ok here's my review of the hotel :) If you're venturing to Cancun, Mexico and using Hotwire or Priceline, you have definitely seen the Westin Resort & Spa (also known as Westin Regina) - it is NOT The Westin Lagunamar, the newer Westin property (has all the Villas) - which is located further north by La Isla shopping center. The reviews have been all over the place. So is this a hidden gem or a god awful place to stay? If you are a traveler who loves a good beach and multiple swimming pools, then the Westin Regina should be on your list. It is uniquely located at the very southern end of the Cancun hotel resort strip. In fact the only major hotel further south is Club Med. The hotel sits on a narrow strip of land that straddles the Caribbean sea and the lagoon - you literally can walk from the ocean across the beach - through the breeze way and to the dock on the lagoon side in a couple of minutes. Very unique and cool. If you truly don't enjoy the beach, this isn't the hotel for you. It is far from everything. And you have to ask yourself, are you ok riding the bus? If the answer is yes to being a beach lover and ok with public transit - keep reading, if not, skip this hotel. In February 2011 the Mexican Peso to the US Dollar exchange rate was roughly 12 pesos to the dollar. The Westin was giving 11.60 pesos to the dollar - much better than the airport but still a 3.33% charge to simply convert your money. I'm a finance guy so if i can save you a few bucks, I've done my job - grab your ATM card and walk down to the road and hop on the city bus. You're at the very last stop on the hotel strip so the bus only goes north from here. 9.50 pesos gets you a one way fare. Taxis will pretty much run you $10+ for a one way ride. They don't have meters so don't even bother asking them to turn it on. Get off at Kukulcan plaza - (on ocean side - look for Louis Vutton, Ruth Chris Steak House) and go into the mini mall and upstairs to HSBC bank. Exchange rate was 11.96 pesos to the dollar at HSBC. If you're even more savy you can open an HSBC account online prior to leaving and you won't even pay an ATM fee. Back to the hotel - breakfast is exorbitant in terms of price - $28 for the spread. It is easy to see how they figure this out. $20 round trip taxi + $8 price breakfast buffet of the Tequilla Grill located in the same Kukulcan plaza. If you take the bus, you're winning. If not, it is a toss up. We never ate once at the hotel due to the various other reviews saying the food wasn't anything extraordinary. Rooms are comfortable - we did get a complimentary "upgrade" to the 6th floor, friends we had were on the 3rd and 4th floor. All were lagoon views. We had a nice balcony which we didn't use as much as I would think due to the kids always wanting to come right up to the railing. Beds are just fine, air conditioning was functional. TV is a smaller LCD/Plasma - between 36-40 inches but it served its purpose. A small refigerator and sink are included as well. A nice large desk for working - if you use the internet it is $15 per 24 period and request or bring a ethernet cable - the wireless is spotty - the LAN works great. Bathrooms: Ours was clean - they have all the requisite marble, travertine, drop sinks, separate bath and shower. Yes they are starting to show their age. This wasn't a deal killer for us. I am sure there could be instances where mold/mildew could grow but we found the staff helpful enough where they would have taken care of it if we said anything. Remember the price point of this hotel versus the other is why you are staying here. I have to mention the shower. Yes this has the standard Westin double headed shower and before you think you're going to go at it Sharon Stone/Sly Stallone (The Specialist) style, be forewarned if you like anything but cold water, the water temperature can vary drastically during the shower. I first thought it was someone in our room using the sink or toilet but then realized anytime a toilet in the hotel was flushed, the water would get really scalding hot for a minute. This may be a deal breaker for you, I learned to take quick and cold showers. Couple of final things to point out if you made it this far. We were "invited" to use the nice facilities up at The Westin Lagunamar - even had transportation arranged for us to take us and our kids to the water park and pools. After I agreed to do this, I learned they wanted to hawk us a time share with the "90 minute presentation" and was offered a $100 voucher. If you're into this sort of think, know that it is there, the concierge was who was pitching it. After letting her do the sales pitch, I politely returned the voucher as to me, my 3-4 hours on a vacation is worth at least triple what I make per hour back home. We didn't ask or use the pool facilities at the Lagunamar after we declined the timeshare pitch. Overall I would visit this Westin again, but we are not the typical pampered travelers. Knowing that I can ride a bus from the hotel to the great American triumvirate enterprises in Cancun (Wal-Mart, Sam's Club and Costco) it worked just fine for us. I'm not completely sold on Cancun over say Hawaii or another beach front destination, but hopefully this gives you a better picture of the Westin Resort and Spa in Cancun.
