Money

I need help. :lol:

I am leaving the country for the first time...and have no clue how much money is enough. For a family of 4 - what would you repeaters suggest?

I plan on, doing 1 excursions, the water park, some shopping - but mostly laying by the pool/beach.

Thanks in advance!

Stampfanatic - you will find PV is comparable in prices to most North American cities . You will have a wide choice of restaurants , from McDonalds to high end establishments. There are numerous excellent grocery stores if you are buying and preparing your own meals . Name brands are more costly but the Mexican equivalents are cheaper.

Where you are staying and the package type you have would be useful info . Are you on an all - inclusive package ? If so factor in tips because this will insure better service and is just the right thing to do .

As for shopping costs - what do you intend to buy ? What are your shopping habits ? You need to be more specific in your questions if you want meaningful answers.

Our stay is for 1 week. We are pretty conservative with purchases. So, our shopping habits are not crazy. If any purchases are made – it’s usually unique stuff that I can not get in the states. Also – my kids are taking their own money for souvenirs. My kids are 10 and 12.

We plan on eating out some...and cooking most. We are not big eaters at all. When we are on vacation – we generally eat 2 meals…and graze in between.

We are staying at the Ville Del Mar – so, we are close to downtown.

And – 1 more crazy question. My hubby and I are not credit card holders. Our ‘credit’ card is a ‘debit’ card (Master Card). Will that be an issue?

I really appreciate your help. I had budgeted $1000.

As others have stated it depends whether you are going All inclusive or plan on paying for all your meals in restaurants, or even if you are just renting a condo and having someone in your family buy the food and cook it yourselves. It also depends on where you are staying since a $ 20 U.S. taxi ride from Neuvo to downtown PV one way adds up real fast.

Four or us (2 adults, 2 kids) have done both. Just renting a room and eating and drinking everywhere plus taxis cost us $ 3500 for two weeks, (We ate real well, did all the tours, fair amount of liquor for the adults). The last time we went for two weeks was AI, and we spent less than a $ 1000 in total for everybody.

The more times you go, the less you spend on gifts to bring back. One time, the wife and I went for one week (AI), left the complex once, and only spent $ 300 for the week, including tips. Just bring your ATM card along, or a Credit Card in case you run out, or have a medical emergency. (Boy that costs big time).

Stamp - you are very close to Gigante Plaza - maybe a 10 min walk away from your resort . Gigante is a big grocery store that will have all your food needs . It is in a enclosed air conditioned plaza with numerous other stores. A Pizza Hut is out front of the plaza - but check out the Gigante first - who knows what may be on sale. :) You have a small plaza in front of the resort - much higher prices then Gigante.

You will encounter many beach vendors - just remember to haggle - most purchases can be bought at 1/2 of original asking price- even lower if you are a good bargainer. :) Good luck !

Hey Stamp,
I had a lot of the same concerns for my family when we went to PV last month (Oh Man, was it really a month ago!?!?!? SOB!!)
we too, only have a debt card, and were on a seriously tight budget, what we did, was got some great discounts on some activities (dolphin swim and canopy tour) by going to a timeshare meeting. It was boring and we didnt have a prayer of being able to afford one, but they fed the whole family a wondeful buffet breakfest, sent the kids all to the kids club for the day, we spent 2 hrs going over their stuff and listening to their presentation, and walked away w/some great discounts and full tummies. lol
We also budgeted out just how much we could spend each day, took that amount out via atm machine, and made sure to pay then and there (dont get sucked up into where you can charge it to your room!! Not unless you want a big ole unhappy surprise at the end of your visit! that adds up fast!!) We also went the Walmart route and got a great amount of our food there. Only ate out for breakfast 2x, (once w/the presentation!) a couple light lunches, couple dinners out, and one Fiesta Mexican Night out for just hubby and I. :) That there saves a ton!!! Although, eating out daily was tempting cuz the food there is ALWAYS cooking and ALWAYS smells divine!! :) We didnt buy anything from the venders at the resort, we went to the market in town one day and bargined like crazy. Again, an alloted amount for the few people we brought anything back for. One great cheapo gift to get is the Mexican Vanilla. Oh YUM!!!! We got it for about 2.00american money each little bottle, and everyone just loves it. Heck, I have a little bottle of it i keep pouring just a tad bit out and using it to make my house smell good. My mom said you can even get it in little bottles they make too. anyhow, just a thought. :)
Good luck and have a blast!!
Tiff