Mexico on my mind... Need advice.

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

Jim, We have only been to Mexico twice but will definatly be going again, we love it there. The people are wonderful and we really enjoyed the 2 places were were at.
Both times we were there in November as we usually try to have a getaway in November each year.
2 years ago we were in Mazatlan, stayed at the Pueblo Bonito Emerald Bay. It is a fantastic timeshare. The units almost all have ocean views and the pools are great. It is out a bit from Maz proper but they run a shuttle from EB to their sister resort in town and it runs every hour up to about 11:00PM. From there you can catch a local bus of pulmenara(sp) to Golden Zone or to Old Mazatlan.
Last Nov we were at Grand Myan RM and that resort is also very nice. The units were super but no ocean views. The place is huge but has several restaurants. The beach is not swimmable there due to coral and rocks but you can catch a bus to Playa del Carmen and beaches there are great. The only thing that we were dissapointed in were the pools. They were huge and beautiful but were very cold although the ocean water was nice and warm.
I would recomment either place and would probably go back to either place again.

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

We had no problem getting a palapa with the bed every day. In fact we were able to choose which one we wanted. You rent them for $30.00 /day which is credited toward any food or beverages at the pool or Balche restaurant before 6:00 pm. They refunded 100% of the $300 rental we paid. They gave us 3 free days free rental as well. One note: you can order food poolside from the Balche restaurant menu as well as the poolside menu which gives you a much greater selection. Don't pay any attention to the prices on the menu as just about everything is cheaper than the menu price. The food is good and quite reasonable.

Though the resort is very large, we find it much more relaxing than the Grand Mayan - Nuevo Vallarta which is more compact. They have added a lot more dining options now. We ate at every restaurant as well as room service. You now have your choice of 4 different options for breakfast. There is the elaborate breakfast buffet at the El Lago as before except it is a little more expensive( ~$42.00 for 2 persons including tax and 15% gratuity ) now. A 15% gratuity is automatically added to all food and beverage service throughout the resort except at the Deli. Other breakfast options include an American breakfast buffet at the 19th hole which is very good ( made to order omelets etc. ) and quite reasonable at ~$27.00 for 2 people including everything. The Havana Moon is a new restaurant right on the beach that serves breakfast lunch and dinner. It is very reasonable and offers both full American and Mexican breakfasts from $6.00-9.00 each. And then there is room service which is also good and reasonable. They also have a Parillada on the beach every evening. It is very good and offers grilled meats, chicken, and fish as well as salads, vegetables etc.

We have changed our mind and now prefer the Grand Mayan - Riviera Mayan resort to the GM in Nuevo Vallarta. The service was absolutely outstanding. I am already requesting another 2 weeks for next spring.

Thank you for the updates, I booked our family trip for Feb 2010 to go back. Last time we went the resort was half done with only 2 places to eat. I am not sure if it is a good thing about paying for the outside beds but if you can get them by paying and not having to wake up at 5 am to get them, I would rather pay myself.

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

Thank you for the updates, I booked our family trip for Feb 2010 to go back. Last time we went the resort was half done with only 2 places to eat. I am not sure if it is a good thing about paying for the outside beds but if you can get them by paying and not having to wake up at 5 am to get them, I would rather pay myself.

You receive a credit for the palapa rental toward any food or beverages you purchase at the pool or the Balche restaurant. We received full credit for the $300.00 that they took off our bill when we checked out of the resort.

[taffy19 Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close taffy19]

That is a very fair deal. It makes people eat at their restaurants but in comfort and in the shade!