Sunsierra

If you plan on going to Akumal definitely rent (or bring your own) snorkel gear. The snorkelling is great (as long as it's not too windy) and you'll likely see lots of turtles. And then have lunch at Lucy's Tacos... yummmm! We took the collectivo to Akumal but then got a taxi for the ride back to the resort (we didn't feel like walking in our wet bathing suits).

We were at the Tulum beach location. And the main flower in our bouquets was Bird of Paradise. I'm not sure how local it is, but I'm pretty sure it's cheaper there than it is here. Hope that helps!!

Sounds like a beautiful wedding! I loved Citlalli too - such a sweet genuine lady. Oh - post more pics!!!! (Love your bouquet and siggie pic)

Quote: Originally Posted by Abbie we are renting a car for a couple reasons, 1 because we will arrive at the hotel the first day much sooner and when we check out we wont have to leave so early, we can spend some extra time in the sun! and 2 because we just like the freedom having a car brings. if we want to go to cancun one day and tulum the next, chichen itza the next, we dont have to pay for/arrange transportation--we can just jump in the car and go! and it will already be paid for as well AND we can leave from wherever to go back to the hotel when we want and not have to wait on anyone or anything. so its just that bit of extra freedom we can spend doing what we want and when. haha i say all this and we probably end up never leaving the resort Abbie - My parents went to the Mayan again over Christmas and they rented a car for the full two weeks they were there. My dad (who is an explorer at heart) absolutely loved the freedom. My mom (who loves sitting on the beach) said it probably would have made more sense for them to rent it for a couple of days instead of the whole time. If you're not planning on venturing too far off the beaten path, I'd say collectivo's are your best bet. We used them when we were there and found them to be very convenient. You can always hire a private transfer to and from the airport. But if you're like my dad - who drove down to Punta Allen, Sian Kaan, etc. (and was planning on a day trip to Valladolid) then a car would be worth it. That being said, next time we go we'll be renting a car as there are more places I want to visit where a collectivo won't take us. So I say make a plan of what you'd like to do/see and then see if renting a car makes sense.

Calchik - We ate at the Tequila too. We did the cake cutting right after dinner. Depending on how long you expect the speeches to be - you could either do them at the restaurant or at the reception. My suggestion would be to wait until the reception though so you're not cut short on time.

The great thing about Xel Ha and Xcaret is that you can go there all by yourself - just take the collectivo (you don't need to go through a tour company). Quote: Originally Posted by heidi_lk Has anyone tried the Coba Adventure?? Any thoughts. We didn't but a couple that came to our wedding did and they loved it!! Their only suggestion was to go on a day when it's not too terribly hot.

Quote: Originally Posted by calchik for those who have been there before, did you guys book excursions online or did you book it when you got there at the resort? is it cheaper to book online? we just want to do xcaret and golf. When are you going? I went to Xcaret's website to check out their prices (so for Feb 2009) and they are cheaper (about $30 per person)online than what we paid in person (Jan 2008 ). But I'm not sure if the prices have changed. One reason why we decided to not book online was because we didn't know which day we wanted to go - so it looks like booking online is cheaper - but also a little more inconvenient. I will say that booking online and/or going on your own is for sure cheaper that going with the resorts tour (I'd say about $20 per person cheaper on average). One more thing - have you considered visiting Xel Ha? We went to both Xcaret and Xel Ha - we much preferred Xel Ha. ETA: Looks like Xel Ha's online prices are about the same as what we paid for when we went there.

For a photographer, we had Citlalli of Claudia Rodriguez. We loved our pictures and it was very very reasonably priced - we went with Wedding Photo Package II (and keep in mind that these are their prices for Jan 2008 so they have probably gone up): Quote: Wedding Photo Package I 80 pics 4x6 (mix of color and B&W photos and B&W with a hint of color included) 6 enlargements 5x7 1 enlargements 8x10" Ceremony, toast and cutting of the cake (right after the ceremony) group picture and Bride and Groom portrait by the ocean. time aprox 2 hours. cost 800.00 us Wedding Photo Package II 100 pictures 4x6 (including 20 b&w) 10 pics 5x7 (3 b&w) 3 pic 8x10 (1 b&w , 2 color) Bride getting ready, Ceremony, Bride and Groom portrait by the beach, group photo, wedding party and family. Time aprox 3hours cost 1,000.00 us Special package III 180 pics 4x6 (including 60 b&w) 15 pics 5x7 6 pics 8&10 (3 color and 3 b&w) this is the most complete Photo Package because you will get a lot of candid shoots photojournalism kind besides the Pictures of Bride and groom, Wedding Party, Ceremony , family and reception. time aprox 4to 5 hours cost 1,650.00 us All photo packages include album and Cd's with the photos taken, and as you can see some pictures in black and white as well. What I really liked was that we got two CD's with all of our pictures on it (so whenever we want to print more, we can)!

Quote: Originally Posted by Abbie hi ladies! -has anyone found an aerial view of the ENTIRE resort? everything ive seen is section by section, and id like to get the full picture of how its laid out. It's not an aerial view - but here is the resort map!

Quote: Originally Posted by jkcz0702 How big were the cups at the resort? I am trying to decide if it is worth it to put cups in the OOT bags or are the resort ones good enough. We weren't sure about this either. We ended up going the no-cup route (to save $$). Everyone managed fine without one - but next time I go back, I think I'd definitly bring a travel mug (not for the size, but to keep the drink colder longer).

Quote: Originally Posted by 1kpaine Has anyone else rented to disco? Does the DJ act at all as a MC? We rented the disco. And to tell you the truth - I honestly can't remember if he annouced or not? Sorry.

Quote: Originally Posted by scoutley Last minute questions are popping up now! I did a search and couldn't find the answer... Is there an ATM at the hacienda? I'm moving along with my plans assuming that there is one. Anyone know if there is or not? There is an ATM at the Hacienda. Enter the Hacienda from the East and then turn left. Go past the disco. Once you're in the "other" area (I think there's one or two steps down -you'll know what I'm talking about once you get there) turn right again. There's a little room there with an ATM - and if I remember correctly, the exchange was pretty good too!

Quote: Originally Posted by MayanButterfly I was wondering if anyone did their own wedding cake? One of my bridesmaids and I took a wedding cake decorating course and I thought it would be a nice touch to do my own (decorate not bake... still working on that part!) Also, has anyone been to Xcaret? I am having a catholic ceremony there at the St. Francis of Assisi church. 5 more months!! We didn't decorate our own cake. And I doubt you'll have much luck doing it on the resort (and is it really something you want to be doing while you're there?) A place I might contact if you're really interested is the Turtle Bay Cafe in Akumal Bay. They might bake the cake for you and you can decorate it (I believe they'll deliver the cake on the wedding day too). We went to Xcaret and we liked it. I don't remember seeing the church though, sorry.

Quote: Originally Posted by 1kpaine Did everyone's ceremony time get changed? I'm a little worried just because we're all getting our hair done and the last apointment is set to finish around 2pm. Does Jazmin do a reherrsal the night before? Our time did not get changed. If you want to do a rehearsal, I think it's something you will have to arrange yourself (maybe with the help of Jazmin). We didn't do a rehearsal but a few girls on here did.

I just wanted to add that we did use the internet at the hacienda. I used it for about 5-10 minutes to check my email and reply back to our photographer. If I remember correctly it was under $5.