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Lagunamar questions please

levatino

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Two brief things:

1) I am scheduled to arrive on 10/27 and would be delighted to take any hand me down leftovers, condiments, supplies, beach stuff, etc. Also we depart 11/2 and would be willing to leave our unused and potentially worthwhile remaining food and stuff if anyone is interested let me know please. I hate to throw things away.

2) does anyone know the owners update offering? I was there several years ago and offered a day trip fir 2 to one if the Isla mujeres parks.

Thank you so much Tugg community!
 

Sea Six

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We are leaving on the 28th, so you can have our leftovers. There may not be any because we don't eat in much, so we don't stock much. Mostly just breakfast and some snacks. For the update they were offering $100 resort credit or I think 5,000 loyalty points, whatever that is. I take the credit here because we do many of the activities.

We would have to hook up Saturday night because we leave early Sunday.

PS aren't our puppies CUTE!
 
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controller1

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We are leaving on the 28th, so you can have our leftovers. There may not be any because we don't eat in much, so we don't stock much. Mostly just breakfast and some snacks. For the update they were offering $100 resort credit or I think 5,000 loyalty points, whatever that is. I take the credit here because we do many of the activities.

We would have to hook up Saturday night because we leave early Sunday.

PS aren't our puppies CUTE!

5,000 loyalty points are probably 5,000 Marriott Points worth approximately $50. The $100 resort credit was the way to go!
 

Sea Six

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Places like here and especially Harborside I go for the resort credit. Harborside is OUTRAGEOUS! Everything gets charged back to your room and the place is OVERPRICED! Places like Vistana Villages we would take the points because we never do anything there.
 

levatino

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I love your puppies and have a new one year old border collie as well as an 12 year old. What a cutie you have!

See you soon!
 

Sea Six

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I love your puppies and have a new one year old border collie as well as an 12 year old. What a cutie you have!

See you soon!


I thought yours was a border collie - the snout is just a bit wider than my mini Aussie. They look very much alike.
 

Sea Six

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One thing I can get you is a nice bag of ICE. We hate it at these resorts the first night because the freezer is EMPTY and we want an ice cold cocktail after settling in. The guy who brought us our bags promised to get us some ice, but he disappeared and never came back.
 

m61376

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Would appreciate any tips for our upcoming visit, which will be our first time there.
 

carpie99

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Would appreciate any tips for our upcoming visit, which will be our first time there.

1. Don’t get a car
2. Go to Costco or Sam’s club for meat and seafood (cheap for a cab to take you plus wait for you to shop)
3. Selecto is much nicer than Soriano’s for groceries and they have a prepared food area (both will deliver)
4. Great choice of restaurants within walking distance
5. Bring a good cooler to hang at pool with (unlike Cabo they don’t hassle you about having one)
6. Bring a YETI type drink holder (my preference is a 40oz one)
7. Dos Equis Amber is great
8. Sun sets early so come out to pool early
9. I heard some of the excursions are good but honestly we haven’t even left the resort it has been so amazing
10. Be ready to maximize happy hour from 3-4 at swim up bar
11. Bring a floaty for pool
12. Hooters across the street is great for watching Football on Sundays if you are like me.

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dioxide45

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3. Selecto is much nicer than Soriano’s for groceries and they have a prepared food area (both will deliver)
You are probably right, though we have never been to Selecto to compare. It is nice that Soriano is so close and they really have just about everything we would ever need since we tend to eat most meals out while in Cancun.
 

m61376

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bobpark56

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Would appreciate any tips for our upcoming visit, which will be our first time there.
Bring a backpack or wheelie for carrying groceries back from Soriana or Selecto. You can walk to Soriana, but not to Selecto. Backpacks that are not large count as personal items on airlines, not as carry-ons. I use one instead of a carry-on. Both of those stores have very good prices for wine and liquors. La Europea (closer) is also good for wines, liquors, and cheeses...and has a bigger selection.

If you need cash, try the Santander Bank just off the northeast corner of the Kukulcan Plaza. Their ATM rates are as low as any and lower than most.

Our favorite restaurant is La Dolce Vita. Just hop a bus (cheap) into town and get off just past the first traffic circle. Check it out on Trip Advisor and Google maps street view...and ask your concierge. We have not had better Italian food anywhere. Not especially expensive either. I really do like their carbonara.

We are also fond of La Habichuela downtown. It's a bit more of an issue to find your first visit, so ask your concierge. You can get (almost) there by bus or directly there and back by taxi. Be sure to finish your meal with a Mayan coffee...it'a a performance. Sometimes it's available for free or with a coupon. Again, ask your concierge. A bit more pricey than La Dolce Vita, but still less than good restaurants on the strip.

We quite enjoy breakfasts at El Jugo de Limón, across the street at the mall. Sit on the overbridge and watch the dolphins below you. Cheaper than dining at Lagunamar...though their breakfast are tasty too.

Don't be shy about talking to the concierge folks. They are the best and most helpful concierge folks we have found anywhere.
 

m61376

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Thinking of going to Xel-ha and Tulum- are they worth going to? Are there small van transportation direct from tLagunamar? I know there are the big bus tours (which I've read waste a lot of drop off/pick up time from multiple hotels. Others have suggested the local buses connecting to the Ado bus, but I'm a bit wary given the safety issues in Mexico; don't want to mess up and get loss and possibly wander where we shouldn't. Last time we were in Cancun at the Royal Sands they had tours to Chichen Itza, and while it ran a few dollars more, the small van size, timing before the buses crowded in the heat of the day and private guide made it a memorable day.
 

pacman777

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Thinking of going to Xel-ha and Tulum- are they worth going to? Are there small van transportation direct from tLagunamar? I know there are the big bus tours (which I've read waste a lot of drop off/pick up time from multiple hotels. Others have suggested the local buses connecting to the Ado bus, but I'm a bit wary given the safety issues in Mexico; don't want to mess up and get loss and possibly wander where we shouldn't. Last time we were in Cancun at the Royal Sands they had tours to Chichen Itza, and while it ran a few dollars more, the small van size, timing before the buses crowded in the heat of the day and private guide made it a memorable day.

Xel-Ha is totally worth it. Awesome time and the included buffet food is pretty good. I didn’t want to hassle with the bus and van stuff so I just rented a car for the day from Hertz right across the street from WLR in the mall area. Easy and safe drive down to Xel-Ha. Was able to get there when it opened and we weren’t rushed being tied to a tour bus schedule.
 

m61376

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brw- I know there have been posts about how great the concierges there are and just to ask them. Does anyone have an email contact for one they've found very helpful? One contacted me and I can't get a straight answer when I ask about tours they have to Tulum and Xel-ha. Won't divulge the price in advance (????) and states it could be a bus, could be a van - let's just say my contact has been less that stellar there; I can't seem to get a straight answer as to whether it's direct transportation just for their hotel. So I'm hoping it's just this person ....
 

eagle29

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Thinking of going to Xel-ha and Tulum- are they worth going to? Are there small van transportation direct from tLagunamar? I know there are the big bus tours (which I've read waste a lot of drop off/pick up time from multiple hotels. Others have suggested the local buses connecting to the Ado bus, but I'm a bit wary given the safety issues in Mexico; don't want to mess up and get loss and possibly wander where we shouldn't. Last time we were in Cancun at the Royal Sands they had tours to Chichen Itza, and while it ran a few dollars more, the small van size, timing before the buses crowded in the heat of the day and private guide made it a memorable day.

I used USA Transfers for the Tulum/Xel-ha tour. I think it was $145 (US). There were 4 in my group for the private tour. Well worth it as the driver escorted us to the right places and we chose how much time to spend at each place. It was a great day!
 

m61376

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I used USA Transfers for the Tulum/Xel-ha tour. I think it was $145 (US). There were 4 in my group for the private tour. Well worth it as the driver escorted us to the right places and we chose how much time to spend at each place. It was a great day!
Thanks- that's what I was looking for. There's only the two of us this trip, but I'll see what they offer. I really don't want to waste an hour plus on each way stopping all over the place.
 

dioxide45

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We took an excursion a few years ago with USA Transfers. The drop off process is a little slow, but not as bad as it could be. They don't pull in to each property but rather just drop people off out front on the main blvd. However, they come in from the south and Lagunamar is more toward the north, so there may be several stops before they get to Lagunamar. The pickup process is different. They send out individual drivers to pick people up and take them to a central meeting point where the bus is. So you don't have to travel along and pick up multiple people before you are on your way. Just be prepared to tip this driver that picks you up.

Taking the ADO Bus to Xel-Ha or Tulum is not very hard, I wrote about it in the Caribbean forum several years back. It does take some work however. Renting a car is an option, but would really be at the bottom of our list after renting a car to drive to Tulum last year. The driving was far more stressful than it should have been.
 

DannyTS

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What is the difference between an efficiency unit and a studio at Lagunamar? Has anyone stayed in one? I see a couple left in Interval for May 2019. It seems that this is what Vistana likes to deposit in II.
 
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dioxide45

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What is the difference between an efficiency unit and a studio at Lagunamar? Has anyone stayed in one? I see a couple left in Interval for May 2019. It seems that this is what Vistana likes to deposit in II.
They are the same thing. You will see them listed in Getaways as 2/0/4 but in exchange as 2/e/4. No difference.
 

Fredward

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brw- I know there have been posts about how great the concierges there are and just to ask them. Does anyone have an email contact for one they've found very helpful? One contacted me and I can't get a straight answer when I ask about tours they have to Tulum and Xel-ha. Won't divulge the price in advance (????) and states it could be a bus, could be a van - let's just say my contact has been less that stellar there; I can't seem to get a straight answer as to whether it's direct transportation just for their hotel. So I'm hoping it's just this person ....
All of the concierges that we have dealt with have been great- including tour information links in reply emails. The hesitation to give you straight answers might be that you've been contacted by a newbie or that they are hoping you might agree to a attend a presentation - which qualifies you for a significant discount in the pricing on these tours. Several years ago we agreed to attend an "owner's update" and ended up with about a $40 discount (each) on a tour to Chichen Itza, free buffet breakfast, and $150 Amex card, which we used when back home.
We also looked into a private tour to Tulum and Xel-ha 2 years ago when there were 6 members of our traveling party. I think the individuals that provide these custom tours charged about $600 for the day not including tip. There wasn't a discount offered on this type of tour. A little too pricey for 2 of us but that's the problem of traveling with family.:banana:
 

remowidget

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One thing I can get you is a nice bag of ICE. We hate it at these resorts the first night because the freezer is EMPTY and we want an ice cold cocktail after settling in. The guy who brought us our bags promised to get us some ice, but he disappeared and never came back.
I take my blender to the bar and ask for ice.
 

remowidget

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We just completed 15 nights at Lagunamar, our 8th stay here. It was awesome as usual.

We have rented a car and not. If not, we used to take the bus to Walmart. After shopping Walmart, we catch a cab to Costco and back to Lagunamar. It seems like we have paid about $25 round trip. With Soriano and Selecto, we generally don't go to Walmart anymore. We like Selecto better. We take the bus to Selecto and get a cab back. I think it is $150 pesos to come back in a cab and the valet can bring it all to your room for you. We will likely rent a car in the future to go to Costco, but we generally go for 2-4 weeks at a time. The Selecto has a patio on the third floor where you can eat you Cafe food. You can also consume beer or whine that you purchased in the store. They have slushie machines that you can have alcohol added to for pretty cheap. It's a very nice store.

We eat at the pool for lunch frequently, but have found the buffets and such not really to our liking and expensive. Mostly we eat in the room, which is quick and easy not to mention cheaper. Our favorite meal in LA Isla is the chicken tacos at the Taco Grill. It is right on the water in the same area as Hooters. In general, we stay away from ground beef because we haven't like the taste and texture in Cancun.

To us, we have found that Domino's tends to be the best pizza in the world, outside of the USA. We almost never eat at a Domino's here. There is one between the Coral DE Negro flea market and the Selecto on the lagoon side. There is also one between Lagunamar and the Kuklakan Mall where the Soriano is located. In general Cancun Pizza is very mediocre to us, not that we have tried them all. The problem is that they cook the Crust ahead of time.

Last year, my dentist wanted to do a crown on a molar, for a base price of around $1600. We were going there anyways, so I made an appointment with Cancun Cosmetic Dentistry. They didn't understand why the USA dentist wanted to crown the tooth. It did have a big filling, but they could see nothing wrong with it and I wasnt having any issues. How do you argue with that.? This time we truly went to see the dentist. My wife had a molar that our dentist here has wanted to crown for years. She has said no because it is like $1600 and wasn't having any issues with it. The total cost of the crown, including two posts and a root canal was $827 ish, plus whatever the exam and cleaning was. A hundred ish more. This is at what may be the most expensive dentist office in Cancun. It is located in the Plaza LA America's, which is a very nice large American style mall in downtown Cancun. It has a larger Soriano as well. We are not Olive garden fans, but they had signs of the unlimited pasta deal for $109 pesos, which on this trip would have been about $6.40 American. They have a huge food court and movie theater as well. You walk through the movie theater lobby to get to one hall of the mall.

We take a Roku with us. We are able to watch Netflix and Amazon video. We also put on music videos sometimes on YouTube through the Roku. It's not the same Netflix as here as they have different licensing deals, but we could log in with our USA account. Unfortunately, we started watching Suits and Donavan which are both awesome and neither available here. Dohhh.
 

maddog497

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Remowidet, thanks for your lengthy response. We have been keeping notes on places and events posted on the forum for our trip in January.

The list keeps getting longer and longer, lol.

Our 3rd time back and can't wait. The bus system is quick, cheap and simple so we haven't rented a vehicle in Cancun but since we have friends vacationing with us for part of our trip, we may look into it this time.

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