Update - Puerto Penasco by Michael
Decmeber 18, 2019
Michael and his family visited Puerto Penasco and shared his thoughts with us. He also shared photos with us all. Bottom line: He likes the property but does not think he would return except to play golf. The course is beautiful and under played. Michael is not the only one who feels this way. Here are links to others who shared with us:- Don's photos and comments - December, 2017
- Puerto Penasco Update - June, 2017
- Lyn's Update - October, 2013
- GaryIII, Phyllis, and Karen - all contributed in 2010
Bob and Maryann,
We are in PP and it is cold and gray. I did manage to play golf Monday and Tuesday, but the rain is supposed to begin later today and last through the remainder of the week.
The golf course is magnificent! Probably the best I have ever played. I have attended The Masters and these fairways and greens are equally groomed as Augusta's.
I have attached 3 photos: 1 from the golf course side and 2 from the beach side. The large building with the hole in the middle is supposed to eventually become either Luxe, or Bliss or both. It has been in its present condition for 2 years and there is no construction activity at all. We were invited to the Manager's Cocktail Party last evening and I was able to spend quite a bit of time talking with him. His name is Sr. Gibran Toralva, and, coincidentally, he has done several tours here at PP in various management roles as he has been moved around the Vida locations. Even he admits he has no idea what is going to happen to the building.
There is an existing building which housed a Grand Luxe sales office and another which contained models, but both are now empty. My guess is that sales were simply not sufficient to continue the project. After all, this location is, simply put, difficult to get to.
Getting back to the pictures taken from the beach side, to the left is the Mayan Palace and to the right is the Grand Mayan. Rooms are identical to those in NV and RM. There is a small spa, but my wife informs me it does not have as many amenities as other
locations. Also, restaurant choices are pretty limited because the property is small compared to the others we have been to.
There is a different feel to this place; a kind of laid back, relaxed atmosphere. As mentioned previously, it takes some effort to get here. There is no commercial airline service, although there is an 8,300 foot, paved runway just sitting out there in the desert. The town of Rocky Point is 25 miles ($50 USD round trip) from here and there is a Sam's Club and a large grocery store. The town is loaded with places to eat and everyone swears it is safe. Apparently there is a large ex pat contingent who live around the town.
There is van service to the resort from both Phoenix and Tuscon. So, it appears to us that almost everyone here drove their personal vehicles to get here. It also appears that most of them came loaded with food and drink which they cart down to the pools and beach in little wagons. Vida apparently has no problem with folks taking their own supplies to the pools. At the Grand Mayan end of the property, where we are, there are five heated jacuzzi pools. Large groups of family members seem to kind of claim rights to one of the pools and then hang out there all day. The Lazy River is flowing, but it is COLD! The Grand Mayan pool is being retiled, so it is closed. The pools at the other end, Mayan Palace end, are open but unheated.
In summary, I would come back just for the golf course. On the two days I played, there were about a dozen people, total, on the course. But as a family destination vacation, I think there are properties better suited. By the way, May and October are supposed to be the prime weather months.
Regards,
Michael
Following are Michael's photos:
Left to right: Mayan Palace, Grand Mayan and Unfinished Tower
Left to right: Mayan Palace, Grand Mayan and Unfinished Tower
Unfinished Tower
Second Unfinished Tower as of December 17, 2017 - Models are now closed.
According to Michael's conversation with the manager, the property does not seem to warrant upgrades to higher floor plan levels, even though the physical structures are in place. Makes sense to us, because building the shell is only small part of the cost of running a resort. The company incurs the cost of increased employee count, detailing the unit interiors, maintaining the structures and pools, and many other line items when management decides to finish out a structure. It took more than 10 years to finish the tower in Acapulco. Clearly, demand for Puerto Penasco is not high, so it seems likely the structures will remain in their current state for many years to come as was the case in Acapulco.