three locations in Cancun and one under construction in Playa Del Carmen.

The units are 2 bedroom, 2 bath, kitchen, dining, living room (with 2 murphy beds), and a large balcony. All our ocean view. The Royals are fixed week/fixed unit timeshares. We have the same unit every year for the same two week period. The second bedroom has a private entrance and can be locked off and rented out as a hotel room. It can be traded with the Royal internal exchange or deposited with Interval International. Each side of the villa can be rented, exchanged or deposited, which gives two tradeable weeks.

The resort is not all inclusive but does have restaurants, a grocery store and a carry out/delivery service. The Sands has a full service spa and gym on site. Buses and taxis are out front and run 24 hours a day. There are two shopping centers and many restaurants within walking distance of the Sands.

If you decide to purchase do not buy from the resort directly. There are plenty of resales available for the Royal Sands or other resorts on-line. It is also a good idea to talk to a few members before purchasing.

Have a great vacation!
 

tomandrobin

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Just a FYI...Westin is building a new timeshare resort in Cancun. Will be completed in 2007. They tore down the Sheraton and are building the new resort there. This will be part of the Starwood Vaction Ownership, not to be confused with Club Regina (I think that is right spelling).

This is thier first timeshare in mexico.
 

sally

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funny..

the only mention of the mayan palace chain had a negative attachment.My two cents? most people here do not want to hear it .But... Go tour the grand mayan in nueve vallarta or riviera maya after all the others ,then compare .

sally
 

5infam

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Thank you to everyone who has posted so far...we really appreciate your advice and it will allow me to do some research on these properties before we go.

It sounds like there are a few Royal owners here so I have some questions on the Royals. The Sands sounds like it may fit us because it has an on site gym and a spa (I like to work out and my wife enjoys the spa) - but it also sounds like these resorts are close together - is the Sands the nicest/newest property in this area? What are your opinions of the Royals and which do you prefer? Since they are all fixed weeks, how does staying at another Royal work? And do you also get a fixed unit each time?

Thank you also to DonnaD; as you were very detailed and I have never heard of Raintree before. I will do some homework, but it sounds like you have a lot of options which is a nice thing as we enjoy bringing family with us on our DVC trips because we can get them their own rooms depending on how we play around with the points.

The bus idea sounds fine with me, but I am not familiar with the area, so I am hopeing that it is simple to use. Based on the maps I have seen of the Hotel Zone, it looks like there may be a main street that goes through the entire area - is this the route the bus takes? Assuming it is, that seems simple enough if it travels in a straight line - can someone give me more info on the bus, please?

Again, not being familiar with the area, how far away is Playa del Carmen? What are the differences in area, attractions, beach, etc. between the Hotel Zone (which IS Cancun, right?) and Playa del Carmen? I am curious to find out if it is a totally different vacation experience due to the area or not. I know when I was searching for hotels, the Playa area rates seemed much higher than the Hotel Zone rates, so am I to assume the area is much nicer?

Finally, are there any other resort chains that are suggested; even if they don't totally match our criteria (don't want to limit ourselves and miss out on something special)? Thanks again to all!! :D
 

quiltergal

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One other chain that has been highly recommended here on TUG is the Pueblo Bonito group. They have resorts in Cabo, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta, however nothing in Cancun or Acapulco. Don't know if that will fit your requirements or not.

Playa del Carmen is about a 45-60 minute drive southwest of Cancun on the way to Belize. We stayed there about 10 years ago and found it to be very isolated (not necessarily a bad thing), but quite beautiful. You are pretty much surrounded by jungle and not much else. It does give you easy access to Cozumel as the ferry leaves from PDC daily.

About Club Regina RVC, the resort in Cancun is the oldest in the chain. The newest is in Cabo. Also keep in mind you can make internal exchanges (with no fee) to Whiski Jack in BC, the Teton Club, Polo Towers in Lost Wages, Kona Reef in HI, and several others that I can't at the moment remember. They are adding new resorts all the time. I have been to PV, and Cabo, and this summer am going to Kona, all without the stress of hoping for a good exchange or the $189 RCI exchange fee. As Donna said it is very flexible. I'm sure the Royals are very nice, but fixed week, fixed unit doesn't work very well for my family.

Good luck in your hunt. ;)
 
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geoffb

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5infam said:
What are your opinions of the Royals and which do you prefer? Since they are all fixed weeks, how does staying at another Royal work? And do you also get a fixed unit each time?

Every Royal property is someone's favorite. I prefer VCI and the Sands for location reasons, we don't like to be any farther from the downtown section of the city than necessary. The so-called 'tri-Royals' are clustered together farther down the hotel zone.

Royal owners have fixed weeks and fixed units. I have stayed in the exact same unit at VCI every year for 28 years. That makes it easy to get home after a few too many drinks at dinner ;)

5infam said:
Based on the maps I have seen of the Hotel Zone, it looks like there may be a main street that goes through the entire area - is this the route the bus takes?

Yes, the buses travel along one main boulevard. It is nearly impossible to get lost in the hotel zone since there is only one road. Once buses enter downtown they begin to follow different routes.

5infam said:
What are the differences in area, attractions, beach, etc. between the Hotel Zone (which IS Cancun, right?) and Playa del Carmen?

PDC is a smaller town with many large resorts nearby on the coast or on the island of Cozumel. It is a very different experience from Cancun which has the majority of the hotels built in a continuous hotel zone on an island adjacent to the city of Cancun.
 

5infam

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geoffb said:
Royal owners have fixed weeks and fixed units. I have stayed in the exact same unit at VCI every year for 28 years. That makes it easy to get home after a few too many drinks at dinner ;)
Too Funny!!! :) And thanks for the clarification - I feel better about the bus now. If you wanted to stay at a different Royal, how does that work? Can you trade inside the Royal system, just make a reservation at a different Royal somehow, or do you have to trade using II? Thanks!!
 

Janis

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Trading works one of two ways. You can either deposit with ISCO or with II. With II, you get an internal trade advantage (similar to Marriott's program). However, you pay the normal international exchange fee.

ISCO is less expensive - but they have far fewer deposits than II

And , of course, there's always the TUG Direct Exchange
 

geoffb

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5infam said:
If you wanted to stay at a different Royal, how does that work? Can you trade inside the Royal system, just make a reservation at a different Royal somehow, or do you have to trade using II?

Like Janis said, trading within the Royals is hit or miss since there are fewer deposits. I would use II myself, I just searched with a week 49 Royal Sands unit on IntervalWorld and found about 10 options at each of the Royal Resorts in Cancun.

[Internal trades might be an advantage getting into the Royal Resorts in St. Maarten, Curacao, and Grand Cayman... I'm not sure.]

Owners can also rent units at a discount, we have done that in the past when we did not want to trade something.

My advice is buy at the resort you like the most if you are interested and don't worry about the internal trading. You can use all the properties during your week and there are free shuttle buses between them.
 

Ellis2ca

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Speaking Absolutely Re: Royal Resorts...

I like to be absolute...

Absolutely, I would never ever even THINK to buy anywhere else but at a Royal Resort, for many reasons... but among the best reasons is that I have never had or heard a serioius complaint in 29 years. And you can always rent it out easily... and with the money you can go to Whisky Jack, or Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, or the Mandarin in Hong Kong, or back pack if you like... money talks... or you can easily trade it with any of the best resorts in the world.

And I like that we have a fixed unit and a fixed week. That is absolutely the BEST way. You know what you have, you know what you rent out, and you know what you rent in, if you rent out or in... and you know the developers have not oversold the resort, which is an important cause of problems in other timeshare resorts.

Absolutely, the nicest Royal Resort of all is the Royal Mayan... but I accept that the Royal Sands and the other Tri-Royals are also very nice... and I own three weeks at Vacation Clubs, which I absolutely love. It has been without a doubt, absolutely the best investment I ever made in my life, because it changed my life, and made it better.

Absolutely, I agree that you should buy on the secondary market, and right now anything that you can buy at the Royal Mayan, Royal Caribbean, or Royal Islander IS on the secondary market, even if you buy it through the Royal Resorts. I bought a week 52, B-Lagoon view, at Vacation Clubs (the "ugly duckling" of the Royal Resorts, but it is an excellent property and an easy week to rent out... and I always earn a profit with it, so it was a very good investment.) for $6000 with $6000 residual value.

The point is, you should also check with the Royal Resorts sales office and they will inform you if there is something very good at a very good price, because the selling price is set by the owner, not by the Royal Resorts. So, yes, check the classified ads in TUG, omcancun, etc. but also with the Royal Resorts... Which reminds me... this is another reason why I would absolutely only buy with the Royal Resorts: because they have set up a system to help us to sell our timeshare through their organization if we ever have to sell out...

And... Absolutely the best employees I have ever found at any timeshare anywhere, in Mexico or anywhere else, are the Royal Resort employees. All of them... they always are smiling and they are always helpful... they are proud to be a employees of the Royal Resorts, and they are very well trained... and I have been to many of the best timeshares, including Orange Lakes, Mayan Palace, and Disney Vacation Club, which also have very good employees, but these are special.

I have a good page about the Royal Resorts which I wrote many years ago which you should read (absolutely, of course...)

The UnOfficial Royal Resorts F.A.Q. page...
http://www.rajeun.net/rrfaq.html

And another good page which I think you should read, which I also wrote a few years ago and which is in the TUG Experts Advice Section:

Residual Value at the Royal Resorts...
http://www.tug2.net/advice/vacintl.htm

I have heard many good things about the Westin Regina, and about the Omni, and I'm sure they are very good, but as I said... I would only buy at the Royal Resorts, because it is like a good Swiss watch: it is solid, and dependable, and absolutely never gives you any problem.

- Ellis
 
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cymomtx

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The Royals are providing bus service to Playa Del Carmen to tour their new resort The Royal Hacienda. I'm not sure if you are able to spend any time in PDC when you take this tour but I'm sure you will get a feel for the area.
 

uncletupelo83

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Wonderful Resort

Hi,
We have been going to Cancun for over 20 years so we have done all the touristy things so we just like to be somewhere relaxing. We really love Cancun even if it is sort of like Miami now. My husband and I bought at the Omni Cancun last year. We've been there twice and it's a great place for a vacation. One of the good things I noticed is that the employees are happy there so there is not much of a turnover and it shows in the way they treat the guests whether an owner or not. They remember all the little details that will make your vacation enjoyable. Hope this helps :)
 

LynnW

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If you get a chance do go see the Royal Sands. We arrived in Cancun and had to stay overnight before going to the MP and were approached to take a tour. They offered us breakfast the next morning and they also paid for our rental car for the week. We had the nicest timeshare salesman we had ever met! No pressure at all, just tour the resort and the units and then right on to the prices which of course are very high. Very upfront with no gimmicks. We just explained that we had all the weeks we could handle right now and he gave us a copy of the price list in case things change later. Then he proceded to tell us where to eat in Playa del Carmen and places to visit in the area and even driving instructions. A very pleasant 2 hours! I would love to own at the Royals.

By the way I didn't realize that the Royal resorts in St Maarten, Grand Cayman and Curaco were connected to the resorts in Cancun. :confused:

Lynn
 

geoffb

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LynnW said:
I didn't realize that the Royal resorts in St Maarten, Grand Cayman and Curaco were connected to the resorts in Cancun.

The Royal Reef, Royal Sea Aquarium and Pelican Resort Club are all operated by the Royal Resorts.
 

maja651

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The other Royals, that are not in Cancun, are NOT the same as the Royals in Cancun. Yes, they are affiliated, but they were not built by the Royals in Cancun, they were acquired later. We stayed at the Royal Reef in 2001 and to be honest, we did not like it at all! It was NOTHING like the Cancun Royal resorts. Let's just say, we would not stay there again. I think the thing that makes the Cancun Royal Resorts so "royal" is the wonderful Mexican people who work there. That is something that just cannot be duplicated in other locations.


Note - The new Royal Haciendas that the Royals are bulding in Playa del Carmen IS being built by the Cancun Royals, so I believe it will be the same. (Plus the same great Mexican people). Now, if I could only sell my extra Royal Sands so I could buy one there! Someone wish me luck! :)

Michelle
 

jules54

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Not enough time!

5inFam
With this being a short trip you really don't have enough time to see the resorts in Cancun and Playa Del Carmen. The area south of Cancun to Playa is called the Mayan Riveira. The beaches are great. The towns are smaller. Although for the people who have not visited Playa in several years it has grown faster then any other tourist area in Mexico(yes including CABO). The Playa area is still much smaller then Cancun and also has great bus service from Cancun and the surrounding areas.
Just remember LOOK DON'T BUY. Check out resale and then buy.
 

5infam

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Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences, especially Ellis. I checked out your links, and you are the Royals expert for sure!! :D I was really hopeing to find a resort chain that had multiple locations in Mexico, but it doesn't look like the Royals fit that mold. I am still very anxious to see them and will probably visit the Royal Sands since it seems to be the closest to our hotel and I believe the term has the most years left. Any suggestions on where to go to get an incentive for going on the tour would be helpful (I need something to convince my wife that we should go on the tour - which she will probably decline anyway...unless they are handing out Louis Vuitton bags or something ;) )

As I was researching the resorts mentioned, the ones that actually look like they fit my criteria the best is the Grand Mayan resorts (hi Sally). Based on the pictures I have seen and reviews I have read (outside of TUG), they appear to be the most luxurious and have very nice amenities. The resorts just appear to be what we are looking for. The problem I see is that all their resorts seem to be away from the main action locations. I have never visited their resorts, but based on the maps I have seen and some comments on other sites, they appear to be a good drive away from the center of it all. This can be a good thing for some, but if we are on vacation, my wife has to be near a mall or it just won't work (I am being serious here). If you look where we own now (DVC - Boardwalk; which is walking distance to Epcot and MGM Studios - and Maui Marriott) you just don't get much more in the center of the action, which is what we enjoy (I know we are probably weird :rolleyes: ). Anyway, location is important to us. The other thing is that I simply can't ignore all of the negative posts, the treatment of exchangers, and the web sites dedicated to suing the Mayan resorts. I would love to exchange there someday and try the resorts for myself, but it looks like that may be an issue too. Hopefully I will get to check them out someday, but for now it is probably not going to happen.

Thanks to all of you, I now know there is not a chain that fits just right to my original criteria. With that in mind, I am still very much looking forward to our trip and the opportunity to find a resort we can call home in Mexico even if they don't have location all over the country. :D
 

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I know two of them were 'acquired' in some way, but the Royal Reef was built and sold from the start by the same company. We were offered a day trip to see it during construction by our rep. in Cancun.
 

jules54

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I would think with the high end resorts you already own that you could get into Mexico anytime you wanted with bonus weeks to spare :D
As far as touring there was a thread last year about who got the most for a presentation. It was like a contest for the devil LOL. Talk your wife into touring by going for CASH then she can buy whatever she wants at the mall.
If I remember correctly the Mayan Palace tours for 300.00 per couple. Plan on being at the tour for 3 hours. And just start talking about resale and resale prices and they'll let you go. Besides you posted you wanted to see the Grand Mayan anyway. Might as well have them pay you to do. As soon as you exit the airport in Cancun the timeshare people will rush you. Just pay the game and get the most. Make sure if you tour the Grand Mayan you get cab fare to and back from the resort. Sounds like this will not be your first presentation so I am sure you know how to handle the pressure.
Private message me if you have any more questions. I will be going to Playa leaving tomorrow and returning on Mar. 4.
 
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