The Westin Lagunamar Ocean Resort Villas & Spa, Cancún

All last week, I was in the Mayan Riviera for a college friend's wedding. Following the ceremony, a small group of us took a few extra days to explore the Yucatán Peninsula, and then continued on to Cancún for the last night of our trip.

I booked our one-night stay at the Westin Lagunamar Ocean Resort Villas & Spa several months ago, and I was able to secure an amazing deal through Starwood Preferred Guest's Best Rate Guarantee. While a quick search on Kayak showed rates for a standard Studio Villa were going for $149/night, I noticed that Orbitz was offering the same room for only $95/night.

I had no idea if this was a mistake or not, but I went ahead and submitted a Best Rate Guarantee claim. The great thing about SPG is that they don't require you to pre-book rooms on their website prior to submitting a claim, so there is really zero risk involved.

The response was a resounding no, as the agent claimed Orbitz's rate was only for 2 guests, while the SPG rate allowed 4 guests without any extra charges. Her assessment was incorrect, however, and I responded with an email detailing my search on Orbitz, which showed a total of 4 guests at the $95 rate.

Finally, after escalating the claim to a supervisor, my new booking was approved along with a 10% discount below Orbitz's already ridiculous rate. The total cost was only $86.06/night for a Studio Villa, accommodating 4 adults per room.

Upon arriving at the Westin Lagunamar property, we were directed by security to the south wing, which has a separate, smaller check-in lobby. I reconfirmed the Best Rate Guarantee with the friendly front desk attendant, but was told that unfortunately, one of our two rooms was not yet ready.

I was more than willing to wait, however, since he also informed me that the room he gave us was an upgraded One-Bedroom Villa! In addition, the rooms were adjacent and connected, which was absolutely perfect for our large group. WiFi was complimentary throughout the property, even for non-elites.

Studio Villa

After receiving the card keys to Studio Villa 1323, which was already prepared, we headed up to the room. An expansive 400 square feet of space greeted us, and I was particularly impressed with the contemporary decor and how up to date everything looked. Although the queen-sized Westin Heavenly Bed was very comfortable, the sleeper sofa mattress was on the thin side, and sagged towards the center.

Studio Villa

Westen Heavenly Bed

Sleeper sofa

37-inch TV, DVD player, and cabinetry

Two-guest dinette

Kauai/Kalalau Trail May 2013 - The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas

***This post is part 3 of a full trip report. The index can be found here***

After driving up from Lihue, I arrived at the Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas around 3:00 pm. Located on the North Shore of Kauai, Princeville is a planned community of resorts, hotels, condominiums, and single homes catering to locals and tourists alike. Although the neighborhood has a very non-paradise feel to it, its proximity to Hanalei and other North Shore attractions makes the Westin a perfect base for exploring the area.

The lobby was elegantly decorated and provided views of the resort grounds behind the main building. There was a separate check-in line for SPG members with status, which was much appreciated. I wasn't given an upgrade despite my Gold status, but it didn't matter since all the rooms were basically junior suites or better. In addition, I was offered a $10 voucher to be used at any of the resort restaurants for declining housekeeping the following day. A welcome amenity of 250 Starpoints was also provided.

The resort was very large, with seven buildings spread out among four different pools and golf courses on either side. I re-parked the car closer to my building and carried my luggage up to the second floor. Upon entering, I was pleasantly surprised at how spacious it was. Practically a small apartment, the room had features not seen in typical resorts, including a washer/dryer and kitchenette with a full-size refrigerator, mini-stove, and dishwasher. The best part was that they even provided detergent, dishwashing liquid, paper towels, and all the utensils and cookware you could ever need. This was definitely the perfect place to stay for families and groups of friends.

Kauai/Kalalau Trail May 2013 - Introduction

***This post is part 1 of a full trip report. The index can be found here***

The Kalalau Trail along the famed Na Pali Coast on Kauai is consistently named one of the most beautiful hikes in the world, and even the most beautiful coastal hike period. Although I had already been to the island a number of times before, I knew I had to make another journey there just to see Kalalau Beach at the end of the 11-mile trail with my own eyes.

Luckily, armed with a sizable amount of Avios in my British Airways account and also some SPG points, I knew I could make this trip a lot more affordable than the typical traveler. One of the best uses for Avios are domestic short-haul flights on American Airlines or Alaska Airlines, since the British Airways award chart is now based on the distance traveled. As such, direct flights from the West Coast to Hawaii actually come at a huge discount when compared to the typical number of miles charged by legacy carriers (25,000 Avios vs. 35,000-45,000 miles).

Alaska Airlines has tons of direct flights to many of the islands from the Bay Area, and since I was booking nearly ten months in advance, I easily found round-trip award space for SJC-LIH. Taxes came out to a whopping $5, and I was even able to convince them to waive the phone fee since Alaska Airlines award flights cannot be booked on the British Airways website.

Unfortunately, one of the hassles of booking so far in advance is the likelihood of schedule changes. And about four months prior to departure, I received an email stating that the direct SJC-LIH flight had been canceled, and I was being rerouted through SEA. Even though this increased my travel time by more than two hours, I didn't really mind, as British Airways didn't charge me more Avios or taxes and fees. Luckily, the LIH-SJC return flight remained unchanged.

For lodging, I used SPG points to book two nights before the hike at the Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas on the north shore, which is relatively close to the Kalalau trailhead. For the two nights after, I booked the Sheraton Kauai Resort in Poipu on the south shore just to experience a different part of the island. Luckily, I did all of this prior to SPG's major Cash & Points devaluation and comparatively minor category changes in March 2013. The Westin moved up to Category 6, while the Sheraton stayed at Category 5.

Most frustrating of all was the inclusion of the dreaded resort and parking fees, along with taxes on the cash portion of the redemption. I'm glad to say that the Westin still doesn't charge a resort fee, but they do have a $13/night parking fee along with taxes. Sheraton charges a $31.25/night resort fee (including parking) along with taxes. Both provide in-room WiFi, thankfully.

Lastly, in order to camp at Kalalau Beach, you must have a permit purchased from the State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources website. The cost is $15 for Hawaii residents and $20 for non-residents, along with a $2 online fee. Permits for the Kalalau Trail go fast, especially during the summer high season, so be sure to purchase them far in advance. In all, total out-of-pocket cost for airfare and lodging came out to $422.82.

Kalalau Beach - May 3, 2013

Kauai/Kalalau Trail May 2013 Trip Report

Earlier this month, I took a quick five-day trip to Kauai. The main purpose was to hike the Kalalau Trail along the famous Na Pali Coast. Kalalau has consistently been named one of the most beautiful hikes in the world, and I was very excited to finally be able to see the spectacular scenery in person after wanting to visit for so many years. Although I was slightly nervous about doing the two-day hike on my own, things turned out alright, and I met some great people along the trail. Read on for all the details:

• Introduction
• Alaska Airlines 321/873 Economy Class (SJC → SEA → LIH)
• The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas
• The Kalalau Trail
• Sheraton Kauai Resort
• Exploring Kauai
• Alaska Airlines 848 Economy Class (LIH → SJC)