General Travel

1. How do I get to Playa Viva?
ZIH Airport is served by over 80 direct flights per week with half the flights from Mexico City and the other half of non-stop flights from major North American airports. The most direct flights from the US are from Houston, followed by Los Angeles, Phoenix, Minneapolis and Dallas. Direct flights from Canada originate in Calgary.

2. Does Playa Viva offer airport transportation?
Playa Viva guests enjoy complimentary airport transport (with stay of 3 or more nights). You will need to provide us with your airline arrival and departure information in a pre-arrival checklist. If you are driving your own vehicle or take a taxi, please visit Getting Here to get directions.

3. Do I need a passport to travel to Mexico?
US and Canadian citizens need a valid passport when traveling between the United States and Mexico. For travelers from other countries, please check for rules related to visa and passport requirements. American travelers who want more on this subject, please see the U.S. Department of State Website.

4. What is the electrical current in Mexico?
Electrical power throughout Mexico uses 110 volt AC, 60 cycles, the same as the US and Canada. Playa Viva is running 12 volt DC solar electrical and will offer conversion to 110 AC for you to charge and use certain small appliances (cell phones, laptops, iPods, etc.) during daytime/sunlight hours.

5. Should I use Mexican pesos or American dollars?
Most locations take both American Dollars and Mexican Pesos. We recommend using ATM (Automated Teller Machine) at the airport or other locations throughout Zihuatanejo Area. That way, you don’t carry a lot of cash, just your ATM card. Exchange rates from ATM’s are through your bank, please check with them on exchange rate and fees that are over and above fee charged by ATM operator.

6. What is the closest town?
The closest “town” is Juluchuca, which has about 450 residents at about 5 min (3 km), the next closest town is Petatlan which has about 30,000 residents at about 10 min (11 km), then Zihuatanejo with 70,000 residents about 40 min away. The Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa international airport is 30 min drive from Playa Viva.


Resort General

1. What facilities and amenities will Playa Viva offer as part of “all inclusive offering”?
Facilities and amenities include: complimentary airport transportation, daily maid service, yoga classes (at least 3 times per week), pool, exquisite seaside kitchen/restaurant with beer included plus a bar serving most cocktails and a limited selection of wines. All meals are prepared and served family style and the hours of service of breakfast, lunch and dinner will be posted on site. Additional snacks plus water, "aguas frescas" (fresh fruit juices), tea and coffee will be available throughout the day. All you need to bring is your bathing suit, light casual wear, flip flops and your loved ones. Not included will be massages and offered spa services, premium wine and alcohol and boutique items for sale. Taxes are not included in rate either, 16% IVA/VAT and 3% local occupancy tax.

2. What is the food like at Playa Viva?
Playa Viva food is what we would describe as healthy Mexican. We focus on traditional Mexican meals but cooked with minimal oil and healthy and local ingredients trying to get as many organics as possible and growing as much food on site as we can (we have a 3 acre farm). When booking your reservation please let us know of any dietary concerns. We are able to accommodate a wide variety of allergies, vegan, vegetarian, "fishetarian", omnivore and even Kosher. Examples of a day's menu might be: breakfast with oat meal, local fruit such as papaya, melon, watermelon, pineapple with yogurt (store bought and homemade), tortillas, fresh eggs, fresh orange juice, tea (from local herbs like mint, limon, etc.) and coffee (local and organic). Lunch might be sopes (hand made thick tortilla filled with beans and topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, etc.) with a fresh salad of tomatoes, nopalitos, verdolaga (purslane), maybe a vegetable soup and aguas frescas to drink. Dinner might include a tortilla soup, ceasar salad, fresh red snapper, a variety of vegetarian dishes and maybe some chicken taquitos. Snack during the day might include frozen grapes, paletas (fresh fruit popsicles), organic popcorn, jicama/carrot/cucumber slices with lemon/salt/chile, or a margarita pizza with fresh tomatoes. These are sample menus, items will vary by day.

3. What type of recreational activities will I find in & around Playa Viva?
Playa Viva provides acres of options -- 200 acres to be exact. On site we will offer hiking, kayaking, boogie boarding, surfing, bird watching, swimming, yoga and just plain relaxing. We encourage guests to get involved in many of the community building activities from the Turtle Sanctuary and Preserve Restoration, to economic development and health care based activities with the local community and schools. In addition, the Archeological site provides opportunities for engagement as well. Many off-site activities abound including snorkeling, scuba, wildlife park visit, shopping, archeological sites, hikes and visits to restaurants and nightlife in Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa (separate fees may apply). We can even assist with golf and fishing excursions. Click here for more information related to Activities at Playa Viva.

4. What is the policy for children at Playa Viva?
Children of all ages are welcome at Playa Viva. In fact, many of our activities, meals and facilities have been designed with children in mind. We ask that parents and children be respectful and mindful of other guests. Playa Viva is open to all families.

5. Does the resort offer an Internet Connection or Wi-Fi?
Internet access is available via satellite connection. This is not as fast as DSL, so not good enough for heavy use, yet sufficient for checking email and even Skype calls. We know it is important to stay connected sometimes in order to stay relaxed.

6. Are safes available in each room?
Yes, each room is equipped with a room safe opened only by the electronic PIN that you select. These have been provided for you to store your valuables such as documents, money, valuables, etc. and are large enough to fit a laptop.

7. Does Playa Viva have laundry service?
Laundry can be placed in a basket in each bathroom, all laundry will be washed, dried and folded and then placed back in the common area for collection. We do not provide dry-cleaning service, but this can be arranged through the concierge as required. Please tip your room service personnel when providing laundry services.

8. Does Playa Viva offer room service?
Room Service is available during the operating hours of the kitchen/restaurant. A table can be set up on your room’s porch, beach front or almost anywhere you want to enjoy a private meal. Private parties in the Common Areas can be arranged with the kitchen staff as well. One of our founding values is to foster community especially over the sharing of meals, but we understand the need to get a little privacy, especially for special occasions. Please make sure to provide staff with ample advanced notification related to these types of requests.

9. Does Playa Viva allow pets?
Pets are invited as long as they are as well behaved as their owners. Owners must clean up after their pets and make sure that pets are not posing any harm/threat to other guests including their pets. We assume that pets means dogs. Cats are more of a problem in that they often prey on local birds, lizards and other small fauna. Any animal that poses a threat to local wildlife will not be allowed to roam free on site.

10. Does the resort have handicapped accommodations?
Currently, none of our facilities are handicap accessible. We plan on building one or more of our Casitas and Common Areas in future phases to be handicap accessible.

11. Is smoking permitted?
Playa Viva strives to provide a healthy environment for all guests. At the same time we believe that every person should have the personal freedom to pursue their vices as long as they do not disturb others. So yes, you may smoke, we only ask that you follow a few simple rules. 1) Do NOT smoke inside any buildings, many structures are made of wood and other materials that are highly flamable. 2) Respect the personal space of non-smokers, smoke down wind or find a place to smoke away from non- smokers. 3) Do NOT leave cigarette buts on the ground, the sand or elsewhere other than in designated recycling and trash receptacles. Please clean up after yourself. 4) Please do NOT smoke within 50 feet of any building entry way (this is to maintain LEED Certification). 5) Please respect smokers and non-smokers alike.

12. What is your cancellation policy?
All hotel guests are asked to provide a 20% non-refundable deposit to secure their reservation. If a guest needs to cancel for any reason with at least 30 days notice, your deposit will be applied towards a future stay. Guests who cancel with less than 30-days will lose their deposit. Owners are asked to provide the Management Company with as much notice as possible if they must cancel a reservation.

13. Do you offer group discounts?
Group discounts are available and generally are part of a planned group visit around a particular activity such as kids camps, yoga seminars, holistic health seminars, etc. If you are an instructor or agent interested in group discounts, please contact our reservation team for more information.

14. What Are Common Areas?
The design behind Playa Viva has been referred to by guests as “Social Architecture”. It is built around the goal of creating a balance between private and public spaces. Common Areas are designed to create community and inspire interaction. The Common Areas is a larger "Living Space" shared by several Casitas.

15. Do you have a business center?
We can provide some basic services through our front desk such as printing, faxing and copies.


Reservations, Rates and Availability

1. How do I make a reservation?
Go the “Stay With Us” page and complete the information on the reservation form. We will need to know the start date, number of days and number of people (adults and children) in your party. Also, please put down the preferred Casita request. We will review your reservation based on availability and get back to you within 2 business days or sooner. Based on availability, you will need to place a 20% deposit to reserve those dates. If you have not heard back from the reservation team, feel free to email us at info@playaviva.com or call us in the US at +1 650-585-6770. However, please complete the reservation form first, we will not call or email you until after you have completed this form.

2. I want to know what months are high season, what months are low season and what months are holiday season? High Season runs from the 44th week to the 22nd week of the year. This is usually the last week in Oct/first week in Nov until last week in May/first week in June. We generally close for the rainy season the first week in Aug and re-open in mid October around the time of the Opportunity Collaboration conference held in Ixtapa. We close these two months due to the heaviest rains of Aug and Sep and we use Oct as maintenance window to get us ready for the next season. Holiday Season are generally the two to three weeks around Christmas and New Years, Easter week and the week prior to Easter. Thanksgiving was a holiday for us, but we have dropped holiday rates for Thanksgiving. Presidents Week in the US is a very popular week with us and usually books way in advance but is not yet booked at Holiday Season rates. Many local Mexican holidays also book up fast and are not yet charged Holiday Season rates. If you book a reservation, our system will automatically tell you which rates apply.

In 2012 Low Season runs from thru November 3.
Holiday Season starts Dec 19 and ends Jan 5, 2013.
Then it is High Season until Easter weeks which are March 23 to April 6th.
High Season picks back up until Jun 1.
Low Season runs until we close Aug 5, 2013.
We reopen in mid Oct and Low Season rates apply to Nov 2, 2013.
High Season rates apply until Christmas.
Holiday Rates apply Dec 18-Jan4, 2014.
High Season rates apply until Easter weeks which are April 12-26.
High Season rates apply until May 31.
Low Season Rates apply until we close the first week in Aug.

3. When is check-in/check-out?
Check in is usually 2 PM and check out is usually 12 noon. The use of Common Areas allows for flexibility in check-in and check-out times so take it easy and relax from the moment you arrive till the very last minute you have to leave. These times are flexible depending on flights. We will do our best to make your check-in and check-out as smooth as possible.


Children at Playa Viva

1. What is your policy regarding children?
We love children. Much of our design considerations were made around a few guiding principles that relate to children. 1) Children need wild places - We provide a safe environment for children to explore, to learn, the play, to sing, to be happy. 2) It takes a Village - Playa Viva was designed around community, creating a community that supports all kinds of families and their children. 3) Children need a place they can call their own - The Common Area was designed to provide children, big and small, with the fun stuff to play, create, explore and more.

2. Are lifeguards on duty at your pools or on the beach?
No, lifeguards are NOT on duty at pool nor on the beach. We all try to keep an eye on what’s going on, but the ultimate and sole responsibility of your safety and that of your children and guests depends on you. Be careful and use your best judgment. We recommend that you swim with a buddy at all times.

3. Do you offer day care?
Playa Viva has developed a work/live program that attracts practioners of many different disciplines from massage, to nutrition, to child care. At any given time, we may have childcare professionals to assist with activities for youth of all ages. We will also be hiring and training local care givers to work with children as needed to support parents so they can relax a little more and maximize their stay. If you need child care services during your stay, please provide sufficient advance notice.

4. Does Playa Viva offer activities specifically designed for children?
We will be organizing and sending out invitations to several kid camps and programs specifically designed for children. Other than these special events, we offer lots of activities beyond just swimming at the pool (which we find our children can do almost all day). Activities include art, games, kayaking, turtle release and more.

5. What are the regulations for children under 18 years old traveling to Mexico?
If you are a U.S. citizen and a single parent or will be traveling with your children, but without your spouse, or you are under 18 years old traveling alone, we have been informed by the airlines that special paperwork is NO longer required to leave the U.S. and enter Mexico. This may change and it’s always good to double check. Please check with your airline or with the US State Department.


The Playa Viva Turtle Sanctuary

1. What is the Playa Viva Turtle Sanctuary?
The Playa Viva Turtle Sanctuary was founded to protect turtles from predators and poachers alike. The Turtle Sanctuary at Playa Viva is staffed by an all-volunteer team comprised of members from the local community of Juluchuca.

2. When do the turtles nest?
The turtles nest year round, with turtles arriving to lay eggs peaking during the rainy season, between July and October. Due to normal 45 day gestation period, you will still see hundreds of baby turtles released through January. We have been lucky in that you are likely to see baby turtles almost every day of the year in Playa Viva.

3. What types of turtles make their nests on the beaches of Playa Viva?
Each year thousands of Olive Ridley (Golfina) Turtles and tens of endangered Leatherback (Laud) Turtles come to the shores of Playa Viva to lay their eggs.

4. May I participate in a turtle rescue and release?
Playa Viva guests are invited to participate in the turtle sanctuary’s efforts by helping to collect eggs which are brought to the sanctuary and buried in the sand, just as the mother turtle had left them, but within a protected incubation pen that will ensure they are kept out of the reach of predators. When the turtles are ready to hatch, the volunteers remove the baby turtles from the incubation pen and get them ready to return to the ocean. The Sanctuary is open to the public and many school aged children are brought in from around the area to participate. If you are interested in volunteering at the turtle sanctuary please email us.


Health & Safety

1. Is the water safe to drink at Playa Viva?
Water at Playa Viva comes from a well near by. Water used in the kitchen is filtered using a reverse osmosis system (RO). RO water is used for all drinking and cooking. Most all bottled water is filtered using reverse osmosis. Water used in showers and room sinks is NOT filtered using reverse osmosis.

2. Do I need to take preventative medication before I leave for Mexico?
Hmmm, interesting question. If you are referring to the reputation of North American travelers catching "Montezuma’s Revenge", this is on a case-by-case and person-by-person basis. Again, use your best judgment and consult your doctor if you suffer from chronic digestive problems. But for the hearty traveler, take normal precautions and we are sure you know this is will not be a problem.

3. Are the mosquitoes bad in Playa Viva?
Playa Viva has mosquitoes as do all resorts located near bodies of water. We have taken several ecologically sound and preventative measures to reduce the nuisance of mosquitoes. We have protective mosquito netting on all beds to protect you while you sleep, if necessary. The ocean breeze provides the best defense against mosquitoes but in early evening hours when the breeze fades, mosquitoes have more of a fighting chance. We recommend you were long sleeve shirt and pants during dusk hours. We recommend you bring repellent, we provide plant based repellent that is quite effective for those who do not bring their own. Finally, we are working with our conservation biologist to add inert bacteria to stagnant water that eats mosquito larvae. All these measures combine to make mosquitoes a significantly reduced naissance.

4. Are there medical facilities at Playa Viva?
We have a first aid kit on site. A clinic is located 15 kilometers away and a well stocked and staffed hospital is located in Zihuatanejo. For very serious incidents, we recommend you look into Medivac services for transportation to a major US Medical Center.

5. Are there police/local authorities in Playa Viva?
Playa Viva has its own security. In addition, members of the local community involved in activities such as the turtle sanctuary provide an additional layer of local patrols. Local police are in Petatlan and state and federal authorities can be accessed as necessary.

6. Is it safe to swim on the beach at Playa Viva?
The beach at Playa Viva does not have rocks and is generally safe to swim, however, this is open ocean that can sometimes have strong rip tides. Use your own discretion and best judgment based on your swimming abilities and those of your family and guests. Swim with a buddy. You are sharing the waters with turtles, dolphins, manta ray and many other species of sea life. The water is much cleaner than in larger urban areas, a big plus for Playa Viva.


Money

1. What money can I use in Playa Viva? Do you accept credit cards?
We accept US Dollars and Mexican Pesos, cash and credit cards (Visa, MasterCard and American Express).

2. Are there banks/ATMs in Playa Viva?
No bank or ATM at Playa Viva. The closest is about 15 kilometers away in Petatlan.

3. Should I bargain with people in Playa Viva?
The town of Juluchuca has a few vendors that sell local goods, mostly coconut candies, tamarind candies and salt. Prices are low and fixed. You can go to the market in Zihuatanejo and bargain to your heart’s content.

4. What about tipping in Playa Viva?
TIPS is an acronym for "To Insure Prompt Service". Historically, it was given in advance as a demonstration of good faith for good service. Our staff is trained to provide prompt service because they already know they will be well compensated for taking very good care of you. We start by recommending $10-$15 per day per guest (adult) in tips. Tips will be pooled and distributed to team members at the end of each week based on a seniority system. You are welcome to provide an extra tip directly to any team member at any time.


Environmental Practices and Policies

1. What does being "regenerative" mean?
Building "green" is about doing less damage and building "sustainably" means doing net zero damage. Playa Viva takes it one step further taking a "regenerative" approach, aimed at improving the health of local and, ultimately, global ecosystems. Playa Viva has elected NOT to become LEED certified, see www.usgbc.org for more information on LEED. We are confident that green, sustainable and regenerative activities go beyond any rating or certification system. If we can improve on our operations to reduce our ecological footprint, please let us know, we are always open to suggestions on how we can imrpove.

2. What steps is Playa Viva taking to meet it’s regenerative mission?
While some hospitality brands/resorts call themselves green just for asking guests to take it easy on the towel turnover, our stewardship will actually improve the land, water, air quality and biodiversity at Playa Viva and in the surrounding community. To find out more about our sustainable and regenerative practices, click on the links below.


More About Playa Viva

1. Who’s behind Playa Viva?
Play Viva is being created by a team of award-winning environmentalists, with a strong background in ecological hospitality. The project is headed by the husband and wife team of David Leventhal and Sandra Kahn, developers of Casa Viva Troncones, a popular B&B located 30 minutes north of Zihautanejo and Rainforerst2Reef.org, a preserve in Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula protecting over 350,000 acres of jaguar habitat.

2. Where can I find more information about Playa Viva?
For reservations, sales and pre-opening information, call: 866-482-8922 (or +1 (650) 585-6770), email info @ playaviva.com or visit us at: www.playaviva.com.

3. What was the inspiration behind Playa Viva?
We started with a few basic core concepts:

1. Casa Viva: a green B&B built in 2000 by the same team behind Playa Viva. Casa Viva utilizes a few of the same concepts. A balance of public and private spaces. Constructed using the of best available green technology at the time including solar thermal water heating, grey water and black water processing, natural building materials, some water capture and solar power, edible landscape, and others. We learned many lessons from owning and managing a small property in Mexico.
   
2. New Urbanism and Co-Housing: we borrowed heavily from concepts of new urbanism because we had seen how isolating many beach communities in Mexico had become as beach front lots were carved out along a main road chopping the landscape and communities up into small parcels in the process.
   
3. Regenerative Building: many of these concepts came from hiring Bill Reed and the Regenesis team who helped us move beyond green and sustainable to regenerative development process. This process made us consider and stay committed to the legacy of our work.
   
4. Community Development: We have a long and successful history of community engagement in Mexico. More importantly, we saw the many concentric and overlapping circles of community that can be created by this type of endeavor.
   

4. What is the story behind the building of Playa Viva?
We were introduced to the land at Playa Viva in the summer of 2005. We instantly were mystified by its subtle charm, the teaming life of the estuary, the hills overlooking the beach and small lagoon (which turned out to be an archeological site), the broad expanse of beach and the turtle sanctuary. We thought the tiny town of Juluchuca was charming and so we invested in the property. We looked at several options for development. One option would have been to take the land and carve it into lots and sell it. This was the easy route, but it showed lack of leadership and vision. Sandra headed out to Green Build in Atlanta in fall of 2005 and interviewed several experts in sustainable development. Of all the experts, Bill Reed spoke her language and inspired the leadership and vision that we wanted for this project.
We held several design Charettes in 2006 and 2007 and developed the Master Plan behind Playa Viva.

5. What is your definition of Sustainability (how sustainable are you)?
Great question. Sustainability by definition needs to be at least net neutral in damage and be able to sustain itself in the long run. Thus, a sustainable business that upholds to the values of “triple bottom line” must benefit the community, the environment and make good business (generate a profit). Now a really sustainable business wouldn’t be much of a business if it made a loss. Similarly, it would not be sustainable if the endeavor degraded the value of either the environment or the local community. Our goal is to be regenerative, not just to make less damage (building green) or net neutral (Sustainable) but to make a significant impact in creating a better local economy, more resilient and thriving ecosystems and still have a profitable business endeavor. We also feel that to be truly sustainable, these values need to be core to your people and organization. Sustainability just can’t be a department you add because that is part of your marketing message. Sustainability needs to be the way everyone involved in the project thinks and acts; it needs to be core to our DNA! We start with these values, now the challenge is to lead, to transfer and to inculcate these into the whole community that is Playa Viva (and beyond).

6. Is it difficult to build sustainably in Mexico?
It is difficult to build sustainably anywhere if you are not able to make some hard choices about how to build the right way. Luckily, we have a great team with lots of experience in this area. This started with the Regenesis team and their thought leadership throughout the Charette/Design process. It continues with our Design/Build Architect, Michel Lewis. Michel has over 20 years building green and sustainably in Mexico. Given his long history in building sustainably, it is easier now than ever before to build correctly. A quick example of how the design team works: we were walking the site when the head of the Turtle Camp asked me if we wanted them to burn the thousands of egg shells left over from the Turtle Sanctuary. The common practice in Mexico is to burn trash but we had already worked with them on NOT burning trash. I asked him not to burn them and we’d come up with a good use for the eggs. I turned to Michel, our architect, and asked him, "Hey Michel, what do we do with all these egg shells?" He said he’d think about it and get back to me. Two minutes later he said, "About those egg shells, we can grind them up and add them to cob." Cob is a building material consisting of clay, sand, straw, water, and earth, similar to adobe. Cob is fireproof, resistant to seismic activity, and inexpensive. It can be used to create artistic, sculptural forms and has been revived in recent years by the natural building and sustainability movements (from Wikipedia). This is just one of many stories on how the team collaborates and innovates to build sustainably and beyond.

7. What is the ocean and beach like at Playa Viva?
The beach is white sand, not too coarse, not too fine, it is just right. The beach contours gentle rise to a layer of small dunes about 1050 to 200 yards from the water line. The water is open-ocean. The waves can vary in height depending on season and high tide/low tide. The water is swim-able, with no rocks, but it is open-ocean so swimmers should be good, cautious swimmers. It is a surfing area but really only for the best surfers. Beginner and novice surfing is within a 1 hour drive.

8. Will you have AC?
NO, none of the Casitas has artificial air-conditioning. The only air-conditioning available is the natural breeze flowing from the ocean. We have engineered the Casitas and other common areas to maximize the flow of air, minimize the heat effect from the sun and make the environment as pleasant as possible. If you must encase yourself in a refrigerated room to be comfortable, Playa Viva is not for you.

9. How can you be luxury and sustainable?
Simple, luxury is not gold plated faucets and marble floors. Luxury is about attention to detail in design and service. An old tree branch can be crafted into sustainable and luxurious towel rack; making sure that you have a sun dried organic luxurious bath towel handy that was washed from water sourced from a bountiful well on site, cleaned in a washing machine powered by solar energy, and waste-water that flows to an onsite natural waste-water treatment facility for cleaning and discharging back into nature to replenish the water table - now that is sustainable luxury. This is how luxury and sustainability coexist.

10. What kind of community are you trying to create?
It sounds trite to say we are creating a community of like-minded individuals, but that is what we are trying to do. So what are these individuals like? They are like you, they are part of families that are interested in making this world a better place. They are involved in interesting activities, they are smart, they want to be healthy, they believe that we suffer from “nature deficit disorder” and want to participate in creating community. In the many years we have operated Casa Viva, what surprises us most and brings us the most joy is the response that we get from guests who meet people they never knew before staying with us and have maintained those new friendships long after their stay. Playa Viva, self-selects a very special type of person, the type of person you want to meet and with whom you want share this experience.

11. Is there any good surfing nearby?
Yes, the waves at Playa Icacos and La Barrita, next door to Playa Viva, are for better surfers. Surfing for beginners and intermediates is within a one hour drive of Playa Viva.

12. Is having an Archaeological site on the property a good or bad thing?
At first, we thought having an archeological site at Playa Viva might be problematic. But in the long run, the site is a huge bonus. The site provides a cultural connection between the ancient site and the current village of Juluchuca. It provides a center of historical pride for the community. It also verifies that this is a rich and vibrant place that cultures and peoples have lived here for centuries. The fact that an archeological site is part of Playa Viva, and as a co-owner, is located on your property, enhances the mystery and magic that makes living in Mexico so wonderful. We are making every effort to respect the site and to partner with the right organizations to restore this site.