Nuevo Vallarta Update - Mayan Palace

May 30, 2012



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Mayan Palace and Thomas The Train Nov 12 2008
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Mayan Palace Beach Side Yellow Tower - Nov 14 2008
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Mayan Palace Beach Side Red Tower - Nov 14 2008



In the Owners Forum, Westwinds asked the question: "NV Mayan Palace - What's really going on?"

We really don't know what the outcome will be. But hindsight is 20/20, and this is what we do know:

  • The beginning: 1997 - Grupo Mayan built four, 3 story buildings with two towers (Red and Yellow), in 1997. This construction started the expansion at the Grupo Mayan Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico location, which we are all interested in and excited about. The McKone family was one the first to visit the Nuevo Vallarta Mayan Palace in 1998.
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    McKone's Say Good Bye to Nuevo Vallarta in 1998



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    Diana and Doug were flying home when they took this photo of the Mayan Palace at Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico in 1998. The Mayan Palace was built in 1997, and in 1998, there was not much on the property yet.
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    This photo barely shows the pristine Mayan Palace Red and Yellow Towers at the Grupo Mayan property at Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico. Nothing is there but beach and undeveloped property. Not even the sales office, where the pad is located to the right of the southern most tower.





  • Between 1998 and 2003, Grupo Mayan, now Grupo Vidanta, added three more towers at its Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico property. Only, instead of three stories, they were seven stories tall. From then on, construction at Nuevo Vallarta seemed to be non-stop. By the beginning of 2009, five Grand Mayan buildings, each being 9 stories tall were added to the inventory of available units.
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    Google Earth Images between 2003 and 2009 - Lots Of Construction



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    This July, 2003 Google Earth image is the earliest satellite image of the Grupo Vidanta property at Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico. The foundations for Cafe del Lago and the Grand Mayan Resorts are under construction at this time. The pools in front of the Grand Mayan was a parking lot back then. Change is the only constant at the Grupo Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico property.
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    Five months later, in December, 2003, two main Mayan Palace buildings and new construction at the current site of the Grand Mayan Resort at Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico appear on the property. Construction continues.
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    Seven Mayan Palace towers are open and operating in September, 2004. Also, one or two of the Grand Mayan towers appear to be ready for occupancy. The only thing missing seems to be water in the Grand Mayan pools.





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    By February, 2006, the Grand Mayan pools are in and operating. The Mayan Palace was the most luxurious place on the property until the opening of the Grand Mayan. Regardless, the Mayan Palace had the best location on the property. This would remain the case for another three years, when the three story towers would be demolished.
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    In January, 2009, the three story Mayan Palace buildings were reaching the end of their useful lives. In this Google Earth image, the property is at its best. However, to the lower right is the Grand Luxxe Tower I, which is under construction and all is about to change at the Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico property owned by Grupo Vidanta.





  • By the end of June, 2009, the Mayan Palace buildings with Red and Yellow towers were demolished. Also, during the summer months, the seven story tower Mayan Palace building was closed because crews were building rounded end caps to the north and south towers.
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    Demolition of the Original Nuevo Vallarta Mayan Palace Towers



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    Preparing for demolishing the original Mayan Palace towers located closest to Bahia de Banderas, Mexico and pools. The Mayan Palace at Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico became a very popular vacation destination among Mexican Nationals, Canadians and Americans. Front side views = ocean and back side views = mountains. This photo shows the trucks moving tons of earth to reinvent the Grupo Vidanta Mayan property at Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico.
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    The Mayan Palace red and yellow towers at Nuevo Vallarta were popular because guests could literally walk out their door and be on the beach or at the pool. They occupied valuable space, and in June, 2009, were demolished to make way for property upgrades. This photo shows the Red and Yellow towers before they were leveled. They were the symbols of long lasting memories of enjoyable vacations in Mexico.
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    The Red and Yellow Mayan Palace tower units had decks that overlooked the Bahia de Banderas and the Mayan Pools. These were the most popular places to stay. In this photo, the decks are rubble and crews are preparing the level the once very popular Mayan Palace Red and Yellow towers.





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    Properly placed explosives allow crews to reduce a three story Mayan Palace Tower at Nuevo Vallarta to a pile of concrete and steel. In 2007, Grupo Vidanta laid plans to build new buildings and introduce new brands of resorts called the Grand Luxxe Residence Club. Two years later, the Popular but outdated Mayan Palace Red and Yellow towers were demolished in make way for a complete renovation of the Grupo Vidanta Neuvo Vallarta Mayan property.
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    This photo shows the remains of the Mayan Palace Red tower. The living units are now rubble. Trucks and bulldozers have created roads where water once was. These roads will allow trucks to haul away the rubble, which is all that remained after the Mayan Palace Red and Yellow towers were demolished.
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    In the haze behind the remains of the Mayan Palace towers at the Grupo Vidanta property at Neuvo Vallarta, Mexico, one can barely make out the outline of the new Grand Luxxe Tower I that was under construction when the Mayan Palace towers were demolished. The Mayan Palace towers will be replaced by endless gardens and pathways for guests in the upper-end Luxxe Timeshare units.





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    This photo shows the remains of the Mayan Palace Red Tower and a glimpse of the new Grand Luxxe Tower I in the distance. Both are located on the Grupo Vidanta Mayan Property at Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico. In the foreground, the Mayan Palace pool is closed but untouched by the demolition processes going on around it.
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    This photo demonstrates how close the Mayan Palace Red and Yellow towers were to the Mayan Palace pools at the Grupo Vidanta Mayan property at Neuvo Vallarta, Mexico. Clearly the pools are closed because the buildings behind the pools are piles of rubble. They were destroyed to make way for enormous changes that were taking place on the Mayan property in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico during the summer of 2009.
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    All that remains of formerly popular Mayan Palace Red and Yellow towers are the Red stairwell, which is in the foreground and the Yellow stairwell, which is in the far left of the photo. The popular Maya Palace Red and Yellow towers were located close to the Bahia de Banderas and Mayan Palace pools at the Grupo Vidanta Mayan property at Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico.





  • In November, 2009, the Mayan Palace reopened. No one knew for sure what the rounded end units were or when they would open.
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    November, 2009



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    Morning at the Grand Luxxe Tower I overlooking the Mayan Palace and other resort facilities at the Grupo Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta property on November 2, 2010.
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    The Mayan Palace main towers at Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico were built during the period between 1998 and 2003 and represented the symbol of luxury at the time for Grupo Maya. This view of the Mayan Palace is from the 8th floor deck of the Grand Luxxe Villa at Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico. Changes to the property make the Mayan Palace seem out dated and in the way. Is this why the Mayan Palace is being demolished?
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  • 2010
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    Morning at the Grand Luxxe Tower I overlooking the Mayan Palace and other resort facilities at the Grupo Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta property on November 2, 2010.
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    The Mayan Palace main towers at Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico were built during the period between 1998 and 2003 and represented the symbol of luxury at the time for Grupo Maya. This view of the Mayan Palace is from the 8th floor deck of the Grand Luxxe Villa at Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico. Changes to the property make the Mayan Palace seem out dated and in the way. Is this why the Mayan Palace is being demolished?
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    By December, 2012, the Grupo Vidanta property at Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico had entered a new phase of development and change. In this photo, which we suspect was taken by a person dangling from a parachute pulled by a boat, the first four Mayan Palace towers do not exist and the Grand Luxxe towers along the Ameca River are becoming the prominent features of the Grupo Vidanta property at Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico.





  • 2011
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    Barbara was one of the first to show changes taking place on the Mayan Palace at Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico. This photo shows tractors on the roof on June 10, 2011. Not long after, the tower was demolished.
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    Wendy was in Nuevo Vallarta during hurricane Jova, which stopped construction and completion of Grand Luxxe Tower III A in October, 2011. Here, she shows the Mayan Palace demolition continuing to the foundation. She speculated management would rebuild, but now we know the space will remain vacant.





  • 2012
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    Ron took this photo of the Mayan Palace center tower, located at Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico, on May 18, 2012. It provides a distinct view through the building, down to the second floor. Renovation is significant, if not total. With the walls in the center of the building disappearing, the center tower of the Mayan Palace may not survive.
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    GaryIII is in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico for two weeks. This photo shows an interesting structure we are sure gljod (an Aimfair username) will be amazed at. During a recent visit, gjjod recorded earth movers taking out a new road and replacing it earth. GaryIII shows in his photo the mound has changed and is replaced by a stage of some sort.
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    This is another photo of the stage-like mound of earth that has closed the road that allowed traffic to pass between the Grand Luxxe Tower II and the pool area in front of Grand Luxxe Tower I. This area is not open to traffic now.





  • 2012 Where we go from here....
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    A map is on the wall of the sales office in the Grand Bliss at Nuevo Vallarta. This photo shows an enlarged portion of the map with notes. The map is approximate and comments are not official. Rather they are based upon observations from guests and members of the Grand Luxxe Residence Club.

Click here for more from Adie in April, 2012. (Please note: Please subscribe to view Adie's photos.)

Thanks to all of you who shared your photos with us. We have a very rich sense of history now, and it is all because of your generosity.

As we like to say....stay tuned!

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