Photos from Lagunamar

[markr]

Here are about 80 photos from our recent trip to Westin Lagunamar Resort WLR Dec 13-20, 2008. Includes shots of most everything including our room, the beach, swim up bar, pools, market, lobby, etc. We were on the top (8th) floor of building 4. Enjoy.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrichmond/sets/72157611966159616/

Feel free to move this thread if it's in the wrong spot.

Mark

 

[ciscogizmo1]

WOW.... those are amazing photos. We honeymooned in Cancun over 13 years ago... It sure looks different.

 

[DeniseM]

Thanks for sharing your beautiful pictures! I've never seen lounges built into a pool like that. Great pics!

 

[markr]

Thanks for sharing your beautiful pictures! I've never seen lounges built into a pool like that. Great pics!

Thanks, photography is a more recent passion of mine. Special thanks to my friend for loaning me one of his lenses.

The pool lounges caught my eye as well, but after a quick test run, they aren't for me. Imagine the comfort of lying down on the tile floor of a large shower! There were several people using them with towels as pillow cushioning. It still didn't look very comfortable to me!

 

[amanven]

It appeared to be quite uncrowded there. Is this because the resort is new or because of the time of year?

 

[markr]

It appeared to be quite uncrowded there. Is this because the resort is new or because of the time of year?

There were several factors:

1) I heard only about 100 rooms are completed. That is only a few buildings. I'm very roughly guessing 20-25 percent final build-out. They said they were fully booked for their available rooms.

2) Many of the pictures were taken rather early in the morning before most people were poolside.

3) A lot of pictures were also taken the day we arrived which happened to be a fairly cold, cloudy and windy day. The weather improved throughout the week and there were a quite a few more people out as a result.

4) Some of the shots I took were framed to not include as many people.

5) When the weather was awesome, I was bodysurfing in the ocean!

I suspect when they get a few more buildings completed this place will be hopping, but for now it did seem very quiet. Didn't bother me one bit, we had a great time. We also got great service, the ratio of staff to guests seemed at least 1 to 1! All the amenities we required seemed to be fully operational including the restaurant, poolside bar, market store, business center, fitness center and pool towel stations. There is also a kid's club and mini-golf course as well.

 

[Quimby4]

Tell me more about your bodysurfing in the ocean!!!
Were you right in front of the hotel? Was the water warm? Temp? Sandy, rocky.
The water looked kind of rough.

I honestly really care most about the beaches and swimming, snorkeling etc....I appreciate your feedback!

You pictures of the beach chairs and palapa plus the one of the child playing the sand were stellar. Looks like an advertisement!!
Thanks!

 

[colmo]

Fabulous pictures! Thanks for sharing them with us. I was wondering about snorkeling opportunities, too. I think somebody said it's not good at the beach near the resort.
Any tips?

 

[Cathyb]

Mark: Did you exchange into here -- if so may we know what you used and how long it took to confirm. Thank you

 

[markr]

Tell me more about your bodysurfing in the ocean!!!
Were you right in front of the hotel? Was the water warm? Temp? Sandy, rocky.
The water looked kind of rough.

I honestly really care most about the beaches and swimming, snorkeling etc....I appreciate your feedback!

You pictures of the beach chairs and palapa plus the one of the child playing the sand were stellar. Looks like an advertisement!!
Thanks!

The beach is sectioned off with buoys every 50 feet or so and there are flags to indicate which sections are open and closed. There is a beach entrance with lounges on both the north and south side of the main pool. You can even order drinks from the pool bar while down on the beach (no glass allowed). I don't know about other states, but in Oregon drinking on the beach would be totally illegal if your caught so score one point for Mexico! There was an open section of beach just to the North of the resort about 30 yards or so, within clear sight of the lounges. The water temp with very comfortable for me. It seemed about the same temperature as the lower pool. The sand ranged from very fine to crushed sea shell, but definitely not rocky. In fact I don't recall seeing any rocks along the beach anywhere near the resort. I really enjoyed the beach, it may not be quite as nice as Hawaii but certainly better than where I was in Jamaica. As far a snorkeling goes, you won't be snorkeling anywhere within walking distance of the resort. It's not really our thing so we didn't go searching for the best spots. I do believe there is supposed to be good snorkeling out on Cozumel and possibly Isla Mujeres as well as maybe other southern stretches of the Hotel zone. The water along the resort is certainly too rough for snorkeling but great for maybe a boogie board, which I was wishing I had.

Thanks again for the compliments. I took some other great photos on the trip, but tried to just put photos in that group I thought were relevent to the forum.

 

[markr]

Mark: Did you exchange into here -- if so may we know what you used and how long it took to confirm. Thank you

No we didn't exchange. Actually WLR is our home resort. We've been looking forward to this trip for a very long time. I believe I booked the room in January 08, that was within our 8-12 month window as a Lagunamar owner.

 

[hacker0124]

Excellent

I want to thank you for these great photos. We are traveling to WLR Cancun in 13 days. We will be spending a couple of weeks there. We recently purchased ownership for WLR and this will be our first visit.

 

[Gordo1111]

WOW!!!
Holy!

 

[golf261]

The photos are great! We are leaving for there next Saturday, and am really looking forward to it. This is also our home resort, so am anxious to see what I purchased! Do the rooms have internet access?

 

[pointsjunkie]

the resort looks fabulous. can't wait to go on february. thanks for taking the time to show us the pics.

 

[markr]

The photos are great! We are leaving for there next Saturday, and am really looking forward to it. This is also our home resort, so am anxious to see what I purchased! Do the rooms have internet access?

Yes there is Ethernet in all the rooms as well as WiFi throughout the resort. You just have to enter you last name and room number every time you log in which can get slightly annoying. I didn't think to do a speed test, but speeds seemed to be in the DSL range or quite a bit slower than my Fiber at home.

 

[markr]

Your welcome. I had a hard time finding satisfying pictures before we left so I thought I'd share mine. I think you will all enjoy your stay. My biggest complaint is the shower design, I hope they fix it before I return in 2 or 3 years.

 

[AmyK]

snorkeling

I don't know that many people snorkel in the hotel zone, except at the Westin at the end of the beach - quite a ways away. But if you are in Cancun and like to snorkel, take a morning and go on a tour down to Puerto Morelos. Short ride (20 minutes?) from the hotel zone, and it is fantastic. It is supposed to be the start of the second best coral reef in the world. We completely enjoyed it.

 

[dougp26364]

Here are about 80 photos from our recent trip to Westin Lagunamar Resort WLR Dec 13-20, 2008. Includes shots of most everything including our room, the beach, swim up bar, pools, market, lobby, etc. We were on the top (8th) floor of building 4. Enjoy.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrichmond/sets/72157611966159616/

Feel free to move this thread if it's in the wrong spot.

Mark

That is a great photo album.Even though we don't really have a desire to travel to Mexico, if we could get an exchange into this resort we might have to go sometime.

 

[m61376]

Nice pictures!
Was the kitchen in the photo the main kitchen? I haven't been to a Starwood property, so I was trying to figure out what the kitchens and layouts were like, since I know many lock off into large and small 1 BR's.

 

[Cathyb]

markr: Did you hear about any 'trouble' with drug people there? I read online somewhere that the U.S. was cautioning American travelers from going anywhere in Mexico at this time.

 

[jarta]

m6, ... There is a full kitchen which is u-shaped, in the larger 1-br Lagunamar unit. The smaller 1-br unit (a studio, really) has a kitchenette strung out along one of the walls.

As for Cathyb's question about drug dealers in Mexico. The warning went to college kids on Spring Break who do stupid things in places they shouldn't be at to blow off steam. Twas ever thus.

The way you encounter drug dealers in Mexico is the same way you encounter them in the US. You go looking for drugs. I wouldn't think you have to worry about them if you are not looking for drugs.

I spent a week in Cancun several weeks ago at Lagunamar and didn't see one drug dealer on the premises. ... eom

 

[Cathyb]

jarta: Thanks. What made me nervous was the deaths near Malls in Tijuana when tourists were in the wrong place at the wrong time -- in crossfire with gang members

 

[jarta]

Cathyb, ... Here's a link to the advisory and one that mentions Cancun . Not a word specifically about Cancun in the advisory. But, I assume goofy things can happen anywhere.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_3028.html

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29388281/

As for your statement:

"What made me nervous was the deaths near Malls in Tijuana when tourists were in the wrong place at the wrong time -- in crossfire with gang members"

I can a find link to massive violence, but nothing like tourists being killed:

13 dead, all gang members, in a running gun battle through the streets of Tijuana, not Cancun, last April (strip shopping centers are mentioned): http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=4733558

I can find nothing about any tourist being killed in a crossfire at a Tijuana mall. If you have a link to something like that, could you please post it. I'd like to read it.

Tijuana (and Ciudad Juarez) are far removed from Cancun. I'd be careful, but certainly not fearful when vacationing in Cancun. ... eom

 

[m61376]

I wouldn't be nervous as sensible adults going to Cancun and staying in the resort areas. However, I would be very nervous to allow a college aged student to go with friends on Spring break, which I know many are planning over the next few weeks.

Young adults, especially if bar hopping at night, don't always exercise the best judgment. I think the current climate there should give one pause about Cancun as a Spring Break destination.