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Westin Lagunamar or Grand Luxxe Jungle Riviera Maya?

Tucsonadventurer

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First of all I want to say that we love Lagunamar, stayed there multiple times and will definitely go back. We have had the Grand Luxxe recommended to us by Hyatt Interval and wondered if we should try it for something different or if we should stay with what we know we like? Has anyone been to both. I know there is a 11 per day per person fee but that is OK, as long as we know to expect it . I'd be curious to hear input. Pros and Cons. Thanks in advance.
 

jlp879

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For me it is all about location and what kind of trip do you want? Lagunamar is very centrally located and you can access many restaurants/activities right from your front door via foot, bus or cab. You're right in town and everything is close.

Grand Luxxe and other Vidanta Riviera Maya properties are isolated within a jungle-like setting. You have no restaurants or activities close by available to you except what is onsite. If you are okay with that, then you will probably enjoy it. We love to explore the area, but will not rent a car. Since the Grand Luxxe is fairly isolated, you'll be taking a lot of cabs or a car rental to leave the property or if you're adventurous, the local collectivos.

We have always done Cancun area split stays. Part of the trip in the hotel zone, and part in either Playa del Carmen or elsewhere on the corridor. I enjoy both locations, but they are very different from each other. If I could only pick one, it would be the Riviera Maya area.

The beach at the Vidanta property is much rockier than the hotel zone beach. Your room there will not have an ocean view. Should you wish to dine off property, it is a 30 minute drive to Playa del Carmen.
 

Tucsonadventurer

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Thank you. I appreciate all the helpful info.
 

bobpark56

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We own at Lagunamar and have been to Grand Luxxe twice. They are very different resorts, as the poster above noted. The Grand Luxxe units are the largest and among the nicest we have ever encountered. Non-owners should expect to be placed on a low floor, as units high enough to have a view over the trees are reserved for owners. Food at their restaurants is quite good, but rather pricey, though with several choices of where to dine. They also gave us free transport from CUN to the resort (you are on your own for the return trip). And they had a free shuttle to from Playa del Carmen, which needs to be booked in advance. Pools are nice, and Grand Luxxe guests have a sizable private pool with good poolside dining & drinks...albeit a bit of a walk via the boardwalks (you may see an alligator on the way). Pizza & its delivery, if that's your thing, were quite good and relatively inexpensive. But BEWARE the Vidanta sales staff. They are the highest pressure and least ethical of any we have ever encountered.
 

Tucsonadventurer

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We own at Lagunamar and have been to Grand Luxxe twice. They are very different resorts, as the poster above noted. The Grand Luxxe units are the largest and among the nicest we have ever encountered. Non-owners should expect to be placed on a low floor, as units high enough to have a view over the trees are reserved for owners. Food at their restaurants is quite good, but rather pricey, though with several choices of where to dine. They also gave us free transport from CUN to the resort (you are on your own for the return trip). And they had a free shuttle to from Playa del Carmen, which needs to be booked in advance. Pools are nice, and Grand Luxxe guests have a sizable private pool with good poolside dining & drinks...albeit a bit of a walk via the boardwalks (you may see an alligator on the way). Pizza & its delivery, if that's your thing, were quite good and relatively inexpensive. But BEWARE the Vidanta sales staff. They are the highest pressure and least ethical of any we have ever encountered.
I had read the warnings in TUG and trip advisor about sales. We went to Lagunamar 3x last yr so we should probably try something different at least once but we do love the views there and love the staff as well. Thank you for your input
 

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I am a new Grand Luxxe owner at Nuevo Vallarta and will be visiting Riviera Maya and staying in the new Jungle Suites there in January. I agree with what the other posters have said. Grand Luxxe is the pinnacle of luxury and AAA 5 Diamond. The rooms are big and beautiful and service is great but the grounds are huge and hard to get off. It is a mega resort and entertainment oriented so it is the type of place you go to enjoy. You really will not want to leave. At Nuevo Vallarta, I did not find the restaurants to be very expensive and the food was great. Each suite has a full kitchen and they have a small on-site grocery store. Taxis are not that expensive so you could go to a local grocery store to save money and cook some days. I think Nuevo Vallarta may be a step above Riviera Maya in terms of the "wow" factor because the buildings are 8-9 stories and the views are simply amazing. I'd recommend giving it a try for a once in a lifetime experience. Stay away from the sales people. They are a contract salesforce, not Vidanta employees. They are among the worst salespeople ever. If it weren't that the Grand Luxxe was so unique and amazing in Nuevo Vallarta, I would not have bought from those sharks. However, there are worse timeshare salespeople in Mexico.
 

T-Dot-Traveller

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FYI- The Grand Luxe RM Jungle Suites are 1 bedroom suites and are approximately 1200 square feet .
They are a recent addition ( 2015/ 2016 ) to the Grand Luxe Family. All indications are they are quite nice . There are differences from the earlier / older / possibly larger
Grand Luxe units at Vidanta RM .
GL Jungle suites do not have the balcony plunge pool due to Vidanta's use of prior built framework to create the Grand Luxe Jungle Suite format .

I believe the Vidanta website has pictures & layout .The TUG Mexican forum also has some prior discussion of the RM Jungle Suite format.
 
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Tucsonadventurer

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FYI- The Grand Luxe RM Jungle Suites are 1 bedroom suites and are approximately 1200 square feet .
They are a recent addition ( 2015/ 2016 ) to the Grand Luxe Family. All indications are they are quite nice . There are differences from the earlier / older / possibly larger
Grand Luxe units at Vidanta RM .
GL Jungle suites do not have the balcony plunge pool due to Vidanta's use of prior built framework to create the Grand Luxe Jungle Suite format .

I believe the Vidanta website has pictures & layout .The TUG Mexican forum also has some prior discussion of the RM Jungle Suite format.
Do they still have a patio. That might be a deal breaker for us. We love to have a balcony? Thanks for all the input!
 

pianoetudes

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And they had a free shuttle to from Playa del Carmen

Free shuttle? I'm not aware they have it. We were there in September and had to pay US$5/person for mini-van shuttle to Playa del Carmen.
 

Tucsonadventurer

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We ended up booking a studio at Grand Luxxe Nuevo Vallarta due to better availability with airfare (we have Southwest companion cards)
so wanted to use them and we had a set week we wanted. We waited too long to decide so missed our chance to get the 1 bedroom or studio with kitchen.
At least we will have a balcony , but no kitchen. Thanks everyone for all the help
 

bizaro86

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There isn't a free shuttle to Playa del carmen at the Riviera maya location. However, we were two for two in having our shuttle departure delayed by >5 minutes while folks argued with the hotel staff and shuttle driver that someone told them it was free.

So public service announcement: the shuttle isn't free. It's $5-6 USD per person per way, payable in cash only pesos or USD. We took it to the Mega and got groceries there twice. My wife and sister also did 5th Avenue in Playa and bought souveneirs.
 
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ilene13

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We ended up booking a studio at Grand Luxxe Nuevo Vallarta due to better availability with airfare (we have Southwest companion cards)
so wanted to use them and we had a set week we wanted. We waited too long to decide so missed our chance to get the 1 bedroom or studio with kitchen.
At least we will have a balcony , but no kitchen. Thanks everyone for all the help
The lock offs we have stayed in at the GL have a cabinet in the living room that has a microwave, mini refrigerator and a coffee maker. We were able to make breakfast daily.
 

hurnik

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The lock offs we have stayed in at the GL have a cabinet in the living room that has a microwave, mini refrigerator and a coffee maker. We were able to make breakfast daily.

There's 2 different studios at GL at Nuevo.
One has a "kitchenette" and one does not.

Hopefully you can get the kitchenette one at least it'll have a small sink and some silverware/cups in addition to the microwave, fridge, coffee/espresso thingy. I got the one without a few years back and it was essentially useless (except for the fridge to keep cold bottled water). No microwave. Just the fridge and the coffee pot.

The coffee out in the hallways was better (if you could get there early enough to get some as they don't seem to refill them if at all).
 
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