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Forum Excerpts - May 2001 |
| Bahamas-mon Viva Fortuna.......information needed |
| May 31, 2001 at 02:54:52 by Di. O (Di7952@aol.com) |
|
I am in nursing school and some of my classmates and I purchased some products
from "Prevention First".........with the purchase of $1799...there was the trip
included to Viva Fortuna.........I have been to Freeport several times and
always on a cruise never at a resort........I have read alot of bad things
about the resort..........can someone give me some up to date info on it....The
trip was what convinced us to making the purchase since we had all planned a
trip anyways. Thank you in advance.
Di |
| May 31, 2001 at 09:59:05 by Joe (joekusterer@yahoo.com) |
|
Hi- Our family's website, listed below, has lots of pictures and info about Club Fortuna. Make sure you check the Guestbook as there's lots of comments from recent visitors to the resort. Joe The Unofficial Club Viva Fortuna Resort Website http://www.geocities.com/clubfortuna |
| Bahamas-mon Airport to hotel transfers...need help! |
| May 29, 2001 at 08:27:28 by Tanya (spldrotnt@cs.com) |
|
Should we purchase the hotel transfers for $20USD each roundtrip, or shold we
just get a taxi from the airport to the hotel , and same on the way back?
Anyone been to Club viva and took a taxi? About how much does it cost?
Hate to keep asking this question, but need to pre arrange the the shuttle
service with the hotel in advance!
previous message posted below! |
| Geographia Club Viva Fortuna Resort |
| 5/28/01 1:36:58 PM by Lorraine, lorraine_hadfield@hotmail.com |
| Will be visiting Club Viva Fortuna in August 2001. Has anyone any comments on the resort or any helpful tips? Also looking to book dolphin experience trip, any info on this would also be appreciated. |
| 5/29/01 8:45:53 AM by Carrie, carriek5@hotmail.com |
|
Hi Lorraine,
Joe, who posts frequently, on this board is probably your best source of information in regards to Club Fortuna since he and his family regularly vacation there. I can also give you some info. on Club Fortuna if you write me. If you need information regarding the dolphin programs and any other excursions/activities, nightlife, transporation, general tips on Grand Bahama Island, feel free to email me directly. best regards Carrie carriek5@hotmail.com |
| 5/30/01 9:31:30 PM by Joe, joekusterer@yahoo.com |
|
Hi Lorraine- I'm the Joe to whom Carrie is referring. Check our family website listed below for info and pics of the resort. Joe The Unofficial Club Viva Fortuna Resort Website http://www.geocities.com/clubfortuna |
| The "Pink" Board Info on Club Fortuna and activities |
| 1:26 pm sunday may 27, 2001 by Rita |
| I will be traveling to the Bahamas on August 23rd through August 30th. I will be staying at Club Fortuna Beach. I would like any information on activities, island tours, night clubs, and must see attractions. I would also like to hear trip reports from people who have stayed at this resort. |
| 10:22 pm wednesday may 30, 2001 by Joe |
|
Hi Rita- Check our family website listed below. There's lots of info and pictures of the resort. There's also some info on other activities. Also, check the guestbook on the site for some trip reports from people who've stayed there. Joe The Unofficial Club Viva Fortuna Resort Website http://www.geocities.com/clubfortuna |
| Bahamas-mon Club Viva fortuna pictures? |
| May 27, 2001 at 19:14:02 by Tanya (spldrotnt@cs.com) |
| Going to Club VIva for a week next month, taking my younger brother. Does anyone have any pictures of their trip..or know of a good web page? |
| May 28, 2001 at 10:00:41 by Renee O'B (renee@wizard.net) |
| Joe Kusterer has a really informative "unofficial" site on Club Viva Fortuna at: http://www.geocities.com/clubfortuna/ Check it out! |
| Bahamas-mon Club Viva fortuna taxi or hotel transfers? |
| May 27, 2001 at 19:12:32 by Tanya (spldrotnt@cs.com) |
| Should we purchase the hotel transfers for $20USD each roundtrip, or shold we just get a taxi from the airport to the hotel , and same on the way back? Anyone been to Club viva and took a taxi? About how much does it cost? |
| Bahamas-mon Club Viva Fortuna vs. Our Lucaya |
| May 25, 2001 at 21:51:11 by Shelly (Shelly_Pasternak@hotmail.com) |
|
I have read so many not so good things about club fortuna. We have the
opportunity to pay the same amount for the all inclustive at Club Fortuna and
for just hotel at Our Lucaya.
Is Club Fortuna really a dirty place.
It is important for me to have a clean place to stay.
Which is in a better location??
I'd appreciate any words of advice. Thanks |
| May 26, 2001 at 07:44:21 by Lyle Lathrop (lyle@pinn.net) |
| Shelly.........Just returned from Freeport. Don't know much about Fortuna (except they are supposed to have a nude beach), but rode back with a guy who stayed at Our Lucaya and he couldn't say enough about it. Stay away from Bahamia (undergoing major renovations). You should enjoy Our Lucaya. Good Luck and enjoy............Lyle. |
| May 26, 2001 at 11:57:43 by mike (mceb1313@aol.com) |
|
my wife and i stayed at Our Lucaya two weeks ago...the whole
place is very neat and clean(almost disneylike with staffers
always picking up trash, cleaning, etc)...
i dont know anything about fortuna, but would suggest staying
at our lucaya,but don't go for the all inclusive there...
the port marketplace is just across the street and there are
plenty of places to eat there...food at lucaya is a bit higher
in price, we did the breakfast buffet a couple of time at barracuda's
it's $12.99 and includes all the usual plus there are two omelette
stations...we chose to eat midmorning and then were able to skip lunch.
a couple of things to warn you about...check-in can be a bit slow, ask for a room facing the ocean(there is construction on the port lucaya side of breakers cay and it can get a bit noisy in the AM... there is only one sundry shop on site(reef village)so if you want bottled water or whatever,you need to pick it up elsewher(there is a winndixie not far away... |
| May 26, 2001 at 14:23:03 by Renee O'B (renee@wizard.net) |
|
There is a big sundry shop right across the street in Pport Lucaya Marketplace.
It is called Oasis, and carries water, snacks, gum, medicine, etc.
Its location is shown on the map at:
http://www.portlucaya.com/marketplace/index.html
It's not labeled, but it is in group #5, and is the long, narrow one on the far
right.
The Winn Dixe is much farther; you need to take a car, cab or bus. You can walk to Oasis. |
| May 26, 2001 at 22:11:22 by mike (mceb1313@aol.com) |
| my point was that our lucaya property has only the one shop... |
| May 26, 2001 at 23:19:21 by Renee O'B (renee@wizard.net) |
| Oh. Reading your comment led me to believe you didn't know about Oasis. Couldn't imagine why else you'd offer only Winn-Dixie as a suggestion, since it's so far. |
| May 26, 2001 at 22:13:59 by Janice (lilb71@hotmail.com) |
|
Dear Shelley,
I live on the island and know both hotels well. Where to stay really depends on what you're looking for. Club Fortuna is an all-inclusive only whereas Our Lucaya gives you a choice. Club Fortuna is a quiet private resort and Our Lucaya is right where the action is and much busier. Both are on beautiful beaches and both are decent resorts. Our Lucaya is newer though and certainly fancier. If you have any more questions at all, you can email me at lilb71@hotmail.com and I'd be happy to answer any more questions that you have about the resorts or the island in general. Janice |
| May 29, 2001 at 10:00:15 by Padge (pseverin@peoplepc.com) |
|
I took my wife and 4 daughters, ages 21, 18, 16, and 12 to Fortuna a year ago
with the same apprehensions you may have but all that was put to rest once we
got there.... Fortuna is NOT dirty, it just has a lot of tiled flooring that
can get sandy obviously that can feel dirty to some people. The all-inclusive
food was great (buffet style), the free drinks and beer flowed freely and were
excellent, but small (needed to go back to the bar often !), there were many
water sports with equipment that came with our stay with nominal fees for
motorized sports. The beach is beautiful, the staff is young and wonderful and
very helpful.
The nude beach is not necessarily true... out of a possible 250+ people capacity at Fortuna, I believe we were 6 out of about 30 Americans during our 10-day stay... I didn't hear may people speaking English when not being addressed in English... therefore, being of European stature, there was quite a bit of "topless" sunbathing (discretely, not walking up and down the beach). Remember, Fortuna has it's own privat beach area but the beach extends for miles in both directions and I imagine if you walked far enough, you could perhaps run across a totally nude bather... we walke for at least a mile in both directions and never saw any ? If you need any more specifics about our stay, please write back here or email me and I will be glad to answer any questions... I don't know anything about the Our Lucaya resort, I don't believe it was open when we were there or it has been renamed from something else like The Lucayan ??? Padge |
| May 30, 2001 at 21:19:14 by Kathy (kakcat@cs.com) |
| My cousin and I just returned from Club Fortuna. It is a great value for the price. I did not think it was dirty (and most people call me a neat freak.) The food was good, and the staff was friendly. The beach was very beautiful, and snorkeling at the resort was great. There is a really informative website on Club Fortuna at www.geocities.com/clubfortuna. You should check it out. We met a couple on our plane who stayed at Our Lucaya. They really enjoyed their stay also, but they paid alot more money (they opted for the all-inclusive.) |
| Bahamas-mon staying at Viva Fortuna |
| May 24, 2001 at 03:38:51 by Donna (tdougan@cfl.rr.com) |
|
Hi, My husband and I will be coming to GBI next month. This will be my 4th trip to the island so needless to say, I do love it and the people there. However, this is our first time staying at Viva Fortuna. From the postings,I'm expecting Paradise or a living Hell, depending on the last one read. Either way it will be an adventure. I know I will have a good time no matter what. The Bahamians hospitality assures me of that. Just wanted to say thanks to the natives who keep the rest of us informed on this site.(Janice, Carrie, Danny etc.) You all do a great job. My advice to others is: Bahamian time is not like New York time Chill out and relax. You will be treated, in most cases, how you treat others. And remember, you are a guest in someone else's country. Do not expect them to adapt to your lifestyle. Above all, have fun! The laughter and smiles that I see on the native's faces tells me that life is what you make of it.I'm craving Cracked conch w/ rice and peas from Fatman's Nephew already! |
| June 02, 2001 at 02:56:12 by Carrie (carriek5@hotmail.com) |
|
Hi Donna,
I'm sure you'll have a great time at Club Fortuna. Gee...you're going to be o your fourth trip. I think Danny will get a kick if he reads your posting about him being a native. Danny nor I are natives of the Bahamas. Danny lives just north of Boston and I live in Montreal, Canada. We are frequent travellers to Grand Bahama Island. I have gone countless times and I guess I do know the island inside out. Janice lives on the island and is married to a Bahamian (she is formerly from Canada). I keep going back also. If you are well informed (it seems you are) and know what to expect beforehand, go with no high expectations, you will have a good time. Joe, who posts frequently on this board, always travels to Club Fortuna with his family....he's a great source of information for any questions you would have on Club Fortuna. HAVE A GREAT TRIP!!!! Take care. best regards Carrie carriek5@hotmail.com |
| The "Pink" Board A little info on cabs fares and others f |
| 3:13 pm friday may 18, 2001 by Geoffrey |
|
Cab ride from port to Club fortuna is 7 dollars per person.
Cab ride from Club fortuna to port lucayan marketplace is 10
dollars split between 3 peopls so figure that one out on how
many your party is. Th best deal of all is at the port lucayan marketplace-to rent a motor scooter is 15 dollars for the first hour and 5 dollars for each additional hour. If you don't mind spending the small ammount of extra money to ride the scooters for the day then i definately encourage you to do so. You can also rent scooters at cub viva fortuna but they tend to run a little bit more expensive then the ones at the marketplace and the one's at the marketplace are better.like I said before any questions please feel free to ask. |
| The "Pink" Board amazing time at club fortuna |
| 3:05 pm friday may 18, 2001 by Geoffrey |
| Wow! What an incredible time. The weather was gorgeous. Our stay at club viva Fortuna was so much fun. The staff was cool and the people were fun as well. All in all i'd rate Club Viva fotuna a nine out of ten. The reason not being a ten is because of the room and the not so clean tile on the floor. But hey everything was great overall and I encourage anybody and everybody who wants to go have a good time to go there. I'll be back there very soon. Also if you have ay questions about the club or the places around grand bahama island please feel free to ask... |
| The "Pink" Board Janice and Joe |
| 5:36 pm thursday may 17, 2001 by Kim |
|
Janice and Joe, Thank you for the info. I was already looking into Club Fortuna but didnt want to sway anyones opinion by saying that. I am glad to see that is probably my best bet as far as traveling with a child to GBI. I am very excited about returning there after so many years. I have found the best way to travel with kids is to find an all-inclusive that likes children. If the children arent happy neither will you be. With that said, I have another question - Does Fortuna have a specific taxi driver to take from and to the airport or are you on your own? How much is it? I have never been to an all-inclusive that didnt pick you up and take you back in the included price. Also, what is the average price to get to the market from Fortuna? Thanks again for your info. Kim |
| 10:16 am friday may 18, 2001 by Joe |
|
Kim- There's no specific taxi driver or shuttle or anything like that. You just come out of the airport and a guy asks you where you're going. He'll call up the next cab from the line (there's always plenty of cabs waiting). The fun part is seeing what kind of cab you get - anything from brand-new minivans to old windowless full-size vans to stretch limos that look like they've been in a demolition derby. All the cabbies we've encountered have been very helpful. This past summer, for our family of four and our luggage, the fare was $20 to Club Fortuna. The trip only takes 10-15 minutes. There's also always a line of cabs waiting outside Club Fortuna. The guy in the lobby will whistle one up whenever you need one. The fare (again for this past summer) from Club Fortuna to Port Lucaya Marketplace was $8 for one or two passengers. Joe The Unofficial Club Viva Fortuna Resort Website http://www.geocities.com/clubfortuna |
| 10:16 am saturday may 19, 2001 by Janice |
|
Dear Kim,
I agree with Joe to a point. If you booked your vacation through certain vacation packages they will include round trip transfers to the airport. I know this because I do some travel work in my spare time. I would check with your travel agent on this. If not, then it's like Joe says....a little game of roulette!!! I agree with Joe about the cabfares although I think he is a little conservative about the time to Club Fortuna. I would say that you're looking at, at least a 20 - 25 minute drive out there. Cab fare seems accurate though. Hope you have a great time!!!! Janice |
| 3:19 pm monday may 21, 2001 by Joe |
|
Doh! I should have remembered about some packages including the
transfers as that's how ours was the first time we visited. And
I must have been thinking "Bahamian Time" when I said 10-15, that
would probably come out close to 20-25 in real time :)
Joe The Unofficial Club Viva Fortuna Resort Website http://www.geocities.com/clubfortuna |
| The "Pink" Board Best all-inclusive with kid |
| 9:48 am tuesday may 15, 2001 by Kim |
| We are looking to travel there in Oct with our son who is 10. In your opinion which all-inclusive resort offers the most for children? I was there about 15 years ago and stayed at the Jack Tar Village but I see that must be closed now. A good program for children, decent food, and waters that arent to rough is all we need to be happy. Clean room but doesnt have to be fancy. Thanking all in advance for any help you might have. Kim |
| 10:02 am tuesday may 15, 2001 by Janice |
|
Dear Kim,
I would suggest Club Fortuna. It's not fancy but it is very reasonably priced and there's tons to do there for your 10 year old. There's also stuff to do for adults such as live bands, discos etc. It sits on a beautiful beach and seem to have a very large selection on their buffet for meals etc. Our Lucaya is a prettier resort but it's a lot more expensive and I've heard tons of complaints about their all-inclusive program. If you need any more info just email me at lilb71@hotmail.com Janice |
| 12:15 pm tuesday may 15, 2001 by Joe |
|
Hi Kim- I agree with Janice. If you want to see more info and pictures of Club Fortuna, check out our family website listed below. If you've still got questions, feel free to post again or email. Joe The Unofficial Club Viva Fortuna Resort Website http://www.geocities.com/clubfortuna |
| The "Pink" Board Whats up party people im turning 21!!!!! |
| 0:35 am sunday may 13, 2001 by Geoffrey |
|
Whats up everyone my name is Geoffrey, Im a junior from the U of
Central Florida, and im turning 21 this May. To celebrate the
occasion two of my friends (Jaime and Mike) and i have booked
reservations at Club Fortuna and are very excited about our
little party trip. I was wondering if there were any other party
people out there around our age that are planning to be at Club
Fotuna from May 14-May 16.If so please drop a line to let me
know. Geoffrey |
| The "Pink" Board Club Viva Fortuna |
| 12:54 pm tuesday may 8, 2001 by wendy |
| How is Club Viva Fortuna (rooms, food, location, etc)? Has anyone done their all inclusive? |
| 10:22 am wednesday may 9, 2001 by Janice |
|
Dear Wendy,
Club Viva Fortuna is a nice resort but don't expect fancy fancy. It sits on a gorgeous beach and they really have lots to do at this resort. Kayaking, Disco, Theatre shows, kids camp just to name a few. This is a quiet family type resort that is a little out of the way. There are no public buses that go out there and they don't have free shuttles. You may consider renting a car if you want to go exploring since taxis can get a little expensive. Good news is that most tour operators offer free transportation with tours and you really won't have to leave the resort too much to find things to do. Have heard minimal complaints about the food...just don't expect gourmet dishes. They serve dinner buffet style for the most part. Think you'll have a good time here and if you need any more info at all, just email me at lilb71@hotmail.com and I'll be more than happy to answer your questions and even send you info on what to do for activities etc while you're here. Janice |
| 7:52 pm wednesday may 9, 2001 by Joe |
|
Our family stays there regularly (will be back again this July)
and we like it. We've posted info and pictures from our trips on
the website listed below. Check it out, and if you've still got
questions, feel free to post again or e-mail. Oh, and everyone
who stays there does the all-inclusive, it's not optional.
Joe The Unofficial Club Viva Fortuna Resort Website http://www.geocities.com/clubfortuna |
| 3:12 am thursday may 10, 2001 by cheri |
|
Hi Wendy, I used to sell lots of packages to this resort and I
kept reading stuff on the net saying boo, hiss. I disregarded it
as my clients were enchanted with the resort. Then I had someone
in the fall go who told why there are so many complaints -
mismanagement. They were checked into the wrong category room
with dirty towels and linens in the middle of the night. It took
an hour to get anyone and they didn't know what to do. They
slept on the porch;( Then they were moved the next day to a room
that was at least clean but not what they expected or bargained
for - it wasn't that it wasn't fancy but there were no clean
towels etc to be had. They were on a short stay so due to the
problems arranged a late check out on day of departure. The
manager hunted them down on departure day short of this and
demanded that they vacate and was rude. They did manage to
obtain a free stay in the future in compensation but didn't want
it. You see all guests they met were subject to the same
complaints and more and didn't receive courteous service from the
manager - in fact they felt complaining ticked him off rather
than alerted him to the problems.
Now that was at least 6 months ago but do check with folks prior to booking as I sold that package without a second thought based upon my past client satisfaction rate, even after reading the bad comments on the message boards. Cheri |
| Bahamas-mon Club Viva Fortuna (2nd visit)...What temperature should I expect end of May? |
| May 02, 2001 at 13:11:28 by Liz (elizbf63@hotmal.com) |
|
I am visiting Club Viva Fortuna for the second time and was just wondering what
to expect temperature-wise this time around (I will be travelling May 25-28.)
Last year we were there in April and it was pretty cool (which was fine by me -
I'm from New England and I thought this past winter was GREAT - 37 inches of
snow on the ground - so that should give you some indication that I'm not too
crazy about warm weather! :) ) Am I going to be miserable with heat and
humidity?
Enjoyed myself immensely last year so I'm looking forward to another great trip! Thanks for any info you might be able to share. - Liz |
| May 02, 2001 at 21:57:49 by Janice (lilb71@hotmail.com) |
|
Dear Liz,
I live on the island and truthfully don't know what to tell you. Our weather has been sooo crazy this year. Normally I would say that you would have gorgeous weather, high eighties, little rain (except the afternoon little storms) and wonderful water temps. However the weather has not been typical at all, in fact I hear we're in for 45mph winds tomorrow and thunderstorms. Crazy weather actually for May. If you email me at lilb71@hotmail.com closer to your vacation time I would be more than happy to give you an update. I can also answer any questions you have about the island. There are some new tours and stuff around that weren't around last year. Janice |
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| This page was last modified on 13 June 2001. |