I’m a condo owner at SERENADA in Playa del Carmen, which is managed by B&B Condo / BMB Management.

After dealing with the management company for several years, I’m trying to determine whether the problems we’ve experienced are specific to SERENADA or whether owners in other properties managed by B&B/BMB have experienced similar patterns.

My concern is no longer one particular incident.

It is the amount of owner and condo-committee involvement required just to get basic management matters handled properly.

In my own experience, issues that should normally require one email or conversation have sometimes required 5, 6, and occasionally close to 10 follow-ups before receiving a substantive answer, clarification, document or resolution.

At SERENADA, the condo committee has also had to become heavily involved in operational and financial matters simply to keep things moving.

That raises a pretty basic question:

What are owners paying a professional condominium management company to manage if owners and committee members constantly have to supervise, remind and escalate?

Some of the recurring issues I’ve personally observed include:

• basic requests requiring repeated follow-ups;
• matters remaining unresolved until they are escalated;
• difficulty obtaining clear documentation or explanations;
• inconsistent communication between management and onsite staff;
• deadlines and commitments repeatedly being missed;
• financial and accounting matters requiring significant committee involvement;
• management appearing reactive rather than proactive.

HOA receivables and accounting

One issue I’m particularly interested in comparing with other buildings is HOA collection and reconciliation.

According to information communicated regarding SERENADA’s accounts, the developer has accumulated more than MXN 700,000 in outstanding HOA-related amounts.

What concerns me is not only the amount, but how much involvement the condo committee has reportedly needed simply to obtain reconciliation, explanations and progress.

For a professional condominium management company, monitoring receivables and pursuing significant unpaid balances should normally be a core management responsibility.

Another question: SIMCA and B&B/BMB

Owners at SERENADA have also been told that there may be a corporate, ownership or other affiliation between B&B Condo / BMB Management and SIMCA, the developer associated with SERENADA.

I have not independently verified the exact corporate structure, so I am intentionally not presenting that relationship as an established fact.

If anyone has reliable or documented information about that relationship, particularly from another property, I would be interested in understanding it.

I’m looking for owners’ actual experiences

If you currently own, previously owned, or served on a condo committee in a property managed by B&B Condo / BMB Management, I’d especially like to know:

• Did basic issues regularly require several follow-ups?
• Did your condo committee have to become unusually involved in day-to-day management?
• Were accounting, HOA collections or reconciliations problematic?
• Were deadlines or commitments repeatedly missed?
• Did matters frequently require escalation before anything happened?

I’m particularly interested in identifying recurring patterns across different buildings, not isolated complaints.

If you’re comfortable sharing publicly, please comment with the condominium and approximate timeframe.

If you prefer to remain anonymous, feel free to DM me privately.

Please share situations you personally experienced or information you can document. Emails, WhatsApp messages, statements, meeting minutes or other records are especially useful.

If enough owners report similar experiences, I may compile an anonymized summary of recurring management patterns across different properties.

My objective is straightforward:

Is what we are experiencing at SERENADA an isolated problem, or are owners in other B&B Condo / BMB Management properties experiencing the same thing?

Hii.. I'm looking to do a solo trip to riviera maya towards end of November and after weeks of research I've narrowed it down to these two resorts. But I'm just not able to choose one over the other.

I am a huge fan of wildlife. Barcelo has better beaches where I can snorkel with turtles but Iberostar has all the wildlife like peacocks, flamingos, iguanas etc.

I'll be going for 8 days so I'm even considering splitting my time between these two resorts.

Suggestions?

Hello, this is a long post and hopefully it helps someone! I spent a lot of time in this sub before my vacation and it helped me a lot. We travelled with another couple so it was a total of 4 adults, all in our early 30s. Two of us (including me) speak spanish, the other two can speak/understand it a little. 

We had a driver named Luis from The wonderful vacations rm, he was awesome. Had great food recommendations, was so nice and always arrived early! They have an IG & FB account, I also have his whatsapp number if anyone would like it. 

In playa del carmen we stayed at Ipana condos, two blocks away from la quinta ave.

In Cancun we stayed at the Westin Lagunamar

Day 1: We arrived in Cancun around 4:30 pm and got picked up by Luis, he drove us to playa del carmen. Once checked in we walked to taqueria el fogon del may (recommended by Luis), food and drinks were great! Definitely recommend. Went back to airbnb and enjoyed to rooftop pool.

Day 2: Selva maya eco adventure tours (9 am- 1pm) we opted for this place instead of an xcaret park because we didn’t want to spend all day at a park so this was a nice option since it was only 4 hours long. The price was $80 usd per person (booked online) once we got there, they gave us the option to rent a double ATV for $40 usd (single was $30). Honestly this part of the vacation was so fun, riding the ATV, 5 zipline’s, hanging bridges, rock climbing, rappelling, two cenotes and they gave us lunch at the end, food was great. They take pictures throughout the adventure and at the end you can buy them for $40 usd. The guys helping us were Roberto, Alex and Isaiah, they were all great, very nice and funny! 

For dinner we went to El Pirata (seafood, recommended by Luis) all the food there was amazing!! After dinner we walked to la quinta alegria mall and then explored la quinta ave for a few minutes.

Day 3: we didn’t have anything big planned for this day. We went to the gym and pool in the morning and after walked to a panaderia called Panificacion Castillo. The pan dulce was very good and fresh, iced coffee was not great and needed more flavor but the frappe’s were better. At night we had a nice dinner at Trattoria del Centro and after went to Aldo’s for some ice cream (the best). While walking on la quinta a random guy said to us “oh hey guys you don’t remember me? I was your waiter at the hotel” I told him oh that’s weird we’re not staying at a hotel, he then said “oh you don’t remember me from ipana condos? I was the guy at the front desk”. I knew this was bs from what I’ve read in this sub, I was weirded out when he said the name of the condo but then I remembered I was wearing a bracelet with the name of the condo (we had to wear it for our stay)

Day 4: Chichen Itza day! Luis picked us up around 7:10 am and we arrived around 8:30 am to chichen itza (yucatan is an hour behind) we did not book this through a big company since we wanted to do this at our own pace. Entrance to the park was $697 mxn per person, we hired an English guide there for $1300 mxn, Salvador was our guide, he was great and very knowledgeable, he even let us borrow his umbrella because even at 8:30 am the sun was so strong. We left around 11:30 am and Luis drove us to cenote Saamal, it is in the Hacienda selva maya in Valladolid. I think we paid $450 mxn per person and it included a locker, life jacket and buffet. The cenote was nice and refreshing, there were a lot of people there, it was busier by the time we left because a big tour bus had arrived. The food was amazing too! We got back at around 4:45-5 pm. At night we walked around la quinta ave again and went to Aldo’s. 

Day 5: We checked out of the airbnb and drove to hotel zone in Cancun. We arrived around 1 pm at Westin Lagunamar. When we booked this hotel we asked for early check in but when we arrived only our friends room was ready, they told us they were already cleaning our room and put a rush to it so it would be ready asap, they said they would call us when it was ready, the guy at the front desk gave us all the information we needed, room number, floor and activities happening in the next few days, etc. We left our bags with the front desk and walked across the street to La isla mall. We got tacos at Chachalacos, they were great but beware when they ask you if you want all the toppings because they charge 20 extra pesos per topping, they don’t tell you that (happened to my friends but I asked before saying yes to everything).

Once we got back to the hotel it was 3:40pm and we were still waiting for a phone call so we stopped at the front desk to ask, they said our room was not ready and they needed 20 more minutes. I was confused because 2 hrs and 40 mins had passed and our room was still not ready even though we asked for early check in and even after they put a rush to our room. The lady at the front desk said they could move us to another room in building 2 with no ocean view, we said no since we paid for a room with ocean view. I let her know we would wait the 20 minutes for our room, the lady at the front desk said that there was no guarantee that our room would be ready by that time. I was very confused since earlier she said we just needed to wait 20 more minutes and now she’s saying we might have to wait more than that. I told her we’ll be back in 20 since 4 pm is check in time. Thankfully our room was ready by 4 pm but they still gave us a different room, when we checked in we were told we were in building 10 but they moved us to building 8. We didn’t mind; we just wanted to get our room and relax. I don’t know if it was a coincidence or the lady at the front desk didn’t like us but our room had the loudest AC, at some point I thought maybe the washer was on too, it was louder at night. Our front door was so hard to close we literally had to slam it like 3-5 times before it closed. They also said housekeeping is everyday, they never went to our room, we were only here for like 3 days so we didn’t care much about housekeeping. Housekeeping went to our friend’s room every day.

Later in the day we went to the pool for an hour, they ended up closing the pool at 8 pm because there was a lot of lightning. 

Day 6: went to the gym, pool then beach in the morning. We walked to La isla and had lunch at Johnny Rockets. For dinner we went to Porfirio’s, its a 30 min walk or 15 min car ride. Since we didn’t want to walk in the heat we took the ADO bus and it was very easy, they charge $12 mxn per person. 

Food and drinks there was really good. For 4 adults we paid around $210 usd (you can pay in mxn or usd, they give you both totals). They also have a nice view and a swing by the water, you can go down there and take pictures

Day 7: this was a slow day since it was our last full day! We had lunch at Viento bar & grill (hotel restaurant) and had some fish tacos that were amazing! For dinner we walked to Fish fritanga, we had shrimp tacos there and they were 10/10, the view was very nice too since you’re next to the water, the drinks were also very good! Since we were celebrating our anniversaries, they gave us a free slice of cake to share with a sparkler! 

Day 8: back to reality :( we had a layover in Denver and there a lot of flights were delayed and cancelled because of the weather, so it was a pain in the ass to get back home, we had to spend the night in Denver but made it home the next day.

 

I do recommend you pay in pesos, in a lot of places their dollar is very low like $15 pesos, in a bank the peso is between $16.55-$17. We brought dollars and went to a money exchange place, also went to an ATM, my bank charges me $5 usd per transaction so it wasn’t terrible. 

Hope this helps someone 😊

Hi all, new here and wanted to quickly confirm with ya’ll about this place called Eureka 420 on Fifth Ave. Don’t wanna do anything off but this store came up while I was researching. Google has great reviews for the store and i noticed they sell THC. Is it ok to buy THC from here? Lol i’m worried if entering the store is risky as well? Help. TIA

Only here for a week. Want a toaster for bread. Instead of buying a new one from Walmart is there any stores I can pick one up for 100-200mxn

Any that does the job!

Hi. Taking my first trip to mexico soon and staying at ocean Riviera paradise. I'm wondering if there are any service providers or happy ending massages that kind of thing. I really want this to be a very memorable trip for me. All advice is appreciated thank you.

We are looking very much forward to coming to PDC in mid-November!

We have initially booked a small boutique hotel on Calle 14 right by the sea (but apparently with no swimmable beach). However, having Googled so many great things about the area around Calle 38, we are wondering whether we should change location.

Ideally, we are looking for beautiful surroundings, easy access to beaches, nice local restaurants, and a not TOO touristy vibe (we know we're tourists ourselves, but you know what we mean...😄).

Should we rebook closer to 38th? Or will it not really matter?

Thanks in advance for any inputs!

We are arriving to CUN T3 at 2am. The goal is to get to PDC. ADO doesn't operate at night. Airport taxis and Canada Transfers are 1500 mxn. Is InDrive an option at night or will they be hesitant to come to T3? Or could someone maybe recommend a cheaper private driver/transfer service?

Two different parts of the body needs these scans. Where's a good place where I'm not charged crazy amounts?

I am 35 and haven’t gone to a nightclub anywhere in over ten years, but I am going to Playa del Carmen in February with friends who are all younger (ranging from 26-30 years old, we’re a total of 10 people) and they want to go clubbing. I have found names and websites for many clubs (Clandestino, Mandala, Mezontle, Onyx, and Santino) but I am not sure how they work.

Can we just show up at a club and get in without making reservations or buying tickets in advance? How much is the cover charge? I’m seeing clubs like Mandala sell tickets for $60 USD online that includes open bar, but what if we don’t want an open bar because we’ll only be having 3-4 drinks each at most? Other clubs, like Clandestino, offer VIP table reservations, but since we’re unlikely to stay at a single place for long, or even stay out for more than a few hours, I don’t think a VIP table would be worth the money.

Is it fairly easy to get cabs back to Playacar very late at night on the InDrive app, or is there a taxi service whose phone number I should save for a late night pickup?

Is expecting to spend less than $1000 MXN per person for cabs from Playacar and back, cover fees, and drinks for a night out realistic if we’re going to visit 2-3 places? We’d be splitting the cost of 3 cabs between 10 people so there’s that at least.

Also, of all the clubs I mentioned at the beginning of this post, what are the top three I should consider visiting?

EDIT: We’re all women, which is apparently relevant information

Hello guys,

We will be in PDC end of November (21st till 28th).

I asked AI and watched some vids about seaweed and heard that it will be much less there.

Do you have knowledge about that? Are the chances low to have this annoying seaweed at the beaches?

We are coming into PDC a night before a stay at an AI and looking for recommendations for a one night inexpensive hotel stay. We have heard good things about Hotel Cielo through google and TA reviews, but wondering if anyone on here stayed there. Or if there is another better recommendation.

The plan is to spend winter months (or maybe more) overseas. Panama and Mexico are both strong candidates (I'm also looking into SEA and Europe). I'm wondering what were some of the deciding factors that made you choose Mexico over Panama? It would be great to hear from anyone that has spent time in both countries.

Title gives enough information. Me (m - 30) and wife (f - 28) are belgian tourists on holiday in Mexico, currently staying in Playa del carmen as the last stop on our trip. We would love to go snorkeling, but feel very unsure on which company to book the trip with.

Along the pier, all the resellers are shouting to takr their trip, we just want to book a great experience and not fall into any tourist traps.

Any advice highly appreciated!

We will visit PDC in November and also want to do a day trip to Cozumel. What is the best way to get around there? I have read here a lot that car rentals try to scam tourists and that it might get expensive if police stops you. What are some recommendations or experiences to get around the island?

Hi everyone,

We're heading to Playa del Carmen next Tuesday for a 20-day vacation. We booked our transfer through TUI, so transportation from the airport to our resort, Ocean Riviera Paradise, is already arranged.

However, we just noticed that the resort is about 8 km (5 miles) from downtown Playa del Carmen. Because of that, we're considering renting a car for about 10 days during our stay.

We found a rental through Sunny Cars for €190(220 USD) all-inclusive, which seems like a decent deal. Before we book it, I'd like to compare that cost with using taxis.

Does anyone have experience with taxi fares from Ocean Riviera Paradise to downtown Playa del Carmen? Roughly how much should we expect to pay one way? We'd like to compare the total cost and see which option makes the most sense.

If we do decide to rent a car:

• Is driving in the area generally easy and safe for tourists?
• How is the parking situation in and around Playa del Carmen?
• What are your experiences with police stops and checkpoints? I've read mixed stories online and would love to hear from people who've actually driven there.

Any advice or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

I’m a new investor in this project in Playa del Carmen and would love to communicate with other investors. My closing is set for Jul 2027 or sooner. I would love to hear about your experience and what made you select this project above all the others!
My husband and I liked the location. We didn’t want something too close to the beach, but close enough to everything else to make it rentable. The amenities are exceptional! Also it being directly on Calle 38 makes it super accessible to the beach, (8 minutes)shopping, site seeing, etc

Just saw an offer with flights for this hotel in october and its very, very cheap! Is it because the sargazo is the worst in front of it?

And what about sargazo in september/october?

Somebody has been there? What about food, noise and more?

I understand indrive is a bid system, where you pay in cash, and there is limited feedback online of people using it to get to the airport. (There is some chatter about it being approved for pickup at CUN>PDC but I couldn't find one success story).

It looks like it's suggesting a bid of 540 pesos/$32 for PDC>CUN. About half the price of a pre-arranged shuttle.

Is this fare easy to get from PDC leaving around maybe 10am?