Here are a couple of comments that were posted on TripAdvisor from a couple of people who have stayed at Blue Seas within the past several weeks:
I just stayed there and it was a strange experience. The website was very misleading since this is not a gay hotel! The "club" they have created is gay friendly but they mostly just want your money. Every time you turn around they try to hit you with time-share sales. The pool is tiny and green with algae slime. It was gross and we won't be staying at this hotel again.
and:
To prevent confusion based on the last post, Blue Seas is NOT a hotel. If anyone is thinking of booking thinking this locale is similar to the mega resorts of Nuevo or the hotel zone you'll be sorely disappointed.
It's a condo complex (now in its umpteenth ownership and name change...I feel for original purchasers, you guys have seriously gotten screwed over!). A condo complex that has some amenities but they are smaller than an actual hotel.
Let's not confuse people any more than they already are about this place. And yes, they are avaricious about the timeshare selling right now so be careful...they're rivaling Mayan Palace, it's that bad.
I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and depends upon whether you are actually staying at Blue Seas or just visiting the Beach Club or Restaurant.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Another Favorable Comment
Again, in an effort to be fair I will post comments about Blue Seas that are favorable. And, until I get down there to see for myself what is going on I will refrain from posting too many of my personal opinions.
Mr. Beck, who owns and edits a restaurant guide, had this to say:
This 'new' resort is mixed and very comfortable for people of all walks. The lounges on the beach are top notch as is the attentive service!
I am looking forward to getting to Puerto Vallarta. Won't be long now, just a little over two weeks.
Mr. Beck, who owns and edits a restaurant guide, had this to say:
This 'new' resort is mixed and very comfortable for people of all walks. The lounges on the beach are top notch as is the attentive service!
I am looking forward to getting to Puerto Vallarta. Won't be long now, just a little over two weeks.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Truth In Advertising???
I just visited this website:
This was the picture they had posted for the pool at Blue Seas:
Now unless Blue Seas has done some pretty dramatic landscaping and have installed a significantly larger pool in the last week or so, these pictures are nothing like the pool you will actually find.
This Is What It Really Looks Like
Not quite the same, and this is a somewhat flattering view. That kind of horseshoe shaped thing at the end is the Jacuzzi that they advertise. There are some jets that, theoretically at least, could blow out streams of water. I have never actually seen it work though. When prospective timeshare purchasers ask about it they are told that it is just shut down for the day for maintenance.
To be honest, the above picture is the one from the actual Blue Seas website. The other is from a website that will book you rooms at the Blue Seas. They do say, however, that the accuracy of the pictures is the responsibility of the resort.
This was the picture they had posted for the pool at Blue Seas:
Now unless Blue Seas has done some pretty dramatic landscaping and have installed a significantly larger pool in the last week or so, these pictures are nothing like the pool you will actually find.
This Is What It Really Looks Like
Not quite the same, and this is a somewhat flattering view. That kind of horseshoe shaped thing at the end is the Jacuzzi that they advertise. There are some jets that, theoretically at least, could blow out streams of water. I have never actually seen it work though. When prospective timeshare purchasers ask about it they are told that it is just shut down for the day for maintenance.
To be honest, the above picture is the one from the actual Blue Seas website. The other is from a website that will book you rooms at the Blue Seas. They do say, however, that the accuracy of the pictures is the responsibility of the resort.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
In The Spirit Of Fairness
Most of my comments on this blog have tended towards the negative, for a variety of reasons. Primarily is that over the years those of us who bought fractions at Playa del Sol have had certain things systematically changed on us, and not for the better.
First and foremost was the questionable changing of the by-laws to permit timeshares and timeshare sales on the premises. Secondly, not providing certain amenities that were promised to us, the Private Beach Club being one of them. And, of course, the changing of the name to Blue Seas and the repositioning as "Puerto Vallarta's newest and hottest gay resort."
But, to be fair, I did receive an email from someone who posted a comment on my previous blog. This individual spends time in both San Francisco and Puerto Vallarta and is the owner and publisher of a restaurant guide. He made the following observations:
I enjoy the Blue Seas. The open air bar seating is great, brisas and service. Inside is A/C, great when we partied in October. Have not dined there as they were still remodeling the old pirate into a full kitchen. Quite pretty a month ago.
I have my condo and no association with Blue Seas but have been treated so very well by the owners and managers that they gave me a lifetime member card.
So there you go. I look forward to getting down there at the end of the month and seeing for myself just what is going on.
First and foremost was the questionable changing of the by-laws to permit timeshares and timeshare sales on the premises. Secondly, not providing certain amenities that were promised to us, the Private Beach Club being one of them. And, of course, the changing of the name to Blue Seas and the repositioning as "Puerto Vallarta's newest and hottest gay resort."
But, to be fair, I did receive an email from someone who posted a comment on my previous blog. This individual spends time in both San Francisco and Puerto Vallarta and is the owner and publisher of a restaurant guide. He made the following observations:
I enjoy the Blue Seas. The open air bar seating is great, brisas and service. Inside is A/C, great when we partied in October. Have not dined there as they were still remodeling the old pirate into a full kitchen. Quite pretty a month ago.
I have my condo and no association with Blue Seas but have been treated so very well by the owners and managers that they gave me a lifetime member card.
So there you go. I look forward to getting down there at the end of the month and seeing for myself just what is going on.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Sage Advice?
Normally I wouldn't post someone's comments, but in this case I will make an exception.
The person making the comments, Hazen S. Colbert, lives in Mexico and Canada. He is Managing Director of HSC Financial (Canada) Inc., and its Mexican subsidiary, HSC & Associates. Mr. Hazen holds an MBA in Finance. His articles, opinions and commentary have appeared in The Globe & Mail, The Puerta Vallarta Tribune, NOW Magazine and others. He has been a contributor to The Canadian Press.
Although Mr. Hazen says Playa del Sol Costa Sur in his comments, he was actually talking about Playa del Sol Condominiums, the original Playa del Sol located on Los Muertos, also known as Playa del Sol Centro, and which is now Blue Seas. Mr. Hazen has verified to me that this is what he meant so I have changed the wording of his comments here to reflect that.
Playa del Sol Costa Sur, formerly Costa Vida, was a later addition to the Playa del Sol holdings which now include Playa del Sol Grande and Playa del Sol Los Cabos. As followers of this blog know, Mr. Molinaro just recently split Playa del Sol Condominiums from the larger group and renamed it Blue Seas. Whether this was done legally or not is still an open issue.
The Playa del Sol Condominiums is one of most bizzare legal arrangements I have ever seen in my business life. What people refer to as "fractionals" are not legal fractionals as we refer to them in Canada and the US. They are actually more like timeshares even though they are refered to as 'fractionals'. The original developer does have the legal right to make changes to "his" fractional and timeshare based real estate by changing the by-laws LEGALLY (if he can create quorum he can do it with limited support by the owners, but quorum requires rules and he didn't follow the rules), but I am mystified as to how he can rebrand the condo owners real estate, including the exclusive use common elements, under a new name. That requires more than just a change to the by-laws, it requires a change in the escritorio, and no change has occured. In addition, the developer appears to have transfered some condo common elements out of the Playa de Sol Condominiums legal structure to a new legal structure, something that is simply impossible to do because the developer does not have title to the original common elements, only the condo owners have such title.
As for the beach club, legally there is no private beach club. There may be a federal concession but that only refers to the actual business of operating the club, not allowing use of the beach. Anyone can occupy the beach using their own chairs, umbrellas etc. As for a federal concession, who owns it? First right of refusal has to go to the "owner" of the abutting property, whoever that might be.
This is going to be a long, drawn out battle. I think I would just sell out.
Well, selling out is not really an option I would like to pursue, but Mr. Hazen certainly does raise some interesting points and I appreciate him taking the time to make a comment on my blog.
The person making the comments, Hazen S. Colbert, lives in Mexico and Canada. He is Managing Director of HSC Financial (Canada) Inc., and its Mexican subsidiary, HSC & Associates. Mr. Hazen holds an MBA in Finance. His articles, opinions and commentary have appeared in The Globe & Mail, The Puerta Vallarta Tribune, NOW Magazine and others. He has been a contributor to The Canadian Press.
Although Mr. Hazen says Playa del Sol Costa Sur in his comments, he was actually talking about Playa del Sol Condominiums, the original Playa del Sol located on Los Muertos, also known as Playa del Sol Centro, and which is now Blue Seas. Mr. Hazen has verified to me that this is what he meant so I have changed the wording of his comments here to reflect that.
Playa del Sol Costa Sur, formerly Costa Vida, was a later addition to the Playa del Sol holdings which now include Playa del Sol Grande and Playa del Sol Los Cabos. As followers of this blog know, Mr. Molinaro just recently split Playa del Sol Condominiums from the larger group and renamed it Blue Seas. Whether this was done legally or not is still an open issue.
The Playa del Sol Condominiums is one of most bizzare legal arrangements I have ever seen in my business life. What people refer to as "fractionals" are not legal fractionals as we refer to them in Canada and the US. They are actually more like timeshares even though they are refered to as 'fractionals'. The original developer does have the legal right to make changes to "his" fractional and timeshare based real estate by changing the by-laws LEGALLY (if he can create quorum he can do it with limited support by the owners, but quorum requires rules and he didn't follow the rules), but I am mystified as to how he can rebrand the condo owners real estate, including the exclusive use common elements, under a new name. That requires more than just a change to the by-laws, it requires a change in the escritorio, and no change has occured. In addition, the developer appears to have transfered some condo common elements out of the Playa de Sol Condominiums legal structure to a new legal structure, something that is simply impossible to do because the developer does not have title to the original common elements, only the condo owners have such title.
As for the beach club, legally there is no private beach club. There may be a federal concession but that only refers to the actual business of operating the club, not allowing use of the beach. Anyone can occupy the beach using their own chairs, umbrellas etc. As for a federal concession, who owns it? First right of refusal has to go to the "owner" of the abutting property, whoever that might be.
This is going to be a long, drawn out battle. I think I would just sell out.
Well, selling out is not really an option I would like to pursue, but Mr. Hazen certainly does raise some interesting points and I appreciate him taking the time to make a comment on my blog.
Monday, January 5, 2009
More Letters To The Editor
The following letters, one by an owner of several fractions at Playa del Sol/Blue seas and a rejoinder by Ken Molinaro, the developer and primary owner of the resort, were the first ones published in the PVMirror that addressed the ongoing saga of the Blue Seas.
Dear Editor,
In 1998, we purchased a 4-week Fractional ownership at Playa del Sol on Los Muertos Beach. We were told that only 4-week Fractions and full time ownership would be sold, and never time share (According to Article 23 item XII). In 2000, Ken Molinaro decided, without the legally required 75% homeowners’ approval, to change a by-law, that he was going to sell timeshares at Playa del Sol. This was the beginning of darker things to come. Time share buyers were told that they would have deeded ownership to their time. How can you have a deeded timeshare when you don’t physically have a permanent unit as do Fractional owners? The Playa Del Sol sales people were making illegal promises and misrepresenting the facts to timeshare buyers to justify Ken Molinaro’s greed. In 2007, the owners of the time shares in Playa del Sol on Los Muertos were told that starting in 2008, they would no longer be able to use the time they had planned and paid for, and that they had to use units in Playa del Sol Grand, and Playa del Sol Costa Sur. In August 2008, the name of Playa del Sol was changed to “The Blue Seas Resort“ at a meeting that several attorneys in Puerto Vallarta said was illegally called and held. This meeting was held on August 1, 2008, and even though the law calls for meetings to be held on the premises, the meeting was held in Ken Molinaro’s office and fractional owners were not permitted to attend. Once again, Ken is selling time shares, this time to a totally new group of clients. Another tactic that Ken employs is not sharing independently audited financial information with the homeowners or their board. He causes us to believe that he is commingling all of his corporations’ records. Additionally, there is currently a lawsuit in the courts, sponsored by over 130 fractional and full time owners, seeking to stop the sale of time shares at Playa del Sol Los Muertos. We feel that Ken Molinaro has grossly mismanaged our investment. This man has to be exposed as a large fraud.
Respectfully,
Owners of Fractions 11, 12 and 13.
Ken's rejoinder:
Dear Editor,
I do not believe in fighting one’s battles in the “letter to the editor” section of any publication, but feel that I must make at least a brief reply to the letter from “Owners of fractions 11,12 and 13”. Due to on-going legal disputes with these owners, I have been cautioned by my counsel not to go into any specifics, but to respond only in general. That being said, I would like to state unequivocally that what was said about me and my company in that letter was inaccurate, erroneous and downright libelous. The owners of Playa del Sol Los Muertos were guaranteed certain things contractually and they have been given those things from the opening of the project up to and including now. I have never cheated them, stolen from them or defrauded them in any way. I do not manage their “investment” for them, so I have no way of mismanaging that investment. “Grossly mismanaged, illegal promises, misrepresenting, greed, and fraud are all strong words, easily said; what is not so easy is the ability to back them up with facts.
Ken Molinaro
I can hardly wait to get down to my little paradise in the sun.
Just a personal comment. What Ken says about the owners getting everything they were promised in their purchase agreement from the opening of the project is not true.
Case in point, we were promised a gymnasium and it was several years before Ken, under pressure from the owners, finally installed a small one behind the reception area.
We were promised a pool with a Jacuzzi. The pool has a small whirlpool thing at one end that has never worked, to my knowledge.
We were told we would have a private, members only, beach club. Ken claimed that the two lavatories, used by restaurant customers and staff as well as owners, satisfied that promise.
Our by-laws specifically forbade the sale of timeshares at Playa del Sol and that was one of the big inducements to buy. It certainly played a large part in my decision to buy. Ken, somehow, managed to change the by-laws to permit timeshares. His reason for doing so was that he was unable to sell fractions during the summer months. Yet when I tried to buy a summer fraction I was told they were all sold. That Mexicans liked to take their summer vacations in Puerto Vallarta and had bought them all. The truth was that the fractions were never put on the market so that Ken could retain a majority ownership and could have inventory when he began selling timeshares. Something he had planned to do from the beginning.
Dear Editor,
In 1998, we purchased a 4-week Fractional ownership at Playa del Sol on Los Muertos Beach. We were told that only 4-week Fractions and full time ownership would be sold, and never time share (According to Article 23 item XII). In 2000, Ken Molinaro decided, without the legally required 75% homeowners’ approval, to change a by-law, that he was going to sell timeshares at Playa del Sol. This was the beginning of darker things to come. Time share buyers were told that they would have deeded ownership to their time. How can you have a deeded timeshare when you don’t physically have a permanent unit as do Fractional owners? The Playa Del Sol sales people were making illegal promises and misrepresenting the facts to timeshare buyers to justify Ken Molinaro’s greed. In 2007, the owners of the time shares in Playa del Sol on Los Muertos were told that starting in 2008, they would no longer be able to use the time they had planned and paid for, and that they had to use units in Playa del Sol Grand, and Playa del Sol Costa Sur. In August 2008, the name of Playa del Sol was changed to “The Blue Seas Resort“ at a meeting that several attorneys in Puerto Vallarta said was illegally called and held. This meeting was held on August 1, 2008, and even though the law calls for meetings to be held on the premises, the meeting was held in Ken Molinaro’s office and fractional owners were not permitted to attend. Once again, Ken is selling time shares, this time to a totally new group of clients. Another tactic that Ken employs is not sharing independently audited financial information with the homeowners or their board. He causes us to believe that he is commingling all of his corporations’ records. Additionally, there is currently a lawsuit in the courts, sponsored by over 130 fractional and full time owners, seeking to stop the sale of time shares at Playa del Sol Los Muertos. We feel that Ken Molinaro has grossly mismanaged our investment. This man has to be exposed as a large fraud.
Respectfully,
Owners of Fractions 11, 12 and 13.
Ken's rejoinder:
Dear Editor,
I do not believe in fighting one’s battles in the “letter to the editor” section of any publication, but feel that I must make at least a brief reply to the letter from “Owners of fractions 11,12 and 13”. Due to on-going legal disputes with these owners, I have been cautioned by my counsel not to go into any specifics, but to respond only in general. That being said, I would like to state unequivocally that what was said about me and my company in that letter was inaccurate, erroneous and downright libelous. The owners of Playa del Sol Los Muertos were guaranteed certain things contractually and they have been given those things from the opening of the project up to and including now. I have never cheated them, stolen from them or defrauded them in any way. I do not manage their “investment” for them, so I have no way of mismanaging that investment. “Grossly mismanaged, illegal promises, misrepresenting, greed, and fraud are all strong words, easily said; what is not so easy is the ability to back them up with facts.
Ken Molinaro
I can hardly wait to get down to my little paradise in the sun.
Just a personal comment. What Ken says about the owners getting everything they were promised in their purchase agreement from the opening of the project is not true.
Case in point, we were promised a gymnasium and it was several years before Ken, under pressure from the owners, finally installed a small one behind the reception area.
We were promised a pool with a Jacuzzi. The pool has a small whirlpool thing at one end that has never worked, to my knowledge.
We were told we would have a private, members only, beach club. Ken claimed that the two lavatories, used by restaurant customers and staff as well as owners, satisfied that promise.
Our by-laws specifically forbade the sale of timeshares at Playa del Sol and that was one of the big inducements to buy. It certainly played a large part in my decision to buy. Ken, somehow, managed to change the by-laws to permit timeshares. His reason for doing so was that he was unable to sell fractions during the summer months. Yet when I tried to buy a summer fraction I was told they were all sold. That Mexicans liked to take their summer vacations in Puerto Vallarta and had bought them all. The truth was that the fractions were never put on the market so that Ken could retain a majority ownership and could have inventory when he began selling timeshares. Something he had planned to do from the beginning.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
A Death At Blue Seas?
I just received an email from a friend of mine who is currently at Blue Seas. He is a long-time fractional owner so, although I haven't been able to independently verify this, I have no reason to believe it isn't true:
"This morning they hauled a gringo young man from condo #500 to the MORGUE. Another national in the same condo to the hospital --overdosed on something. Apparently the other 3-4 fellows in there were still functioning. (That's a one bedroom by the way!)"
I will post more if I get additional details.
"This morning they hauled a gringo young man from condo #500 to the MORGUE. Another national in the same condo to the hospital --overdosed on something. Apparently the other 3-4 fellows in there were still functioning. (That's a one bedroom by the way!)"
I will post more if I get additional details.
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