After 23 years making the annual vacation trip to Puerto Vallarta, we tried Nuevo and the Grand Mayan Resort from 11/2-11/9/12. ORIGINALLY we were booked into the Grand Bliss, but RCI (watchful as ever) contacted us to alert us re. heavy construction. RCI offered to move us to the Grand Mayan and we're really glad we did! Although the Bliss and the Luxe are the newer facilities, they are already doing some major remodeling to those two hotels...By Far the Grand Mayan was the BETTER OPTION. Per usual in Mexico, after a quick scan of our nice two bedroom, two bath unit we found that the refrigerator smelled (and wouldn't get cold) and the coffee maker was broken. A few quick calls to the conceige corrected those problems.
Our room was lovely, but did smell a bit musty...but we find this is pretty typical in Mexico and probably due to the climate.
A Few Other Tricks of the Trade and Info...
1. When booked at the Grand Mayan, call the resort and get a confirmation for FREE shuttle to the resort. This is a one-way only perk, but worth it! You'll pay for that return cab ride.
2. Don't forget that all important DAILY tip to your maid (camarara/criada). Our rule of thumb is $2.00 per person per day. We leave that along with a note of any additional requirements we may have, i.e., toallitas (washcloths). ALTHOUGH there was a packard that stated washing dishes would result in an additional charge to our room, we avoided such charges by tipping our maids...they did a great job and were happy to wash up our few dishes (we were on vacation you know and dishes aren't a part of my vacation!).
3. Bring $50-$100 in ones for maid tips, bathroom attendants, and for beach purchases. They come in handy...we also bring some $5. American money goes over well. (AND PEOPLE, please get a grip...when bargaining with the beach vendors you REALLY need to cut what they are requesting in 1/2 and then reduce it alittle more...you NEVER pay more than 1/2 of the asking price...otherwise just buy it up town, it will probably be cheaper!
Another STRANGE plackard in the room stated that FREE lockbox (safe boxes) were available in the lobby, but that you would be charged if you used the ones in the rooms. Again, we used the room lock boxes and never ended up with a charge? (maybe the tips??).
We PUT ASIDE the two bottles of water we found in the refrigerator and did not use them. In checking our final bill we found we were charged for them, but the charge was quickly removed when we advised we'd not used them. (When we arrived we immediately cabbed to the local Walmart and stocked up on beverages, a case of water and a few large jugs of water for coffee making and bathroom use...the water MAY BE FINE in the hotel, but we've always adhered to this practice for the sake of safety! We also picked up a few lunch items.
Remember, hotel tax is now charged daily and collected at the end of your stay at final check out. This is IN ADDITION to what you paid for your room. At the Mayan the tax ran 15.50 peso/day.
4. The Asian Restaurant was super...we actually didn't order any entrees, but rather got 4 hor d's and some drinks...very filling and tasty...the Green Dragon drink a little syrupy, but the Gong was super!
Our COMPLIMENTS TO THE GRAND MAYAN...when we checked in they gave us a letter stating we would have $300 US in food/beverage credit at their restaurants. AND, true to their word, what we charged to our room was applied to this credit...BUT, TIPS ARE NOT...if you receive such a complimentary gift, it is for food or beverages only...not the tips you leave.
The Grounds at the Grand Mayan are lush and beautiful. However, it is a 5 min. walk to the BEST pool (Infinity) that is between the Grand Bliss and the Luxe. It's a GREAT POOL and we found it never to be crowded, and no hassle over getting a lounge poolside. There are two side by side pools, one for kids and one for adult, a REAL PLUS. Wandering through the property is the "Lazy River"...with lots of tubes. It was fun to float it...and there is SUPPOSE to be a wave machine that runs every so often which would have made it more fun, but tried as we may, we never seemed to connect with that feature.
The Grand Mayan also had a great little piano bar with a local entainer who could both play the piano and the trumpet. He could do everything and was quite fun to listen and dance.
We were PRETTY DISAPPOINTED in Brio. The Mayan Spa...a massage was $160 US...We're used to paying 20-35 US in PV so NO MASSAGES this year....this will probably drive us BACK to Puerto Vallata next year rather than to Nuevo. That and the internet is NOT worth the price either...they want around $95 for the week, etc. so we skipped that luxury too.
It should be noted that MOST of the clientele at these resorts are OLDER...If you're looking to party hardy and want a lot of night life and action, then maybe Nuevo won't be your cup of tea. (We did cab into PV's Old Town one night however, just to shake it up a little, and were happy to find that Graham was still playing at the Blue Shrimp.)
We did attend a Fiesta one evening for 702 pesos per person...(about $65.00) It was a first for us and we're glad we did, but not something we'll do again. Entertainment and food just so-so.
A short cab ride from the hotel we dined one night a Prime 159 Steakhouse. It was fabulous! Filet Mignon with sides of asparagus, sauteed mushrooms, and a potato dish. Shared the sides and also ordered two Caesars that they served up in three orders for us...we could have split just one...it was a lot!
A short cab ride to the Banco Norte yielded 12.5 pesos to the dollar (good rate), and that bank is kind enough to make a copy of your passport for you (a requirement to exchange money at Mexican banks now). There was another bank in the same shopping center, but Banco Norte seemed to be the favorite and did the best job and gave decent rates. (We always make and bring a couple copies of our passports with us to save time....some banks won't make you a copy so safest idea.)
Bucerias is NOT a short walk from the Grand Mayan. I'd read other reviews saying it was a short walk if you stay in Nuevo, but NOT from the Mayan. We did cab up one night tho and visited some nice restaurants.
AGAIN compliments to the Mayan chain. On our departure day we left around 9 a.m. (had paid our bill the day before) and cabbed to the Mayan Palace at the Puerto Vallarta Marina and checked our luggage with the bell captain (we'd confirmed this would be OK with the conceige before we left the Grand). That allowed us to cab to Old Town in PV to shop and have lunch at PiPi's then back to claim our luggage at the Palace and off to the airport to catch our 4:15 p.m. flight home. It was a perfect trip.
OF COURSE...THE FINAL CAUTION...AVOID THE TIME SHARE PRESENTATIONS!!! One lady we spoke with down at the pool was telling us she's already sunk around 100K into the Mayan...I mean, really??? We have an aftermarket 2 red weeks that we picked up state-side years ago for 5K...and don't even have to pay maintenance if we don't use the weeks...THEY'VE BEEN WELL WORTH the 5K...but 100K??? AM THINKING NOT! Believe me, you WON'T get any timeshare deals in Mexico....if you're looking, check TimeShare Only or similar company stateside.
Room Tip: FORGET IT...Just be NICE when checking in...IF YOU DON'T OWN at a Mayan, you WON'T BE GETTIN...
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
