Westin Resort & Spa, Cancun, Mexico [Master Thread]
#467
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: PHX and LIH
Programs: AA: 2 MM
Posts: 85,392
#469
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: TUL
Programs: AA EXP 2MM; Marriott Titanium; Hilton Diamond; Hyatt Explorist; Vistana 5* Elite; Nat'l Exec Elite
Posts: 6,177
There are a lot of choices. We've used this one several times and are very happy with them. Clean, efficient, friendly, nice cars/vans, no surprises. USA Transfers OFFICIAL Tours and Airport Transfers in Cancun & Riviera Maya
#470
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: PHX and LIH
Programs: AA: 2 MM
Posts: 85,392
#472
Join Date: Oct 2017
Posts: 90
There are a lot of choices. We've used this one several times and are very happy with them. Clean, efficient, friendly, nice cars/vans, no surprises. USA Transfers OFFICIAL Tours and Airport Transfers in Cancun & Riviera Maya
#473
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: PHX and LIH
Programs: AA: 2 MM
Posts: 85,392
I would think it would cost more than it's worth, if they even do short trips like that, but I honestly have no idea.
#474
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: NYC
Programs: DL Platinum, AA Plat Pro, Bonvoy Lifetime Platinum, JetBlue Mosaic 3, Amtrak Select
Posts: 964
Just use the hotel cab. Pay in pesos. Super easy. Ive done it when transferring to Hyatt Ziva
#475
Join Date: Oct 2017
Posts: 90
#476
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 12
Royal Beach Club upgrade
I did this last year, and just tried to book something and get it, and it wasn't available. Is this available anymore with the current renovations going on or did the reservation not know what they were talking about.
#477
Join Date: Oct 2017
Posts: 90
I stayed at the Westin Cancun Resort and Spa for 3 nights last week with my fianc as part of a 6-night stay in combination with the Hyatt Zilara. We got a lagoon-facing RBC room on the 4th floor, which was booked with points (8,500/night).
Check-in: We arrived at ~2:00pm and hoped to check-in early (on a Saturday). It was kind of funny because they (almost slyly) went through the whole check-in process before telling us that our room would not be ready until standard check-in time at 4:00pm. No big deal... we were hungry so we went down to the sports bar and grabbed a seat outside, in the shade to have lunch and a drink. By the time we ate and finished our drinks it was about 3:00, so we stopped by the front desk, and at this time our room was ready. Since we were in the main lobby, they brought us to the RBC with a golf cart. You can also ask them to call a golf cart, but the walk from main lobby to RBC lobby is less than 5 minutes through the buildings, so we mostly walked.
RBC Lagoon Room: The room was spacious and the bed was comfortable. Everything was relatively updated. Nothing to write home about but nice enough for us. The bathroom was nice and clean. The balcony is a must (all RBC rooms have a balcony), and the lagoon side made for some nice sunset views.
Food: We went to the resort sports bar for lunch twice, due to convenience. The food was decent, albeit a bit pricey (~$55 for two chicken Caesar wraps with fries and a drink each), but about what you would expect at a beach resort.
We went to Navios (a 5 minute walk down the road) and I highly recommend it. The food was good, the prices were reasonable ($65 for two dinners, an appetizer, and drinks), and the setting was romantic – on a dock over the water at sunset.
We ate one dinner at Sea and Stones on the resort. We thought it was just ok. Not bad, but not anything special. Probably would’ve tried somewhere new off-resort if given the chance.
The third day we spent on an excursion that was at Xel-Ha, which was all-inclusive, so we didn’t eat any more meals at/around the Westin.
RBC Breakfast: They called it a “continental breakfast” when we checked in and I got nervous. I was pleasantly surprised and I thought they had a fantastic spread with lots of variety – both hot and cold options. Pretty much everything you could want for breakfast aside from an omelet station.
RBC Cocktail Hour: They served hors d'oeuvres on a pre-prepared plate and it changed daily. A few were decent but most were pretty “meh”. It seemed like they were trying to rush you out after you got your plate and a drink… but once we made it clear that we were going to hang out, they brought more drinks. They didn’t really have a bar… orders went through the wait staff and they went to the back and came back with a drink. Kind-of a weird setup but we got a little food and some free drinks nonetheless. This ran from 4-6pm.
Beach: It may depend on what you’re into but I think we did this right. We brought a bottle of vodka from duty-free and got mixers (and water bottles) for cheap from the Circle K down the street from the resort. After breakfast, we would make drinks up in the room in big thermal tumblers and bring them down to the beach for the day. Grabbed a cabana, did some reading through the morning while sipping on a drink, hopped in and out of the ocean every once in a while to cool off. After grabbing lunch at the sports bar, went up to the room and made another drink for the afternoon.
The beach itself is big, nice, clean, and not overcrowded. We didn’t have any issues finding a cabana. Also, not a lot of kids, which was surprising considering a lot of schools were on spring break. They provided towel cards when we checked in, but we never had to use them… they just had a pile of them by the RBC pool with nobody taking cards.
Pool: The main pool seemed nicer than the RBC pool, although a few more kids in there than on the beach it seemed. We considered spending some time by the pool but ultimately decided that our setup on the beach was pretty nice so we stuck with that. Overall we thought the pools were pretty “meh” and the beach was pretty nice.
Summary: I think we had the right mindset going into our stay. This place is perfect if you’re looking to relax on the beach for a few days and maybe do some mild exploration. The RBC upgrade (6000 points > 8500 points) was 100% worth it for the breakfast and balcony, plus some afternoon drinks. It obviously doesn’t compare to the Zilara, and it isn’t the best place I’ve ever been, but if I find myself with 34k SPG and wanting to go somewhere warm for 5 nights, I’d go back. The value is great and personally I’ll never be in a bad mood sitting on a beach with a book in one hand and a drink in the other. While I wouldn’t consider it luxury, overall it was a very good stay.
Check-in: We arrived at ~2:00pm and hoped to check-in early (on a Saturday). It was kind of funny because they (almost slyly) went through the whole check-in process before telling us that our room would not be ready until standard check-in time at 4:00pm. No big deal... we were hungry so we went down to the sports bar and grabbed a seat outside, in the shade to have lunch and a drink. By the time we ate and finished our drinks it was about 3:00, so we stopped by the front desk, and at this time our room was ready. Since we were in the main lobby, they brought us to the RBC with a golf cart. You can also ask them to call a golf cart, but the walk from main lobby to RBC lobby is less than 5 minutes through the buildings, so we mostly walked.
RBC Lagoon Room: The room was spacious and the bed was comfortable. Everything was relatively updated. Nothing to write home about but nice enough for us. The bathroom was nice and clean. The balcony is a must (all RBC rooms have a balcony), and the lagoon side made for some nice sunset views.
Food: We went to the resort sports bar for lunch twice, due to convenience. The food was decent, albeit a bit pricey (~$55 for two chicken Caesar wraps with fries and a drink each), but about what you would expect at a beach resort.
We went to Navios (a 5 minute walk down the road) and I highly recommend it. The food was good, the prices were reasonable ($65 for two dinners, an appetizer, and drinks), and the setting was romantic – on a dock over the water at sunset.
We ate one dinner at Sea and Stones on the resort. We thought it was just ok. Not bad, but not anything special. Probably would’ve tried somewhere new off-resort if given the chance.
The third day we spent on an excursion that was at Xel-Ha, which was all-inclusive, so we didn’t eat any more meals at/around the Westin.
RBC Breakfast: They called it a “continental breakfast” when we checked in and I got nervous. I was pleasantly surprised and I thought they had a fantastic spread with lots of variety – both hot and cold options. Pretty much everything you could want for breakfast aside from an omelet station.
RBC Cocktail Hour: They served hors d'oeuvres on a pre-prepared plate and it changed daily. A few were decent but most were pretty “meh”. It seemed like they were trying to rush you out after you got your plate and a drink… but once we made it clear that we were going to hang out, they brought more drinks. They didn’t really have a bar… orders went through the wait staff and they went to the back and came back with a drink. Kind-of a weird setup but we got a little food and some free drinks nonetheless. This ran from 4-6pm.
Beach: It may depend on what you’re into but I think we did this right. We brought a bottle of vodka from duty-free and got mixers (and water bottles) for cheap from the Circle K down the street from the resort. After breakfast, we would make drinks up in the room in big thermal tumblers and bring them down to the beach for the day. Grabbed a cabana, did some reading through the morning while sipping on a drink, hopped in and out of the ocean every once in a while to cool off. After grabbing lunch at the sports bar, went up to the room and made another drink for the afternoon.
The beach itself is big, nice, clean, and not overcrowded. We didn’t have any issues finding a cabana. Also, not a lot of kids, which was surprising considering a lot of schools were on spring break. They provided towel cards when we checked in, but we never had to use them… they just had a pile of them by the RBC pool with nobody taking cards.
Pool: The main pool seemed nicer than the RBC pool, although a few more kids in there than on the beach it seemed. We considered spending some time by the pool but ultimately decided that our setup on the beach was pretty nice so we stuck with that. Overall we thought the pools were pretty “meh” and the beach was pretty nice.
Summary: I think we had the right mindset going into our stay. This place is perfect if you’re looking to relax on the beach for a few days and maybe do some mild exploration. The RBC upgrade (6000 points > 8500 points) was 100% worth it for the breakfast and balcony, plus some afternoon drinks. It obviously doesn’t compare to the Zilara, and it isn’t the best place I’ve ever been, but if I find myself with 34k SPG and wanting to go somewhere warm for 5 nights, I’d go back. The value is great and personally I’ll never be in a bad mood sitting on a beach with a book in one hand and a drink in the other. While I wouldn’t consider it luxury, overall it was a very good stay.
#478
Join Date: Feb 2016
Programs: DL DM, SPG Plat 100/LT Gold, Marriott Plat, National Executive Elite
Posts: 2,988
Just completed another stay here and I was disappointed at times.
Generally, you still get the resort vibe and the staff that really make the place run - porters, concierges, lounge staff, bellman, etc. - are still great.
The management has gotten extra stingy though. E.g. they had an amenity setup to be delivered, but then didnt claiming my room upgrade and subsequent change made it so they didn't have time to deliver the amenity to the new room. This is nonsensical. On top of that, they were passing out a note to each guest at check in stating there would be construction from 9a-8p daily.
Except they started the construction at 8a daily. I notified Service Express the first day and it continued, so I escalated it so someone would correct the document or correct the contractors!
The current construction is much worse than the website indicates. The website says they are renovating the lagoon side terrace; yes, there is work on that side plus the ccean side of the main building. Specifically, they cut down all the palm trees lining the triangle pools then used an awful jackhammer connected to a tractor-like vehicle to drill up the pools. Hence my annoyance with them starting early, as the noise was awful.
RBC rooms should be much more insulated from this. However they removed the dolphin structure from in front of the RBC and now it just says "westin CLUB" (this is the capitalization or lack thereof the hotel used)
Parking is still free and secure either in the garage or on the driveway to the RBC. Construction is moving super slow. When I asked a vacation club salesman when it was supposed to wrap, or what they were replacing the triangle pools with, the answer was "we don't know yet."
They have installed a Flowrider - a simulated wave surfing machine. I didn't partake but watched a couple try it...you can get a free hour of use of it with an instructor as part of the timeshare sell, as they advertise this in the elevators now.
Generally, you still get the resort vibe and the staff that really make the place run - porters, concierges, lounge staff, bellman, etc. - are still great.
The management has gotten extra stingy though. E.g. they had an amenity setup to be delivered, but then didnt claiming my room upgrade and subsequent change made it so they didn't have time to deliver the amenity to the new room. This is nonsensical. On top of that, they were passing out a note to each guest at check in stating there would be construction from 9a-8p daily.
Except they started the construction at 8a daily. I notified Service Express the first day and it continued, so I escalated it so someone would correct the document or correct the contractors!
The current construction is much worse than the website indicates. The website says they are renovating the lagoon side terrace; yes, there is work on that side plus the ccean side of the main building. Specifically, they cut down all the palm trees lining the triangle pools then used an awful jackhammer connected to a tractor-like vehicle to drill up the pools. Hence my annoyance with them starting early, as the noise was awful.
RBC rooms should be much more insulated from this. However they removed the dolphin structure from in front of the RBC and now it just says "westin CLUB" (this is the capitalization or lack thereof the hotel used)
Parking is still free and secure either in the garage or on the driveway to the RBC. Construction is moving super slow. When I asked a vacation club salesman when it was supposed to wrap, or what they were replacing the triangle pools with, the answer was "we don't know yet."
They have installed a Flowrider - a simulated wave surfing machine. I didn't partake but watched a couple try it...you can get a free hour of use of it with an instructor as part of the timeshare sell, as they advertise this in the elevators now.
#479
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: GVA
Programs: BA Silver (OW Sapphire), A3 Gold (*G), Bonvoy LTTE, HHonors Diamond, LeClubAccor Silver, UA Silver
Posts: 1,765
Does that mean they are now holding timeshare presentations at this property? Would be awesome not to have to travel to the Lagunamar for the 10k points.
#480
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: DFW
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Titanium, HH Gold, AA Lifetime Gold, United Silver, BA Gold
Posts: 864
I called the SPG Concierge to book the RBC Room with Points and the response I got was such a thing does not exist. The Agent sent an email to the Concierge at this Westin and she replied back saying the same thing (that I cannot book the RBC room on points and that I can pay for the same at 50% discount to upgrade if I wished).
But, she did say that I will always be eligible to use the RBC facilities (Breakfast and Cocktail hours) for 2 Adults even when I have NOT booked the RBC Room.
We are a family of 4 people (2 Adults + 2 Kids) and so I am not sure how that works. I have asked her whether the kids will be allowed for Breakfast?
Should I still try to get another agent to book the RBC Room for 8500 Points per night considering I already have been confirmed access to the same. Are there any other benefits that you can thin of with the RBC Rooms (apart from Breakfast and Cocktails in the evening)?
But, she did say that I will always be eligible to use the RBC facilities (Breakfast and Cocktail hours) for 2 Adults even when I have NOT booked the RBC Room.
We are a family of 4 people (2 Adults + 2 Kids) and so I am not sure how that works. I have asked her whether the kids will be allowed for Breakfast?
Should I still try to get another agent to book the RBC Room for 8500 Points per night considering I already have been confirmed access to the same. Are there any other benefits that you can thin of with the RBC Rooms (apart from Breakfast and Cocktails in the evening)?