- Joined
- Feb 3, 2008
- Messages
- 1,724
- Reaction score
- 392
- Resorts Owned
- Westin Lagunamar, Westin Aventuras, Marriott Grande Vista, Sandos Caracol, Festiva, Diamond Resorts (Hawaii Collection)
My wife & I arrived at Lagunamar yesterday for a 2-week stay, having split our premium 1BR star options and used them for 1 week in a 1BR unit + 1 in a lock-off. We were able to do this as we are just outside high season.
This is our first stay, and we are very favorably impressed with our 1BR unit. The quality and view beat what we have found at most Marriott vacation clubs. Some notes may be of interest:
Hector at the sign-in desk offered to upgrade our 2nd week to a 1BR unit...for $120/day! I said this was too much. He then proceeded to bargain! Have you ever heard of a vacation club bargaining with an owner? We did not come to a meeting of minds. I don't expect to be disappointed, though, as the lock-off unit we inspected a year ago seemed better then than what we have seen at various Marriott vacation clubs.
My wife doesn't like the purple exterior motif, but what the heck...purple & white were my high school colors. And it does make the exterior stand out. The interior decor is very nice...no purple, and more than acceptable to almost everyone's tastes.
The WiFi signal is weak in our unit, but the ethernet is acceptable (there is a cable in our unit). The 1-1.5 Mbps download and 1Mbps upload speeds are enough to be usable for MagicJack telephone phone calls back to the states. It's nice not to be charged international or long distance rates.
Westin's market is smallish...smaller than at the Royal Sands or Royal Islander...and rather pricey (Walmart is way cheaper). I found much better wine selection with what seemed about 40% lower prices at La Europea (across the street and to the left, about a 10-minute walk). La Europea is competitive with Walmart in wine prices with larger selection...and perhaps a bit better pricing when it comes to Don Julio's sipping tequila. Rums and other tequilas also seemed good buys.
Beware: Westin's in-house ATM fees are exorbitant, ~$6 US per withdrawal. Cheaper ATM service is available at the Scotia bank (across the street and to the left a bit, just past the La Isla garage exit). We avoided Westin's currency exchange, as their 11.20 peso/$ rate is well below the market rate we get from our bank. Our bank also refunds our ATM fee while charging only a 1% foreign transaction fee. You should make sure you know what your bank does before deciding what's best for you.
Breakfast buffet: $20 US per person (plus tip) after our owner discount. Attractive layout with many food and drink choices. I was not happy with the huevos rancheros...a far cry from what you get in Santa Fe. Best stick with omelets, I think. From here out we will eat breakfast in, though we may give Johnny Rocket's a try (in La Isla mall; I hear it is good, but it wasn't open at 0730 this morning).
We took advantage of Westin's arrangement with local taxis and had one take us to Walmart's recently opened Superama in Cancun (you get a coupon for this at the concierge desk). Superama is an attractive, upscale supermarket with very nice produce. They also have small bottles of solution to clean produce with, if you want that. The driver takes you there, waits, and brings you back. Cost: 250 pesos for up to a 1-hour wait (about $22), plus 50 pesos for each additional half hour. You can get there and back by bus too, but there is about a 3-4 block walk from the bus drop-off...too much for the load we were buying. Superama is a good place to by wine and beer. Spanish and Mexican wines seem to be the best bargains, though some of La Europea's discounted offerings may be a bit better. I found a decent Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero (Spain) at La Europea that had been marked down from 196 pesos to 131 pesos.
The Thai restaurant at the La Isla mall is excellent but expensive, as others have reported. 2 appetizers, 2 meals, and 2 waters ran us $90 US with tip. The wine I bought a La Europea served as a warm-up for crossing the street later...and meant that buying a drink at the restaurant was unnecessary.
The TV at Westin is good, with several channels in English. We fully expect to be able to watch the Steelers-Jets game tomorrow, though perhaps in Spanish. Experience suggests there are many Steelers fans in Mexico. Go Steelers!
This is our first stay, and we are very favorably impressed with our 1BR unit. The quality and view beat what we have found at most Marriott vacation clubs. Some notes may be of interest:
Hector at the sign-in desk offered to upgrade our 2nd week to a 1BR unit...for $120/day! I said this was too much. He then proceeded to bargain! Have you ever heard of a vacation club bargaining with an owner? We did not come to a meeting of minds. I don't expect to be disappointed, though, as the lock-off unit we inspected a year ago seemed better then than what we have seen at various Marriott vacation clubs.
My wife doesn't like the purple exterior motif, but what the heck...purple & white were my high school colors. And it does make the exterior stand out. The interior decor is very nice...no purple, and more than acceptable to almost everyone's tastes.
The WiFi signal is weak in our unit, but the ethernet is acceptable (there is a cable in our unit). The 1-1.5 Mbps download and 1Mbps upload speeds are enough to be usable for MagicJack telephone phone calls back to the states. It's nice not to be charged international or long distance rates.
Westin's market is smallish...smaller than at the Royal Sands or Royal Islander...and rather pricey (Walmart is way cheaper). I found much better wine selection with what seemed about 40% lower prices at La Europea (across the street and to the left, about a 10-minute walk). La Europea is competitive with Walmart in wine prices with larger selection...and perhaps a bit better pricing when it comes to Don Julio's sipping tequila. Rums and other tequilas also seemed good buys.
Beware: Westin's in-house ATM fees are exorbitant, ~$6 US per withdrawal. Cheaper ATM service is available at the Scotia bank (across the street and to the left a bit, just past the La Isla garage exit). We avoided Westin's currency exchange, as their 11.20 peso/$ rate is well below the market rate we get from our bank. Our bank also refunds our ATM fee while charging only a 1% foreign transaction fee. You should make sure you know what your bank does before deciding what's best for you.
Breakfast buffet: $20 US per person (plus tip) after our owner discount. Attractive layout with many food and drink choices. I was not happy with the huevos rancheros...a far cry from what you get in Santa Fe. Best stick with omelets, I think. From here out we will eat breakfast in, though we may give Johnny Rocket's a try (in La Isla mall; I hear it is good, but it wasn't open at 0730 this morning).
We took advantage of Westin's arrangement with local taxis and had one take us to Walmart's recently opened Superama in Cancun (you get a coupon for this at the concierge desk). Superama is an attractive, upscale supermarket with very nice produce. They also have small bottles of solution to clean produce with, if you want that. The driver takes you there, waits, and brings you back. Cost: 250 pesos for up to a 1-hour wait (about $22), plus 50 pesos for each additional half hour. You can get there and back by bus too, but there is about a 3-4 block walk from the bus drop-off...too much for the load we were buying. Superama is a good place to by wine and beer. Spanish and Mexican wines seem to be the best bargains, though some of La Europea's discounted offerings may be a bit better. I found a decent Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero (Spain) at La Europea that had been marked down from 196 pesos to 131 pesos.
The Thai restaurant at the La Isla mall is excellent but expensive, as others have reported. 2 appetizers, 2 meals, and 2 waters ran us $90 US with tip. The wine I bought a La Europea served as a warm-up for crossing the street later...and meant that buying a drink at the restaurant was unnecessary.
The TV at Westin is good, with several channels in English. We fully expect to be able to watch the Steelers-Jets game tomorrow, though perhaps in Spanish. Experience suggests there are many Steelers fans in Mexico. Go Steelers!
