If you enjoy traveling to Mexico, vacation club membership is worth taking seriously. We joined over ten years ago and have loved every minute of it.
“For us, it has become a way to explore beautiful destinations, build lasting friendships, and create what feels like a second home.”
We came to membership the same way many people do: cautiously. For years we had been traveling to resorts across Mexico on spring break with our family, sitting through the morning sales presentations mostly for the freebies. None of the proposals ever made financial sense. Too expensive, too rigid, nothing that seemed to justify the commitment.
Then came a stay in Cancun that changed everything. The program was reasonably priced, the points system was flexible, and the properties spanned destinations all across Mexico. But what convinced us most were the members we spoke with around the pool that week. They were enthusiastic in a way that did not feel rehearsed. After those conversations, we signed up.
For the next five years, we took our family to a new destination each year: Cabo, Puerto Vallarta, Loreto, Cancun, one after another. Two of our children later asked us to coordinate their senior high school trips, large groups of friends and families heading to Mexico together. The member services team and resort staff handled every detail, making both trips easy to organize and memorable for everyone who came along.
From Vacations to Community
As our children graduated and started lives of their own, we found ourselves traveling to Mexico more frequently. In 2019, we attended our first Annual Members Meeting. It was, without question, a turning point.
Through those gatherings we found friendships we did not expect, with fellow members and resort staff who have since become some of our closest friends. As retirement drew closer, a new idea began to take shape: spending our winters in Mexico, not just as travelers, but as people with a real community waiting for us there, especially welcome during a Minnesota winter.
That idea became reality. We now spend extended time in Mexico each year, and at the most recent annual meeting we gathered with a group of roughly twenty friends, all people we first met through membership. Those friendships have since stretched far beyond the resorts. Thirteen of us are traveling to Croatia together this August, drawn by one member’s deep family history there. Egypt and South Africa are being considered for the year after, inspired by others in our group with roots and knowledge of both places.
Our sense of community also grew through involvement with the club’s charitable foundation. What began as an organization formed by members has grown into something far-reaching, supporting dozens of organizations across Mexico and impacting thousands of families, including many of the people who work at the resorts themselves. Its work was recently recognized with one of the most coveted awards in the global hospitality and resort industry. Being able to participate in even a small way has been one of the most meaningful parts of this journey. Membership can be as multi-faceted as you choose to make it.
Making the Most of Membership
After more than a decade, a few things stand out as worth sharing with fellow members:
- Use your membership. Most members who feel frustrated simply are not using it or taking full advantage of what is available to them.
- Understand the details. Take time to read through your contract carefully. There may be flexibility you were not aware of, along with terms worth knowing before you need them.
- Attend Member 101 sessions. These non-sales presentations are designed to help you understand how to make the most of your membership. They are also a great way to meet other members and get questions answered, and are typically offered every week at every resort.
- Try all of the destinations. It is easy to find a place you love and return every time. But each destination offers something genuinely different, and the variety is part of what makes membership worth having:
- Puerto Vallarta brings world-class dining, rich Mexican culture, coastal scenery, mountain hikes, the charming town of Sayulita nearby, and the tequila-producing region just inland.
- Cancun offers some of the most vivid water in Mexico, world-class diving and snorkeling, cenotes, and Mayan ruins within easy reach.
- Cabo San Lucas combines desert landscapes with the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez, with whale watching, deep-sea fishing, championship golf, and views that stop you mid-step.
- Islands of Loreto sits quieter and more secluded along the Sea of Cortez, with championship golf, pristine waters, and a pace that invites genuine rest.
- Build relationships with the staff. The people at each property are a large part of what makes every visit feel special. Many of them genuinely look forward to reconnecting with returning members each season.
- Attend the annual meeting. It is one of the best ways to build friendships within the member community and connect directly with the organization’s leadership.
- Experience local festivals. For the past four years, we have made a point of attending Dia de los Muertos in Puerto Vallarta each November, a celebration that has become one of the most meaningful parts of our travels. We encourage every member to experience it at least once.
For us, membership has grown into something we never anticipated when we first signed up all those years ago. It has opened the door to recurring adventures, lasting friendships, and a community in Mexico that genuinely feels like home.
If you see us at any of the properties, come and say hello.
-Doug and Donna Caywood, UVCI Members, TAFER Members & MAC Members
Have a travel story you’d like to share? We’d love to feature it in an upcoming newsletter. Submit your Member Moment HERE : include your favorite memory, a photo if you have one, and how long you’ve been a member.
