Table of contents
The Basic premise is we, as an owner, sign an exclusive rental contract with the "marketing company" (Vacations Solutions Network, in TheZLady's case) to market and negotiate the renting or sale of our weeks. We get $2,700 per week for our Mayan Palace Regency times the number of weeks for which we contract. We pay the marketing company 5% of the amount the marketing company pays us. Great plan, right?
Interestingly, a couple of weeks ago, Mary Ann and I were contacted by representative of Prestige Properties Consultancy, which is a Virginia company. Two other owners have told us that they were contacted by this company too.
Similar program. The lady said we give them the power of attorney so the company could control the use of our weeks in exchange for the money she promised to pay. We then give Prestige Property Consultancy 5% of the amount they pay us.
Of course, there are interesting answers to the obvious questions. For example, the transaction starts with a contract. The contract moves to an escrow, we pay the 5%, of course the payment is outside the escrow and, yes you guessed it, the power of attorney we provide does not go through the escrow but directly to Prestige.
Wow!
Over the weekend, GaryIII thought we all would be interested in posts that are going on at the Mayan Palace Owners Group at Yahoo. Yep, this discussion was a similar scheme to the one offered by Prestige, but it was offered by another familiar name called Vacation Solutions Network, out of Idaho Falls, ID.
Bottom line: both companies appear related, both are pitching programs that sound very appealing, both appear to use the same webmaster and both programs require very, very, very, very close attention.
Moral of the story: Enjoy your weeks, rent them in an honest way if you want to rent them, and try not to get involved in something you could regret later. You have something of real value to your families, your clients and you. Enjoy what you have.
Incidentally, it appears the Grand Luxxe II Tower is coming along. It is nine stories tall, the glass doors are going in and the there appears to be 8 two bedroom units on each floor. If so, the inventory count for the two buildings will increase to 128 master suites by year end.....we all hope....Thank you all for your contributions.
We have a great time thinking about the fun the "new families" have in store, especially when it comes to vacationing. We know there are fathers having breakfast or brunch on their Luxxe decks as we speak, enjoying the scenery and the moment.
To all of the rest of us fathers who are not there, just remember....our time will come. In the meantime, enjoy your day, where ever you are!
Today, Joan asked about the results.
We received five comments from owners, and they came in soon after the question appeared in the forum. You can see the results of the comments by clicking on the link that appears at the beginning of this post, by viewing Current News or viewing the IntervalWorld. Bottom line....there is a program, but it does not seem to be anything out of the ordinary.
Take a look. If you have something to add, please send your comments to [email protected].
She: So, what's new?
Me: Oh, not much.
She: What do you mean, not much?
Me: Well, we did achieve a milestone of sorts.
She: Oh? Really? What sort of milestone?
Me: Nothing much. Today, our Owners' Forum has been viewed more than 250,000 times.
She: What?!! Have you said anything to everyone who has looked at the Owners' Forum?!?
Me: Uhmm, well no...do you think anyone would be interested?
She: Of course they would be interested. They would love to know how much everyone else likes what they like.
So, here you are...over 250,000 views of the Owners' Forum today.
We hope you enjoy what you are reading and thank you for all your contributions, participation and support.
Bob and Mary Ann
Dale's photos show the property is solidifying. The new construction next to the Ameca River behind Grand Luxxe" class="wiki wikinew text-danger tips">Grand Luxxe-Nuevo VallartaGrand Luxxe II Tower shows how the land and lakes are shaping to create a remarkable resort area. The new building that is taking shape could be a new Grand Luxxe building or a resort of another brand.
In our way of thinking, Grupo Vidanta is a professional organization that is performing in a way that meets most member expectations. We are excited to be a part of this growth process.
Around the first of March, two different viewer/Luxxe owners were contacted by [http://restigepropertyconsultancy.com|Prestige Property Consultancy. They asked the Owners Forum participants if anyone knew anything about the company and how did the company gain access to confidential information. Shortly after the question was raised, Grupo Vidanta sent out a letter stating it was not the company's policy to share private information with third parties and management would put a stop to such practices if in fact employees were leaking owner information to outside parties.
As noted below, Peter was called by a person from Vacation Solutions Network. Peter was suspicious. He also asked viewers of the Owners Forum if anyone knew about the company and how Vacation Solutions Network personnel could know so much about his ownership and other private information.
We took a look at both sites and found them to be very similar. What do you think?
The terrific post by TheZLady on Tugbbs.com sealed the deal for us. Her post shared a Contract, analysis of contract language and all.
You be the judge and let us know your thoughts on the Owners Forum after looking over the three websites.
Bottom lines....let's do our due diligence before we leap and.....Grupo Vidanta...take better care of the confidential information you require from us.
Peter was concerned over two important issues: 1. How did the company get his name and ownership information and 2. Who is the company? Both are very valid questions and key points of discussion.
We were told by Grand Luxxe Residence Club management that The Grand Luxxe Residence Club does not give out owner information to anyone. It is confidential. They try to keep it that way and work hard at doing so. It is an ongoing challenge to say the least.
The second point is equally interesting and important. Many of us are interested in renting excess weeks. Peter wondered if anyone has worked with Vacation Solutions Network.
We did some independent checking on our own and found some very interesting information on TUGBBS. The feedback is....Beware of this company!! Click on or paste the following link to your browser http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=119563 and let us know your thoughts. TheZLady discusses her experience in great detail on a TUG (Timeshare Users Group) Forum. Great stuff! Thank you TheZLady, from all of us.
John T and we were talking by email about the Mansions of the World. He said he found "fodder for the website", which we have posted. You can view the pdf file, download it or do nothing with it. The point is we have another potential place to stay in the future. Thanks John.
Also, we received from Charles an interesting image of the Grand Luxxe: Nuevo Vallarta Villa Master Suite and Grand Luxxe: Nuevo Vallarta Master Suite. It provides the interior dimensions of each unit. We know the decks are huge, and we now know how large the interiors are as well. Very sizable indeed! Send us an email with the subject of GLV Layout or GLS Layout if you would like to receive copies of each. Thanks Charles!
Anyway, we have more photos of the Luxxe III progress. Wendy sent us her views of her experience with the Luxxe I Tower, Adele sent us photos of the creation of a small jungle in the short span of a day and other photos, Sherman showed us what golfers see of not only the course but also the growing skyline and Barbara provided some great Mother's Day gifts (to all you mothers out there). Finally, Grand Luxxe: Nuevo Vallarta Residence Club is moving to Zapopan, Mexico, which is next to Guadalajara from Mexico City. You can download the announcement from here.
Bottom line....lots happening throughout the Grupo Vidanta properties. Thank you all!
So, we thought we would give it a try. Click here to follow along. If you would like us to post your trip information, just send us an email at [email protected] (Luxxe Resorts) or [email protected] (Grand Mayan and Mayan Palace Resorts).
If this becomes more popular, we will come up with a more sophisticated way to present these schedules to everyone. For now, let's see how it goes and have some fun with it!
For us, the next horizon is to stay at the Luxxe I tower. We have heard great, good and acceptable reviews. It will be fun for us to enjoy our stay because it has been a long but enjoyable journey. During our period of waiting, we have thoroughly enjoyed our stays at the Nuevo Vallarta Grand Mayan.
The Grand Mayan is a terrific place to spend a vacation, we are sure the Grand Bliss will be also. But for us the Luxxe stay will be the start of a new experience.
Seems we are not alone. Brenda sent us photos of the Luxxe construction at Riviera Maya. You can see her photos and read her comments by viewing the Photsynth or by clicking here.
Bottom line is we all have a great place to spend our vacations regardless of the level of ownership. What fun it will all be for years to come!
So, opening day was busy. We hear the crowds increased between Thursday and Saturday. Good sign that the newest Grupo Vidanta offering is now open for business. It has been about two years in the making.
Now that it is open, we hope to hear lots of reviews. One such review is a great one about Punta Arena, the reopened restaurant south of the Mayan Palace pool. Let us know what you think.
Darrin's photos show us what is happening in Nuevo Vallarta as of April 22, 2010, while Karin's photos were taken in February 2010.
As promised, we continue showing the progress of Luxxe Punta (Luxxe III). Darrin's photo shows additional re-bar and the introduction of supports.
We hear that Luxxe III is scheduled to open sometime before the end of 2011. Stay tuned!
From what we heard, there was no ribbon cutting, no margaritas, no recognition that the building was now complete and ready for occupancy.
With all due respect, Grupo Vidanta management has done a great job, in our humble opinions. First, we were met with nay sayers who claimed the opening would be like the Grand Mayan opening, which "they" said was not pretty. Those who experienced the Grand Mayan opening told us that it was an unpleasant experience. Employees did not know what they were to do, the grounds were incomplete, the rooms were not satisfactory....all of these statements prepared the Luxxe owner, who made these statements, for another bad experience. They were convinced it would take Grupo Vidanta a year before all the kinks were worked out.
Not so, from what we hear. Evidently, staying at the Luxxe is all that was promised.
We will let you know first hand in November during our first trip and stay at the Luxxe.
In the meantime, we hope everyone who is there has a great experience and is happy with their purchase. We certainly are.
Oh, we forgot to mention that Darrin is in Nuevo Vallarta staying in a Luxxe and taking photos. He sent us three for a "warm up" as he gets used to this process.
Take a look. As the viewer, you can rotate, move in and out, and pan almost 270 degrees.
Darrin asked us the wrong thing..."are there any photos you would like us to take?"
Yes, you know the answer to that one....."everything".
Well, not really, we asked for a few items.
Darrin, you have already gone over the top, so anything else we receive will be gravy. Thank you Darrin and family!
Anyway, we have started a Grand Luxxe III Construction page. The pad and re bar are in place. Cement to follow. We will do the same for the Riviera Maya Luxxe construction projects. In fact, we have seen that the pads for the third and fourth buildings are in place or soon will be. Follow the Nuevo construction projects by clicking here. Stay tuned for the Riviera Maya page.
We would love to post photos of work in process if you would like to send them in to [email protected]. We will try to post them as quickly as possible. Thank you all for your support.
Lots of construction going on...still. The new pad is filled with re bar and anchors for the supports have been formed. As others have said, it will be fun to see Tower III grow over the next 6 to 8 months.
Thanks Bruce and Sherrie for thinking of us.
We originally formed this website to educate, inform, and interact with owners and prospective owners of Grupo Vidanta rights to use ("timeshare") contracts. Over time, we have become a repository for comments of all kinds, some of which have described negative experiences.
In keeping with our goals, we feel compelled to provide space for educational experiences that are negative in nature . Yes, they are called COMPLAINTS.
Understand, we believe strongly in individual responsibility. Prospective buyers in sales presentations can simply say "no thank you" to all the changed offers from the presenter. No one makes us commit to contracts.
COMPLAINTS to us are instances where the presenter makes significant misrepresentations or misstates the facts in order to close the deal. Not good practices in our mind. We all will benefit from knowing about them.
Mary Ann and I are overwhelmed. We are grateful for and humbled by your comments. We love this project, which we started about a year and a half ago. You cannot know how pleased we are to know so many people like our "bloggy website". Never in our wildest dreams did we envision getting such wonderful encouragement from so many loyal viewers. We can't thank you all enough.
We are now back from our stay with family in Seattle and are delinquent posting the many wonderful photos comments fellow viewers have provided and are patiently waiting to see. No, we did not say hello to Linda, although we thought about it.
Much chatter on the Owners Forum is about Grupo Vidanta?s Luxxe offerings involving Certificate Weeks, Residence Weeks and Legacy Weeks. Several viewers have provided interesting comments about the value these new offerings are to them. You can see them in the Owners Corner.
These new offerings are upgrades. No question they are interesting concepts, but may not be for everyone.
Look closely at the language in the contract. If it does not say what you thought it would based upon the representations you received, work it out with the Grupo Vidanta Customer Service Representatives you know. They are there to help.
Nothing is available about the future of this mystery brand. Suffice it to say, however, there are conversations about this new brand on the sales floor to those who qualify. We do not know what it takes to qualify, but the rumors are rampant.
Challenge: What did you find out? We would love to stay up with the changes that are and will take place within the Grupo Vidanta offering. John told us some time ago that there were permit issues that held up the project in Buenos Aires.
Spring is in the air! Golf for many of us is just around the corner. For more, take a look at our Golf page.
You all know what "Honey Dos" are, right?
Stay tuned......and thank you everyone.....
What's great about this is we are now getting a better feel for the Riviera Maya property, which many viewers feel is more fun and attractive than the Nuevo Vallarta property.
Great fun to see the reasons for feeling one property is better than the other from different points of view. Great fun!
Shortly after receiving Bob and Christina's photos, we heard from Ron. You will recall, Ron was in Nuevo Vallarta in January and provided us all with many great views of the construction and activities that were going on there. Ron is now in Riviera Maya. He was told by a guard whose job is to keep people from entering a particular construction area that the new buildings being built are Luxxe buildings. Ron has sent us photos of these buildings and some comments.
Gordon sent us a view of the Grand Bliss at Nuevo Vallarta and a view of the waves in the evening off the Punta Arena Seafood Patio. Thanks for thinking of us, Gordon. Great photos.
Last, but certainly not least, we heard from Charles. He sent us photos of the Mayan Palace at the Riviera Maya location that he took several years ago. We will be posting later today.
Thank you all for taking time to share with the rest of us.
To view the notice, please click here.
It is good to see the quick response to the issues members raised on the Owners Forum and we brought to the attention of Grupo Vidanta.
It is also good to have their written assurance that the organization has not referred or does not sell or transfer member information to outside parties.
We have heard from other new friends as well. The Butterfield family has provided us with access to their photos and documents, which we think will be fun and enlightening.
Ross and his family have returned from their fun experience in their Luxxe Villa and left us with some final observations.
All in all, a very active first two days of March. Thank you all!
PS: Please be patient, as we have been a bit busy lately. We will post on Friday these and the other contributions we have recently received.
It was a challenge for everyone. Changing weather, fast rinks and runs and uncooperative equipment. We are saddened by the unfortunate and heart breaking accident, which we will never forget. All that said, the 2010 Winter Olympics in Canada were spectacular.
Those of us who live south of the Canadian boarder are thrilled by the competition. Yes we lost the hockey match, but the pride and good sportsmanship presented by all in these games was wonderful.
Truly a unifying event, in our view. Congratulations to all who won and were skilled enough to participate!
As an aside and more related to the subject of Grand Luxxe Residence Club membership, please take a look at Julie's comments. Quite encouraging, to say the least!
It is surrounded by the Grand Mayan Resort buildings at Riviera Maya. Talk about a peaceful looking area. We cannot imagine leaving the pool except to maybe cool off, in which case we might have to cause some ripples in the very calm waters.
Looks very "adult" doesn't it?
Thank you Gina Marie.
In an effort to make our pages more efficient, we are going to post Owners Comments on separate pages and provide links to those pages. Navigating through and finding information might become easier processes.
It is a wonderful thing, don't you think? All the terrific comments from everyone. They must be read and used to make our combined experience using our ownership a rewarding one.
February 15, 2010
We have received and posted more photos.
Mark just returned from his vacation at Nuevo Vallarta and was able to tour the Grand Luxxe I entrance and rooms. Dale received a photo of the swimming pools from one of his contacts within the Grupo Vidanta organization. Finally, we have posted the photos Linda shared with us, who received some wonderful photos from one of her friends. You can read more on the Current News Page.
We will apply labels to those photos that do not have labels applied. Our primary interest is to let everyone see for themselves the new Grand Luxxe facility.
Please note that we will accept photos from everyone, so please let us know if you have different angled shots that you would like to share with everyone. Thank you all for your continued participation.
The Grand Luxxe I Tower "Soft Opening" begins today.
Linda has sent us photos that she received from a fellow member who is in Nuevo as we speak and has authorized us to share them with everyone. You can see the first installment on Linda's Corner.
Needless to say, we are all very excited about the opening, the appearance of the resort and the opportunity to use the weeks we have all purchased! What fun!
Also, Linda contributed her photos that she took on January 16, 2010. You can see her contributions by clicking on her Corner and her photos.
Finally, Ron provided almost a daily update while he was in Nuevo.
Thanks Erik and Terri, Linda, Ron, Scott, Kathi, Greg and Sue, Gina Marie and Bob and Helen and to everyone else for taking time out of your vacations to let us all stay up to date!
We also heard from Erik, who is at Nuevo Vallarta for the next week and will send photos as he can. Erik was told the Grand Luxxe "soft opening" was pushed off until February 5. You can read his post in Erik's Corner. Thank you Erik, we look forward to learning more when you do.
All of us are grateful for any time a member spends to send us updates. Keep it coming, and remember, there are other cities and resorts as well.
The beach at the southern end of the Grupo Vidanta property is being attacked by storm surge, high waves and high tides. The result seems to be a migration of sand, uprooting of palms and the destruction of the Merchant's Palapa. Check out his photos of not only changes to the beach, but also his video of the Grand Luxxe I Tower.
In the meantime, we have heard from a number of new members. Gina Marie has provided us with great photos of the Riviera Maya construction as well as the Grand Luxxe Villa models, Russ has provided his comments from Nuevo Vallarta and our fellow member solved his February 8 reservation request.
Activity is increasing as we all prepare for the 2010 travel season. Thanks to all for contributing, participating and viewing.
Also, we received photos of the view from the Grand Luxxe I Tower 9th floor deck. They provide us all with a glimpse of the views we will see every time we vacation at the Grand Luxxe I Tower. We are looking forward to our next vacation for sure!
One encouraging sign is the furniture is installed in the top floor units. People are clearing the glass railings. Pools are taking shape.
One other note: Scott and Lindsay provided some additional photos of the Luxxe models. Nice lighting. Enjoy!
In our view, Vidanta Management would like nothing better than to have all new resorts open to honor the organization's commitments to its paying members. There will be openings in 2010.
To all of you who have followed us in our attempt to make more information available, we can only say we are humbled by your responses, participation and support. Thank you.
Archive - First Six Months of 2010
June 25, 2010
On April 9, TheZLady started a new thread on TUG Forums asking "Too Good To Be True?". Yes, as it turns out, the scheme seems too good to be true.The Basic premise is we, as an owner, sign an exclusive rental contract with the "marketing company" (Vacations Solutions Network, in TheZLady's case) to market and negotiate the renting or sale of our weeks. We get $2,700 per week for our Mayan Palace Regency times the number of weeks for which we contract. We pay the marketing company 5% of the amount the marketing company pays us. Great plan, right?
Interestingly, a couple of weeks ago, Mary Ann and I were contacted by representative of Prestige Properties Consultancy, which is a Virginia company. Two other owners have told us that they were contacted by this company too.
Similar program. The lady said we give them the power of attorney so the company could control the use of our weeks in exchange for the money she promised to pay. We then give Prestige Property Consultancy 5% of the amount they pay us.
Of course, there are interesting answers to the obvious questions. For example, the transaction starts with a contract. The contract moves to an escrow, we pay the 5%, of course the payment is outside the escrow and, yes you guessed it, the power of attorney we provide does not go through the escrow but directly to Prestige.
Wow!
Over the weekend, GaryIII thought we all would be interested in posts that are going on at the Mayan Palace Owners Group at Yahoo. Yep, this discussion was a similar scheme to the one offered by Prestige, but it was offered by another familiar name called Vacation Solutions Network, out of Idaho Falls, ID.
Bottom line: both companies appear related, both are pitching programs that sound very appealing, both appear to use the same webmaster and both programs require very, very, very, very close attention.
Moral of the story: Enjoy your weeks, rent them in an honest way if you want to rent them, and try not to get involved in something you could regret later. You have something of real value to your families, your clients and you. Enjoy what you have.
June 25, 2010
Charles and Patricia just returned from their vacation at the Grand Luxxe I Tower, where they spent what appears to be a great time in their 8th floor unit. They put together a very fun "show" for everyone, which we have posted to You Tube. Music is great and the photos provide a good idea of the continuing construction taking place at the Nuevo Vallarta Grupo Mayan property. Click Owner's Cornerhere to see the show in Owner's Corner.Incidentally, it appears the Grand Luxxe II Tower is coming along. It is nine stories tall, the glass doors are going in and the there appears to be 8 two bedroom units on each floor. If so, the inventory count for the two buildings will increase to 128 master suites by year end.....we all hope....Thank you all for your contributions.
June 23, 2010
Yesterday, we received a notice from the Grand Luxxe Residence that anyone sending payments to the company should send them to a Houston post office box. The address also appears on the Member Contact Info page. The request is for payments only, though. No correspondence.June 20, 2010
Father's Day is always special around here. That same feeling has been passed along. Now, all of our children have children of their own, so the emphasis is on the "new" fathers and not the "old".We have a great time thinking about the fun the "new families" have in store, especially when it comes to vacationing. We know there are fathers having breakfast or brunch on their Luxxe decks as we speak, enjoying the scenery and the moment.
To all of the rest of us fathers who are not there, just remember....our time will come. In the meantime, enjoy your day, where ever you are!
June 17, 2010
Around May 21, comments questioning the Interval II Gold that was to accompany the weeks we purchased in 2008 and 2009 appeared in the Owners Forum. Since it easier to have owners send comments to Aimfair.com because the forum is there, we volunteered to be the place owners can send their comments.Today, Joan asked about the results.
We received five comments from owners, and they came in soon after the question appeared in the forum. You can see the results of the comments by clicking on the link that appears at the beginning of this post, by viewing Current News or viewing the IntervalWorld. Bottom line....there is a program, but it does not seem to be anything out of the ordinary.
Take a look. If you have something to add, please send your comments to [email protected].
June 13, 2010
We received a review of the Grand Luxxe property at Nuevo Vallarta from Scott and Sue, who just returned from their vacation on Friday. We think you will enjoy their comments because they are so current. Lots of construction and lots of plans. In two years, the Nuevo Vallarta property will be entirely changed. Thank you Scott and SueJune 11, 2010
Gary III sent us a schematic map of the Nuevo Vallarta resorts and restaurants. You can view the maps and its legend by clicking here. Thank you Gary. We appreciate you thinking of us.June 8, 2010
So, here we are. Just another couple sitting down for dinner.She: So, what's new?
Me: Oh, not much.
She: What do you mean, not much?
Me: Well, we did achieve a milestone of sorts.
She: Oh? Really? What sort of milestone?
Me: Nothing much. Today, our Owners' Forum has been viewed more than 250,000 times.
She: What?!! Have you said anything to everyone who has looked at the Owners' Forum?!?
Me: Uhmm, well no...do you think anyone would be interested?
She: Of course they would be interested. They would love to know how much everyone else likes what they like.
So, here you are...over 250,000 views of the Owners' Forum today.
We hope you enjoy what you are reading and thank you for all your contributions, participation and support.
Bob and Mary Ann
June 3, 2010
Everyone should stand up and take a bow. The number of participants in our poll is now at 521, of which 85% are owners of the Grand Luxxe Residence Club. The number of participants has increased by about 13% over last month. Not bad. Soon the number of Luxxe Owners will exceed 500, which is quite a group. Additionally, the number of Grand Bliss and Grand Mayan owners who are participating is increasing as well. The more the merrier.May 31, 2010
Thank you Dale for your photos of the Grand Luxxe Nuevo Vallarta I Tower, the new construction Grand Luxxe Punta or III Tower and golf courses. When you look at his impressions of the property, we are sure you will be very proud to be contract owners. Check out his photos through Owner's Corner.Dale's photos show the property is solidifying. The new construction next to the Ameca River behind Grand Luxxe" class="wiki wikinew text-danger tips">Grand Luxxe-Nuevo VallartaGrand Luxxe II Tower shows how the land and lakes are shaping to create a remarkable resort area. The new building that is taking shape could be a new Grand Luxxe building or a resort of another brand.
In our way of thinking, Grupo Vidanta is a professional organization that is performing in a way that meets most member expectations. We are excited to be a part of this growth process.
May 27, 2010
It was a dark and stormy night, and the plot thickens... (OK, OK, we'll tone it down!).Around the first of March, two different viewer/Luxxe owners were contacted by [http://restigepropertyconsultancy.com|Prestige Property Consultancy. They asked the Owners Forum participants if anyone knew anything about the company and how did the company gain access to confidential information. Shortly after the question was raised, Grupo Vidanta sent out a letter stating it was not the company's policy to share private information with third parties and management would put a stop to such practices if in fact employees were leaking owner information to outside parties.
As noted below, Peter was called by a person from Vacation Solutions Network. Peter was suspicious. He also asked viewers of the Owners Forum if anyone knew about the company and how Vacation Solutions Network personnel could know so much about his ownership and other private information.
We took a look at both sites and found them to be very similar. What do you think?
The terrific post by TheZLady on Tugbbs.com sealed the deal for us. Her post shared a Contract, analysis of contract language and all.
You be the judge and let us know your thoughts on the Owners Forum after looking over the three websites.
Bottom lines....let's do our due diligence before we leap and.....Grupo Vidanta...take better care of the confidential information you require from us.
May 24, 2010
Thanks Peter.... for asking if anyone has heard about a company called Vacation Solutions Network.Peter was concerned over two important issues: 1. How did the company get his name and ownership information and 2. Who is the company? Both are very valid questions and key points of discussion.
We were told by Grand Luxxe Residence Club management that The Grand Luxxe Residence Club does not give out owner information to anyone. It is confidential. They try to keep it that way and work hard at doing so. It is an ongoing challenge to say the least.
The second point is equally interesting and important. Many of us are interested in renting excess weeks. Peter wondered if anyone has worked with Vacation Solutions Network.
We did some independent checking on our own and found some very interesting information on TUGBBS. The feedback is....Beware of this company!! Click on or paste the following link to your browser http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=119563 and let us know your thoughts. TheZLady discusses her experience in great detail on a TUG (Timeshare Users Group) Forum. Great stuff! Thank you TheZLady, from all of us.
May 17, 2010
Gary sent us an update and review of his stay at the Grand Luxxe: Nuevo Vallarta I Tower during the week of May 10 to May 17. Also, he contributed to the Grand Luxxe: Nuevo Vallarta III growth photo pool and the newly started Grand Luxxe: Nuevo Vallarta or Nayar Town. You can check out his comments and photos on Gary's Corner and Grand Luxxe: Nuevo Vallarta III. Lots of interesting information......Thanks Gary....we appreciate all that you have done!May 15, 2010
A few weeks age, we linked with Grupo Vidanta's Mansions of the World web page, development of which is coming soon according to the website.John T and we were talking by email about the Mansions of the World. He said he found "fodder for the website", which we have posted. You can view the pdf file, download it or do nothing with it. The point is we have another potential place to stay in the future. Thanks John.
Also, we received from Charles an interesting image of the Grand Luxxe: Nuevo Vallarta Villa Master Suite and Grand Luxxe: Nuevo Vallarta Master Suite. It provides the interior dimensions of each unit. We know the decks are huge, and we now know how large the interiors are as well. Very sizable indeed! Send us an email with the subject of GLV Layout or GLS Layout if you would like to receive copies of each. Thanks Charles!
May 12, 2010
We have heard from a number of fellow owners in the last several days and apologize to all for not getting their information out to you more quickly. We were sitting for the wee ones over the weekend, and we are sure you know not much gets done during their stay.Anyway, we have more photos of the Luxxe III progress. Wendy sent us her views of her experience with the Luxxe I Tower, Adele sent us photos of the creation of a small jungle in the short span of a day and other photos, Sherman showed us what golfers see of not only the course but also the growing skyline and Barbara provided some great Mother's Day gifts (to all you mothers out there). Finally, Grand Luxxe: Nuevo Vallarta Residence Club is moving to Zapopan, Mexico, which is next to Guadalajara from Mexico City. You can download the announcement from here.
Bottom line....lots happening throughout the Grupo Vidanta properties. Thank you all!
May 6, 2010
Gina Marie came up with an idea that we are going to try out. She asked if it is possible to create a page that shows the names of who will be staying at which location during which weeks.So, we thought we would give it a try. Click here to follow along. If you would like us to post your trip information, just send us an email at [email protected] (Luxxe Resorts) or [email protected] (Grand Mayan and Mayan Palace Resorts).
If this becomes more popular, we will come up with a more sophisticated way to present these schedules to everyone. For now, let's see how it goes and have some fun with it!
May 5, 2010
Poll participants continue to favor the Luxxe owners, although the increase in the percentage increase is down from prior months. Not surprising in our view because the Grand Luxxe: Nuevo Vallarta I Tower is open and many of us are moving on to the next horizon.For us, the next horizon is to stay at the Luxxe I tower. We have heard great, good and acceptable reviews. It will be fun for us to enjoy our stay because it has been a long but enjoyable journey. During our period of waiting, we have thoroughly enjoyed our stays at the Nuevo Vallarta Grand Mayan.
The Grand Mayan is a terrific place to spend a vacation, we are sure the Grand Bliss will be also. But for us the Luxxe stay will be the start of a new experience.
Seems we are not alone. Brenda sent us photos of the Luxxe construction at Riviera Maya. You can see her photos and read her comments by viewing the Photsynth or by clicking here.
Bottom line is we all have a great place to spend our vacations regardless of the level of ownership. What fun it will all be for years to come!
April 28, 2010
We received a report from Darrin, who, as you already know, sent us great glimpses of the Nuevo Vallarta property using Photosynth. He was nice enough to send us two more, which you can see from the Owners Corner. Definitely lots of fun! Can't until someone sends photos of the Riviera Maya golf course or from Puerto Penasco, Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan or San Jose del Cabo. Or maybe from a zip line in the jungle. All good ideas!So, opening day was busy. We hear the crowds increased between Thursday and Saturday. Good sign that the newest Grupo Vidanta offering is now open for business. It has been about two years in the making.
Now that it is open, we hope to hear lots of reviews. One such review is a great one about Punta Arena, the reopened restaurant south of the Mayan Palace pool. Let us know what you think.
April 25, 2010
Darrin has sent us more photos. Karin sent us some too. Thank you both for taking time from you days to show us glimpses of the Nuevo Vallarta and Riviera Mayan resorts.Darrin's photos show us what is happening in Nuevo Vallarta as of April 22, 2010, while Karin's photos were taken in February 2010.
As promised, we continue showing the progress of Luxxe Punta (Luxxe III). Darrin's photo shows additional re-bar and the introduction of supports.
We hear that Luxxe III is scheduled to open sometime before the end of 2011. Stay tuned!
April 24, 2010
Congratulations to all who worked hard to open the Grand Luxxe I Tower! It is now officially open.From what we heard, there was no ribbon cutting, no margaritas, no recognition that the building was now complete and ready for occupancy.
With all due respect, Grupo Vidanta management has done a great job, in our humble opinions. First, we were met with nay sayers who claimed the opening would be like the Grand Mayan opening, which "they" said was not pretty. Those who experienced the Grand Mayan opening told us that it was an unpleasant experience. Employees did not know what they were to do, the grounds were incomplete, the rooms were not satisfactory....all of these statements prepared the Luxxe owner, who made these statements, for another bad experience. They were convinced it would take Grupo Vidanta a year before all the kinks were worked out.
Not so, from what we hear. Evidently, staying at the Luxxe is all that was promised.
We will let you know first hand in November during our first trip and stay at the Luxxe.
In the meantime, we hope everyone who is there has a great experience and is happy with their purchase. We certainly are.
April 21, 2010
Silverlight...ever hear of Silverlight? Well, we have just been introduced and it is definitely "sweet", to borrow a term from our son's world (they are really hip at 35 and 41). Yes, "sweet" truly describes what Darrin introduced us to.Oh, we forgot to mention that Darrin is in Nuevo Vallarta staying in a Luxxe and taking photos. He sent us three for a "warm up" as he gets used to this process.
Take a look. As the viewer, you can rotate, move in and out, and pan almost 270 degrees.
Darrin asked us the wrong thing..."are there any photos you would like us to take?"
Yes, you know the answer to that one....."everything".
Well, not really, we asked for a few items.
Darrin, you have already gone over the top, so anything else we receive will be gravy. Thank you Darrin and family!
April 18, 2010
Given that we like to track things, we thought it would be fun to track the progress of the Luxxe Tower construction projects at Nuevo Vallarta and Riviera Maya. Of course, we must rely upon our viewers to help since we do not have the time or enough weeks or the reservations to move from one place to the other on a monthly basis. We would be happy to do so, but, well, you know....time, money, space, family, work.....Anyway, we have started a Grand Luxxe III Construction page. The pad and re bar are in place. Cement to follow. We will do the same for the Riviera Maya Luxxe construction projects. In fact, we have seen that the pads for the third and fourth buildings are in place or soon will be. Follow the Nuevo construction projects by clicking here. Stay tuned for the Riviera Maya page.
We would love to post photos of work in process if you would like to send them in to [email protected]. We will try to post them as quickly as possible. Thank you all for your support.
April 14, 2010
Bruce and Sherrie are having a great time at the Nuevo Vallarta Grand Luxxe and staying in touch with us all. They finally made it to the pool area and took some great photos of the pool area. Coffee in the morning and pool side the rest of the day. What fun Check their photos out at Owners Corner. Thanks Bruce and Sherrie.April 13, 2010
Well, we are all jealous...Bruce and Sherrie have just arrived at the Nuevo Vallarta Grand Luxxe Villa to spend a week in their new surroundings. To celebrate, they sent us photos for everyone to see.Lots of construction going on...still. The new pad is filled with re bar and anchors for the supports have been formed. As others have said, it will be fun to see Tower III grow over the next 6 to 8 months.
Thanks Bruce and Sherrie for thinking of us.
April 8, 2010
Frank and Sean have provided us with great photos of the Nuevo property. Different perspectives, coming from similar venues. Very interesting, indeed. You can connect with them through the Owners Corner.April 5, 2010
During the past several months, we have received emails from owners, who either felt misled or were actually lied to by overly aggressive sales personnel. In these cases, long time owners have trusted their sale presenter, only to find that the presenter stretched the truth to the extent that the result looked like a lie.We originally formed this website to educate, inform, and interact with owners and prospective owners of Grupo Vidanta rights to use ("timeshare") contracts. Over time, we have become a repository for comments of all kinds, some of which have described negative experiences.
In keeping with our goals, we feel compelled to provide space for educational experiences that are negative in nature . Yes, they are called COMPLAINTS.
Understand, we believe strongly in individual responsibility. Prospective buyers in sales presentations can simply say "no thank you" to all the changed offers from the presenter. No one makes us commit to contracts.
COMPLAINTS to us are instances where the presenter makes significant misrepresentations or misstates the facts in order to close the deal. Not good practices in our mind. We all will benefit from knowing about them.
April 3, 2010
Recently, we have received several very kind emails, one of which was a summary of viewer testimonials prepared and presented to us by Ross.Mary Ann and I are overwhelmed. We are grateful for and humbled by your comments. We love this project, which we started about a year and a half ago. You cannot know how pleased we are to know so many people like our "bloggy website". Never in our wildest dreams did we envision getting such wonderful encouragement from so many loyal viewers. We can't thank you all enough.
We are now back from our stay with family in Seattle and are delinquent posting the many wonderful photos comments fellow viewers have provided and are patiently waiting to see. No, we did not say hello to Linda, although we thought about it.
Much chatter on the Owners Forum is about Grupo Vidanta?s Luxxe offerings involving Certificate Weeks, Residence Weeks and Legacy Weeks. Several viewers have provided interesting comments about the value these new offerings are to them. You can see them in the Owners Corner.
These new offerings are upgrades. No question they are interesting concepts, but may not be for everyone.
Look closely at the language in the contract. If it does not say what you thought it would based upon the representations you received, work it out with the Grupo Vidanta Customer Service Representatives you know. They are there to help.
March 24, 2010
Is there a European flair in the air? We saw a question about the Mansions of the World in the Owners Forum and found this new website offered by Grupo Vidanta.Nothing is available about the future of this mystery brand. Suffice it to say, however, there are conversations about this new brand on the sales floor to those who qualify. We do not know what it takes to qualify, but the rumors are rampant.
Challenge: What did you find out? We would love to stay up with the changes that are and will take place within the Grupo Vidanta offering. John told us some time ago that there were permit issues that held up the project in Buenos Aires.
March 23, 2010
Golf is in the air! Dale sent us notice that the Niklaus Design web page has photos listed on it. Almost at the same time, Ross sent copies of the photos for us to post. On top of that, we have posted Brenda's great photos of the El Manglar course at Riviera Maya.Spring is in the air! Golf for many of us is just around the corner. For more, take a look at our Golf page.
March 20, 2010
Brenda and her husband were having a great time at the Riviera Maya playing golf and having a great time. They sent us some photos of the area, including shots of the golf course, which they love, and Grand Luxxe construction. Yes, there is a lot of activity that suggests the Grupo Vidanta is trying to complete construction of the Grand Luxxe buildings #1 and #2. Construction on Luxxe 3 and Luxxe 4 are moving forward. Finally, we gained some insight into the complexities of the new contracts offered by the Grupo Maya. You can read Brenda's comments and see her photos by checking out her comments at the Owners Corner. Thank you Brenda, great fun!::March 13, 2010
We have heard from GLJ, Brenda, Gordon, Ron and Thom. Photos, comments and updates. We have posted most, but we still have Thom's great photos to go.You all know what "Honey Dos" are, right?
Stay tuned......and thank you everyone.....
March 12, 2010
Charles and his family love the Grupo Vidanta Riviera Maya property too. They have been spending their vacations there for years. Check out their photos from November, 2007 at the Blog Riviera Maya page. Thanks Charles.March 10, 2010
Ron and his family are back.... We noted below that they are now staying at the Mayan Palace at Riviera Maya. Well, they have sent us new videos and photos for us to enjoy. Thanks Ron and family!What's great about this is we are now getting a better feel for the Riviera Maya property, which many viewers feel is more fun and attractive than the Nuevo Vallarta property.
Great fun to see the reasons for feeling one property is better than the other from different points of view. Great fun!
March 7, 2010
Bob and Christina sent us a number of photos of the Riviera Maya construction. They were taken from many different vantage points. Lots of fun for those of us who have not been to the Caribbean side of Mexico.Shortly after receiving Bob and Christina's photos, we heard from Ron. You will recall, Ron was in Nuevo Vallarta in January and provided us all with many great views of the construction and activities that were going on there. Ron is now in Riviera Maya. He was told by a guard whose job is to keep people from entering a particular construction area that the new buildings being built are Luxxe buildings. Ron has sent us photos of these buildings and some comments.
Gordon sent us a view of the Grand Bliss at Nuevo Vallarta and a view of the waves in the evening off the Punta Arena Seafood Patio. Thanks for thinking of us, Gordon. Great photos.
Last, but certainly not least, we heard from Charles. He sent us photos of the Mayan Palace at the Riviera Maya location that he took several years ago. We will be posting later today.
Thank you all for taking time to share with the rest of us.
March 4, 2010
By now, all should have received a notice from the Grand Luxxe Residence Club bringing to our attention incidents of unwanted solicitation of Grand Luxxe Residence Club members by organizations and individuals who pose as agents or affiliates of Grand Luxxe.To view the notice, please click here.
It is good to see the quick response to the issues members raised on the Owners Forum and we brought to the attention of Grupo Vidanta.
It is also good to have their written assurance that the organization has not referred or does not sell or transfer member information to outside parties.
March 3, 2010
During the last day or so, we have received new photos from the McClure family. They are ocean and beach lovers, have surfed on the West Coast and now love the Caribbean. In addition, they enjoy taking great photos of the Riviera Maya Mayan property and sharing them with us. Thanks again Bob and Christine.We have heard from other new friends as well. The Butterfield family has provided us with access to their photos and documents, which we think will be fun and enlightening.
Ross and his family have returned from their fun experience in their Luxxe Villa and left us with some final observations.
All in all, a very active first two days of March. Thank you all!
PS: Please be patient, as we have been a bit busy lately. We will post on Friday these and the other contributions we have recently received.
February 28, 2010
We are sitting here watching the closing ceremonies of the 2010 Olympics and want to acknowledge our Canadian friends for having put on a great Winter Olympic Games.It was a challenge for everyone. Changing weather, fast rinks and runs and uncooperative equipment. We are saddened by the unfortunate and heart breaking accident, which we will never forget. All that said, the 2010 Winter Olympics in Canada were spectacular.
Those of us who live south of the Canadian boarder are thrilled by the competition. Yes we lost the hockey match, but the pride and good sportsmanship presented by all in these games was wonderful.
Truly a unifying event, in our view. Congratulations to all who won and were skilled enough to participate!
As an aside and more related to the subject of Grand Luxxe Residence Club membership, please take a look at Julie's comments. Quite encouraging, to say the least!
February 23, 2010
Let's see, now, Bryan and Sean have sent us photos of San Jose del Cabo, Thom and Gloria have sent us photos of Riviera Maya and Ross and family have sent photos of the Luxxe I Tower at Nuevo Vallarta. All important additions because there is so much going on. We are all very lucky to have so many generous friends who want to share their vacations and resort updates with us. Truly a treat! Thank you all!February 19, 2010
Ever seen the Sanctuary?It is surrounded by the Grand Mayan Resort buildings at Riviera Maya. Talk about a peaceful looking area. We cannot imagine leaving the pool except to maybe cool off, in which case we might have to cause some ripples in the very calm waters.
Looks very "adult" doesn't it?
Thank you Gina Marie.
February 16, 2010
We are trying something new with Owners Corners.In an effort to make our pages more efficient, we are going to post Owners Comments on separate pages and provide links to those pages. Navigating through and finding information might become easier processes.
It is a wonderful thing, don't you think? All the terrific comments from everyone. They must be read and used to make our combined experience using our ownership a rewarding one.
February 15, 2010
We have received and posted more photos.
Mark just returned from his vacation at Nuevo Vallarta and was able to tour the Grand Luxxe I entrance and rooms. Dale received a photo of the swimming pools from one of his contacts within the Grupo Vidanta organization. Finally, we have posted the photos Linda shared with us, who received some wonderful photos from one of her friends. You can read more on the Current News Page.
We will apply labels to those photos that do not have labels applied. Our primary interest is to let everyone see for themselves the new Grand Luxxe facility.
Please note that we will accept photos from everyone, so please let us know if you have different angled shots that you would like to share with everyone. Thank you all for your continued participation.
February 12, 2010
Patience and confidence have paid off.The Grand Luxxe I Tower "Soft Opening" begins today.
Linda has sent us photos that she received from a fellow member who is in Nuevo as we speak and has authorized us to share them with everyone. You can see the first installment on Linda's Corner.
Needless to say, we are all very excited about the opening, the appearance of the resort and the opportunity to use the weeks we have all purchased! What fun!
February 7, 2010
Interesting storm, complete with water spout knocked down many of the new Palms that were planted. Marc is there as we speak and has been told the Luxxe "soft opening" will be postponed for another week or so. You can read his comments in the Owners Forum. Stay turned.February 1, 2010
Erik and Terri are in Nuevo and have sent us photos. Two are unique because they are from the ocean. Interesting vantage points and the water looks beautiful. Check them out. You can view their comments here and photos here.Also, Linda contributed her photos that she took on January 16, 2010. You can see her contributions by clicking on her Corner and her photos.
Finally, Ron provided almost a daily update while he was in Nuevo.
Thanks Erik and Terri, Linda, Ron, Scott, Kathi, Greg and Sue, Gina Marie and Bob and Helen and to everyone else for taking time out of your vacations to let us all stay up to date!
January 31, 2010
For those of you who are interested in such things, we have updated our Poll. We now have over 200 Grand Luxxe members who have participated in the poll. Also, now that we have expanded the questions to include owners of other Grupo Vidanta brands of resorts, their participation is increasing as well. Thank you all for participating. Our community is expanding.January 29, 2010
We heard from Ron this morning, after he took a look at all of his handy work for the first time. Mary Ann says Ron's wife has to be a saint, because of the amount of time and energy Ron has expended to keep us all informed and up dated. We really appreciate everything, Ron. Thank you from all of us.We also heard from Erik, who is at Nuevo Vallarta for the next week and will send photos as he can. Erik was told the Grand Luxxe "soft opening" was pushed off until February 5. You can read his post in Erik's Corner. Thank you Erik, we look forward to learning more when you do.
All of us are grateful for any time a member spends to send us updates. Keep it coming, and remember, there are other cities and resorts as well.
January 26, 2010
Ron has posted new videos and photos. Three new clips show the state of the Grand Luxxe I Tower just three days before the "soft opening" date. The place looks terrific.The beach at the southern end of the Grupo Vidanta property is being attacked by storm surge, high waves and high tides. The result seems to be a migration of sand, uprooting of palms and the destruction of the Merchant's Palapa. Check out his photos of not only changes to the beach, but also his video of the Grand Luxxe I Tower.
In the meantime, we have heard from a number of new members. Gina Marie has provided us with great photos of the Riviera Maya construction as well as the Grand Luxxe Villa models, Russ has provided his comments from Nuevo Vallarta and our fellow member solved his February 8 reservation request.
Activity is increasing as we all prepare for the 2010 travel season. Thanks to all for contributing, participating and viewing.
January 24, 2010
Ron has been providing us with updates on the progress at the Grand Luxxe I Tower. It appears the January 29 "soft opening" date will be achieved. See his comments on Ron's Corner and click here for his photos.Also, we received photos of the view from the Grand Luxxe I Tower 9th floor deck. They provide us all with a glimpse of the views we will see every time we vacation at the Grand Luxxe I Tower. We are looking forward to our next vacation for sure!
January 15, 2010
Natural disasters can hit us when we least expect. Just a reminder that we are all very lucky to have what we have and live where we live. The earthquakes in Haiti remind us that we are exposed to life changing events every day. The message we come away with is first make today the longest day or our lives, second do what we can to help in times of need and third enjoy what we have.January 12, 2010
Ron is in Nuevo Vallarta with his family and sent us photos of the progress there. The Luxxe Tower is beaming. The Grand Bliss is taking shape. And the Luxxe II tower is now about 8 floors high. You can see Ron's photos at Ron's Corner. He said he would try to show progress during his stay. He may be leaving at about the time of the Luxxe I Tower soft opening. Enjoy!January 9, 2010
New photos from Scott and Lindsay show the continuing work taking place on the Luxxe Tower. We were told January 29, 2010 is the objective for the "soft opening" date. Certainly there is much to do.One encouraging sign is the furniture is installed in the top floor units. People are clearing the glass railings. Pools are taking shape.
One other note: Scott and Lindsay provided some additional photos of the Luxxe models. Nice lighting. Enjoy!
January 1, 2010
Happy New Year! Two thousand and ten will be interesting to say the least. Luxxe opening in Nuevo Vallarta in April, maybe earlier. We were told Vidanta management is shooting for January 29 as the first date of occupancy. Grand Bliss in Nuevo Vallarta opening in Nuevo around November? Grand Bliss in Riviera Maya in late Spring (maybe June?). Luxxe Tower 2 in 2010? Grand Luxxe in Riviera Maya? Grand Bliss in Acapulco? Puerto Penasco?In our view, Vidanta Management would like nothing better than to have all new resorts open to honor the organization's commitments to its paying members. There will be openings in 2010.
To all of you who have followed us in our attempt to make more information available, we can only say we are humbled by your responses, participation and support. Thank you.