MikeGT
Contributor
Some time ago, this forum had a number of questions concerning the Occidental Allegro. and the Holiday Village White Sands Hotel. They are the same resort and apparently have different names. However, Expedia.com just lists them as ŵhe Allegro
In addition to this, who owns the resort? Yesterday, I called the Occidental people, and they said that it was a 50% split. She wasnÃÕ quite about what that meant, but we agreed that as long as the Occidental requests did not book more than 50% of what was available, you could go through them. At that time you could apparently, if they exceeded their quota, you would have to go through Ÿhite Sands?
Since Wilma, we have been staying at the Occidental Grand which is less than a ten-minute walk on the beach to the Allegro. After Wilma under Occidental and then the joint ownership with White Sands, there have been many changes. Many of them are superior to what existed before Wilma. However, it is still has a four-star rating as compared to The GrandÃÔ 5 star-rating.
Concerning diving: Dive Palancar services both the Allegro and The Grand. In fact it is not abnormal to pick up and drop off people at both resorts, depending upon how many are diving. Dive Palancar is a full-service PADI operation (certification, etc.). They use different sized boats for night, deep-water and shallow-water dives. They also offer Nitrox Certification. In addition, I believe that you can also charter a smaller boat if you wish. The only item that seems to be a problem to some is that dive times are 45-50 minutes, but Santa Rosa Wall is only 5 minutes from the pier!
If this is a problem, both the Allegro and The Grand allow private operators to pick up and drop off divers with no charge, as they have for many years. The choice is yours.
Last but not least, remember that the Allegro will cost less than The Grand for a number of reasons. Personally, my wife and I prefer The Grand even though there is nothing wrong with the Allegro.
I hope that this posting has answered most if not all of your questions.
In addition to this, who owns the resort? Yesterday, I called the Occidental people, and they said that it was a 50% split. She wasnÃÕ quite about what that meant, but we agreed that as long as the Occidental requests did not book more than 50% of what was available, you could go through them. At that time you could apparently, if they exceeded their quota, you would have to go through Ÿhite Sands?
Since Wilma, we have been staying at the Occidental Grand which is less than a ten-minute walk on the beach to the Allegro. After Wilma under Occidental and then the joint ownership with White Sands, there have been many changes. Many of them are superior to what existed before Wilma. However, it is still has a four-star rating as compared to The GrandÃÔ 5 star-rating.
Concerning diving: Dive Palancar services both the Allegro and The Grand. In fact it is not abnormal to pick up and drop off people at both resorts, depending upon how many are diving. Dive Palancar is a full-service PADI operation (certification, etc.). They use different sized boats for night, deep-water and shallow-water dives. They also offer Nitrox Certification. In addition, I believe that you can also charter a smaller boat if you wish. The only item that seems to be a problem to some is that dive times are 45-50 minutes, but Santa Rosa Wall is only 5 minutes from the pier!
If this is a problem, both the Allegro and The Grand allow private operators to pick up and drop off divers with no charge, as they have for many years. The choice is yours.
Last but not least, remember that the Allegro will cost less than The Grand for a number of reasons. Personally, my wife and I prefer The Grand even though there is nothing wrong with the Allegro.
I hope that this posting has answered most if not all of your questions.
