At Lagunamar

[mitchandjeanette]

Hey, looks like you were right below us....
Thanks for showing us what a sunny day is like.
Oh well, beautiful views either way. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Stressy]

Thanks for the info. Ken - I see now that you already posted your transportation info. and I missed it the first time.

I haven't been to Mexico, (except for a short cruise and Tijuana) and I am really intrigued by Lagunamar!

Denise,

I think you would enjoy Cancun...at least once. I was always a Hawaii girl just like you. Mexico was never on my radar. This has been the year of Mexico for us. Cancun in June (though I stayed at the Royal Sands) and Nuevo Vallarta over Thanksgiving. I liked my Cancun trip much better. You have the ruins (Chichen Itza, Tulum, etc) we swam in a Cenote...was like swimming at the Rain Forest Cafe, DD swam with dolphins. If you like snorkeling and I think you do, there are two Eco Parks..Xcaret or Xel-Ha. You don't have to rent a car-the public bus system is cheap and convenient. You can "do" Cancun however you wish. If there was partying-I didn't see it nor did I seek it out.

Water was fine, food was relatively inexpensive, People were warm and accomodating.

Flight time was comparable to Hawaii from LAX non stop. Flights were cheaper...but I bought before the airlines lost their minds. Immigration and customs were new for me....and took a while if arriving mid afternoon on a Saturday.

Most of all, there was the water, the ocean, beautiful and blue and warm and visible from every room at the Royal Sands.

I'd go back right now.

 

[Ken555]

Restaurant Recommendations:

La Destileria - Mexican food (and Mexican chain restaurant); recommended by the Lagunamar concierge. It's about a 10 minute walk south from the resort on the other side of the street. Great atmosphere, excellent margaritas and incredible tequila menu. I thought the food was too rich, but otherwise excellent. ~670 pesos with drinks for 2 before tip.

Lorrenzillo's - across from the Hyatt (on the Lagoon side) only (3?) bus stops toward Cancun from Lagunamar; recommended by the Lagunamar concierge (2 free drinks when they make the reservation). Very nice, outdoor/indoor seating. Good for seafood and steak; we would go back. ~1150 pesos with drinks for 2 before tip.

Beachhouse - we found this restaurant by walking along the beach yesterday. It's at the ME Hotel, 2-3 hotels north from Lagunamar (about a 5 minute walk); the restaurant is directly above the beach - our table was about 25 feet from the water. We thought this was the best restaurant yet with a good mix of Mexican dishes. ~980 pesos with drinks for 2 before tip.

Hope this helps someone!

 

[colmo]

Ken - I really appreciate all your tips -

We'll be at Lagunamar in January and I've been writing down all your recommendations. Thanks!

 

[Ken555]

La Madonna Restaurante & Martini Bar - Italian restaurant in the La Isle shopping mall directly across the street from Lagunamar. While we don't always have high hopes for mall restaurants, this was a definite exception. Steak, seafood, pasta, more. Incredible caesar salad made at the table (similar to Lorenzillo's, but better). We thought this was the best meal yet. The concierge has coupons for free "welcome martinis" - the restaurant has 140 martini's on its menu and a decent wine list. We were also very pleased with the service - the entire staff spoke excellent English and were much more conscientious than any other restaurant. Of course, it was also the most expensive - ~1450 pesos plus tip (we left more than usual here - about 20%) for drinks, entrees, appetizer, and no desert.


We're glad we went, especially since we weren't supposed to. The concierge had made reservations for us at another restaurant further away, but we couldn't go as the police closed the southbound lanes on the road outside the resort. It turns out that Saturday night ~8pm they had a marathon! And, of course, no one knew in advance.

 

[Ken555]

On another random note, I looked at spg.com to find out how expensive Lagunamar is for the public right now. It seems that in December you can reserve a studio unit for US$129 and a 1-bed for US$249 per night. And, there is availability. Considering there are only about 120 units open right now, I think that says something about SVN owners coming here.

 

[BLUE AYES]

Will be there for 10 days starting 12/24.

What kitchen sundries are in unit (paper towels, dish washer liquid, salt pepper, coffee filters, shampoo etc...

Is all that's needed avail at Walmart

How much $ per day family of four

How many pesos should we bring or transfer on arrival

Will be glad to meet fellow tuggers at the pool bar

 

[Ken555]

My last post while at WLR (I think...):

This was a very windy and overcast week at WLR. And, when I say windy, I mean that eating at the pool restaurant was an experience in watching that plates didn't fly off the table. The hardy were in the pool (obviously from Canada or the NE ) but others were by the pool covered in towels to stay warm. That said, there were a couple of good days this week - but last week was much, much nicer.

I agree with Westin5Star that the Italian night at the restaurant isn't that outstanding. The resort now has Mexican night by the pool restaurant on Monday's, Italian on Wednesday (in the main restaurant), and now a 'Steak & Wine' night on Friday's (main restaurant). While here, we tried all, and I think the Mexican is the best, steak was good, and Italian was so-so.

I think we've commented on this before here, but the newer resorts don't have an owner's lounge. I thought it was nice to have at WKORV (though not built by Starwood), and it's a shame they haven't continued it elsewhere. I checked out this morning (@ 10am sharp...) and have several hours before going to the airport, and I wanted to do some work (!). The "business center" is six (6) computers downstairs, and has been full almost every time I check (except late at night); it's near the gym and the market. The concierge graciously let me use one of their unused desks right now... but note that once you check-out your name/room password for accessing the Internet stops working (other hotels I've been at keep it working until the end of the day) - they got me another to use temporarily.

All in all, I think this is a great resort in a good location. I'm sure I'll return, but maybe not for another 2-3 years.

Now I'm just hoping Mexicana is running on time today (unlike the outbound flight).

 

[Ken555]

Will be there for 10 days starting 12/24.

What kitchen sundries are in unit (paper towels, dish washer liquid, salt pepper, coffee filters, shampoo etc...

Is all that's needed avail at Walmart

How much $ per day family of four

How many pesos should we bring or transfer on arrival

Will be glad to meet fellow tuggers at the pool bar

The unit has standard SVN accessories in the kitchen - full list on MSC. We found everything we needed at Walmart. How much for a family of 4? That's a loaded question, and depends on what you do. I didn't bring any pesos, but used the ATM at the resort (I was able to charge almost everything to credit cards while here, so the 3000 pesos I withdrew the day I got here was more than enough (in fact, I still have 500 or so and spent 650 on gifts last night...so 3000 was too much for me).

 

[BLUE AYES]

Thanks Ken. If any Tuggers are going to be at WLR between 12/24 -1/4 and want to meet for drinks let me know. Also I am an avid offshore fisherman and wil try to arrainge an offshore 3/4 day charter. If interested let me know maybe between 12/29 -1/2.

 

[dakotafamily]

The unit has standard SVN accessories in the kitchen - full list on MSC. We found everything we needed at Walmart. How much for a family of 4? That's a loaded question, and depends on what you do. I didn't bring any pesos, but used the ATM at the resort (I was able to charge almost everything to credit cards while here, so the 3000 pesos I withdrew the day I got here was more than enough (in fact, I still have 500 or so and spent 650 on gifts last night...so 3000 was too much for me).

Thanks for your helpful information. We're going to be here in February. We were thinking of getting some AAA Visa Prepaid cards but they are American Express. Would VISA work better? Thanks!

 

[pointsjunkie]

which week in feb? we will be there 2/18-2/22

 

[dakotafamily]

We'll actually be there from Jan 28 through Feb 7.

 

[colmo]

We'll just miss you - we will be there Jan 18-25.

 

[dakotafamily]

Hopefully we'll be able to meet some other Tuggers there!! It sounds like a really nice place. This will be our first time to Cancun. All information is welcome.

 

[DeniseM]

Hopefully we'll be able to meet some other Tuggers there!! It sounds like a really nice place. This will be our first time to Cancun. All information is welcome.

Have you checked out the TUG Mexico Board? Try using the search function there (Search this forum) and search for Cancun.

 

[dakotafamily]

Since we'll be at Lagunamar while the Super Bowl is that weekend, does anyone know if we'll be able to watch it on TV in Cancun?

 

[BradC]

Since we'll be at Lagunamar while the Super Bowl is that weekend, does anyone know if we'll be able to watch it on TV in Cancun?

I can't speak for Lagunamar specifically, but every other hotel I've stayed at in Cancun has satellite TV available in the rooms.

I assume Lagunamar is the same, so you'll have at least one channel for each of the American networks. So you might have an NBC station from Dallas, a CBS station from Chicago....

 

[Ken555]

NBC & CBS are Miami channels; ABC is some strange alternative...but works. I think there was ESPN as well.

Of course, there are plenty of bars in Cancun which I'm sure will show the game...