# Westin Lagunamar



## daynab (Oct 17, 2012)

Hello all, 
I just made my reservation for Lagunamar for Feb 15, 2013. I was only able to get a studio villa. I was hoping for a 1 bedroom. Do you think I have any chance of a possible cancellation and being able to change the reservation? Do I need to call everyday? Or is there a waitlist procedure? 

I prefer a one or two bedroom as the kids are getting older and it offers more space and privacy. Will I truly be disappointed in a studio? We have cruised and done all inclusives where we only have one room, but having the kitchen in the same space with a dining table, is there really enough room?  We have never had a studio with a kitchen.

Also, looking for some good family type restaurant recommendations.
Which day excursion is better Xel Ha or Xcaret? 

Excited for our first trip to the hotel zone, and to the Westin Lagunamar. 
 We have always stayed in the Riviera Maya. Any advice woud be greatly appreciated. We became owners a few years ago and have loved SVV,WKR, WKORVN, but have always had a 1 or 2 bedroom. Please ease my mind.

Thanks


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## DeniseM (Oct 17, 2012)

Only Elite Owners can wait list - for a cancellation, you will have to call every day.  The most likely time to get a cancellations is at 61 days out, because owners have to cancel before the 60 day mark to avoid having restricted Staroptions.

Just so you know, you can make Staroption reservations at 8 mos. out from check-in, (June 15 for Feb. 15) and you probably could have gotten a 1 bdm. at that time.

Link to Villas - http://www.starwoodvacationownership.com/westin_lagunamar_ocean_resort/villas.html


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## daynab (Oct 17, 2012)

Thanks Denise, just wanted to make sure of my options. I know I could have made a reservation earlier, but just got my vacation approval for the week. It's a highly competetive week to get approved.


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## Westin5Star (Oct 17, 2012)

Instead of Xel Ha or Xcaret, might I suggest Selvatica 
http://www.selvatica.com.mx/
You can check it out on Trip Advisor.  My family and I did it last year and it was awesome.

For meals, you have many great choices but it really depends on what you like.  My family and I love Harry's and usually eat there 2-3 dinners per week while in Cancun.  Puerto Madero is good as well.  If you like seafood check out Fred's.  For Italian we like Cenacolo.  There are many decent Mexican food places that vary greatly depending on what you like; you can talk to the concierge at the hotel and they can hook you up.

I also agree with you on the 1Br being much better than a studio.  My boys are 7 and 9 so I always rent a 1Br or 2Br instead of a studio.  We can be ok with the smaller 1Br at HRA or WKV but we really prefer the larger full 1Br. 

WLR seems to have pretty good bulk deposits with II.  As a TUG member you could just check this daily and know when 1Br or 2Br are available.  Another option is to put in an II request for a 1Br at WLR.  

Enjoy you visit to Cancun.


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## DeniseM (Oct 17, 2012)

daynab said:


> Thanks Denise, just wanted to make sure of my options. I know I could have made a reservation earlier, but just got my vacation approval for the week. It's a highly competetive week to get approved.



It only costs $29 to change your reservation, so it would be worthwhile to make the Resv. at 8 mos., and change it later if necessary.


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## daynab (Oct 18, 2012)

Denise, I recieved a call from Starwood Resolutions today in response to a survey I completed about the Villa Resort Availability finder on the mystarcentral website. Due to the confusion in the availability they cancelled my reservation of the studio and gave me a 1 Bedroom. The man on the phone could not have been nicer or more accomodating. He really wanted to make me happy. They said there have been gliches and he apologized over and over for the confusion. 

Thanks for the restaurant and activity recommendations. You are always so helpful. 

Now I am even more excited about our trip. The one bedroom changes the whole experience. I will make sure to book early next year and change if we have to. Good advice. 

Thanks again


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## stevens397 (Oct 19, 2012)

We are getting ready to leave for the airport after a wonderful week here.  I'm really glad you got the one bedroom because I think a week in the studio with two kids would have been no vacation at all!  Unlike a lot of other Starwood timeshares, at Lagunamar, the studio is much smaller and has no living room.  It is NOT for families.

That said, what a beautiful place.  The water is so gorgeous you just sit and stare at it.  The facility is wonderful and everyone who works here goes out of their way to help and make you feel welcome and valued.  We will most certainly return.

Enjoy!


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## Ken555 (Oct 19, 2012)

stevens397 said:


> We are getting ready to leave for the airport after a wonderful week here.  I'm really glad you got the one bedroom because I think a week in the studio with two kids would have been no vacation at all!  Unlike a lot of other Starwood timeshares, at Lagunamar, the studio is much smaller and has no living room.  It is NOT for families.



The studio at Lagunamar is almost identical to those in Hawaii.


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## stevens397 (Oct 19, 2012)

*Important Internet Advice!*

Hi all-

Read a lot of reviews before we got to Lagunamar and there were many complaints about internet wireless speed.  Last year we went to Harborside at Atlantis and had read that there was only wired internet in the rooms.  Because of that, we purchased a portable wireless router that worked fine in Atlantis and brought it with us to Cancun.

We had absolutely no problem at all with the internet while using our wireless router:

http://about.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=737324123/search=travel+router

It is really tiny and I know we paid under $50 (I think uner $40 but not sure).  Excellent investment that seemingly saved a lot of grief this week.  I'm sure there are plenty of others you can get and I'm sure they all work but this is the one we have.

Happy and connected travels!


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## DeniseM (Oct 19, 2012)

stevens397 said:


> We are getting ready to leave for the airport after a wonderful week here.  I'm really glad you got the one bedroom because I think a week in the studio with two kids would have been no vacation at all!  Unlike a lot of other Starwood timeshares, at Lagunamar, the studio is much smaller and has no living room.  It is NOT for families.



None of the studios have living rooms - the studios are all one room units, however, some Starwood resorts have a small one bedroom, instead of a studio, and they do have a separate living room.


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## stevens397 (Oct 20, 2012)

DeniseM said:


> None of the studios have living rooms - the studios are all one room units, however, some Starwood resorts have a small one bedroom, instead of a studio, and they do have a separate living room.



The two SVO's I own are Kierland and Mission Hills.  Both sides are really one bedroom suites - one larger and one smaller.  It's one of the things I like most about the units.  Brought my daughter, son-in-law and their 4 year old twins last year to Kierland and having two rooms on the other side of the wall was indispensable.  Yeah - I'm spoiled!


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## daynab (Oct 22, 2012)

Thanks for all the great feedback and advice. I will check out Selvatica online. I am glad I got the 1 bedroom also. I am thinking of purchasing one of those portable routers. Great idea. 

If anyone has any restaurant recommendations, that would be great. 

Also, how do we go about renting a gold cart on Isla Mujeres and what are some places to visit for the day there?


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## Henry M. (Oct 24, 2012)

I'm going to be at WLR this coming Sunday. 

Last Sunday, I tried to make airport transport reservations at www.usa-transfers.com based on some positive feedback I saw elsewhere on TUG. I never got a confirmation e-mail from them, and when I tried to call this morning, no one picked up the phone, not even an answering machine. Would anyone here happen to know if they are still in business? 

Would it be better to just call the resort and let them arrange transportation for 2, or is a taxi just as good? What is the expected cab fare from the airport to WLR?


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## grgs (Oct 24, 2012)

emuyshondt said:


> Would it be better to just call the resort and let them arrange transportation for 2, or is a taxi just as good? What is the expected cab fare from the airport to WLR?



We used the pre-booked shuttle service through the concierge desk last June.  It was $35--there were 4 of us, but I think the fee may be the same for 2.  A taxi probably would have been cheaper and worked fine, but there is something to be said for the convenience and certainty of having it pre-booked (especially after a long day of travel).  Someone was there waiting for us--they called for the van, and it showed up in a few minutes.  It all went very smoothly.

On the way back, we just caught a taxi.  I don't remember how much that cost.

Glorian


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## jarta (Oct 24, 2012)

emuyshondt,   ...   I have almost always just walked out of the airport terminal and into the mob and found a taxi or shared van.  IMO, reservations are not really necessary.  

But, if you want something waiting for you, just call the Lagunamar concierge desk.  It will be uncomplicated.  It will not be the cheapest way to get to Lagunamar.   Salty


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## jkrischt (Oct 24, 2012)

emuyshondt said:


> I'm going to be at WLR this coming Sunday.
> 
> Last Sunday, I tried to make airport transport reservations at www.usa-transfers.com based on some positive feedback I saw elsewhere on TUG. I never got a confirmation e-mail from them, and when I tried to call this morning, no one picked up the phone, not even an answering machine. Would anyone here happen to know if they are still in business?
> 
> Would it be better to just call the resort and let them arrange transportation for 2, or is a taxi just as good? What is the expected cab fare from the airport to WLR?



That would be really disappointing.  I just used them in May and they were great as usual.  I even setup a weird hotel to timeshare trip in the middle with a stop at Wal-Mart and everything went perfectly.  I will say that they have been slow sometimes getting back to me over e-mail and on the website.  Hopefully they eventually get back to you.  Please let us know...

Brad


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## malyons (Oct 25, 2012)

I used them in August and everything was fine.  Great service, hope they're still going strong.  I've also used cancuntransfers with good results.  I'm sure it's possible to just run the gauntlet and find a ride out there when you arrive, but i much prefer having a reservation.  Once I see the guy holding a sign with my name my vacation can begin and i don't have to fend off the guys trying to get me into a timeshare presentation, you get enough of that at most resorts.


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## Henry M. (Oct 25, 2012)

I guess there must have been some sort of glitch. I called usa-transfers again this afternoon and reached someone right away. They did have a record of my online registration and resent the confirmation e-mail to me. I got it and all is set up.


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## stevens397 (Oct 30, 2012)

daynab said:


> Thanks for all the great feedback and advice. I will check out Selvatica online. I am glad I got the 1 bedroom also. I am thinking of purchasing one of those portable routers. Great idea.
> 
> If anyone has any restaurant recommendations, that would be great.
> 
> Also, how do we go about renting a gold cart on Isla Mujeres and what are some places to visit for the day there?



Isla Mujeres - ok but nothing very special.  A good diversion for a day outside the resort.  Went to the Turtle Farm (actually interesting), the Mayan Ruin (one small bldg but had a beer overlooking the water, and drove the island.  Had lunch in the center of town before heading back.  NOTE - the ferry goes back every hour on the half hour, but I believe 2:30 there is no ferry.  Lots of us did not realize it and were stuck for an extra hour!

Restaurants - Best was Savios, owned by the same people as La Dolce Vita.  Understand that none of the food was exceptional.  Here is was good and the atmosphere and service were wonderful.  If you sit outside and the mosquitos start biting, ask for their spray.  Two other good ones were Fred's Fish and La Habituela.  We had a very nice meal at the main restaurant at the resort on one of the nights that was not a themed buffet.

Have a great time!


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## Henry M. (Oct 31, 2012)

I don't have a router with me, but I was able to set up my MacBook to share the Internet connection over WiFi.I'm using that connections with my iPad as I type this. I just plugged in my MacBook's Ethenret port and went into settings to enabled sharing.

The hotel wireless was out for a couple of days. I haven't checked it today. Before, you could connect and sign in, but as soon as you tried to go to any site you'd get a message that you were not connected. I have not had any problems once I started up my MacBook. Fortunately I can do most of my work on my iPad. A router would be nice if I needed to use my laptop more.


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## jkrischt (Nov 1, 2012)

stevens397 said:


> Isla Mujeres - ok but nothing very special.  A good diversion for a day outside the resort.  Went to the Turtle Farm (actually interesting), the Mayan Ruin (one small bldg but had a beer overlooking the water, and drove the island.  Had lunch in the center of town before heading back.  NOTE - the ferry goes back every hour on the half hour, but I believe 2:30 there is no ferry.  Lots of us did not realize it and were stuck for an extra hour!



Glad to see I wasn't the only one to make this mistake!  It was 100 degrees and humid when we realized our mistake.  Not fun 

Isle Mujeres is nothing special, but it was nice to go somewhere else on a little side trip.  We hit up Zama Beach Club right by the Turtle Farm and enjoyed lunch there.  Very nice place.  I wish we actually spent some time on the beach there instead of running back to catch the non-existent 2:30 ferry.

Brad


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## zentraveler (Nov 14, 2012)

*Questions for next week...*

Heading there next week. Have only a studio at the moment (through II with a Four Seasons ownership). Hoping to pay extra for an upgrade to 1 BDRM when we get there. Has anyone done this?

Can anyone give advice about the fitness center? Do they have exercise classes? Yoga? 

Can one rent snorkel gear at the hotel? Near-by? We have our own and usually haul it but decided to just rent it this year?

Are there any good non-hotel restaurants walking distance? We will have a car, but prefer just to walk to dinner and not navigate a new city. 

Thanks and any info.


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## jarta (Nov 14, 2012)

zentraveler said:


> Heading there next week. Have only a studio at the moment (through II with a Four Seasons ownership). Hoping to pay extra for an upgrade to 1 BDRM when we get there. Has anyone done this?
> 
> I have not, but if the resort is not busy, it could be possible.  The 1-br is much more comfortable.  I have no idea what the price would be or whether it would be much of a deal.  Starwood has different flexibility than Four Seasons where you can change seasons for a reasonable fee (subject to availability) and split a week 4/3.
> 
> ...



Enjoy your trip.  Customs is a bitch!   Salty


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## Henry M. (Nov 14, 2012)

There aren't any good places to snorkel along the main hotel zone. Besides the surf, there's just sand, so not much to see. The only place I found was at the southern tip, at the ClubMed property. Before Lagunamar was ready, I stayed at the Westin Regina. You could walk down the beach, past ClubMed and reach an area with a few reefs. It was interesting and much better than the snorkeling at Isla Mujeres. At the time it had suffered some hurricane damage, but still had a lot of life. We saw some large squid, a couple of feet long. You can also see the area where the "jungle tours" take you from here. Where the tours stop is also pretty damaged from excessive tourist visits.

When I was there a couple of weeks ago, the concierge offered a snorkeling tour to Cozumel that sounded interesting and was only about $75/person. This was not bad considering how far away Cozumel is. They would provide snorkeling gear, so no need to rent. The best time to go is when the weather is clear and there are few clouds.

I might go snorkeling to Isla Mujeres if I had never been there, but El Garrafon is pretty damaged from storms and all the tourists that go there. If you are a serious snorkeler and have been to other Caribbean locations you will probably find it disappointing.

When I was there, there was a small area fenced off near the ramp from the pool to the beach. Sea turtles had laid eggs and they were being protected. As the baby turtles emerged, the staff gathered them and in the evening let people nearby carry them in buckets to the ocean so they would not be picked off by the sea gulls. It was a pretty cool activity. Every day the number of signs in the cage would get smaller, as the broods would hatch. I don't know if they would all have hatched by now.


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## Henry M. (Nov 14, 2012)

In terms of restaurants, I also liked Thai, right across the street in the shopping center. 

I liked Puerto Madero and Harry's. They offer higher end steak and seafood and are located across the street from the Ritz Carlton. I walked there (turn left as you come out of Lagunamar and walk onthe right of the road). It took about 15 minutes walking, or you can just take one of the buses. I did not feel I needed a car to be in the hotel zone. The buses were more convenient.

Hacienda Sisal is a little closer, in the same direction, and supposedly good Mexican fare. I didn't try it but it was recommended by some friends. 

Very near the hotel, in the same direction, is La Habichuela. The food was ok, but I liked their Maya show and the  fancily served Maya coffee you get for free if you are staying at Lagunamar (several restaurants offer you a free drink or other goodies if you stay at Lagunamar, ask the concierge about it). I think there are limited days when they hold one show in the evening. I'd ask when the show is and plan to be there 10 or 15 minutes earlier. I'd even make a reservation to get a table outside near where the show takes place. 

Next to La Habichuela is what looks like a taco stand called El Fish Fritanga. From the road level it is just a window where you can buy different kinds of tacos, however, there is a staircase next to it where you can go down to the lagoon and there is more of a sit-down restaurant. We didn't get to go to it, but many people we talked to recommended it. We could see the area from La Habichuela, and it was full with people obviously enjoying theplace. We will go next time we're there.

Many people like to go to WalMart to buy a supply of food and drinks. You take the Ruta 2 bus into downtown. Tell the driver "WalMart" and he will indicate where to get off. The WalMart is about a half block straight in front of the stop. To get back, the bus stops right onthe street you cross to get into WalMart. They have just about any food you might want there. There's also a Sam's Club next door but I didn't go in. The hotel also offers some sort of service where for 300 pesos a taxi will take you there, wait for an hour and bring you right back to the hotel where the bellman can take your groceries and take them up to your room. Very convenient.

One last item: if you start walking in the direction I mentioned, on the sidewalk across the street from Lagunamar, before you get to El Fish Fritanga and the first set of low buildings, you will go by some taller glass buildings. In the last building there's a sign over the door that reade La Europea or something like that. It is a small store with lots of European wines, cheeses, and other light food fare. There is not a lot of variety, but it is a good place to buy wine and cheese and other nice things to eat.


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## Henry M. (Nov 14, 2012)

My wife and I only had carry-on luggage. Customs was a breeze! We just go off the plane, went through passport control, and walked right out. It was faster than some of the lines ive run into in Dallas and Chicago. 

They do have a button you press after you puck up your luggage, and it randomly selects people for an inspection. We got a green light, as did most others we saw.

There's an area right before you exit the building with a bunch of timeshare hawkers trying to stop you with the excuse of helping you find your ride. They look like they are there to help, but just want to sell you things or ensnare you for timeshare presentations. Just walk past them.

Coming back, the line through security was a little long, but not too cumbersome.


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## zentraveler (Nov 14, 2012)

THANK YOU to all! VERY valuable information and  much appreciated . Will post follow up on restaurants and experiences.


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## bobpark56 (Nov 14, 2012)

emuyshondt said:


> <snip>
> 
> Very near the hotel, in the same direction, is La Habichuela. The food was ok, but I liked their Maya show and the  fancily served Maya coffee you get for free if you are staying at Lagunamar (several restaurants offer you a free drink or other goodies if you stay at Lagunamar, ask the concierge about it). I think there are limited days when they hold one show in the evening. I'd ask when the show is and plan to be there 10 or 15 minutes earlier. I'd even make a reservation to get a table outside near where the show takes place.



Good advice. If you find yourself comfortable with the bus system (it's not all that difficult to understand), you might also give the downtown La Habichuela a try. It's our favorite dining spot in Cancun...more enjoyable, in our view, than its younger sister on the strip. Be sure to have the Lagunamar concierge make your reservation for you and give you a map with directions. Have them request the Mayan coffee, too.



emuyshondt said:


> One last item: if you start walking in the direction I mentioned, on the sidewalk across the street from Lagunamar, before you get to El Fish Fritanga and the first set of low buildings, you will go by some taller glass buildings. In the last building there's a sign over the door that reade La Europea or something like that. It is a small store with lots of European wines, cheeses, and other light food fare. There is not a lot of variety, but it is a good place to buy wine and cheese and other nice things to eat.



"There is not a lot of variety..."  You've got to be kidding. They have more variety in wines and liquors than you can shake a stick at...many at very good prices. We have found La Europea stores to be the best places to buy spirits in Mexico. Their cheeses and light food fare are indeed limited.

By the way...on your way to La Europea, you will find a bank ATM (Scotia, I believe). This is a good place to get pesos at the most favorable exchange rate...much better than at Lagunamar or from a money vendor.


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## jkrischt (Nov 14, 2012)

bobpark56 said:


> By the way...on your way to La Europea, you will find a bank ATM (Scotia, I believe). This is a good place to get pesos at the most favorable exchange rate...much better than at Lagunamar or from a money vendor.



La Europa is also the best place to get liquor.  If I want to bring anything home I generally find the prices to be much lower then even the duty free places.

Brad


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## zentraveler (Nov 14, 2012)

Always nice to know the good place to get wine .

Does anyone know the details about payment at Costco? Here in the US they only take debit cards or the Costco credit card. What about Mexico? Do they take credit cards at all? Can I use my Capital One (0% surcharge)? Cash still the better way to go?


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## Henry M. (Nov 15, 2012)

I used my credit cards at most places, including WalMart. I don't know that there's a Costco there, but Sam's Club likely has the same restrictions as the US. 

Where I live, Costco takes any American Express or debit cards. It is not limited to their credit card. I can't remember what Sam's Club takes, maybe Discover and Master Card?

Overall, paying in the hotel zone was not very different from the US. If you go on excursions and want to buy souvenirs, you might need some cash. Even then, most merchants will take US dollars. Just watch the exchange rate they offer you. Even to ride the bus, you can use a $1 bill and get some change in Mexican currency. It wasn't the best exchange rate (maybe 10.00 pesos/$, should be more like 12.50-13.00), but convenient if you didn't want to exchange a lot of currency because you don't know exactly how much you need.


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## Henry M. (Nov 15, 2012)

bobpark56 said:


> "There is not a lot of variety..."  You've got to be kidding. They have more variety in wines and liquors than you can shake a stick at...many at very good prices. We have found La Europea stores to be the best places to buy spirits in Mexico. Their cheeses and light food fare are indeed limited.



I didn't express myself very well. I meant the food and cheeses when I said there was not a lot of variety. They do have lots of different wines.

My credit union offers me an account with free withdrawals. They reimburse me any fees charged by banks or the ATM itself. I've found that is usually the most cost effective to get local currencies in other countries. Hotels are usually the very worst, followed by the money exchange houses you find at airports and tourist locations. Different credit cards used to charge different exchange rates and fees, but I'm not sure if they still do that. I seem to remember some law trying to standardize charges like that.

The thing in Cancun is that some stores will actually give you a better exchange rate than the official rate you can look up online or that the bank will give you. Sometimes you're better off paying them in dollars. It is not a huge difference, and you could just use your credit card and forget about it, but it might involve a few percent in your favor.


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## Snowonbeach (Nov 22, 2012)

When we get to Lagunamar in January, we'll take the bus to Walmart and then walk to Costco. (It's a bit of a hike if it's hot.) When our backpacks are filled, we'll walk back to Walmart for the remainder of our groceries and take a taxi back to the resort. This has worked for us for the past few years. We used to use cash at Costco but now have a Costco American Express card. La Europa is usually where we pick up our wine.


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## gnorth16 (Nov 23, 2012)

emuyshondt said:


> The hotel also offers some sort of service where for 300 pesos a taxi will take you there, wait for an hour and bring you right back to the hotel where the bellman can take your groceries and take them up to your room. Very convenient.



Thank you very much!!! This is exactly the info I was looking for!!!


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## zentraveler (Nov 27, 2012)

*Costco/Walmart/Mega Comercial Mexicana*

Here now and will answer my own credit card question. They do take them, but give a discount for cash (or charge for the credit card depending on your perspective).

And I am not sure why anyone goes to Walmart. There is a very large grocery/clothing/pharmacy store next to Costco (they share the parking lot) called Mega Comercial Mexicana that is open 24 hours/day (per the web). The grocery store was quite good, huge variety and had  fresh fish and meat departments. We ended up buying most of our food there because it was so easy to get "2 person" quantities, and then went to Costco for the rest. Costco just like home, down to the lettuce brand. Good wine selection, though almost all red; they don't seem to drink much white here. 

And a head's up for the similarly naive (have not been to the Yucatan in 25 years), the shopping center across the street is not a smallish Hawaii style strip mall, but a huge US suburb style MALL. This whole hotel zone feels like Vegas - good thing none of it is visible from inside the Westin .


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## kenh (Dec 4, 2012)

Xel-Ha is now an all inclusive excursion. Our family has been there a couple of times, in 06 when it wasn't all inclusive, and also in 09 when it was. Both were extremely enjoyable. Well worth the price.


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## gnorth16 (Dec 8, 2012)

FWIW, the concierge desk said the "grocery shuttle" is 600 pesos.  We're still taking it today because it is easy.  

First impressions of the resort - It seems to be missing something, and I don't really know what.  The rooms are nice, we are in 553/554 (above reception) and have a straight out view over the pools and ocean.  Everyone wants to go out of their way and help, the wifi is fine, better with the router, Westin shuttle was good, $70 round trip for 4...

The restaurant was not good at all.  It was an Italian buffet and the kids even said the pizza wasn't very good.  It was an Uncle Willy's quality of food at a Westin price. $100 pre-wine, $145 with wine.  The live mariachi band played "The Chicken Dance" for my daughter.  It was hilarious and it embarrassed here a plenty!!!

In fairness, we did arrive at night, so the wow factor I was expecting was divided and delayed until the morning.  Looking forward to a nice day at the pool/beach.


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## itchyfeet (Dec 8, 2012)

We are also at Lagunamar--arrived yesterday after a week at Villa del Palmar Cancun.  That resort has thw "wow" factor that is missing here. I agree the rooms are very nice, but you could be in New York or Los Angeles--not much of the "Mexican" feel.


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## Sea Six (Dec 8, 2012)

itchyfeet said:


> We are also at Lagunamar--arrived yesterday after a week at Villa del Palmar Cancun.  That resort has thw "wow" factor that is missing here. I agree the rooms are very nice, but you could be in New York or Los Angeles--not much of the "Mexican" feel.



Is your air conditioning working?  Supposedly the whole resort is down for maintenance.


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## gnorth16 (Dec 8, 2012)

Sea Six said:


> Is your air conditioning working?  Supposedly the whole resort is down for maintenance.



Yes, down for maintenance.  Supposed to be back up around noon.  

For clarification, it is 600 pesos to Mega and 300 pesos to Superama.  The Superama is owned by Wal-Mart and had everything we needed.  IT was recommended by the concierge.


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## itchyfeet (Dec 8, 2012)

Air conditioning is back on and working.  The info. that was given to us when we checked in is that this was routine maintennce.


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## gnorth16 (Dec 9, 2012)

So my wife and I tried figuring out what was missing from this resort.  It *could be *our expectations of what Mexico would be like and it didn't quite match up.

We did find that the resort is very quiet.  When we were at the swim up bar for a drink, no one was smiling and having a good time (BTW, worst marg and pina colada we have ever had).  I expected there would be crowds of people laughing and enjoying themselves.  Most people are in the chairs reading or on their iPhone, not in the pools/hot tubs or up at the bar. There was not much for music at the pool, besides a bit of techno on Saturday and a few decent tunes before a "fashion show" today.  It is nice to have some music by the pool but that is my opinion.  Saturday night was supposed to be a "big night" since the boxing match was on at the bar.  We walked by and there was maybe 25 people in there.

It is a gorgeous resort. just not what we expected.


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## VacationForever (Dec 9, 2012)

gnorth16 said:


> So my wife and I tried figuring out what was missing from this resort.  It *could be *our expectations of what Mexico would be like and it didn't quite match up.
> 
> We did find that the resort is very quiet.  When we were at the swim up bar for a drink, no one was smiling and having a good time (BTW, worst marg and pina colada we have ever had).  I expected there would be crowds of people laughing and enjoying themselves.  Most people are in the chairs reading or on their iPhone, not in the pools/hot tubs or up at the bar. There was not much for music at the pool, besides a bit of techno on Saturday and a few decent tunes before a "fashion show" today.  It is nice to have some music by the pool but that is my opinion.  Saturday night was supposed to be a "big night" since the boxing match was on at the bar.  We walked by and there was maybe 25 people in there.
> 
> It is a gorgeous resort. just not what we expected.



All I can say is to each his own.  I like quiet and hate crowds.  Nothing more relaxing than swimming in a quiet surrounding.  My experience at WLR has yet to be surpassed by other resort stays, regardless of brands. I heart WLR.


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## fasha39 (Dec 9, 2012)

gnorth16 said:


> So my wife and I tried figuring out what was missing from this resort.  It *could be *our expectations of what Mexico would be like and it didn't quite match up.
> 
> We did find that the resort is very quiet.  When we were at the swim up bar for a drink, no one was smiling and having a good time (BTW, worst marg and pina colada we have ever had).  I expected there would be crowds of people laughing and enjoying themselves.  Most people are in the chairs reading or on their iPhone, not in the pools/hot tubs or up at the bar. There was not much for music at the pool, besides a bit of techno on Saturday and a few decent tunes before a "fashion show" today.  It is nice to have some music by the pool but that is my opinion.  Saturday night was supposed to be a "big night" since the boxing match was on at the bar.  We walked by and there was maybe 25 people in there.
> 
> It is a gorgeous resort. just not what we expected.




lf you were seeking action why didn't you head over next door to Live Aqua?  Plenty of action, music etc going on over there.  We saw people hanging around having a good time at the infinity pool swim up bar often as well the "animation" hut seemed to have some activity going on most of the time.  We felt there was a nice balance between quiet and action, so did our teen and tween.


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## itchyfeet (Dec 10, 2012)

gnorth16 said:


> So my wife and I tried figuring out what was missing from this resort.  It *could be *our expectations of what Mexico would be like and it didn't quite match up.
> 
> We did find that the resort is very quiet.  When we were at the swim up bar for a drink, no one was smiling and having a good time (BTW, worst marg and pina colada we have ever had).  I expected there would be crowds of people laughing and enjoying themselves.  Most people are in the chairs reading or on their iPhone, not in the pools/hot tubs or up at the bar. There was not much for music at the pool, besides a bit of techno on Saturday and a few decent tunes before a "fashion show" today.  It is nice to have some music by the pool but that is my opinion.  Saturday night was supposed to be a "big night" since the boxing match was on at the bar.  We walked by and there was maybe 25 people in there.
> 
> It is a gorgeous resort. just not what we expected.



Is this your first trip to Mexico?  We've been to other areas of Mexico (Puerto Vallarta & Cabo) many times, and this resort has the least Mexican feel of anywhere we've been. As far as guests interacting, we've not found that anywhere.  People want to read, swim, sun, etc.  We have found that if a resort has evening events, people do interact more.  If you don't get away from the resort, you'll not see anything "Mexican" here.  First of all Westin is in the hotel zone with a huge "American" style shopping center across the street.  As I said before, you could be any big city. We always rent a car because we like to see the outlying areas, especiallly the small towns.  That's where you'll see the "real" Mexico.  I had never been to Cancun and wanted to see what is was like. I especiially wanted to see Chichen Itza, which we did.  Considering the extra cost of airfare and time to get here, we'll  go to Cabo or PV instead of returning to Cancun.
As an added note Hacienda del Sisal has a mariachi and ballet folklorico show every weekday evening.  This would definitely give you some Mexican entertainment.  This restaurant is within walking distance of Westin.  The concierge can make reservations for you.  Adios!


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## VacationForever (Dec 10, 2012)

itchyfeet said:


> As an added note Hacienda del Sisal has a mariachi and ballet folklorico show every weekday evening.  This would definitely give you some Mexican entertainment.  This restaurant is within walking distance of Westin.  The concierge can make reservations for you.  Adios!



I assume you mean Hacienda Sisal?  This is my favorite restaurant in Cancun...  my favorite item on the menu is the guacamole that is made at the table.  Margarita is awesome and you get great service at this restaurant.  When I was there they only had the "special" show one night a week on a weekday.


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## gnorth16 (Dec 12, 2012)

Yes, this was my first trip to Mexico (not counting the day trip to Tijuana when I was 9).  I really think that I was expecting a younger crowd, busy bar and more action.  I'm 33 with two kids, but I'm 55 at heart!  I don't even want action and have been very happy with almost everything at the resort.  

Honestly, I'm a complainer and I look for flaws and pick everything apart, but have found nothing that are deal breakers and would prevent me from coming back.  This has been a near perfect winter vacation and I have met six or seven really nice people in the pools and hot tubs. (Shout out to gmonstersen!!!)

It's pouring rain right now and it's still fantastic.  Computer, beers, chips and salsa overlooking the pool and ocean....I can't even complain about that!!!

Restaurants leaves room for work, but we are BBQers and in room eaters most of the time anyways.  Not even any pressure for a timeshare presentation.

Very happy!  BTW, there are activities all the time, you just need to know when and where they are.  Bus excursion to the bar at 10:30:whoopie:!!! I'll be in bed by 10!!!:hysterical:


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## Sea Six (Dec 12, 2012)

No Coco Bongo for you!


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## Quiding (Dec 24, 2012)

Can anyone give me a price update?
Is it much cheaper than in the US? How much for a beer? 
Or a taxi ride or whatever...
Want to book a trip to WLR for me, my wife and her parents and just want to know if it is cheap or not?
Thinking about WSJ but don't want to spend too much money. 
I live in Europe so I don't know that much about the price difference.. I assume it is pretty cheap but would you recommend this before WSJ?
Thanks


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## Henry M. (Dec 24, 2012)

It depends on what US location you're comparing to. It is cheaper than say Hawaii, New York or some other major metropolitan areas. I find it similar to where I live in Texas, with a few things less expensive. 

It is easy to get around town riding the bus for a little less than a dollar per ride. A pre-arranged round-trip can ride from the airport to WLR is $55for up to 4 people, $70 if you book through the resort. 

Restaurants in the hotel zone are comparable to US mid-priced restaurants. A six pack of beer is on the order of 75 pesos at WalMart. 

I would think Cancun is less expensive than WSJ. There's no expensive ferry to take from St. Thomas. There is a lot of competition for restaurants and services. It is not an island where everything has to be brought in by boat or plane. For me, airfare is much cheaper than to WSJ. 

The hotel zone of Cancun is very built up. There's even a large mall directly across the street from WLR. A large part of St. John is a national park. The locations are not really comparable in terms of the experience you get. It is a personal thing what you would find best. I like both locations for different reasons. Cancun is much easier for me to get to.  WSJ is more pristine and has secluded beaches.


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## bobpark56 (Dec 25, 2012)

Also, in St John, you will probably want to rent a vehicle (pricey). In Cancun, you don't need one.


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## daynab (Dec 31, 2012)

Thanks so much for all the great info. 6 weeks and counting!!!
:whoopie::whoopie::whoopie:


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## Quiding (Jan 23, 2014)

I am doing an owners update tomorrow in Lagunamar, anyone has any questions for them? 

Dont really know what to expect, have no interest in buying really but wanted the gifts... 
IF possible, might buy some SPG points if they have a nice price


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## cubigbird (Jan 23, 2014)

Quiding said:


> I am doing an owners update tomorrow in Lagunamar, anyone has any questions for them?
> 
> Dont really know what to expect, have no interest in buying really but wanted the gifts...
> IF possible, might buy some SPG points if they have a nice price



We did the owners update at WLR in December.  They offered us 6500 SPG pts or $100 resort credit.  I really didn't jump for joy on either.  We took the resort credit so we can at least enjoy happy hour more often.  I would never do a tour for only 6500 points, and plus, I thought that was a little low - probably because I am SVO elite.  They were low pressure and polite and professional and we were out in 90 minutes.  

We didn't learn anything new other than new hotels or resorts being constructed, including "no" on Aruba.  They cited it wasn't "a good business decision."  After that it was off to meet with the explorer package guy but I didn't need to buy anything since my current weeks are enough.....


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## Ken555 (Jan 24, 2014)

cubigbird said:


> We did the owners update at WLR in December.  They offered us 6500 SPG pts or $100 resort credit.  I really didn't jump for joy on either.  We took the resort credit so we can at least enjoy happy hour more often.  I would never do a tour for only 6500 points, and plus, I thought that was a little low - probably because I am SVO elite.  They were low pressure and polite and professional and we were out in 90 minutes.




More than 6500 points for a meeting. Where did this happen? I haven't had a meeting in a few years but the most I was ever offered was 5000, IIRC.


Sent from my iPad


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## SMHarman (Jan 24, 2014)

6500 is the non owner rate I think. 
That's what we got at WLR last year and down the timeshare rabbit hole I went. 

Sent from my LT26i using Tapatalk


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## SMHarman (Jan 24, 2014)

Quiding said:


> I am doing an owners update tomorrow in Lagunamar, anyone has any questions for them?
> 
> Dont really know what to expect, have no interest in buying really but wanted the gifts...
> IF possible, might buy some SPG points if they have a nice price



Oh yes, please ask if that Platinum Plus week for $37k still available. The salesperson said the prices would be much much higher if I did not sign and buy right away but waited a year!!!!!!

Sent from my LT26i using Tapatalk


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## cubigbird (Jan 24, 2014)

SMHarman said:


> 6500 is the non owner rate I think.
> That's what we got at WLR last year and down the timeshare rabbit hole I went.
> 
> Sent from my LT26i using Tapatalk



Funny.....I already own a Plat Plus week there and that's all they offered.  They gave me 10,000 points last March.  Glad I opted for the resort credit. - bought many more 2 for 1 HH drinks.


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## SMHarman (Jan 24, 2014)

cubigbird said:


> Funny.....I already own a Plat Plus week there and that's all they offered.  They gave me 10,000 points last March.  Glad I opted for the resort credit. - bought many more 2 for 1 HH drinks.



My problem with their 241HH is that it uses the aweful well bottles, add the well bottles to the premade mixers and I did not have a single good drink from the swim up bar.

The vacation improved greatly after I took a trip to the supermarket bought a bag of ice, some juices, fresh fruits and better quality spirits (a bottle of your second cheapest tequilla my good man) and started blending.

Just favourite this page and use the free wifi
http://www.drinksmixer.com/cat/1/

Pina Collada - http://www.drinksmixer.com/drink4300.html
Tequilla Sunset - http://www.drinksmixer.com/drinkb1c9529.html


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## bobpark56 (Jan 24, 2014)

SMHarman said:


> 6500 is the non owner rate I think.
> That's what we got at WLR last year and down the timeshare rabbit hole I went.
> 
> Sent from my LT26i using Tapatalk



We (owners) received 6500 starpoints last week at WLR...easily worth $130 or more when used for 5th-night free stays in hotels in Europe (we have Barcelona booked for April, and Amsterdam Pulitzer booked for July).


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## Quiding (Jan 25, 2014)

In Colorado we got 8000 spg in Dec 2012. 

This meeting was a great plus for us. No news though. 
But my parents in law was with and their English knowledge is ok but not great. They are not owners but I am and they could leave after the tour of the site, 60min or so. Then they focused me pretty hard but when I said I was on tug they was a bit, how to say, understanding or something when I said that IF I would buy from the developer I wanted also a resale to grandfather in. 

2 couples, 200usd voucher and 2 discounts on activities. Totally saved around 400 usd since we are 5 and all got discount on both activities. I must say it was worth it! Not pushy and polite, well, not THAT pushy 

I read this now so sorry, didn't ask for the price on those..


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