Villa del Palmar Cancun....a nice change?

[amanven]

We have been fortunate enough to exchange into the Westin Lagunamar in Cancun twice just before the Covid travel bans put a stop to that. For those who have stayed at Villa del Palmar Cancun, do you think the resort would be favourably comparable with the Westin Lagunamar. Everything about the Westin was great except perhaps the water being a bit rougher than I would have liked but otherwise we had 2 exceptional vacations there. A change of scenery would be nice but not is there are significant differences between the two resorts. Your thoughts!

 

[rboesl]

We own with the Villa Group and have stayed at Villa del Palmar Cancun. We have never stayed at Westin Lagunamar so have no way to do a comparison. I can tell you we enjoyed our stay in Cancun. The resort is very nice and clean. The staff were all very respectful and attentive. The pool has a walk in entrance. We enjoyed their daily activities. And the food at the restaurants on site very good.

The beach is not the largest but is kept clean. When we were there the beach was cleaned of seaweed every day.

Just note the resort is not on the hotel strip. As a result it's quiet in the evening. And, you will need to have transportation to get to local restaurants. But, it is just a little walk to the ferry to Isla Mujeres.

 

[easyrider]

We have been fortunate enough to exchange into the Westin Lagunamar in Cancun twice just before the Covid travel bans put a stop to that. For those who have stayed at Villa del Palmar Cancun, do you think the resort would be favourably comparable with the Westin Lagunamar. Everything about the Westin was great except perhaps the water being a bit rougher than I would have liked but otherwise we had 2 exceptional vacations there. A change of scenery would be nice but not is there are significant differences between the two resorts. Your thoughts!

I have been near the Westin but haven't been here. There are some differences regarding the beaches and activities. VDP is remote and the ocean in front of it is like a lake because it is protected by Isla Mujeres. The beach and ocean is nicer in Cancun than in Playa Mujere, imo.

I like the VDP Cancun because it is remote and has very opulent rooms. The food at this resort is better than most resorts, imo. There is some light entertainment geared more for relaxing than partying. The beach is cleaned and the water is warm with no huge waves. The beach has resort services.

Bill

 

[beach.bar.bob]

We have stayed at both - although it's been a few years now.

VDP Cancun is a nicer facility (as Bill said, more opulent), has more and better food choices on site. The new sister resort the Garza Blanca next door is now complete and I would think, but don't know that the dining options there are also avialable. It wasn't finished when we were there. Beach is quieter, with very nice beach services. But there is seaweed, that is cleared constantly, once you walk into the water the bottom is more rocky than sandy (bring water shoes). During our stay we went to Isla Mujeres two days to use the beach there - really beautiful (on the west/north side?) rather than stay at the resort - easy ferry ride - either the slow car ferry right next door or an easy cab ride to fast ferry just a ways down the beach. VDP Cancun is remote. We did 3 days all-inclusive and 4 days not. If your preference is dining offsite know that it's a meaningful cab ride into town and a really long cab ride into the hotel strip. If you like all-inclusive and staying at the resort for your dining this is a really great option.

The Westin is perfectly nice and very upscale. Just that in comparison the resort is nicer at VDP Cancun. Very nice facilities, very nice/wide beach. I know I have read some information on the sargrass (sp?) issues in the recent past - not sure what the current status is. The ocean can be rougher over here...but totally depends on the weather. It was nice most of the time when we stayed here. No problem swimming most days. For us the biggest difference is the off-site dining options. We almost never do all-inclusive and prefer to explore off-site options. That's really easy here. Resort is in the midst of the hotel strip. Choices up and down the road. Several close enough to walk to, a shopping mall right across the street, many others a short cab ride. Also, while not at all our interest, the various niteclubs are all mostly located in the hotel strip.

Other than visiting Isla Mujeres we didn't do any off campus exploring or tourist activities so I can't comment on the access to those activities.

If a relaxing stay at the resort doing all-inclusive is your thing then I would go with VDP Cancun.
If going out for meals is more your thing then I think the Westin.

FWIW

bbb