ABR had a fire a few months ago & havn't rebuilt yet. They lost the main reception & one of the main eating areas as I recall.

Local reports are not too optomistic! They may have rebuilt the burnt out sections by the fall. (maybe!!!)

Sop your payment may never go thru, I suggest you contact them ASAP.

They are still open and running. Did you get a confirmation number? If so, I wouldn't worry. We're going in August.

Venta Club is a large Italian Org and may be a bit slow in processing your payment as a result of the fire as mentioned.

I would call Visa and enquire that way. Perhaps you can have Visa stop payment and then if you are still wanting to go to the ABR. Go to locoGringo.com and book through them.

I hope this helps.

I also booked directly with Venta for a stay this October. I was concerned that the charge didn't show up on my visa as well, so I sent the hotel an email. They replied that the credit card will be charged after you arrive at the resort. The positives with booking direct is that there's a 24 hour cancellation notice, so if a hurricane is heading that way, no problem, just cancel your room the day before. The negative to booking direct is that they charge you in euros, and there's no guarantee what the exchange rate will be when you arrive. At the current rate, with the promotion on their site, it would cost $140 a night for 2 people.

If the exchange rate drops, I'll pay less, if it goes up, I'll pay more, but it won't change so much in the next few months that it will make the cost too much higher. $70pp a night for an all inclusive- incredible!!!

Thank you for your reply, I just got an email and they confirmed that the charges will not go thru till I arrive, One of the reasons why I booked directly is incase they have not finished their construction I have the option of staying somewhere else, plus the rates were discounted.

tlc

FYI...re: resort status, there is a new review posted 30Jun08 which sounds quite optimistic about the current state of ABR and progress of construction.