It's been many years since I used my Marriott timeshare as Kaleb and I had been traveling to places where it wouldn't make sense to do so, like
cruising through Europe. I get a week to use every year; if I can't find the time, I would either deposit it into an exchange company (
Interval International, or II) to save for later, or donate it to charity.
This year, we decided to use one of the weeks I had deposited into II. I had read on
Timeshare Users Group forums that the
Grand Luxxe in Nuevo Vallarta was a popular destination, so our plan was to exchange into that property.
TIMESHARE EXCHANGE
When I was checking II's inventory, the Grand Luxxe Nuevo Vallarta was available as an instant exchange, so I traded our 1-bedroom week for a 1-bedroom there. If the dates or properties I wanted were not instantly available, I could always submit a request and II's software would continually search incoming deposits from other owners for a match.
Background: I own a yearly 2-bedroom week at the
Marriott Shadow Ridge Villages in Palm Desert. What's funny is that I have never stayed there or even seen the place! I saved tens of thousands of dollars buying it resale from a reputable eBay seller to use mainly for exchanging into more expensive
Marriott Vacation Club properties (in terms of initial buy-in and annual maintenance fees). For example, we've exchanged into the
Marriott Hawaii resorts many times, offering a great value. Sometimes I split the 2-bedroom into a 1-bedroom and a studio, since my floorplan has a "
lock-off" option. I can then exchange them separately for like or larger timeshare weeks, providing an even better value for one yearly maintenance fee. In short, if I pay $1500 a year for the 2-bedroom week, split it into two weeks (1-bedroom and studio) and trade them individually, each stay would cost $750, or ~$107/night, not including exchange fees. Strategies on how to best utilize timeshare weeks are widely discussed on the
Timeshare Users Group (TUG) forums. In the right situation, a family can save so much by owning a timeshare. I like timesharing because I enjoy having the extra space and a kitchen at a cost much less than a similar quality hotel room, and I prefer owning at major vacation clubs like Marriott because it's usually set up as a resort with amenities such as a large pool, beach access, ski-in/ski-out, and so forth, depending on the property.
Airbnb and
HomeAway/VRBO can also provide similar benefits (though probably at a higher cost per night), if timesharing is too restrictive for your needs. Or you can rent directly from owners through marketplaces like
Redweek.com.
FLIGHTS
This year is our last year of holding the
Southwest Airlines Companion Pass and we wanted to use it as much as possible. My flight to Puerto Vallarta was booked using Rapid Rewards points, and Kaleb was added as my companion, only paying taxes for his flight.
TRANSFERS
The Grand Luxxe offered a complimentary transfer from the airport to the resort; instructions on how to request it was included in the exchange confirmation. I visited the web page and submitted our flight details. For the return, I planned to take a taxi.
FOOD/ACTIVITIES
The Grand Luxxe is part of a larger resort complex managed by
Vidanta, including the Grand Bliss, Grand Mayan, and Mayan Palace. There were many restaurants and casual eateries on site, including a grocery store, so we didn't plan on going anywhere outside of the resort. I made OpenTable reservations for
Gong and
Azur as I had read decent reviews for both.
There was an option to purchase vouchers for breakfast and/or dinner, which was not widely advertised; I had to read about it on the TUG forums. Each booklet contained vouchers for 6 breakfasts or 6 dinners. I had read that people would buy one or both booklets and share the vouchers between 2 people for 3 breakfasts and 3 dinners "out" for the week's stay. The dinner voucher included appetizer, entree and dessert, with portions generous enough to take home for leftovers. After doing the math, the cost of the vouchers provided a savings over ordering breakfast or dinner items a-la-carte. It might have worked for us, but I didn't want to be tied down with needing to use them. We ended up going out for breakfast and dinner only twice anyway. Restaurant pricing was similar to going out back home in the US.
Now onto the trip...
On some Southwest planes, there is an exit row with only 2 seats, with the rest of the cabin in a 3x3 configuration. Kaleb and I love sitting there as we can go to the restroom without disturbing a third person. Since we purchased
Early Bird Check-In, we were able to board with the first A group, ensuring our choice of this pair of seats. (if the flight is only half-full, we skip these seats and try to get one of the rows in front of the exit to ourselves, as many people don't want to sit in a seat without recline)
We had a three hour layover in Los Angeles. Fortunately, Kaleb had two free passes to the
United Club from holding the
United Explorer credit card. Southwest flew into Terminal 1, but the lounge was in Terminal 7, so we boarded the inter-terminal shuttle to get there. This meant we had to go through security again, but since we had TSA Pre-Check, it was pretty quick. The United Club had improved its food selection since we were last here...fresh fruit!
Our flight to Puerto Vallarta departed from the Tom Bradley International Terminal; thankfully, one could walk from Terminal 7 to TBIT without leaving the secure area. It was about a 25 minute brisk walk, weaving up and down through each terminal and traversing underground walkways.
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| into the bowels of the airport |
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| history of aviation on the walls |
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We boarded early again and got the same pair of seats. There were more snacks available on this flight besides peanuts.
Upon landing, we went through customs and immigration, then exited through the shark tank of timeshare salespeople. The resort shuttle email confirmation included a warning to not to stop for anyone in this area and to head straight out the door. The salespeople were very aggressive, asking if we needed a ride to our resort and when we ignored them, they threatened that we were going the wrong way and would miss our ride. I can see how unsuspecting folks would fall for their spiel. It wasn't the first time we had seen this set-up as it also happens at the Cabo and Cancun airport.
We didn't immediately see the Grand Luxxe representative standing outside the exit doors, so I asked someone who looked official, and they pointed towards our left hand side. Walking down a bit, we found the rep, who asked our names, checked us off a clipboard, then led us to an unsigned white compact car. It took about 25 minutes to get to the resort. The bellman came over and remarked at how little we carried with us. It was funny to see our two small carry-ons sitting on a huge luggage cart. The bellman zipped and locked the cart cover, then gave us a claim check. A resort host escorted us down a long covered walkway towards check-in.
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| heading to the resort |
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| passenger drop off area |
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| waiting area |
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| covered walkway to the resort lobby |
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Surprisingly there weren't a lot of people waiting, even though we arrived at 5pm, the official check-in time. We did the necessary paperwork, received our room number and key wristbands (different colors indicated what type of guest you were - level of ownership, or an exchanger, or a paid guest), and were directed to sit on one of many benches of a non-operating open-air train, like the ones you see at an amusement park. The timeshare pitch was coming, for which I was prepared. We were offered a refreshing hibiscus beverage, then a lady came and sat across from us, asking if we would be interested in attending a free breakfast to listen to a presentation. I said we didn't plan on buying anything, so we didn't want to waste anyone's time. She continued to offer us free spa treatments, golf, excursions, but we continued to say no. She left for a few minutes and returned with her supervisor, who offered 10% off everything we charged to our room; we continued to stand our ground with "no". She remarked jokingly that we were very "tough" and relented, giving us her business card in case we changed our minds. In the end, the grilling only took 5 minutes.
I think since we didn't take them up on the presentation, we missed out on whatever was to come next, like being escorted to our building, or getting our wristbands keyed properly. We were just pointed in the direction of the walkway towards the Grand Luxxe towers and then left to our own devices. We found our room, but our wristbands didn't open the door. We located the concierge on our floor, who was able to key our wristbands. When we entered our suite, I wasn't sure what we would find, as I had read about a timeshare pressure tactic to offer a "better room" if we chose to attend the presentation, which they didn't try with us. Despite our suite being on the ground floor, we had a nice view of the well-manicured landscape, and was far enough away from the noise of new construction.
Note: the wristbands were not supposed to come off, but since they weren't put on too tightly, we were able to shimmy in and out of them. It was nice to take a shower/sleep without it.
The
1-bedroom suite had plenty of space for the two of us, including a half-bath in the living room. The kitchen was well-equipped, but no oven. The master bath was luxurious - I loved having a rain shower. We also had our own plunge pool outside, though it was not heated. According to their website, this suite would cost $1580/night USD. Even with a more down-to-earth cost of $300/night, trading my lock-off Marriott week for the Grand Luxxe was a great value.
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| Grand Luxxe buildings 2 and 3 |
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| wristband indicating Grand Luxxe exchanger |
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| large living area (door to the right is the lockoff to a studio villa) |
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| useful appliances |
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| lots of dishes |
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| pay-per-cup Nespresso |
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| separate bedroom with king bed |
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| spacious bathroom with jacuzzi tub |
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| included bath amenities |
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| organic toiletries |
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| huge shower |
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| separate half-bath in the living area |
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| our own plunge pool |
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| view out of our patio |
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After settling in and getting our bags delivered to the room, we walked to
La Plaza within the resort, featuring shopping and eateries, fronted by a large lake. If you didn't want to walk, you could wait for a cart to pick you up from the building's lobby. It was interesting that the resort purposefully built paths for the carts, and installed raised wooden walkways for pedestrians, so the two would rarely meet - great for safety, especially at night. The only time we ever ran into a cart was along a wide path next to the beach behind the resort. Kaleb and I walked everywhere on property; the only time we used the cart was when we checked out.
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| walkway into La Plaza |
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| juice and frozen yogurt |
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| desserts almost too pretty to eat |
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| sweets galore |
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| fresh baked goods |
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We had supper at
Sweet Paris. The crepe batter was a bit thick, but not a bad meal for the price and included a wonderful view, which we couldn't enjoy for too long as mosquitoes started attacking when the sun went down.
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| prosciutto crepe |
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| nutella with strawberries |
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After dinner, we went downstairs to La Alacena to buy groceries. Of course, the prices were higher than what you'd find in town, but for the convenience, we didn't mind.
When we returned to the room, we found it had been turned down along with a little something sweet to enjoy. The chocolate was from the house-made sweets shop in La Plaza, Costa de Cacao. Turn-down happened every night (that we didn't put out the do-not-disturb sign).
Our first day is over...stay tuned for more details on the rest of the week...
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Another disclaimer: The intention of this blog was to remind Future Me in full detail about where I went and what I did. I could have made it private, but I frequently get questions from family, friends and internet folks about how I planned things, got deals, etc., so instead of repeating the story over and over, I direct them here. If you are offended by anything I say or do, save yourself the discomfort and kindly click away from my blog. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!
