Nuevo Vallarta Update - From Lindsa_M
April 26, 2014
Lindsa_M and his family just returned from Nuevo Vallarta and has shared his update and photos with all of us. The property continues to blossom and improve. Very interesting, indeed!Following are navigation links to paragraphs in his update and a link to his photos. Just tap the link and you will be taken to the paragraph.
April 20, 2014, Spring Break Update, Nuevo Vallarta
It's been 2 years since my last visit but viewing all the Aimfair pictures makes it seem like I'm there every month. With that said the place looks as beautiful as ever. Probably the three biggest changes is the visual wall of Grand Luxxe buildings that block the entire bay/mountain view if standing anywhere north of the Grand Luxxe buildings. I suppose growth has its downside.
Tower I and Bahia de Banderas
Another major change is the raised wooden walkways. They are far more interconnected and expansive than the pictures indicate. However if walking is a problem i.e., climbing stairs, wheelchair access etc., these walkways will be a significant challenge. My father had his knee replaced and he couldn't walk on them at all anywhere.
I personally think the walkways are a welcome addition (albeit more functional than visually appealing), but I can easily appreciate how others could consider them much more taxing. In general the walkways extend the overall distance to get to your destination and walking up steps is always required to get on and off the walkways.
The third major change is the central parking facility. Perhaps old news to some but it's an all new system since my last visit. It literally took me a week to appreciate how to best leverage the process from luggage drop off to daily car retrieval. It's a bit time-consuming, with the most critical part navigating your way to the pickup area via cart(s) or on foot. Even if you get a ride non-stop to the Santuario it's still more than a hundred yard walk to get to your car. I imagine that heavy rain would make this process much more uncomfortable.
(Return to top of the page.)
Great Tip for Families
I heard that kids under 11 years old eat for free at any restaurant that provides a kids menu. I tested this theory at Del Lago for Brunch and sure enough my 7 and 7 year old ate for free. The only catch is that you have to request it! If I unknowingly paid the $27 child's fee they would have never said anything. I suppose they assume a child is anyone over 11 years of age. This was a bit upsetting to me that I was never informed of this, but it turned out to be a phenomenal perk. I only wish I could receive a refund for all the times I paid for my kids to eat at the various NV restaurants over the years! I could have added a couple of more weeks to my contract.
Parking, Loading and Unloading at Nuevo Vallarta
(Return to top of the page.)
The Latest Sales Pitch for Loft Owners:
The sales update process has an all new management style and approach. As a Loft owner I'm basically at the end of the line for future upgrades. The woman who spoke to me is the "Specialty Products Expert", which includes the Lofts, Punta/Presidential and Tower 5 units. She told me that all of the specialty products are completely sold out. Just before I could ask her what she does for a living if everything is sold out she mentioned that a Punta unit just became available (hmmmm). She did notice that I managed to retain all my benefits along the way (Sr. Certificate, 16 Rounds of golf, free message etc.), and said that they no longer offer any of these benefits. Recognizing that I will never give these benefits up, she told me I need to buy into the Punta/Presidential Building "today" if I ever want to add more weeks to my contract and retain all my existing benefits. She claimed the recent availability of the Punta/Presidential unit was based on an owner selling their contract the prior week. I had no interest in doubling my weeks, nor buying into the presidential units so she was quick to say she was busy and essentially walked away.
(Return to top of the page.)
Tower 5:
I inquired about the disastrous incident that was reported that fatally/seriously injured a couple of construction workers. I assumed it may cause delays in construction of Tower 5 and the surrounding GL pool area.Of the 3-4 people that I asked, a couple responses were mere slight chuckles, followed by "I never heard that story", while others just shrugged their shoulders in total bewilderment. You can interpret those responses in many ways. I can say conclusively that they blocked off all entrances to the GL pool areas and Tower 5 from all directions, with tight security at all entrances and non-logical access points.
Tower 5
I did ask about the roof top pool on Tower 5 and it was confirmed that they do plan to build a rooftop pool only on Tower 5. The size, shape or use of the pool is totally uncertain, but she did say that Tower 5 will maintain an all new level of service. Allegedly there will be a full time maid, Tower 5 specific carts and their own gym. The size of the rooms will also be larger than originally planned spanning 6,750 sq ft per unit. If you take the golf cart to the new golf academy you get as close to Tower 5 as possible, without getting tracked down by security. Two things stand out 1) those rooms are huge, 2) the building is far away from everything, particularly the beach-front area. No confirmation of restaurants or pools located on the ground just for Tower 5 owners. It's also uncertain if the Loft owners will have access to the roof top pool. When I left they were completing the 9th floor of Tower 5, but I couldn't see any indication that a pool was being created. Since roof top pools tend to be smaller I'm not certain that allowing access to another 32 Loft units is ideal.
Tower 5 and SPA Pools
I'm not a Tower 5 owner, but I would cringe if dozens of wet kids were congesting the Tower 5 building going up and down the elevator to access the roof top pool. As mentioned by several owners they are remodelling the GL pools to accommodate more people. The plan is to add one more pool and expand the others (labor and supplies must really be cheap in Mexico).
SPA Pools
The general consensus is that Tower 5 will open by November next year. It's at least a year away from my perspective. However, since there are only 18 interior rooms to complete it may go faster.
(Return to top of the page.)
Building Across the River and Closer to the Airport (Celebration):
There is a big push to provide beach access to the other side of the Amica River south of the bird sanctuary. Supposedly the mud run-off is not present from that location making the beach water much clearer. Multiple bridges, walkways and cart paths are planned but no drawings exist as of yet. There is a 2 year time frame for completing this new "Beach Club) concept. No work has begun as of yet, but I was told that all city approvals have been satisfied. I should note that during low tide you can walk from the north side of the Punta building to the south side on "dry land". Someone more adventurous than me can now walk to the other side of the Amica River and see the beach for themselves. They made a point to mention that the walkway paths for the bird sanctuary will be tree top high so they don't disturb the natural environment.
The Celebration area (Public side of resort located closer to the airport) will have all the bells and whistles i.e., golf, water parks, equestrian area, hotels, gambling and a private area for GL owners. Allegedly a freeway exit and all guests will arrive at this location and be transported to their building via one of 4 (yes, four) trains. Your luggage will be transported underground separately to your room. The underground tunnels have already been built to accommodate many of the property supplies. There is a 5 year plan to complete all of this. There are plans to add more GL buildings on the other side of the river. It's uncertain how many but the demand for GL is so high that at least 4 more are expected. No Lofts or Spa units are planned. They did mention that the top floor units in these planned buildings across the river will be built for wealthy individuals that want accommodations up to 7,000 sqft. I didn't take the bait or ask any questions about these units.
(Return to top of the page.)
New Resort Concepts on the Board:
As far as future/current locations are concerned, they are still touting Punta Cana and East Cape in San Jose. Long gone are the days of pushing Hawaii, Costa Rica or Cuba. The owner probably does own property in these locations, as any billionaire easily could, but none have any plans for Grand Luxxe construction. East Cape and Punta Cana are both interesting and supposedly under development. Punta Cana is supposed to be a large sprawling resort similar to Nuevo Vallarta, whereas East Cape is a more mesmerizing locaton based on the East Cape plans the buildings are all Grand Luxxe or higher, and are built perpendicular to the cliff which is located about 70 feet above the shoreline. Hang on to your hats… A large 90 foot deep lake-like body of sea water will be built atop the cliff for swimming, alongside several pools, lazy rivers and various water activities. Starting from the cliffs edge and stretching back inland, the elevation will climb from 70 feet to nearly 600 feet in elevation. Ariel trams similar to the ones at Disneyland will transport owners from the cliffs edge back up to the highest point of the property. I was told that the views from all locations are breath-taking. I have a picture of the property layout taken from the sales office wall (see enclosed). Uncertain if Lofts, 4-Bdrm Residences or Spa units will be part of the plans. Similar to all the other properties the GL and GLVs will dominate the landscape. I would think a view from Google maps would be able to confirm some of these claims.
East Cape Plan
(Return to top of the page.)
The New Sales Office and Sales Approach:
The new sales office looks as nice. It's a miniature version of GL3 and GL4 buildings. The sales office is not complete on the inside but should be done by year end. The goal is to move all the sales accommodations from the underground (first floor) of the Santuario into this new sales office building. Considering the size and expense of this building Vida clearly expects to always have a sales continuum for the foreseeable future. My sales host informed me that they have replaced the commission based sales reps with new flat salary reps, only in NV. This change was made as an attempt to appear more professional for the type of clientele they now cater too. In short, gone are the days of hauling somebody from off the street to invest $7,000 over 3 years to buy into the Sea Garden, Mayan Palace or Grand Mayan (all defunct products at this point). Going forward only 4 week blocks of GL units will be sold at $400,000 with no benefits, which requires an all new approach and attitude. Sales will be more select, mostly by invite only. The plan is to invite qualified people to stay for a free week, enjoy full pampering and golf and then coax them into purchasing. The bottom floor of the Santuario will become a Brio Spa facility for the Grand Bliss, and provide more stores for all owners.
Specialty Products Reception Building - Located Between the Grand Bliss and the Grand Mayan
(Return to top of the page.)
The Specialty Products will be very limited or non-existent at other locations:
In the end it seems like the Grand Luxxe units are an amazing success for the company and will continue at all resorts as the main product. I doubt we will see many 2-bdrm Spa units going forward because they are smaller, sleep fewer people, and have an inferior kitchen to the 2 bedroom GL units. The Presidential is unique mostly due to its location at NV. Very few plans are designed around these specialty products at other properties beyond limited availability and gossip. The Loft units are another one-off that will experience very limited availability at other resort locations, if any. However, the Mansions of the World are still under consideration, but no real progress has been made. The goal is to begin/re-initiate construction for the MoTW after the bulk of the other locations are complete. I was told none of the MoTW will reside on a resort. They will be in re-modelled hotels located around the world.
SPA Tower 3 A and B
At the end of the day the GL and GLVs are the money makers and have the greatest demand. These units will continue in full force and dominate all future locations.
(Return to top of the page.)
The La Plaza is an absolute hoot:
Just walking around inside this place makes me feel warm and cozy. The food and prices are both high-end, which is a fair balance for most items. I must say they have a great butcher/meat station and chocolate counter which are fantastic. Aside from the Loft units, I'm not sure which units have ovens installed to actually cook all those great meat items i.e., whole leg of lamb, filet mignon, chicken etc. However, I don't remember ever seeing a BBQ pit anywhere on the property. Is there one? Based on my update I was told they are building a restaurant on the 3rd floor of La Plaza. It will most likely be a French restaurant.
La Plaza Meat Shop
The sales rep was unsure, but doesn't think it will be an Italian restaurant because it would be in direct competition with the other Italian restaurant in the Grand Mayan. I was also told that the top floor will be arranged to accommodate "Ball-Room Dancing". I was shocked to hear Ball Room dancing! The rep said the type of clientele being catered too these days (older owners) wants an alternative option to loud Rock n Roll music, and wild kids jumping around all night long.
La Plaza Chocolate Bar
All in all, I was told that there is nothing left for me to buy (aside from today's deal) and hinted that this should be my last sales update. Sort of a bitter-sweet assessment to be considered unworthy for a sales update considering my investment and level of involvement. However, it's refreshing to know that I will now enjoy my entire stay without spending the entire week clamouring through contracts, and negotiating my next upgrade. For the very first time I feel like I can walk into the light with a smile.
Sunset
Property View From the Bay
(Return to top of the page.)
Thank you Lindsa_m. What an update! The takeaway is the property is beautiful, La Plaza is getting sorted out, Tower V is looking at the first quarter of 2015 as an opening date, the final configuration of the building is still a mystery, the new sales strategy seems to be a lower profile one, and the company continues to say East Cape is under construction. And, there is much, much more!