scubadu

Is it possible that the change occurred more recently than that?

Regards

boolean64

It was continental only in late november. Could be they switched back after feedback? or they only do continental during high redemption times, like holidays? or this poster just got lucky!

PrivatePilotDR40

I can't comment on if I was lucky, they did not make out like it was an exception or anything. Was asked the normal what would you like as a benefit, Breakfast or Points etc. The resort was at a reported 80% occupancy when I was there.

vtgambler

We're looking forward to spending six days here next week. It has been many, many years since I've been to Mexico and I've been told it's harder to use U.S. Dollars these days. We're planning on bringing some Pesos but it is appropriate to tip hotel staff in USD?

GarudaSoars

We visited St Regis (before October) and loved the property and the full breakfast. We would go again but would change our minds if we are not offered the full breakfast. If I am visiting a Cat 7/Cat 8 property for vacation as an Elite, I really expect a full breakfast.

spgplat21

USD is perfectly fine for tips. We try to use Pesos and there is an ATM on property that makes it easy to get out Pesos as needed, but we have tipped in USD on several occasions and the staff seems equally happy with either.

The issue/change is that businesses are not supposed to accept USD anymore, so all charges from the hotels and restaurants are in MXP now, whereas before they used to do everything in USD. So as long as you aren't planning on bringing a bunch of US cash to pay your folio, you shouldn't notice a difference (other than needing to do some math to figure out what everything costs).

scubadu

Well, be prepared to be disappointed going forward. I am beginning to see this happening more frequently. I suspect, just like resort fees, once some properties start making this change, others will begin to follow.

Regards

vtgambler

Perfect, thanks

jdrtravel

As I posted upthread a while ago, here is how tipping works there according to the bar tender we got to know:

On all bills (food, spa, etc) there will be a 10% service charge. This tip is split evenly between all non-management staff (gardners, valets, wait staff etc).

When you write in a tip in addition to the 10% (which you should do), that tip goes directly to the staff who have been serving you, and they count on this as part of their income.

So, think about cash tips for people who you won't get bills from like housekeeping, and then it's very easy to write in an additional 5-10% on all the bills.

Pufnstuf

Does anyone have the email address for the GM? Thanks.

vtgambler

We just returned from a great week at this resort so I thought I’d do a little review. We absolutely loved it and are already thinking about returning next year.

We booked a standard garden room using points at 85K per night plus the 5th night was free. This was lowest redemption rate I ever saw for any time period in January or February after watching it for a few months. About a month before arrival I sent an email inquiring about upgrades. Ocean View was ~$200 (including tax & fees), beach front ~$450 & suites starting at ~$700. These rates were significantly higher than the price differential for cash bookings at the time so I countered and got rejected. Upon check-in we got a complimentary upgrade to Ocean View (He specifically mentioned it was for my gold status).

The rooms are clean and spacious but I would agree they could use a “refresh”. There are probably a few too many cracks and spots for a hotel of this caliber. Having said that, it wouldn’t keep me from going back.

We found the service to be excellent. We’re pretty low maintenance but the butlers were certainly responsive when needed. We mostly just used them for dinner reservations and ice in the room. Service elsewhere in the resort was also very good. In fact we found the service to be good everywhere we went. It was a refreshing change from recent Caribbean vacations.

I thought I’d add our experience with transportation as it has come up quite a bit in this thread as well as on TripAdvisor. We debated renting a car or relying on cabs. I’m not the worldliest traveler so I haven’t driven much outside of the United States. I was a little reluctant to go the rental route after reading some of the comments. However our plan was to visit Sayulita and perhaps do some other exploring so we went ahead and got a rental car. My insurance company (USAA) recommended taking the additional insurance. We got a rate of about $200 for the week, including full coverage, through MEXcar. Found the driving to and from the airport to be no more challenging than any other metropolitan area. It’s basically straight shot on one road. We liked the resort and Punta Mita so much we never bothered to go anywhere else so renting didn’t save us much money in the end. The hotel had quoted us $240 roundtrip to the airport.

I’ll add that we walked to and from town several times including once after dark. It took us exactly 25 minutes at a brisk but comfortable pace. I’d probably skip the after-dinner walk next time. While we didn’t feel unsafe we encountered a slew of bats as well as a small herd of wild pigs. Cabs were readily available in town. It was 150 pesos each way.

wizzy

Just finished our 4th stay at the hotel.

• I can confirm that Elite breakfast is continental only, with a $15USD per person upgrade to full buffet. The continental can be done either where the waiter brings you a basket or you can choose to select from the cold options on the buffet. We only upgraded 1/5 days as we found the cold option to be very substantial. One oddity I found was on one day the smoked salmon was out, but on other days it was kept behind the counter at the omelet station. I didn't ask, but assumed that it wasn't part of the cold buffet based on that placement.
• It's great to see the same staff year after year, a good sign that it's a good place to work. We recognized both restaurant and pool staff; our butlers were new to us (we've been in a different building each time)
• We again used iMessage to communicate with the butlers. Very convenient, but there were times I was unsure if it was a human or bot sending out the "good morning" messages as we were asked questions we'd already answered a prior day.
• SNA's are getting harder to use here. The first two trips we received a one bedroom suite, on the third a jr suite was the best we could do, and nothing cleared this time (although I'd only requested a one bedroom as we didn't find the jr suite to be a big enough change to be worth it). We did receive a standard room with a great (sunset) view.
• It's remarkable how the feel of the resort can change over a few days. Our first 3 days the adult pool was very busy (but still relaxed), with most of the chairs occupied. Starting on day 4 the adult pool was a ghost town as groups of families on school break moved in and used the other two pools. The increased quiet was appreciated but we felt a reduction in service at the pool as staff was redistributed to other areas of the resort.

Too bad it's now a cat8 as this may have been our last stay, but then again, we love the place so won't be surprised if we make it back!

boolean64

We stayed next to the butler station and one day one of the butlers was standing outside and introduced himself. He said he was the guy who did the WhatsApp. So I guess there's one person managing the WhatsApp probably running a script and may have been a different person there different days despite you having the same actual butler...

Tanic

The hotel may have convinced guests that continental breakfast is their bonvOY amenity, but Marriott T&C state otherwise:

There are other references to "continental breakfast" in the T&Cs that refer to lounge closures, not welcome amenities.

goldtiger

This was the reply I got from my Amb:”Your welcome gift choice [at StR Punta Mita] is indeed either points or a continental breakfast. The buffet breakfast costs $45.00 USD per person.”

I'm checking in for 5 nights at the end of the week... SNAs still haven't cleared

Edit: I guess the $15 buy-up for breakfast makes sense, I don't think my Amb understood what the situation is and just told me the up-front/normal cost