Lagunamar - Do you need a rental car to get around?

[Pedro]

I have a question for those tuggers that have been to Lagunamar (Cancun). Do you recommend getting a rental car to get around? Or is there enough to do within walking distance of the resort, and are there any grocery stores and restaurants nearby?
I'm trying to decide if it is worth getting a rental car for the week or maybe just renting one for a day or two if we want to tour around Cancun.

 

[Blue Skies]

You will not need a rental car to get around Cancun. They have a great public bus system that will take you anywhere for 6.5 pesos per person (around 50 cents). Some of the bus drivers can be a little reckless, so be prepared for a potential wild ride.

If you want to venture outside of the city of Cancun to see some Mayan ruins (like Tulum) or to a park like Xel-Ha you could rent a car for a day. Also, every resort has tons of package deals for every excursion imaginable in which they provide transportation so no rental car is needed.

 

[calgarygary]

You will not need a rental car to get around Cancun. They have a great public bus system that will take you anywhere for 6.5 pesos per person (around 50 cents). Some of the bus drivers can be a little reckless, so be prepared for a potential wild ride.

If you want to venture outside of the city of Cancun to see some Mayan ruins (like Tulum) or to a park like Xel-Ha you could rent a car for a day. Also, every resort has tons of package deals for every excursion imaginable in which they provide transportation so no rental car is needed.

Just a suggestion when using the buses, try not to be either the first or last passenger as the bus is often moving with the door open! We took a bus from the Pyramides (resort beside Lagunamar) to the end of its route and that was an adventure through town.

 

[markr]

I strongly recommend avoiding a rental car. Taxi to/from the airport is about $35 US. I would try and pre-arrange your shuttle to the resort. In the off chance you want to rent a car at the resort, there is a Dollar (? pretty sure) rep right at the concierges desk and several more (Avis...) right across the street at La Isla mall. We ended up taking an excursion to Xcaret that we arranged with the concierge and a bus picked us up right from the lobby. We also took the public bus to Puerto Juarez (6.5 Pesos) and a ferry out to Isla Mujeres (35 pesos) that a round trip $7US per person from the resort to the Island and back! Much better deal than taking the ferry from the hotel zone which is quite a bit more. Just be sure you get on the right bus!!!

 

[golf261]

We are currently at Lagunamar; did not rent a car and have not needed one. Have used the buses without difficulty and booked a tour to Chichen Itza through the concierge. We are not big fans of tour groups, but really enjoyed this one. Price included pastry and drinks in the AM, very nice lunch at a "village" near the ruins, and drinks on the way home.

BTW, the pool water is still cold! I was told at the Owner's update that heaters will be installed.

 

[Pedro]

Thanks to all for the replies. We will not rent a car except maybe for a day if we need it.

What about grocery stores? Are there any nearby?

 

[clsmit]

What I'm hearing from the others here who have been there is take the bus to the WalMart Supercenter and a taxi home. How do I know what bus to take? That will be the fun part, I think.

 

[calgarygary]

Thanks to all for the replies. We will not rent a car except maybe for a day if we need it.

What about grocery stores? Are there any nearby?

There are a couple of shops for some staples across the street in the mall but not a grocery store. You are best taking a bus to the walmart and a cab back.

 

[mitchandjeanette]

My/Our 2 cents on Lagunamar

Sorry to copy and paste some of my private messages and other posts, but I thought I would consolidate some of our Cancun experiences re: rental car and other ideas.... the exchange rate is better now than when we went....



We did not rent a car. It was our first visit to Mexico and since it was just my wife and I we got around just fine in Cancun. We are thinking if/when we go again it would be nice to have a car to head to Playa Del Rey or Tulum for the day w/out doing a "tour". If you are planning on just staying in Cancun, their bus system works well. If you do rent a car we would love to hear how it worked for you.

mitch


Another Cancun idea

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While in Cancun we visited Market 28, not far from Walmart. It is a huge Mexican flea market. (Most of the same stuff you see other places, but definitely cheaper) We talked about bringing the kids next time, giving them each 500 pesos (about $50 USD) and seeing how much fun they would have bartering. May not be "up your alley" but we figured it could be quite an experience for the kids - not to mention entertaining for us!

and

I think the Lagunamar is just as good as anyone else when it comes to booking an excursion/tour. I/we would recommend going to Chichen Itza. We did it along with a swim in a Cenote and it was amazing.

We did not go to Xcaret, but we were told when we come back w/ our kids we have to go to there. We have friends who have been there and they loved it. Also we went to Isla Mujres and saw people at Garrafon doing the zip line and it looked like a blast. We also heard the best snorkeling is there as well. Oh yeah, to spend more of your money you can swim with the dolphins there too.

We got there and went to Walmart and had "fun" shopping there for water and breakfast stuff. We didn't do the "party zone" but did have a fun time and good food at Carlos and Charlie's and would recommend eating there.

We also had a great time using pesos instead of USD. There is an ATM at WLR and when we were there we could get $2000.00 Pesos for apx $150.00 out of our account. The "street venders" exchanged $1.00 USD for $10.00 Pesos, so we made out well there..

Hope that is useful for someone...

mitch

 

[golf261]

Thanks to all for the replies. We will not rent a car except maybe for a day if we need it.

What about grocery stores? Are there any nearby?

We got information from the concierge on which bus to take to Walmart, and were told what to expect in the way of taxi fare for the trip back. The cab driver quoted me the fare ($15.00 USD) I was told at the resort, so in we jumped!

 

[aytug]

You definitely won't need a car. The public buses are cheap, reliable and safe. In the hotel zone the buses come and go every minute. It is very easy to get to downtown - take bus R-2 to Walmart, only takes 15 minutes. Good entertainment on the buses too -- we once had a great singer, his performance was so remarkable that everyone on the bus tipped him when he finished singing. You don't see that on US buses . It was irritating at times to see people begging on buses, but I found this was a great way to really see how ordinary people live there.

One thing to remember: take your seat on the bus right away, buses get to 60 mph in 2 seconds whether you are sitting or not. After I have seen how they drive there I am never going to rent a car in Mexico. Normal traffic rules do not apply, simply too dangerous.

 

[Ken555]

What I'm hearing from the others here who have been there is take the bus to the WalMart Supercenter and a taxi home. How do I know what bus to take? That will be the fun part, I think.

Take the bus that says "WALMART" on the front.

I'm not joking. We could barely contain our laughter when we saw that, after wondering which bus to take ourselves.

The return was about 120 pesos plus tip via cab, I think.

 

[Westin5Star]

The conciege can give you a schedule of buses as well. They can tell you which buses goto Walmart. The buses are all very clearly marked with a number on the front.

 

[clsmit]

Gracias por todo!