Aimfair Home Page

August 27, 2012

Ways to interact on Aimfair are expanding and changing. Registered and Subscribing Members can participate in our Cruise Idea poll at Aimfair Vacations News. At the end of August, we said we would summarize respondent's opinions and share them with you. We would love to see your ideas. The proposed trips are examples of ideas we came up with and are not meant to be exclusive, by any means.

Post Your Input Here

You will be interested to see our results. Certainly we are enjoying the feedback so far!

Thanks to those who have participated. Let your voices be heard....!

August 25, 2012

Those who have recently visited Puerto Vallarta know about improvements to the Malecon, the popular beach side walkway - art gallery - performing arts center for rock stacking, sand objects, mimes and musicians. What's interesting is we arrive after being away for months and maybe even years to find changes that have taken place.

Last year, there were a number of highly visible activities that took place in Puearto Vallarta. To put on its best face, the Federal, state and municipal governments pulled together to beautify the "strip". It is now terrific. Safe and beautiful.

We thought you would enjoy the following video produced by the Municipality of Puerto Vallarta and found on Elmer Hernandez's YouTube page.

Although the video is in Spanish, those of us who do not speak or understand Spanish very well will get the idea.

Enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/v/lc4PcVlvH3M?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0%22

See you in November....

August 18, 2012

We formed a travel website for Aimfair members called www.AimfairVacations.com, and we are excited to let you know!

This new win-win-win value proposition provides Aimfair members with a personal travel concierge; access to an experienced, well staffed, award winning travel agency and access to travel services and benefits designed for individuals, families traveling as a group, friends traveling as a group and Aimfair members traveling as a group.

Our travel partner, Vacation Discounters, Inc. is a true supporter of Aimfair and its members. In fact, our personal travel concierge is Maria DeMarco, who is not only a member of Aimfair, but also a member of the Grand Luxxe Residence Club. She understands both sides of our collective travel interests.

What does all this mean? Well,

1. First and foremost: We are not taking away from travel to Mexico and the resorts we love. Rather, we recognize our members travel to other places too. If they get savings on travel services that are unique to being a member of Aimfair, then all the better.
2. Booking travel and cruise services as a member of Aimfair and through Maria generate savings and benefits that are in addition to credits and savings already offered to non-Aimfair members.
3. Aimfair members qualify for Member Credits, based upon the amount of travel services purchased.
   • These are self directed discretionary credits, and can take the form of shipboard credits....or....cash. The form taken is at the discretion of the member booking the travel arrangements.
   • Aimfair members who have not already subscribed to Aimfair receive a subscription to Aimfair for one year.
   • Aimfair members who have already subscribed to Aimfair receive a subscription to Aimfair for one additional year.
4. We will periodically offer Aimfair Member cruises. Fun! Meet with other Aimfair members at the pool on a ship rather than at a resort.

Apropos to Item #4 above, we would love your help and input. Three cruises could be fun for an Aimfair group, and they are listed in Aimfair Vacations News. Rank them on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being lowest interest and 5 being highest interest.). What fun!!

Our goal to find ways to provide members of Aimfair unique value propositions is topmost in our minds. We are very excited that we can expose our members to such high standards of service and reap rewards for using these services. This is truly a win-win-win value proposition. Let us know your thoughts or questions by emailing us at infoaboutus@aimfair.com

We hope you agree!

July 31, 2012

It is not an encouraged practice....reserving a well placed lounge chair with a towel and a book, but it happens. Down to the pool we go, early in the morning, ready to soak up some of that beautiful sun and find the perfect spot. Grrrr! Someone beat you to the spot you had in mind....but that person is only fictitious. Yep, the reserving party is somewhere else, and only his or her towel and book are benefiting from the treasured spot. Plus, that practice is supposed to be banned by the hotel management team.

Sound familiar?

Well the practice is not an isolated one. It happens all over, even on beautiful cruise lines. In fact, Carnival is wrestling with the issue as we speak. Travel Weekly posted an article yesterday that discusses this very subject. You can read it here: Canival to police deck chair saving

It is unfortunate we have to be reminded management must "police" something as simple as deck chairs and chaise lounges, but that seems to be part of vacation living.

We have our own issues at the Punta, the pool in front of the Grand Luxxe and the Grand Mayan pool. It is not uncommon to enjoy your morning coffee on your deck as you welcome the warm morning sun, see towels and books already placed in popular spots.

Human nature? Competitive drive? Protecting what you feel is rightfully yours? First come first serve?

To the point....we are on vacation and want to be sure our place in the sun is protected in some way or another. Its a fine line....when is it OK to set up camp and when does the informal reservation system need monitoring? We are not alone, are we?

Have a nice day....

July 26, 2012

Travel Weekly posted an announcement stating that the Jack Nicklaus Academies of Golf location at Nayar Vidanta Golf Course is now open. Following is information you might find interesting:

• Jack Nicklaus Golf Academy opens at Grupo Vidanta Resort in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico - ETurboNews.com - July 19, 2012
  
  
• Jack Nicklaus Golf Academy Opens In Nuevo Vallarta - Travel Weekly - July 25, 2012
  
  
• Jack Nicklaus Golf Academies

The facility is located at the new driving range, which is located near the new entrance to the property at Las Jerretederas exit from Highway 200. This is in the same general area as the new Celebration complex, which is on the drawing boards.





Not sure if I can improve upon my game because I started so late in life. Maybe I can learn how to stay calm through my swing or maintain a consistent swing regardless of the club I use or improve my putting...you get the idea...I am a work in process that needs lots of help.

Jack Nicklaus Golf Academy...I need you...!!!

July 19, 2012

Exchanging weeks for use of facilities not related to a home base is a real value. However, discussions on this site and others highlight the difficulties one encounters when there is an imbalance in equivalency.

The Grand Luxxe Residence Club offers users wonderful experiences, which are hard to duplicate. In our view, one of the reasons for this difficulty is related to the maturation process of the industry. Wikipedia says the first to use shared ownership was the ski resort developer Hapimag, who started shared facilities ownership in the 1960's. The first in the US was Caribbean International Corp. out of Ft Lauderdale, Florida in 1974; the company offered a 25 year "Vacation License" rather than ownership. Just think about the way resort facilities have changed since 1974 and earlier.

A compounding factor is the economy. Grupo Vidanta began a building campaign in 2008 when it broke ground on new resort complexes at a time when other developers were pulling back. Consequently, the industry is full of rooms that are substantially smaller than the 2,300 to 3,000 square foot units that are offered by the Grand Luxxe Residence Club.

That is not to say other high-end facilities do not exist today in the industry. It is just the industry is changing rapidly in some ways and lagging in others. The Grand Luxxe Residence Club facilities are leading the way to new heights in luxury and offering memorable vacations at a time when other facilities are rapidly aging.

These are our views. What do you think? What experiences have you encountered? Our section called Exchange Companies is where we start this discussion. If you are a Subscribing Member, please feel free to share with us your experiences and thoughts. If you are not yet a Subscribing Member, please feel free to read what others have to say.

Its a changing world, and we, as Aimfair, feel duty bound to explore options to expand the value of our prepaid vacations.

Stay tuned...

June 21, 2012

The Summer Solstice is underway, and Grupo Vidanta has sent out its upgraded news letter. Quite nice and should be very informative. You can see it here: The Vida Vibe

There are many changes taking place at many of the Vidanta resorts. The challenge we all have is how do we keep up with them.

Grupo Vidanta has made enormous strides over the last few years, by expanding availability to information about their beautiful resorts. However, the company has to be very careful about what it can and cannot say. Legal issues abound.

Our efforts to stay in touch is from another direction. As a member sponsored website, we encourage discussions about what members see and hear as a way "of staying in touch with what's happening on the ground".

Both portals are viable and reliable. Our objective has always been to get as much information in front of fellow members as possible.

Clearly, from what we see going on at all the Grupo Vidanta resorts, there is much we will all be able to learn and share with each other in the coming years.

Bottom Line = Enjoy All You Have and Share What You Can....

June 21, 2012

Interesting isn't it? We are basically trusting by nature. We are taught innocent until proven guilty.

Charles Schultz created a number of characters, two of whom reenact an annual ritual, whereby Charlie Brown believes in the consummate psychiatrist, Lucy, at the beginning of each and every football season. This year, she will not take the ball away, and Charlie will fulfill his dream of kicking the perfect field goal.

Is there a lesson here?

This morning we received the following comment:

"I wish you would have posted this a day sooner. I researched this and nothing came up about Approved Property Management or Bellwhether Capital Group and unfortunely for me, I got scammed. All the paperwork looked good and sounded good promising it is all guarantee or my money back. Now no one answers the phone."

The "this" is information we posted about Approved Property Management and Bellwhether Capital.

Unfortunately, the ball was taken away....again, and our friend has landed on his back (figuratively, of course).

Two other companies are making the rounds. They are "based" in Houston, Texas. Investment Vacation Management and Grand Luxe Vacation Management offer guarantees and no up front fees. Sure, Lucy...do you think I'm going to fall for that again?

Remember...if its too good to be true, then it likely is not...

June 13, 2012

How did we know what we wanted to buy? We used a unit that was owned by someone else.

"Test Driving" a resort by renting a unit for a week is a great way to determine if you like an area, property, developer and facility.

There are number of ways to do this. If you already own a timeshare, a fractional interest in a property, a fractional interest in a group of properties, a second home outright and are a member of an exchange, you can test drive literally thousands of resorts.

Since you are reading this post, you are interested in Mexico and Grupo Vidanta properties. Also, you are interested in learning more about what's available from members of Aimfair.com, because they list their excess weeks in the section called Rentals and Sales.

What's available today? Examples in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico include the opportunity to Test Drive:

• a Presidential Villa in August or November or
  
  a Grand Luxxe Suite or
  
  
• a Grand Bliss or
  
  
• a Grand Mayan. These are all available now, or at least at one time they were.

If you have an interest in a specific time or resort or both, just send a note to us at Rentals@aimfair.com and we will try to find something for you.

Members of Aimfair.com stand ready as a trusted, reliable resource to allow you to Test Drive beautiful beach resorts in 7 major cities in Mexico. We hope your experience will be as enjoyable as ours was, and you will see the value of our offer to Test Drive our members' weeks to experience memorable vacations.

May 31, 2012

Just what are names for, anyway? To keep things clear, right?

Consider:

• Bellwether Capital Group, Inc.
• Bellwether Funding LLC
• Bellwether Capital Group

Simple enough, right?

Its just that one is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and engaged in providing financial services to its customers. This company is now called Bellwether Funding LLC and was Bellwether Capital Group, Inc. Bellwether Capital Group is now Bellwether Funding LLC in Milwaukee, WI

The other is engaged in financial services of a sort. This company is supposedly located in Indianapolis, Indiana and the Better Business Bureau confirms that the company is not at the address it says it is. Better Business Bureau cannot verify Bellwhether Capital Group in Indianapolis, IN.

Another data point to consider: Justanswer.com answers a question about selling timeshares through Approved Property Management and Bellwhether Capital Group in Indianapolis, IN.

To the point:

• Conduct your due diligence when dealing with companies wanting to buy your timeshare interests. It is very easy to check the names of companies in the Internet.
  
  
• Offers that are too good to be true...usually are.
  
  
• Fees that are to be paid by sellers outside of an escrow is highly unusual. Be very careful. Sellers usually pay all fees out of the proceeds of a sale.
  
  
• Escrows are agreements between two parties, managed by a trusted third party. Properties of all types and in all different locations can be sold, and escrows are set up to collect documents and money. It all gets exchanged in the offices of a neutral party, whose responsibility is to both parties to the transaction.

These are just a few thoughts that come to mind in view of offers to buy that are being discussed in many places.

Remember...no one can make you sign anything!

May 30, 2012

Glynis sent a notice today that reported Grupo Vidanta will co-sponsor an event with the Sea Turtle Conservancy to aid in the conservation of endangered sea turtles. The article appeared on March 31 on the PRNewswire and was distributed through the following link: Travelworldnews.com. The event takes place from June 21 through June 24 at the Riviera Maya location of Grupo Vidanta resorts. We would appreciate hearing from anyone attending this event.

Interestingly, on the West Coast, the beach Grupo Vidanta beach at Nuevo Vallarta has signs posted at the beach entrance that encourage people to not feed endangered species, report any that may be hurt and be respectful of them.

Thank you Glynis for bringing this to our attention.

May 26, 2012

Hurricane Bud caused some commotion, but has deteriorated to a Tropical Depression.

Initially thought to be heading for Puerto Vallarta, Bud has since been downgraded to a Tropical Depression and the heaviest of the rains are likely to hit Melaque, which is about 60 miles south of Puerto Vallarta.

News articles include the following:

• http://news.yahoo.com/hurricane-bud-roars-toward-mexican-coast-144444952.html
• http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/25/world/americas/mexico-hurricane/index.html
• http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=78094&src=nhrss
• http://www.usatoday.com/weather/hurricane/story/2012-05-24/Hurricane-Bud-weather-Mexico/55180230/1
• http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/tracking/ep201202.html

Please let us know if you capture and wish to share interesting images connected with the storm. Our email address is infoaboutus@aimfair.com.

May 23, 2012

Have you gotten your call yet? Don has, we have, members of TUG have.

A call came in an hour or so ago. The caller was from Global Partners Network and her name is Selena. The phone number is 416-628-8777 in Toronto, Canada. Interestingly, when we first tried to look the number up through a reverse directory, we found the phone number and location. When we tried again, perhaps 15 minutes later, the phone comes up an invalid phone number.

Selena said Global Partners Network has relations with Telcel and Telemex, two large telephone companies in Mexico. She says these two companies are buying timeshares that are located in Mexico and wanted to provide us with an offer to buy our timeshare.

FYI, the parent of Telcel and Telemex is America Movil, which is a Fortune 500 company controlled by Carlos Sims. We bring this up only to demonstrate the absurdity of the claim that these companies are interested in buying our timeshare. This teaser is similar to the one presented by Luxury Resort Services, which claimed to have a relationship with Cemex, Mexico's largest cement manufacturer. We called Cemex to confirm their interest and found the claim to be false.

Anyway, we bring these calls to your attention because the caller phishes for more information about you. How many units do you own, how large are they, where are they located, what your maintenance fee is, how long you have owned the unit(s), where you purchased your unit, what your address is, what your email address is, what your fax number is, and so on. When asked where she obtained our telephone number, she said from public records. When asked which public records they were, so we could take steps to purge them of our name, she could not tell us where the company found these public records.

BTW, there are several legitimate organizations called Global Partners Network. It is very common for scam companies to take the name or derivatives of the name of legitimate companies.

Don was contacted by a person who claimed to be connected with Approved Property Management. The office address provided in its website is a closed building in Chicago, which is for sale.

You get the point....be very careful. Guaranteed funding, high prices, no up front fees, quick closings, protection through escrows and other claims are very suspect. Remember...if it looks too good to be true, it is not likely to be true.

Enjoy using your resorts...your future vacations will be wonderful!

May 15, 2012

Lucky you if you are in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico for the next two weeks. Lucky, that is, if you like to eat and experiment with the many excellent restaurants that are located in the Puerto Vallarta and surrounding areas.

Since 2005, the period from May 15 to May 31 is a gastronomic festival. During this period, many of the participating restaurants offer three course meals with three options per course. Often times, the meals are unique to the festival and allow the chefs to offer their customers interesting dishes.

According to Virtual Vallarta, this year's list of participating restaurants include a total of 45 restaurants. Twelve will offer three course menus for $189 MXP, and the remaining will offer their meals for $299 MXP. These prices do not include drinks or taxes.

For a detailed listing of the restaurants that are participating in this year's festival and an overview of the meals, please visit Vallarta Restaurant Week.

If you do attend, share with us your experiences by posting your review on Restaurant Reviews. We would love to vicariously enjoy the Festival through your comments and photos, if you happen to take your phone or camera along. You can also email your comments and photos to infoaboutus@aimfair.com as well. We will do the posting on your behalf.

Enjoy...and share with us all...

May 9, 2012

Guess what....Jim and Gerry Skyped us this evening to up date us with their trip. Live chat on Aimfair.com? Well, not really!

They wanted us to know about their experience at the Riviera Maya property after the first three days of their vacation. We learned several new facts and were updated on facts we already knew about. The most important comment that came across loud and clear is they like Riviera Maya as much, and maybe even more than Nuevo Vallarta.

Here are highlights of their comments:

• Construction of Buildings Three and Four is suspended for the time being.
• Food and Restaurants are great.
• Transportation.
• Beaches are improving.

You can read their comments here: Jim and Gerry's Views of Riviera Maya

Thanks Jim and Gerry...

May 5, 2012

Independence Day in Mexico? No, that is September 16, the day in 1810 when the priest Miguel Hildalgo y Costilla ordered the arrest of Dolores' native Spaniards and later declared "Mexicanos, Viva Mexico!"

No, the Cinco de Mayo celebration is all about defeating the French at the Mexican forts of Loreto and Guadalupe in the state of Puebla. This hard fought battle is now called The Battle of Puebla in 1862. Cinco de Mayo is widely celebrated throughout the state of Puebla as the day Mexico defeated France in 1862.

In 1862, Napoleon III sent 6,500 well outfitted members of the French army to Mexico to collect debts owed to France by Mexico when Mexico decided to not pay its obligations. France was in an expansionist mode and decided to try to take over Mexico. Recall, Mexico had gained its independence from Spain in 1812. During this battle near Puebla in 1862, the French army was repelled by a passionate, but ill-equipped Mexican militia force that was estimated to be about 4,500 men.

The French forces landed in Veracruz and were intending to march the 600 miles to Mexico City. There, Napoleon III would instill his cousin, Archduke Maximilian of Austria as ruler of Mexico. At least that was the plan.

On their way to Mexico City, the French army encountered strong resistance near Puebla. The smaller band of Mexican militia was able to stop the French from proceeding to Mexico City. This victory is widely celebrated throughout the state of Puebla on May 5 each year.

Later in 1862, Napoleon III sent a larger force to accomplish what the smaller one could not. Thirty thousand more troops invaded Mexico. In 1864, the French were finally able to depose the Mexican army, take over Mexico City and install Maximilian as the ruler of Mexico.

The French rule was short lived. Maximilian was executed by the Mexicans in 1867 and local rule was restored.

Today, Cinco de Mayo is celebrated throughout the state of Puebla and in US cities with high populations of people with Mexican heritage. It has become a celebration of Mexican culture, food, music, beverage and customs unique to Mexico.

There are many sources of information about the origins of Cinco de Mayo. The source for our comments here can be found on http://www.mexonline.com/cinco-de-mayo.htm.

We intend to celebrate with friends this afternoon by sharing our own versions of enchiladas, fajitas, cerveza, margaritas and tequila. How about you?

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

April 14, 2012

What keeps us coming back?

Dave Osborne pretty much sums it up with his two most recent photos. He loves the views....





In a year and a half or maybe sooner, there will be pools where the river bends. There are foundations for a few of the features in place now. We understand this will become a centralized pool area for all members, their family members and guests of the Grand Luxxe Residence Club. The buildings that will have closest access to these pools will be the Grand Luxxe Tower IV A and B, since they are at the end of the current string of towers. Tower V will be located in this area as well, but we do not know exactly where yet.

Also, we hear there will be a roadway that runs along the river. There may even be walkways too. If true, this will become a popular way to access the beach and other features the property will offer.

BTW, we asked about access to the beach from the new pool area. The person we were talking with pointed toward the other branch of the Ameca River. Where the Bahia de Banderas and the Ameca River meet on the southern side of the Bird Sanctuary is the future location of the Beach Club.

Periodically, we receive emails from Aimfair guests that raise questions about the legitimacy of the programs offered by Grupo Vidanta. You know, the questions that we all have when we are asked to spend large sums of money on contracts that allow members to use the property. They are scary commitments, for sure. But the bet we have made is Grupo Vidanta is committed to making the Grand Luxxe Residence Club a Five Star Resort.

With that in mind, we look forward to seeing the plans we hear about become reality.

In the meantime, we will continue enjoying photos sent to us by Dave and other members who continue to share their experiences with us.

Thank you Dave and all who have contributed....

April 2, 2012

That sound we heard was the sound of a week that passed by so fast, we hardly hit the ground!

It was a busy week, to say the least. Here are topics of what we are going to publish in the coming weeks:

• Train Station - We have already published our report - May open during the summer months
• Grand Luxxe Tower IV A and B and Grand Luxxe Tower V - Projected opening date - late 2013
• Pool area at the bend of the Ameca River - Under construction
• Punta Pool Area Update - New fleet of waiter rides; no word on heating the pool; reserved sections for Owners of Presidential Villas is supposedly enforced when the area is crowded
• Golf Academy - Opens late April, early May
• Train - May be operating by late 2013
• Cirque du Soleil - April and May, 2014
• Greg Norman Golf Course - may start construction late 2012
• Call Center Tour
• Mansions of the World - Construction is underway....at least that's what we hear

New news to us: Grand Mayan and Mayan Palace equity will no longer be transferable to other brands. We do not know about the Grand Bliss. What this implies to us is equity in the Grand Mayan, Mayan Palace and Sea Garden remains within their respective brands. If true, this effectively closes a meaningful process whereby most Grand Luxxe owners acquired their interest in the Grand Luxxe Residence Club in the first place.

We are particularly familiar with this phenomenon because we owned a 3 BR Penthouse unit contract at Paradise Village. It was a great unit and we spent many years of enjoyment there.

But then our children got married. Then they started having children of their own. You know where this is going.....not enough space.

We asked to use our equity in our Penthouse unit toward a larger, free standing unit. Management denied our request. Consequently, we purchased a Grand Luxxe Villa, when it was described on a sheet of copy paper.

The Sister Resort Exchange was a major selling point for us, since we did not own a Grupo Mayan developed resort in the beginning. However, the fact that we could not use our equity in the Penthouse is the only reason we bought the Grand Luxxe in the first place. We had to start all over again, and it sounds as though owners of other Vidanta brands of resorts may be put in the same position as well, IF they have a need or interest in upgrading to the Grand Luxxe Residence Club.

Attending the Member Update is the only way to get true answers to questions about our options as owners. We did, which is where we heard about this new development.

More on all of these topics later. We plan to be here for a long time and are looking forward to the changes that are sure to take place in the future.

In the meantime....

March 28, 2012

Just returned from a terrific dinner at The Burger Custom Made at the Punta. It offers a number a number of tasty items, all the way up to Kobe Beef burgers. Our choice tonight was the bacon wrapped shrimp burger (We will get the name later.), and it was the greatest! Sharing the burger and spinach salad was all we needed to enjoy our dinner for two. Of course, desert was offered. For that we ordered two Irish Coffees, one decaf and one regular. These were very tasty!

We are four days into our seven day vacation and it has been active to say the least! Greg and Sue observed that we come to vacation and all we do is "work". Well, work is not really the operative word. We started Aimfair.com to provide a way for Grand Luxxe members to stay updated. It is a responsibility we are happy to assume.

Our "work" included walks all over the property and off. These are great fun! Visiting new restaurants on the property as well as offsite is educational because we get to meet the owners of these restaurants. Meeting new people, some of whom are Aimfair members and many who are not. Chance meetings with members of the Vidanta staff, including the Executive Chef, who is responsible for all Vidanta restaurants in Nuevo Vallarta and Puerto Vallarta.

We also enjoyed a visit the Call Center. This was a real treat and chance experience too. We will compile our notes and share them with everyone after we get them organized. Eye opening and very impressive, to say the least!

On Tuesday, we visited a Grand Luxxe Villa unit on the ninth floor of the Grand Luxxe Tower III. We saw this unit last November too. It is a great model unit because of the view and high deck ceilings and the colorful furnishings and upholstery. We are returning tomorrow to take photos to share.

Oh yes, we cannot forget to mention the ocean and Punta Pools. The ocean is about 75 degrees and the Punta Pools are a bit warmer. No, the Punta pools are not heated, as we reported in our recent post to Current News. However, more and more people are enjoying themselves in these beautiful pools. In fact, the swim up bars had customers too.

More to come.

March 24, 2012

After a one and a half hour delay due to inclement weather on the West Coast, we entered our Alaska Airlines plane and took off. Three and a half hours later, touch down. Into the airport, to the luggage round, to Miller Transportation, off to the Grand Luxxe and into our Jr. Villa for the week. We left rain behind to find sun, wind and warmth!

We were warmly greeted by the Miller Transportation representative at the airport, Estephan at the Grand Bliss, Christian at the Grand Luxxe and Katheryn and Cindy of the International Sales department. The ladies at the Reception Desk efficiently opened our account and sent us on our way.

It seemed the personnel were happy to see us. They all said "welcome home" to us. We felt welcome. The interior of the Grand Luxxe I Tower seemed warmer; the view from the Grand Luxxe Tower I lobby extended all the way through the Grand Luxxe Punta lobby to the ocean, giving us a feeling of openness; it was warm outside and we arrived.

Dinner....what would we do for dinner? A Chowhound review of the Grand Luxxe restaurants said the Punta Area Sea Food Restaurant was outstanding. We called at about 8 PM to inquire about space. Jaime, who was the Assistant Manager of Havana Moon, was the Manager of Gong, was the Supervisor of Housekeeping and, to our surprise, is now the Manager of the Punta Arena Seafood Restaurant, answered the phone and recognized us. "Of course we have space, Mr. Jones. Your table is waiting." Wow, what a great surprise!

We arrive and our waiter is Dario. He served us at the Havana Moon in 2009, along with Jaime. He recognized us and welcomed us home. What fun! And, our lettuce wrap and Red Snapper stuffed with vegetables was great. We finished with char broiled fresh pineapple, topped with coconut ice cream, strawberries, raspberries and a delicate honey sauce. Wow!

On our way back to our unit, we wandered throughout the Punta pools. Wow! We were blown away. The lobby area, the beach facilities, and the pools were all beautiful. What a place to stay! Yes, the water was cool, but not cold.

That's it for the first seven hours of our vacation. Stay tuned....we are about to have a great week in a fabulous place!