Grand Bay Marina, Barra de Navidad

I posted this message to the Yahoo southbound cruisers group. It got
rejected because I didn't delete the original e-mail I was replying to (sailors
using HF for e-mail are pretty bandwidth starved). The topic was really old so I thought the original e-mail would be useful for context. I'll post it here instead.

I would still recommend visiting the Grand Bay Marina as long as you're
forewarned about the expense. The amenities at the resort are pretty amazing.
There's an ATM that dispenses US dollars at the Paradise Village Resort Mall
in Puerto Vallarta so it's possible to load up on dollars before heading to the
Marina in Navidad.

> From: "southbound_group-owner@yahoogroups.com"
> Subject: Message not approved: Grand Bay Marina -- Barra de Navidad

> I have an update on prices at Grand Bay Marina.
> If you're a cruiser on a budget I'd give the Marina a wide
> berth. Charlie's Charts (12th Ed., c. 2009) quotes a daily rate
> of $1.40 per foot; I was charged $2.60 per foot. A sailor checking
> out ahead of me was having a lengthy debate with the young lady at
> the front desk about his shore power charges. They don't read the
> meters. They bill based on what they call "average usage". By his
> calculations the bill was four times his estimated usage.
>
> Overcharging based on exchange rates seems to be policy; when they
> converted my US dollar denominated bill to Pesos they used an
> exchange rate of 12.5 (I pointed out that the current spot rate
> was 11.5).
>
> Cheers, Hank
> s/v Further
>
> --- In southbound_group@yahoogroups.com, Dick Locke wrote:
> >
> > The monthly rate is USD27 per foot, plus 16% IVA. I don't recall the
> > daily rate but it's always been about 1/11 of the monthly rate. If you
> > stay 11 days, the rest of the month is free...as the rationalization goes.
> >
> > Caution, two weeks ago they were converting to pesos at 13 per dollar.
> > That's about 8% above the bank rate. If you pay with a US credit card
> > your peso charge will be converted back to dollars at about 12 to one.
> > If you pay with peso cash, same 8% hit. After I expressed some "frank
> > displeasure" Hugo suggested paying in USD cash. . Turned out we had
> > about half the amount we needed so we only got half ripped off.
> >
> > If you're going to the states, I suggest bringing back enough dollars to
> > pay them in dollar cash.
> >