Hotwire Hotel: 4* Cancun (Riviera Maya) Omni Puerto Aventuras Beach Resort

[arbitrageur]

Hi,

I'm wondering if I can get a resort level hotel in Cancun from 4/27-5/1 with a max bid of $120. I saw a few wins for the JW Marriott in the 105-110 range, close to around the time I want to go. Bidding strategy and helpful suggestions greatly appreciated, especially since I wouldn't want to get stuck in a hotel in a strange part of mexico. I was also checking out some of the all-inclusive deals on hotwire. The only drawback is that I don't think I'll be spending more than my late afternoon/evening hours in the hotel. For anyone that has gone to cancun with/without all inclusive, is it worth the extra $$ for the convenience?

Thanks.

[thereuare]

Whether to go 'all-inclusive' or not is dependent on a few factors, amoung them...

-do you drink alcohol (if yes, do you like to drink a lot)

-are you a 'foodie'... some of the food in all-inclusives is 'very average'. If you like your meals to be 'events' then it may not suit your liking. If you view food as an energy source to keep your body going, it may be perfectly acceptable.

-will you eat breakfast at the hotel? (thereby just missing lunch)

From my own experience (honeymoon) we stayed at two properties:

Ceiba del Mar: expensive but very worth it... the place was only one year old, we booked a package which made it affordable (yet still expensive), and it was off-season so we virtually had the entire place to ourselves. We got to interact with the staff very closely and they became our friends, and part of the vacation experience for us is socializing and interacting with the locals. Our package was 'somewhat' inclusive... our breakfat and dinners were ala carte from the restaurant (cooked fresh to order) and we simply signed for them and whatever we ordered was taken off our bill... drinks and lunch were extra.

Moon Palace: very affordable, and we got our money's worth, but i also probably wouldn't return. I didn't like the food at all and it was a bit too big and impersonal. It did have the advantage that it included some tours which we took part in, as well we were able to go and use the facilities at any of the other Palace Resorts (as well as eat and drink at the other properties as well)... but the limited shuttle service between properties got very crowded and it wasn't as relaxing as we would like.

So... i've done them both (sort-of). It really depends upon what class of service you like, what is important to you, and most of all: PRICE (ie- how much more is the all-inclusive vs. the 'just hotel'... and how much are the included activities worth)

[arbitrageur]

Yeah, I will be having breakfast before leaving each morning. I plan on having some alcohol, but not more than 1-2 drinks per day. Food for this trip is just for sustenance. Would all-inclusive be overkill? Last time I was in Cancun, I was closer to the downtown area, so obtaining food outside the hotel without car service was not a problem. I remember some of the resorts being fairly isolated, so a downtown excursion might not be a viable option. Main goal this time is to see sites during the day, namely: Xel-Ha, Xcaret, Tulum, and maybe Chich

[thereuare]

Go to Expedia and look for 'moon palace' and then look at their 'passport promotion' (viewable when you click 'overview' and then scroll to the bottom of the page) which includes quite a few excursions.

As i mentioned above, we didn't love this place (some people do), but if you can get a good rate it may be worthwhile since quite a few of the tours are included... we're not much of "tour people" so i don't know how the value is relative to booking things individually.

The Moon Palace is also quite a bit isolated, but there are other palace resorts which i would imagine include a similar promotion (you can check by searching Expedia and then search for 'palace' and see if same promotion is offered)

Of if you want to bid on priceline or look at something on HOTWIRE let us know and we'll try to help.

[arbitrageur]

Please help me identify the following cancun resort.

Hotwire 4* all inclusive - $189

Amenities

Resort

Beachfront

Food and Beverages Included

A La Carte Dining

Water Sports/Activities Included

Evening Entertainment Included

Daily Activities Included

Children's Activity Program

Fitness Center

Pool(s)

Restaurant(s)

Business Center

High-speed Internet Access

Golf Nearby

Tennis Nearby

Spa Services

[thereuare]

Is there also a "Premium Beverages Included" icon in addition to the ones above?

[arbitrageur]

Yes.... Sorry I forgot to include the premium beverage.

Thanks for the tip on moon palace. Since I'm only staying 4 nights, I would get 1 tour free. Room rate was averaging about $350/night. I'm thinking I could do better.

[thereuare]

If you read the Expedia promotion again it says unlimited tours which is why i thought it might be a good deal (i have no idea what the tours would cost on their own). If you do consider this though, i'd email them first to find out what tours are offered on each day... it was nearly 5 years ago that we were there, but not every tour was offered each day of the week.

I'm not sure of the above HOTWIRE property, if i were to take a guess, i'd think the Riu Palace Las Americas is a possibility.

[arbitrageur]

Thanks for all the tips. I'll take a few days to mull over everything I've learned here. I'm leaning towards using priceline or hotwire to obtain just a standard resort room (scratch the all-inclusive - I don't think I'll have time to fully enjoy all the amenities). I found a compact rental car for $14.40/day from Dollar. I'll have to tack on another $11/day in insurance, but its a start.

Can someone post a bid strategy, with particular emphasis on the available rebid zones? I'd hate to get stuck somewhere other than Cancun.

[thereuare]

Let us know when you're ready and if you decide to use priceline or HOTWIRE... we'll suggest a strategy at that time based upon the most recent prices.

In the meantime you should read up on re-bidding, which is expalined here: Priceline Re-Bidding Explained

You'll have one re-bid zone when bidding Resort in Cancun.

[arbitrageur]

Thanks.... I'll let you know by this weekend which way I decide to go. Still checking out moon palace sister site -- sun palace.

For the one rebid zone, would it be Cozumel only? In the Riviera Maya, which resort class hotel has been hit, because I thought it was just the 3* Omni Aventuras?

[thereuare]

Read the comments at the top of the Priceline Hotel List... hotels are added/removed all the time, plus some star levels are not bid often (or are priced too high relative to the viable alternatives) that the hotel lists should not be considered finite or complete.

This is why we warn people against using the hotel lists to determine re-bid zones, the proper technique to use to determine re-bid zones is outlined in Priceline Re-Bidding Explained.

Yes, Cozumel is currently the free re-bid zone when bidding Resort... but always double check before you begin each bidding cycle!

[arbitrageur]

Thanks Thereuare. I use priceline so infrequently that I always have to reorient myself. :) I think I'd like to try priceline, hoping I can obtain a resort level hotel at $120 or less if you can suggest a bid strategy.

[thereuare]

Rates are not that high for these dates so i'd try to lowball at first...

Select Resort Cancun...

Bid $75, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $80.

Any questions feel free to ask.

Good Luck and let us know how it goes.

[arbitrageur]

Thanks.... no luck with the above strategy yet.

[thereuare]

In 24 hours raise each by $5.

[arbitrageur]

Nothing yet at $80 and $85.

[arbitrageur]

No luck at $85 and $90. Should I continue to bid at these levels for the next couple of weeks or try increasing in small increments?

[thereuare]

I'd try going up to $95 and $100... if that fails i'd wait awhile and book a back-up at the Omni for $149 (appears to be fully refundable if cancelled at least 7 days before arrival).

[arbitrageur]

Thanks.... I've got my backup reservation. As an update, I've bid up to $100 and $105 with no luck yet. I'm thinking of expanding my desired zones to include the Riviera Maya area.

Also, can someone help me identify the following 4* hotel in the Riviera Maya area for $129/night?:

Resort

Boutique Hotel

Complimentary Breakfast

Fitness Center

Pool(s)

Restaurant(s)

High-speed Internet Access

Golf Nearby

Tennis Nearby

[thereuare]

Does HOTWIRE also show a Beachfront icon in addition to the above? (please make sure you list all the amenities)

If so, this is a match for the Omni Puerto Aventuras Beach Resort so that would be our best guess.

If you do book the above please use this HOTWIRE link to begin your purchase.

[arbitrageur]

Hi,

I'd like to change my strategy to stay in the Riviera Maya zone only in either a resort or 4* hotel. It is closer to the places I want to visit. I guess the main problem is that I haven't seen any priceline wins in the Riviera Maya zone, so I really don't know which hotels release inventory to priceline. I was hoping there might be less demand for hotels in this zone. That doesn't seem to be panning out.

So far, I've bid up to $110 and $115 for resort level, and $75 and $80 for 4* with no success in the Riviera Maya area. Is a $120 max bid realistic for the Riviera Maya area?

In case anyone is interested in my bidding failures for Cancun, as of Monday, I went as high as $105 and $108 for a resort level with no success.

Thanks

[arbitrageur]

I decided to use Hotwire (via the link) and as predicted, got the Omni Puerto Aventuras Beach Resort for $129/night.

Thanks for all your help Thereuare!

Trip details

Rooms:1 room , Nights:4 nights

Name:Omni Puerto Aventuras Beach Resort See details

Km 269.5 Carretera Chetumal

Cancun, Quintana Roo 77500

Mexico

011-52-984-875-1950

Check-in date

:Fri, Apr 27, 2007

Check-out date

Tue, May 1, 2007

Primary guest

Adults/Children

2/0

Traveler and Billing Details

Hotel

Rooms:1 room(s) @ $129.00 per night x 4 night(s)

SubTotal:$516.00

Taxes recovery charges and fees

$71.12

Hotel subtotal:

Total Price Before Savings And Add Ons:$587.12

Some hotels may apply additional charges for incidental fees such as parking. Prices are in $USD.

Total Price With Add Ons And Savings:$587.12

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your success and thank you for using our HOTWIRE link to begin your purchase.

Glad you got the hotel you were expecting.

Since a lot of properties were covered in this thread, can you please add the amenities shown before your purchase... you can still view these by going to HOTWIRE and clicking the MY ACCOUNT link near the top right of their home page.

Thanks and have a great trip!

[arbitrageur]

Amenities:

Resort

Beachfront

Boutique Hotel

Complimentary Breakfast

Fitness Center

Pool(s)

Restaurant(s)

High-speed Internet Access

Golf Nearby

Tennis Nearby

Oh, and this hotel is in the Riviera Maya area. Not the Cancun hotel zone.