Trip Index
- Courtyard Cancun Airport, Secrets Silversands, "Just say no"
- Secrets Silversands, Westin Lagunamar, "Just say no" again
***
(Warning: supersized post!)
With the timeshare presentation out of the way, Kaleb and I were able to enjoy the rest of the week at Secrets Silversands without interruption.
I attended yoga class at 9am, taught by Melissa and held in the oceanfront gazebo. Mats and bottles of water were provided. The sound of gentle waves rolling onto the beach complemented the relaxing poses. I didn't get a picture during yoga class, but here is a picture of the gazebo up close (being prepared for a special event):
I highly recommend going to yoga, though I only attended class once the entire week - blame it on jet lag and pure laziness. (not the teacher! Melissa is awesome)
The rest of the day was spent relaxing and eating. Three of us in the group played Pokemon Go, representing Instinct, Mystic, and Valor teams, so we played nice and tried our best (despite other players at the resort) for each team to take over the gym long enough to collect 50 Pokecoins.
This evening, we made reservations to eat at Bordeaux, serving French cuisine. Again, we were unable to sit at a table for 8, so we had to split up into two 4-tops, at least next to each other. Why couldn't they combine the tables? I suspected that large groups were discouraged, as it could get loud.
It was a nice meal, including a tableside flambe.
On Wednesday, a bunch of us had foot massages in the spa, a treatment that was not on the menu but was known to our friends who had stayed at Silversands before. The facilities were nice, including a large outdoor soaking pool and a relaxation room on the second floor.
In the evening, we enjoyed a teppanyaki dinner at Himitsu. The fried rice was so good, probably from all the butter that was used! We then went to Seaside Grill for a second dinner of picana.
With all the food eaten earlier in the week, my meals during the day were becoming lighter and lighter.
Thursday's dinner was at Portofino, the Italian restaurant. This time, we were able to sit all together at a long table in a side banquet room. Some of us decided to have a second dinner at Himitsu, so I tried a couple of their sushi rolls. They were okay.
On Friday, we finally got a chance to try the pop-up grill buffet. The jerk chicken leg was delicious! Despite having already eaten, we joined the group for a second lunch at Oceana.
It poured rain that afternoon, but it didn't stop guests from enjoying themselves in the enormous hot tub.
There was a Mexican buffet being set up in the theater and the staff was trying to get us to eat there, but we ended up at Bordeaux again, followed by second dinner at Portofino. There was more food than pictured below...
Saturday was our last day at Secrets, spent relaxing, playing games and of course, eating. Yes, two dinners as well! I will spare you the pictures, just a few.
And that was the end of our stay at Secrets Silversands! Secrets is a great adults-only all-inclusive brand where the food, service and accommodations are usually consistent in all their properties. (though I am a bit biased towards Secrets Maroma Beach, which in my opinion is top-notch) I like that guests do not need to wear wristbands as opposed to other all-inclusives. There were also many gluten-free and vegan choices on the menu. If you visit Secrets or any of the other resorts in the AMResorts portfolio at least twice a year, it may be worth it to sign up for their Unlimited Vacation Club to buy discounted vacations in advance. If you are interested in staying at a Secrets (or a family-friendly AMResort) property, contact me any time for a vacation package quote. If you have a friend in the Unlimited Vacation Club, you can get a discounted rate by attending a timeshare presentation in return.
The others have gone home, but Kaleb and I stick around Cancun for a few more days, staying at the Westin Lagunamar. After gorging ourselves silly at Secrets Silversands, we were looking forward to a break. (first world problems) I had already pre-arranged a hotel-to-hotel transfer with CARM. Our ride was on time and efficient. Check-in was quick, but our room was not ready since we arrived early, so Kaleb and I found some lounge chairs on the property to relax in while we waited for an email from the front desk. (free wifi on property)
We were here on a promotional package that did not require a timeshare presentation: $319 for a four night stay in a studio villa plus 15,000 Marriott Rewards points. I had to visit the concierge within 24 hours of checking in to receive the points. Of course, she was so nice that I couldn't say no to a two hour timeshare presentation the next day for an extra 20,000 points. My prior experience with Marriott timeshare presentations were no-pressure, so I wasn't too concerned.
The studio villa was well-equipped, with a beautiful view of the turquoise ocean.
Our first order of business was to buy groceries at Soriana, located inside Kukulcan Plaza, about a 15 minute walk from our resort. The narrow sidewalks were in need of repair, with hardly any shoulder to buffer from the fast moving traffic, but the walk wasn't too unpleasant in the sun and humidity. The mall itself was pretty empty in terms of both people and stores, but the supermarket had everything we needed at decent prices. I particularly enjoyed purchasing tubs of pre-cut maradol papaya for little over $1 USD each. We were happy to eat light for dinner tonight.
The next morning, we attended the timeshare presentation. Our salesperson led us on a tour of the property, showed us a full sized villa with a prime view of the ocean, explained how the Westin Mexico timeshare program (Aventuras) worked, about Marriott's acquisition of Starwood, and so forth. Kaleb and I were not in the market to purchase another timeshare, so even though some of the reasons made sense as to why we should buy in, we continued to say no. I explained to the guy that we had bought our timeshare on the resale market, and that helped quench the sales pressure. In the end, we were brought back to the office, where the supervisor presented us with a "good deal", then finally the "big boss" showed up with one final offer. It was a bit tempting, the offer to come back to Westin Lagunamar within 12 months on a highly discounted rate, but I knew I could exchange my timeshare into Lagunamar. I could see in their eyes that they knew we were not to be won over, so we were released back into the wild after close to two hours, which wasn't bad.
We enjoyed the rest of the day on the soft sandy beach before having dinner at El Fish Fritanga, located down the street from our resort. The food was so good! We both got a free welcome drink after mentioning that we were staying at the Westin Lagunamar.
After dinner, we walked to La Isla Shopping Village for some Amorino gelato. The mall offered a great view of the sunset over the lagoon. Plus, you could play Pokemon Go!
On Tuesday and Wednesday, we explored the Mayan ruins next to the resort and hung out on the beach...love these lazy days.
360 spherical photo of the Westin Lagunamar beach: (click here if you cannot see the preview below)
On Thursday, it was finally time to go home after 12 days in paradise. Our transfer from CARM delivered us efficiently and on time to the airport. Our Priority Pass membership gave us admission into the Mera Business Lounge in Terminal 3. It was crowded, but we were able to find seats. There were light snacks available.
The first flight to Houston was uneventful. Once there, we entered the Centurion Lounge to enjoy an early dinner.
Our next flight was delayed, so United passed out bottled water and packaged crackers at the gate, which was a nice customer service gesture.
Since the plane departed later than expected, we got a little hungry on the flight, so we ordered a cheese plate and sandwich from the flight attendant, paid for with the CNB Crystal Visa, which provides reimbursement of airline incidentals up to $250 a year per cardholder. The food was a bit lackluster, especially the cheese plate.
And that was the end of our trip to Cancun! I enjoyed staying at the Westin Lagunamar since even the lowest accommodation (studio villa) was luxuriously appointed, including kitchen and washer/dryer. I could trade into the property using my Marriott timeshare, so I did not consider buying into the Westin Aventuras program. You do not need to be an owner to stay at the Lagunamar; villas can be reserved with cash or Marriott Rewards points. (note that there is a sister property nearby called the Westin Resort and Spa, not to be confused with the Westin Lagunamar) If you are interested in going to the Westin Lagunamar or any other Cancun/Riviera Maya resort, feel free to contact me any time for a quote. I can recommend a suitable property (hotel/resort/all-inclusive) for your needs. If you are curious about how to get in on promotional vacation packages such as this one, I would suggest signing up for a Marriott Rewards account if you haven't already, and opt in for promotional mail/email. This method is not a guarantee, but at least Marriott knows you are interested. I got this deal through the mail.
Since I'm so far behind in updating the blog, I can tell you right now that Kaleb and I will be out of town part of every month in 2019, which wasn't planned but turned out that way. So where are we going in February and March? We are off to Kauai for two weeks...stay tuned!
If you came here from a Facebook or Twitter link, thanks for clicking the "Facebook Like" button at the top of the page or retweeting!
Don't miss a blog entry! Sign up for updates direct to your inbox here or add the blog to your RSS feed.
Getting excited reading about these trips and want to go? Contact me at yellowdogtravel at gmail d0t com with your ideas and I can help you plan it! Or if you've already put a deposit on a cruise through the cruise line, contact me to get more information on transferring the reservation to me to get bonuses like extra onboard credit or gifts. I have lots of happy returning clients - references always available.
Come check out my other blog "What in the world is Kat Kong doing now?", documenting things other than traveling...sign up for blog updates direct to your inbox here!
Another disclaimer: The intention of this blog was to remind Future Me in full detail about where I went and what I did. I could have made it private, but I frequently get questions from family, friends and internet folks about how I planned things, got deals, etc., so instead of repeating the story over and over, I direct them here. If you are offended by anything I say or do, save yourself the discomfort and kindly click away from my blog. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!
With the timeshare presentation out of the way, Kaleb and I were able to enjoy the rest of the week at Secrets Silversands without interruption.
 |  |
I attended yoga class at 9am, taught by Melissa and held in the oceanfront gazebo. Mats and bottles of water were provided. The sound of gentle waves rolling onto the beach complemented the relaxing poses. I didn't get a picture during yoga class, but here is a picture of the gazebo up close (being prepared for a special event):
I highly recommend going to yoga, though I only attended class once the entire week - blame it on jet lag and pure laziness. (not the teacher! Melissa is awesome)
The rest of the day was spent relaxing and eating. Three of us in the group played Pokemon Go, representing Instinct, Mystic, and Valor teams, so we played nice and tried our best (despite other players at the resort) for each team to take over the gym long enough to collect 50 Pokecoins.
|
|
This evening, we made reservations to eat at Bordeaux, serving French cuisine. Again, we were unable to sit at a table for 8, so we had to split up into two 4-tops, at least next to each other. Why couldn't they combine the tables? I suspected that large groups were discouraged, as it could get loud.
 |  |
It was a nice meal, including a tableside flambe.
 |  |
 |  |
On Wednesday, a bunch of us had foot massages in the spa, a treatment that was not on the menu but was known to our friends who had stayed at Silversands before. The facilities were nice, including a large outdoor soaking pool and a relaxation room on the second floor.
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |
| happy birthday Neuzil! |
In the evening, we enjoyed a teppanyaki dinner at Himitsu. The fried rice was so good, probably from all the butter that was used! We then went to Seaside Grill for a second dinner of picana.
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
With all the food eaten earlier in the week, my meals during the day were becoming lighter and lighter.
 |  |
Thursday's dinner was at Portofino, the Italian restaurant. This time, we were able to sit all together at a long table in a side banquet room. Some of us decided to have a second dinner at Himitsu, so I tried a couple of their sushi rolls. They were okay.
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
On Friday, we finally got a chance to try the pop-up grill buffet. The jerk chicken leg was delicious! Despite having already eaten, we joined the group for a second lunch at Oceana.
 |  |
|
|
 |  |
It poured rain that afternoon, but it didn't stop guests from enjoying themselves in the enormous hot tub.
There was a Mexican buffet being set up in the theater and the staff was trying to get us to eat there, but we ended up at Bordeaux again, followed by second dinner at Portofino. There was more food than pictured below...
 |  |
Saturday was our last day at Secrets, spent relaxing, playing games and of course, eating. Yes, two dinners as well! I will spare you the pictures, just a few.
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
And that was the end of our stay at Secrets Silversands! Secrets is a great adults-only all-inclusive brand where the food, service and accommodations are usually consistent in all their properties. (though I am a bit biased towards Secrets Maroma Beach, which in my opinion is top-notch) I like that guests do not need to wear wristbands as opposed to other all-inclusives. There were also many gluten-free and vegan choices on the menu. If you visit Secrets or any of the other resorts in the AMResorts portfolio at least twice a year, it may be worth it to sign up for their Unlimited Vacation Club to buy discounted vacations in advance. If you are interested in staying at a Secrets (or a family-friendly AMResort) property, contact me any time for a vacation package quote. If you have a friend in the Unlimited Vacation Club, you can get a discounted rate by attending a timeshare presentation in return.
The others have gone home, but Kaleb and I stick around Cancun for a few more days, staying at the Westin Lagunamar. After gorging ourselves silly at Secrets Silversands, we were looking forward to a break. (first world problems) I had already pre-arranged a hotel-to-hotel transfer with CARM. Our ride was on time and efficient. Check-in was quick, but our room was not ready since we arrived early, so Kaleb and I found some lounge chairs on the property to relax in while we waited for an email from the front desk. (free wifi on property)
We were here on a promotional package that did not require a timeshare presentation: $319 for a four night stay in a studio villa plus 15,000 Marriott Rewards points. I had to visit the concierge within 24 hours of checking in to receive the points. Of course, she was so nice that I couldn't say no to a two hour timeshare presentation the next day for an extra 20,000 points. My prior experience with Marriott timeshare presentations were no-pressure, so I wasn't too concerned.
The studio villa was well-equipped, with a beautiful view of the turquoise ocean.
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
Our first order of business was to buy groceries at Soriana, located inside Kukulcan Plaza, about a 15 minute walk from our resort. The narrow sidewalks were in need of repair, with hardly any shoulder to buffer from the fast moving traffic, but the walk wasn't too unpleasant in the sun and humidity. The mall itself was pretty empty in terms of both people and stores, but the supermarket had everything we needed at decent prices. I particularly enjoyed purchasing tubs of pre-cut maradol papaya for little over $1 USD each. We were happy to eat light for dinner tonight.
|
|
 |
| Soriana bakery |
The next morning, we attended the timeshare presentation. Our salesperson led us on a tour of the property, showed us a full sized villa with a prime view of the ocean, explained how the Westin Mexico timeshare program (Aventuras) worked, about Marriott's acquisition of Starwood, and so forth. Kaleb and I were not in the market to purchase another timeshare, so even though some of the reasons made sense as to why we should buy in, we continued to say no. I explained to the guy that we had bought our timeshare on the resale market, and that helped quench the sales pressure. In the end, we were brought back to the office, where the supervisor presented us with a "good deal", then finally the "big boss" showed up with one final offer. It was a bit tempting, the offer to come back to Westin Lagunamar within 12 months on a highly discounted rate, but I knew I could exchange my timeshare into Lagunamar. I could see in their eyes that they knew we were not to be won over, so we were released back into the wild after close to two hours, which wasn't bad.
We enjoyed the rest of the day on the soft sandy beach before having dinner at El Fish Fritanga, located down the street from our resort. The food was so good! We both got a free welcome drink after mentioning that we were staying at the Westin Lagunamar.
 |  |
 |  |
|
|
|
|
After dinner, we walked to La Isla Shopping Village for some Amorino gelato. The mall offered a great view of the sunset over the lagoon. Plus, you could play Pokemon Go!
 |  |
|
|
On Tuesday and Wednesday, we explored the Mayan ruins next to the resort and hung out on the beach...love these lazy days.
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |  |
360 spherical photo of the Westin Lagunamar beach: (click here if you cannot see the preview below)
Westin Lagunamar beach - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA
On Thursday, it was finally time to go home after 12 days in paradise. Our transfer from CARM delivered us efficiently and on time to the airport. Our Priority Pass membership gave us admission into the Mera Business Lounge in Terminal 3. It was crowded, but we were able to find seats. There were light snacks available.
The first flight to Houston was uneventful. Once there, we entered the Centurion Lounge to enjoy an early dinner.
Our next flight was delayed, so United passed out bottled water and packaged crackers at the gate, which was a nice customer service gesture.
Since the plane departed later than expected, we got a little hungry on the flight, so we ordered a cheese plate and sandwich from the flight attendant, paid for with the CNB Crystal Visa, which provides reimbursement of airline incidentals up to $250 a year per cardholder. The food was a bit lackluster, especially the cheese plate.
 |  |
And that was the end of our trip to Cancun! I enjoyed staying at the Westin Lagunamar since even the lowest accommodation (studio villa) was luxuriously appointed, including kitchen and washer/dryer. I could trade into the property using my Marriott timeshare, so I did not consider buying into the Westin Aventuras program. You do not need to be an owner to stay at the Lagunamar; villas can be reserved with cash or Marriott Rewards points. (note that there is a sister property nearby called the Westin Resort and Spa, not to be confused with the Westin Lagunamar) If you are interested in going to the Westin Lagunamar or any other Cancun/Riviera Maya resort, feel free to contact me any time for a quote. I can recommend a suitable property (hotel/resort/all-inclusive) for your needs. If you are curious about how to get in on promotional vacation packages such as this one, I would suggest signing up for a Marriott Rewards account if you haven't already, and opt in for promotional mail/email. This method is not a guarantee, but at least Marriott knows you are interested. I got this deal through the mail.
Since I'm so far behind in updating the blog, I can tell you right now that Kaleb and I will be out of town part of every month in 2019, which wasn't planned but turned out that way. So where are we going in February and March? We are off to Kauai for two weeks...stay tuned!
***
If you came here from a Facebook or Twitter link, thanks for clicking the "Facebook Like" button at the top of the page or retweeting!
Don't miss a blog entry! Sign up for updates direct to your inbox here or add the blog to your RSS feed.
Getting excited reading about these trips and want to go? Contact me at yellowdogtravel at gmail d0t com with your ideas and I can help you plan it! Or if you've already put a deposit on a cruise through the cruise line, contact me to get more information on transferring the reservation to me to get bonuses like extra onboard credit or gifts. I have lots of happy returning clients - references always available.
Come check out my other blog "What in the world is Kat Kong doing now?", documenting things other than traveling...sign up for blog updates direct to your inbox here!
Another disclaimer: The intention of this blog was to remind Future Me in full detail about where I went and what I did. I could have made it private, but I frequently get questions from family, friends and internet folks about how I planned things, got deals, etc., so instead of repeating the story over and over, I direct them here. If you are offended by anything I say or do, save yourself the discomfort and kindly click away from my blog. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!
Previous post: Courtyard Cancun Airport, Secrets Silversands, "Just say no"
