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Cancun, Puntta Cana, other resorts


ComputerGuy

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A friend in Canada is looking to stay for a week at one of those fancy resorts that are so often advertised. He will be going it alone. There are SO many options, and so much PR BS, that it is really hard to find something. Has anyone on this Board checked any of these out?

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Probably a given person would never have a problem, just as the vast majority of expats in Mexico never have a problem, but many of them in the 2 areas you mention have had problems with adulterated "house" liquor in various degrees of severity. Met my wife at a Club Med on the island of Guadeloupe and that was almost 30 years ago. No problems for us on several subsequent visits. Great places for single people to meet other singles

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In this case, a non-drinker, and yes, I've heard of the various issues. But he's just looking for a relaxing place, with palm trees and a nice beach, and a fine hotel room. So, personal experience here is the ticket. For example, I've been to some AIO places and the constant noise from the dance and pool classes almost drove ME to drink. He's not looking for cheap, but he is also not a Rockefeller.

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Be wary of anything on the east coast of Mexico because of an overgrowth of Sargassum. It is a seaweed that is growing out of control in the warming waters and piling up on beaches. The smell of it and the gasses it produces, as it decays, are hazardous to human and pet health.

I have also found that the large resorts are very noisy and impersonal. He would probably be best suited to a B&B where he can converse at breakfast but spend the day in blissfully quiet surroundings... either on the beach or by the pool. San Pancho comes to mind immediately.

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5 hours ago, ComputerGuy said:

Very nice. However, I believe I did say not Rockefeller...

I think Nuevo Vallarta was a good recommendation in terms of location. It is less of a party scene than most Mexican resort zones, but still near a large city and with some price competition.

 

You did not mention an acceptable price range, so I don't know if this one fits, but I would recommend Occidental in Nuevo Vallarta. It's a beautiful property and less pricey than others.

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I am not sure what an acceptable price range is, although he was looking at places around $1,800 for a week. The places on that link to Vallarta started at $650 US per  night. That is Rockefeller price to poor little ol' him.

Anyway, I really don't care. I am only asking for personal experience references, any price range to start. So far, have received none.

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You also haven't stated whether he's rethinking the east coast or why he was even thinking of the east coast as opposed to the west coast. Flight connections? Never been or what? Meals included? Breakfast only? Cook only? Dine out only?

Way too many variables in play here to make any suggestions. What does a "fancy" resort mean to your friend?

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This is the site I used when wanting to stay at a "fancy" resort in Mexico. It requires bidding and, depending, on the time of year, there are bargains to be had. We stayed at the Mayan Palace in Nuevo Vallarta for TWENTY-THREE DOLLARS A WEEK when it was my 50th birthday. Stayed two weeks and wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Also stayed in Mazatlan at another big resort another year (Hubby's 60th) for 47 dollars a week.

http://www.skyauction.com/vacation/mexico

 

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The Garza Blanca resort just south of Puerto Vallarta sounds ideal, but I don't know what they charge these days. You can check out their reviews on Trip Advisor Puerto Vallarta Forum. Adulterated alchol is a red herring, the autoposies on the Dominican Republic showed no signs of methanol in the bodies. Methanol is nasty smelling, and imagine very bad tasting. It makes up less than 2% of the distillate stream and is always thrown away. Sometime, cheapo bartenders add charcoal filtered cane alcohol to give their drink an extra kick.

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1 hour ago, Ferret said:

You also haven't stated whether he's rethinking the east coast or why he was even thinking of the east coast as opposed to the west coast. Flight connections? Never been or what? Meals included? Breakfast only? Cook only? Dine out only?

Way too many variables in play here to make any suggestions. What does a "fancy" resort mean to your friend?

Not true, not at all. He doesn't care. He's looking for personal experiences, like he would a friend. He and I I also don't care about meals, car rentals, Friday night movies, a private airport, or any other damn thing, east coast, west, whatever.

"a week at one of those fancy resorts that are so often advertised". This is not difficult, unless you've never seen a commercial like that.

Finally, personal experiences, as in: " Has anyone on this Board checked any of these out?"

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I have stayed at Garza Blanca - but that was the first version - in 1974! It fell to ruins because the kids that inherited didn't want to live the resort hotelier life. The second version was nice, I don't know why it failed, or even if it did. The staff were very loyal. It is a tremendous natural location, especially if you don't like beach vendors shoving worthless crap in your face every five minutes. The third Garza Blanca was a major renovation to the second. There is private beach, cleaned well, and creek just a bit towards Puerto Vallarta. This is where we spread my father's ashes. It has always meant a lot to me and family. There - is that personal enough for you? If not, tell me whatever happened to  sweet Bianca, a local Vallarta girl who I dated way back then.

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23 hours ago, Ferret said:

This auction (Cozumel) ends at 3 pm this afternoon... current bid in this all inclusive resort is U.S. $55 per night. READ all the fine print including the WHEN and the additional charge for the site itself.

http://www.skyauction.com/action/offer/3201843

 

I personally love Cozumel. Relaxing, inexpensive, and if you scuba dive, it is outstanding. 

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On 10/26/2019 at 10:11 AM, ComputerGuy said:

I am not sure what an acceptable price range is, although he was looking at places around $1,800 for a week. The places on that link to Vallarta started at $650 US per  night. That is Rockefeller price to poor little ol' him.

Anyway, I really don't care. I am only asking for personal experience references, any price range to start. So far, have received none.

Just as well the beach/water at Nuevo  Vallarta is rather ugly. Cancun and Punta Cana both have fabulous beaches and beautiful resorts. At Cancun you can even find some that are quite a bit cheaper. Garza Blanca is so so. Cozumel is Okay. In Mexico both Holbox (no sargassum) and Isla Mujeras Are pretty special. Varadero in Cuba is special-fabulous beaches and not so crowded as Mexico.

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