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Vacationing Here Archives
Hell to all.
I own a condo right inside of Playacar Phase 1 and I have been in contact with our property manager and the property engineers all day ( 10/24/05) and the news seems to be much more optimistic than what is being reported by all of the major news outlets. There is no doubt that the town was slammed, and that many many people lost their homes and all that they own. However; the large spread total destruction that is being reported in Playa is nothing more than sensationalistic journalism. The people of Playa are out in force along with a few thousand members of the military orchestrating a mass clean up. Power is being restored across town and already exists in Playacar, food and water is being distributed to the masses. Phone service is restored in some parts. Looting has not been a widespread problem. Newer and more well built structures weathered the storm with minor damage, mainly to those things considered to be superficial... i.e. signage, palapa roofs, broken windows ..etc. The majority of Quinta Avenida has suffered cosmetic damage as listed above. The reality is that Emily took most of the hurricane prone vegetation with her in July.... I was there for that one and was witness to the will and determination of the locals and their commitment to their home. As we all know, in a very different way than Cancun, Playa and the people who live there, are the embodiment of all that is good in Mexico. I am being told that in one weeks time a vast majority of the cleanup should be completed and the rebuilding can begin. In no way will my update lessen the impact that this storm has had on 1000's of the locals who don't live in well built homes. My Prayers are with them all.
I asked these same people what we can do to help and the #1 answer was; to provide clothing for those people who have lost everything. SO.... IF YOU HAVE PLANS TO VISIT SOON .... I recommend that each traveler bring at least 10 articles of new or used clothing with them when they visit and donate them to the Red Cross in Playa. They will see to it that those in need receive the help. Pass this on to anyone you know going down and it could mean that tens of 1000's of articles of clothing can make it down over the next few weeks......think adults and children alike.
I'll post more as I hear it direct.
Buen suerte a todo
were really bad ones but of course I guess the intent is to show what had been damaged vs. that which wasn't hurt.
Still, all of these little damages combine to a huge economic loss. Workers in the big hotels, stores, restaurants will be out while repairs are being made, insurance companies will get drained, vacationers will probably not want to go there for a while--it will be a major ripple effect until things are back up and running. If a company is out of business for even one day it hurts. I don't know what will happen to the residents who lost everything but I am guessing the government will help them, at least I hope so.
After seeing some of the cleanup that was done at a hotel after Emily, though, if one thing is for sure it is that the Mexican people seem to have a handle on how to take care of these kinds of things and do it as quickly as possible.
Thanks for the update on Playa--I'm hoping to hear more about Isla soon also once the phones are back in order.
Fran in NY
they're scheduled to go in 3 weeks and were planning on bringing a suitcase of clothing to donate. I copied this posting and sent it to them. They were freaking out b/c they saw the innacurate report on CNN that said the water was up to two stories high in the hotels. Maybe I'll be able to get down there in Feb. after all too! xx fingers crossed
Hi Fran,
As we saw after Emily, the US All Inclusive operators will be "giving " trips away. It is in the best interest of these large tour operators to get people into these areas as soon as possible to help stimulate the economy. They will do whatever necessary to fill those rooms that they have contractually obligated to fill by giving away airfare, lodging etc on special discounts. The sooner they get US tourist money flowing into the economy, the sooner the rebuild will take hold and they can get back to charging normal fares. Never underestimate the power of budget minded American tourists.
MJ
economy. it goes back to Spain and elsewhere. support Local Hotels, Stores and Restaurants as Much as Possible even if you are going AI. more of That money will stay in the Local economy helping the people who live in the area. kinda think of it this way, AI = WalMart. tim
excellent idea. How do people get clothes to the local Red Cross? where are they located? do they have drop offs set up anywhere? tim
down there until things are back to normal, mostly the beaches since they are the top attraction. I think it will also get better after hurricane season ends. I have gone down quite a few times in August and also in the fall once or twice and have never had a problem, but after this year, I would probably think about my timing a little more. These hurricanes seem to be getting worse every year.
I agree with Tim that people who take advantage of the AI deals would be a big help if they go out and patronize the smaller, local places. I'm sure they'll need all the help they can get. Nobody can take financial losses like this over and over again. I hope this is the last we see or hear of hurricanes this year!!!
Fran in NY
yes, there will likely be some good packages, but i doubt rates will go down. am afraid there will be more hurricanes this year too. hell, Wilma is heading up the coastline and is still quite strong. who knows what more damage she'll do. tim
and the rain started at 7pm tonight. The winds and rain are only going to get worse as Wilma and Alpha join up together.
Heh heh--I RARELY win anything so I try to avoid it. But I think that good deals will be needed to entice people to go down--hopefully by Christmas things will be better but for now I don't think I'd want to go down with all the work going on and things still a mess.
Fran in NY
he basically said that i'm not a true CANCUNIAN, then--if i can't go with a little bit of destruction. CANCUN, itself, is still there. so the hotels have a little damage to them.
what about that luxury home just south of the city we were all discussing last week? (or was it the week before?)
Does anyone know if this hotel is ok and if the beach is ok. Thanks.
Has anyone heard if this resort is okay. I have my anniversary vacation planned for November 11th thru 18th. Also, if someone could inform me of where the Red Cross drop off will be. I have a lot of old plus sized clothes that I am sure the full-figured women would appreciate. I also will have baby clothes. Thanks to your tips I am packing one suitcase of things I plan to leave in PDC. I can then stimulate the economy by filling up on souvenirs for my family in PDC. Please write back to let me know if anything else will be needed.