General Travel
1. How do I get to Playa Viva?
ZIH Airport is served by over 82 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, San Francisco, Denver, Atlanta, Toronto and Calgary.
2. Does Playa Viva offer airport transportation?
Playa Viva owners and rental guests enjoy complimentary airport transport in one of the resort’s biodiesel-powered vans. If you chose to rent a car 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. Due to delays by the US Passport office, this rule has been postponed, but we strongly advise you to get a valid passport when traveling to Mexico.
4. What is the electrical current in Mexico?
Electrical power throughout Mexico uses 110 volts, 60 cycles, the same as the US and Canada
5. Should I use Mexican pesos or American dollars?
Most locations take both Dollars and 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, this would be over and above fee charged by ATM operator.
Resort General
1. What is Playa Viva?
Playa Viva is a sustainable resort & residence community under development on 200 acres of ocean-front property, just a 30-minute drive south of the Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa International Airport (ZIH).
2. Where is Playa Viva?
Playa Viva is located in the town of Juluchuca, on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, in the State of Guerrero about 30-minutes south of (ZIH) Zihuatanejo / Ixtapa International Airport (ZIH).
3. What makes Playa Viva different from other resort communities?
Playa Viva is situated on sprawling terrain replete with pristine beaches, a private nature preserve, turtle sanctuary, ancient ruins, and a natural estuary that is home to over 200 species of exotic birds, making the resort one of the most vibrant and beautiful natural vacation destinations.
All Playa Viva facilities are specially designed to revitalize and nurture the land they’re built on and the community they’re surrounded by. For more information about what makes Playa Viva different, please see
www.PlayaViva.com website in detail.
4. What facilities and amenities will Playa Viva offer?
Facilities and amenities include: on-site concierge service, valet, 24-hour front desk, in-residence dining and room service, daily maid service, airport transportation, personal year-round storage, a world-class spa, state-of-the art fitness center, yoga classes, multiple pools, and Jacuzzis, exquisite seaside restaurants and one very well-stocked wine cellar.
5. What type of recreational activities will I find in & around Playa Viva?
Playa Viva provides acres of options -- 200 acres to be exact. Enjoy a morning of yoga or meditation followed by an afternoon of surfing or horseback riding along the beach, deep sea fishing or test your agility at our private ropes course.
Click here for more information related to Activities at Playa Viva. On site we will offer biking, hiking, kayaking, boogie boarding, surfing, bird watching, swimming, yoga and just plain relaxing. We plan to build tennis courts in Phase II. We also plan on adding a climbing wall and ropes course throughout the property. We encourage co-owners 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. In addition, the Archeological site provides opportunities for engagement as well. Many off-site activities abound including fishing, sailing, golf, shopping, archeological sites, hikes and visits to restaurants and nightlife in Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa.
6. 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.
7. Does the resort offer an Internet Connection or Wi-Fi?
We will make every attempt to get the best possible connection from Telmex, the local telcom. While this is a modern convenience that many would like to escape from in coming to a resort like Playa Viva, we find that having the internet has merits in allowing our guests to stay connected and as a result feel more relaxed. Wi-Fi will be available in certain areas of the resort.
8. Are safety deposit boxes available?
Yes, each room is equipped with a safe deposit box opened only by the electronic PIN that you select. These have been provided for you to store your valuables such as documents, money, jewelry, etc.
9. 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.
10. Does Playa Viva offer room service?
Room Service is available during the operating hours of the restaurant. A table can be set up on your balcony, in the room, beach front or almost anywhere you want to enjoy a private meal. Private parties in the Common Areas can be arranged with the restaurant staff as well.
11. Does Playa Viva allow pets?
Pets are invited as well as long as they are well behaved as their owners. Owners must clean up after their pets and make sure that pets are not posing any harm 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 on site.
12. Does the resort have handicapped accommodations?
We are building one of our Casitas in Phase I to be handicap accessible. Common Area design and construction will be handicap considerate but all facilities will not be fully ADA compliant.
13. Is smoking permitted?
Playa Viva is 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 susceptible to fire. 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 and ground is not an ashtray, 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.
14. What is your cancellation policy?
Owners are asked to provide the Management Company with as much notice as possible if they can not use a reservation so the reservations can be placed into the rental pool. Guests renting from the rental pool will be able to cancel within 30 days of their stay. Any reservation cancelled after than period will be subject to a cancellation fee.
15. 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.
A Casita at Playa Viva is part of the overall infrastructure available to you. The Casitas come in either 1, 2 or 3 bedroom configurations. In most cases rooms have either a private or share a bath with 1 other bedroom. Each Casita is a stand alone unit and provides plenty of privacy and distance from the next Casita. They are built to serve a main bedroom and your primary private space to utilize along with the Common Area houses as your living room space.
The design behind Playa Viva can be called Social Architecture. We built around the concept of creating both Private and Public Spaces. This is done in order to create community and inspire interaction via design and architecture. The Common Areas are larger Living Spaces shared by 4-5 Casitas. These serve as your living room and den. They include a small kitchenette, but again, our goal was to have meals shared in the beach club. Meals are the best time to bring everyone together. I’m sure it is the same with your family at home around the dinner table. Well at Playa Viva, meals is about more than just the family, it is about the entire community. Sure, you can always arrange Room Service or Private Party if you want your own space. Another benefit of the Common Areas is that if you use your fractionals concurrently over 4 Casitas, you can then commandeer a Common Are and its sleeping porch and create a larger and private party within the larger community. Also, Common Areas are meant to serve a similar function as the "concierge room" at many fine hotels, in that breakfast buffet will be served and snacks will be available throughout the day. It will be outfitted like a good living room with plenty of comfortable places to sit, read, work, play and holiday.
Playa Viva is offering co-ownership opportunities in 1/52nd shares, corresponding to one week units in either 1, 2 or 3 bedroom casitas. Co-ownership plans are designed to provide our owners with maximal scheduling flexibility, allowing ownership packages to be created that best meet their needs. There are three types of co-ownership shares available for purchase: Holiday, Fixed and Flex weeks. Holiday and Fixed Week shares are designed for owners who always want the same fixed week each year or who want to buy an entire month or set of weeks in any order. Flex Week shares are available for owners with a more flexible schedule or who can travel based on availability. In addition, shares of more than one week can be created in whatever format fits your needs combining Holiday Weeks, Fixed Weeks and even Flex weeks to create the package that best suits your needs. Discounts are available for purchasing multiple shares.
YES. Foreigners may obtain direct ownership of property in the interior of Mexico. But, under Mexican law, foreigners cannot acquire direct ownership of residential property within the area 100 kilometers from the border and 50 kilometers from the coastline. This area is known as the restricted zone. It is possible, however, to acquire beneficial rights to use, improve, and enjoy property in the restricted zone through a Bank Trust or
authorized by the Mexican Government under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. More detailed information about purchasing property in Mexico through a trust can be obtained online at
While we have been approached by several companies offering aggregation of Fractional Ownerships, we have not selected one as of this date. All of these companies are large organizations with a large selections of quality resorts. They are not necessarily green or sustainable, but we understand your need to have access to other locations. In general, you should not purchase at Playa Viva because you want a large pool of locations to choose from; however, if having other locations to chose from is important to you, please let us know.
In general, the difference between fractional ownership and time share falls into a few key categories. Most timeshares are purchased for a specific week. In many cases, the timeshare is only for a limited time, for example 20-30 years, whereas Fractional Ownership provides you with "title" with your ownership, forever.
All weeks are fully transferable. We find that Playa Viva attracts a certain type of visitor. Playa Viva does not have air-conditioning, TV in every room, mini-bars, etc. and such a resort does not appeal to your average traveler. From our experience, a place like Playa Viva attracts a traveler like you in many ways but with their own story and interests. Exclusivity for Playa Viva is about the company you keep and that are attracted to the same values.
There are five holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Easter and Presidents weeks which all lie within High Season. High Season begins on the first Saturday in November and lasts 31 weeks. Since Easter falls within a six week window each year, there are five weeks each year that comprise the Easter "blackout" weeks. As a result, these weeks are NOT available for use as Fixed Weeks but are available as prime weeks for owners of Flex Weeks.