2010 May - Construction update (with photos)

[dmwalker]

Just returned from Solmar. Took photos of the current construction, the teardown of the Trebol bar & pool, the 1-bedroom furnished model, and the building model (marquetta?). Even took a few videos.

Link to photos/videos:
http://picasaweb.google.com/swissyrescue/2010MayGrandSolmarAtLandsEnd?feat=email#

IMPORTANT: For Grand Solmar Building E Owners:
Surprise, surprise, more changes to Building E were made. Now there are 11 floors, with the top floor remaining as the sales center. The big change (besides the addition of another floor) is that they split the building in half -- the first five units on the left side of the building are now a SATURDAY check-in, with the five units on the right side now a SUNDAY check-in. They also randomly changed people's units around WITHOUT TELLING US. When we got there, we found out that both of our units had been changed, without our knowledge, and our two units which were the same week now had different check-in days!!! So, we signed our THIRD set of paperwork for the same two units in less than a year's time. Sigh.... I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that if you own a unit in Building E that you contact the resort IMMEDIATELY to find out if your unit was moved, or if your check-in day of the week has changed. I'll be so happy when the building is completed and there are no more changes being made.

From the mouths of the timeshare sales peeps (for what it's worth):

1) Construction to be completed in April 2011.

2) Remaining hotel units to be torn down at the end of this year.

3) Remaining hotel unit owners - No more free upgrades to a new Sol
mar studio. You will be assigned a until in the "old" section of Solmar or Playa Grande. If you want something other than what was assigned, you'll have to pay for an "upgrade". If you want one of the new Grand Solmar studio units, expect to pull out your credit card and pay a minimum of several thousand dollars!

4) Developer "Buy Back" program. We had two hotel units -- one we traded last year (for FREE!!) for a new GS Studio. We had one unit left which we stayed in last week (#1402) which we chose to sell back to the developer for $2,400 (supposedly that's 75% of its current value). If you're interested in the buyback program, please email Cristina Roberts @ cristinaroberts@hotmail.com or call her at: 909-237-6785.

[dmwalker]

Just received a new copy of the Building layout for Building E this morning from Christina Roberts, one of the sales peeps at PG/GS.

Here's a link to it on my photo website:
http://picasaweb.google.com/swissyrescu ... 7513702850

Although the rooms in the building haven't changed since I received the last plan two weeks ago, what has changed is which units are fixed, optional, and are lock-offs.

The building is still split right down the middle with the left half being a Sun-Sun check-in, and the right half being a Sat-Sat check-in. Don't know what super genius (and I'm being sarcastic!) at Grand Solmar thought that up, but everyone should check their unit to make sure that whatever check-in date they think they have is still accurate. Floaters need not worry... just the fixed week owners. If the super genius had any brains at all, they would have split it by floor, e.g., floors 1-5 would have the same check-in date, and then floors 6-10 would have another check-in date. Splitting the building in the center really messed up those people with multiple units on the same floor. Oh well.. I guess they weren't hired for their brains!

[pfsike]

Thanks,Donna. I really appreciate you staying on top of these things. Our jr suite #6003 (acquired from hotel unit trade) would have changed ckin day--had it not been removed from the plan altogether. Here we go again...

[dmwalker]

If you plan to get another unit on the right side of the building, try to get the top floor studio unit (6901) because I'm pretty sure it is the only one that will have a view over the top of Building G. Also, if the building model is correct (yeah, I know... ha ha ha ha ha!), it'll have a larger balcony than the other studio units. Unfortunately, they hadn't yet built that floor when I was still there. I hope someone who is there in June will take and post new photos of the construction. I'll be very interested to see what the balconies will be like for the 2-bedroom unit and the studio below it.

Good luck with your studio change. I'm so sorry that you have to go through it all again. It does get very tiring...

[dmwalker]

More pix from May, from TBG Partners (the builders, I think) on their Facebook account:
http://bit.ly/cEds1k

Some pix are mock-ups of what the architecture will look like, etc. Interesting.

[msucro]

Hi all,
Here right now and need to setup an online picture sharing account so that I can post some pics. They're working but I'd be shocked if they manage April 2011.
Marcus
GS - 6907 - Wk 7 & 43

[dmwalker]

I use Google's picasaweb for my photos. It works great. Might want to try that if you don't already have some other type of photo acct. set up.

Can't wait to see your photos. Hopefully, you'll get lots of Building E... the top floors were still missing when I was there in May.