Timeshare ownership opportunities

[Sue9722 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Sue9722]

Hi there,
I am new to this forum and my husband and I are exploring the possibility of purchasing a timeshare in Mexico..Cancun area would be our first pick as the home resort.
There are so many to choose from that we don't even know where to begin. Mayan palace and the sister resorts, Grand Mayan, have come recommended.
If anyone could provide info on these resorts, good/bad and also suggestions on others to look at it would be appreciated.
Many thanks
Sue

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

Look at the Mayan Palace carefully-including the possibility of ever reselling it. Then take another look around for a few years. In the meantime, try rental packages from big discount travel outlets and see what the cost difference is. I owned in Cancun, Mexico and sold all of them several years ago. I will not buy there again.

[chriskre Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close chriskre]

Cancun is an easy exchange with other timeshares.
Even better would be renting a unit in Mexico.
I agree with Tony, I wouldn't own in Mexico either, almost all have a mandatory All Inclusive which makes them less than desirable to most exchangers.

[Glitter Brunello Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Glitter Brunello]

RUN. Then rent.

[SallyHoover Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close SallyHoover]

I am not going to be as negative about owning in Mexico as some others. There are a lot of happy owners there. If you want to go to Cancun 6 out 7 years maybe buying a TS there makes sense. I still recommend renting at a few different ones for the next few years and see if you like it enough to go almost every year. If you find one that you love do some serious research comparing the price to own (buy in plus ongoing MF's) vs renting or trading in using another TS (and all the associated costs that come along with exchanging). You will also need to know what perks you would be losing buying resale vs from developer (almost never a good idea unless you have several 10's of thousands just sitting around that you don't want) or renting.

While you are deciding which resort you like I would recommend skipping all sales/updates/tours and do your research online. Mexican timeshares are notoriously hard sell/fast talking/many hours/high pressure often alcohol infused affairs.

Good luck.

[bjones9942 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bjones9942]

Perhaps the timeshares in Cancun are primarily AI, but this is NOT the case on the pacific side. I own in Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta and you still have a big selection of resorts to pick from that are not mandatory AI (some have AI if you want the option as a choice).

A big selling point for me initially was that many of the timeshares in Mexico are right to use, not deeded. This means your contract has an end date. I'd look at the auctions on ebay and find something that fits your criteria. Then read every review you can find on that property (here, Tugbbs, rci, redweek, tripadvisor, ...). Do not buy from the developer.

Also, keep in mind that Mexican timeshares generally have lower trading power. If you're going to use the home resort, or if you buy into a development that trades with others in their group, then you don't have to worry about that. If you were going to join RCI or II and 'see the world', then I'd definitely buy someplace else and use that to trade into Mexico.

Make sure you've checked everything before buying - get an estoppel letter for the property from the seller, or enough information so you can confirm the details with the resort. If it's a fixed week/unit will that work for you? Is it beach front, beach view, garden view, or does it overlook a busy street? How are the onsite amenities? Is there ready transportation to other points of interest (el centro, tourist spots)?

I'm one of the happy owners that SallyHoover above mentioned. I love my Mazatlan timeshare. 2013 will be my first use on the PV unit, but I'm sure I'll love that one too.

Whatever you end up doing - enjoy!

[jaimefilho Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close jaimefilho]

Don't buy Mayan Palace time share.

I've bought a plan, and they promised a lot of things, but I never get none of them.

Right now I'm canceling the plan and they are denying to give back my money back, and I've never used 1 minute of their time share.

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

Try contacting PROFECO, the Mexican consumer protection agency. They may help, but don't expect immediate results. Avoid the con artists that tell you they can help.

[jaimefilho Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close jaimefilho]

This case against Mayan Palace (Vida Vacation Group) has been satisfactorily resolved

[Chap7 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Chap7]

That's great to hear. Can you give us some details so as to possibly help others in this situation?

[JWC Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close JWC]

That's great to hear. Can you give us some details so as to possibly help others in this situation?

I imagine that he has been told by Vida to not post anything about it.

I would never buy a timeshare in Mexico. It is just too easy to exchange there. We have exchanged into the Grand Mayans in both Nuevo Vallarta and Riviera Maya for 12 weeks. We have also exchanged into several other Mexican resorts in Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, and Cancun ( Royal Mayan ). We have always gone during prime time and were always able to get ocean front views at all of the resorts including the Grand Mayan Nuevo Vallarta. Oceanfront views does not apply to Grand Mayan Riviera Maya as there aren't any ocean views. Almost all of our exchanges were for 2 consecutive weeks and were done through SFX.

I will agree that the RTU does have some appeal as you don't need to worry about getting rid of it the same way as a deeded property.