azeckel

A couple folks have mentioned the hotel shuttle vs. Taxi to/from the airport. Any perspective on either option with 2 young kids (5 & 2)? I'm thinking the hotel shuttle > Taxi in this case.

dbeach247

Thinking of staying here for New Year's Eve. Will there be fireworks/music, etc?
What can I expect during the day?

How would this property compare to the Ritz Caymans in terms of pool/beach (would expect a lesser service but curious bout rest)?

US1@ORF

I've stayed at both properties and I think the beach at the RC-Caymans is better. We love the Westin Cancun Lagunamar and plan to go back early 2016 to escape the winter weather. Never been there for NYE so can't say if they have fireworks or not. Service at the RC is not comparable to the Westin but we know that going in and just adjust our expectations. Both properties are great but serve difference clientele/expectations.

intheairagain

Have been about 10 times always use USA Transfers check their web site don't think you will be disappointed..

Boraxo

NYE is pretty boring here unless you are going to the big parties at one of the big clubs. Not cheap and not good if you don't drink. I think there are fireworks on the lagoon side (i.e. Opposite of Isla mall - can't see from lagunamar) but pretty lame compared to most places. This is not the place to go for NYE unless you like to spend it in club pumping loud music (or quietly in your room - lagunamar is never loud)

opus2002

Anyone knows how this property compares with the new Hyatt Ziva Cancun?

AdamS

Does anyone know if points will be earned for incidental charges at the resort if staying on this offer?

mattc

So I will be in Cancun this coming May and want to check out the timeshares and potentially buy. A number of you on this thread have mentioned the SVO sends out promotions at various times to its members. i.e. 4 nights for $319, as long as they go through the timeshare presentation, etc.

As it turns out, I have to be referred by a current owner to be receive this offer...if anyone is a current owner and interested can you please PM me?

Cheers

miles_navigator

Our family is heading here in a few weeks for mid-winter escape. It is my 1st time to CUN and thus this property, and MEX in general. We usually do Hawaii and did Aruba Surb Club last winter. I got a 1 bedroom villas using points prior to the devaluation.

I took the airport service offered by the hotel and read it is cheaper to cab it back to airport when leaving.

How much in local Pesos do I need in cash for general casual spending outside the property (groceries, meals, etc). Is credit card readily accepted outside the property or is it mostly cash? If I have any left over Pesos can I apply it to my hotel bill or is that in US$ and thus I will get hit with some lousy conversion?

We are looking to just relax and for the most part, i.e. kids play in the pool/beach. However, any nearby activities that are must with the kids? Spending 12 hours on a bus to go to chichen itza doesn't sound like fun as much as I want to go (perhaps when the kids are much older and can endure that lengthy bus ride). I may go solo as a day trip or go to Tulum.

Any recommendations are much appreciated.

controller1

It's hard to say how many pesos you will need but any retail transactions made in Cancun will need to be either pesos or credit card. Credit cards are readily accepted. When using credit cards outside the resort, some establishments will ask if you want your charge in pesos or USD. Be sure and say pesos. That way, your credit card company will do the conversion and you will not be at risk of the lousy exchange rate the individual business may provide.

If you have left over pesos, yes they can be applied to your hotel bill since the bill will be in pesos.

The resort will exchange USD for MEX pesos at the front desk. Exchange rate wasn't too bad, especially considering the convenience. I believe you are limited to $200/day in exchanges through the front desk.

azeckel

Just returned from a week's stay in a 2BR Villa (which is really just a studio + 1BR)

Someone else in thread suggested USA Transfers. We used them and they were great. $65 round trip for a van for the 6 of us. They emailed with me ahead of time and while we were there. They were 10 mins early picking us up for our return

We got away with zero. Now, with that said - we didn't venture too far and didn't do anything out of walking distance from the resort. DL and SPG Amex have no Fx fees, so we just charged everything on that. My wife tried to get a coffee at the chocolate shop in the mall across the street and they said they didn't take credit - so she went to Starbucks instead. The grocery is a 1/2 mile walk down the street. They take credit. As does the pharmacy across the road and every restaurant we went to.

We didn't deal with the buses on this trip, but they are very easy to navigate. There's only one road/route and they go back and forth constantly. It costs 10.50 pesos to ride (about $0.60). Drivers have some change, but you need to have pesos for that.

There's a small ruin on the property. Not a lot to do there, obviously. There is, however, a national park called El Rey with Mayan ruins down by the public beach. It's about 3 1/2 miles from the resort, but you can take the bus there. More here: http://www.travelandleisure.com/loca...ns-near-cancun

We spent every day at the pools. The main pool area actually has 3 pools. 1 with a waterslide, one with the swimup bar, and a kids pool. The other pool area is also good for little kids b/c the entrance is ramped. The surf at the beach was really strong. I'm not sure if it's always like that at that part of the beach, if it's a winter thing, or if it was just the weather the week we were there. There were red flags up on the beach and we didn't feel comfortable letting our little ones play there with the undertow. Otherwise the beach is clean, lots of chairs. Not many people trying to sell you stuff like in other parts of Cancun.

Across the road on the lagoon there are all kinds of jetski, jetpack, speedboat adventure sorts of activities as well.

The one thing that I wasn't really fond of was the food. There are 2 (3 if you count the main pool bar) restaurants on property. It's fine if you need an easy lunch or even a quick dinner, but I don't think it's good enough for a week. There are some places across the road - Hooters, Chili's, Johnny Rockets...there are also a several "touristy" mexican restaurants on the water. Not bad, not great either. There is a trio of Asian restaurants: Thai, Indian, Sushi. We ate at the Thai place. Great atmosphere, OK food. Didn't really know what to expect for Thai food in Mexico...

15 mins walking north there is a Bubba Gump's and Outback. Again, not great. If you go down toward the Marriotts (maybe 1.5 miles?) there are few nicer places: Fred's, Harry's, Puerto Madero. We ate at Fred's. Again, it was fine, but not amazing. The concierge is mostly useless in this regard. They have a list of restaurants where there is a "discount" or "welcome drink" and that's all that they will tell you about.

We attempted to purchase food at the grocery store to cook for dinner one night. Don't expect the selection of meat/fish/vegetables that you get at home. There are lots of grills throughout the property and you can borrow grill tools from the market on the bottom floor of the hotel. However, not all the grills were working - it was pretty windy as well, which made the process of lighting them more difficult. Also, if you've ever tried to prep meat and veggies with marginally sharp, easily bendable knives ...

buzzlightyear123

We are family of 4 with 2 kids. We have an option to book our 6-night hotel stay at Westin Lagunamar Ocean resort with Free Night Award or Cash & Point Award. Below are the 2 options:

Option 1: 6-night stay with 80K SPG points using Free Reward Nights
Option 2: 6-night stay with 36K SPG points + $790 cash

Can you comment on which of the above 2 options presents best value? Thanks.

Alex_I

Conservative value is $0.02-0.025/ SPG point but there is an uncertainty with the merger. Based on this math, 36K SPG points + $790 cash is a slightly better value. However, I would go with the Option 3 if available:

Option 3: 5-night stay with 64K SPG points (Cat 5, high season, 5th night free) + 1 night with cash+points (Cat 5, 6K+$110)= 70K +$110 cash

miles_navigator

I am here at the property and it is nice.

I would recommend option 1 and use up the points and save the cash towards activities and other parts of your vacation.

I used to be a points saver for decades but with recent devaluation every year or so across programs my take is pay full in points and enjoy it while you can.

With merger with Marriott who knows what will happen to the points needed going forward.

For example in 2010 I stayed at maui villas as cat 4 or maybe 5 on points and it quickly went to 7.

Enjoy westin lagunamar.

Boraxo

The best option is a 1BR unit rather than a studio (your post isn't clear but I suspect you are looking at the latter).

We have stayed here 7 times with our children and I can tell you it will be quite cramped in a studio with a pullout couch. Splurge for the extra space and privacy for the parents not to mention a fullsize kitchen.

BTW, I would take 44k points > $790 cash, but the decision really depends on how many points you have, how many you earn in a year, whether you are cash poor, etc.