Can't decide on RESORT or LOCATION!!

afrobride21 · 07-08-2008, 07:13 AM

Hi Ladies,

I know that I want to do my DW in Mexico or the Caribbean but which one is better can you list some pros and cons of each, pictures would also help alot!
Also if anyone has ideas on resorts in these locations it would be great

Thanks

mummergirl · 07-08-2008, 04:59 PM

deciding on a location/resort was the hardest thing EVER! our decision on "location" mostly boiled down to price. our first decision was that we wanted an all-inclusive for our guests. in the caribbean, jamaica, dominican republic, and mexico are the most affordable locations. then we also needed the resort to be family-friendly as we had kids attending, which ruled out all secrets and sandals resorts. still other resorts were 14 and up, which ruled them out too.

our travel agent suggested going somewhere that had a direct non-stop flight from philadelphia, because coordinating travel with many stops, layovers, etc. for a large group could sometimes be a hassle. also, for those who hate flying or afraid, fewer takeoffs and landings is always better. again, her suggestions were jamaica, dominican republic and mexico.

we started looking at jamaica but didn't like the long ride from the airport to negril (1 hour) or ocho rios (2 hours!). that is also why we stuck with cancun rather than the riviera maya area of mexico.

once we decided on cancun, the choice was easy for us. dreams is beautiful (stunning wedding gazebo), all-inclusive with great food (without wristbands or reservations!), and happened to be offering a "kids stay free" promotion during our stay. if it weren't for the free kids thing, we may have opted for one of the RIU resorts, as they get great reviews and are quite beautiful, and tend to be a little more affordable than dreams resorts.

not to screw you all up, but you might want to look into a cruise wedding as well (you could visit several places in the caribbean that way)!

if you read this forum, the bias is definitely toward dreams resorts. many satisfied customers here!

MickiBee · 07-09-2008, 08:50 AM

Why don't you get married on Aruba? I think it's a very nice Island with friendly people. Aruba Weddings for You
You can also get married in Curacao like me ;-) the Marriot Hotel there is very nice, you can have a beach wedding and a dinner at the pool.

Good luck with planning.

DanielleNDerek · 07-09-2008, 09:13 AM

there are great resorts in all areas. I would suggest like mummergirl to figure out which locations have direct flights or more convenient (short airtime) from your area, then make a list of things you are looking for like all-inclusive, adults only, kids friendly, quality of rooms, wide variety of food choices, wedding options, etc. We made a list and that's how we narrowed it down to our resort. I did a lot of research on tripadvisor for reviews, resort accomadations, and average prices( i didn't know about BDW yet), i talked to wedding cordinators for each resort and asked them questions like menu options, price lists, ceremony and reception choices, etc., and i talked to a TA and gave her a list of my top 5 got her opinion on them and got prices for each one.

TA Maureen · 07-09-2008, 09:16 AM

When clients are really unsure of where they want to go, I usually start with the places that are easiest to get to (have direct flgihts and decent availability). Are most of your guests coming from the same area as you? I would start with that to get an idea and then you can read reviews here and talk to other brides and that should help narrow the field.