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Lagunamar [Merged]

mariawolf

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Delaware
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Harborside
Frenchman’s Cove
So there is availability for the small side in early February and have been to Cancun years ago but not here. thinking of booking for our anniversary but husband has cancer and pretty much just hangs out--we own at Harborside and going in January but just looking to avoid another week of cold weather too!
enough places to eat close by? How are restaurants right at the resort?
Walk anywhere within a few blocks?
 

SandyPGravel

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De Forest, Wisconsin
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Westin St. John Plat+
2 BR-VGV
Westin St. John Plat
2 BR-BV
So there is availability for the small side in early February and have been to Cancun years ago but not here. thinking of booking for our anniversary but husband has cancer and pretty much just hangs out--we own at Harborside and going in January but just looking to avoid another week of cold weather too!
enough places to eat close by? How are restaurants right at the resort?
Walk anywhere within a few blocks?

http://www.laislacancun.mx/content/tiendas#seis

This mall is right across the street. Website lists the restaurants. Click on the USA flag to translate to English if your Spanish is as good as mine. :wave:
 

KevinWells18

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One of our favorite destinations. Mall is directly across the street with plenty to do. One of the reasons that we love this place is because of the many restaurant choices. Can't wait to go again in March! :)
 

RLS50

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I personally have been to either Cancun or the Rivera Maya at least 12 times since 1990. So I am pretty familiar with the options (although they have changed owners and names over the years).

We went to WLR for the first time this past April as new owners. We enjoyed it here so much we bought another week. IMO, while there are many nice resorts in Cancun and Riviera Maya, WLR is the best I have ever stayed at overall.

Again JMO.
 

blondietink

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DVC Saratoga Springs; Sheraton Vistana Villages St. Augustine; Westin Adventuras
Love, love, love Lagunamar! Got back from Harborside last week and all we did while there is compare it to Lagunamar. Just made a reservation for our 3rd visit, this time trying early May. There are lots of restaurants within walking distance and the on-site restaurants are good also.
 

bobpark56

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Westin Lagunamar, Westin Aventuras, Marriott Grande Vista, Sandos Caracol, Festiva, Diamond Resorts (Hawaii Collection)
January weeks let your points go further

So there is availability for the small side in early February and have been to Cancun years ago but not here. thinking of booking for our anniversary but husband has cancer and pretty much just hangs out--we own at Harborside and going in January but just looking to avoid another week of cold weather too!
enough places to eat close by? How are restaurants right at the resort?
Walk anywhere within a few blocks?

If you can move your travel dates back into January, your points will go further. We stay in a 1BR for 13 January nights for 81,000 points.
 

mariawolf

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Frenchman’s Cove
thanks will be in Harborside in January hoping to get some warm weather for him both months
 

Julian926

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Love, love, love Lagunamar! Got back from Harborside last week and all we did while there is compare it to Lagunamar. Just made a reservation for our 3rd visit, this time trying early May. There are lots of restaurants within walking distance and the on-site restaurants are good also.

How is compared to Harborside? We are heading to Harborside and wondered how it compared to Laguanamar. We love Lagunamar.
 

Fredward

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Westin- Lagunamar, Kierland Villas, Marriott- Barony Beach, Aruba Surf Club
One more thing to add to the conversation. The onsite restaurants are good options if you decide you don't feel like going offsite. We especially like the Viento Restaurant (poolside area) for lunch and Duna Sports Bar for light dinner options. Oceano, which is their "fine dining" restaurant is pricier but the meals we've had there were very good- especially the Mexican night buffet. Breakfast buffet there is tremendous if you're up for a big breakfast meal- and then we can totally skip lunch. We generally have breakfast in our villa but if we have a late enough flight coming home, the breakfast buffet will get us through the day. Have fun!
 

dioxide45

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Marriott Harbour Lake
Sheraton Vistana Villages
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One more thing to add to the conversation. The onsite restaurants are good options if you decide you don't feel like going offsite. We especially like the Viento Restaurant (poolside area) for lunch and Duna Sports Bar for light dinner options. Oceano, which is their "fine dining" restaurant is pricier but the meals we've had there were very good- especially the Mexican night buffet. Breakfast buffet there is tremendous if you're up for a big breakfast meal- and then we can totally skip lunch. We generally have breakfast in our villa but if we have a late enough flight coming home, the breakfast buffet will get us through the day. Have fun!

I would agree, while we have never done breakfast at Oceano, the Mexican buffet is very good. It is pricey though. I have heard some negative reviews of the Italian night though. All the other outlets have pretty good food. Good guacamole too. It is Lagunamar where I got hooked on the stuff and still make it a couple times a month at home.
 

blondietink

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How is compared to Harborside? We are heading to Harborside and wondered how it compared to Laguanamar. We love Lagunamar.

We liked Harborside, but it does not have an oven or outdoor grills like Lagunamar does. We had a 3rd floor villa with no view and the balcony is very small. As you know, all the villas at Lagunamar except some lower floors have fabulous views. We cook in the villa a lot and it was difficult with a family of 4 with just a microwave and stove top. The bar service/restaurant service at Lagunamar is fabulous. The waiters are always coming around the pool area especially when it is happy hour, they will take our order in advance so we can have a couple of the happy hour drinks. The pool guys are also fabulous. They will find you a lounge chair (they all have cushions), adjust your towels for you, etc. There was none of that at Harborside. No pool waiters, no lounges with cushions, no pool guys. Just lifeguards. The only lifeguards I ever saw at Lagunamar are at the beach and at the slide. The prices of food/drinks at Harborside is what I would call very expensive. Also everything, and I mean everything food and drink wise at both Harborside and Atlantis has the mandatory 7.5% VAT and 15% gratuity tacked on to it. Adds up quickly.

We will go back to Harborside and adjust our expectations accordingly. However, made a 9 night reservation to go back to Lagunamar yesterday.

The only thing I feel that Harborside has over Lagunamar is the water park at Atlantis. So much to do and so much to choose from. If Lagunamar put in a lazy river, we would be very happy.
 

bobpark56

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Westin Lagunamar, Westin Aventuras, Marriott Grande Vista, Sandos Caracol, Festiva, Diamond Resorts (Hawaii Collection)
Jugo de Limon

We do breakfast at Oceano almost every morning when we are at Lagunamar. We love the breakfast there.

Have you ever given Jugo de Limon in La Isla Mall a try? Watch the dolphins while you eat breakfast? Pay less than at Oceano?
 

Julian926

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We liked Harborside, but it does not have an oven or outdoor grills like Lagunamar does. We had a 3rd floor villa with no view and the balcony is very small. As you know, all the villas at Lagunamar except some lower floors have fabulous views. We cook in the villa a lot and it was difficult with a family of 4 with just a microwave and stove top. The bar service/restaurant service at Lagunamar is fabulous. The waiters are always coming around the pool area especially when it is happy hour, they will take our order in advance so we can have a couple of the happy hour drinks. The pool guys are also fabulous. They will find you a lounge chair (they all have cushions), adjust your towels for you, etc. There was none of that at Harborside. No pool waiters, no lounges with cushions, no pool guys. Just lifeguards. The only lifeguards I ever saw at Lagunamar are at the beach and at the slide. The prices of food/drinks at Harborside is what I would call very expensive. Also everything, and I mean everything food and drink wise at both Harborside and Atlantis has the mandatory 7.5% VAT and 15% gratuity tacked on to it. Adds up quickly.

We will go back to Harborside and adjust our expectations accordingly. However, made a 9 night reservation to go back to Lagunamar yesterday.

The only thing I feel that Harborside has over Lagunamar is the water park at Atlantis. So much to do and so much to choose from. If Lagunamar put in a lazy river, we would be very happy.

Great to know. thanks!
 

blondietink

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Great to know. thanks!

One more thing I forgot to mention. The beds at Harborside are horrible! The hardest mattress I have ever slept on with the worst pillows in the world. I have had better mattresses in budget motels. Certainly not a heavenly Westin bed like at Lagunamar. Hopefully when they are doing the refirb at Harborside they will put in better mattresses and pillows.
 

Tucsonadventurer

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Hyatt Pinon Pointe, Hyatt Beach House, Westin Kierland
We are Hyatt owners here right now on a GetAway and love this place. How does the system work? If we bought a 2 bedroom lockoff is it for a specific week or just points? How many weeks could you get if you just stayed in studios. How easy is it to trade and do they often exercise right of first refusal. Sorry for so many queztions. I am not familiar with Westin s system with the exception of knowing to get a manditory resort
 

dioxide45

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We are Hyatt owners here right now on a GetAway and love this place. How does the system work? If we bought a 2 bedroom lockoff is it for a specific week or just points? How many weeks could you get if you just stayed in studios. How easy is it to trade and do they often exercise right of first refusal. Sorry for so many queztions. I am not familiar with Westin s system with the exception of knowing to get a manditory resort

Vistana doesn't have ROFR on Lagunamar. If you buy from Vistana, with a 2BR lock off, you would get either 81,000 or 148,100 StarOptions for Gold Plus or Platinum Plus season respectively. You could then either reserve your home resort week in the floating season at 12 months, or use StarOptions to reserve 8 months out at any of the resorts in the system.

Obviously, buying direct from Vistana is very expensive. There are much cheaper ways to buy a week at Lagunamar. You can often find them on the resale market for a fraction of the cost. However, if you buy a resale Lagunamar, StarOptions don't transfer and you have to either reserve your home resort week in your season, or trade through II. If you want the StarOptions, there are cheaper ways by purchasing a week at a mandatory property. This being a property where StarOptions do transfer on resale. Read through the stickies at the top of the forum to get a good understanding on how the system works.
 

blondietink

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If you were to buy resale at a mandatory resort 81,000 StarOptions, you would be able to stay in a studio in Gold Plus season(off-season) for about 16 days. You would be able to stay in Platinum Plus season for about 9 days. You would not be able to make a reservation until 8 months or less out if you were to buy at a mandatory resort. Only owners who buy directly from the developer can make a reservation 12 to 8 months out. You do not buy a specific week, you would be buying Options to use either at your mandatory resort where you purchased or at another resort within the system.

We generally travel in off-season when we can get more bang for our Options. Next trip to Lagunamar we have a reservation for a few days within Platinum Plus season and the bulk of our reservation in the Gold Plus season. For a 1 bedroom we are using 89,000 Options for a 9 night stay.

You can also bank or borrow your Options. Right now we are still using our banked options from 2015 for our Lagunamar stay. We also used banked options for our Harborside stay last month.
 

Tucsonadventurer

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Thank you all for the helpful info.It took us awhile to completely understand the Hyatt system so I will keep reading. If we buy resale, do we have a big worry about right of first refusal. Sounds like we would want to buy at a manditory resort. Is it difficult to trade into other places?
 

dioxide45

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Thank you all for the helpful info.It took us awhile to completely understand the Hyatt system so I will keep reading. If we buy resale, do we have a big worry about right of first refusal. Sounds like we would want to buy at a manditory resort. Is it difficult to trade into other places?

Vistana only has ROFR at a couple of their properties. So ROFR isn't really a factor.
 
Last edited:

bobpark56

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16 = 13

If you were to buy resale at a mandatory resort 81,000 StarOptions, you would be able to stay in a studio in Gold Plus season(off-season) for about 16 days. <snip>
Y

I think you will find 81,000 starpoints can get you 13 days at Lagunamar, not 16. We do this every January. You must omit one Friday or Saturday night to do this.
 

dioxide45

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I think you will find 81,000 starpoints can get you 13 days at Lagunamar, not 16. We do this every January. You must omit one Friday or Saturday night to do this.

The OP was asking how many nights they could get in a studio. The 13 nights you speak of are in a 1BR.
 

SeattleJohn2

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For kids?

My wife and I are very close to deciding on a week at Lagunamar for Spring Break (first week in April) with our kids (three boys age 7, 9, and <1 year). I'm wondering if anyone has suggestions for kids. We're pretty adventurous with the little one so was thinking of a day trip to Chichen Itza, take the ferry to the small island nearby (I forget the name), snorkeling, and of course a lot of pool and beach time :)

Thanks,
John
 

dioxide45

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My wife and I are very close to deciding on a week at Lagunamar for Spring Break (first week in April) with our kids (three boys age 7, 9, and <1 year). I'm wondering if anyone has suggestions for kids. We're pretty adventurous with the little one so was thinking of a day trip to Chichen Itza, take the ferry to the small island nearby (I forget the name), snorkeling, and of course a lot of pool and beach time :)

Thanks,
John

Sounds like a good itinerary. Should work out well for your family. The only issue you may have on Isla Mujeres (the little island). Many people rent a golf cart and tour the island. It might be difficult with a little one <1.
 
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