The brand new Ocho Cascadas! WOW!

We were so VERY lucky! We had rented a week in November, 2014 at the incredible Ocho Cascadas. They had sent out an email to previous owners or those who had rented earlier during the three year period between the old ownership and the new ownership. Ocho was then closed for a year for a total renovation, including an elevator (an engineering marvel given the steep hillside), AC in the bedrooms, granite and stainless steel kitchen, new tile everywhere including the infinity pools, a brand new upper level lobby and much more.

Well, the construction was a bit behind schedule (normal, right?), so they were not quite ready for the very early rentals they had set up. It ended up that we were the VERY FIRST people to stay in the NEW OCHO. And, to boot, we were the only guests in the whole complex, except for Mark Giddings and his son (one of the owners who was managing the project). We were in Villa Four and Mark was below us in the huge Villa Three. We really enjoyed our chance to chat with Mark about the history of Ocho and the process of the renovation. He is a very engaging person.

Our stay (our third time at Ocho) was so lovely. We hated to leave our beautiful surroundings to go to town. The Giddings family treated us to a chef prepared dinner on our first night, as the first guests at the new Ocho Cascadas. Their new chef, Eduardo, is something. What a great meal! He pulled the meat from the red snapper, floured the whole fish and fried it into a U by using a chopstick to shape it. Then he put the meat back into the shell. All asian flavors. Pretty amazing!

We can't speak highly enough about the new Ocho Cascadas and the Giddings family, the owners with a wonderful vision for such a unique property. Patricia Giddings, the wife of the late Ed Giddings who was the architect of Ocho, is to be commended for carrying on the dream. They have sunk their heart and soul into this renovation project. It is a great opportunity to own there. Feel free to PM me for more information and/or pictures. This is a very special place indeed!!

I've always wanted to try this location and now I really want to.

Thanks for sharing your experience..

Thanks so much for the update. We will be there at month-end and are anxious to see the new Ocho Cascadas. Not sure how many of the former staff returned due to the downtime for the extensive renovations. Did you happen to meet staff members named Antonio and/or Victor while there?

lamb said:

Thanks so much for the update. We will be there at month-end and are anxious to see the new Ocho Cascadas. Not sure how many of the former staff returned due to the downtime for the extensive renovations. Did you happen to meet staff members named Antonio and/or Victor while there?

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Do you own at the new Ocho Cascadas? I see on your Avatar that you own at Lindo Mar. We love it there and stay at Lindo Mar every year in November.

lamb said:

Thanks so much for the update. We will be there at month-end and are anxious to see the new Ocho Cascadas. Not sure how many of the former staff returned due to the downtime for the extensive renovations. Did you happen to meet staff members named Antonio and/or Victor while there?

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I did not see Antonio or Victor, but they were not fully open when we stayed and had a skeleton crew. Miguel Torres is the administrator and he was there when we stayed the time before. We really enjoyed him. He is efficient and very personable. The staff was all wonderful. Their Penthouse chef, Eduardo is a gem as was our maid.

Now that Ocho is being resold as a brand, new timeshare, there is opportunity for more people to be able to own a piece of Puerto Vallartan paradise. Anyone traveling to PV, take a look at the Ocho Cascadas website. There are pictures and floor plans. Maybe you could go for a visit. ocho cascadas.com It truly is the most special place we have ever stayed.

Hi Ruth,

Yes, we own during the holiday week. We love Ocho and opted for the winter holiday week this time. We previously owned weeks that typically covered spring break. The addition of the elevator delayed the original date but was an excellent decision, in my personal opinion.

Hi Ruth,

Congratulations on christening the new resort!

We owners have not received an update from the resort since mid-September, when they said they would officially open in November. And it has been over a month since they even posted any photos on the resort Facebook page. So we've been wondering if they actually opened.

Did you tour the whole resort? Are all the villas complete? Are the waterfalls flowing? Are both sections of the elevator operating?

Thanks!

collinsc said:

Hi Ruth,

Congratulations on christening the new resort!

We owners have not received an update from the resort since mid-September, when they said they would officially open in November. And it has been over a month since they even posted any photos on the resort Facebook page. So we've been wondering if they actually opened.

Did you tour the whole resort? Are all the villas complete? Are the waterfalls flowing? Are both sections of the elevator operating?

Thanks!

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Chris,

When we were there mid November all of the units were completed except the penthouse. They even renovated Villa Four, even though it had just been done as the model a few years back. They wanted it to be exactly like the others. We did get to tour the whole place. The combination of Villas One and Two is genious! There is a very nice view of the ocean from what used to be Villa One. It has a wet bar with a small fridge and has the master suite. It is now a huge three bedroom villa. As you know, Villa Two had a compromised view, so this is a great improvement!

The elevator is awesome and operating. Each villa has a door that leads you to the elevator door. The staircase will only be used by the staff now and the members will only enter via the upper level lobby. It was also being finished up. Miguel's office is up there, also, with a gorgeous view.

The water is flowing. They now can control each waterfall individually. Also, the cement lion head over each pool now spurts water by a switch the members can use. So, if you want a gentle water sound, you can turn it on. The pools and decks have all been resurfaced and retiled. Very pretty. Also, there is a control for the lights in the pool. You can make them turn different colors and even change all the time. Very cool at night!

The kitchens are beautiful. Our chef prepared dinner, provided by Patricia Giddings and a most gracious gift was excellent.

The glass that encloses the bedrooms is very classy looking. We did not use the AC, but it is a needed option for summertime.

The staff members that we met were all very cordial and efficient. They have put together a great team.

I wish I had taken more pictures when we visited the lobby, penthouse and especially Villa 1/2, which was finished.

They were opening for Thanksgiving week and I assumed that it would be owners staying there that week. We returned on November 16, so they were working hard to complete everything. We really enjoyed meeting Mark Giddings. He was staying is Villa Three with his son. Mark was working very hard to get it all done. We really enjoyed him. Dave Stoenner also came down to check it out, so we were able to meet him also. I was happy to get to meet Dave since he has helped me with the rentals we have had during the three year extension. There was just such a positive buzz around all of Ocho. I hope their opening went very well!

Congratulations to the owners

What a great resort it was even before.

Offer from SFX for Ocho Cascadas

I got offer from SFX via email today and thought I'd pass it along in case anyone is interested.

Wow. No doubt worth it, but still holding out for an exchange one of these days.

Looking at the offer Karen received it looks incredible. I have one question-- it says that it is an open air villa, do they have windows and close up? We were mugged many years ago at a timeshare in the Bahamas and I need to have a closed villa when I go to sleep!

ilene13 said:

Looking at the offer Karen received it looks incredible. I have one question-- it says that it is an open air villa, do they have windows and close up? We were mugged many years ago at a timeshare in the Bahamas and I need to have a closed villa when I go to sleep!

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In post #8 above SciTchr mentions the glass surrounding the bedroom.

Somewhere I read that they had enclosed the sleeping area with glass but now I can't find where I read that. Hopefully someone will verify.

You should be able to find it here.

ilene13 said:

Looking at the offer Karen received it looks incredible. I have one question-- it says that it is an open air villa, do they have windows and close up? We were mugged many years ago at a timeshare in the Bahamas and I need to have a closed villa when I go to sleep!

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The way it used to be, it was impossible to be mugged as there was a security gate at the top of the property as well as at the bottom.

It is the most romantic and unusual timeshare condo you ever will experience anywhere and you will never forget it either. We are keeping track of it because we want to return again.

So did Ocho Cascadas reopen after renovation as timeshare or whole ownership?

From their website...

The nine villas at Ocho Cascadas have been divided into 48 weeks of ownership. 4 weeks each year are kept vacant for annual maintenance to ensure every villa is kept in perfect condition for every owner.

The weeks of ownership at Ocho begin and end on Thursday to avoid the higher priced weekend airfare. Week One begins each year on the first Thursday of the year. Week Two is the second Thursday, etc….

For a complete calendar of start dates for future years, check out the Use Week Calendar

Why Ownership?

Several reasons.

Availability – – Ocho is very, very difficult to get into as a non owner. The only way you can rent at Ocho is if you know one of the owners and you rent from them directly. Or, if there is an unsold villa in the timeframe you are interested in coming to Ocho.

Price – The cost of owning is far less than the cost of renting

Selection – Most owners have a strong preference for a particular villa in a particular time of year. The only way to be assured the villa and season you want is to own it.

Long Term Investment – Although buying a vacation property should not be done for investment purposes, the value of resort property in Puerto Vallarta has contineud to go up even in slow economic times. By owning your vacation villa forever, you can pass your ownership on to your estate, or you can resell your ownership later at the then current price. When you rent, you get no return for your money. When you own, you get the enjoyment of your luxury villa at Ocho for as long as you and your family desire, then you have the option to resell your week at the market price.

Exchange – If you decide one year you would like to try a different resort location, you can exchange your week at Ocho for hundreds of deluxe resorts around the world.

Your ownership is held secure in a Mexican Bank Trust (Fidecomiso) until the year 2054. At that time, you and your fellow owners will decide if you want to ‘extend’ the trust for 50 more years, or sell the property and divide the sale proceeds among the owners.

Price of ownership varies based on villa and time of year. Forever ownership at Ocho starts under $20,000 and tops out at $132,000 for the Penthouse at Christmas.

For a complete list of pricing for all villas, contact Dave Stoenner in the California office at 949 640 8740 or e-mail to dave@cascadaslegacy.com

Our Rules and Regulations and Bylaws are posted here for your convenience.

the New Ocho

Yes, they reopened as a new timeshare last Fall. They are selling the weeks as a timeshare. We were lucky enough to be the first guests in Nuevo Ocho in November 2014. Actually, we were the only guests, as it was not quite finished. They wanted us to delay our stay, but we had already purchased our airfare, so they worked it out for us to stay in Villa 4 while they finished working on the lobby up the hill. The only other occupant was Mark Giddings, the son of Ed Giddings, the architect and owner. Mark was the renovation project manager.

Ocho Cascadas is very secure. Now there is only one entrance - up top. Before there were two, but with the new elevator everyone enters at the top. There is security at the door. The villas are open air, but there is no access except from the lobby. The bedrooms now have a glass enclosure so that air conditioning can be used in the summer months.

This Fall we were staying at Lindo Mar and were invited to the Friday Meet and Greet cocktail party. Very classy. They had the mariachis from Trio playing and they provide margaritas and appetizers in the penthouse. All of the guests for the week get a chance to meet each other. There are only 9 units, so it is a small crowd. Easy to chat with everyone.

Ocho os an amazing property. One of the best out there! No security issues there or in PV in general.

Ocho video

Here is a drone promotional video from the website. About 3/4 through you can see the interior of some of the villas. Interesting video as Patricia Giddings shares some of the history of Ocho Cascadas.

https://vimeo.com/145963412

SciTchr said:

Here is a drone promotional video from the website. About 3/4 through you can see the interior of some of the villas. Interesting video as Patricia Giddings shares some of the history of Ocho Cascadas.

https://vimeo.com/145963412

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That was interesting--thanks for posting it. Looks like a special place.

Ocho Cascadas does not seem to be listed on II anymore. I'm aware it was always a near impossible trade, but it seems like there were a few that got lucky. Is OCC no longer allowing trades?

Ocho trades

Dave*H said:

Ocho Cascadas does not seem to be listed on II anymore. I'm aware it was always a near impossible trade, but it seems like there were a few that got lucky. Is OCC no longer allowing trades?

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Trading Places and SFX provide rentals, as does the Ocho website, but the prices are higher than my MFee. It is a lovely property, so it might be worth the rental fee.