In Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa, timeshares are a major part of tourism and the hotel industry. There are always a few sales guys walking the streets asking you to attend these presentations. They are very friendly, and they honestly don’t seem to care if you buy or not. I’m not sure their bosses would be thrilled with this attitude. They just want you to attend the timeshare presentation so they can get their 2,000 peso commission for bringing you to the table. My buddy Tony bought in to a timeshare, and he had no intention of doing so when he went to the meeting. The sales system must work! If you are interested in attending a presentation while visiting, here is some helpful information.
We agreed to listen to a sales pitch at Pacifica Grand in Zihuatanejo. Pacifica has a much bigger property in nearby Ixtapa as well, complete with a cable gondola car from the top of the resort to the beach. In exchange for attending the presentation we would receive breakfast and a 1,000 peso gift certificate good for food, drinks, or activities at either Pacifica Resort. If you want to barter and ask around, you can probably find someone that will give you 1,000 pesos cash to attend the meeting.
The short version of our experience is that we spent two hours eating breakfast and talking to 3 different people. They were all very friendly. On the way to the property we were “coached” on what to say. The salesman, Gilbert, that initially convinced us to listen to the sales pitch, said that we have to be staying at a hotel or vacation home in town and that our entire trip in Zihua couldn’t be more than 4 weeks. We also should say that we’re married, and we need to state that we make $85,000 or more per year. The only question that came up in our conversations at Pacifica was about our lodging. They wanted to know where we were staying, for how long, and what we were paying. The breakfast was really good. And the views of the Bay and Zihua were amazing the entire time. So for 2 hours you get transportation to and from Pacifica Resort, a breakfast worth about $30 USD, and about $50 USD in vouchers. Plus we had a few alcoholic drinks as they tried to close the deal. If you want to know how the timeshare works and what it costs, then please read on.
The longer version: We were picked up at our casa at 10am. It’s about a 15 minute ride, followed by a quick registration. We met Abel, who would be with us for most of our visit. He ate breakfast with us. It was a pretty good buffet style meal, including an omelet bar. I would classify the 30 minutes or so that we ate breakfast as a casual interview. As we finished breakfast Abel asked that we tip the wait staff, so I put down 50 pesos.
Afterwards Abel showed us the grounds as well as an example of the suites that they offer. The suite that they showed us was extremely nice with a great ocean and bay view along with two very very fancy full bathrooms. We walked through the suite with about 8 other tourists, or potential “suckers.” There is also a nice little kitchen and dining area as well as a big deck and soaking pool. The design of the room was great, as the 1 bedroom suites have a living space that converts to a second bedroom with 2 queen sized beds, and the 2 bedroom suites can convert to 3 bedrooms. Afterwards we went to what I would call the “closing room” where we were passed to Jorge. At this point it’s 11:30am. Abel insisted we have a drink, so I asked for a bloody mary, and Ali ended up drinking two mimosas.
Afterwards Abel showed us the grounds as well as an example of the suites that they offer. The suite that they showed us was extremely nice with a great ocean and bay view along with two very very fancy full bathrooms. We walked through the suite with about 8 other tourists, or potential “suckers.” There is also a nice little kitchen and dining area as well as a big deck and soaking pool. The design of the room was great, as the 1 bedroom suites have a living space that converts to a second bedroom with 2 queen sized beds, and the 2 bedroom suites can convert to 3 bedrooms. Afterwards we went to what I would call the “closing room” where we were passed to Jorge. At this point it’s 11:30am. Abel insisted we have a drink, so I asked for a bloody mary, and Ali ended up drinking two mimosas.
The costs to join: Pacifica has a partnership with RCI, another vacation ownership company. But unlike Wyndham, they don’t operate on a points system. You choose which season you want to visit for the next 25 years: Prime, High or Mild. Then you choose if you want a 1 or a 2 bedroom for the next 25 years. The one bedroom suites during Mild season are $20,000, up to $40,000 for Prime season. The two bedroom suites run $40,000 to $60,000. In exchange you get 2 weeks to use per year. The annual fee is about $1,320 for a one bedroom and $1,520 for a 2 bedroom per year.
So, after you agree that this isn’t too expensive, they show you the amazing offer that they can extend to you, if you are willing to commit on the spot. Here’s the deal for a one bedroom suite during Mild season. You can do the math for the other seasons and for one versus two bedroom.
One bedroom during Mild Season: One week per year at Pacifica and two other weeks (instead of one) at any other RCI properties during their “Mild season” per year for the next 30 years (instead of 25).
A discount of 30% on the purchase price. This works out to an up-front pay $2,430, and over the next 18 months you pay $667 per month.
Every year for 30 years you must pay $1,120 for the week at Pacifica, and $199 per week for boutique RCI properties, and $399 per week for the large RCI properties.
The minimum total investment is $60,000 over 30 years. This gives you 3 weeks per year at their vacation properties in a 1 bedroom suite. So for a little under $700 per week you can have a nice vacation. It doesn’t seem like a terrible deal, especially if you go in with another couple and you have a gameplan for who gets the nice room and who sleeps in the living room. For us, we don’t want to deal with having to figure out Prime and Mild seasons for when we book our stays, deal with the sales pitch every time we stay, and try to convince others to join in as well. 30 years is a long commitment. It was still interesting to hear their sales pitch, and we were not unhappy that we went. It’s not for us, but it may be for someone else, like my friend Tony, apparently!
The following Friday evening we went to the Pacifica Resort in Ixtapa for dinner. It was a good experience at El Faro Restaurant, located at the top of the resort, with great views of Ixtapa and the Pacific Ocean. Two meals and several drinks cost us 700 of our 1,000 peso gift certificate. We had to find our own transportation there (24 pesos each for a roundtrip bus ticket), and we put 140 pesos down as a tip, plus an additional 50 pesos for the gondola car operator. And we still have 300 pesos left over for lunch or drinks next time we’re in Ixtapa.
Final Verdict. You can get a good breakfast and a good dinner worth approximately 1500 pesos, plus potentially another lunch. It will cost you a couple hours of time, plus you should expect to pay out-of-pocket 300 to 550 pesos for transportation and tips.