WIVC Conchas Chinas in Puerto Vallarta? Does anyone have recent experience?

[tartanwood]

We will be spending one week at VDP Flamingos in Nuevo Vallarta in mid December. We are considering extending our stay over Christmas at the WIVC Conchas Chinas.

I know that the two resorts are very different, but I am trying to make the most of a DAE exchange that is about to expire. If we don't make a reservation somewhere soon, we will lose the exchange. Since we will be in PV area already, the WIVC Conchas Chinas seems like a good option.

Does anyone have recent experience there?

 

[stugy]

We never stayed at the WIVC but did visit it a few years ago to check it out. It is a nice resort with nice units, but is not on the ocean but on a cliff with pretty amazing views.
But do you know you can pay to extend your week with DAE if this does not suit you. We are in PV now and it is lovely and it is considered one of the safest areas in Mexico.

 

[tartanwood]

We decided to go ahead with this exchange to extend our trip to PV. We will have one week to enjoy the beach in Nuevo Vallarta and then use the second week at the Conchas Chinas as a base for exploring things closer to the center of PV.

Does anyone have suggestions for PV during Christmas week? Are there special activities at that time of the year?

Also, does anyone have suggestion/advice specific to the WIVC Conchas Chinas and to the surrounding area?

 

[ronandjoan]

We decided to go ahead with this exchange to extend our trip to PV. We will have one week to enjoy the beach in Nuevo Vallarta and then use the second week at the Conchas Chinas as a base for exploring things closer to the center of PV.


Also, does anyone have suggestion/advice specific to the WIVC Conchas Chinas and to the surrounding area?

We visited Conchos Chinas last year and found it delightful and with gorgeous views. I have some photos is you would like.

The biggest thing to be aware staying there is there is a huge hill to climb from the highway to get there, so either you get prepared to walk up or down or take a taxi either up or down. The bus from town comes up the highway and will let you off, but then you still have the climb up the hill.

We are hoping to stay there next year. the view is worth it and we would just plan our trips out accordingly.

 

[tartanwood]

Thank you, Joan,

I would love to see pictures.

The hill could be a challenge. Are taxis readily available?

Also, do you have any suggestions for restaurants nearby? Is there anything in the neighborhood, or do we have to go into town for that?

Any other things we should look for in that area?

Bonnie

 

[stugy]

It's quite close to tthe Lindo Mar Resort which has a wonderful restaurant with gorgeous views. I highly recommend it.
Pat

 

[pammex]

Joan I would love to see pictures of the units at WIVC Conchas Chinas.....i have yet to stay there and like many others I have a lot of RCI weeks to use up..LOL...

 

[itchyfeet]

I would also love to see the pictures as we're considering a stay at the resort. TIA

 

[ronandjoan]

I would also love to see the pictures as we're considering a stay at the resort. TIA

They are on snapfish, I can send them to you if I have your email.

Only 2 photos of interiors, too bad,. When we stay there, hopefully next year, I'll have more.

 

[4dabirds]

We usually rent a car from Alamo (stacking the discounts to bring the price down super low - usually $50-65 dollars). Because we get the rental at such a low price, we do not feel guilty if we do not use it all the time, but it is there for the big work horse tasks of getting to/from the airport with luggage; grocery shopping; and extended trips out into the nearby areas to explore. One caveat, during Christmas Week there are a about a million cars in PV, so we take the bus into town and cab it back. Again, we didn't pay a lot for the car so we don't feel married to it.

I second the suggestion of La Perlita - the restaurant on the beach at the Lindo Mar resort. They run a Happy Hour 2x per day and have reasonably priced, well prepared dishes all with a great view and service. They have an on-again off-again Brunch that they do on Sundays that quite good when they have it... check with them to see if they are having it and if it is something you are interested in.

Join the Yahoo Group "Puerto Vallarta Southside" for lots of related information. We met Gary Beck through the group years ago - he is a wonderful man that puts out a restaurant guide that is truly meticulously done/current. You can find Gary and his guide on his FB page here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Puerto-Vallarta-Restaurant-Guide-Becks-Best/92531634141

The Southside Group also has people in it that do other things not found on "tours" - TJ likes to go trekking through the forest in search of orchids... other people meet to do things together like charter fishing boats for a lower price, etc. It's kind of a plus to make those connections in advance so you are not trying to do it all during the holiday week + the group is populated with people here on Tug that have been there and done that.

One of our favorite beaches is the area in front of and just to the North of the Lindo Mar resort. Again it is a holiday week, so the normally quiet stretch of sand will be more populated - mostly with Nationals. There will be vendors there as well, but not nearly the amount up near town and (usually) not as aggressive. If you were going during a different week I would say you could use the chairs at the resort if you purchase food/drinks. That said, during Christmas and Holy Week it's pretty much a no-go.

Another one of our favorites is Destiladeres near Punta Mita... long, beautiful beach with horse vendors and nice people.

What things do you like to do... it makes it easier to steer you in the right direction

 

[PStreet1]

Hi, again. Still loving Colorado? I'm interested in your term "stacking the discounts" for car rental. What sorts of discounts give you rates like that? That's spectacular.

 

[4dabirds]

Hi Pat Street!!!

First place I check are the cash back sites like Ebates... right now there is no click-through specifically for Alamo, but I will keep checking because I can keep redoing my reservation until it is the lowest I can get it without penalty so why not, it's free money!

Next thing I do is go to the Alamo site and check the "Hot Deals" Latin America section... the discounts they have in this section today (03/22/2012) and fairly craptastic and not for the dates I am looking for further into the future. We usually go in the Fall/early Winter and late Spring. The deals we are looking at today represent their Spring Break deals so they are not very exciting. After these end in April, look for higher discounts to be here including $25+ off each rental or percent off coupons. When you click on these links, it places a promo code in the coupon field... write down this code.

Right now, just using the coupon from the link, your base rental is $86 per week (I just did a date 30 days out so I could use the coupon).

Then I would plug in various corporate id codes until I found the ones that were netting me the biggest discount off that rate. I entered a couple against my trial dates above from this site: http://dealspl.us/alamo-coupons just to see what types of discounts I could get. The 3rd one I entered brought my base rental down to $66.60 + tax for a week's usage. I might have been satisfied with this rate... but then I tried one further down the list and the price dropped to $51.60 on my base rental + $13.06 in tax = $64.66 or less than $10/day inclusive for one week of usage in a 4-door, auto, air vehicle usually the size of a Nissan Sentra.

and the best part is... it took me longer to type this then it did to secure the discounted rate!

 

[4dabirds]

PS... I make sure I use my credit card that supplies insurance on International rentals when I am picking up my vehicle and I double-triple check that is the fact before we leave from home just in case the TOS have changed and I missed the memo.

PPS... Personal Liability - it is IMPORTANT to have a PL policy when driving in Mexico or face jail time if you get into an accident until they work everything out.

PPPS... When you are driving on a toll road you are automatically insured as part of your toll and it supersedes other insurance so make sure they are the people you call first to prevent a delay with the right fellow coming out to review the accident.

 

[PStreet1]

Many thanks; I'm impressed.