Current Westin Lagunamar Sargassum

[Henry M.]

I'm considering going to Lagunamar mid-July. I have some friends that were just in Playa del Carmen this past week and reported the sargassum there was very heavy and they couldn't use the beach.

Does anyone have a recent report on the situation in Cancun? Is the sargassum likely bad in July?

I called the resort and the lady that answered just wasn't sure. She said she thought it would be a lot less than right now, but she wasn't very convincing.

 

[cubigbird]

It’s hard to predict. Historically June to August is sargassum season and it can be bad but they try to occasionally groom the beach. There are other beaches you can visit with limited to no sargassum like Isla Mujeres or go scuba or snorkel Cozumel. Make the trip and enjoy Lagunamar. There’s so much more than the beach.

 

[Henry M.]

I actually wanted to go for a couple of weeks. The beach would be a major part of the reason for going. I've been there before, but it has been a long time. I do enjoy some of the activities besides the beach, but we're not pool people and walking around in the heat of July is not pleasant.

My friend's pictures of the situation in Playa del Carmen are pretty bad. The web cams also show quite a bit of sargassum floating in the water right now. I think I'll just wait to go outside the seaweed season, maybe next year. This fall we're already booked for Maui.

 

[cubigbird]

The ocean at Lagunamar is rough with a strong rip current. You’ll need to be a good swimmer to enter and I wouldn’t enter if you don’t understand the rip current machine. That said, there are occasionally yellow flag days for some great swimming and the beach is very soft on the feet.

 

[Henry M.]

Yes. It is a nice beach. We also like just walking up and down the area.

 

[davidvel]

The ocean at Lagunamar is rough with a strong rip current. You’ll need to be a good swimmer to enter and I wouldn’t enter if you don’t understand the rip current machine. That said, there are occasionally yellow flag days for some great swimming and the beach is very soft on the feet.

Any swimmer, and especially those not comfortable with the ocean, should wear fins. My son (who is an ocean lifeguard) and I rescued many swimmers along with the local guard at Waiohai one trip. You cannot fight a rip without fins, but can easily swim out and around with them. If not on a surfboard, even my son wears fins if there are any rips.

 

[JohnnyO]

Mexico races to clear record seaweed surge from Caribbean beaches

Mexico races to clear record seaweed surge from Caribbean beaches — Reuters

Mexico is scrambling to contain a record surge of foul-smelling sargassum along its Caribbean coast, as the brown seaweed swamps beaches in the heart of the country's tourism belt.

apple.news

 

[Henry M.]

Does the sargassum have a season? Are the beaches cleaner, say November-February?

 

[sponger76]

Does the sargassum have a season? Are the beaches cleaner, say November-February?

It's can start in the spring and last into the fall but tends to be more prevalent in the summer.

 

[cubigbird]

I was just at Lagunamar and the sargassum was bad. View from building 1.

View attachment IMG_2733.jpeg

 

[andre10056]

I was just at Lagunamar and the sargassum was bad. View from building 1.

View attachment 128428

That's not bad at all. That looks great in comparison to the southeast coast of Florida:

3.4K views · 24 reactions | POMPANO BEACH August 11th 2026 | Jean-Francois Desharnais

POMPANO BEACH August 11th 2026

www.facebook.com

I know that Mexico is paying billions to have Sargassum snatching ships scoop up massive quantities of the stuff. And having its scientists try to develop things to do with it like biofuels.

And they're putting in all that effort because people are bypassing the Atlantic coast and choosing the Pacific coast. And they don't want their Atlantic coast to die off as a tourist area.

So until they get a 100% effective overall solution, I too would hit the Pacific beaches.

Of course, the big current concern about Sargassum is that the inundation has become so massive that now seed stock is developing such that Sargassum will not have to migrate across the Atlantic from west Africa until it reached our hemisphere. Instead, we will have our own home grown Sargassum. Something else to look forward to.

 

[Henry M.]

I will probably head to Cancun on Friday. Seems like the sargassum situation varies quite a bit from day to day.

Looks like an Uber Black is comparable in price to USA Transfers that we used many years ago, and is probably a nicer vehicle for just two people with little luggage. Any other good options to get from the airport to Lagunamar?

 

[dioxide45]

I will probably head to Cancun on Friday. Seems like the sargassum situation varies quite a bit from day to day.

Looks like an Uber Black is comparable in price to USA Transfers that we used many years ago, and is probably a nicer vehicle for just two people with little luggage. Any other good options to get from the airport to Lagunamar?

I've found USA Transfers vans to be getting pretty old and worn out. Though the last van of theirs we were in was large and new. The One, the service sanctioned by the resort, seems to have newish Suburbans.

 

[Henry M.]

The resort service is about $75. USA Transfers is $50 and an Uber Black just under that. A regular Uber is $20 or so.

 

[byeloe]

The resort service is about $75. USA Transfers is $50 and an Uber Black just under that. A regular Uber is $20 or so.

I didn't think that Uber could pickup at the airport?

 

[Henry M.]

That situation has been resolved, and Uber does pick up at the airport. You can even select a taxi in the Uber app. I just talked to the resort today and they confirmed Uber is a good option.

 

[cubigbird]

The resort service is about $75. USA Transfers is $50 and an Uber Black just under that. A regular Uber is $20 or so.

USA Transfers is now $90 roundtrip. We were just there and that was the roundtrip cost. There may be better options but we have found USA Transfers to be easy and very reliable, especially on departure. We have found that if you select a taxi in the Uber app it takes a lot longer to be matched with a driver as the price quoted is often MUCH cheaper than a normal Uber or taxi outside of the Uber app. I suspect this is part of the dispute resolution so the taxis show up the cheapest and get first dibs. However, many taxi drivers may not want to work for less than the standard taxi rates so you don't get matched as quickly.

 

[Henry M.]

Yes. The prices I quoted were one way. I think /I will just use Uber Black. Those are usually nice cars and nice drivers. Not always the case with basic Uber rides.

 

[Henry M.]

In terms of the transportation, I just got an email from the concierge. Round trip CUN-Lagunamar is $100, more competitive than the $75 each way quoted on the Marriott hotel site. I also priced Uber Black again, and at this time of the day it would be $78.40 one way. Perhaps it was a very light use time when I last checked.

I think I'll use the hotel service reserved through the concierge. The van pictures look a little nicer than USA Transfers and there's only a $10 difference for the round trip. IF anyone has any experience with THE ONE, let me know.

 

[cubigbird]

The One is no better or worse than USA Transfers. The difference is cost and van. Van preference is of course a personal choice. We use USA Transfers since they are cheaper and just as reliable. The cost savings buys a margarita!

 

[sponger76]

In terms of the transportation, I just got an email from the concierge. Round trip CUN-Lagunamar is $100, more competitive than the $75 each way quoted on the Marriott hotel site. I also priced Uber Black again, and at this time of the day it would be $78.40 one way. Perhaps it was a very light use time when I last checked.

I think I'll use the hotel service reserved through the concierge. The van pictures look a little nicer than USA Transfers and there's only a $10 difference for the round trip. IF anyone has any experience with THE ONE, let me know.

I've used The One via Lagunamar's concierge. It was nothing spectacular but perfectly fine, no issues.

 

[Henry M.]

I ended up using g THE ONE, the service used by the hotel. I paid $50 to go tot he hotel and it will be $45 for the return trip that I still need to schedule. If you make a good connection with an Uber driver, they will probably do it for less if you can fit the luggage in their car. You'd have to make a deal outside of using the Uber app.

 

[Henry M.]

On the original topic, sargassum is not too bad, but it is still here. There are stretches of beach without any, followed by stretches with quite a bit, but it is clearing as the days go by. The further north you go from the resort, the less there is. We've been able to swim in the ocean and enjoy it. The beaches proper are beautiful and mostly clean.

Lagunamar is in good shape and well kept. We hadn't been here in a very long time and really like the resort. It is quicker for us to get here than to either US coast since we have direct flights from Austin that only take a little over 2 hours.

We've met several nice people going to a mixology event/bar that they set up next to the elite check-in area, where they stage people going to timeshare presentations in the morning and then use as a meeting place for the event in the evening. We just noticed the bartender setting up when we were walking to our room Victor is a sommelier and has had other training for various kinds of drinks. He came up with the drinks he serves and can also craft you something special. They are not your typical bar drinks, and it is not a typical bar scene. We've stopped by a couple of times and it has been fun and interesting. Drinks are 30% off between 8 and 9 pm, though the bar is set up between 6 and midnight.

 

[dioxide45]

We've met several nice people going to a mixology event/bar that they set up next to the elite check-in area, where they stage people going to timeshare presentations in the morning and then use as a meeting place for the event in the evening. We just noticed the bartender setting up when we were walking to our room Victor is a sommelier and has had other training for various kinds of drinks. He came up with the drinks he serves and can also craft you something special. They are not your typical bar drinks, and it is not a typical bar scene. We've stopped by a couple of times and it has been fun and interesting. Drinks are 30% off between 8 and 9 pm, though the bar is set up between 6 and midnight.

I was wondering if that temporary bar setup would last very long. They were doing that when we were there back in April, though no mixology event. I never saw more than one or two people in there when it was open. Perhaps they started the mixology event to try and bring more people in?

 

[Henry M.]

There have been several people there most evenings, though it is not crowded. Maybe a dozen or thereabouts.

I spoke too soon about the sargassum. More came in to some areas today. It isn't really a huge problem and comes and goes. Today the part that was clear for a few days, north of Lagunamar, has more. The front of Lagunamar has less than in prior days.