Grocery shopping near Westin Lagunamar...

[sungandjudy]

Hello,

This question is for those who's been to Westin Lagunamar.
We are going there this March for a week, with 3 young children.:whoopie:
I remember reading some thread that you don't necessarily have to goto Walmart for grocery shopping when you are at Lagunamar because there is a grocery store walking distance. Is this true or do you still recommend that we travel to Walmart or other large supermarket?
Thanks for you inputs.

Peter

 

[siesta]

Depends on how much cooking your planning on doing. There is a strip mall across from the resort that has items for the room.

 

[sungandjudy]

We are planning to stay inside for at least 4-5 days our of 7.
My wife prefers this over going out since my kids have eczema problem and some of the fast foods tends to make it worse.
We are basically looking for vegetables, water, meats, etc. Those the strip mall carry these things?

 

[malyons]

There is no large supermarket, but you do have a few options. If you turn left out of the resort you can walk to 2 options. There is an Oxxo convenience store that you can get some basics at, milk, bread, eggs, drinks, all your normal convenience store kind of stuff you'd expect in the US. Nothing of high quality and you certainly won't find meat to grill or cook dinner with for example, but you may find hot dogs or pre-packaged deli meat if memory serves....

There is also a liquor store between the resort and Oxxo called La Europa. It's a great place to buy wine and liquor, but it also has some snacks and a deli that sells some gourmet cheeses and things of that nature. Don't expect much as it is a liquor store, but it may have something you're looking for.

there are also a couple of pharmacy's in the mall that will sell some items, but the places I mentioned had more to choose from and better prices in our experience.

we went with our 2 kids ages 1 and 4, and never went to walmart. we did it through a combination of items brought from home (peanut butter, jelly, mac n cheese, oatmeal, fruit snacks, etc) and things we could get from Oxxo (bread, eggs, etc). Of course we really just ate breakfast in, sometimes made the kids a peanut butter sandwich or mac n cheese for lunch, and my wife and I generally ate at the pool for our lunch. We did go out to dinner every night so did it a little different than it sounds like you want to.

Either way, you will love the resort, we're already counting down the days til our next trip there in August!

 

[malyons]

oh, and your best bet for produce will be from the resort's grocery. it won't be as good of quality as you'd find at a supermarket (in our experience it always seemed to be showing it's 'age') and it will be overpriced, but it is there and available.

if you do go to walmart, i believe you can take the bus (cheaper option) into town and walk to walmart, and then cab it back with grocerys to save a few bucks. this vs the $25 or so each way the cab would cost

and for the kids, ask the activity center if they're doing a turtle release, it happens at dusk (no sun!) and is pretty cool. Smores on the beach another fun evening activity on site

finally, go to the starwood forum, you'll find a lot more info there

 

[sungandjudy]

oh, and your best bet for produce will be from the resort's grocery. it won't be as good of quality as you'd find at a supermarket (in our experience it always seemed to be showing it's 'age') and it will be overpriced, but it is there and available.

if you do go to walmart, i believe you can take the bus (cheaper option) into town and walk to walmart, and then cab it back with grocerys to save a few bucks. this vs the $25 or so each way the cab would cost

and for the kids, ask the activity center if they're doing a turtle release, it happens at dusk (no sun!) and is pretty cool. Smores on the beach another fun evening activity on site

finally, go to the starwood forum, you'll find a lot more info there

Thank you for your help.
I will have to show this to my wife and see what she wants to do. I was thinking that if there isn't any good options close to resort, I may have to stop by walmart from airport to resort. I believe you just pay few more $$ and they will wait for you while you shop.

Peter

 

[K&PFitz]

I thought the items at the WLR store were way overpriced (as at all Starwood resorts), and OXXO is just a convenience store. We bit the bullet and took the bus to Walmart. We told the driver where we were going, and he told us when to get off. You have to walk a block to get to Walmart, but when you come out, the bus picks you up at the store.

There are plenty of people willing to give you directions, including a timeshare rep inside the store. (She was actually nice and helpful and didn't push the timeshares at all.) We actually enjoyed the trip to Walmart. The ladies in the deli kept pushing samples on us, and I nearly made a meal out of it. It helps to know a little Spanish, and be aware that if you order from the deli, you are ordering in kilos, not pounds.

 

[lweverett]

When I was there, there was a deal from the Laguna Mar front desk for $25.00 for a cab to take you to the Walmart, wait for you, and bring you back.

 

[levatino]

There is a rather nice Supermarket called Chedruai in Plaza Las Americas. It is much closer (although certainly not walkable from lagunamar) that the mega, dirty mart.

It has great prices, is much cleaner and less crazy than Walmart. IN addition, you are not giving $$ to that minimum wage, woman biased mega-corporation...

 

[clsmit]

If you haven't checked the Starwood forum there are many threads on grocery shopping from Lagunamar. As others have said, the bus to the WalMart is easy to get at the front of the resort and goes straight to WalMart. There's also a Costco near the WalMart if you prefer. If either you or your spouse speaks a little Spanish that helps you understand what's going on. Other things to remember:

1) The milk is shelf-safe (not cold) in cartons like big juice boxes. So you have to look for it on a shelf and not in the dairy department.
2) Food is in kilos. About half a kilo is about a pound.
3) Tortilla chips are called totopos.
4) Most of the brands you know in the US are in Mexico but with slightly different labels.

Lagunamar also has had a deal where they will get you a taxi to and from a specific grocery store for a fixed price. That might be the best option for your family. You might want to put the kids in the kids club and the 2 of you go to the grocery store, depending on the ages of the kids. If you just want the basics and not a huge produce section that might be the best option for you. The "concierge" (person wanting you to take the timeshare sales pitch) can give you the current plan.

You might also want to pack peanut butter, crackers, or whatever small snacks the kids can eat if you need something in a pinch.

I love Lagunamar! Have a great time!

 

[stuvan]

There is also a.Chedrual closer to the hotel zone. Very nice clean store, although I believe it it owned by the same group that owns Wal Mart. Great produce, fresh meats, lots better prices then any of the mini-marts. Ask at the front door how to get there. (take the R-2 bus from the hotel zone and either cab it back or walk out to the left of the store and catch the R-1 back, the return bus appears to head in the wrong direction but it soom circles back and heads back to the hotel zone). We no longer go to Wal Mart!

Stu

 

[nrkh12]

If you are looking for good quality fruits, vegetables and higher quality meats you will want to shop at the Superama. This store is the most like what we have in the U.S.

You can take the bus to the entrance of downtown and then walk a few blocks or the hotel can arrange a taxi to take you there, wait while you get your groceries and bring you back for about 300 pesos.

 

[sungandjudy]

Thank you everyone for all your help.
I'll try to find each store on the google map to see how close (far) they are.
It also seems that some of you don't like walmart in Cancun. Are there any differences in quality/variety of produce/meets etc. when compared to walmart in US/Canada?
What is the best place for one-stop shopping for the week worth of groceries if we are planning to cook mostly in our kitchen?

Thanks again.

Peter

 

[zentraveler]

It also seems that some of you don't like walmart in Cancun. Are there any differences in quality/variety of produce/meets etc. when compared to walmart in US/Canada.

We had a car, but would have taken a cab to the Costco if we needed to. We spent a couple of hours but got all the food we need for a week. The store in the resort is not very good at all and the one in the mall was not much better. The restaurants in the area seem very expensive and the units are stocked well enough to cook simple things. If you are an owner or coming through Interval you get 20% coupon for restaurant food in the resort (not alcohol and not the market). Prices at the restaurant here are decent and food fine (based on the one dinner we had before we got to Costco).

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 food just like home, down to the lettuce brand. We bought salmon and steak and so far it tastes just like home also. Even the layout is the same! They take credit cards, but discount for cash.

Good wine selection, though almost all red; they don't seem to drink much white here.