The Westin Cancun

Our Yucatan adventure began in Cancun! Far from party central, we stayed at the Westin Resort and Spa. The Westin lies on the southern end of the Cancun hotel district and is one of the closest hotels to the airport. We had stayed here once before, but our experience this time was different.

Cancún, Quintana Roo

Generally speaking, I like to leave the relaxing portion of our trips for the second half. But this time around, we had family members join us for the beach portion of our trip. We booked five nights at the Westin Resort and Spa in Cancun, taking advantage of the fifth night free promotion when booked using SPG points (you only pay for four nights)!

Laguna view

Our flight arrived in the evening, and since the hotel was completely booked we got assigned the laguna view room we had booked. This was disappointing, but not unexpected considering the hotel was undergoing renovations, and we were traveling in high season. We quickly got situated and straight to bed.

The next four days were what you would expect at a resort: playing in the pool, followed by playing at the beach, rinse and repeat. Because this trip came at the time that it did, we decided to forego all of the extra day trips I had planned out, and stick to rest and relaxation.

getting acquainted with the ocean

Meal Times at the Westin

The buffet breakfast was expensive but plentiful. Considering the meager dining options in the area, it was great for our purposes. We had snacks around lunch time, and our main meal of the day in the afternoon, “comida”, we went out to eat.

Most of the restaurants are further north up the hotel strip, and we found them generally underwhelming and overpriced. We were able to get some snack at the Soriana (supermarket) and Oxxo (convenience store). We did find one seafood restaurant nearby that is a true hidden gem, and frequented primarily by hotel employees.

On our last full day, we rented the car that we would use for the rest of our trip, and headed into downtown Cancun to stock up on groceries. Keeping it real, I have to mention- we all contracted a stomach bug. Our big boys both tossed their cookies that day, all over our hotel room, and unfortunately in the middle of the restaurant we ate lunch at. Yeah I’m grimacing as I write this, but there’s no use sugar coating it. Even the best planned trips sometimes encounter some hiccups! Thankfully the staff was more than gracious, and we made it back to our hotel to pack things up and get ready for our adventure on the road!

Returning to the beach in the evening was gorgeous and relaxing!

Review of the Westin Resort Cancun

Over the course of this trip, we stayed at the Westin Cancun twice, for five days at the beginning of the trip, and then for two more days at the end. The resort has two areas- the resort side and the timeshare side. During our first visit we stayed on the resort side. Unfortunately we had a laguna view room, which was nice, but not quite as nice as the beach view room we stayed at the first time. The buffet breakfast was huge and the pool was great.

Amenities

We took advantage of sending the older kids to the kids club for a little while each day during our baby’s nap. This was awesome! It was a nice quiet standalone hut in the back of the resort with lots of toys and a playground. The entrance was free but they did have paid activities you could add on. Our kids made tie-dyed shirts that they are still wearing a year later!

Also in the back of the resort, was a little trail through the vegetation. There was a hut for temazcal treatments (a sweat lodge pre-Hispanic ritual) and extra patios for events.

The Timeshare Side

During the end of our trip, we stayed at the timeshare side. This time we had an ocean view room that was fabulous.

What’s more, the room had a balcony which we LOVED sitting on. It was especially great for nap time, so that we could be outside and not disturb the little one.

There was a separate restaurant area that was smaller than the resort side, but you could choose where to dine so we just walked over to the main buffet.

All in all it was a fabulous stay. The reason we keep coming back to the Westin again and again is because the staff is wonderful. Everyone is in good spirits and as accommodating as possible. It really is a great vacation with kids.

Where is your favorite place to vacation with kids? Have you been to Cancun? Would you take your kids there?

For more information on how I planned our trip, go here. And for our complete itinerary check this out. Coming up…we hit the road!

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